Sue Kersh on Aurora

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Dennis The Menace
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Sue Kersh on Aurora

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Post by Dennis The Menace »

Afternoon, and Happy New Year folks, here's a little update from Sue & Garry to brighten a grey old January afternoon :D

Friday 29 th December Boarding Day
Boarding yesterday was stress free and after dropping the car at the under cover car park we were driven to the Queen Elizabeth Terminal by the owner as he had a large people carrier which accommodated our huge amount of luggage. As this is a 5 night cruise most passengers had one case between them whereas we had 4 large cases, 2 large holdalls and 4 carry on bags . The porters face dropped until I slipped him a fiver which put a smile on his face.

We were checked in immediately and within 5 minutes of arriving we were in the priority lounge. Boarding started just after noon and we were directed to the Alexandria restaurant for a buffet lunch where the drinks flowed very freely whilst we waited for the announcement that the cabins were ready. I was feeling slightly light headed by the time we made our way to our cabin. All of our luggage had arrived and we set about the onerous task of un packing and making the cabin our home for the next 10 weeks.

We had booked a larger outside cabin on C deck close to the aft. The cabin is narrower than the Arcadia cabins but has plenty of drawer and storage space and for the first time my evening dresses can hang in the wardrobe without touching the floors. Wardrobe space is a little limited compared to Arcadia but eventually we managed to fit everything in. The cabin is supposed to sleep 4 as there is a sofa bed but although for 2 people the space is adequate, it would be very cramped with another 2 passengers.

We have cruised on Aurora only once before for Xmas 2012 so it will take some time to get our bearings and find our way around. This is so many P & O passengers favourite ship and I hope I start to feel the same way soon.

Muster was at 4 p.m. our cruise cards were scanned. We didn’t bother going to the watch the sailaway as it was dark dank and cold.
I took the opportunity to read some of the cabin information to find that although we had been told there would be 2 formal nights there was actually only one which is on New Years Eve. It doesn’t affect us but does for those like our friends just on for the 5 nights and who had packed 2 formal night clothes and 3 casual night clothes.

Our friends came round for pre dinner drinks then we had dinner in the Medina restaurant which is freedom dining. It wasn’t the best meal and I am sure it will improve. I sent back my first piece of fish as it was so over cooked it would have bounced. The second attempt was slightly better but still overcooked. I left it but told our waiter that I didn’t want another one. The head waiter came over and took our dinner order for tomorrow night and assured me that it would be cooked how I liked it.

We went to the show in the theatre although it was ‘My Generation’ one of the old ones and we have seen it many times before. There were lots of spaces in the theatre so many passengers hadn’t bothered with it. The ship was unusually quiet for a short cruise .

Saturday 30 th December - Sea Day to Hamburg.

I had a great nights sleep and I think this is the quietest cabin we have ever had. No creaks or vibrations and only very slight background engine noise. The clocks went forward at 2 a.m. in readiness for arrival in Hamburg on Sunday.

I went to the early morning exercise class at 7 a.m. which was really only 6 a.m. It was quiet but as it is a small gym the 6 of us plus the instructor used up most of the available space. Not sure what will happen if it gets busier next cruise. Normally on Arcadia there were over 40 pax attending the early morning torture sessions.

Battle of the Sexes Quiz was at noon in Masquerades. The women outnumbered the men, but in volume the men certainly made themselves heard. The ladies won by about 70points and the next and final battle is on New Years Day.

We lunched in the Main Dining room which was much quieter than I expected. The food food was excellent which after last nights offerings was a relief.

There was the usual sea day entertainment but nothing extra to mark the festive season. The ship is beautifully decorated in the Atrium area and looks stunning.

Dinner in the MDR was better tonight and my fish was edible. Everyone enjoyed their dinner, we asked for a different part of the restaurant than last night and the service was excellent.

There was a mixture of Entertainment on offer with Robbie K an unusualist whose act involved juggling, & magic in the theatre which we swerved in favour of a group called Troubadour, 4 young, handsome fit male singers who were absolutely fantastic. The dance floor was full whilst they performed the hits of the 60 s & 70 s music that just made you wanna dance. The group joined in the dancing whilst singing and were all excellent entertainers.

When we returned to the cabin to read the following days Horizon the entertainment manager had squeezed in a retraction regarding the 2 formal nights, apologising for a misprint in the cruise overview. We are now back to having 2 formal nights on both New Years Eve and New Year’s Day night.

Happy New Year everyone when it arrives.

Hamburg New Years Eve
There were only 3 of us in early morning exercise class which concentrated on Abs. The fitness instructor certainly put us through it and I have no doubt that I will ache tomorrow.

We were docked in Hamburg by 8 a.m. and it was a dark, dank & drizzley morning. The Altona dock is quite a long way outside the city and a shuttle bus was provided to the Hard Rock Cafe. This is a way off the city centre but as it was a Sunday no shops were opening so it made sense to take independent passengers to this area where ferries, trains and buses could be easily found. As our German is non existent we jumped into a taxi and headed for the miniature wonderland.

I had reserved tickets online so we jumped the queues and went straight to the pay station. As this attraction is all under cover it was an ideal way to spend a wet, cold day in Hamburg. It was exceptionally good value for money at 11 euros each for the 3 OAP s in our party and 13 euros for me. I didn’t know what to expect but was amazed at the size and quality of the huge displays. The attention to detail was mind boggling.
There were different floors, with 13 sections depicting different European countries. Not only railways but a working airport, cruise port with working locks, football stadium, rock concert and ski slopes. There was so much to see but set out so well that it was easy to navigate round. The overall size is 2,300 sq metres and it has taken 900,000 hours to build at a cost of 30 million euros. It did get extremely busy and we were pleased we had got there early before the trips started arriving.

We got a taxi back to Hard Rock Cafe hoping to sample the local brew in there but the place was heaving as it was still raining everyone off the shuttle buses were taking refuge in there so we headed back to the ship just in time to have lunch in the restaurant before they closed the doors.

We met up for pre dinner drinks before our New Years Eve dinner in the Beech House. The tape playing was Bagpipe music which was very apt but soon realised that the tape was on a loop and became very monotonous. We asked them to change the music and the restaurant manager told us that Head Office had dictated what music should be played. I told him Head Office weren’t eating there or listening to it and that it was spoiling our enjoyment of New Years Eve. Other passengers in the restaurant agreed with me. He bowed to the pressure and changed the music much to the relief of not only us and the other passengers but the waiting on staff as well. Why head office should interfere with the music played on the ship is beyond me. The food and service were excellent as usual and we had a very enjoyable New Years Eve meal.

The headliners performed a new show called Fantasy. Fabulous show with up beat disco music perfect for NY E. Once again the theatre was not full.

We looked in Masquerades for dancing but no atmosphere at all. Such a dreadful venue which needs sorting. Tried to get in to Carmens but no available seats. Lots of families were in there so we went up to the Crows Nest to sample the cocktails for an hour before going out on the rainy aft deck to see the Hamburg fireworks and bring in the New Year.

We made a pit stop at the cabin to change out of our formal clothes into warmer gear to brave the Horrendous German weather. I so miss the Caribbean New Years we have enjoyed in the past.
It was raining quite hard but the beauty of the Aurora tiered aft decks meant that everyone could stay under cover but still have great views of the thousands of fireworks going off all around Hamburg. Captain Turnbull was on deck with his family. The ships Bell was rung at midnight and everyone appeared to be in a party mood despite the rain and enjoying themselves. Just after midnight the decks virtually cleared very quickly with passengers either making their way back to the cabins or the inside venues to continue celebrating. It was disappointing that nothing was done to mark the British New Year. Along with a few other die hards we stayed outside watching the fireworks which continued well into the early hours.

Aurora set sail for Zeebrugge at around 1:30 a.m. and as we sailed along the River Elbe the fireworks were still going off.

A nice relaxing sea day tomorrow.


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Re: Sue Kersh on Aurora

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Post by CaroleF »

Thank you very much for this Sue. We are looking forward to joining you on Wednesday. Glad you sorted the music out - your response to the Head Office diktat made me smile. Hopefully the weather will gradually improve, I see from a photo someone's posted that Madeira was mild and sunny yesterday so here's hoping by next Sunday it will be the same or even better.

Carole

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Re: Sue Kersh on Aurora

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Post by Kenmo1 »

I was only thinking about you the other day, Sue, as I have missed your wonderful reviews recently. Really pleased to see you back in action and a great start to the New Year with a long review to look forward to. Lots to keep DTM occupied.

Have a lovely holiday and Happy New Year.
Maureen.


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Post by Whynd1 »

I concur with Maureen. So lovely to read your reviews, am looking forward to the South American cruise reports.

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Post by Happydays »

I agree with Maureen and Lindsey, glad to see you're both back in action shall look forward to reading about the cruise.
On our previous cruise in October one of the men (John) at our table at dinner was telling us he was going on this cruise as well as a single cruiser. He was traveling with a friend in October.
Happy New Year :)


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Post by MaureenB »

May I add my thanks to the others Sue? It's a pleasure to read your reviews, and I look forward to them.

Well done to DTM as well!!

Best wishes for a wonderful cruise.

Maureen

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Post by Gill W »

Glad to hear that Sue and Garry are back on their travels. Aurora is one of my favourite ships so I'll be reading the reports with much interest
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Post by Dennis The Menace »

Morning all, glad you're enjoying Sue's blog - here's the next two updates 😀 :

New Years Day at Sea
After the excesses of last night, and it was the early morning before I saw my bed, I didn’t make the exercise class. I woke feeling okay ish and managed breakfast in the main dining room. My butler didn’t quaff as much champagne as me, so took advantage of the other passengers sleeping off hangovers and paid a visit to the launderette.
I didn’t do much else all morning other than chat to other passengers mainly about what a great night we had.

I attended the final Battle of the sexes where the ladies trounced the men and of course were magnanimous in their victory.

After lunch I decided I needed some shut eye before getting ready for our 2 nd formal night of the cruise.

The crew put on a pantomime in the Curzon theatre which I was told was extremely funny but I managed to sleep the afternoon away.

Dinner was Marco’s Beef Wellington menu. I chose the Hot smoked Salmon and once again I had to send it back as the poor salmon had been cremated and was completely inedible. The Head waiter was once again very apologetic and the second one he produced was perfect. I think in all the years I have been cruising I have only sent back 2 meals prior to this cruise. We have only eaten 3 times in the Main Dining Room and twice I have sent the food back.

The Troubadours were in the theatre and although passengers were not dancing in the aisles it was a very lively enjoyable show. A lady called Linda was in the front row and she got picked on to go on stage. She rose to the challenge exceptionally well and gave as good as she got.

We finished the night in Anderson’s which serves the best cocktails on the ship and is quiet enough to be able to sit and chat.

We had a fairly early night as we have an early start for our trip to Brugge tomorrow.

Tuesday 2 January - Zeebrugge for Brugge
When we docked in Brugge, Oceana was already there in another dock. Theirs was an unscheduled call as their itinerary had changed slightly because of the bad weather.

It was extremely windy and 2 tugs were required for us to dock.

We caught the red Port shuttle to the Port gates. The P & O shuttle went into Blankenburge but we had booked a taxi into Bruges which was meeting us at the gates. We had been told to look out for Lou a lady with her ‘hair in the air’ which amused us all no end. It turned out that it was Sarah who met us so we missed out on seeing Lou.

20minutes later we were in the main square in Brugge and after agreeing a time to meet Sarah we set off on our hunt for chocolate, Belgian Beer, mussels, waffles etc etc. It was just before 10 a.m. and the Xmas market wasn’t open. It was the last day of the market and we were hoping to find some bargains.

First stop was the carrefour where we stocked up on Beer, Schweppes tonic and coke that would last us until we reached Madeira. They kindly held it all for us until later in the day. We cleared the shelf of low sugar tonic and one of the staff told us they would do a search for more ready for when we returned to collect our booty.

We wandered down to the historic area and the canal but decided it was far too cold to do a canal trip although they were doing good business. Instead we found a local cafe selling coffee and Waffles and made this our first stop on what turned out to be a day of eating and drinking.

Next was the obligatory home made chocolate shop where after making a few purchases we were offered different samples to taste including marshmallows and a chocolate fountain. We spent much longer in there than planned.

The Christmas market was in full swing by the time we had finished chocolate shopping and the first stall was selling the famous Mulled wine, as well as Hot chocolate with various tots of alcohol. Just what we needed on this cold wintry morning. We drank our beverages whilst watching the ice skaters having lots of fun on the last day of the temporary ice rink.

We made a few purchases at the market before heading off for lunch and as it was after midday it was time to sample the local brew.
We found a cosy bar/restaurant with a huge fire and ordered beer and food. The beer arrived in something that looked like a huge hourglass in a wooden frame and the bar steward showed us how to hold them and drink from them. The beer was delicious but extremely strong. I had opted for mussels which came as a starter of mussels au gratin, then a huge pan of mussels cooked in white wine garlic and onions. Just delicious. I was too full to eat the Belgian Apple Pie and cream but it didn’t go to waste as my friends meal didn’t include a desert so she did the honours for me.

We collected our shopping and the extra tonics he had found and just had time for a quick look round the Historium before it was time to meet Sarah for the journey back to the ship. A great day out in Brugge.

It seemed strange but nice not to have any packing to do on the last afternoon of the cruise.

We had our final dinner in the main dining room with our friends then saw another new headliners show called Blitz in the theatre. Another great upbeat show with music from the 70s and 80 s.

We finished the night in Carmens where the unusualist was performing. We missed his first show and after speaking to some pax who said he was very good decided to see for ourselves.

This show ranked in our top 3 of P & O s worst entertainment we have seen. He managed to rival the Australian acts we saw a few years ago of the female vocalist who pranced around the stage dressed as an emu and the Australian juggler who couldn’t juggle. The children in the audience enjoyed it and it really should have been advertised as a children’s show.

He realised that he wasn’t impressing the majority of his audience and turned the tables by saying he had a phycology degree and if we thought his act was crap then it was our problem not his as he was only doing his job.

Such a shame that the finale to the cruise was a big let down.

We said goodbye to our friends in case we didn’t see them in the morning. Unusually no one has a disembarkation time and it is a free for all from around 7:45 a.m. The passengers self disembarking will leave as soon as the ship docks.

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Re: Sue Kersh on Aurora

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Post by GillD46 »

Now we are back from QV, I shall enjoy the rest of your adventures.
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Post by Gill W »

I have to say, I found Robbie K, 'the unusualist', to be very entertaining. I know they put the best stuff in their first show, but I don't remember his second show being that bad.
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Post by Dennis The Menace »

Hi all

It’s a long one has I haven’t had internet since leaving Southampton.

Wednesday 3 rd January -Southampton
We docked with the help of 2 tugs fighting against the wind to get Aurora safely alongside at the Mayflower terminal. It would have been very embarrassing for Captain Turnbull to hand over his ship to Captain Hawkins with a huge dent in the side if the tugs had misjudged the windy conditions.

I had breakfast in the Main Dining room and everyone was talking about the journey home, when I was asked how far I had to travel I smugly announced that I was staying on board for the South America trip.

We had to exchange our cruise cards at reception and then ventured into Southampton for some cabin supplies from Asda and Boots. We didn’t stay out long as it was exceptionally cold and as I haven’t any room in the wardrobe for more clothes it was pointless even looking at the sales.

We got a taxi back to port, and embarked by the crew gangway straight back to our cabin for a much needed coffee.

Embarkation for the next cruise started early at 12 noon as did the priority lunch. I was on my second glass of bubbles by the time our friends met up with us at the table we had reserved. We haven’t seen them since the World Cruise on Arcadia last year and had a lot of catching up to do . The champagne and Red Wine flowed well despite the restaurant being packed. They were using both restaurants for the priority luncheon so many high tier passengers on board.

We returned to the cabin to find our tour tickets and also very disappointedly the cancellation advice for a snorkel trip I had booked in St. Lucia. Apparently the vessel due to be used is currently under going maintenance. It must need a lot of work doing as we are not due to arrive there until 23 February. I am now researching alternative companies offering a snorkel trip to the marine park between the Pitons. If Cosol are offering one I will go with them.

Muster was slightly delayed as passengers were still being checked in. Announcements were made for passengers not to panic if they hadn’t received their luggage as there was so much of it the stewards were being kept busy delivering it. The bonus of adding the 5 night cruise on was that we could spend the afternoon relaxing.

Sailaway was not as spectacular as the world cruise last year. No band to wish us Bon Voyage but we did at least have some fireworks. Our new Captain , Alan Hawkins warned that the weather conditions would be rough for the first few days.

After dinner John Bartram hosted the Welcome Aboard show in the Theatre and introduced his small group of entertainment hosts. The crew that usually entertain the children have all disembarked as there are no children on board. Some had been spotted earlier in the day around the Crystal pool but they were either visiting crew or officers on board. More good news is that the group Caravan are back on board Aurora.

By the time we exited the theatre the sea conditions had worsened and it was difficult to stand up. We very carefully headed back to the cabin. A lot of passengers were doing the same as no one wanted to risk falling at the start of what should be a fabulous cruise.

We now have three sea days to Madeira and are hoping that the pot holes in the Atlantic Ocean have been filled since we last sailed it.

Thursday 4 January 1 st sea day to Madeira
The Captain was proved right and it was an extremely rough night. Lots of rocking and rolling and when we awoke we we hadn’t even got out of the English Channel. The wind speed was only showing as 8 but it felt much worse than that so it must be how it is hitting the ship.

I woke in time for the exercise class but decided it wasn’t worth risking injury. There’s plenty of time to catch up with that.

We attended the cruise meet which had been organised by members of Facebook groups for this cruise. Despite the horrendous conditions it was well attended and 4 of the ships senior officers came in to introduce themselves. P & O provided tea cofffee and biscuits. It was great to put faces to names of people I had been communicating with on Facebook since April 2016 when we booked this cruise.

We have Joanna Hall on board who is a fitness guru who is a regular on TV and radio. Her talk this morning was how to walk your way to a better body. Unfortunately she was feeling the ‘Motion of the Ocean ‘ and had to leave part way through. She did return but it was hard to demonstrate the correct way to walk when the ship was moving around.
She has 4 more talks planned before she gets off in Cape Verde. Her young daughter is travelling with her which accounts for one of the three children seen on board yesterday. The other two are visiting crew and they disembark in Madeira.

The first Battle of the Sexes was held in Masquerades and it was a hard fought battle which ended in a draw. There are no sectors on this cruise but the Battle will be split into 3 stages. There were a lot of passengers attending but no doubt the numbers will drop as the sun comes out.

We had a lazy sea day afternoon as the sea state showed no sign of improvement.

The evening entertainment in the theatre was a group of 4 young men called Runaround Kids. Music from 50s & 60s. They were all fantastic but the lead singer had the most amazing voice. They are back on Saturday for their 2 nd show and this time it is in Carmens show lounge. I anticipate a full house and a heaving dance floor.

The dance instructors were in Carmens for a dance date. It was very quiet due to the sea conditions and we only stayed there for a short while. Some brave couples attempted dancing but as I was finding it difficult to even stand we didn’t.

We found that vouchers had been left in the cabin for us to purchase Duty free alcohol from the onboard shop which can be drunk in our cabin. Normally any duty free purchased is kept until the end of the cruise.
Apparently this is a one time offer for this cruise.

Sea day tomorrow and the forecast is slightly better.

Friday 5 January - 2 nd sea day to Madeira
It was once again extremely rough overnight but when we awoke we noticed that it had calmed down slightly. I went to the early morning class Fab Abs with approx 15 others. The floor was full.

Aurora Uncovered was held in the Crystal pool and we met many people we have seen on previous cruises. Lots of officers around meeting and greeting passengers.

Joanna Halls second talk where she expanded on her walkactive system. We now have a mantra to walk too. ‘Feel the Peel’ it was an extremely popular talk and Carmens is not the best place for as so many seats have obstructed views.

Battle of the sexes quiz clashed with the Ladies Pamper party but the quiz was again very well attended. The ladies are narrowly in the lead but only by 10points.

The sun finally made an appearance and the decks were opened up for the walkers. Still to cold to spend anytime out there but every day will get a little warmer.

1 st formal night of this cruise and the Captains Welcome on board Party. We had dinner with friends then went to the later party.

Dinner was Marco’s Beef Wellington Menu. The Head waiter has now got used to how I like my food cooked. Meat has to be Mooing and Juicy and the fish juicy and swimming. So far this cruise every meal has been excellent.

Our invite for the Captains Welcome on board party was for the Crows Nest. There was a queue for photos with the Captain so we headed for the other side where Gordon the extremely handsome Hotel General Manager and Jason the food and beverage manager were greeting everyone. We met an officer Prakash who we haven’t seen for many years and had a great time catching up with him. The drinks flowed well. It was still a little rocky and in the Captains speech he said it was down to 5 metre swells but was due to increase to 10 metres again. He had decided to pick up speed and get us into Madeira for 11 p.m. on Saturday night instead of 8 a.m. Sunday morning to miss the worst of the heavy seas.
A few jokes followed about fuel consumption etc.

A comedian William Caulfield, was on in the theatre. We had seen him on world cruise and I looked back on my notes. I had written that he was okay but same old jokes and wouldn’t bother seeing his second show so instead we headed straight to Carmens for the Formal night Ball. We managed a bit of dancing but didn’t feel very safe with the ship moving around.

Saturday 6 January 2018 - Final sea day.
The ship was still Rocking & Rolling and although by mid morning the sun kept trying to make an appearance the clouds were winning the battle.

The early morning exercise class had been quite a challenge to stay upright and I was relieved when the instructor decided to do a mat workout. The numbers had decreased and there were only 8 of us

Vouchers had been delivered to purchase drinks at duty free prices for in cabin consumption. It was supposed to be 1 voucher per passenger but 4 had been delivered to our cabin! We had checked out the prices and checked our stock and made a decision that we really didn’t need any more. I suspect it will be cheaper in Madeira. Many passengers were taking up the offer and the queue was long.

The special guest speaker this morning was Nigel Marvin the wildlife filmmaker. Nigel is on for the majority of this cruise and is the main speaker. The scheduling of his first talk clashed with Joanna Halls third talk. Such a shame that we had to decide which one to go. We opted for Nigel’s talk as he will be with us for the full cruise .

Battle of the sexes at noon and the ladies narrowly won again by 10 points. This will probably be the last one I attend for a while as I am hoping that after we have left Madeira the weather will be hot enough to be on deck.

After lunch I had a quiet afternoon as the seas appeared to be rougher than ever. I find it so tiring just trying to stay upright.

We went down to dinner to find a long queue for Freedom Dining. It’s the first time we have experienced this on this cruise. No way am I queuing for dinner so we went for a drink in Anderson’s first then went straight into dinner and shared a table for four.

The group Runaround Kids were fabulous. It is their first booking with. P & O and I am sure we will see lots of them in the future.
After the show I went on deck as we were docking in Madeira. The first time since setting sail on Wednesday evening that I was confident that there would be a deck beneath me when I walked. The lights of Madeira were magnificent and my I pad photo didn’t do it justice. It wasn’t too cold and many passengers were outside admiring the view or just delighted that we have actually got through the Stormy Atlantic in one piece.

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Re: Sue Kersh on Aurora

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Hopefully things will calm down now.
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Dennis The Menace wrote: 07 Jan 2018, 11:36
The lights of Madeira were magnificent
I remember that from a few years back when we had a late departure from Madeira and we had a window table (facing towards shore) in Arcadian Rhodes!

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Dennis The Menace wrote: 07 Jan 2018, 11:36
Vouchers had been delivered to purchase drinks at duty free prices for in cabin consumption. It was supposed to be 1 voucher per passenger but 4 had been delivered to our cabin!
That made me smile - I wonder why they thought you would need a total of 4 vouchers for your cabin.
:lol: :lol:

Hope the weather settles down for you now Sue and thanks so much for the update. Maureen :wave:

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Sunday 7 January - Madeira
I woke to Madeira still in darkness but at least it wasn’t raining. I didn’t bother going to the gym as we will be doing a lot of walking today.

I had a leisurely breakfast in the MDR with very interesting table companions who kept me entertained with their cruising stories.

We caught an early shuttle into town then walked through the town to the Pingo Doce supermarket. Many shops were open which as it was a Sunday surprised us. We were on the Schweppes diet tonic and Coke Zero hunt. Last year we had left it until later in the morning to go to the supermarket and the cruising Locusts had cleared the shelves. This time I was determined to get there before them and the shelves were still full but as we couldn’t carry it all we kindly left some for other passengers. We found some whisky for medication purposes and a bottle of LBV port and went back to the ship with our booty and stashed it in our cabin before setting off out again to look around the Christmas market and nativity area which were close to a shopping precinct.

The locals were out as it was a Sunday and the last day of the Festive holidays for them. They put on a traditional dance show and made us feel very welcome. There were stalls selling tots of various types of liquors but it was too early for me to be tempted, unlike our friends who we found propping up one of the small stalls sampling the local grog.

As it is my birthday soon Garry bought me a a bag locally made from cork. Just the right size to carry my I pad and bits and pieces. I had seen it last time we were here and dropped plenty of hints to no avail but this time he didn’t need any persuasion to let the moths out.

We sat at an outside table with a coffee and the local custard tart and people watched before heading off again towards the port area. Here we found an opticians open. My spare pair of glasses had lost one of the plastic nose pieces and the optician was only to happy to replace them and straighten out the arms as they were slightly out of shape as they spend more time on my head than on my face. When we asked her how much she wouldn’t take anything. Can’t get friendlier than that.

We crossed over to the port area and a bar by the water to sample the local brew. The sun was out and it very pleasant.

On our way to the ship I found my spot in the sun on the aft deck. As there are no children on board, this area is available for all to use for this cruise. It did start raining later in the afternoon but it didn’t last long and the sun was even hotter after the shower. With the local food and beer plus sunshine I really started to feel like I was on holiday.

Caravan the excellent resident group played live for the sailaway which wasn’t as well attended as I thought it would be. I didn’t see any of the entertainment team there but the photographers were about plying their trade.

We decided to skip the evening entertainment and had a later dinner than usual before meeting David and Tina in the Crows Nest for cocktails. We have a few trips booked with them and it was good to catch up with them. I felt I already knew them but only through the cruise forums and Facebook not in person. They are from the same part of the country as us and I throughly enjoyed their company.

We now have two sea days before reaching St. Vincent in the Cape Verde Islands.

Monday 8 January - Sea Day to Cape Verde
I awoke early and made it to the gym for exercise class which now that the sea is much calmer has suddenly got very busy. Today was Total Body Conditioning but I feel that even if I attended this class every day for the rest of my life I still wouldn’t have a body like our instructors.

After my favourite breakfast of Eggs Benedict we walked around the decks to the quoits court. We were going to join in the competition but with only 3 courts and around 50 pax wanting to play we headed to the sunny side of the ship and played shuffleboard for a while. I was useless and my wooden discs kept flying off everywhere. I fluked a 10 and like the good sportsman I am I declared that I was the winner as I had had enough. Garry stayed to learn the rules and watch the professionals play whilst I headed to the aft deck to enjoy the hot sunshine. The pool was open and although too early for a swim it will be very welcome later on.

Garry went to the 4 th Walkactive talk whilst I stayed in the sun and I still couldn’t drag myself away from the golden globe in the sky for the Battle of the Sexes. I wasn’t missed and the Ladies are now 80 points in the lead.

I went to the buffet for lunch for the first time. It is far better set out than the other ships in the fleet and there was plenty of choice of food both hot and cold but I still prefer the relaxed atmosphere of the main dining room and being served by friendly waiters. I think I will rely on my butler serving me by the pool until we reach the cooler weather again.

I spent the afternoon soaking up the rays, reading and doing nothing much else. The clouds made an appearance for a while trying to spoil the party but the sun won the battle.

It was our 2nd Formal Night and the 180 celebration menu. Another excellent meal with great company. I also met Maureen from one of the Facebook groups. I am hopeless at recognising people from the photos but she recognised me.

Headliners performed the newish Fantasy show in the theatre. Although we saw this last cruise the music and disco dancing enticed us back again.

The Comedian William Caulfield was in Carmens followed by late night dancing and the Orchestra were jazzing it up in the Crows Nest

When we returned to the cabin There was a bottle of wine waiting for me with compliments from the very handsome Gordon the Hotel General Manager who is also super sexy and extremely intelligent.

Sea day tomorrow and we have been promised calm seas and sunshine by our informative Captain.

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Tuesday 9 January final sea day to Cape Verde
As it was my birthday we ordered room service breakfast which we had with the 1/2 bottle of champagne from the peninsular club.

The sun was shining as I opened my gifts and cards from friends and family. The Captain sent me a card and some chocolates which was very thoughtful.

I spent the day by the aft pool in the sun being spoiled by my personal butler. The clouds kept trying to block out the sun but stood no chance as the sun burnt them off quickly.

Friends came round for pre dinner drinks and another bottle of champagne bit the dust. We had seen Prakash earlier in the day and he had arranged to meet us at the Pennant bar for pre dinner drinks. Not wanting to miss the party Handsome Gordon accompanied him and lucky me having two hunky officers to help me celebrate my birthday.

We ate in the Beach House and I had the enormous seafood kebab. It was delicious and cooked just the way I like my fish. A bottle of Sauvignon Blanc to wash it down.

We missed all of the entertainment and ended up back at our cabin for coffee, port and chocolates. A fabulous night with great company.

Tomorrow we are in St Vincent one of the Cape Verde Islands.

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Wednesday 10 January 2018- St Vincent, Cape Verde
I woke early feeling groggy after drinking far too much yesterday. Which meant another day at the gym missed. I must make more of an effort tomorrow.

This was a new port of call for us and I was surprised how mountainous it was as we sailed into the deep harbour. The islands are volcanic and often windy.

We caught the shuttle into Mindelo which passed a lovely beach and I wished I had brought swim wear although I doubt the water would have been pleasant as it was too close to the port.

We stopped at Cafe Mindelo which had good free WiFi and it was strong enough to sort out a problem I had with my Apple password. The ships wi fi was not strong enough yesterday to do this. The cafe accepted Euros but gave change in escudos.

The town did not have much to inspire as there was little there of any interest. The language is Portuguese and the architecture did feature the Portuguese style of many coloured tiles. We found the market but other than spending the few escudos we had in change on a pack of playing cards nothing enticed me buy. They started at 6 euros for the cards but ended up accepting the equivalent of 2 euros in escudos.

Although Portuguese the clothes on sale were African with highly patterned cloths. There were many beggars around and the overall impression was of poverty. The local ladies were carrying huge tubs of fruit on their heads to the local market.

The intention had been to eat lunch out at a fish restaurant but I was concerned about the cleanliness and hygiene of the restaurants we saw so we just sampled the local beer and returned to the ship for a late lunch.

I think this is used as a stopping off point for the ship as we now have 4 sea days to Brazil. It would have been a long trek from Madeira to Salvador without a chance to set foot on dry land.
We saw the old metal sunbeds being offloaded from the ship. Hundreds of them. Thankfully they have been replaced by brand new comfy blue ones which look so much better. Lots of sunbeds and small tables on this ship as well as the upright chairs for those who struggle with sunbeds.

The old sunbeds will be on the beaches of Mindelo now.

The sun was hot on the aft deck and I didn’t stay out long. I could feel myself nodding off so returned to the cabin to catch up on some sleep. Nothing worse than seeing people sleeping on the sun beds dribbling and snoring.

Great show in the theatre a vocalist, Paul Emmanuel. Classic love songs to smooth soul. We will definitely be seeing his second show.

Thursday 11 January 2018
It is getting hotter every day, the wind has dropped and the seas are calm. Perfect sailing weather. I made it to the exercise class which was fab Abs. Justian certainly encouraged us through a fast paced Abs workout. The floor was full once again as with the hour difference pax are waking early.

Ligurian lunch was just perfect. We were greeted by our very informative Captain and the handsome Gordon the Hotel General Manager. It was the first time we had met the Captain and Gordon has some competition there in the handsome stakes. Prakash who is both handsome and hunky hosted our table and kept the conversation flowing. There were six of us, our friends we had met on previous cruises and who we had spent my birthday with and two ladies who I recognised from Arcadia world cruise last year. We were all conscious of including the ladies in the conversation and we were a happy group of cruisers. We started with bubbles, then white wine with the starter and then the red. The wine flowed well as did the conversation.

I spent some time on the aft deck after lunch and caught up with Linda who also goes to the Battle of the Sexes. The ladies are still in the lead. Eventually I needed to go back to the cabin to sleep off the after effects of the wine in readiness to start again at dinner.

The group in the theatre were called Beautiful World and sang hits from the boy band ‘Take That’. They stressed they were not Lookalikes but just enjoyed singing the groups music. They were very popular and their next show is in the show lounge which holds less than half the capacity of the theatre. It will be standing room only.

Relaxing sea day tomorrow.

Friday 12 January -2 nd Sea Day to Salvador.
The clocks went back another hour last night putting us 2 hours behind UK time. The exercise class was even busier and there wasn’t a mat for everyone. It was Elanas day off as Justian once again held the Body Conditioning class. Even though his classes are fast and hard work I must be a sadist as I thoroughly enjoy them.

Whilst I was in breakfast my butler did the laundry and set up the sun beds on the aft deck ready for another lazy sea day. As we near the equator the sun is high and it is humid. The sea breeze was very welcome. Mid morning the pool was closed due to some problem when the water was tested. This does seem to be a regular occurrence probably due to passengers not using the shower before swimming. Unhappy pax went to complain at reception but the pool stayed closed until late afternoon. We haven’t seen any other shipping or birds just lots of flying fish around.

Headliners performed a 3 p.m Matinee of the New Romantics show The Blitz. As we had seen it on the last cruise I didn’t bother going not wanting to give up my space in the sun.

Philippa Healey Lancashire Lassie.

It was the 3 rd Formal night of the cruise and another enjoyable dinner with friends. They went off to see the show which was vocalist Philippa Healey who is a Lancashire Lassie, whilst we went to the Pennant bar for drinks outside in the warm tropical night air before finishing the night in Carmens at the Formal ball dancing to Caravan.

Aurora has really grown on me and I am beginning to understand why it is a lot of passengers favourite ship. It has annoying dead ends and I still find myself going the wrong way but it has got such a lot going for it.
Ample deck space with lots of room between loungers to spread out, the best laid out buffet in the fleet, enough entertainment venues to suit everyone and friendly happy crew. The entertainment so far has generally been excellent. We just skip what doesn’t appeal like magicians and comedians and find something else to do.

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Re: Sue Kersh on Aurora

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Sounds as though you have really got into the swing of life on board Aurora.
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I really liked Aurora when I cruised on her last October to Venice.
Luckily am booked this October as well, calling at Malta and Greece.

Glad you are enjoying your cruise Sue.

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I am really enjoying your reports, keep up the good work and thanks to Denis the menace taking the time to post them :)

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Happydays wrote: 13 Jan 2018, 21:16
I am really enjoying your reports, keep up the good work and thanks to Denis the menace taking the time to post them :)
You're very welcome HD :D

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More from Sue :

Saturday 13 January 3 rd sea day to Salvador.
The ship crossed the equator into the Southern Hemisphere in the early hours of the morning. Permission had been sought from Neptune and he will hold his aquatic court and initiation ceremony this afternoon. If Aurora’s crew fail to pass the test then we will be sent back to the frozen North.

The Exercise class was once again packed out and nowhere near enough mats. Another passenger mentioned that last year the class was moved into Carmens because of the numbers but unless they can magic up some extra mats it isn’t going to help much.

After breakfast I went on the aft deck but stayed on the wings of deck9 so that I would have a great view of the Crossing the line ceremony later on. It was a hot day and extremely windy on the wings. My butler kept me fed and watered all day.

By the time the ceremony started the aft of the ship was packed from deck 9 to deck 13. Deck 8 was kept fairly clear for the participants. Anyone down there was running the risk of getting gunked as the wind was so strong it was flying everywhere. It was a great afternoon on deck and all of the crew and officers involved put on a great show. The polliwogs (those who had never crossed the equator previously) had to kiss the dead fish and were then gunked. They passed the tests set by King Neptune and Aurora was allowed to continue on her voyage. On other ships everyone ended up in the pool which then had to be drained and cleaned. Very sensibly they were directed to the shower instead.

The food served at dinner has in the main been excellent but tonight my tuna steak was outstanding, cooked just as tuna should be pink and juicy. As we are freedom dining we eat in different sections every night and are served by different waiters. We have come across some we know from previous cruises but tonight we were served by Christian. He certainly set a high standard with his friendliness and his attention to all of his tables. We mentioned him to the head waiter who was grateful and will pass it on.

The entertainment was Paul Emmanuel’s second show singing hits from Nat King Cole followed by the 60 s & 70s party night in Carmens. Unfortunately we didn’t get to either. I realised after dinner that I had been in the sun for far too long and with the wind masking the heat I felt completely wiped out and headed back to the cabin for the night. I look like a panda with my sunburnt face and white where my sunglasses had been.

We have another sea day tomorrow but I think I will avoid the sun.

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Sunday 14 January- Final Sea Day to Salvador
I skipped the gym as still slightly sun sore and knew as the hour had gone back again it would be heaving in there.

A very sunny day but I decided to stay out of it all day and also designated today as an alcohol free day as I haven’t had one since well before Christmas.

After breakfast I had a walk along the deck in the shade before finding Garry also in the shade on the aft deck. It was extremely hot although with a slight breeze it was very pleasant out of the sun.

As it was a sun free day I got chance to catch up with the onboard activities on the ship.
We attended the Macmillan coffee morning which was held in Masquerades where there were probably only about 100 passengers but many more had bought raffle tickets then gone off to do other events or just to lie in the sun. John Bartram raffled off some memorabilia from the POSH club days, followed by a visit to the engine room, the bridge, and a back stage visit. All three were well bid on and as the Captain was in attendance he agreed that the engine room tour could be bought by 2 different bidders which raised more money. The final auction was for the Ships Navigation chart which brought £200. There must be more events like this planned as the chart was only for our first sector from Southampton to Rio. The amount raised at the event was in excess of £1100 but the final figure will be in the Horizon.

Nigel Marvins talk on Hummingbirds was in the theatre. His talks on the wildlife we could see at our ports of call are very interesting and well attended.

I returned to the Battle of the sexes where with only one more Battle in this sector the ladies are winning by 170 points.

After lunch I found Garry watching the football so I left him to it and went to the hair event where one lucky lady had her name drawn out of the hat to receive a free style and blow dry. She did look fabulous. I found it difficult to understand what was being said. The hairdressers are different Nationalities and although their English is very good for a second language the accent is very strong and two ladies in the audience didn’t stop chatting all the way through the presentation. Eventually another pax close by asked them to be quiet but it was a bit late by then. One of them got up and walked out. Why go to an event and not listen to a word being said?
They offered everyone a free short consultation which of course gave them the opportunity to sell their overpriced products and to try to persuade us to book hair appointments. They are offering 6 formal night hair dos for the price of 5. For my medium length hair it would cost £37 for a blow dry or ‘up do’. Plus service charge of course.

As I had been so busy I hadn’t noticed my alcohol free day although I rarely drink during the day just occasionally a Crabbies in the sun. My first drink is usually a G & T around 5:30 pm whilst I am getting ready for dinner. I poured a Lemon slice & Tonic instead with lots of ice and although it didn’t hit the spot it sufficed.

Another excellent dinner on board with interesting table companions who to my relief were not having wine with dinner. The next test was after dinner drinks in the Pennant bar and my virgin mojito under the stars there and then another in Carmens whilst listening to Beautiful Worlds second Take That show meant that I had got through the first alcohol free day 😇.

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Monday 15 January - Salvador Brazil
It took quite a while to ease the ship into the dock and turn it around for an easy getaway later this afternoon. Back on board is 16:30. Once the ship was secured I went to the gym to get weighed and wished I hadn’t bothered. I will cut back tomorrow maybe.

We met our friends and went through the terminal to the information desk. This was the first time we had set foot in South America and were looking forward to seeing a small part of the huge city of Salvador. The information staff were quite insistent that it was not safe to travel on the funicular railway and to avoid that area of town completely. Shame as we had decided to do this both ways but we will follow the advice and stay safe.

We caught the shuttle to the top area which was the safest and had more shops and historic buildings. We split up to go our separate ways and arranged a meeting time and point when we had had enough. The sun was extremely hot. Some shops were interesting but generally it was the same tourist tat that you find everywhere with little individual shops dotted around. I found a jewellers and was tempted by some Topaz stones but in the end decided it wasn’t worth the risk. We found the cathedral and the church of Saint Francis with the ceiling painted in a similar style to the Sistine Chapel in Rome. The local militia were everywhere and were heavily armed. We didn’t see any trouble at all but apparently when they go home at night that is when the serious crime starts. There is a huge gap between the haves and have nots and over 60% of the population in Salvador live in poverty. There were beggars around but no more than you see in any city.

We stopped for a local beer and WiFi then continued exploring. As the designated ‘Safe Area’ was quite small it didn’t take long. I did my bit and put some money back into the local economy and bought a Beach dress and some earrings designed on shell by a local artist before meeting up with our friends for yet another local beer.
We caught the Elevador Lacerda (Electric Lift) down to the lower town and the local market Mercado Modelo. The lift is actually 4 lifts and although there was a very long queue it took less than 5 minutes before we were at a huge building crammed with market stalls. Lots of local colour and a few characters here but once again most of the stalls were selling the same tourist souvenirs. We bought some souvenirs but we didn’t manage to source any coffee beans. There are more ports in Brazil so no doubt we will find some.

It was an easy 5 minute stroll along the front to get back to the ship which saved another queue for the lift then the shuttle back down. As there were 4 of us we felt quite safe and kept to the beach side.

None of the evening entertainment appealed so after dinner we sat on the aft of deck 9 and listened to Caravan singing. The Glass House restaurant had been moved outside for the night and was well attended. It was a shame that the wind was spoiling the party. It might have been better to hold this event on one of the overnighters that are planned.

There was a letter waiting for me in the cabin apologising for the slow internet speed which was due to an upgrade of the system. This brought back the nightmares from my working days when upgrades meant problems for the following days. They are promising that it will be sorted soon.

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Tuesday 16 January - Sea Day to Buzios, Brazil
The clocks went forward an hour overnight so we are back to 2 hours behind UK time. It was harder to wake up this morning and I needed the alarm to get me up in time for the exercise class. This was still busy but a lot less than when they go back an hour overnight.

Last nights Horizon had today’s temperature at only 14 degrees. I think someone’s finger had slipped as it was still well into the late 20s at 7 a.m.

After a leisurely breakfast I called at the tours desk to see if there was a space on tomorrow’s schooner and swim trip. Our plan had been to get a water taxi to the beach but this morning my butler, who is not a beach fan anyway, suggested that I might get more out of doing a tour then meeting him shoreside after the trip to see what the town had to offer. I love the water based trips and didn’t take any persuading. Luckily they had places left.

Next was a trip to the library/ internet to discuss the letter I had received. I was told that we could no longer contact home by FaceTime or messenger audio on the middle package which costs £12.50 per 24 hours. We have previously always been able to this on all of the fleet. On the round the world cruise we regularly used this to contact family. To do this from now on we will need to purchase the top package at £24.95 per 24 hours. Apparently it applies to the crew as well. As the speed had been particularly bad the last time I purchased it I did get a refund for that day and at least I now know that I can’t speak to family on the middle package. I asked if it was worth taking it out today and was told that the speed was good at the moment.

By the time I returned to the cabin my butler had finished the laundry and set up my sunbed on the aft deck where I lazed away the rest of the morning until it was time for the Final Battle of the Sexes. The ladies were so far in front that the men would need a miracle to catch up. The ladies had their worst battle so far but clung onto the lead to win the sector.

My butler had picked up a salad for my lunch from the Grab & Go so that I could get straight back out in the sun. I am amazed how quiet the outside aft decks are. The sun beds outnumber passengers by at least 10 to 1. Garry went off to listen to the passenger choir and I only stayed out for about an hour as the sun was so very hot I felt I had had enough especially with it being a beach and swim day tomorrow.

The last formal night of this sector and the Marco's Lobster menu. We met up with our friends and had another excellent dinner in the Main Dining Room served once again by the attentive Christian.

The evening entertainment was a couple from Buenos Aires billed as Tango Cervilla. We were expecting some Argentine Tango dancing as he is a Broadway known Tango dancer. We had lots of Flamenco style dancing, some Paso Doble style dancing, lots of twirling Balls, banging of drums and a bit of comedy. It was entertaining and they are very quick and clever but we were expecting Tango dancing.

The Headliners were in Carmens performing Top of the Billboards which we have seen many times before, there was no formal night ball just early pre dinner dancing in Masquerades.

Tomorrow we are in Buzios, Brazil.

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