Capnpugwash flies to Cape Town and sails on Sinfonia to Genoa Part 1

[capnpugwash]

I returned today after a wonderful trip on this ship. It was my first venture into MSC and I liked it. It was a very relaxed atmosphere and a lot of people worked very hard to make sure that things went well and that passengers had fun.

I thought the food was fine, others moaned about it but in my experience there are always some.

 

Anyway enjoy the read. It starts a few days early but if you don't like that then don't dwell too long on it :)

I have to post it in two parts

 

Capnpugwash goes to Africa and cruises to Genoa on MSC Sinfonia, March 2014

 

This is a trip that breaks new ground for me, it is the ultimate fly cruise and I'm far more used to driving to Southampton and getting onto a ship there. I'm here in Cape Town because a Glaswegian travel agent called Cruisekings assembled a great itinerary entailing travel with Emirates Airline, 3 nights in a Cape Town hotel, a 19 night cruise up the coast of Africa calling at Walvis Bay in Namibia, Dakar in Senegal, Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, Casablanca, Palma de Mallorca, Ajaccio in Corsica, Civitavecchia in Italy and finally Genoa where after a 2 night stay in a hotel I fly the 2 hours back to Gatwick.

 

All of this for slightly more than £50 per night, which seemed too good to be true.

 

My journey started at Gatwick where after a relatively painless check in I made my way through security without the need for body cavity searching and waited in the departure lounge with a cup of coffee. Very soon the flight was called and I boarded a fairly new Boeing 777-300. There was an empty seat next to me which made the somewhat uncrowded seat more spacious for the 7 hour flight to Dubai.

This was the only fly in the ointment I felt. A direct flight to Cape Town lasts about 11 hours and I've done it a number of times in the past but to achieve the low cost of this trip, economies needed to be made.

 

The flight was ok and we arrived at the airport a little after 1am, I knew that Dubai was a busy place but nothing had or could have prepared me for that airport. It was like a very crowded city with shops everywhere and throngs of people milling about; it reminded me of Oxford Street in London except there weren’t as many Arabs in the airport. It was 2am for heaven’s sake and this was easily confused with Sodom and Gomorrah! I checked my departure gate and found that it was B39 which was a mere 40 minute walk, this place is massive! Still it passed some of the 3 hour layover time before my 4am departure to South Africa.

 

The flight was called and we made our way down ramps to a bus. It was 26/79 degrees, I was tired and the slightly air conditioned bus started the journey to the plane, I call it a journey because it lasted just over 15 minutes and we were doing at least 25-30 miles per hour. Eventually we arrived at the plane which was parked at an outfield stand and climbed the fairly steep stairs to the rear of the cabin. Why we had to do this I can’t explain, there must be many more gates at the airport than could possibly be used but even at that ungodly hour there was a full departure board with 20 flights leaving every hour to every destination imaginable.

This plane was a different kettle of fish, I think it might have been used to fly Noah back from Mount Ararat after the flood subsided, that is slightly unfair but it was old. It was also full to the brim; I had an aisle seat and nearly enough room for my legs but not quite. My left thigh was jammed into a sharp piece of the fixed armrest and in the 10 hour trip I managed to develop a very nice bruise that reflects most of the colours of the South African flag. But I'm here in this wonderful city at the bottom of this exciting continent and the sky is bright blue so what’s the odd bruise between friends.

This is a marvellous country and I love it; it is quirky and there are lots of things that don’t always work but the people are great and very helpful and willing with their faces constantly wreathed in smiles and the scenery and majesty takes my breath away.

 

When I first arrived here I was quite tired although the sight of Table Mountain in the clear blue sky lifted my spirit, I got to my hotel and was able to get into my room immediately as it was about 2pm. The room is clean, has a comfortable bed and a good shower. It isn’t the hotel that came with the package but is in a nicer position and has a better reputation. I think it was worth the extra money that it cost. The first day was a bit of a blur and I basically had a sleep and a shower, had a few beers at the outside bar and followed that with a light dinner of Lasagne. I was in need of comfort food and that hit the spot. I slept well that night and the next morning I went to breakfast and then met Wendell at 9am as arranged.

He is the brother of a friend of mine who used to work as a bar tender on Queen Mary 2. Granwell is a great chap and has recently given up the sea after 8 years and is trying to make a go of life ashore in his home town. He is working as a tour guide and we had arranged that his brother would drive me around for the two days I was here.

We went early to the cable car to Table Mountain and got there before the crowds arrived, I've done it before but the gondola is new and the floor revolves as it climbs affording everyone a spectacular view. Once I was at the top, I looked around and found that little had changed other than the City had a plethora of new buildings and seemed to have spread itself out somewhat. I rode back down but was spared the revolving floor on this sector.

 

Wendell was waiting and we drove to Cape Agulhas which is the true point where the Atlantic meets the Indian Ocean rather than the touristy Cape Point. It was raw and beautiful and everything that you might expect. We came upon a wonderful restaurant nearby and I had Cabalheiro with chips. This is a line caught fish that was caught that morning and was so fresh it was winking at me. The flavour was marvellous and the 80 rand Sauvignon Blanc went so well with it. There are 17 rands to a pound which demonstrates the value for money here.

 

After that we made our way back to town and got back here just after 6pm, I was tired but a few beers revived me enough to head to my room and watch the final match of the 2014 6 Nations, Ireland won which denied England the championship. They deserved the victory but I wouldn’t have minded the French making that simple kick for victory! Then I ventured outside to a local Chinese restaurant for something light. It was closed as it had been hired by a clowd of Chinese for a private party. Instead I had a steak and salad wrap with an accompanying beer and retired for the night.

 

Once again sleep came easily and I woke refreshed at 8am, showered and went down to breakfast. Wendell met me at 9.30 and we set off for a quick tour of the city and then we were off to Stellenbosch where some of the finest wine I've tasted comes from. The scenery was great as was the wine. A good bottle might cost 150 rand and a regular one would only be 70.

We had arranged to meet Granwell at a winery as he was busy guiding a wine tour today, we met at the Middelvlei Estate and sampled 5 of their finest reds and whites. They were all very nice but I left without buying any.

Time was moving on and we fancied having lunch at a restaurant in Hout Bay called Mariner’s Wharf, it has been around for about 30 years and I've eaten there in the past, we got there just after 2pm but as we’d phoned we were shown straight to a table ahead of the 30 or so customers waiting. There I had a spectacular fish chowder, a couple of King Prawns from Mozambique followed by fish and chips. It was wonderful and fairly inexpensive.

 

We got back to the hotel after a final trip around Signal Hill which overlooks the city, I settled with Wendell and we said our farewells. I needed a cold beer so went out to the bar by the canal, the sun was shining and I was at peace with the world. Afterwards I cleaned up and at 9pm I tried the Chinese again, I was welcomed with open arms and choosing something light, I went for crispy duck pancakes and a small portion of Singapore noodles, they were a bit oily so I left most of them but the whole meal was less than 150 rand including a beer and tip.

It’s now approaching time for bed and I have to contemplate packing tomorrow to board the ship. I'm excited about trying MSC and am sure that I will have a great time.

 

Today is Monday March 17 and I woke at 7am to a bright blue and cloudless sky, this weather is a perfect antidote to the grey and cold of winter in the UK. It’s probably a good thing that it is so far away as otherwise I might easily be tempted to fly here more often. I have just seen the bruise on my thigh which reminds me that I probably wouldn’t try the Emirates economy route again. But bruises are like memories, they fade and we forget so who really knows what might happen. I do know that I am delighted that the experience is behind me and that I'm now eagerly anticipating boarding Sinfonia later today.

I showered and had a final breakfast and now it is time to pack. My transfer taxi is due at noon so I've arranged a late check out with a young lady at reception. I asked if one was available and she said that it was and asked what time would I like. I answered noon, she looked blankly at me. I then said midday and again she looked blankly at me. I tried 12 o’clock as a last resort and she smiled and said that there would be no problem. Easy when you speak the language isn’t It!

I went and checked out at 11.30 and found the taxi driver already there waiting for me, I had wondered whether the transfers arranged by the Travel Agent would work and so far they have done so without a hitch.

The docks were only half a mile from the hotel but when we arrived there was a freight train stationary across the roadway blocking access totally. It showed no sign of moving so the driver took an alternative route which took us out of the city and in through the main gate. It was only about 3 or 4 miles and by the time we got back to the other side of the track, the train had just moved. I think we had jumped ahead of at least two cars in the queue!

He dropped me right by the ship and I offloaded my bags and we wheeled them to the porters who were taking them inside the building. Next there was a long table with 5 or 6 MSC staff sitting, the queue for this was quite slow but basically it was to collect and complete a departure form for South African’ immigration, I could have just grabbed a form and completed it as I waited inside. Immigration was next and a bored officer stamped my passport seemingly without reading it. I went through the security arch and passed my bags through the x-ray machine, there was none of this laptop out and shoes off nonsense. After all this is Africa!!

After that I was walking in to join the line waiting to complete the registration and a charming girl, who I subsequently discovered was a social hostess, saw that I was limping because of my still healing Achilles tendon; she grabbed me and sent me straight to the next vacant desk where I was processed and on board the ship within 10 minutes.

I was able to go straight to my cabin which is forward on deck 8 and is equipped with a large window, a small bathroom and a fairly comfortable bed. There are also 2 upper berths which are hinged on the walls either side of the bed. This does restrict the walking space quite severely but as I don’t intend to hold a dance it is ok. There is a small desk with a chair and a stool. I have a refrigerator/mini bar so I can chill water down.

The luggage hadn’t arrived so I went in search of lunch, the buffet is at the stern on deck 11 and I made my way up there. The first thing I saw was a delightful open deck with a bar and pools. I stopped for a cooling beer and then wandered back past the 2 swimming pools; they aren’t particularly large or deep, to the buffet area. I passed a creperie and an ice cream stall. Outside it in the shade was a pizzeria with a young Italian throwing the pizza dough into 2 foot circles and then adding the various ingredients. I had to stop for a couple of slices and a glass of rose wine. It was perfect, a thin and crispy crust and freshly made as well. It doesn’t get much better than that. The waiter gave me a piece of paper and once I’d found my glasses I saw that it listed the various drink packages available on the ship. There was a confusing selection but one of them was the all-inclusive package, this covers all drinks, spirits, beers, wines, waters, coffees and ice creams. I would normally ignore these things but I thought that at $31 per day it was a bargain. Drinks aren’t expensive here with a G&T costing less than $5 and most wines being $4 but it will certainly add up, so I purchased it.

I returned to my cabin but no bags were there yet, just before 3pm I went to deck 6 for the lifeboat muster, they take it seriously on MSC and we stood outside by the boats and were all photographed and I had to hand in a credit card sized card that was given to me on embarkation. This proves that I had attended but I'm not sure what the photo was for but it might be to prove that I had been there in the event of a disaster. The person in charge was Italian and he was quite highly strung, insisting that each couple stand with the man to the rear. We solo travellers were a nuisance to his tidy mind and just fitted in where there was a gap. As I stood there and before the muster began, a seal was frolicking in the water 10 yards away so a few of us went to investigate further, this Italian must have some German blood because he rushed over and made us go back to where we had been. It was very reminiscent of Colditz or The Great Escape. 10 minutes later it was all over and I was released from custody to return to my cabin. My bags had arrived and I was able to unpack. There isn’t a great deal of hanging space, perhaps 2 feet but there are plenty of drawers and a couple of large shelves. I don’t know that if 4 people were using the cabin there would be enough but I don’t know three people that well to be troubled by it.

It was time to sail, 10 yards ahead of my cabin is a door that leads onto the foredeck below the bridge, a few of us had found it and I was able to stand there as we pushed off the berth, turned and sailed out of the harbour. We blew our whistle three times in salute and then a final long blast to say farewell as we sailed out past the harbour wall. We turned north and headed towards Namibia.

I went for a rest after all the excitement and at 7pm, having changed, I went down to the Manhattan Bar for a cocktail or two. There was a singer and a guitarist performing to the passengers and they were quite good, at 7.30 they had finished their set and were replaced by a couple of dance teachers who proceeded to explain the cha cha cha, it was fantastic to watch and the floor was full of willing volunteers. They were of very mixed ability but all of them seemed to enjoy themselves immensely.

8.30 arrived and it was time for dinner, I am on a table for 10 and was shown to it by a waiter. There were only 8 of us there and we seemed to get on well. The menu was excellent, there were plenty of choices and quite a lot were Italian which is unsurprising. Water has to be purchased at dinner but is included in my package, as were the several glasses of wine. They don’t offer coffee service after dinner but if you want it you have to go to one of the bars or buffet to get it. The coffee is very good, but it should be as it is an Italian line!

I was in bed by 11 and ready for sleep.

 

Today is Tuesday March 18 and we are sailing north/northwest along the coast of Africa. It is a sea day today. The sun is out and there is a light haze in the sky. I went to the restaurant for breakfast and was pleased to find that they offered porridge and eggs benedict. I fought long and hard with the waiter to get porridge without extra milk but I was successful. The eggs benedict was on toasted bread rather than muffins but tasted ok. I was amused to see that the menu offered both coffee and American coffee, although I didn’t hear anyone asking for the latter. Most of the passengers seem to be German and I confess that I was amused to see 3 or 4 of them strolling around in their lederhosen, how very rural.

Wi-Fi is available on board but not in the cabins, unfortunately.

 

The officers and senior crew members are mostly Italian, there is a good mix of nationalities in the supervisory roles and the crew are made up of Indonesians. Most of them seem to come from Bali. This is good because I'm able to use my one phrase in Indonesian that I learned in Bali back in the 1970s. I have found it useful over the years but I can’t vouch for the spelling; it is “satu lagi, dingin sekali, tida paki es!” it means “one more, in a cold glass, use no ice!” this is invaluable when drinking beer in a hot climate and you have my permission to use it if you wish.

I spent a relaxing morning sitting on the pool deck, I was between the bar and the ice cream stand and had a great coffee followed by a double rum and raisin waffle cone. The weather changed as the cloud thickened resulting in a light rain shower. There was a Tai Chi class going on by the small stage area but I managed to avoid that. A short while later the entertainment staff that double as dance hosts arrived to start their Coffee Game, I think it is called that because it is quick and simple and it changes every day. The point of the game is to stand six feet from a table which has 4 tumblers standing on the top. You then bounce a table tennis ball on the deck and into one of the glasses; it is dead simple so I tried it. I achieved a level of success by managing to hit the table with one of my throws while the other two sadly missed. I failed to win the prize which was an MSC key ring so I must be grateful for small mercies.

The attire sported by guests continues to make me cringe and smile equally, the middle aged ladies with lycra apparently sprayed on to show all their curves and the men in very short shorts, string vests and budgie smugglers are quite bizarre as well. There is a desk where bright orange pool towels are collected by guests and in order to obtain one or two, it is necessary to produce your cruise card. The attendant takes a note of the number and writes it on a piece of paper, when you leave the area you are supposed to return the towels and he crosses off your number. He isn’t always at the desk so I could see several flaws in the system as people had returned towels in his absence and so would not have been crossed from his list. I just had to ask him about it and whether at the end of the day there was a reckoning between the two sheets and he confided that it was a ploy by the ship to ensure that the Germans didn’t leave towels lying around all day reserving sunbeds for later in the day. It seems to work as well.

 

This took me through to an early lunch which I took in the buffet. I managed to bypass the pizza stand and found myself at the salad bar, nothing called to me but further along was a pasta dish with an arabbiata spicy sauce. I had a little of that, some veal slices and a bowl of coleslaw. I needed some rose wine to assist my digestion naturally, so that wasn’t too bad a lunch. Back outside I had a nice pot of tea from the bar and I found myself at the ice cream stand with some strawberry scoops, I feel that it is important to sample the various flavours to ensure a balanced review. It was nice and fruity without being overly creamy.

After that I retired for the afternoon, tonight is a Gala night and the Captain will host cocktails in the Theatre from 6 to 6.30 for second sitting diners and 8.15 to 8.45 for those guests on first sitting. There seems something very strange about having cocktails after dinner or maybe it is just me. I shall not be bothering him but instead will go to the Manhattan Bar to meet a couple with whom I have arranged to share a private tour tomorrow in the Namib Desert.

 

Mark and Heather turned up as arranged and we chatted for half an hour, they are from just outside Belfast and travel a lot. They seem a very nice couple and I'm sure that we shall get on well. Dinner was at 8.15 which is a little nicer than the customary 8.30, it’s funny how much difference that 15 minutes makes. I had a pleasant but unremarkable meal although the chocolate parfait dessert was excellent. We chatted about various things and this culminated in one English lady who tells us constantly that she lives in Spain, insisted on explaining that she had lost 2/3rds of her body weight last year after bariatric surgery. That was bad enough but she gave us full details of the surgical procedure and the aftermath. I'm surprised that she needed the surgery because she never shuts up speaking long enough to draw breath let alone eat her meal. I might have to make up a story about undergoing a haemorrhoidectomy for dinner tonight; I doubt that she would get the humour though.

 

Today is Wednesday March 19 and the sun rose just before 7am, as we were just heading into the harbour at Walvis Bay and now 35 minutes later we are secured alongside the quayside. It seems that immigration here will be unnecessarily complicated with an entry form and an exit form and copious stamps in passports, the forms are identical except one is buff and the other green. It is typical Africa really, they love bureaucracy and brightly coloured forms and stamps.

I went to breakfast at 8 and thought I should have a substantial fry up as I was out all day, it was fine although the bacon wasn’t what I was used to. Nonetheless I met with my companions just after 8.40 and immigration was quite painless. We left the ship without delay as we had arranged to meet our guide and driver at 9. We met his colleague and were transported to the dock gate to board our vehicle because a little Namibian official wouldn’t let it in to the dock area as there was a minor glitch in the paperwork. We got in and set off. Our first port of call was the mudflats which are at the coast and are part of the Namib Desert, here we saw Greater and Lesser Flamingos, some pelicans and a number of smaller wading birds. Then we set off through the town to the main part of the desert. It was spectacular with dunes of many colours, a gravel desert and a canyon desert. The colours of the dunes come from the different types of rock that have been ground down by the winds that blow across the land. We parked at the foot of a large dune and Heather and Mark set off to climb it, not to be left out I started to climb as well. The sand is like fine icing sugar and pretty soon I was mid calf with each step. I thought of my Achilles and decided that discretion was the better of valour and turned around to descend. That really wasn’t much of an improvement as my heels were plunging even deeper into the soft sand. I nearly fell backwards several times and it made me wonder how people survive walking mile after mile through deserts. I'm not sure that I could!

We had no idea that it would be so interesting and so majestic. The desert starts right where the ocean finishes and stretches in land for mile after mile. We were so lucky to have bright sunshine as well because for about 300 days each year there is fog and overcast weather. In no time it was noon and we stopped in the shade of an acacia tree for a homemade lunch of lasagne with salad together with water, coffee and apple cake. Then we explored some more and arrived back at the dock just before 4pm, the same little Hitler was at the gate and refused us entry, I felt like gripping him warmly by the throat but instead shook hands with our driver and having thanked him, we walked the few hundred yards to the ship. It was nice after being confined in the Land Rover for most of the day. I had booked the tour with Turnstone Tours who can be emailed at turn@iafrica.com.na and their site is http://www.turnstone-tours.com T: +264 64 403123/+264 81 129 2331. I cannot recommend them highly enough, they do groups up to 6 I believe and will tailor things to your requests.

We boarded the ship and had to go through the immigration again, the man seemed bored to tears and blindly stamped all that was put before him. We all went to the bar for a welcome Castle beer and while we were there a host of officers and waiters set up a couple of tables with food for a special South African wine promotion, they were joined by their boss apparently who didn’t like it so they dismantled it and reset it on one table. We sat there for a further 30 minutes and no-one went to the table so it clearly wasn’t a great success or entirely necessary!

I had a very welcome shower before dressing for the evening and even managed a little lay down on the bed. It was soon time for cocktails and the barman remembered my order of G&T with muddled lime, in fact he remembered it twice!

Dinner was ok, I had antipasto which was very small but quite tasty followed by pasta Bolognese, the pasta was like a large penne and the sauce was ok but a little too heavy on tomatoes so it was a little acidic. Then they offered a pork chop Milanese which looked and tasted like an overcooked escalope Milanese, it came with chips and would have been better with the Bolognese sauce. I will know in future.

I finished my evening with an Americano coffee and a brandy. I slept like a top as the ship was gently rocking.

 

Today is Thursday March 20 and I woke at 7.15 and finally got up at 8am, it was lovely to lay there looking out at the sky through my picture window, it’s a shame that it doesn’t open but you can’t have everything. The sky is bright with scattered clouds and I expect that today will be quite warm as we head towards the equator. I don’t have major plans for today but they may well include pizza and ice cream with a few coffees thrown in. I am planning to go to a classical opera performance at 6.45 before dinner. I will sit near the door just in case.

I went to the buffet for breakfast for a change and probably won’t be repeating the experience, the food is very good and there are excellent choices but it is like sitting at the Nuremberg Rally without the little man shouting at the front. It was manic and the people seem incapable of talking in anything lower than a shout. Give me the relative peace and tranquillity of the busy restaurant every time. Cargo shorts, especially camouflaged ones seem to be the order of the day, these are worn with a selection of singlets, wife beaters or football shirts; it’s all very cosmopolitan!

 

There are 25 nationalities of passengers on board and 1350 in total. They comprise 580 Germans and Austrians, 250 South Africans, 180 British, 150 French, 120 Australians and a sprinkling from 19 other countries. I thought that the German contingent might be higher but I believe that the majority of the South Africans might be Afrikaans speakers which is similar to German, at least to an untrained ear.

 

I spent the morning on deck 11, I had a great coffee as the one in the buffet this morning was pretty poor. Then it was time for a beer, I was told that they had run out of Castle lager when I ordered my second. Whilst that was bad news it isn’t catastrophic as they have plenty in the stores below and in the other bars, so it is a restocking issue.

There was another dance class outside today and I was chatting to Samantha who is one of the entertainment staff and she told me about a lady who did the Tai Chi earlier today followed by Aerobics and collapsed faint on the deck, she soon recovered but it is pretty warm to be doing this stuff and it is vital to maintain hydration!

As we sailed along there were hundreds or perhaps thousands of flying fish leaping from the water close to the hull, unfortunately I haven’t seen anything bigger swimming by but I do remain quite hopeful.

I intended to have lunch in the restaurant but walking past the pizza station, the air was filled with such delightful aromas that I was tempted to just eat there. It was excellent again.

I had a rest after lunch and then took a shower in preparation for this evening, dress is casual again which is simple and I must remember that I intend to go to see the opera before dinner. We gain an hour tonight as we head from African to European time, which means that we will only be 1 hour ahead of UK time.

 

The classical concert turned out to be a pianist accompanied by a violinist and they were both excellent, the girl on the violin was able to almost make it cry. They were joined by a soprano, a baritone and a tenor. They sang 5 songs in total, 3 of which I had heard before. It made a very pleasant change and they are to perform 5 more times, it was only 30 minutes and I really enjoyed it.

I had a couple of cocktails before dinner and then joined my table at 8.15. I had a very Italian dinner comprising Prosciutto and melon, risi e pisi soup which is broth with rice and fresh peas, thick ribbon pasta with seafood sauce followed by cheese. They serve this course with grissini and marmalade! A few glasses of wine completed the extravaganza. I was actually hungry when I left the table which is quite a good way to feel after a meal, certainly better than feeling bloated.

A coffee and a brandy told me it was time for bed.

 

Today is Friday March 21 and I can’t believe that it was only a week ago that I arrived in Cape Town. We gained an hour overnight and the sun rose at 6.30 this morning. The sky is clear and the forecast is for a maximum temperature of 25/77 degrees, the sea is fairly calm as we make our way northwest to the corner of the horn of Africa.

 

I had my breakfast of porridge and an omelette in the restaurant and it was so much nicer being waited on compared to having to fetch and carry everything and then find a vacant seat. It was also lovely and quiet even though it was busy. The porridge was a little too runny for my taste; I might have to forgo it in the future. I had received a note saying that all passports were to be handed into Reception this morning between 9 and 11, I was passing at 7.45 so I gave them mine, they stared blankly at me and I explained the note about handing them in and they said that it didn’t apply to European passports but only to those from non EU countries. It makes sense but I'm sure those affected may not feel the same.

 

After breakfast I headed up to the pool deck on 11, it was slightly cloudy and quite hot at 28/82 degrees. We aren't going particularly fast and are barely making 17 knots and are roughly west south west of Luanda in Angola. We should reach the equator in 2 days’ time when I expect we will do the crossing the line ceremony.

People were having difficulty walking without shoes on the deck as the artificial surface was getting so hot as be quite uncomfortable. The coffee game today was to throw/roll a hula hoop between two chairs 10 yards away placed so there was only a 4 inch gap. I landed the hoop in the gap but I had back spin on it so it flew back towards me, I was initially disappointed until I saw that the prize today was an MSC lanyard. I would never have lived it down!

There were flying fish of all sizes leaping from the sea again today; they must swim in vast shoals because when they take off and land it resembles a rain shower on the surface of the water. They are still the biggest sea life that I've seen since the seal in Cape Town harbour, we have time on our side so I hope that there will be bigger and better things to come.

 

I had lunch in the main restaurant and it was very pleasant, it was cool and calm and I only had a salad and a small bowl of penne pasta with a spicy sauce. I have learned to order the salad dressing on the side as otherwise they pour so much on the salad that it is swimming in half an inch of the stuff. There is no coffee on offer at lunchtime so I retired to the nearest bar for an Americano, I really like their coffee!

I was heading up to the room when a couple of South Africans boarded the lift; they looked me over and enquired whether I would join their quiz team. It seems there is a 5 day series of quizzes each afternoon so I agreed to meet them at 3.15 for the first one. It was a standard 10 question quiz and we had 8 in our team, we got 7 correct and changed one of the incorrect answers from the correct one. We are still in the chase but won’t know our position until tomorrow. There were about 20 teams taking part so it is quite fun but fairly competitive as well.

After all that brain work I needed a cup of tea and by then it was time to rest up before getting cleaned up ready for dinner. I went to the Manhattan Bar for my usual G&Ts where the barman, Glen, has become my new best friend. He remembers to muddle my limes and puts the right amount of gin into the glass.

Dinner was uneventful apart from the lady who had previously insisted on detailing her bariatric surgery turned up but looked quite unwell, she said that her stomach or what is left of it was playing up. This entailed a visit to the Medical Centre so I suppose that it might be common when the remaining organ is so very tiny. Her husband stayed and finished his meal so it clearly wasn’t of great concern to him. I had a spicy rice croquette called something very Italian which I followed with a small salad. I was tempted by a small but very tasty seafood risotto and then I had a beef roulade around a hard-boiled egg served on couscous. As I'm writing it now it doesn’t sound appetising yet last night it did, it wasn’t! I ignored dessert and had a brandy and an Americano before heading to bed. My ankles were quite swollen with the heat yesterday so I put two lifebelts under the foot of my mattress overnight and this morning they are nearly back to normal.

As I was preparing for bed I noticed that the water in the sink circles the drain in an anticlockwise direction so we are definitely still in the southern hemisphere, I keep looking in the sky trying to spot the Southern Cross but so far it has eluded me, rather like the dolphins!

 

Today is Saturday March 22 and the sun rose just after 6.30am, it is cloudy and the ocean is calm. I had breakfast in the restaurant and tried Semolina as a change from porridge, it too was very runny but the omelette was very good. It seems difficult to get more that 6 to 8 slices of mushrooms though, that will be my task for the ensuing days.

 

It is hard to ascertain our exact position but at 8.45am local time we are 7 degrees south of the equator, this puts us west of Congo and or Gabon, our course is 315 degrees or northwest so our arrival at the equator will be slowed by our westerly progress. 1 degree of latitude is roughly 69 miles so we are 490 miles south of the line but we may have to sail nearly 1,000 to reach it. That still makes it likely that at some time tomorrow we will cross it.

 

Unsurprisingly it is very warm on board, the temperature is around 33/91 degrees yet the sunbeds are still full up all morning with people getting redder and redder. I spent the morning on the deck in shade listening to a book and chatting with fellow passengers. One Englishwoman with a particularly annoying nasal voice sat by me and ordered a drink from one of the waitresses, I had been talking and joking with the waitress earlier. This nasal woman who has a face like a pie can turned to me after the girl had served her and said that she couldn’t understand why the girl didn’t smile. I replied sweetly that she had been laughing with me earlier but restrained myself from offering what I really thought was the reason. Today’s coffee game was to roll a basketball along two lengths of rope secured to a railing and held waist high, without letting it fall between them. I didn’t attempt it as it was too warm and the prize was another lanyard! It was a very popular game yet only 3 people were successful.

I had a great lunch in the restaurant, tuna salad followed by spaghetti with meatballs. It was great. Fairly soon after that was time for the team quiz. We got 8 correct today and only failed to answer who wrote My Way correctly. It was Paul Anka if you didn’t already know. There was another but I can’t remember it even now. Our average is improving and there are three more days to go.

[chris_kelowna]

Thanks for this! It's one of my dream trips and I really enjoyed reading your account. Maybe someday I'll actually get to go on this cruise. I did go to Cape Town for a month in 2011 and totally loved it.

[VirginCruiser II]

Hi Jim,

That was a wonderful review. Yes, we've tried MSC for the first time last month on the Fantasia - what a great cruise company, we loved it too and how great to find a cruise line that does ports that Cunard doesn't.

[Netty13]

Thank you for this great review. We're booked on the MSC Sinfonia for a Mediterranean / Canary Islands cruise in October and were a bit concerned about quite bad reviews we read.

But reading your review we think the ship can't be that bad and look forward to our first MSC cruise!

 

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[jdvmd]

Wonderful review! I am on the Sinfonia in July and love reading everything about her.