Capnpugwash is going to the Caribbean for Christmas 2011 on P&O’s Arcadia.

Capnpugwash is going to the Caribbean for Christmas 2011 on P&O’s Arcadia.

The whole family were travelling today so I arranged a mini-bus from Smiths for Airports to pick us up at 10.30 for the drive to Mayflower Terminal at Southampton. He arrived at around 10.10 so 15 minutes later having loaded all the luggage, we set off and had a very pleasant journey through the sunshine. We arrived at the docks at 11.50 and by 12.15 we were checked in, security scanned and on the ship. We went straight to the cabins despite this being forbidden and dumped our carry-on bags and jackets and went to the Lido for a bite to eat. The curry looked and tasted delicious so I indulged in a small portion of it. After that I took a stroll around the ship to re-acquaint myself with it. I think that this is the third time that I have been on board and it is quite simple to negotiate although I am having a little initial trouble. I am sure that this will pass fairly quickly. During my mini-tour I called at the spa and booked a pass for the full cruise, it cost a touch over £5 per day and they wouldn’t negotiate at all. Still that seems quite a fair price doesn’t it?

I bumped into 4 friends with whom I had travelled before and they went off to the Crow’s Nest bar where there was a reception for gold members of the Portunus Club, I am entitled to go but normally decline to attend as it gets so very crowded there, plus they serve poor wine although the buffet is usually quite good.

I went back to the cabin at about 1.30pm and a little after 2 they announced that the cabins were ready, so I was able to relax. Whilst there and with time on my hands I thought that I would read the information overview on what to expect on board. Imagine my horror to find that the star of the cruise will be Tom O’Connor, the first time I saw him on a ship he wore a shiny suit and was quite funny, I have been on 4 ships since then when he has been the top attraction and he wears the same suit and worse still he performs exactly the same act. I know that this is true as I have been unfortunate enough to see the start of his act several times and others who have more perseverance than I have told me that there were no changes. Considering that we are paying for him I think that it is absolutely appalling that he is allowed to get away with this.

The cabin has what appear to be balcony doors but they are actually fixed floor to ceiling panes of glass, outside there is the bow of a lifeboat and a little triangular metal deck that could function as a mini balcony but is more normally used to access and service this craft, shame really. The cabin is just aft of the forward stairs on deck 4 which seems to be a good location for access to most places, the exception is the main dining room which is the Meridian and is situated aft on decks 2 and 3.

My cases started to arrive just after 3pm and I am awaiting 1 more, the passenger muster starts in 35 minutes. The storage in the cabin is very poor with only 4 small drawers split between 2 bedside cabinets, 3½ two foot wide shelves, 4 feet of hanging rails and a small dressing table with 2 ridiculously small 6”x 6” triangular shelves in a small side cupboard and that is it! The power sockets consist of 1 UK 240v, 1 220v European and 1 US style with an earth. There is an additional US socket behind the flat screen Panasonic Viera TV but that doesn’t really count in my book as it may or may not work. There is a 5’ by 4’ mirror above dressing table which could easily be reduced by a third and shelves fitted on the wall, another glaring absence is a drawer under the dressing table top which would be immensely useful as I am currently storing my medicines in the fridge. There is a fair sized bathroom with a small bath and a moveable head shower over it, the bathtub is less than 4 feet long so it is not designed for a tall person, there is a shaver point in the room and a mirrored cupboard above and to the side of the basin.

The passenger muster has just finished and during it an announcement was made about the unusually large number of wheelchairs that are on board for this cruise, apparently it is 64, this is a lot and at peak times will make getting into and out of lifts quite interesting. I don’t know what the average passenger age is but there are an awful lot of very frail people around the ship and they can’t all be the entertainment staff! There are some younger people but not very many, I did at one stage ponder whether I had mistakenly boarded the Saga Ruby.

The ship is due to sail at 5pm which is in 20 minutes, there is a sail away up by the Neptune Pool on deck 9, which is covered so shouldn’t be too cold but it is pitch black and not an exciting prospect as we depart for Madeira, where we are due to arrive in 4 days’ time. That means that there are 3 lovely sea days ahead!

We actually pushed away from the quay at 5.50 and are now heading along Southampton Water, it is a cool 8/46 degrees and there is a force 4 breeze blowing. We have an interesting journey ahead, as I said we have 3 sea days now covering 1322 nautical miles and then we spend a day in Funchal . Then we have to cover 2615 miles to Antigua where we arrive after a further 6 sea days on December 27th, if any passenger has forgotten a Christmas gift they had better look to buy it on board. After that we have only 149 miles to St Maarten. I will tell you more about the other 3 islands as we progress otherwise it is too much information and way too many numbers.

More later

Oh!! So looking forward to joining you on your travels again :) Hope you have a calm & quiet 3 sea days!

I am very jealous - we got off this morning and had a lovely couple of days onboard. I just wish they would re-designate as a family ship as I would probably choose it over Ventura, Azura and Oceana travelling with kids. Have a wonderful trip!

Although draws are limited have you looked in the wardrobe as there are pull down shelves allowing you to have full length wardrobe or to use one of the wardrobes as shelving.

I look forward to hearing more details about your voyage.

Enjoy your trip.

Bon voyage and happy sailing!

Considering how long it can take to get a wheelchair bound person into a tender (many of us have waited patiently while this is done), how long would it take 64 wheel chair users into tenders if there was a real life emergency? And how many able bodied would have to wait behind them when the ship is in distress? AND WOULD THEY REALLY WAIT?

Would this really work in a real life situation?:confused:

Surely this number of disabled wheel-chair bound people would compromise the lifes of both the disabled and able bodied?

Just a thought....

Considering how long it can take to get a wheelchair bound person into a tender (many of us have waited patiently while this is done), how long would it take 64 wheel chair users into tenders if there was a real life emergency? And how many able bodied would have to wait behind them when the ship is in distress? AND WOULD THEY REALLY WAIT?

 

Would this really work in a real life situation?:confused:

 

Surely this number of disabled wheel-chair bound people would compromise the lifes of both the disabled and able bodied?

 

Just a thought....

There is a strict limit to the number of wheelchair users allowed on board at any one time, so I'm sure it is safe. Remember there are lots of life boats and tenders, so all 64 wouldn't be allocated the same one :D

Whatever you may think about P&O and their lack of customer care generally. They will never compromise of passenger safety. It is a fact of life that P&O caters for the elderly who generally cannot / do not want to fly and other passengers who are happy to just visit the same ports from Southampton year in, year out. This time of year there are elderly passengers who spend 3-4 months onboard as it is cheaper than staying at home.

In September i did a 21 night cruise onboard Aurora to the Eastern Med. The majority of passengers were over 65yrs and there were a considerable amount of wheelchairs onboard then. It was not a problem for other passengers when visiting ports either alongside or by tender.

A question for you Cap'n: how does the Crow's Nest compare to the Commodore Club?

I would imagine that in the event of an emergency, they wouldn't bother with wheelchairs, and those passengers would be carried onto the tenders, leaving the wheelchairs behind. Life is more important than a wheelchair.

Brian

A question for you Cap'n: how does the Crow's Nest compare to the Commodore Club?

There is no real comparison, The Crow's Nest is OK but the CC is great.

Update no 1

The Internet packages on P&O differ from those on Cunard quite significantly; the PAYG is £0.50 per minute, there is a 100 minute package for £35 and a 250 minute package for £62.50 or £0.25 per minute. There is Wi-Fi in the cabins and the signal strength is good but the connection is fairly slow although no slower than other ships on which I have travelled. Mobile phones operate as normal but with greater charges, one bargain is the ship to shore phones which only charge £5 for up to 5 minutes, £8 for up to 10 minutes and £12 for up to 15 minutes. Of course that does only cover a single call to a single number but it stacks up fairly well against the roaming calls on mobiles I think.

It is now 7.30pm and I am heading to pre-dinner drinks but I have to search out a decent bar, my table is on the upper section of the restaurant so a bar on deck 3 would suit me, I will try the Piano Bar tonight and see if it works well. It did work out ok and in fact it was the bar that I had spent some time in before. I was even recognised by one of the waitresses from last year or perhaps 2 years ago. Dinner started at 8.45 tonight as it was the first night and the table is an 8 seater; there are 3 couples, Mike and Madge, Mike and Gwen and David and Jackie. The conversations all went well and based on tonight I think that it will work out well. Looking around the restaurant it is noticeable that the older frailer passengers who were so numerous this afternoon were not there at the late sitting, I imagine that they choose to eat early. Leaving the restaurant it was quite evident how quiet the bars and lounges had become, I suppose that people had long journeys today and have retired early to gather their strength for an active day tomorrow.

It is 11pm and our speed is 16 knots, we have a force 4 westerly wind and the ship is bouncing a little, nothing untoward but I did notice that the vomit bags have appeared at the stairwells. The gentle bouncing continued throughout the night, it soothed and rocked me to sleep very quickly so I welcome it but I do accept that it may make some passengers uncomfortable.

Today is Sunday December 18th and it is 7.05am and the sun is not due to rise until 8.13, we are obviously approaching the shortest day of the year in just 3 days’ time as the sun will set today after a mere 8½ hours. I suppose that as we head south we will experience longer days due to the sun’s southerly aspect.

The temperature is unchanged but the wind has strengthened to a force 7/8 north-westerly as we are about to make the turn south south west into the Atlantic Ocean around the north-west corner of Brittany. We are still making 16 knots through a moderate sea with short swells which probably can account for the bouncing on board. The Captain intends to skirt the Bay of Biscay and remain in the deeper waters further offshore. The open upper decks are closed at the moment because of the wind conditions; the only exception is the Promenade Deck on deck 3 which is less exposed.

I am going to the gym and the spa this morning but neither of them opens until 8am so I will probably grab a quick breakfast before then, it is the wrong order I suppose but I am quite hungry now and it does fill the time gap nicely.

As I have a little free time I will return to our itinerary; when we leave St Maarten we will travel 149 miles to St Kitts, arriving on December 29th. Overnight we will cover 216 miles to St Lucia and that next night we steam the 141 miles to Barbados where we spend the day of New Year’s Eve. We will leave there during the early evening and commence our lengthy 2348 mile trip to Ponta Delgada in the Azores where we arrive on January 5th. That only leaves us 1312 miles to our arrival in Southampton on January 9th, but that is not until next year so let us not dwell on it.

I had a bowl of porridge and a cup of coffee and then I went to the spa on deck 9, there is a gym and changing room with 3 showers that is open to all passengers, there are lockers there but you need to exchange your cruise card at the spa reception to obtain a key. I went to the gym and then to the spa; my division of time was 10 minutes in the gym and 75 minutes in the spa, as the cruise progresses I will try to increase the percentage of gym time. Rather than my usual book, I listened to Bob Dylan and it was really difficult to stop myself from singing along.

At 10.30 it is now sunny with partial cloud; the wind has dropped slightly to a force 6 resulting in the decks being re-opened. The air temperature is now 10/50, we have turned to port by Ouissant and our course is south of south east on 209 degrees at 17.5 knots. The sea is still a little bumpy and I have heard a lot of people saying how rough it is and how unwell they feel! I don’t know what they will do if the sea becomes any bigger than moderate, well I do but I shouldn’t discuss it in polite company.

I fancy a coffee and on deck 3 there is a coffee shop called Caffé Vivo, it is a mystery why they use two fs but they do. It is a venue where the snacks are free but you buy the beverage, rather like the Café Carinthia on Cunard.

More later

There is no real comparison, The Crow's Nest is OK but the CC is great.

Thanks! Also, thanks for your update, it sounds like a great itinerary, enjoy!:)

I'm reading this with interest, my parents are also on board this cruise. I think this is cruise number 14 for them, all on P&O.

They usually go around Jan/Feb time and do a 2 week fly cruise over to the Caribbean however this year they are doing this one, so obviously longer duration and no flying.

I think they are gold as well, Mum emailed me yesterday to say they had boarded the ship and gone straight to the Crows Next for champagne and canapes. If you ever see a short (as in 4 foot 10) lady giggling and making weird arm gestures after one glass of wine.....that'll be my darling Mum :D

Let's hope you all have a lovely time!

There is no real comparison, The Crow's Nest is OK but the CC is great.

Cap'n, if the opportunity presents, could you PM me on jimmy[dot]christie[at]york[dot]ac[dot]uk

I need to touch base with you about your Adonia photos.

J

I didn't have you down as a Dylan fan, Cap'n. I hope you have his Xmas album from last year amongst your collection. Only Bob could make Jingle Bells sound so sinister! Have a great cruise.

Update no 2.

The coffee was excellent and it came with a free cake, well I had been to the gym already and it does soak up the liquid. The café is squeezed into a dark corner of the ship and is windowless whereas the small cinema outside of which it sits is an airy room with windows, these are obviously heavily curtained during performances but it does make me ponder why they wouldn’t switch the venues so that the café had the windows and they could dispense with the curtains. I think that it is fair to guess that the interior was designed by a man!

It is noon and the Officer of the Watch has just made his regular announcement, on P&O they make two each day. The first is made at 8.55am and second at noon. We have 140 metres beneath our keel and the sun has warmed things up to 12/54 degrees but the force 7 wind does make it feel a little cooler than that.

On P&O ships they play progressive whist each afternoon for about an hour, I always enjoy this and have had a few successes. I won’t mention the many unsuccessful times though. It starts at 2pm and I will definitely attend. Lunchtime is upon me and I really want to give it a miss so I may go up to the Crow’s Nest and listen to a book.

My plan worked and after an hour or so I went t play whist, the room that we were allotted was too small so we relocated tote Lotus restaurant where I have played before, there were 32 players there of which I have met at least 12 on previous cruises whilst playing whist, it was a very nice reunion. The cards were not too kind but it was a good crowd and great fun. Afterwards I went to the Belvedere buffet which was 2 decks below for a quick cup of tea, I had coffee and a lovely spicy duck wrap, the road to hell is paved with good intentions! I am currently studying Spanish so there was an improver’s class on board at 4pm which I attended, there were at least 20 others in the group and it was very useful. The instructor is an English girl who has lived in Spain for some time and will hold a further 14 of these classes during the cruise. Every little helps I always think. In 15 minutes at 5.30 there is an individual quiz which I will go to in an effort to sharpen my mental acuity ready for the syndicate quiz which starts tonight at 10.30 in the Crow’s Nest, this is a highly contested competition for a bottle of very nasty wine, this wine is part of the selection by Ollie Smith who allegedly is a wine guru and is not something that in my view he should be very proud of.

The sea state has been re-classified as rough and we are making 18 knots through it, to be honest it feels little different to how it has felt all day which is probably due to the efficiency of the stabilisers in minimising any lateral rolling, nothing can be done about the fore and aft pitching but it seems that the sea is coming in from the starboard side so can be compensated for.

The quiz was interesting but I was 3 off the pace and it was won with a score of 19/20 which by any measure is a pretty good performance, my ignorance of the plot of Coronation Street and Eric Clapton’ albums contributed to my lack of success but it is early days after all.

Tonight the dress code is Smart which means a jacket is required but no tie is needed, so it is very easy to comply with. The show tonight will be a review of the music of the Beatles by a tribute band, the Headliner Company performed last night and reportedly are fairly poor so they have nothing to follow. I think that I have seen this group before on QM2 and if I recall correctly they were pretty good.

More later

Jim - I will follow along with you on this trip -- always interesting reading! Have a great voyage with your family. Katherine

Just caught up with your voyage so far Cap'n. Better than the book I'm reading ;)

Have a great trip.

Are you going for afternoon tea to Reid's again?

Just caught up with your voyage so far Cap'n. Better than the book I'm reading ;)

Have a great trip.

Are you going for afternoon tea to Reid's again?

No, you can have too much of a good thing!

Update no 3.

Dinner was very nice this evening although 4 of the table didn’t turn up for some reason, hopefully they will return tomorrow. The syndicate quiz wasn’t a great success as we were again 3 off the pace, mostly my fault I admit but at the very least I now know that the largest bell in England weighs 16½ tons and that Queen Victoria reigned for 63 years. It is midnight now and we continue south of south west at 17 knots with a westerly force 4 breeze. It is getting noticeably warmer as we track towards Madeira and even at this late hour the temperature is now 11/51 degrees, there is a sea swell which is causing a little rocking so we may be in for a slightly bumpy ride overnight.

P&O are experimenting with offering Liqueurs and Spirits by the litre bottle for on board consumption, the prices are amazingly low for example Baileys at £15, Famous Grouse whisky and Gordon’s gin at £10. Courvoisier and Hennessy VSOP brandy are only £27, and for £30 you can buy a bottle of Rmey Martin VSOP. I have no idea why they are doing this promotion at these crazy prices.

Today is Monday December 19th and it is 7.45am, the sun is due to rise at 8.12 and set over 9 hours later so the days are getting longer and warmer. The sea is much calmer now and is graded as moderate; we are just past the Bay of Biscay and heading along the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula. Lisbon is 290 miles south east of s. We weren’t in the Bay as we were further offshore but it may well have had some effect on the sea state. The wind strength has dropped to force 3 and the direction is unaltered, we have altered our course slightly to a more southerly 202 degrees. The air temperature is 13/55 degrees. I estimate that we will pass the mouth of the Straits of Gibraltar this evening or tonight which will leave tomorrow and overnight to reach Funchal on Madeira on Wednesday morning.

Breakfast calls, and the sun is shining brightly and the sea is glassily smooth and is categorised as calm rippled which sounds so much more interesting. There are a few wisps of cloud sprinkled across the sky but I think that they will dissipate as the sun climbs a little higher. P&O have obviously learned a lot from the people who design the shops in airports as on deck 3 it is impossible to pass through the ship towards the restaurant without weaving your way through the perfume, liquor and tobacco desks. You can of course exit the warmth of the ship and walk along the Promenade deck but it plays havoc with your hair-do.

Tonight is a formal evening, in fact it is the first of 6 such evenings, we have the second this Thursday, the third on Christmas Day, then New Year’s Eve, then January 3rd and the final one will be on January 7th, two days before we disembark. The rest of the evenings are split fairly evenly between casual and smart, simple!

More later

''amazingly low for example Baileys at £15, Famous Grouse whisky and Gordon’s gin at £10. Courvoisier and Hennessy VSOP brandy are only £27, and for £30 you can buy a bottle of Rmey Martin VSOP. I have no idea why they are doing this promotion at these crazy prices''

Not that crazy Jim. Tescos had litre Baileys for £15 too this week, :)

Will you be trying out the replacement supplement restaurant MPW that was Arcadian Rhodes? Would love to hear your review on the food?

I'm on Oriana in May and will be trying out the restaurant on there that was Oriana Rhodes, I hope they will be as good.

Happy Christmas,

 

Will you be trying out the replacement supplement restaurant MPW that was Arcadian Rhodes? Would love to hear your review on the food?

 

Yes, on New Year's eve

 

Update no 4

I am letting my breakfast settle at the moment and at about 10 or 10.15 will head to the gym, I must be more disciplined there today. I tried the bike yesterday and really just wanted to watch the timer on the screen; instead I had CNN and was unable to turn it off or over. It really doesn’t help being half blind or short sighted as it is more normally called and I don’t think that I could take my glasses with me just for that, so I may have to grab a passing instructor and seek help, hardly embarrassing at all! Then I will go to the covered pool on deck 9 and then to the spa to warm up and relax. That should take me through the lunchtime so I won’t be tempted to eat; it is worth a try surely!

I did go to the gym and using a reclining bike I managed to get the screen that I wanted, that in itself was exhausting! Just kidding. I spent 15 minutes on that but it felt much longer as to me it seems to be an unnatural cycling position, I followed that with 2000 metres of rowing and then I went to the Neptune pool, it is quite large for an on-board pool being 30’ by 12’. The depth goes from 4’3” to 6’ and it is warmed although it still feels cool. I spent 30 minutes in there doing aquarobics and some swimming and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was surrounded by sleeping passengers sprawled on sun-beds under the retractable roof. It was only 10.45 when I went in so I thought that they must have partied late into the night. Not! After that the hydro pool beckoned and it was as warm as a bath which made me think that given my aversion to bacteria infected hot tubs, was that what I was in now albeit an 18’ square one? I decided that it was too big and had too much water that would serve to dilute the detritus ridden soup to a safe level. They do say that ignorance is bliss don’t they. One other thought, it occurred to me that I have yet to see any attendant dipping a sample tube in any of the pools or tubs around the ship testing the water, I thought that this was something that prudence dictates was performed on an hourly basis. Not on the Arcadia it seems! Perhaps the practice should be to use the pool earlier rather than later.

It is 1.30 now and I will be heading to whist soon and then on to the Spanish class, it is a beautiful day at sea with sunny skies and a gentle breeze, I think that quite soon it may be warm enough to sit out on the decks, maybe after Madeira. Whist came and went and again there was a good crowd there, we had 9 tables which is excellent. I was doing ok until I had a couple of bad hands which totally nullifies all that went before and there is realistically little chance of recovery, I ended up 20 points behind the ultimate winner.

The Spanish class was good but it is only scheduled for 45 minutes so in reality, little can be achieved but it is nice to get some extra practice. It is now 5pm and we are steaming very smoothly on the same course as earlier today, the temperature is 15/59 degrees and we are making 15 knots. Our current position is just above the centre and about 150 miles east of the coast of Portugal.

Tonight the Captain will host his Welcome Aboard cocktail parties; these are held around the Neptune Pool and very soon become quite hot and unpleasant. The temperature in the room increases, the smell of chlorine rises from the pool and the condensation drips from the roof onto the party goers below. You may guess that I won’t be attending this fine gathering but it does mean that the bar will be less crowded. I am neither anti-social nor miserable but how a party of this nature can be held in such a poor location is beyond me as is why people flock to it.

More later

Thanks Capn. I'm enjoying the reports. Did you bring along a spare pair of reading glasses this trip?

Linda

Well hello Capnpugwash - found you! Glad you appear to be enjoying yourself on Arcadia and trust that unlike your previous QM2 mini trip you will not lose faith in your table companions. No apologies but I squirm at the thought of having been so boring. Hope your wife is coping with the launderette ... Will follow your reports with interest.

Enjoy a 'Merrie' Christmas and happy & healthy New Year. M

Thanks Capn. I'm enjoying the reports. Did you bring along a spare pair of reading glasses this trip?

Linda

Linda, I did thanks. Happy Christmas to you and have a good 2012 :)

Update no 5

At 5.30 I went to the Individual Quiz and made the tie-break, the question was when was the original Arcadia launched, I thought that it would be a while ago but had no real idea. The knack to these date questions is to get nearer to the answer than the opponent so it doesn’t matter how far away you are as long as the opponent is further. I guessed 1952 and she went for 1970. The answer was back in the 1800’s so I won my first prize sticker. They are nothing to get too excited about but it is the first step on a 20 odd day ladder. I am back in the cabin now resting before the evening’s offerings.

The bar was nice and empty and I had a very nice long chat with the bar waitress who I have known for some years and also had a couple of G&Ts before heading into dinner. We had a full complement on the table and the food was excellent although the service seemed slow but the dessert was served well before 10.30 so it was quicker than it appeared. The entertainment officer who sets the questions for the quizzes can really make or break the performance of the participants and tonight’s questions were quite strange, or maybe it would be fairer to say that they were strange to us, as you may have guessed we didn’t perform in a stellar fashion but neither did any team. We ended up with 14/20 which was 2 behind the victors. So it was no disgrace but didn’t feel as though we had really performed to the best of our abilities. I joined my usual team for the quiz, we have travelled 2 or 3 times on the same ship at Christmas and normally team up together, they are Penny and Mick and Doug and Sue. Each of us has our strengths and we normally gel quite well.

It is just past midnight and the ship is making 15 knots on an unaltered course, the sea state is calm rippled which does sound rather like an ice cream. The air temperature is still 15/59 degrees and during tomorrow morning we will pass Cape St Vincent on the south west corner of Portugal, and begin to cross the approach to the Straits of Gibraltar.

Today is Tuesday December 20th and the time is 7.30am, it is still dark as the sun will rise in 37 minutes, once again we will have nearly 10 hours of daylight. The smooth passage continues and the weather, course and speed and sea state are unchanged. The temperature is forecast to reach 16/61 degrees today.

Tanzanite fever has spread from Cunard to P&O! Quoting from today’s on-board paper,” Join our jeweller for her talk on the Tanzanite Experience and discover why its time is so limited and why it’s renowned as the Jewel of Africa”. It seems that there may be no limit to the folly of the buying public when tempted by “duty and tax free sales”.

It is that time again; breakfast seems to come round so quickly. I think that may be a sign that I am enjoying myself as the time is passing quickly.

On my way to breakfast I bumped into a young Filipino girl, who had been my steward on a trip on the Artemis well over a year ago, I guess that I must either have been a good or a poor tipper as she remembered me by name and we had a nice chat reminiscing over the passing of that particular vessel. It is quite incredible when you think about how many people she would encounter during her contract on board.

Having breakfasted on Weetabix and coffee I feel it is time to get my penance done in the gym before it gets too busy, on this ship and with the passenger demographics the term busy is extremely relative.

More later

Just found your latest report. Hope you and your family have a great time.