Sue and Garry's Aurora Cruise January 24

[cruisin_duo]

Have a good weekend Lindsey, and happy birthday.

[Suekersh]

Evening everyone, here is the cruise report from Sue and Garry.


Friday, 26 January 2024 - 2 nd day in New Orleans

We woke to another foggy morning by the river and as we were walked out yesterday both during the day and again in the evening we decided to stay close by the ship and do some retail therapy. The weather was no where near as bad as yesterday but some rain was forecast for later.

The Riverwalk mall wasn’t as busy as I expected except for Aurora passengers using the free wi fi. The mall is huge and the prices appeared reasonable until you add the 10% tax on. Some of the tax can be claimed back. I tried a few tops on in Nola and there was a jewelled bag that caught my eye but the price tag made me question if I really needed it and would I use it once home. Garry was relieved when I decided to leave it for someone else.

Sailaway was late afternoon and by then the fog had returned. Coral one of the Ents Officers was playing a recording of jazz music as we sailed slowly away from the city. The weather had been a big let down and everyone had stories to tell of how wet they had got.
Our evening trip had been outstanding and that will always be our favourite memory of this call into New Orleans.

We ate dinner with friends in Sindhu where we had also booked for next Sunday as they are doing a special Orchid menu. A totally different menu from the usual Sindhu . Something to look forward to.

None of the evening entertainment appealed, and instead after we had left our friends we went to the Glass House for their wonderful cheeseboard with a glass of port, and also took the opportunity to purchase more Jam Shed to take back to the cabin. Ajay, the bar manager said that we had bought all his stock. Luckily he was laughing at the time.

We now have 3 sea days until we reach San Juan Puerto Rico. It will be a fast sail as it is approx 1500 miles.

[Suekersh]

Afternoon everyone.
Here is today's cruise update from Sue and Garry


Saturday, 27th Jan 2024, 1 st sea day to Puerto Rico

The clocks went forward an hour overnight putting us back to 5 hours difference to UK with another hour to lose before we reach the next port.

It was a very blustery day on decks with force 7 winds blowing across the decks but still warm at 24 degrees and rising throughout the day. I kept feeling spots of liquid sunshine but realised it wasn’t rain but the wind blowing the spray up from the sea.
As we were cruising virtually due South it took a while for the sun to get high enough to reach the aft decks but when it did it had a lot of heat.

5 th formal night - a night earlier than planned. There won’t be another one now for over a week as we have a six port days in a row from the 30 th January.
It was a lovely warm evening and we didn’t want to be in the theatre, there was a Mardi Gras themed Ball in Carmens. We opted for an evening under the stars .

[Suekersh]

Here is the latest cruise update from Sue and Garry.

Sea days to Puerto Rico.

Sunday, 28 January 2024 - 2 nd sea day to Puerto Rico

Finally a wall to wall sunshine day. The wind had died down considerably to a more gentle breeze. We are still heading South so it took a while for the sun to reach the aft decks and I was there impatiently hugging the starboard rails waiting to feel the first rays to hit me.

The sea had turned Blue and smooth with only the wake churning up a little.
I stayed there all day making the most of it. We sailed past Cuba and Ti never realised how big a country it is.

It was too nice a night to be inside and again we spent the evening having a drink under the stars in the warm night air.

Monday, 29 Jan 2004- 3 rd sea day to Puerto Rico

The clocks went forward another hour last night to put us on Caribbean time and 4 hours behind GMT.
Another fabulous sunny hot day. Today we sailed past the Dominican Republic which could be seen quite easily.

Tomorrow we dock in Puerto Rico

[CaroleF]

Apart from being a very interesting place with I think, two forts or castles? I remember a very interesting meal in a tiny cafe in an alley somewhere, one of my strongest memories is standing on the balcony next to an American ship, can't remember which one, as it was drawing away from the dockside and seeing two Americans running and realising the ship had left. They looked horrified. A little bit later we saw a Homeland Security boat pick them up from the quayside and take them out to the ship and watch them climbing up, what looked like a rope ladder up the side of the ship! We were amazed. There was a lot of applause and shouting coming from the other passengers.

Carole.

[Suekersh]

Afternoon everyone.
Here is todays cruise update from Sue and Garry.


Tuesday, 30 January 2024 - Puerto Rico

Another glorious sunny hot morning. We ate breakfast sat outside on the aft deck as Aurora gracefully pulled alongside. There were a few Monsters of the seas in port with us which meant a busy day ahead.

We disembarked early before the rush and found the tourist board close to Starbucks. We set off with the map to see some of the view points but mainly just wandered through the cobbled streets of the old city.
It was hot very hot. We made a few purchases as after all it is duty free shopping . It would have been a crime not to take advantage.

We stopped for Gelato which was wonderful, there must have been 30 or more flavours to choose from. It was immaculately clean facilities and great free wi fi.

My main aim for the day was to find the bar where the Pina Colada was created in 1963 by Don Ramon, It is called the Barrachina and luckily it was right next to the ‘Guess Shop’. More duty free shopping.
It didn’t open until 11 am and we noticed the queue or the line as it is known in America growing so we joined it.

What a fabulous spot. It is a hotel with a courtyard with palms and flowers.
The Pina Colada was so worth the wait. Garry had a local beer.

Two Canadian couples joined us in the bar. They were on the Princess ship on a seven day cruise with only three ports. They probably regretted asking us which ship we were on and where we were going although we gave them the shortened version.

We watched the sail away from the aft deck before heading to the Beach House for dinner with friends. We should have been able to continue seeing the sail away from there but although the beach House area is roped off some ‘entitled’ passengers think that the ropes are there for decoration only and completely ignored them blocking the view of passengers who had paid extra to eat dinner there with a view. The only view we got was of their ‘behinds’

After dinner we went into Carmens to see the show which was a tribute to Elton John.

Tomorrow we are in St Maarten.

[Suekersh]

Morning all.
Here is todays update from Sue and Garry.

All I can say is lucky Sue.
Lindsey



Wednesday, 31 January 2024 - St Maarten

Another hot hot hot sunny day. We ate breakfast outside watching the Monsters of the seas arriving. Six ships in total and we knew St Maarten would be swamped.

We disembarked early and collected tickets for the Catamaran for the ride across to town. It was still very early but the beach guys were out in force trying to persuade the cruisers that their piece of the beach was the best.

The beach and sea looked very inviting but we had other plans for the day.

We headed for our favourite jewellers and ended up spending a couple of hours there. I had a piece of jewellery that I bought in Sri Lanka which had broken and needed soldering. Rav immediately said that he could get it fixed for me. It took over an hour but we were in comfy seating all air conditioned and had free fast wi fi whilst we were waiting and a choice of drinks both alcoholic and soft drinks. I had lost one of my Gold earrings and Rav found me the perfect pair to replace them and also a gold and diamond pendant.
When the broken jewellery was returned it was like new and he wouldn’t accept any payment for the repair. We said our goodbyes and we told him we will be back in November.

The rest of the shopping in town didn’t take too long some Chanel perfume and we looked at the choices of Rum but decided to go back across to the port area to purchase the alcohol. I managed to find a bottle of the Gosling Dark Bermudan Rum . What a result ! I just need to source some cans of Ginger beer now and the Dark & Stormy Cocktail will be back on the menu!
We made a few more purchases before heading back to the air-conditioned ship.

We passed lots of the crew getting some shore leave for the second day. None of them had been allowed off since we left Bermuda up to yesterday in Puerto Rica.
Aurora was docked at the furthest dock possible and then when we got there the middle gangway was closed and we had to walk to the front of the ship. Such hardship!! but we were relieved to get onto Aurora and into the air conditioning.

Next Port is Dominica and I will be snorkelling at Champagne reef.

[Suekersh]

Morning all, here is a cruise report from Sue and Garry.

Thursday, 1 Feb 2024 - Dominica

There are two different docks in Dominica and one takes 2 ships and the other is out of the main town area. I knew 3 ships were due in today. I was up early to see the sail in. Such a relief when I realised we were heading into one of the main town docks.

Mein Schiff followed us and then changed course to the Paupers dock.

The smaller upmarket ship is tendered out in the bay.

We got off early and found the duty free shop. More Gosling Rum. Purchased this time even less expensive than St Maarten. The supermarket also had the ginger beer in stock to go with it. That’s me sorted for a while.

I had booked Champagne Reef snorkelling by Rib. A first for me on a Rib although my tenth time snorkelling there. The fast rib ride was exhilarating but a little cramped. I absolutely loved it.

When we arrived at the reef it was a guided snorkel. It was a quite a long swim and I noticed the difference here since the hurricane. Lots of signs still of the devastation it caused in 2019 but the Coral is still showing signs of life and the fish are thriving.

Our next stop was a ‘free’ snorkel and the deep gorge was over 1000 ft deep. One of crew told me to look out for the sharks as there were no immigration rules here and the sharks can swim in from anywhere.

We snorkelled the other side from the deep drop.
The water was clear and lovely, the fish were plentiful and very colourful. All too soon it was time to climb aboard the rib. We were welcomed Back with a rum punch before the fast rib ride back to Aurora.

A fabulous trip and one I will repeat whenever Aurora calls there.

[CaroleF]

The Champagne reef snorkel trip was one my husband, John, loved. I think he did this three times in all, can't compete with Sue's total! I'm pleased to see it's still operating.

Carole

[Suekersh]

, 2 nd February 2024 - St Vincent

St. Vincent is my least favourite island that we visit in the Caribbean and other than going into the terminal for the wi fi we generally stay on board the ship.

This time we had a trip booked to go over to Bequia a near by island.
I went into the terminal early to use the wi fi before it got busy and Garry arrived later.
The ferry is huge and holds around 300 people today there were 174 of us making the trip. No idea how they fit 300 people on safely and with a seat.

The ferry was solely P & O passengers with a good number of local tourist guides to give information.
It was an hours sail over some choppy water. We were sat by an open window and had a great view of the birds and flying fish.

Once we arrived the taxis were waiting to take us to our choice of 3 different beaches. The taxis were open sided and seated 6 comfortably.
The drive there was quite scary. Hairpin bends and traffic not worrying about what side of the road to be on. I was so relieved when we arrived at the the Princess Margaret beach which appeared to be the most popular. It was idyllic but lacked facilities. Lots of little beach bars which were just stands, renting out sun loungers and selling local beer, water or rum punch. They were bbq ing some chicken but I wouldn’t have been tempted to eat anything. None of these stands had running water therefore no washing facilities.

The sea was blue, clear and very warm. Some snorkelling but not the same variety of fish that I had seen yesterday.

There was one large bar/restaurant with toilet and shower facilities at the end of the beach which we used before returning to the town.
We opted to return to the town by a taxi boat not wanting the return journey by road. This was far more civilised and the same price as a land taxi. We saw the Belmont Beach which looked lovely with a restaurant and bar. Much quieter than Princess Margaret’s.

We found a bar in town with a view and ordered beers and snacks to put us on until dinner time.

Just before the ferry was due to leave we joined other passengers in an under cover seated area. There was only room for about 12 people and we were lucky to get seats. We encountered more ‘entitled ‘ passengers who thought it was absolutely fine to take 3 spaces up for the 2 of them as their bottle of water and her handbag needed a seat as well. I was furious as elderly passengers were looking for seats and the ‘entitled’ instructed her husband not to move up. I couldn’t help making a comment out loud about the bottle of water and handbag needing a seat. Obviously she was thick skinned as well as ‘entitled’as she still didn’t move it.

We then joined the queue which was growing to board the ferry. As soon as the queue started moving the ‘entitled’ couple instead of queuing with everyone else just pushed in front and walked on. They just completely ignored other passengers outrage. Luckily these type of passengers are few and far between on the cruise.

The seating wasn’t particularly comfortable where we had been sat on the way out and on the way out back Garry went into the air conditioned cabin with comfy seats. It was far too air conditioned for me so I headed to the top deck and open views. I saw a pod of dolphins playing. Rum punch was served on the way back.

Another fabulous day.

Next port is Barbados.

[Suekersh]

Another update today.


Sat, 3 February 2024 - Barbados
Another glorious Caribbean morning. Five ships in port including Arvia.

There was a swell and during the morning the ropes had to be re tethered and more put out.

The Special Ligurian event was at Local & Co. They had catered for the Arvia Launch with great feed back.

I am not sure how many people they catered for then but they certainly didn’t have enough staff or kitchen facilities to cope with 262 Ligurian members plus officers.

We met in Carmens at 10:30 am with complementary drinks and were given allocated numbers for the coaches. There was a long wait between the coaches and the crowd grew irritable. The waiters kept up with the free drinks to appease the elite passengers.

Once at the venue we were welcomed with cocktails which flowed well all afternoon. There was an open bar and it was being made good use of.

The early bus groups appeared to have been allocated tables on the beach and with water lapping at their feet and tables at obscure angles they were understandably unhappy. We were told of a passengers chair collapsing and she ended up in the sea.

Paul Ludlow gave a short speech about Barbados and the Local & Co restaurant. He finished with thanking everyone for their loyalty.

We had a lovely table on the outside verandah and the drinks arrived regularly. We were joined by Emily a deck cadet who was very entertaining.
We were told that Richard the HGM was going to be sat with us but because of problems with the ropes moving because of the swells at the port the Captain was otherwise detained and couldn’t join the event and Richard stood in for the Captain. Emily was as an entertaining and enjoyable substitute.

Unfortunately there were so many people there they couldn’t cope with the quantity and the white wines were luke warm. We asked for an ice bucket which arrived but the wines were being consumed before it had chance to chill. The white was wasn’t great and the red wine was undrinkable.

The drink waiters were always around ensuring it flowed well and anything asked for was provided.

In between food being served there was music and dancing with the local girls in costumes and figures to die for. It didn’t stop me joining in as it was great fun. The drinks flowed better than the food.

The staff really struggled getting the food out and it was very random with some tables getting served double and others very little.

The food we had was very average for an upmarket, Michelin star restaurant with hot food over cooked and served luke warm at best.
I had so been looking forward to sampling local fish but it was too over cooked for me and cold. There were more burgers coming out than fish.

The deserts were excellent but served in a box!!,

I felt sorry for the staff as they were working very hard but the kitchen was letting them down. There were just too many people and they couldn’t cope. They should not have taken the booking knowing that they had insufficient staff and facilities to cope. There were 4 toilets for the whole venue!!

Once the meal was finished we decided to get on the coach and head back to the ship. We were all given a little goodie bag containing local jam & rum which was a lovely touch.

The basic problem was that the venue was not big enough to cope with the number of Ligurian passengers invited.

After last years fabulous Ligurian event in Cartegena, this years event just didn’t go anywhere near matching both the service food and ambience which is such a shame as we had anticipated so much more from Local & Co.
There were a lot of very unhappy passengers around despite the large quantity of alcohol consumed.

We decided not to go for the evening meal in the dining room and sat outside on deck enjoying the evening in port. Arvia was in dock on the other side of the port. If it hadn’t been such a late sailaway there might have been a Terrace Pool deck party.
There was a bbq on deck but I just picked up some cheese and biscuits and a rum cake.

Next port Martinique

[Suekersh]

Morning all from a very dark and wet Swansea.
Here is the latest cruise update from Sue and Garry.


Sunday, 4 February 2024 - Martinique
We had an early trip booked on an open Safari bus to see the sights of Martinique and Rum tasting.

We had done a similar tour before but by taxi van and it was a great day out.

This is Carnival time and the locals put on a colourful and noisy display for the benefit of the cruise passengers.

We had a tour guide who was very informative and also very proud of her island home.

We had a short drive around Fort de France before heading out of the city to the Sacre Couer church where a service was being held. Stunning architecture and beautiful gardens. We stopped at many viewing points which had either stunning views or exotic flowers.

We stopped at a stream and unfortunately the Bob Marley lookalike who was selling coconuts straight from the trees on our last visit here was no where to be seen.

The views of mont Pelee and the Volcano were magnificent with only a small amount of cloud on the very top. We could see where the lava flow was and where the eruption in 1902 had blown a hole in the side of the mountain.
On the way back down towards sea level we stopped at the Rum distillery for tastings. This was a bonus as on our last visit here the rum factory was closed.
After looking around the beautiful gardens and seeing where the rum was processed we started the tastings. I sampled all the rums on offer but only in very small amounts before we made our purchases of bottles to take home.

We drove through the town of St Pierre which was very badly hit when the volcano erupted and we were shown the remains of the church which was destroyed with the townspeople inside during a service. Within 3 minutes of the eruption 30,000 people were killed either by the buildings being demolished, fire or the sulphurous gasses which escaped. The ships in the harbour were destroyed.
St Pierre was the old capital of Martinique and was where Christopher Columbus first landed. It is now a pretty seaside resort with a dark volcanic sand beach and crystal clear waters. Even after over a hundred years since the disaster there are still many signs of the destruction but houses are starting to be rebuilt.
We drove through more pretty fishing villages before returning to the port area.
Although all of the shops were closed in the town there were some stalls open in the port area and of course the bars were doing a good trade.

We had booked dinner in Sindhu and a special menu called the Orchid menu.
We were very excited to be amongst the first to try this menu and it didn’t disappoint. We dined with friends and we all had different starters which all got the thumbs up. For mains 3 of us ordered the Sea Bass and Garry ordered the Beef fillet. Again all got the thumbs up.
Lorena the chef came out to ask us our thoughts on the menu. She got a thumbs up from all of us.

This menu is a trial but we are hoping it is repeated on future cruises.
As usual we finished the evening in the Glass House with the cheese board and port.

[Suekersh]

More reports today.

Monday, 5 February 2024 - Sea day to Curacao

Hot sunny day with a nice breeze. I spent the day on deck and only realised when I returned to the cabin late afternoon how strong the sun had been. If it’s misty tonight I just need to stand at the front of the ship and will be seen glowing by any other vessels.

The 6 th Formal night of the cruise and a lovely menu in the dining room.

After dinner we went to the Crows Nest for a Salted Caramel Espresso Martini and Garry was very happy that the Cola pump was finally working.

We paid a visit to the Glass House to stock up our empty supply of Jam Shed then I sat outside in the balmy Caribbean air.

Whilst I was sat there the deck hands came and started removing all of the blue chairs. I asked them why and they said they were needed for the prom deck.

Tuesday, 6 February 2024 - Curacao

We were up early and watched the Queen Emma bridge open to allow Aurora to sail into the town dock. This is a real bonus as a very easy walk into the town.

When we went to breakfast we had a stranger sitting on the bar as though waiting for it to open. It was a Brown Booby and it stayed there having its photo taken until it was removed by a member of crew.

The chair saga continued as passengers were not aware of the removal of the chairs from the decks. A lot of very angry passengers.
Over 70 chairs had been removed from the ship as they were damaged and apparently won’t be replaced until we are back in Southampton.

After some negotiations 10 blue chairs per deck were put back. No where near enough especially as the age profile of the ship means that chairs are in more demand than sunbeds.

I had a trip booked for 07: 30 . No boat or Catamaran involved this time but a bus drive to a stony beach where the turtles are cared for and are thriving.

Hetty our guide was excellent and our tour escort was the lovely cadet Emma who had hosted our table at the Ligurian event.

Hetty explained how the trip would work. Our first stop was about an hour away, Turtle beach which is a stoney beach and the water was crystal clear.
The turtles were in hiding but I spotted one asleep on the sea bed, then another one close by which suddenly decided it needed some air and surfaced for a very short time before disappearing into the depths again.
Lots of different types of fish and a very large eel which looked menacing.

Our next stop was at a Sandy beach but with a reef so plenty of colourful fish. Here we had a sun bed included and a drink and also a voucher for a 20 second shower. Water is very precious here as they have 360 days of sunshine.

It was a great trip and Hetty a very patient guide. Some of the group had never snorkelled before and she took time to teach them.

As I had showered on the beach I did a quick change, a bite to eat then headed into the town with Garry via the Queen Emma Bridge.
It was steaming hot so after a Quick Look round and a few purchases we headed for a bar.

We watched the sailaway from the aft deck as the Queen Emma bridge opened up to let Aurora depart Curacao. There was an idiot with a death wish on a jet ski bombing up and down next to the ship.

We should have been visiting all three of the ABC islands but Bonaire was cancelled some months ago.
Aruba is our next port of call.

[Suekersh]

Wednesday, 7 February 2024 - Aruba
A very hot humid day with cloud cover and patches of drizzle which didn’t last long enough to clear the air.

We watched the Carnival Conquest and the Odyssey of the Seas follow us in.

We disembarked early to try to beat the rush from the other 2 mega ships.

This part of Aruba is tatty and seems to get worse every time we visit. They had obviously had rain as the pavements and roads were full of large puddles.

The first time we came to Aruba many years ago it felt very upmarket clean and friendly. Now it is mainly tourist shops . There are still some upmarket hotels here but overall it just looks and feels unkempt.

Aurora was docked furthest along but the port authorities did not open the gate to let passengers off there instead all three ships passengers had to go through the gate opposite the Carnival ship which caused back logs.

It was busier around the port area because passengers who hadn’t got a beach trip booked decided to stay in town close to the ships. It just wasn’t the weather for the beach although the rain stayed away. We were off ship for less than an hour but managed to get some cabin supplies.

I spent the day on the aft deck trying to keep cool. A welcome puff of air occasionally came by.

We ate in the Beach House as we sailed away. There is a new manager who we have met previously on Ventura.
This time we had a perfect view as the passengers not eating were not blocking our view.

Sea day tomorrow, before we arrive in Cartegena, Columbia.

[Suekersh]

Evening everyone, here is the latest cruise update from Sue and Garry.


Thursday, 8 February 2024 - Sea Day to Cartagena, Columbia

Another very humid morning with cloud. Luckily it didn’t take long for the sun to burn it off. It was hot, hot, hot just how I like it.
I got my sun bed early as usual and stayed there until 2 p.m. I was well and truly cooked by then. It was vacant for all of 2 seconds.

We took the wi fi package and caught up with the outside world whilst sat outside under the stars with temperatures around 27 degrees. We were sent photos of the snow from friends who live not far from us.

Friday, 9 February 2024 - Cartagena, Columbia

The clocks went forward again overnight making us 5 hours behind UK time.

The Norwegian gem docked next to us it looked like Ventura size so only a mini monster ship today. It still towered above the lovely Aurora.

I got my lounger in the sun for a couple of hours before we went out to the park area at the terminal. It was very hot but that area has a lot of shade.
So many different species of birds and animals. The peacocks were strutting showing off their plumage. Hundreds of parrots roaming around. I thought something had stung me but when I looked down a parrot was pecking my toes. The flamingoes were enjoying the sunshine and posing for the hundreds of cameras pointing at them.

When we needed to cool off we went in the airconditioned shopping area. Millions of dollars worth of Colombian emeralds and diamonds under one roof. I looked at a few pieces as Garry was in the buying mood but although there were some stunning pieces at very good prices I still couldn’t justify spending thousands of dollars on something I didn’t need and would probably rarely wear except on a cruise.
We had a drink at the bar and then decided to return to the airconditioned ship.
There was a shuttle bus even though it was only a few hundred yards to the ship. An elderly gentleman who had a great deal of difficulty walking was just getting off the bus and informed us it was full.
. I realised that no one on the bus had offered the man their seat. The busses run every few minutes but for him climbing the steps onto the bus was difficult only to have to climb down them then back up again when the next bus arrived. I just don’t understand how our fellow passengers could completely ignore this man’s predicament. There is just no respect for the elderly and infirm anymore.

I had booked for the scenic sailaway party and Garry was persuaded to join me. We all met in the Crows Nest and were given a glass of bubbles, then led up the stairs to deck 14 the top of the ship. There were Canapés and different cocktails but it turned out to be a non sailaway as an issue with one of the lifeboats meant staying in dock until it was sorted. The only scenic view we had was of the many containers on the dock side.

We went down to dinner and then on the aft deck and still Aurora hadn’t moved. There was a dance night on the aft deck and although we don’t dance anymore it was lovely to sit in the warm night air watching the passengers dance the night away.
We finally left port around 9 p.m and we have a sea day before we arrive into Colon on Sunday.

Saturday 10, February 2024, Sea day to Colon

A very windy morning and we realised we were going in the wrong direction for Colon. The wind was force 7 and very blustery. Gradually the Captain changed direction and the sun that rose on the aft of the ship was suddenly on the port side and soon afterwards directly overhead.

I reluctantly left the deck mid afternoon as it was formal night and my hair needed colouring. It was the event build a ship on a ship which is usually well attended. I left my sunbed and a single lady was happy to take my spot.

7 th Formal night of the cruise and usually I am happy to dress up but it was a chore today and I couldn’t wait for dinner to end to get out of my glad rags and back on the aft deck. It was a lovely balmy night.

Captain Russell announced during dinner that the ship was speeding up and we will be arriving in Colon during the early hours of the morning.

Sunday, 11 February 2024 - Colon, Panama

The gateway to the Panama Canal. What we presumed were sniffer dogs were barking from around 5 a.m. The kennels were right by where Aurora docked.

So many warnings about how unsafe Colon is and not to go out on your own outside the port gates. There is a mall inside the port area and that is where the majority of passengers who have not booked tours will be heading.

Some years ago we were at the other side of the Panama at Bilbao and did a train trip by the side of the canal through to Colon. This similar trip was on offer for this cruise. Another option was a tour of Panama city but as we did that last year we decided to go and see what the duty free mall had to offer.
We had to go through immigration and have our passports stamped. Luckily there wasn’t a long queue as many passengers had decided to stay on board or had booked trips and disembarked earlier.

The mall is big and some different shops. Not sure how authentic they were and didn’t end up buying anything there. We found a pharmacy and a large supermarket. All very good prices compared to where we have been shopping this cruise.

It turned out a much better port of call than we had anticipated. The local authorities are investing a lot of money to upgrade the port facilities to attract the cruise ship passengers. There was free wi fi in the mall and everyone we spoke to were very friendly and helpful.

It was hot and muggy but at least a breeze to keep temperatures acceptable to sit out.

I sat on the aft deck for the afternoon. The sun kept disappearing but it was still very hot.

Aurora left Colon early evening to join the queue to enter the Panama Canal early tomorrow morning.

[Suekersh]

Afternoon everyone from a very very very wet Swansea.

Here us the latest cruise report from Sue and Garry.

Monday, 12 February 2024 - Panama Canal

Our wedding Anniversary and the Champagne was chilling thanks to our fabulous cabin steward who organised the large ice bucket for us.

We were out early and although most passengers prefer to be at the front of the ship to see what’s coming I prefer the very aft. It appeared that some passengers had set up their spot late last night as there was a definite shortage of chairs on the outside decks.

Last year we entered the Canal from the Pacific Ocean and it was a full day transit of the canal.

This time we sailed under the Atlantic Bridge to the first of 3 chambers which make up the Gatun locks. It was a much longer wait to get through the chambers due to the water shortage and the need to reuse the water as the ship at the other side sailed on.
There was a BBQ in the Crystal pool but I opted for a light lunch from the buffet as we had booked Sindhu for our evening meal.

We didn’t stay long in the lake before commencing the return to the Atlantic Ocean to continue our cruise to Puerto Limon.

It had been a vey hot enjoyable day with some cloud cover. Garry topped up my champagne glass at regular intervals.

Dinner in Sindhu was excellent and as usual afterwards we went to the Glass House for Cheese & biscuits with Port.

[CaroleF]

I can remember the heat as we sailed through the Canal in 2018, as I think you did too Sue. Here on a wet, miserable day near Southampton I can remember the excitement as we went through the Canal with great commentary. I know John spent most of it up top but I kept having to retreat into the air conditioning of the ship. It was the second time we'd been through the Canal but was still exciting. I wonder how many times you've been through the whole Canal Sue? Thank you for your continuing great reports.

Carole

[Suekersh]

Good morning all, it's actually a dry morning here in Swa sea.
Here is the latest cruise update from Sue and Garry.


Wednesday 14 Feb 2024 - Puerto Limon, Costa Rica

Yesterday we had a lazy sea day in the sun. My favourite pastime doing absolutely nothing except reading, eating and drinking,

We were on an early trip at 8 a.m. to the Tortuga Canals to see and learn about theBio Diversity of the area.

We had been advised to wear sun cream and also insect repellent as the mossies are rampant by the canals and also to take rain macs as it is the rainy season for this area.

As we departed the ship we realised how extremely hot it was and we were grateful to get on the air conditioned coach.
Our guide was Nils from Germany and married to a local native Indian. He was passionate about this region and the many plants and animals.

Spanish is the main language spoken here but the old local language
is still used in the communities.

We travelled for about 20 minutes and passed a large island. Nils explained about an earthquake some years ago that caused the coral sea bed to rise and now the beach is just rock. We reached the canal system which is mainly made up of natural rivers with some interconnecting man made canals built to transport the logs but logging no longer happens as the area is protected.

We boarded the boat which seated around 40 people with a covered top and open sides. The driver was a star. Both he and Nils were on the look out for the animals and birds living in this haven. It was so peaceful just slowly moving down the river. We saw 2 different types of Sloths, Spider monkeys and Howler monkeys one was carrying a baby monkey, iguanas, a large Cayman was hiding in the bushes partly submerged with just its head and eyes above water. Later we saw a much younger smaller crocodile basking on a log. Many different birds beautifully coloured including Herons and egrets and the largest amazing blue butterfly’s. A few vultures were flying overhead in the search of food.

A huge colony of Bats were living under a bridge and Nils explained that one bat could eat 1,000 mosquitos a night. Bats are now one of my favourite animals.

Nils also imparted some interesting information about the monkeys needing the sun to help them digest their food. I now have a great excuse for being overweight and obviously need much more sunshine.

One titbit of information I could have done without hearing was about figs.
Apparently vegans don’t eat figs as a female wasp gets inside every fig but then can’t get out. The fig digests the wasps and therefore when the fig is eaten it is no longer vegan. I felt slightly queasy at the thought of eating a wasp.

We didn’t see a drop of rain all day.

When we returned to the boarding area we were given a very small amount of time to look around the shop selling souvenirs and sample the coffee and chocolate produced in the region. There were facilities there that were spotlessly clean.

We returned to the port and looked around the market stalls selling mainly local produce. There was a Princess ship in port, the similar design as Ventura and Azura therefore the area was very busy.

It was hot and clammy. We made a few purchases then went into the town area. It is a very poor town but we found a supermarket to stock up supplies, then went in search of a bar we found in 2018 when we last visited here. Unfortunately it was no longer there but we found another one not far away and sampled the local beer and a bonus free wi fi.

It was so lovely to return to the air conditioned ship and get into the shower. Elton our cabin steward had left me a red rose on the bed.

Valentines dinner menu and as we entered the dining room the ladies were given another red rose.
A lovely meal with a Valentines theme, a better menu than we sometimes get for Formal night.

It was too nice a night to even think about going into the theatre or Carmens and we headed instead for a Dark & Stormy on the aft deck.

We now have two sea days before we reach Roatan in Honduras.

[Suekersh]

Afternoon all.
Here is the latest cruise update from Sue and Garry.

Sat, 17 February 2024 - Roatan- Honduras

After another 2 sunny hot sea days which I spent soaking up the rays we docked in Roatan.

Another hot sunny day. We arrived around 8 am and I was out watching the sail in. Such a relief when I realised we were docking at Mahogany Bay instead of Coxen Hall. I knew there were two ships in port today and we were lucky and got the prime berth.

This is a purpose built cruise terminal which Carnival invested in. Some upmarket shops and the duty free area. Beautiful gardens to walk through to get to the beach area or instead of the walk there is a cable car ride straight down to the beach. 15 dollars return but great fun and fabulous views.

The beds and parasols were all laid out ready. It is advertised as free beds but in reality the few free beds were in the back of beyond with no shade and no parasols. The beds on the beach were 30 dollars for 2 beds and a parasol. As I was on my own I asked for just a bed and no parasol. At first he said it wasn’t possible but then decided he would let me have a bed with my friends for free.

The swimming area was safely sectioned off from the water sports area and there were lots of bars around for beer, cocktails and food. No hawkers which was a big bonus. There was a Sandy slope into the sea which was causing some difficulty getting out of the sea, but plenty of willing hands for anyone who needed help.

Another fabulous day in paradise.

When I returned to the cabin invites had arrived to attend a luncheon for the top 50 most travelled guests. That was a nice surprise.

The busker performed on the aft deck for sailaway.

We opted to have dinner in the Glass House as none of the evening entertainment on offer was to our taste.

At his 6 pm broadcast Captain Russell warned us of high winds and a change in the weather for tomorrow. Oh dear our luck has broke.

[Suekersh]

Sunday, 18 Feb 2024 - Belize

We woke to strong winds and choppy seas with some drizzle just as the Captain had predicted.

My trip to swim and snorkel with the sharks and rays was an early one and we had to meet in the theatre to be escorted off onto the tenders.
Announcements were made every 10 minutes regarding the delay because of the weather. Finally the bad news came and 2 trips were cancelled including the one I had booked. No sharks for me this year. I was very disappointed but we do call here again next year so fingers crossed I will get another opportunity.

Whilst I was returning to the cabin the crew had just started giving out tender tickets. I took a couple so that at least I would get to visit Belize.

The tenders here are not ships tenders but huge boats provided by Belize port. We were on the 1 st tender across and it took around 20 minutes to load the tender up, 20 minutes journey to the port and over 10 minutes to get everyone off.

The port was built especially for cruise ship passengers, lots of shops, free wi fi, bars etc. There were private tours to see the island but it seemed a bit pointless with the bad weather. We just wandered around, I bought a sun dress to replace the one I lost in Dominica. Lots of shops all selling the same things with the odd upmarket jewellery shop.

We stopped for a local beer then decided that the weather wasn’t going to improve so headed back to tender dock and then to the ship.

Once back on board I immediately booked a snorkel trip in Costa Maya tomorrow. It is the same ref as Belize but the other end. There won’t be sharks or rays and these will have to wait until next year.

The clocks go forward an hour tonight so we lose an hour and will be 5 hours behind the UK.

[Suekersh]

Mon, 19, Feb 2024 - Costa Maya - Mexico

Another early start and I was off ship as soon as the Deputy Captain announced we were cleared to disembark.

We had been informed that it was a long walk off the ship to the port area. They hadn’t exaggerated it was around a 15 minute walk at a good pace. For some of the passengers with walking difficulties this will be a real challenge.
Only one other ship in port with us a smaller Oceania ship which meant the pier was fairly quiet and I easily found the meeting point for the snorkelling tour. The locals had but a show on for us whilst we were waiting.

The snorkelling was the best ever. It was more colourful than the Great Barrier Reef and here the Coral was thriving. Thousands of fish of all different colours and the water as clear as Crystal. There was a huge Grouper way down at the bottom and I saw a Sting Ray.
It was a long snorkel but the we were going with the current so not a difficult one. I was relieved when I saw the boat had followed us and we didn’t have to swim back to the start point. Once on board the bar opened and Tequila sunrise was the drink of the day.

Garry met me at the port and we had a walk round the tacky loud and busy American port. Everything here so that you didn’t need to leave the port. Pools, man made beach, shops & bars galore. By this time 2 more huge ships had docked and a third arrived late afternoon.
I hated it and we soon made our way back to our ship.

We ate dinner outside in the Beach House and I think the chef may have changed as the meal was the best we have had there all cruise.

Next stop is Cozumel another plastic Americanised port, but a stop where passengers can do tours to Chichen Itza .

[Suekersh]

Evening everyone, here is a nice long cruise report from Sue and Garry.

Tuesday, 20 February 2024 - Not Cozumel - Sea day

Breakfast was very busy and had opened early for the passengers hoping to visit Chichen Itza.
We noticed before breakfast that we had sailed up to the port then turned away. We thought it was because we had arrived too early but then the Captain came over the Intercom. I knew as soon as I heard his voice it was bad news and I grabbed my towels and headed outside to secure my lounger for the day even before he had finished explaining why we couldn’t dock in Cozumel.

Lots of ‘would be’ Captains on the decks but at the end of the day the ship and all lives on board Aurora are the responsibility of the Captain. I would much rather be on a ship with a Captain who puts safety first than a Captain who takes risks.

A big disappointment for many passengers who had booked the highlight excursion of the cruise to Chichen Itza.
My highlight was to swim with the sharks and Rays and I was bitterly disappointed when that was cancelled so I can empathise with them.

Once we had left the area it was a sunny hot sea day with a nice breeze across the decks.

Wed, 21 February 2024 - Sea day to Grand Cayman

A very windy cloudy day although the sea wasn’t particularly rough.

I went on deck early and I managed to find the sun but I only stayed a couple of hours as it is the Top 50 passenger luncheon today.

We had a great table even though we only knew one couple of the eight passengers on the table. There was a choice of ‘bubbles’, red or white wine, various spirits or beer.

We were greeted at the door by Captain Russell, and other senior officers.
Luke, the Loyalty manager welcomed everyone and thanked them for their continued support. A nice touch was that there was a parade of the chefs who had been involved in the loyalty lunches and events.

The menu choice was limited but catered for everyone with meat, fish and vegetarian choices. I opted as usual for fish which was Barramundi and cooked perfectly. The wine and bubbles flowed continuously throughout the lunch.

I stayed on the ‘bubbles’ until the cheese course when I had a small red wine. P & O are still serving Olly Smiths recommendation’s for wines which are definitely not to my taste.

After lunch we returned to the cabin to recuperate before dinner and unfortunately turned the TV on in time to see the ‘debacle’ in the Commons.

Neither of us had much interest in dinner but as we had pre ordered we made the effort to go into the dining room. A fishy day for me as I had ordered the Sea Bream which again was superb.

The entertainment was Flamenco dancing in the Theatre and the Orchestra in Carmens.

Thursday, 22 Feb 2024 - Grand Cayman

We had an early tour around the island but as this is a tender port we met in the theatre until the tenders were ready. It was windy and the sea very ‘choppy’. We were not sure that we would actually get into this port but instead of ships tenders we used the local boats which seated 240 passengers. It wasn’t a comfortable journey across and I was pleased that I had remembered to take a travel sickness tablet.

Once at the other side we were met by our tour guide Brennan who was very informative.

Tortuga now known as Cayman was founded in 1503 by Christopher Columbus who named it Tortuga due to the amount turtles he had seen.
In 1650 the English & Spanish called a truce and re named the island Cayman.

There are 71,000 people area living on the three islands but only 10,000 are locals and 130,000 companies have their offices here as it is a tax haven.
He named a few including Manchester United and Facebook.
There are indirect taxes on food etc brought into the island but no direct taxation.

Grand Cayman is 22 miles by 8 miles and Cayman Brac only 14 miles by 2 miles. The Hurricane Season is June to November.

Banking, tourism, real Estate and insurance are the main income of Cayman.
George Town is the Capital but originally it was Bodden which we drove through but it was very insignificant.

Our first stop was at the Tortuga Rum Cake factory where we had a short tour and explanation of how rum cake was produced and also Rum tasting free of charge.

Hunting turtles to eat was once the main source of food but they were over fished and the turtle population was almost wiped out. According to Brennan turtle meat tastes like beef. As I have no intention of eating turtle I will take his word for it.

Brennan stopped to show us the Blow Holes but today the swell was small on the East side so the Blow holes didn’t perform. We didn’t get out of the bus as it wasn’t worth the hassle. The water can blow to around 10ft but today it was barely visible.

The next stop was where the famous wreck of the Ten Sail occurred. The most famous shipwreck disaster in the History of the Caymans with ten ships sunk after hitting the reef and the locals rowed out and managed to save the majority of the sailors on board including the Prince . The King was so grateful that he then told the inhabitants of Cayman that they no longer had to pay any tax on the island for ever.

Part of the trip was to have lunch at an iconic restaurant. This was a huge disappointment. Firstly it was only 10:30 am, secondly Other than the beach there was nothing iconic about this venue. It was basically a wooden shack. Thirdly the food was a choice of chicken or fish eaten with plastic cutlery and a choice of lemonade or iced tea. No sugar free drinks were included and when I asked for water I was told only tap water which I refused.

The fish was served like small fishfingers and the chicken was mainly bone with very little meat. The rice and vegetables were not even lukewarm.
We purchased two bottles of beer and then spent a few minutes on the beach.
I used the facilities and if I had gone there before we ate I would have refused the food. Hygiene was non existent with flooded toilets and dirty facilities.

On the drive back Brennan had told us that we would stop for photographs at the ‘Lovers Wall’ when we saw it was a small touristy sign on a low stone wall everyone decided against getting off the bus. One lady said you are 40 years too late. Brennan laughed and drove on, he pointed out 7 mile beach and told us the best beach area was called Camana .

Overall the trip was very informative and Brennan had many stories to tell and made the history of island very interesting.
The timing of the poor lunch and basic facilities at the beach bar were a disappointment.

When we returned to the port we had a look around the town but by then there were three American ships, two tendering in close to Auroras tender station and the other round the otherside of the island tendering in from there. It was extremely busy and the traffic non stop.

The queue for the tender back to the ship was enormous but only half the length of the queue for the American ships tender.

We had a relaxing afternoon onboard after calling into the dining room for lunch to top up the meagre offerings we had at 10:30 am.

Early evening The Captain announced what the majority of passengers already knew that the dock in Ocho Rios had been damaged by a Carnival ship which ran into it during high winds. Instead we are docking at a commercial dock 15 minutes walk from the the cruise terminal. He advised everyone to get off in groups and get a taxi as it wasn’t a safe area.

After dinner we went onto the aft deck but it was far too windy to be comfortable so headed for the Crows Nest which was very quiet.

Next Port Ocho Rios

[allatc]

Why was Cozumel cancelled ? Info given is a bit sketchy.

[towny44]

Why was Cozumel cancelled ? Info given is a bit sketchy.

The blog on CC says it was due to high winds according to the Captain.

[Suekersh]

Good afternoon from a sunny Swansea.
Here is the latest update from Sue and Garry.

Friday, 23 February 2024 - Ocho Rios - Jamaica

A beautiful day but with grotty views. I feel that the Captain missed out on revenue here. If he had let the passengers know earlier that we definitely wouldn’t be able to dock at the usual area and that where we were docking was like Beirut then many more passengers would have booked tours.

We read about 2 weeks ago that a Carnival ship had destroyed part of the pier but expected P & O to put a shuttle on to the port area where we should have docked.
It was only yesterday evening that the Captain announced it. We were advised to only get off in groups as it was dangerous .
We have heard dreadful reports from other passengers about abuse, drugs on sale and gangs of youths hanging around menacing passengers.

We caught a port bus at 10 dollars per person return. It was going between down town, Dunnes River and the Beach, same price wherever. We needed a pharmacy or probably would have stayed onboard. We expected to be away from the ship for 30 minutes maximum.

20 minutes after handing over the money we were still at the port. After commenting to the guide that we wanted to move and not sit on a bus she eventually got the driver and we set off.
They did take us to the area we wanted after dropping a passenger off on the way. We only needed 15 minutes there but had to wait around for the bus to come back for us after dropping other passengers at the beach and Dunnes river.

Luckily by the pharmacy was a supermarket and we managed to make use of the time and stock up the soft drink supplies and other bits and pieces we needed. The bus collected us and took us to another shopping area for coffee and rum cake before returning to Aurora. It was an okay morning and the afternoon was spent on deck under the sun. The sea looked so tempting but this is a grotty commercial port. Lots of supplies were delivered to Aurora that should have been delivered in Cozumel and increasingly we have noticed missing items. We should be well stocked up now for the cruise back across the Atlantic.

The port was not really set up for storing and the many different vehicles had to back down a narrow path to get to the port. Only one vehicle at a time and there were many problems unloading.
We were 4 hours late leaving and the Captain announced that this would affect our arrival into Tortola. According to our itinerary we should have been docking in Tortola but according to the Port presenter it is a tender port.

We had another excellent dinner with Neil & Julie in Sindhu before going to the Glass House for cheese and port.

The Headliners were performing Up all night in Carmens which is my favourite show but by the time we had finished dinner I was too late for the evening show. They do another late one but after food, wine and port I knew I wouldn’t stay awake till 11 p.m. I will see the show again later this year.



L