THE CRUISE - towards Iceland...

Day Four - Tuesday, 21st June

I was up very early today, and got dressed and went right up to the top decks. We were passing between Ireland and Scotland, near the Isle of Skye, and the Captain had said that at this point it was only about 12 miles from one country to the other.

Magic sunrise, and just me and the statue man, and it was so peaceful, (and cold), but I managed to get some stunning shots of the coastline and the sunrise. (Statue man is a featureless figure that appears in several parts of the ship, usually near the pool areas. I don't think he adds much to the decor, but he is there all the time).

We believe the pyramidal mountains are on Skye, and we had seen these close up when we came off the ferry from Harris/Lewis, some weeks ago.

We saw the last of Scotland around midday, (probably Lewis/Harris), and the midday report from the Bridge mentioned them, and the rest of the day and night we were on open sea, and it was calm, but fairly cold. We were at about 56 06 degrees North at 7.30am. The Arctic Circle is 66 33 North, just above Iceland.

We had pizza for lunch. They have a pizza bar on one of the decks and you just turn up and order what you want, and they make them on the spot. Small in size, but just enough for lunch and quite tasty. All this is included in the fare. The only thing you pay for are your alcoholic drinks. They are not cheap, but you have to forget that and just go with the flow, because if you restricted yourself because of your budget, then there are some drinks you couldn't afford on a daily basis. Typically, any bottle you could buy here in Australia for say, $14, would be £12-14 (which is about $20).
(Needless to say, our bar bill formed a substantial part of our account on board!!!) 

We both went to the music quiz today, but the theme was mostly based on British TV shows, so we didn't do too well this time. Tonight is another "straight jacket" night, i.e Black Tie, (they seem to do them on the nights you are at sea), so we had an early drink and then went up to the buffet.

Tonight's dinner theme was Meditterranean, and we tried a few bits of everything, including some moussaka (the Greek version of Lasagne, done with lamb), and other Greek and Italian dishes.
We were able to go back to the Glass House for an after-dinner tipple. On Black Tie nights they restrict access to certain areas, but the Glass House is not included, but you have to walk past and through the throng of 'uncomfortable penguins' to get anywhere. Tonight was also the Gala Reception in the Atrium, right in the middle of the ship, so you can't avoid them.

Lee retired early but I threw caution to the winds and went and saw the show in the Theatre, which was excellent, and was a composite theme of many Broadway shows, so just the thing for me. These shows are the things I would go and see more often, but you have to get there early to get a seat. I was in the back row, just in front of the area where people in wheelchairs can sit. There is a seat beside the wheelchair space for the partner, so it is very well organised. 

The gentlemen behind me were talking about the access they have as wheelchair bound passengers, and they agreed they were well catered for, but one chap was saying that he had to book 18 months ahead, as the accessible cabins are not plentiful.
Nobody gave me a second glance at my attire, which was jeans, shirt,  and a woollen jacket, so what is all the fuss I ask myself.

I think the cruise lines are trying to keep alive a tradition of elegant sophistication that perhaps people don't really want. I believe if any of them offered "Completely Casual Cruising", it would sell out just as quickly! 

Next - all at sea...

THE CRUISE - at sea, on the way to Dublin...

Day Two - Sunday, 19th June

The captain announced at one point that we would be rounding Lands End around midnight, and then setting course for Dublin, across the Irish Sea. We are scheduled to arrive on Monday morning.

The sea was so calm, and there was very little sensation of swells or anything. I don't have any idea what this part of the ocean is usually like, except when you hear horrendous stories of winter storms, etc, but our cruise would turn out to be one of the smoothest we've ever had.

This is the day when people new to this ship do their exploring and find their way about. With all these floors and different places to find, it can take a couple of days to know which way to turn. There are three major sets of lifts, one fore and aft and the middle set which connects you to the heart of the ship, and reception, and the shops, etc. There are thankfully a lot of places you can go, and find somewhere to sit, and these only got more crowded because the weather outside was a little cool on some days, so passengers were not inclined to sit out on the deck chairs.

We had to do the basic enquiries about going ashore, and money, (Dublin and Belgium do Euros, Norway does Krone, Iceland does kronur, so you either get some before you come on the ship, or buy it from reception, or just use your card in an ATM on shore. There are usually charges of one kind or another, whichever way you go, and our bank is very good with fees for exchanging foreign currency.

Then a nice lunch in one of the buffets, cold cuts and salads which were all pretty good. You have to pass you hands under a hand-wash machine EVERY time you enter the buffet food area. Not a bad idea, and we had no instances of novo virus this time, so it must help. All throughout the ship, you are encouraged to wash your hands under warm water for at least 20 seconds each time you need to. 

Lee went for the daily nana nap and I headed to the cinema to watch The King's Speech, but the theatre was full already, so I opted to sit in on a quiz being run in the atrium area. It was about Musicals and their composers, and the pianist plays a few bars, and you then have to write your answer, e.g. composer and song. And I came second (by myself), behind a team of four people!

Tonight was the first Black Tie night, and if you don't do the formal thing you are unable to go to certain parts of the ship "unless suitably attired". I have complained in my questionnaire that I thought this was discriminatory, and explained why. And besides, all those in black tie can go wherever they liked, and turned up in the buffet in their penguin outfits. What a joke!!! I must say that some couples did look very elegant, but others shouldn't have bothered. There were some ladies who probably asked their husbands how they looked and hubby didn't give an honest answer!!

So, our buffet tonight was Seafood and there is always a good selection, including Norwegian Fish Pie, seafood thermidor, and some asian style dishes. All very good but a little rich in some cases. 

It was a lovely evening and so we had more drinks outside near the pool, and were there until about 9.30pm.

Sunrise, coming into Dublin harbour - 4.00am