Selbourne ‘Live’ from Aurora’s 2024 Grand Tour

[Slugsta]

We have a cabin by the forward lifts on Aurora in April. Hopefully, it won't be overly warm then, even in Morocco.

[Josy1953]

We have been on Aurora 5 times and are looking forward to being on her again later this year.  There is something about her that appeals to us even though she getting on in years now.  The last time we were on her to the Northern Lights in 2021.

[Selbourne]

Just now, Slugsta said:

We have a cabin by the forward lifts on Aurora in April. Hopefully, it won't be overly warm then, even in Morocco.

There are obviously some problems at present that they can’t fix mid cruise. Hopefully it will have been in and out of Southampton enough times by then to fix them - unless it’s now beyond economical repair, which I doubt. 

[galeforce9]

2 hours ago, Fionboard said:

I am on her in a couple of weeks to the Arctic, so heating is more important for me!  Am also on the May Baltic one, which was unseasonably hot last year! Hope they sort this out. 

I am too but hate a warm cabin. On the last March Northern Lights cruise I did on Aurora in 2020, the cabin temperature was unbearable at night.  On the coolest setting it was 26 C.   I had them out four times to no avail.   It’s more than likely you will be dressed for the outside on a cold weather cruise, so it’s even worse. I hasten to add I’ve been on twice since in autumn and it was fine.  I fear though they will ramp the heating up in advance of the colder air as they usually do and it’s awful. 

Edited February 26 by galeforce9

[Selbourne]

Today’s MDR menus. 

 

Edited February 26 by Selbourne

[terrierjohn]

5 hours ago, mrsgoggins said:

Thank you yet again. I currently have 3 P&O cruises in the pipeline (over 2 years) but your reports have made me discount ever trying Aurora on 2 counts; the a/c problems you have had that they seem unable to fix, and also the low beds. Both of those things would have a big impact on any cruise for me so I am very grateful to you, even though I realise that not all cabins are likely to be as affected as yours has been.

 

I agree about the appearance of the Virgin ships at the back, really ugly! 

Not particularly ugly, but they do seem to be totally out of proportion.  Surely the upper decks ought to be much wider, and it could be at least one deck less and still have the same passenger capacity.

[FatBoy20]

58 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Today’s MDR menus. 

 

Just like TV lots of repeats!

[Megabear2]

2 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Today’s MDR menus. 

 

Selbourne I note the recommendation for the Villa Maria Seaspray at lunch time.  Purely as a matter of interest coukd you check if it's anywhere else you visit and if so is it covered by either drinks package.  Just being nosey as there was some debate we witnessed in Limelight on Britannia when it was the only Sauvignon Blanc on sale there and some people we met were quite upset as it was extremely pricey.  Thank you.

[Cruising Nomads]

On Iona the Seaspray was available in the Limelight Club and the Epicurean and was on the Deluxe drinks package.

[Selbourne]

I wondered what he was up to now (see top right corner of windscreen). 
First bikes, then bendy-busses and now cruise pier shuttles in St Kitts. Well I guess the weather is better 😂

[Selbourne]

 

Day 55 - Monday 26th February - Basseterre, St Kitts

 

Another ‘interesting’ day in the Caribbean! We had docked in St Kitts very early in the morning. After breakfast I was booked on the St Kitts Scenic Railway excursion but it was due to leave at 10am so there was no rush. There had been some heavy rain whilst we were at breakfast and as we returned to the cabin there was a small rainbow alongside the ship. We could see the entire rainbow and it made quite a sight. The photo doesn’t really do it justice. 

 

The scenic railway was a very popular trip which probably a good 150 passengers had booked to go on. We were loaded onto the now infamous minibuses and were taken the long way around the island to the pick up point. The driver & guide Kirk was very funny. One chap asked if we could stop at a restroom. Kirk replied that he would pull up somewhere so that the guy could go behind a tree (which he did)! As he stopped he warned the guy to be careful as “we have monkeys and they like to grab bananas”. The passengers wife piped up “Oh, he’ll be alright. He’s only got a small one” 😱 That must surely be grounds for divorce 😂

 

I have mentioned before that many of the stops on these tours have been tenuous at best. Well today took the record. We stopped and remained in the minibus whilst Kirk said he had something to show us. It was a water stand pipe. He gave us a demonstration of how it worked. When he got back in we then had a detailed account of the fact that the government is gradually removing the levers from them, making them key operated only for farmers. Fascinating 🤔

 

At this point Kirk received a call to say that there was a problem with the train and we would be delayed, so we then had time to kill. This enabled us to stop briefly to see a couple of other stand pipes, as well as semi derelict houses. When we were on Grand Cayman, my lasting memory was the hundreds of chickens we saw roaming around everywhere. St Kitts has the same (and sheep and goats) but the thing that struck me most was the scrap cars everywhere. We must have seen hundreds. When a car meets its end it’s just abandoned in verges or outside peoples houses. Kirk covered this as well. The government is going to start fining people if they don’t dispose of them environmentally. Good luck on that one!

 

The train was meant to leave at 11am and when we arrived at the pick up point at around this time we were told it would be around half an hour late. This turned into an hour and finally the train turned up at around 1220. Profuse apologies from our host for the delay (apparently a pin had come out holding a rail in place) and we were off. It’s a double decker train with open sided seating on the top and an air conditioned saloon underneath. I went for the air conditioned saloon. The views weren’t quite as good but it was a pleasant temperature. 

 

The 18 mile trip lasts 1hr 45 mins, during which time there was some dubious ‘traditional dancing’ (two teenagers with a ghetto blaster, angling for tips), an informative live commentary and free drinks (rum punch etc). Having learnt the hard way in Honduras, I disciplined myself to one rum punch but in reality I only took 2 or 3 sips of it. Two reasons. The first was that my sore throat is fine much of the time now, but alcohol causes me real discomfort within minutes. Secondly, it tasted horrible 😂. For my second drink I had a Virgin Colada which was far better. 

 

After 10 minutes we stopped abruptly. We were at the spot where the rail had separated and it happened again! Thankfully the engineers were all still there with their equipment so we were on our way within 10 minutes. In truth I’ve been on far more scenic train journeys in the UK, but it was still a good experience. When we got back on the minibus it was very apparent that a number of my fellow passengers had partaken of one or two too many rum punches. We arrived back at the port 1hr 45 minutes late (pretty good going for a 3 hour tour) and my wife was beginning to get quite concerned where I was, but obviously the problems were entirely out of P&Os control and “all part of the experience” 😂

 

In every single port in the Caribbean we have been told to take photo ID (passport or driving licence ashore), yet we have never been asked to show it anywhere - until today. Utterly pointless. It just caused queues and delays and the checks were not conducted properly anyway. What do they do with the people who didn’t have any photo ID? My guess is they let them through anyway as the ships have their own security! Whilst I was queuing a very elderly couple in front of me were both struggling to stand, not through infirmity but (through their own admission) too many rum punches 😂

 

When I eventually got back to the ship we dashed up to the Lido deck for a quick lunch and then I took my wife ashore. Arvia was also in port, so the Port Xante cruise terminal was very busy. There was a karaoke bar in the middle where a succession of people who thought they could sing, but couldn’t, were belting out one song after another. Why is it that the only people who get up and sing at those places are all tone deaf? It reminded me of the Eric Morecombe line “all the right notes, but just not in the right order”. It was truly excruciating. There were also people in various states of inebriation around the edges ‘dancing’. A very unkind and deeply insensitive person prone to sweeping generalisations might have said that this could have been the sort of place that was attracting Arvia passengers who were perhaps partaking of the drinks package, but thankfully that’s not the sort of thought that would ever cross my mind 🤔😂 

 

Prior to looking around the cruise port we went into the town, which isn’t much but is another authentic place. I had a note to see the Circus (clock tower) and Independence Square. Both were only a short distance from the cruise port so that didn’t take long. One thing that we thought was lovely was that all the school kids were walking home and they are obviously told that tourists are the life blood of the island and to be respectful to them. As they passed us they all smiled and said “Good afternoon”. Can you imagine school kids at home doing that?

 

I got brownie points from Lady Selbourne because she only wanted one thing from the shops and, amidst all the shops selling the usual tourist tat, booze and bright clothing, I managed to find it - Hairspray 😂 (no, they don’t sell it on the ship). Talking of hair, my number 3 & 2 clipper cut has lasted well and may even get me home, where I can do it myself for nothing 😂

 

Back on the ship we went to Raffles for a drink and as we were departing the Captain announced we were leaving and that indeed he was himself leaving us tomorrow and a new Captain is taking us back to Blighty as planned. Nothing against the guy, he seems very pleasant, but he has been the most uncommunicative Captain that we have ever had in almost 30 years of cruising. I genuinely believe that he needs reminding that being Master of the vessel is not just about the seamanship side of it (which, in all honesty, the majority of which is done by the bridge team anyway), but is also about enhancing the passenger experience with useful nuggets and by being visible. He has done neither. I wish him well, but for a Grand Tour such as this, which is a huge adventure, we drew the short straw. I shall be sure to feed back on this if I ever get the chance on a feedback survey and I hope that many of my fellow passengers do the same, as I’ve heard enough of them commenting on it!

 

Sail away was nice and peaceful, as we were thankfully spared a band on the top open deck. A few honks were exchanged between us and Arvia (we were the first to leave - I don’t think we had any stragglers in the karaoke bar 😉) and we sat on the balcony well past darkness as it was still so warm and lovely and quiet other than the relaxing noise of the ship cutting through the water. 

 

We’ve had very few pre dinner drinks since my throat issue, so next stop was the MDR for dinner. Another hit and miss experience but mostly miss unfortunately. My leek soup starter was very watery and was quite insipid. My wife enjoyed her cauliflower tabbouleh salad. I had roast beef and had two really thick slices cooked exactly as I’d asked. However the Yorkshire pudding was like cardboard and tasted like it had been cooked a few days ago. The usual barrel shaped spud and a few overcooked root veg with a flavourless gravy. My wife had lasagne and said that she thought it was nigh on impossible to mess up a lasagne but they had managed it. I asked what was wrong with it and she said that the pasta was ‘gluey’. She left 90% of it. I had rhubarb and ginger crumble, which was fine, but their custard (or sauce Anglaise) is always dreadful (it manages to be both runny and lumpy at the same time and flavourless) so I asked for ‘Honey Combe’ (as they call it) ice cream instead. My wife had just the ice cream. 

 

The 10pm show was Jayne Middleton’s second show, also as Annie Lennox. I looked her up after her first performance as I just knew that she was putting on a very bad Scottish accent and, sure enough, she’s from Stoke on Trent 😂. Why do some tribute artists think they have to talk like the artist as well as sing like them? They almost never do it well and sound silly. Anyway, thankfully this girl has a great singing voice. The second show wasn’t as good as the first. She’d done many of the big Annie Lennox & Eurythmics hits in the first show. There were a few more this time but she also did some covers that Annie Lennox apparently did but that I was unaware of. Tomorrow is Antigua, which is our last Caribbean port before we start the long drag home via the Azores. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 27 by Selbourne

[brian1]

4 hours ago, Selbourne said:

 

Day 55 - Monday 26th February - Basseterre, St Kitts

 

Another ‘interesting’ day in the Caribbean! We had docked in St Kitts very early in the morning. After breakfast I was booked on the St Kitts Scenic Railway excursion but it was due to leave at 10am so there was no rush. There had been some heavy rain whilst we were at breakfast and as we returned to the cabin there was a small rainbow alongside the ship. We could see the entire rainbow and it made quite a sight. The photo doesn’t really do it justice. 

 

The scenic railway was a very popular trip which probably a good 150 passengers had booked to go on. We were loaded onto the now infamous minibuses and were taken the long way around the island to the pick up point. The driver & guide Kirk was very funny. One chap asked if we could stop at a restroom. Kirk replied that he would pull up somewhere so that the guy could go behind a tree (which he did)! As he stopped he warned the guy to be careful as “we have monkeys and they like to grab bananas”. The passengers wife piped up “Oh, he’ll be alright. He’s only got a small one” 😱 That must surely be grounds for divorce 😂

 

I have mentioned before that many of the stops on these tours have been tenuous at best. Well today took the record. We stopped and remained in the minibus whilst Kirk said he had something to show us. It was a water stand pipe. He gave us a demonstration of how it worked. When he got back in we then had a detailed account of the fact that the government is gradually removing the levers from them, making them key operated only for farmers. Fascinating 🤔

 

At this point Kirk received a call to say that there was a problem with the train and we would be delayed, so we then had time to kill. This enabled us to stop briefly to see a couple of other stand pipes, as well as semi derelict houses. When we were on Grand Cayman, my lasting memory was the hundreds of chickens we saw roaming around everywhere. St Kitts has the same (and sheep and goats) but the thing that struck me most was the scrap cars everywhere. We must have seen hundreds. When a car meets its end it’s just abandoned in verges or outside peoples houses. Kirk covered this as well. The government is going to start fining people if they don’t dispose of them environmentally. Good luck on that one!

 

The train was meant to leave at 11am and when we arrived at the pick up point at around this time we were told it would be around half an hour late. This turned into an hour and finally the train turned up at around 1220. Profuse apologies from our host for the delay (apparently a pin had come out holding a rail in place) and we were off. It’s a double decker train with open sided seating on the top and an air conditioned saloon underneath. I went for the air conditioned saloon. The views weren’t quite as good but it was a pleasant temperature. 

 

The 18 mile trip lasts 1hr 45 mins, during which time there was some dubious ‘traditional dancing’ (two teenagers with a ghetto blaster, angling for tips), an informative live commentary and free drinks (rum punch etc). Having learnt the hard way in Honduras, I disciplined myself to one rum punch but in reality I only took 2 or 3 sips of it. Two reasons. The first was that my sore throat is fine much of the time now, but alcohol causes me real discomfort within minutes. Secondly, it tasted horrible 😂. For my second drink I had a Virgin Colada which was far better. 

 

After 10 minutes we stopped abruptly. We were at the spot where the rail had separated and it happened again! Thankfully the engineers were all still there with their equipment so we were on our way within 10 minutes. In truth I’ve been on far more scenic train journeys in the UK, but it was still a good experience. When we got back on the minibus it was very apparent that a number of my fellow passengers had partaken of one or two too many rum punches. We arrived back at the port 1hr 45 minutes late (pretty good going for a 3 hour tour) and my wife was beginning to get quite concerned where I was, but obviously the problems were entirely out of P&Os control and “all part of the experience” 😂

 

In every single port in the Caribbean we have been told to take photo ID (passport or driving licence ashore), yet we have never been asked to show it anywhere - until today. Utterly pointless. It just caused queues and delays and the checks were not conducted properly anyway. What do they do with the people who didn’t have any photo ID? My guess is they let them through anyway as the ships have their own security! Whilst I was queuing a very elderly couple in front of me were both struggling to stand, not through infirmity but (through their own admission) too many rum punches 😂

 

When I eventually got back to the ship we dashed up to the Lido deck for a quick lunch and then I took my wife ashore. Arvia was also in port, so the Port Xante cruise terminal was very busy. There was a karaoke bar in the middle where a succession of people who thought they could sing, but couldn’t, were belting out one song after another. Why is it that the only people who get up and sing at those places are all tone deaf? It reminded me of the Eric Morecombe line “all the right notes, but just not in the right order”. It was truly excruciating. There were also people in various states of inebriation around the edges ‘dancing’. A very unkind and deeply insensitive person prone to sweeping generalisations might have said that this could have been the sort of place that was attracting Arvia passengers who were perhaps partaking of the drinks package, but thankfully that’s not the sort of thought that would ever cross my mind 🤔😂 

 

Prior to looking around the cruise port we went into the town, which isn’t much but is another authentic place. I had a note to see the Circus (clock tower) and Independence Square. Both were only a short distance from the cruise port so that didn’t take long. One thing that we thought was lovely was that all the school kids were walking home and they are obviously told that tourists are the life blood of the island and to be respectful to them. As they passed us they all smiled and said “Good afternoon”. Can you imagine school kids at home doing that?

 

I got brownie points from Lady Selbourne because she only wanted one thing from the shops and, amidst all the shops selling the usual tourist tat, booze and bright clothing, I managed to find it - Hairspray 😂 (no, they don’t sell it on the ship). Talking of hair, my number 3 & 2 clipper cut has lasted well and may even get me home, where I can do it myself for nothing 😂

 

Back on the ship we went to Raffles for a drink and as we were departing the Captain announced we were leaving and that indeed he was himself leaving us tomorrow and a new Captain is taking us back to Blighty as planned. Nothing against the guy, he seems very pleasant, but he has been the most uncommunicative Captain that we have ever had in almost 30 years of cruising. I genuinely believe that he needs reminding that being Master of the vessel is not just about the seamanship side of it (which, in all honesty, the majority of which is done by the bridge team anyway), but is also about enhancing the passenger experience with useful nuggets and by being visible. He has done neither. I wish him well, but for a Grand Tour such as this, which is a huge adventure, we drew the short straw. I shall be sure to feed back on this if I ever get the chance on a feedback survey and I hope that many of my fellow passengers do the same, as I’ve heard enough of them commenting on it!

 

Sail away was nice and peaceful, as we were thankfully spared a band on the top open deck. A few honks were exchanged between us and Arvia (we were the first to leave - I don’t think we had any stragglers in the karaoke bar 😉) and we sat on the balcony well past darkness as it was still so warm and lovely and quiet other than the relaxing noise of the ship cutting through the water. 

 

We’ve had very few pre dinner drinks since my throat issue, so next stop was the MDR for dinner. Another hit and miss experience but mostly miss unfortunately. My leek soup starter was very watery and was quite insipid. My wife enjoyed her cauliflower tabbouleh salad. I had roast beef and had two really thick slices cooked exactly as I’d asked. However the Yorkshire pudding was like cardboard and tasted like it had been cooked a few days ago. The usual barrel shaped spud and a few overcooked root veg with a flavourless gravy. My wife had lasagne and said that she thought it was nigh on impossible to mess up a lasagne but they had managed it. I asked what was wrong with it and she said that the pasta was ‘gluey’. She left 90% of it. I had rhubarb and ginger crumble, which was fine, but their custard (or sauce Anglaise) is always dreadful (it manages to be both runny and lumpy at the same time and flavourless) so I asked for ‘Honey Combe’ (as they call it) ice cream instead. My wife had just the ice cream. 

 

The 10pm show was Jayne Middleton’s second show, also as Annie Lennox. I looked her up after her first performance as I just knew that she was putting on a very bad Scottish accent and, sure enough, she’s from Stoke on Trent 😂. Why do some tribute artists think they have to talk like the artist as well as sing like them? They almost never do it well and sound silly. Anyway, thankfully this girl has a great singing voice. The second show wasn’t as good as the first. She’d done many of the big Annie Lennox & Eurythmics hits in the first show. There were a few more this time but she also did some covers that Annie Lennox apparently did but that I was unaware of. Tomorrow is Antigua, which is our last Caribbean port before we start the long drag home via the Azores. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For me,a retired plumbers dream,standpipes and stopcocks😉

[twotravellersLondon]

8 minutes ago, brian1 said:

For me,a retired plumbers dream,standpipes and stopcocks😉

 

Another great post.

 

We remember that train well... good way to check that the dental fillings are all secure!

[mrsgoggins]

So very many things I chuckled at in this report; just brilliant! Although Ventura didn't make it into St Kitts this year (insufficient power for the conditions) we have been before and the scrap cars reignited my memory 😁. I can't wait to show DH the report on your scenic railway trip and the reasons for the delay - he's a railways buff but always refuses to go on these tourist trains. His one exception was the White Pass and Yukon railway from Skagway in Alaska, which was excellent.

 

Your description of the karaoke bar and its contributors also made me titter.

 

I wish you a more communicative Captain for the final leg (James Brown on our 35 nights was good even if his 'facts' and jokes were a bit cheesy, but that made him very human. I was told that he was a popular Captain with the staff too.). We had excellent speakers on our journey back from the Caribbean and I hope you are as fortunate.

 

I know that you were generally happy with the food on your P&O cruises last year, and I would chime in that we enjoyed most of our meals on Ventura, as I believe did you. It's a shame that so many meals, or parts of meals, have fallen short on your very long trip.

 

I'm still loving taking the journey with you, so thank you again for all of the detail you put into your reports.

[twotravellersLondon]

5 hours ago, Selbourne said:

 

Day 55 - Monday 26th February - Basseterre, St Kitts

 

Another ‘interesting’ day in the Caribbean! We had docked in St Kitts very early in the morning. After breakfast I was booked on the St Kitts Scenic Railway excursion but it was due to leave at 10am so there was no rush. There had been some heavy rain whilst we were at breakfast and as we returned to the cabin there was a small rainbow alongside the ship. We could see the entire rainbow and it made quite a sight. The photo doesn’t really do it justice. 

 

The scenic railway was a very popular trip which probably a good 150 passengers had booked to go on. We were loaded onto the now infamous minibuses and were taken the long way around the island to the pick up point. The driver & guide Kirk was very funny. One chap asked if we could stop at a restroom. Kirk replied that he would pull up somewhere so that the guy could go behind a tree (which he did)! As he stopped he warned the guy to be careful as “we have monkeys and they like to grab bananas”. The passengers wife piped up “Oh, he’ll be alright. He’s only got a small one” 😱 That must surely be grounds for divorce 😂

 

I have mentioned before that many of the stops on these tours have been tenuous at best. Well today took the record. We stopped and remained in the minibus whilst Kirk said he had something to show us. It was a water stand pipe. He gave us a demonstration of how it worked. When he got back in we then had a detailed account of the fact that the government is gradually removing the levers from them, making them key operated only for farmers. Fascinating 🤔

 

At this point Kirk received a call to say that there was a problem with the train and we would be delayed, so we then had time to kill. This enabled us to stop briefly to see a couple of other stand pipes, as well as semi derelict houses. When we were on Grand Cayman, my lasting memory was the hundreds of chickens we saw roaming around everywhere. St Kitts has the same (and sheep and goats) but the thing that struck me most was the scrap cars everywhere. We must have seen hundreds. When a car meets its end it’s just abandoned in verges or outside peoples houses. Kirk covered this as well. The government is going to start fining people if they don’t dispose of them environmentally. Good luck on that one!

 

The train was meant to leave at 11am and when we arrived at the pick up point at around this time we were told it would be around half an hour late. This turned into an hour and finally the train turned up at around 1220. Profuse apologies from our host for the delay (apparently a pin had come out holding a rail in place) and we were off. It’s a double decker train with open sided seating on the top and an air conditioned saloon underneath. I went for the air conditioned saloon. The views weren’t quite as good but it was a pleasant temperature. 

 

The 18 mile trip lasts 1hr 45 mins, during which time there was some dubious ‘traditional dancing’ (two teenagers with a ghetto blaster, angling for tips), an informative live commentary and free drinks (rum punch etc). Having learnt the hard way in Honduras, I disciplined myself to one rum punch but in reality I only took 2 or 3 sips of it. Two reasons. The first was that my sore throat is fine much of the time now, but alcohol causes me real discomfort within minutes. Secondly, it tasted horrible 😂. For my second drink I had a Virgin Colada which was far better. 

 

After 10 minutes we stopped abruptly. We were at the spot where the rail had separated and it happened again! Thankfully the engineers were all still there with their equipment so we were on our way within 10 minutes. In truth I’ve been on far more scenic train journeys in the UK, but it was still a good experience. When we got back on the minibus it was very apparent that a number of my fellow passengers had partaken of one or two too many rum punches. We arrived back at the port 1hr 45 minutes late (pretty good going for a 3 hour tour) and my wife was beginning to get quite concerned where I was, but obviously the problems were entirely out of P&Os control and “all part of the experience” 😂

 

In every single port in the Caribbean we have been told to take photo ID (passport or driving licence ashore), yet we have never been asked to show it anywhere - until today. Utterly pointless. It just caused queues and delays and the checks were not conducted properly anyway. What do they do with the people who didn’t have any photo ID? My guess is they let them through anyway as the ships have their own security! Whilst I was queuing a very elderly couple in front of me were both struggling to stand, not through infirmity but (through their own admission) too many rum punches 😂

 

When I eventually got back to the ship we dashed up to the Lido deck for a quick lunch and then I took my wife ashore. Arvia was also in port, so the Port Xante cruise terminal was very busy. There was a karaoke bar in the middle where a succession of people who thought they could sing, but couldn’t, were belting out one song after another. Why is it that the only people who get up and sing at those places are all tone deaf? It reminded me of the Eric Morecombe line “all the right notes, but just not in the right order”. It was truly excruciating. There were also people in various states of inebriation around the edges ‘dancing’. A very unkind and deeply insensitive person prone to sweeping generalisations might have said that this could have been the sort of place that was attracting Arvia passengers who were perhaps partaking of the drinks package, but thankfully that’s not the sort of thought that would ever cross my mind 🤔😂 

 

Prior to looking around the cruise port we went into the town, which isn’t much but is another authentic place. I had a note to see the Circus (clock tower) and Independence Square. Both were only a short distance from the cruise port so that didn’t take long. One thing that we thought was lovely was that all the school kids were walking home and they are obviously told that tourists are the life blood of the island and to be respectful to them. As they passed us they all smiled and said “Good afternoon”. Can you imagine school kids at home doing that?

 

I got brownie points from Lady Selbourne because she only wanted one thing from the shops and, amidst all the shops selling the usual tourist tat, booze and bright clothing, I managed to find it - Hairspray 😂 (no, they don’t sell it on the ship). Talking of hair, my number 3 & 2 clipper cut has lasted well and may even get me home, where I can do it myself for nothing 😂

 

Back on the ship we went to Raffles for a drink and as we were departing the Captain announced we were leaving and that indeed he was himself leaving us tomorrow and a new Captain is taking us back to Blighty as planned. Nothing against the guy, he seems very pleasant, but he has been the most uncommunicative Captain that we have ever had in almost 30 years of cruising. I genuinely believe that he needs reminding that being Master of the vessel is not just about the seamanship side of it (which, in all honesty, the majority of which is done by the bridge team anyway), but is also about enhancing the passenger experience with useful nuggets and by being visible. He has done neither. I wish him well, but for a Grand Tour such as this, which is a huge adventure, we drew the short straw. I shall be sure to feed back on this if I ever get the chance on a feedback survey and I hope that many of my fellow passengers do the same, as I’ve heard enough of them commenting on it!

 

Sail away was nice and peaceful, as we were thankfully spared a band on the top open deck. A few honks were exchanged between us and Arvia (we were the first to leave - I don’t think we had any stragglers in the karaoke bar 😉) and we sat on the balcony well past darkness as it was still so warm and lovely and quiet other than the relaxing noise of the ship cutting through the water. 

 

We’ve had very few pre dinner drinks since my throat issue, so next stop was the MDR for dinner. Another hit and miss experience but mostly miss unfortunately. My leek soup starter was very watery and was quite insipid. My wife enjoyed her cauliflower tabbouleh salad. I had roast beef and had two really thick slices cooked exactly as I’d asked. However the Yorkshire pudding was like cardboard and tasted like it had been cooked a few days ago. The usual barrel shaped spud and a few overcooked root veg with a flavourless gravy. My wife had lasagne and said that she thought it was nigh on impossible to mess up a lasagne but they had managed it. I asked what was wrong with it and she said that the pasta was ‘gluey’. She left 90% of it. I had rhubarb and ginger crumble, which was fine, but their custard (or sauce Anglaise) is always dreadful (it manages to be both runny and lumpy at the same time and flavourless) so I asked for ‘Honey Combe’ (as they call it) ice cream instead. My wife had just the ice cream. 

 

The 10pm show was Jayne Middleton’s second show, also as Annie Lennox. I looked her up after her first performance as I just knew that she was putting on a very bad Scottish accent and, sure enough, she’s from Stoke on Trent 😂. Why do some tribute artists think they have to talk like the artist as well as sing like them? They almost never do it well and sound silly. Anyway, thankfully this girl has a great singing voice. The second show wasn’t as good as the first. She’d done many of the big Annie Lennox & Eurythmics hits in the first show. There were a few more this time but she also did some covers that Annie Lennox apparently did but that I was unaware of. Tomorrow is Antigua, which is our last Caribbean port before we start the long drag home via the Azores. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another great post.

 

[david63]

5 hours ago, Selbourne said:

We could see the entire rainbow and it made quite a sight

Technically that is not true as a rainbow is a full circle.

 

5 hours ago, Selbourne said:

she thought it was nigh on impossible to mess up a lasagne but they had managed it.

That's unusual because the lasagne is, or was, one of the better dishes on the menu.

[Purdey16]

Loved your rainbow Selbourne it’s a picture frame of what’s inside 😎 

So I hope you get captain Simon Love tomorrow which I think you do and when we met him last he loves Aurora and said that she will be with us for at least the next 5 /6 years more . I’m back on her again in October to Norway so a colder cruise and hopefully no heating problems.

[brian1]

2 minutes ago, Purdey16 said:

Loved your rainbow Selbourne it’s a picture frame of what’s inside 😎 

So I hope you get captain Simon Love tomorrow which I think you do and when we met him last he loves Aurora and said that she will be with us for at least the next 5 /6 years more . I’m back on her again in October to Norway so a colder cruise and hopefully no heating problems.

What if the other bloke Antigua to get off.

[Slugsta]

5 minutes ago, brian1 said:

What if the other bloke Antigua to get off.

<groan> 

I admit that I had to read that aloud several times before the penny dropped!

[Angel57]

Just now, Slugsta said:

<groan> 

I admit that I had to read that aloud several times before the penny dropped!

Me too….. five times of saying that out loud and I then got it 🤣🤣🤣

[Purdey16]

1 minute ago, Slugsta said:

<groan> 

I admit that I had to read that aloud several times before the penny dropped!

I’m trying to get the penny but it’s not working for me , but I know it must be funny 😁 

[Eddie99]

I fink you need ta be from the Sarf-East to easily appreciate it.  I thought it was very good once the penny dropped

 

Thanks again Selbourne for making your trials and tribulations such amusing breakfast reading 

[brian1]

11 minutes ago, Purdey16 said:

I’m trying to get the penny but it’s not working for me , but I know it must be funny 😁 

You have to speak Esturary like me.

[Sheila127]

28 minutes ago, Purdey16 said:

I’m trying to get the penny but it’s not working for me , but I know it must be funny 😁 

Just got it! Pronounce as "ain't Eager"!

[Purdey16]

🪙🪙🪙🪙🪙🪙🪙🪙 now 😂😂