Capnpugwash’s adventures continue to the Black Sea.

[capnpugwash]

Update No 36

 

The wind speed has increased quite significantly during the first few hours of the morning and now at 11am it is blowing at 38mph which has caused the crew to close off deck 11 for safety reasons, even walking along the jogging track on deck 10 is quite difficult but the sun is nicely warm at 23/73 degrees. We are sailing west at 19 knots and are now 393 miles away from Alicante.

 

We went for lunch to the conservatory today and I suppose because it is Friday they were serving fish and chips, the fish and batter was excellent and the chips were ok. They were also offering Semolina which I love so I had to have some of that, only a couple of spoonfuls really. I did follow that with a little Cheddar, Red Leicester and crackers. The cheese on board is excellent and is well kept so that it is never really cold when served. It is too nice sometimes.

 

Returning to the cabin a little later I found that a letter had arrived from the Captain in response to my letter about Malta. His letter was very conciliatory as you would expect but basically said that P&O had fulfilled their obligation by staying in Valletta for the prescribed amount of time and that it was necessary for the ship to depart when it did to ensure that the advertised calls were made. He went on to say that both calls were of equal importance, an opinion with which I don’t necessarily agree. The fact is that the matter cannot now be changed and is over and done with.

We played whist this afternoon and Mrs P won the highest lady’s score, I came second again in the men’s game so no cigar again.

 

I have just returned to the cabin after a great steam, I went into the steam room to find a man sat there with a glass of water, it makes sense I suppose but what I fail to grasp is why he was eating an apple while he was wreathed in hot steam. It takes all sorts, doesn’t it?

 

Tonight is the penultimate formal evening of the cruise with the final one being next Monday.

More later

[capnpugwash]

Update No 37

 

I tied first in the individual quiz again but lost the tie-break question. I really hate the “what year” questions and my luck seems to be deserting me. Having said that, I was only 8 years further away than the winner although in truth that gives me little comfort.

 

We have just sailed through quite torrential rain, the sky got really black to the west of us and there was quite a bit of electrical activity. It is always fascinating to me to be able to just sit in the warm and dry and watch the power of nature. I can almost understand the storm chasers that seem to be very prevalent in parts of the USA, but not really, sitting in a bar or a hotel is quite safe rather than driving into the path of a tornado or similar.

 

It is 6.45pm and we are heading west at between 19 and 20 knots, we have 239 miles to go and a northerly wind of 20mph. the sea is a little rougher now with small waves and some whitecaps. We are not due to dock until 9.30 tomorrow morning so if we maintain our current speed we should have plenty of time. Our position is due south of Menorca, about 80 miles north-east of Algiers. I am slowly working my way through the champagne that we brought on board, after tonight we have 4 evenings left and there are just over 2 bottles left, even I can do the sums on that one. No problem I think.

 

The daily programme has been delivered for tomorrow’s activities, we are obviously going to get some high winds and rain tomorrow afternoon as “the Great British sail away” takes place at 4.30pm. it is described in the programme and apparently there will be ”music, dancing, flag waving and lots of fun”. I can hardly wait, or am I being a grumpy old git? Mrs P and I will be getting off tomorrow in search of a Wi-Fi location and maybe a cervesa or some vino blanco. Tapas could also feature although it may be a little early for her.

 

More later

[capnpugwash]

Update No 38.

 

Dinner was a real hoot this evening and we were laughing so much that the surrounding tables were giving us black looks, maybe you are not supposed to enjoy yourselves but we certainly all try to do just that. The ship has been bouncing around a little as we are going through some large waves, there is only a 7mph breeze and it is a very balmy 23/73 degrees. We only have 146 miles to go and we are currently making 17 knots with just over 9 hours to go. After dinner we went to quiz as usual but we had three absentees due to the motion of the ship, in spite of this we tied in first place but lost in the tie break as we couldn’t work out when HG Wells was born. The prize is a very dodgy bottle of wine so we were not too disappointed.

 

Today is Saturday October 8th and it is 6.10am, the ship is noticeably rolling a little but there is little fore and aft pitching so it is not too bad. We are now making 16 knots and are 37 miles from Alicante. We have a north wind at 26mph and medium to high seas with some spray being blown. Sunrise is not due for just under 2 hours.

 

Today is a big day for Rugby, the World Cup has reached the quarter final stage and Wales are playing Ireland, in a little over an hour. This match will be followed by England playing France a little them later this morning. The losing teams will be flying home from New Zealand so they are pivotal games. I will be watching both of them assuming the ship’s satellite uplink works OK.

 

The other day I mentioned that there was to be a tour to Benidorm organised because of the popular demand of passengers, the programme for today lists all of the tours that have been arranged, the destinations are Guadalest, Elche and a tour of Alicante itself. There is no mention of Benidorm whatsoever so I have to wonder quite how much popular demand actually existed or whether it was all a marketing ploy by the tours office.

 

We will be heading off later this morning after what I hope will be an English victory.

 

More later

[conniedoug]

Update No 36

 

 

They were also offering Semolina which I love so I had to have some of that, only a couple of spoonfuls really.

 

 

Pugwash - how can you possibly expect followers of your postings to equate your addiction to 'Eggs Benedict' with an affection to 'Semolina'? I attended a very quiet school, wherin pupils had a rota to 'serve' teachers...There was a free-for-all on 'semolina' days, so that there would not be sufficient come our time to eat! Now Eggs Benedict, l am up for every time!!!

 

Your blog is, as always, both entertaining & informative.

 

It has become time-tabled into my day.

 

Hope Mrs P is enjoying her 'tours' - perhaps she might post her thoughts/opinions?

 

Best regards

Anamaria & Charlie:)

[kersh]

Capt'n,

 

Thanks for posting your reports. I am enjoying them imensely. We are sailing on Adonia at the end of October and your reports are making the time appear pass quickly.

We have booked a table for 6 for dinner and would prefer to eat near a window. Please will you post your table number so that we can request it from the restaurant manager.

 

Many thanks

 

Sue

[lannp]

Capn - many thanks for your posts. I had to google that Vodafone dongle (I assumed it was a British thing).

 

Linda

[Oahucruiser]

Capn - many thanks for your posts. I had to google that Vodafone dongle (I assumed it was a British thing).

 

Linda

 

I had to google that too. I'm busily googling and learning a lot after reading your posts.

[new to cuising]

For those readers who are not familiar with this term, Vodaphone is a communications company who have a Cellphone / Mobile phone network. A Dongle is term given to self contained items that usually plug into the USB port of a computer. In this case the dongle is acting as a modem connecting our Cap'n to the telephone network. In this instance I believe the Cap'n has purchased one which will allow him to upload / download a fixed amount of data. I believe they can be purchased on a monthly contract which allows this method of data transfer to be used as an ongoing communication link however, using this as a permanent method of connecting to the internet whilst on dry land is not the most cost effective. The term Dongle (in the UK) is also applied to memory sticks, pen drives, thumb drives, bluetooth connections too.

 

Cap'n - Thank you for your entertaining posts - look forward to meeting you on the QE later this month - will you be sailing solo or will Mrs P be accompanying you?

[hansol1966]

Hi Capn, Valleta is quite a walk from the ship as there a (hill) maybe take a taxi...Valleta itself has a great coffee vibe watch the world go by.

If your not on a tour try the OLD Maltese buses (leftover from the war..and later) Boneshakers and a wonderful experience. Try Valletta to Gozo.. go across have a drink with the fisherman and then come back..4hrs

Fred.

[capnpugwash]

Table 31 and I will be travelling solo

[DKNYC]

Hi Capn

I have just read almost this entire thread although I was supposed to be cleaning my apartment. Oh well, tomorrow is another day. Glad you and Mrs. P are enjoying your trip. I have bookmarked the info about Istambul as I will be doing a Greek Isles trip on QE next September. I am also surprised that that bar left you high and dry with no warning. I assume they locked everything up or I would have made myself a couple of G & T's before returning to my cabin.:(

 

BTW whatever happened to the "Unstable Lady"?;)

 

Denise

[capnpugwash]

Hi Capn

I have just read almost this entire thread although I was supposed to be cleaning my apartment. Oh well, tomorrow is another day. Glad you and Mrs. P are enjoying your trip. I have bookmarked the info about Istambul as I will be doing a Greek Isles trip on QE next September. I am also surprised that that bar left you high and dry with no warning. I assume they locked everything up or I would have made myself a couple of G & T's before returning to my cabin.:(

 

BTW whatever happened to the "Unstable Lady"?;)

 

Denise

 

Denise, she is still around but not doing anything noteworthy.:D

 

Update No 39.

Well the morning held a few surprises for me, Wales won and England lost, after that game we went ashore and found Alicante quite a pretty town. It is on the east coast of Spain and is ringed by mountains; of course the Spanish have allowed it to be developed with absolutely no consideration of building materials or design. Dull high rise buildings abound and it looks like any other Spanish coastal town. It was lovely and clean though. There is a temporary tented village being constructed around the huge marina as it seems the Volvo tall ships race is arriving here sometime in the future. The development is quite massive. We went into the Melia Hotel for coffee and used their Wi-Fi, it was very good and the coffee was excellent value at only 10 euros for 3 cups including a tip. The hotel is just beyond the port gates by the casino. Unfortunately we didn’t get to sample the beer, wine or tapas in town, it was very warm and in the end we came back on board for lunch.

We returned to the ship and I quickly got into the pool to take advantage of the super weather, 23/73 degrees, a light breeze and a cloudless sky. We are due to leave at 4.30 this afternoon to begin the trek home. Perhaps we will keep this weather for a good part of the journey as there is a high pressure area over the Bay of Biscay apparently.

It is 4.50 and we have just let go our lines and pushed off the quay side and are pulling away past the Aida Bella which arrived at lunchtime. We will then head south-west along the Spanish coast towards Gibraltar which we should pass tomorrow lunchtime. The forecast is for increased winds and waves which will result in some movement on board this evening and overnight. The Captain has just said that the mid-range forecast shows fine weather all the way home, maybe the forecast will prove to be accurate.

It is 6.35 now and the evening sun is bright and warm as the day heads to a close. The sea has small waves with some whitecaps, the temperature is 23/73 degrees and the headwind is from the south at 27mph. At the moment there is no movement on board but as we turn to starboard in a while to head along the southern coast of Spain the wind will be striking us on our port side and will probably cause some rolling.

Tonight is a casual evening so just a shirt and trousers was required; once again we had a very pleasant dinner with some funny conversations. After dinner, it was quiz time where we did OK ad finished third. Walking over the deck back to the cabin I noticed that the wind seemed to have died down and it was quite pleasantly warm, almost tropical.

Today is Sunday October 9th, it is 6.45am and the expected movement on board never materialised, we have small wavelets and a 7mph headwind. The air temperature is 24/75 degrees. The sunrise is at 8.20 today. Our cabin is on the starboard side so as we cruise along the Spanish coast the shore lights are visible like a necklace of tiny jewels; it makes a real change to see something out there rather than the empty darkness. We are about 90 miles east of the Strait of Gibraltar and the estimate of passing through at midday looks quite accurate. We are roughly 25 miles south-west of Malaga.

There is a treat for Strictly Come Dancing fans this evening; Darren Bennett and Lilia Kopylova who boarded yesterday will give a 20 minute demonstration of ballroom techniques in the Curzon Lounge. I imagine that the room will be packed which is good for the performers but as it has a level floor without any rake, only the passengers in the front rows will have a clear view of their feet, which I think is quite important.

More later

[kersh]

Thanks for posting the table number capt'n. Hope you have a good journey back to Southampton.

 

Sue

[The Welsh Man]

Cap'n

 

Might have been a surprise to you.

 

But not to the rest of the World, your boys were only interested in "extra-ciricular" activities!

 

Thoroughly enjoyed your blog.

 

Enjoy the rest of your trip home.

 

Carl

[capnpugwash]

Update No 40

 

We could see the Rock in the distance from around 9.30 this morning as we made our way west there were a couple of schools of dolphins and porpoises frolicking in the water ahead of us, at least it looked like frolicking but it could just as easily have been blind panic as they tried to avoid being run down. We actually passed the Rock an hour later, and we have now passed the Pillars of Hercules which straddle the narrowest portion of the Straits between Tangiers and Spain. We are now in the Atlantic heading west towards Cape St Vincent on the south-west corner of Portugal about 140 miles away. We shall then turn to starboard and run up the west coast of Portugal.

 

We are making 18 knots and the weather is glorious, cloudless skies, 21/70 degrees, small wavelets with whitecaps caused by the 15mph breeze.

 

We have just played whist, which with good fortune I won. We are crossing the Gulf of Cadiz and now have 110 miles to go until we make the turn to head north; we will then have about 400 miles along the Portuguese/Spanish coast until we reach Cape Finisterre, the start of the Bay of Biscay, which if we maintain our current 19 knot speed we should reach late tomorrow afternoon around 4pm.

 

This afternoon there is the Galley walkthrough followed by Chocoholics; Mrs P has decided to go as she has developed a compulsive interest in stainless steel and ladles or so she informs me. I will maintain my higher moral standards and save myself for my half bottle of champagne a little later. I have just had a very relaxing visit to the steam room and am having a rest in the cabin prior to the individual quiz. Tonight is the strange jacket required dress code; in fact it is the final one of this cruise.

 

I am just back in the cabin from another unsuccessful individual quiz, as I was waiting for the lift a very old and very brown man arrived wearing only shorts and carrying his tee-shirt, he is at least 75 and has a little diamond stud in his ear whereas most passengers of his age are content to have a hearing aid in theirs. I couldn’t believe it really and judging by the horrified looks on the faces of the other guests in the lift, neither could they. It is time to prepare for dinner so I have opened the champagne, it has been a very nice and warm day, there has been very little movement on board and the temperature is currently 21/71 degrees, we are making 18 knots through small waves and a 15mph north-westerly breeze.

 

More later.

[LibraLass41]

You have been luckier with the sea weather than Grand Princess, she had a freak wave crash through a window last night, into public areas... passengers confined to cabins while it was cleared up. They missed Malta and headed for Venice.!

 

Enjoy the rest of the cruise, before a rest before the next one, lucky you x:)

[Highly Sociable]

Update No 1

 

 

Edwina Currie, ex MP and Strictly Come Dancing competitor is on board which I think makes her a safe bet for elimination early in the show as she is supposed to be seriously practising her dance moves with her professional partner rather than swanning around the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Maybe I am being harsh and she is only on board for a few days as a guest speaker, I will have to enquire of her if I bump into her on my travels around the ship.

 

 

Well Jim you were indeed correct and Edwina was the first to leave the competition this evening:)

[capnpugwash]

Update No 41.

 

The galley walkthrough was well attended and most remained in that vicinity to sample the various chocolate confections which I am told were quite delicious. I still hold the moral high ground on these matters, or at least I think that I do!

 

Mrs P went to see the two “Strictly” dancers and as expected the room was packed to the rafters and they danced very well. It was obvious that the floor on board was a lot smaller than that to which they are accustomed and a couple of times they nearly went too far and came off. All in all it was a roaring success; their act was followed 20 minutes later by the much heralded “brand new” act of Roy Walker, I didn’t see it but I did see and speak to the people who I saw leaving it before he had been going for 10 minutes. It seems that his jokes were old and quite un-funny, not a great combination for a comedian.

 

We had a nice dinner although there were only 4 of us there; the other couple had booked to eat in the Ocean Grill which is one of the 2 speciality venues on board. After dinner we answered the call of the quiz and again reached the tie-break with two other teams, thankfully one of them took the prize as we were 1 year further away from guessing in what year the first telephone directory was published in London. This is the type of quite useless information that is required. I believe that the correct answer was 1880 so I don’t think it would have been a very thick book. As I walked back over the deck to the cabin the water in the pool was being forcefully ejected at either end as the ship pitched forward and back, it was quite fascinating to stand and watch as the movement was nowhere near as much as the water action would imply. I suppose this is just physics or mechanics or something similar, but it was certainly a good demonstration of how slight movement can affect liquids.

 

Today is Monday October 10th and it is 7am, the sky is pitch black as sunrise is not due until 8.45am. We are heading north into a 25mph north-easterly wind, in spite of this we are making 18 knots through medium to high seas. This description relates to wave size of course, rather than the effect that the seas have on the stability on board. There is a slight lateral rolling motion but it is almost imperceptible to me.

 

The forecast is for similar weather to yesterday as we head up the coast of Portugal, we are about 60 miles north of Lisbon, 50 miles south of Oporto and 190 miles south of Cape Finisterre and the Bay of Biscay, which if we maintain our current speed we should enter at around 4pm this afternoon.

 

The travelling alone coffee meeting took a strange turn yesterday as I was the only person there and there was no coffee, do you think that someone may be trying to tell me something? I am not giving up though; I will try again this morning.

 

I have spent the last 20 minutes calculating and assembling the tips for this cruise. It is a real pain compared to auto-tipping that happens on other lines. The suggested rates are a daily £1.50 each to the cabin steward which equates to £78 and a slightly greater £1.60 daily to the restaurant waiters giving them £83.20. I have rounded both figures up and will give the envelope to the waiters this evening rather than waiting until tomorrow night. I also have some folding money for the head waiter who has been very good to us and for the two bar waiters who respond to the merest raising of a hand or even an eyebrow. The staff on board has been magnificent and I would like to give them all something but I will have to resist that temptation.

 

More later

[capnpugwash]

Update No 42.

 

I spoke with the couple who dined up in the Ocean Grill and they both said how very nice the experience was, the service and food was wonderful so it seems money well spent, we were unable to secure a reservation in Sorrento which demonstrates how popular it is.

 

The coffee morning was better today as I was joined by Jane, the entertainment officer and we had a n ice chat for 30 minutes, after that I went to the Crow’s Nest and listened to a book whilst viewing the many ships heading north along with us; they were all merchant ships from bulk carriers to tankers. There was one sailing yacht heading south under full sail, I did look at it wistfully and wondered quite where its destination might be.

 

We have just had the noon announcement and the weather seems likely to continue unchanged, there is still slight pitching and minimal rolling yet the pool is like a washing machine. The wind is from the north-east at 18mph and our speed is 18 knots. We are about 40 miles west of, and level with, Oporto. This means that we have roughly 100 to 120 miles to go before we enter the Bay of Biscay and then 360 miles across it to the Ile d’Ouessant off the north-west corner of Brittany which marks its northern limit and the start of the English Channel. In days of yore the sailors called it Ushant before they learned to speak and understand French.

 

Our disembarkation cards for Wednesday have just been delivered by the steward, we were given Brown which meant that we would off at 9.15am, I popped along and was able change them to Red which gets us off 30 minutes earlier. These times are always flexible and if we arrive earlier than anticipated, we will disembark a little earlier as well; of course the converse applies if we are late. Self-disembarkation starts at 7.30 so I can’t see it taking over an hour to get the bags of 700 passengers unloaded. Breakfast will be available in the buffet from 6.30 to 8.30am and in the restaurant at 6.45 and 7.45 with the doors being closed 15 minutes later to ensure minimal delays.

 

I had a quick lunch of bread and cheese and then went to whist, both Mrs P and I emerged victorious which came as a great surprise to each of us. The weather is still marvellous, the sea is mirror calm, and we are 75 miles from Cape Finisterre, our speed is 19 knots into a 17mph headwind. It is still gloriously warm in the shelter of deck 9 and every seat is taken. 20% of the passengers on the sunbeds are fast asleep so will probably bear slightly more than a passing resemblance to lobsters by the time dinner comes around.

 

We just had afternoon tea on the aft deck outside the buffet and it was quite stunning with the arrow straight wake carving through the glasslike sea, then people at the rail started squealing as a pod of dolphins came leaping from the water behind us, it is always a thrill to see them no matter how many times you have.

 

I am off for a steam in a moment to relieve the stresses and strains of life.

 

More later.

[capnpugwash]

Update No 43

 

Tomorrow is the usual day to distribute largesse but I decided that I would do it today, I gave the two bar waiters some cash, also our head waiter and our table waiters were looked after. That is one job out of the way for tomorrow.

 

We had a very nice sunset tonight; it was really beautiful as it sank over the horizon. Dinner was great fun and I had ordered a curry which had been requested to be very, very spicy. They certainly achieved that level, it looked and smelled innocuous but I am not sure that my tongue will recover. I did take a spoon of sugar after the meal which obviated any further discomfort. Ironically Mrs P tells me that her meal was served quite cold, this is the first time this cruise that we have experienced that particular problem as all of the food has been very warm and the plates are almost unbearably hot. They offered to replace her meal but she chose not to do so.

 

After the meal we went to the quiz as usual and emerged victorious again, this time we had a 4 point winning margin. We were really cooking on gas tonight. We get our last hour back over night and we will be back on UK time tomorrow.

 

They have chosen tonight and tomorrow to perform maintenance on the swimming pool so it will be unavailable tomorrow morning, why they didn’t schedule it for tomorrow evening and the day after makes no sense to me. We are currently 60 miles into the Bay with about 240 to go so we should leave it tomorrow lunchtime. Our speed is 18 knots with an 18mph easterly wind. The sea state is small waves and the ship is rocking a little but nothing major. The outlook is good.

 

More later

[capnpugwash]

Update No 44

 

Today is Tuesday October 11th; it is 6am and the last full day of this cruise. Overnight we have continued north-east into the Bay of Biscay and we are now due west of St Nazaire with approximately 150 miles remaining before we enter the English Channel. It is cooler than it has been with temperature only being 14/57 degrees; we have small wavelets and are heading at 17 knots into a 20mph wind. There is a little lateral rolling this morning but it is certainly not an unpleasant sensation. It is still dark as the sun is due to rise at 7.45.

 

It is packing day today as we disembark tomorrow morning, walking around the ship during the last 2 days I have overheard countless people discussing how advanced they are in this task. We have our clothes in the wardrobes and will probably transfer them to suitcases during the late afternoon or early evening before dinner. It is possible that P&O have started offering prizes for the first suitcase out in the corridor in which case we will have missed out, but I don’t think so. The last day on any cruise or voyage is my least favourite day, the atmosphere on board is normally flat and quiet as passengers contemplate returning to the drudgery of domestic life at home, of course the crew members whose contracts are finishing tomorrow are all so very excited to be heading home to see their families and friends. They have mostly been working for 9 months and are due a rest.

 

The Adonia has travelled 7313 miles since we left Southampton and that city lies 372 miles north-east of our current position, so by the time we dock there we will have completed 7685 miles. Apart from two or three days she has sailed beautifully. We have been very fortunate to encounter lovely warm weather and smooth seas for most of our journey.

 

I have compiled the following list of pluses and minuses of this ship, it is subjective and just my opinion and observations but I hope that if you are considering sailing on the Adonia it helps you;

 

Pluses

The ship is small and friendly.

It is easy to find your way about with no long walks.

Food and service is excellent.

Well-designed buffet restaurant and great aft deck outside it.

There are only 2 stairways.

Free steam room and gym.

Walking track on deck 10.

Lido dining by the pool.

Shipwide wi-fi

Nice library.

Nice Crow's Nest room

Pleasant Anderson's bar.

Cabins are fine except wardrobes and shower.

Hand held shower.

Large card room.

12 steamer chairs on deck 5 which are very popular on warm days.

 

 

Minuses

 

There are only 2 venues for entertainment.

The pool steps are vertical ladders with wide spaced narrow treads,

There is a lack of poolside seats, but plenty of those nasty low plastic sunbeds.

There are no steamer chairs on deck 9 other than on the Spa Deck (£10 per day)

Buffet restaurant closes at 5pm daily unless and is only open during the evenings on speciality nights.

Fairly poor entertainment options during the evenings.

Small shower cubicles in cabins.

Disembarking for tours needs organising to stop it being a scrum.

Drinks seem to be quite expensive.

Weather info on TV is only updated twice daily.

Not enough Entertainment Officers, they are always running around.

Hanging storage in cabins is limited but I believe that this is being attended to.

Only 2 lifts at each stairwell so they can sometimes get crowded, not very often though.

No same day laundry service, takes at least 2 days. £4 for a dress shirt, £3.50 for normal shirt.

 

More later

[Summergee]

Thank you for all of your posts.

When and where are you going to next?

I almost feel I am on board with you.

[u2cruiser]

Enjoy your last full day Cap'n. I feel the same about the last day and the way everyone turns their thoughts to getting home. I refuse to pack or get the cases out until the last minute.

 

I have never sailed back to Southampton as all of my cruises so far have been cruise out, fly back, but I guess with the weather changing as you get closer, pax get a bit restless?

 

I have really enjoyed your trip and had many giggles at your tongue in cheek style of writing and observations: coffeeless, peopleless solo coffee morning lol!

Safe journey home and thank you for taking us along with you. :)

[tom_uk]

I have never sailed back to Southampton as all of my cruises so far have been cruise out, fly back, but I guess with the weather changing as you get closer, pax get a bit restless?

 

This would actually be one big plus for an end-of cruise call at Vigo or La Coruna. That way you've got one last port to look forward to, and then after that there's just one full day at sea on the way back. I don't think I'd enjoy finishing a cruise with perhaps three successive sea days - I think the combination of spreading gloom and deteriorating weather would leave me suicidal.

 

We had a call at Vigo coming back from the central Med on our last cruise, and there was a marked contrast between the day there in reasonable sunshine and the following day when it was a lot cooler and greyer as we crossed the Bay. That brought it home to us that the cruise was very nearly over; but thankfully it was only one day. We spent it lazily and then did our packing.

[u2cruiser]

That certainly seems the better option Tom.

I love sea days but there's only so much mooching around the ship you can do when the weather's bad.

I'd still rather do that that not go though :)