LOCATION: Docked in Cherbourg, France
WEATHER: Cool and rainy. High 57
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NOTE: We are on a 14-day cruise across the Atlantic and will have very limited wifi (as we are too cheap to buy the internet package on the cruise ship). So, this blog will only be posted a few times, hopefully from the stops we make along the way where we can find a coffee shop or something with wifi.
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Everything went smoothly on our train trip from Bath to Southampton. We said “good-bye” to Bath, with this photo of its Unesco designation at the train station.
We met an American couple on their way to our same cruise ship – Princess. So, when we arrived in Southampton, we shared a cab to the ship. They have cruised with Princess before so gave us a lot of helpful hints. (They had about 10 times the amount of luggage we had, so the cab ride was a bit tight!)
The ship accommodates 3600 passengers, but we are only 2000, which should make things much less crowded than normal. We spent the afternoon walking around the ship, trying to figure out where everything is.
Everyone seems to have purchased the beverage package as people walk around with drinks in hand all of the time. (We did not – seemed quite expensive and we hope not to drink that much!) This is the main “piazza” where there is always music and a lot of different restaurant venues.
We did attend the “Sail Away” party and danced a bit as we left Southampton.
We found “The Sanctuary” on top of the ship with private areas for sunbathing and for dipping in the hot tub.
We attended the art gallery reception (free champagne) and won a gift to be redeemed later in the cruise. (It will probably have some sort of strings attached whereby it really isn’t free). We also won a bottle of champagne!
There are 3 private dining rooms where the food is included in the cruise price. I have made reservations for every evening in one of them. There are also lots of specialty dining options that have a surcharge – steakhouse, sushi bar, Italian restaurant, French bistro, etc. And, there are many many other informal (free) food options where one could eat all day – ice cream, hot dog stand, pizzeria, pastry shop, and an international food court.
DINNER: We are determined not to eat too much, and will try to eat as healthy as we can. We shared a table with 2 couples from England and one couple from Ontario. Very nice conversation.
For dinner, I had an appetizer as my main course – ceviche. It was very tasty.
George had the seafood stew…
And, George just had to try one of the tempting desserts – sugar-free lemon tart.
There are a lot of entertainment options going on all the time – trivia, dancing, music concerts, theatre, and an outdoor movie screen. We will check them out another day.. Tonight we hit the sack early.
BOOK: “The Charming Quirks of Others” by Alexander McCall Smith. Part of the Isabel Dalhousie series. So charming and well-written. 5 stars out of 5
Reids on the Road with Joy 