Host Sharon

Our final port was Lisbon. There was an included tour here which my friend did in the afternoon, with a paid-for ship’s tuk tuk tour in the am. The sun was shining, it was 24 degrees, so I enjoyed the views of the Alfama District from our balcony. I stayed out for sailaway, photographing the several lighthouses lining the Tagus River before changing for dinner. 
 

There are 2 sea days now till Portsmouth and I expected the weather to be much cooler but in fact I couldn’t stay out as it was too hot. It was slightly odd watching my friend pack to go home while I am staying on for the next cruise. We arrived back at a miserable, cold and wet Portsmouth on the 28th. After our beautiful weather it was a nasty shock. We had breakfast together in the Grill and I sat with her till her tag number was called. Then I went down to The Living Room for a coffee and Danish. By 10.30am everyone was off. A shuttle b us was laid on for those of us in transit, to a local shopping centre, but strangely few seemed to take advantage. I had lunch in the MDR just as the first passengers were arriving for the next cruise. After lunch, I caught up with emails and napped until it was time to go meet the new crowd.
 

Internet has been a bit hit and miss so apologies for the silence. After Calvi we had a welcome sea day before Parma. I went to the jewellery trivia quiz and very pleased to win. Saga prizes are well worth having and I got a bottle of fizz, key ring and silver charm of the ship! That evening was the Britannia Club party. Apparently there are two Diamond members on board - that is over 1000 nights each.
We arrived at Palma at 9am yesterday to blue skies and sun, despite a gloomy forecast. My friend went off on an included tour to Valdemossa while I sat on the aft deck and chose which of the new apartments I might buy - only £2.5m each! I succumbed yet again to their wonderful fish and chips. By the afternoon it was very hot and everyone was back on board well before listed departure time. We left at 6pm. Whilst on deck, I spotted a beautiful death’s head hawk moth, sadly dead. Dinner was gravadlax, venison loin and ice cream. 

31 minutes ago, JMMKUK said:

The terminal is fine. It's the shuttle bus & all it entails that I don't like.

The terminal is not fine for me. When you book assistance at Southampton you are met with a wheelchair. At Portsmouth you have to walk miles to check in, then through security, then onto a bus before anyone offers assistance. 

We arrived at 8am at Calvi in Corsica. It was dull, but warm and dry. It was the final of our 5 ports in a row and the last tender port. It looked interesting, backed by high mountains, with a fort and lighthouse to the right. Shortly after arrival we were joined by Emerald Sakara, one of Emerald Cruises new ocean yachts. She certainly looked the part of a super yacht. My friend did a ship’s tour again as she had been to Calvi before, staying on to explore the port area afterwards. She was lucky to make it back by 2.30pm as the heavens then opened - our first rain. I guess not many were still ashore as they had brought up three of our four tenders. I enjoyed a room-service lunch of a cheese platter and glass of white wine as I didn't want much. 

We another sunny warm day in Elba, despite an iffy forecast. The island looked delightful from my spot on my cabin balcony and my friend enjoyed her tour of the south of the island. We seem to be surrounded by storms but have escaped them all - so far. At lunch I succumbed to a seat in the sun in The Verandah at the back of the Grill, and a small portion of their beer-battered fish and chips which are truly delicious. Later I enjoyed a Singapore Sling while listening to the Lirica Piano Quartet before joining other solos for a dinner of a prawn starter, Kevin Woodford chicken dish and cinnamon pudding. Tonight and tomorrow there is a special Agatha Christie play in the theatre. Everyone has been allocated a ticket for one night or the other, so no one misses out.

PS: now I know that other lines water their cocktails down! 

A nice calm night’s sail and we arrived in Livorno around 8am. Again, we have the closer berth, beside mega, super yachts. NCL Epic is over with the ferries. It is hot with a cloudless sky. I can hear bells in the distance from the campaniles dotted around the city. My friend did the included tour around Livorno, then caught the shuttle bus back in the afternoon. She thought it an interesting city with enough to see for a day. Many of course went to Florence or Pisa, but we have both been there. We didn’t sail until 7pm as not far to go to Elba. We went to the solo’s Met and then to dinner on a table of 4. I enjoyed a salmon starter, Guinea fowl stuffed with haggis and a clootie dumpling. 
the ‘Comedy ventriloquist’ wasn’t my cup of tea but I’ve seen worse!

Another lazy sea day before Toulon. As it is only 400m to the old town we don’t get a shuttle. We picked up the pilot about 9am and slowly entered the large harbour. My friend set off soon after we berthed at 10am. Due to my walking problems I stayed on board. It was HOT! Much warmer than I was expecting. I found a table in the shade on the Liod deck and read until the grill there opened. The waiters were bringing round trays of cranberry juice and ginger ale. I opted for some scampi + hold the chips. Discovery was berthed as close to the old town as it was possible to be so we had a lovely view from our cabin balconies of typical Italian Riviera style apartment blocks, interspersed with the occasional chapel or bell tower. Along the waterfront was a main road which I assume led to a major hospital, judging by the number of blue lights and siren blaring ambulances which sped along it. Just after sailing at 6pm, we showered, changed and went for cocktails. I love sitting in The Living Room at this time, where the. Classical quartet plays. Dinner was on a table for 8 with snow crab tian, roast chicken and pistachio baklava. 

On 5/14/2024 at 7:18 PM, Denarius said:

But what does it taste like? Sadly, in my experience when things go gluten free they rarely taste as good as they did before.

I would never have known. Delicious as always. Our captain is Franko Papic, easily understood. our friend had to disembark at 2pm but enjoyed her visit and meal. I sat in the sun until sailaway at 3pm. Pre dinner drinks in the South Cape bar before dinner of delicious duck spring rolls with hoisin sauce and barramundi. Unfortunately the blueberry cheesecake (sugar free) was.tasteless so I left half and had a chunk of Brie to clear my palate. Just waiting for the show to start.

On 5/12/2024 at 1:50 PM, Lady Meer said:

I hope your trip runs smoothly after a tricky start. I shall be following your every move!

 

I did hear that the batter on the fish is now gluten-free for everyone. I wonder if you would be kind enough to check if that’s true.

Yes, beer battered cod is gluten free.

Days 3 & 4 followed a similar pattern. Lazy days interspersed with talks, craft lessons (complimentary materials) and meals. On Monday we had a solos lunch. This was carefully organised with name tags and every table ad a host - on mine was the chaplain. It was a slightly reduced version of the general lunch menu. Today, 14 May, we arrived in Gibraltar. The seas have been calm throughout so far and by 9am it was hot and sunny. My friend has gone on the included tour while I chill on board. We have a mutual friend who lives here and we have arranged for her to come o board for lunch. Till then, a cold beer and chair in the shade beckon.

On 5/12/2024 at 8:55 PM, Windsurfboy said:

Hope you have a  great time. Favourite ship. 

 

Last time I was on Spirit of  Discovery in November last year had a great cruise,  but it was still suffering from aftermath of previous disastrous cruise. One noticeable thing , very few steamer chairs on promenade deck , less than half versus on our previous Saga cruise. I think a lot got swept overboard even though tied down.  What's the situation now,  is there enough to fill both sides of ship on prom deck.

16 sunbeds and steamer chairs per side.

3 hours ago, Lady Meer said:

I hope your trip runs smoothly after a tricky start. I shall be following your every move!

 

I did hear that the batter on the fish is now gluten-free for everyone. I wonder if you would be kind enough to check if that’s true.

I’ll try and find out.

Day 2

Woke early after a good night’s sleep. Breakfasted in The Lido. There is not much use of hand gel on board as in all eating places you are first directed to a hand-washing station after which they take you to a numbered table. I don’t eat much for breakfast so asked for a small plate of fresh fruit and a croissant. Normally you choose your own like in any buffet but since I can’t carry it I got waiter service - in this instance a huge dish of melon, oranges, apricot, pear and peach! Toast is brought round all the tables with marmalade, honey etc. Butter is on the table. Since it was such a lovely day and feeling my normal first day lethargy, I then spent the morning sitting in the warm sun on an aft deck until noon. That was the time for the Solos meet and greet with Prosecco and ent. staff. Back in the cabin it had been rearranged for us and was great. Let’s just hope they let us keep it that way. Lunch was a small portion of beer-battered cod, chips and mushy peas before another doze in the sun. This is how I like the Bay of Biscay! Showered, changed and after my favourite cocktail, went into dinner and was seated at a table for 4. Chose vegetable tapas, poached salmon and the best sticky toffee pudding I have ever eaten. It was not too sweet, crispy on the outside and a perfect sponge in the middle. Went to cabin to watch what was left of the Eurovision Song Contest. 

I’m in heaven! It’s been a while and after a rough year in which I had a bad accident, I am finally back on board a cruise ship. The sea is calm, the sun is shining and I am dozing on our balcony. There is a big difference however in my current cruising and that is that I now have to use a rollator. So, first issue. Saga provide complimentary transport to the port but - I couldn’t get in the smart Mercedes people carrier. Not in the front passenger seat, not into the back. The step was just too high for me. My neighbour kindly provided a solution in the form of a shower step but …¦. The motorways were jammed but otherwise it was a slow but straightforward drive down, picking up a couple and another solo lady on the way. Next issue - this was my first time boarding at the new cruise terminal at Portsmouth and it is not disabled friendly. The luggage is dropped off first and then passengers are taken to the main entrance. I had booked assistance but this doesn’t start until after the shuttle ride so there is a long walk and lift ride to check-in, then a further short walk to the shuttle bus (which fortunately did have a ramp access) and then you await your assistance person with wheelchair to take you up the steep air bridge. I was taken right to the cabin though, unlike previous cruises where I was only taken on board and then had to follow the stewardess to the cabin. Now came another major issue I had not anticipated. My rollator would not fit past the end of the second bed. (I’m sharing a standard cabin with a friend) to the dressing table and balcony! A solution was eventually found by turning one bed 90 degree but for tonight we’ll have to manage. Dinner was an open sitting in the MDR. Good company and delicious food as usual, after which I retired to bed as exhausted. More tomorrow.

For future reference there is a dedicated forum here https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/

42 minutes ago, Poole Boy said:

So far Cunards focus appears to be all about the naming ceremony, the maiden voyage appear to be an afterthought.

 

This seems to be the norm now for Carnival UK brands. I was booked on the Iona and Arvia maidens, both of which had date changes so I had to cancel but, given the naming cruises were the ones that had all the events, was not upset. Sun Princess is also having both a maiden and a naming cruise.

39 minutes ago, kalos said:

 

How are you keeping these days Sharon?

Hopefully pain free now  🙂

Not much pain thanks but the compression fracture of the  femur has left me with one leg shorter than the other and it’s giving me back ache. Still hoping to cruise in May even if I don’t get ashore much.

Please keep politics off the agenda.

That’s fine, as long as they are cruise-related and not agents.

Try asking this in the Ports of Call section. You may get more replies.  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/116-northern-europe-baltic-sea/

1 hour ago, jeanlyon said:

It would be March/April, so I'm guessing very cold.  Hmmm.

I did a northern lights cruise to Norway in March. Thick snow north of Bergen and yes, very cold. May to September would be warmer and no snow.

I suggest you also post on the Azamara board.

I wish you all a happy, healthy and peaceful Christmas. After another month in hospital with pneumonia, Christmas and cruising are cancelled for the time being. Just appreciate everything one has and take nothing for granted.

Best to check out the Ports of Call thread on CC.

You also need to take into account, re accessability, that as the Saga ships are new, the whole ship is easily accessible, with automatic deck doors, unlike Aurora. There is also more space in the dining rooms to manoever a wheelchair or walker.