‘Live From’ Spirit of Discovery, 5th-12th September.

[welwyngirl]

3 minutes ago, Glenndale said:

I think it would be hard to find an Azamara cruiser who doesn’t know EofH,

I sometimes think he lives on board and goes home for a break 😂

😂

[cinnamon]

Now the seas have calmed a little we’re sitting in the Britannia lounge. I’ve taken a few photos and will see if the WiFi will let me post them.

Near the pool is an area with boiled sweets!  Very British. 😅.

 

Each side of the lounge extends quite a long way down the side so it has fairly extensive seating. 

Edited September 6, 2019 by cinnamon

[cinnamon]

[cinnamon]

[Glenndale]

9 minutes ago, cinnamon said:

Now the seas have calmed a little we’re sitting in the Britannia lounge. I’ve taken a few photos and will see if the WiFi will let me post them.

Near the pool is an area with boiled sweets!  Very British. 😅.

 

Each side of the lounge extends quite a long way down the side so it has fairly extensive seating. 

Glad it’s getting calmer.

There is a sweetie cabin on Sapphire and a self serve ice cream machine on the other side.

One of our trivia team always brought a few handfuls of sweets to trivia.

Edited September 6, 2019 by Glenndale

[cinnamon]

[cinnamon]

[cinnamon]

[cinnamon]

I think the designers have missed a trick here though. The forward view from Britannia is of the terrace and some superstructure. In this respect I preferred Azamara Pursuit which has a stunning view from the Living Room which we enjoyed tremendously a few months ago, sailing up the Tagus river and under the bridge into Lisbon. This venue would not be so good for that. 

[cinnamon]

[cinnamon]

Sorry for double posting some photos. The perils of slow speeds meant I didn’t realise they were done already. 

[Lindy028]

Hi Corinne, thank you for replying to my post re the wines and other alcoholic beverages! The cost of a cocktail is very reasonable, my DH spoke to Saga customer service today re a few queries we had, he was told that there is no published bar list as the prices will change all the time! We are holding off booking for the moment as we feel there are a few things that would concern us!

Not ruling Saga out completely, but for now will stick to Azamara and Oceania. 
Still following your blog with great interest. Thanks.

[Jammy Bun]

40 minutes ago, Lindy028 said:

We are holding off booking for the moment as we feel there are a few things that would concern us!

Not ruling Saga out completely, but for now will stick to Azamara and Oceania. 
Still following your blog with great interest. Thanks.

I’m in agreement... it’s really lovely to get such a detailed and regular report (thank you again Cinnamon), but the Viking ships seem (to me) to be far more thoughtfully designed.  Maybe it’s the age demographic  that the different cruise lines are targeting.  This ship looks very traditional to me, which makes sense if so many of the passengers are elderly and have limited mobility.  Never say never of course, but for now Saga isn’t at the top of my wish list.

[shoreham01]

Thank you so much for your blog we are really enjoying it. Looking forward to our little trip so much. 

[Wacktle]

Following Along too, and just starting to read your experiences. Interested that you arrived at Dover so early. It's before our provisional pick-up time, and we live much further away.

[kentchris]

3 minutes ago, Wacktle said:

Following Along too, and just starting to read your experiences. Interested that you arrived at Dover so early. It's before our provisional pick-up time, and we live much further away.

There's a thread about transport.

 

[Wacktle]

14 minutes ago, kentchris said:

There's a thread about transport.

Thanks ... I'll take a look. Previously we've been picked up around 9.30 and have been on the ship in good time for an early afternoon tea.

 

 

[cinnamon]

1 hour ago, Wacktle said:

Following Along too, and just starting to read your experiences. Interested that you arrived at Dover so early. It's before our provisional pick-up time, and we live much further away.

Provisional pick up times are just that. Most people are told 1.00 pm in advance then correct time later. 

[cinnamon]

I started the evening with a Mojito, asking fir very little sugar and if wax very good. Especially at only £2.90 b

Had a wonderful dinner in The Club. The crab cakes weren’t that good but our friends chose Bocconcini which looked much better. We were offered Chardonnay but asked for different and given a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc which was fine. Not as good as NZ of course but fine. Then had Cab Sav blend of sorts which went down well. 

DH and I shared a Tomahawk steak which was fabulous!  I finished with cheese (I’m eating low carb) and he had black currant sorbet. We dined with friends from Azamara, P&M and are now sitting in the theatre, well ahead of the show in order to get good seats. Central and only 4 rows back. 

[cinnamon]

[cinnamon]

This was to share between 2!  

[Lindy028]

The food looks really good, a positive is that they will source alternative wines, although we have been told that there is a selection of 3 reds, 3 whites and 2 rose every day. You seem to be really enjoying it, so glad it is meeting your expectations, have fun! 👍 Have to say, with cocktails at £2.90 who wouldn’t have fun!!! 😮🤪🍸

[Tigrou]

8 hours ago, cinnamon said:

I agree about the ages. Definitely average is closer to 80 than 70 and many with mobility issues. Not many wheelchairs but dozens of walkers. We use the stairs for 2 or 3 flights but not 5. 

It is certainly challenging with the motion of the ocean, I’ve been on smaller ships on rougher seas that were less rocky. 😏

 

Hi Corinne. It’s reassuring to know it isn’t just my perception ref ages.  Although a lady at dinner referred to “our age” and her children are older than me.  Admittedly the last few years haven’t been easy but I didn’t think they’d made me age quite that much!

 

[cinnamon]

What a wonderful show!  It was the first time they had performed it. One or two numbers started a little weak but once they got into their stride it really took off and we thoroughly enjoyed it. 

 

Tomorrow we dock in Bergen at 8.00 am and leave at 5.00 pm. We don’t have a tour booked as we’ve been a few times before. The lecture this morning has given us plenty of information and there are 4 pages of notes which were delivered to all cabins to assist independent travellers. 

Just hoping the forecast comes true and it stays dry. 😀. 

Night night ‘followers’. 

[cinnamon]

The captain came over the Tannoy direct into the cabin at 8.00 am. Due to stronger winds than predicted we are going to be late into port by at least 30 minutes. Very unusual to be woken up early. Breakfast finishes at 9.00 in the MDR and 9.30 in the Grill, so you’re not allowed to in on Saga. 😏