Melsea's Adventures of First.. Part 3

[melsea]

Sea day 19th Oct.
Very hot and sunny.

We had a bit of a lie in which is something we so rarely do. Leisurely got up. We ordered tea in the cabin which as usual is very quick. Something else that is different from P&O and correct me if this is wrong but when we have ordered anything on their ships they have always asked our cabin number on Cunard our cabin number shows up where they are so no mistakes of your order getting lost. We had breakfast in the buffet which spans two areas, one of which transforms at night into an alternative dining venue. I have never really liked the buffet areas as they resemble a smash & grab at a sale with people generally being, well they are when I have been and I seem to be invisible where they try to grab something in between the queue as if there isn't one. I don't know if it was my imagination but I didn't get the same experience on here everyone being polite even the staff are smiling. We have found on Aurora on our last cruise in Sept that staff in the Orangery Buffet were not as smilie as their usual self.

Santorini, Greece 20th Oct
Pleasantly warm & sunny.

Tender port. Shore side provided boats for us to travel to shore, much better than ships tenders any day.
We arrived at the bottom of what can be best describe as a cliff. At the bottom here there were a few shops ranging from souvenirs, jewellery and I think there were two cafes. Then there were signs for both ways of getting to the top which is where the town is, actually it's 3 ways of making it to the top. Cable car lift to the left & ahead of you the steps which actually makes up the 2nd & 3rd way going up. Under your own steam (on foot) or one of the many donkeys that are being urge for you to ride by the various men who want you to go up this way. I decided go on foot so I walked up the 589 steps, I know this as it tells you on the last step when you reach the top, for company on the way, donkeys use the same steps. Kept having to move out of the way and at times all a little too close for comfort. Oh and smelly!!! I must add also that these donkeys looked okay and their fur were in fairly good condition. There were quite a lot of them as well.
The view when you reach the top is quite something and it's only then that you can see the once volcano spread across in front of you. There is an a smaller island in the centre and that is in fact the centre of the volcano. With us anchored is another ship which I can not remember which one it was other than it was a French ship, well it had a French name!
Once you reach the top you immediately arrive at narrow cobbled streets that have many shops & cafes. The shops range from tourist gifts to some pricier boutique type of shops, selling some very nice things. I walked away from this area to see what was on the other side. To my surprise it sloped gently towards the sea and was green with vegetation, not the dark brown cliff you come up from. Also on the greener side was the airport, which at a guess would take around 40 minutes or more to reach where I was. It is here where most of the white drenched buildings are, all blinding while the sun is out. I found an area that was more open in space only because the main road runs through it. Set back from the road there were a line of cafes on one side and shops on the other. I picked one to sit outside and had a couple of cool drinks and a small bite to eat. I realised I didn't have much euros on me so had to restrict what I bought. There was free wifi here as there was in quite a number of cafes. I looked at the map and saw there was a way to walk along the edge overlooking the bay. In fact it was a cobbled laid walkway, only bikes & people can use it. the views from here are spectacular and it wines its way to the end, only i didn't have time to walk to the end as I kept stopping looking down the side streets and taking numerous photos, it's a photographers paradise of a place to take photos. The weather was lovely, sunny & warm. Perfect weather to wander around.
I took the cable car down as the cobbled wide steps are a little slippery for me and I don't think my knees would hold out on the descent. Didn't have to wait long for the journey down which was rather nice and quick too. I looked around the couple of shops that were at the bottom and one of them was selling Murano jewellery. They had just the earrings I wanted to with the bracelet & necklace I have, and they were cheaper & nicer than any I have seen on board ships. They were originally 28€ there was a discount that took them to 22€ I then asked her if she would take 20€ and she said yes, bargain I say, never be afraid to ask.
A tender had just arrived and as we were making our way in the queue we were handed a cup of water. Very refreshing & welcoming it was too. The journey as always on these tender trips it's quicker going back than it was when you went in the morning. I arrived back at the ship just in time for afternoon tea in the Queens Room where the waiters serve you with white gloves. Today The EOS String Quartet were accompanying, very beautiful it was too.
In the evening the show was a singer who has been described by Sir Cameron Mackintosh as "absolutely magnificent" her name is Philippa Healey. I had not seen her before and certainly not heard of her. The description above was how the daily programme said along with this and I quote 'Lassie from Lancashire' takes you on a show stopping musical journey, with her trademark combination of outstanding musicianship and comedic charm. Well with this write up and not having anything do I thought I would go along. The theatre on the Queen Elizabeth is lovely and the sound with the theatre is good too. She undoubtedly has a wonderful voice which she uses to great effect and indeed she did one number that was totally unexpected. She did a song that was written and had been preformed by Victoria Wood, if you closed your eyes you would have thought she was in the room. One thing Philippa can do is talk for England. This show was the first one she has done since the birth of her child and I did get the impression before she mentioned this that. She seemed a bit nervous and this explained it. She rambled a little bit when telling a story. All in all not a bad show but I wish singers would stick to singing and not chat too much. Leaving the theatre going back to the cabin I pass by the Queens Room which is where all the dances are held, it is very busy with lots of people doing the various ballroom/strictly dancing, it's like watching something at the Blackpool Tower. Certainly puts P&O to shame and I don't even attend but do know many people love it.
Here's a thing, in the Daily programme they were advertising something that P&O have started too and that is a behind the scenes tour. Cunard's version cost $120 each.
Back in cabin and it was time to call up room service for a hot chocolate. Next day it's Rhodes.

Rhodes, Greece 21st Oct.
A fine sunny day.

I have been to Rhodes 3 times now and it was the first time I arrive by a cruise ship. The other two times were by ferry boat from Marmaris, Turkey. The most recent was in May 2012 when we stay in Marmaris for a month. Today was a lot cooler but still nice and warm. We walked around the old town and found the same ice cream place where they have a lovely tiny court yard where we sat & had our wonderful ice cream, we went to another place for a nice cool drink. It's quite touristy with its shops selling from tacky to the very expensive leather, jewellery and fur shops, I kid you not. The only thing I bought was a fridge magnet for my notice board at home & a sponge, they were a lot cheaper here than they are at home. A very good size one cost me €5 where as at home at least double the price it would be. Bill went back to ship while I went off to explore a bit more and I found some interesting places away from the hussle & bushel of people. Took a number of photos too. It wasn't long before it was time for me to make my way back to the ship as we had a time of 4pm to be back at home.
In the evening the show was 'La Danza' the ships theatre company. It was a good show with the talents of the dancers being shown off. The orchestra are very good also.