HeinBloed Blog from MARCO POLO Easter 2019 from England to Wales

[HeinBloed]

The new blog starts!

 

Easter 2019: MARCO POLO - The ship is a month younger than me ... and I am 53.

 

With 2*+ and 1,062 points with Douglas Ward, it can hardly go lower. Even ASTORIA (formerly STOCKHOLM, VÖLKERFREUNDSCHAFT, AZORES) has more points!

 

Embarkation: Bristol, England

Disembarkation: Cardiff, Wales

 

19 miles as the crow flies
38 miles on the road

 

in three nights.

 

But we are still a few days on the road, until embarkation.

 

The first stage takes us to Neuss, Germany

 

In a hotel that had some trouble in February 2019, they wanted to do something well.

 

So it fits that I was able to visit my parents before.

 

https://heinbloed-minis.blogspot.com/2019/04/tagday-0a-auf-dem-weg-zuron-way-to.html

 

 

 

The second leg on the way to MARCO POLO takes us to Amsterdam, The Netherlands. It is "around the corner" on the way from Mannheim to Calais. For American standards!

 

Friends of our friends are our friends too. So if the sister of our fellow-cruisers on CELEBRITY EQUINOX 2010 Sandy and Scott come to Europe and it fits in time, then we drive by.

 

For dinner and a friendly conversation, there is always time!

 

On the way, we go to visit another passenger from the MSC MERAVIGLIA: Gunnar.

 

And shipspotting has to be: AIDAdiva is in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. But the stop costs a lot of time because everything is between Rotterdam and Amsterdam.

 

Welcome to Amsterdam, Janice!

 

https://heinbloed-minis.blogspot.com/2019/04/tagday-0b-auf-dem-weg-zuron-way-to.html

 

 

 

Finally, we are heading to the English Channel to Calais, France.

 

But if we are already in Holland. Now all the tulips are blooming. So we have to take the free color and aromatherapy with us.

Thanks to our friends Ine, Joan, Aad, Nicoline, Thomas, and Marco, we find beautiful places on our way. It is even more beautiful than I imagined.

 

In Blankenberge, Belgium, we pick up a meal that should have taken place three years ago: my party for the 50th birthday at Oesterput.

 

In the evening we reach Calais.

 

https://heinbloed-minis.blogspot.com/2019/04/tagday-0c-auf-dem-weg-zuron-way-to.html

 

 

The next stage takes us under the English Channel to England as far as Bristol.

 

Here we meet our fellow travelers: Christina, Axel, Susan, and Marc. We know them from various trips.

 

https://heinbloed-minis.blogspot.com/2019/04/tagday-0d-auf-dem-weg-zuron-way-to.html

 

 

 

Finally, she is here and finally, we are going on board: MARCO POLO in Bristol, England.

 

We have the perfect location for shipspotting: with Kate of Avon View Bed & Breakfast in Portishead.
 

On the OCEAN PRINCESS 2015 trip, we had a great tour guide in Bath, England: Ingrid. She is from Bristol. What could be more appropriate than to engage her again for a city tour for Bristol?

I really do not feel comfortable with this cruise. This is more related to the organized chaos, which is independent of each other on board. But also in the headquarters of CMV.

It ends up that we do not even get the mutual table. After intervening, we get a table for ten with a party of six. And so we get very nice waiters I Wayan and I Putu, who kill our time with magic tricks.

 

https://heinbloed-minis.blogspot.com/2019/04/tagday-1-auf-deron-marco-polo-in.html

 

I will notify when the next chapters of the blog are available.

[HeinBloed]

We should actually be in Cobh, Ireland, with MARCO POLO.

Unfortunately, CMV had not informed us that we would dock in Ringaskiddy, Ireland instead of in Cobh.

 

From here, we would have visited Blarney Castle. Have lunch at the English Market in Cork, Ireland and then appear at Hillside Garden for particular tea time.

 

A few days ago, I received an e-mail that there would probably be a port rotation and that our guide would also be available on Saturday.

 

Immediately I contacted CMV directly and asked Louise from our travel agency cruise.co.uk to double check with CMV: NO - a port rotation would not be known.

 

Instead, in Ireland, we are now on the Isles of Scilly. We are lucky that our tourist guide Katherine is not booked and can walk the tour with us.

 

Since I do not want to see any more tourists, she advises against a tour to Tesco and proposes to visit St. Agnes.

 

An excellent idea, because we see much of the beautiful nature. Not so helpful for my meniscus, which later reminds me that I had a surgery recently on and should not walk so much.

 

Still not a gala evening: do they really want to do the gala evening on the last evening, when everybody has to pack for debarkation?

 

There are more tricks from I Putu and I Wayan.

 

And there is something that is barely existing with others: a midnight buffet, which starts at 23:00 hrs. Well organized by Soe Min.

 

https://heinbloed-minis.blogspot.com/2019/04/tagday-2-auf-deron-marco-polo-in-st.html

 

 

Easter Sunday with MARCO POLO in somewhere of nowhere: Ringaskiddy, Ireland - a small village on the other side of Cobh, Ireland with a ferry terminal and a deep water basin - but without a commuter train.

 

As a consolation, I take a beef patty with fried eggs for breakfast. Memories of childhood awake.

 

Not only the port rotation was changed. But also the berth time. The car rental company has probably not noticed that we are now two hours earlier. On Good Friday, after the chaotic embarkation, the life drill and before the early dining, we had hardly any time to talk to each other in a calm atmosphere.

 

But Easter Sunday also means that the English Market is closed, and even Mary of Hillside Garden cannot offer us tea time today.

 

However, the driver who brings the car comes faster than we thought. He has to go back to Cobh and offers to take us over.

 

When he realizes that we are hardcore cruisers, he shows us a bit more about Cobh and the relationship with TITANIC and LUSITANIA.

 

Without further ado, he drives us to Blarney Castle, so we do not lose any more time to find the fastest way.

 

It is charming at Blarney Castle. Unfortunately, so far away that my meniscus threatens to strike. I let the others run around alone and take a lot of breaks.

 

Back on board, there is Tea-Time. But that is not as nice as with the other British companies. In the self-service restaurant - not even in a lounge.

 

In the evening then the gala evening follows. Lobster is only available on pre-order with additional payment. Nevertheless, a ceremony they still have - something that we Americans no longer find for safety reasons: a Baked Alaska parade.

 

Executive Chef Basheer comes to our table to ask how we like the food. And a farewell photo with I Putu and I Wayan and their supervisor Mr. Kandido.

 

The show is too loud for us, so we go to bed early.

 

https://heinbloed-minis.blogspot.com/2019/04/tagday-3-auf-deron-marco-polo-in.html

 

 

 

Finally in Wales on MARCO POLO. The 19 miles as the crow flies in three days are over.

 

It is interesting to watch Captain Sergiy at work. The yardarm is outside, and so you experience first hand the maneuver through the lock.

 

Lerrine prepared the best cappuccino on board. I am wondering why they registered a credit card if you have to leave the ship after 11:00 hrs and then everything has to be paid in cash.

 

Guest Service Manager Ronald helped us get aboard with Christina and Axel. Susan and Marc are not yet flying back to Germany.

 

We take Christina and Axel to their hotel after we were taken by bus to the car. The fact that not everything is distributed to everyone at the same time makes everything seem very chaotic and disorganized.

 

For us, it goes on to Folkestone, England. We would have liked to have eaten at the Marquis of Granby, like back then after the OCEAN PRINCESS 2015, but that does not work.

 

The next day we will go back across France to Germany. We are the first to be back home.

 

Now I am looking forward to AZAMARA PURSUIT and another ride through the Giudecca Canal on St. Mark's Square in Venice, Italy. The ship is only 18 years old. I am curious about what to expect there. You can read here again with all the other mini-cruises.

 

https://heinbloed-minis.blogspot.com/2019/04/tagedays-4-5-auf-deron-marco-polo-in.html

 

 

 

[AnyMajorCruiseDude]

It was great meeting you guys on the Grand a while back.  Any west coast USA cruises planned?

[HeinBloed]

3 minutes ago, AnyMajorCruiseDude said:

It was great meeting you guys on the Grand a while back.  Any west coast USA cruises planned?

 

Not so soon! But due to new Cuba policy a gap is now in our cruise schedule.

[AnyMajorCruiseDude]

Well come on out this way.  Would be fun to see you again!