Bit of a Blog : B2B2B : SoA : embarking 20/01/22

[NorbertsNiece]

Thank you Fordy!

 

____

 

Once you start thinking 

you have nothing left to learn, 

you still have a lot of everything to learn.”

 

                             --Steve Badger (Poker Player)

                               "Sharing the Metanarrative"

 

Like Steve also said on his books, Life is a hard gamble... So like the cruising business these times... Most of the times it pushes through without a problem but theres a few instances you wont have control on whats going to happen... Swabbing is regularly done now so we can trace anymore of it onboard... Just a little more and we're almost ready.. 😅

 

 

[Harry Peterson]

14 hours ago, sleepingcat said:

Hi Linda and Brenda, yes. we liked the toiletries so much that we brought the used bar of soap home with us! a nice reminder of the Canaries cruise every time we use it.  I see from net search that one can only buy Prija wholesale, so the only way to get more will be to book another cruise.......

 

 

Available on Amazon, but at silly prices for bulk hotel grade toiletries.

[NorbertsNiece]

The pic today is the area where guests book future cruises and excursions on them. Thanks Fordy 💙

_____

 

We don't know in advance

 what we're going to do in the future, 

 but the truth is...

 With all that has happened at present,

 we often don't know 

 what we were thinking in the past. 

 

                   

                                         - Nagaru Tanigawa

 

Moved the ship a little to accomodate container ships coming in..

Fewer cases as the days go by as we are testing everyday now

 and hopefully drops to zero before moving back to southampton.. 

Summer back home... Miss the beach already.. 😅

 

[NorbertsNiece]

Good morning to all on board.

Fordy's post.....

 

--------

The difference between 

Being ordinary, and 

Being extraordinary.... is that little extra.

 

            – Jimmy Johnson

 

Precautionary measures on isolation and social distancing are proving very effective..

Restaurant Team serving on the buffet for meal times on rotation so everybody gets enough time to rest... 

A few crew members due for vacation are leaving in a few days and will surely be missed here....

Thus new faces will be coming onboard again.. 😅

 

 

Edited March 19, 2022 by NorbertsNiece

[NorbertsNiece]

From Tilbury :

 

Life is a wheel, 

its only job is to turn, 

and it always came back to where it had started.

Because everything that goes around comes around. 

Maybe it's luck or maybe it's fate, 

but either way, it comes back around.

 

        - Stephen King, Doctor Sleep

 

Counting the days before coming back to full operation..

Even though Covid hit us hard this time we managed to bounce

back and will return better..😅

 

[NorbertsNiece]

Thanks Fordy, hope you're well. My favourite is the atrium staircase wall. Always look up.... those ceiling lights are amazing!

------

You might as well ask an artist to explain his art, 

or ask a poet to explain his poem. 

It actually defeats the purpose. 

The meaning is only clear 

through the one Who is willing on understanding it.

 

   

                                    --Rick Riordan

 

A few pieces on the ship that i love. It may not stand out for others and just look normal decorations. 

But thats Art. It doesnt connect to everybody but does something extraordinary to the one who appreciates it.

 

(Clockwork Ceiling Lamps on Khukuri)

(Portrait of Tubes and Paper Boats on Library)

(Mesmerizing Grid lines on Northcape)

(A Ship's Outline on the Britania Lounge)

 

 

 

 

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

Refund received from Saga for lost cruise. Thank you Lorraine at HQ for sorting this for us, the cheque still hasn't arrived!! ❤

[NorbertsNiece]

Come Mothers and Fathers,

Throughout the lands..

And Don't Criticize,

What you can't Understand..

Your Sons and Daughters

Are Beyond your Command..

 

        - Bob Dylan 

        (Times they are A Changing)

 

A lot of new faces and crew members this time around...

But the old timers and the ones most of whom you know are still here to share their knowledge and train us all the Saga way that everybody has come to love through the years...

Can't avoid the passing of times as the company and ships grow bigger and better... 

Maybe... 

Try to keep the good old and embrace some of the new... 😅

 

 

Edited March 22, 2022 by NorbertsNiece

[NorbertsNiece]

“A person should set his goals 

as early as he can and devote all his energy and talent to getting there. 

With enough effort, he may achieve it. 

Or he may find something 

that is even more rewarding. 

But in the end, no matter what the outcome, he will know he has been alive.” 

 

                                    — Walt Disney

 

Embarkation day coming near...

Slowly bringing SofA to its usual operation and putting everything back to normal...

Goals are being set... Targets on sight.. 

brushing up on trainings so we are on top shape when normal operation starts again...

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

A person who follows the crowd 

will usually go no further 

than the crowd. 

Someone who walks alone 

is likely to find him or herself 

in places no one has ever been before..

 

                                  ~ Albert Einstein

 

Everythings almost back to its place after cleaning and storing all while at Lay-up..

Havent seen any CruiseShips docking at Tilbury other than Virgin Voyage a few days ago..

Crew is being briefed and upto speed on all things...

See you all soon...

😅

 

[sleepingcat]

Hi Linda and everyone

I think you said you would keep posting until Tuesday when you would have been disembarking?  so this to thank you and everyone who  has contributed - its been fun and interesting following, and also recently useful for us to pass info to our friends who are embarking on S of A on Tuesday.  Best to everyone and see you again on a deck somewhere.  

[NorbertsNiece]

@sleepingcatthis indeed is my penultimate blog update 😭

 

Eros has degenerated; 

he began introducing order and harmony, 

and now he brings back chaos.

 

                                -George Eliot, 'Middlemarch'  

 

Eventhough this pandemic created much despair and chaos

In everything..

It also proved that people can work together to do a single objective and fight the virus...

Its quite nice to walk here quietly and see everything clean and organized..

But i still prefer and miss all the people working hard walking back and forth..

Giving high fives and hugs to friends... 

And seeing a few crew ready to serve going to their workplaces..

Were getting ready.. see you all soon.. 😅

 

------

Fordy's pic is of the affectionately called M1; it runs the entire length of the ship below decks.

 

[NorbertsNiece]

We would have been disembarking Spirit of Adventure today. It's been a conscious decision to not have posted : "Today we would've been in....."

 

This is a final thank you post to everyone who made the cruise memorable. It's in no particular order and isn't definitive. 

 

Edwin, our room steward

Chef Leony, made me a fish plate for breakfast with herring 😋

Max, from Ukraine, who took our coats and plays a mean fiddle

Michael, who always remembered oat milk and sweeteners

Teddy, who called me 'Miss Linda' and served at the chef's counter

 Marie and Joy, chefs de rang, who greeted us in the Grill and knew our favourite area to sit

Laurence, deputy restaurant manager

Jackie, Saga World expert

Resty, Cruise Director

Laura and Christina, entertainment staff

Exec chef Raj who made rack of lamb for me, and everyone else!!

Jan Novak, Hotel Manager, who handled disgruntled passengers with such professionalism (not us)

Diego Coletti, Guest Services manager, my go to for support and advice

Hans Werner, Saga's Bruce Willis, brought in to sort things out

@Supercruise Crafts, wait till you see the blanket I'm knitting! All pieces complete just assembly required!

Sue Stockdale, exceptional speaker and explorer

Captains Colm and Darin who got us there, barely there, and back safely

@Sandra Gil, Lisbon tuk tuk, 

Daniel Cabral, Greenzone Azores Tours , Horta

 

Fordy, whose posts from Spirit of Adventure can continue to be found here :

 

 

And Geoff, who stuck out 4 days of isolation with me! NorbertsNiece will be back in September on another adventure, a different cruise line but again a maiden season.

 

 

[Portplush]

Thank you Linda for all your postings.    We thoroughly enjoyed reading them each day.   Looking forward to our September cruise on the Adventure even more now.

[NorbertsNiece]

Email received this morning from the Travel Agent who booked my cruise welcoming me back from my adventure and wanting to hear all about it. She does actually know what occured. Not plugging the TA who took 60 days to refund the cancelled cruise leg last year.

 

Don't you just hate auto timed emails?

[LandC]

Hi Linda.  We have stopped using our local TA for similar reasons!  We now book cruises direct where practicable.  Have you got your refund from Saga for this year’s cancelled sector?

[NorbertsNiece]

On 4/1/2022 at 8:42 AM, LandC said:

Hi Linda.  We have stopped using our local TA for similar reasons!  We now book cruises direct where practicable.  Have you got your refund from Saga for this year’s cancelled sector?

Yes. There was a hiccup but Lorraine at HQ stepped in on request and arranged a BACS transfer ❤

The cheque never arrived!