Caribbean Cruise ( Sue and Garry). March 22.

[david63]

I am sure that I have read somewhere that the reason passengers are transferred to QV, from other Carnival brand ships, is that some (all?) Caribbean ports state that there can only be a certain number/percentage of positive Covid passengers onboard otherwise they are not allowed in port.

[screwy]

Ah,ok thanks.

Is that the same for European ports.?

[david63]

Is that the same for European ports.?

Not as far as I am aware - but as we all know the rules can, and do, change.

[Chalgrave4]

Who'd want to be crew on QV if all they are doing is looking after Covid +ve passengers
(Unless theres a big bonus of course)

[Suekersh]

Todays update from Sue and Garry

Saturday, 12 March 2022 - Grenada

We docked early and the first thing I noticed was the smell of the spices. The day looked promising even at 6 a.m. with blue sky and light clouds. I had a trip booked on the Rhum Runner but not until the afternoon.

We got off around 9 am to go into the terminal where there was free wi fi and plenty of shops to browse around. We asked a security guard where the nearest supermarket was and instead of directing us he escorted us there. The Caribbean people are so helpful and friendly. We would never have found it and he took us through a back entrance into what looked like a garage but opened up into a huge supermarket but nothing like Sainsburys.

There was a rain storm whilst I was at the meeting point for the tour. It didn’t last long but was very heavy. Luckily there was a gazebo which we all sheltered under.

The Rhum Runner trip was great. A steel band on board kept us entertained and the Rum punch was in plentiful supply along with fresh fruit and snacks. The Captain gave us the history of the island as we sailed past the landmarks. We stopped at a Small beach where the boat pulled up right onto the beach. The sea was clear and very warm. It was more of a local beach than a touristy beach. We had 90 minutes here to swim and snorkel or just drink the rum punch as the crew continued the service of rum both on the beach and in the sea.

Our trip was the last one back and the tours staff were waiting for us at the dock side to make sure everyone got on board okay.
I went straight into the shower then out on the aft deck where the new Caribbean band on board called Exille were playing for the sailaway.
I had been asked by DJ Martin to pass on his regards to Olivia the lead singer which I did and they were all so pleased to be remembered by him. I am looking forward to more sailaway parties with them.

Another great day in the Caribbean but after dinner and a couple more Rums sat outside I was ready for an early ish night.

Tomorrow we have a sea day to relax and recuperate after the two fabulous islands.

[Suekersh]

Todays update from Sue and Garry

Sunday, 13 March 2022 - Sea day to Curacao

I was up before dawn despite the excess of Rum yesterday.
We got our preferred spot on the wing of deck 9 and set ourselves up for the day. I watched the sun rise over the aft of the ship and knew it was going to be a hot one.

The talk on board was all about the number of Covid cases but I just didn’t want to get involved in the theories and horror stories.

The newspaper and crosswords were delivered to the cabin to save people congregating in reception to collect them.

Our friends went to Explorers to book the same trip I was on but came back to say a letter would be arriving telling me that my trip tomorrow was moved from 08:00 to 10:30.they were also told it was a 45 minute coach journey to pick up the boat for the snorkelling trip. I immediately went down to cancel the trip as no way did I want to spend 45 minutes on a coach and luckily because they had changed the timings of the trip there was no cancellation charge.
We booked a beach break by catamaran instead and as it is close to the marine park there should be some snorkelling.

Later in the day we got another letter from the Peninsular club with a letter thanking us for our loyalty and a voucher for a free meal in any of the speciality restaurants.

It was too hot on deck for Garry so after lunch he visited the laundry and got everything up to date and later in the afternoon he put his hairdressing hat on and coloured my hair.

Dinner in the Alexandra restaurant was very quiet and on a singles table for 8 there was a lady on her own. I over heard her mention something about isolation but at breakfast the morning I saw one of the single gentlemen and he explained that one person had tested positive so they were all tested and told to isolate. 2 hours later he was told he was negative and the policy had changed and there was now no need to isolate if negative. He has to have a test every day at 10 am and there are a few restrictions but at least he is not in isolation in a cabin on his own.

[Suekersh]

Today's latest from Sue and Garry.

Monday, 14 March 2022- Curacao
Curacao is one of the three Dutch ABC islands and is very colourful with the houses painted in bright colours. We should have been calling at all three islands but when the itinerary changed the island of Bonaire was a casualty.

Aurora docked in the modern cruise port area and Britannia followed us in and docked behind us. Another early start as the trip was 08:30 and the Pelican boat was waiting for us.
The sea was quite choppy and the Captain said the weather had been odd recently with a lot of rain which is not normal for the time of year.

It was a 25 minute boat ride to the Wet and Wild area where our sun beds and shades were already set out for us.
The beech and reef for snorkelling were close by and lots of colourful tropical fish.
We did have a heavy shower whilst I was out at the reef and I got back to everything being saturated but it all soon dried off in the hot sun. We had 3 hours there before reluctantly returning to the port.
After a quick shower and change we went out to look around Curacao. I do prefer it when we are docked close to the Queen Emma bridge in the town as the modern port area is very commercialised and could be anywhere.
We found some free wi fi by the casino before sitting on the front with some local beers chatting to some passengers from Britannia.

It was Caribbean night and Exxile were playing on the aft deck as we sailed away from Curacao. We had booked dinner in the Beech House with friends and ate outside under the stars before returning to the aft deck and more Caribbean music from Exxile.

Tomorrow we meet up with Britannia again in Aruba.

[Suekersh]

Another interesting report from Sue and Garty.

Tuesday, 15 March 2022 - Aruba

We started the morning by testing ourselves. We are both feeling fine but as Covid is still rife on the ship we will continue testing regularly.
We were both negative.

Our plans for the day changed after the captains early announcement just before 07:30 to inform us that Aurora had been denied clearance for any passengers to disembark.
We quickly gathered up towels and swim wear and set up sunbeds for the day on the aft deck. Many other early risers had the same idea.
Half an hour later the Captain repeated his same message for the benefit of the later risers.
It was galling being able to see Aruba but not able to get off which was made worse as Britannia was docked behind Aurora and the passengers and crew were disembarking.

Later in the morning he made another announcement that he was soon going to leave the port of Aruba and set off to meet Queen Victoria in Barbados for operational reasons. Not long after the announcement he made another one to say that Aurora now had clearance and that all passengers could disembark.

We waited for the surge of passengers wanting to get off before the government changed its mind again, had a bit of lunch then disembarked. Our plan originally had been to go to the beach but decided instead to have a mooch around Aruba.
We had to walk past Britannia as although there was an exit gate where we docked it remained closed.
I did wonder if that was why Aurora passengers were denied clearance to give Britannia passengers to get off first so that the gate wasn’t rammed with both ships pax disembarking at the same time. There was another large ship in port as well.

We walked past many shops selling the usual touristy clothes, pegs, fridge magnets etc etc. the town itself was very odd as every shop appeared closed as there were no lights on inside but the doors remained open. As it was lunch time we thought it be siesta time but the whole town had had a power cut.
We found a bar on the front for a beer in the hot sun but when the bill arrived Garry turned into a Yorkshire man with the war cry ‘ OW MUCH!! ‘
Surprisingly the supermarket we found to stock up on cabin supplies was very reasonable although I had to use the torch on my phone to find what we needed.
After dinner our plan was to sit out on deck and listen to the Caribbean band but the wind was so strong we opted for a cabin night.
We are not quite sure where we are heading for tomorrow. It was always meant to be a sea day to Dominica but we missed the Captains announcement and we have heard we are heading to Barbados to meet the Queen Victoria to take some passengers back onto Aurora who are now testing negative and to send some passengers to Queen Victoria from Aurora who are positive to free up some isolation cabins. All rumour and guesswork waiting for the Captains updates which depending where you are on the ship you may or may not hear.

It is certainly a different cruise to normal but as long as that sun keeps shining on the aft deck and the drink keeps flowing and the kitchens keep providing food and clearing the dishes I am a happy cruiser. My needs are modest as long as the globe in the sky comes out every morning.

[barney]

Love reading these posts every morning

[CaroleF]

Sue and Garry are obviously having a great time and making the best of the situation on board. Last night on FB there were people blaming P&O for what was happening and one man who was being transferred to Queen Victoria because he tested positive was absolutely furious that he was being prevented from attending the Formal evening. Most of the reactions from others were not very supportive of him and told him it was P&O doing their best to accommodate the rules of the Caribbean islands. Several told him he was lucky that he was being transferred to Queen Victoria and not to a sub-standard hotel. When the period of isolation was over and he tested negative he would be transferred back to Aurora. He must have known there was a risk of what has happened as far as Covid is concerned and presumably he was happy to take that risk in order to cruise.

Carole

[AileenB]

Re Carole's post: The gentleman did NOT. say he was furious at being prevented from attending the formal evening. He made a comment about not being invited and it was clearly in jest as he has been posting some really humorous accounts of his stay in quarantine over recent days. Here is his latest post:


Good morning campers - light has just come up over HMP Victoria, who we saw as we entered Barbados waters.
I seemed to have caused a bit of a ruckus with my posting last night, after we were woken from the cusp of sleep and I thank many, if not most of you for your kind comments and thoughts, but I need to put my position clear and apologies to admin for the extra workload I gave you.
1. Chris and I are more than happy to go onto Queen Victoria to hopefully completely our isolation and then be returned to Aurora. It is not as if we have been dumped in some strange Spanish port and expected to find our own way home. We feel really ill, still suffering the many issues of getting Covid.
2. What made me so cross last night, and what appears to be the biggest misunderstanding is that myself and at least 30 other passengers were notified of our transfer by a poor stewards bot walking the corridors at 9:45 pm or later continually banging on our door until we got out of bed where he handed us the unaddressed envelope and walked on to his next room.
3. None of us who received the late night visit had the call mention in the letter, so it came as a complete shock to us all. While we are in isolation we have kept in touch with the rest of the inmates by Facebook group, so we know we have all been treated the same.
4. Some people, who did manage to get to speak with someone were told that Security would physically remove them from the ship if they refused to comply. Another was told they would be videoed in their room as they packed.
My posting was driven by blind anger, not selfishness or desires for others to lose their cruise. The ship is rife with Covid, 80 were previously transferred, some of those are coming back now they are clear, but we are in our own cabin, in isolation as we were told that our cabin provided us with all That HMP Victoria provides and we would not be moved. What sort of organisation rouses its ill and vulnerable and frightened cares at 10:00pm at night when they are in bed or already asleep due to boredom or not feeling well and tells them to be prepared to move out? Not one I want to support or pay money to. I had been trying to help other upset passengers throughout the afternoon who had received the call. Remember, many of us did not.
Once again, I am grateful for the opportunity to post in this group, I have tried to be upbeat and humorous in the posting of my ships log, but last nights cowardly actions on top of feeling unwell pushed me over the edge.
Again, thank you for your time and support. Glasses do not always need to be rose tinted. I now need to pack.

[Stephen]

Doesn't sound good does it.
Why couldn't they transfer you the following morning, or was the ship setting off later that night or early the following morning?

Sounds like a clear case of poor communication to me.

I still have some compo forms if required

[Suekersh]

Evening all

A further update from Sue and Garry


Wednesday,16 March 2022 - sea day to?

We are half way through the cruise and woke up to the halfway statement in our pigeon hole. No ‘How Much ‘ war cry from Garry so I haven’t even asked about the damage.

A sunny hot but blustery day. I was out on deck early and set up for the Sea day to either Dominca as per itinerary or Barbados as per the rumours and after looking at Marine traffic Barbados does seem more likely. Amongst the passengers it is around 75% thinking Barbados and the remaining think Dominica but there are other rumours doing the rounds that we will get to Barbados and stay there for 5 days before cruising back to Southampton, or we are going directly to Southampton after collecting passengers and crew from QV.
The Captain is obviously waiting until his noon announcement to let us know our fate. I am hoping we hear it on the aft deck or we will be subject to the speculation once again.
I wonder if they are going to give a prize out for the most outrageous rumour. 30 minutes to wait the suspense is killing me

We spent the morning in the sun on the aft with the wind keeping the high temperatures bearable. We got lots of visitors during the day updating us on what they have heard or overheard.

At noon our Captain stopped all the rumours with his detailed update on our destinations. He still wasn’t forthcoming about the number of cases on board either with the virus or isolating because of being a contact with someone testing positive.

So we are off to Barbados again. A good result as so many passengers missed Barbados last week because of the authorities changing the rules and not letting untested passengers off the ship into the terminal. So far there are no restrictions for anyone so we can all enjoy the call in Barbados but we leave at 3 p.m.

The explorers desk had been busy working on new tours and as we had booked a tour in Dominica before we left home this will be re credited to our credit card. Garry booked the Turtle snorkel for me so I suspect he is hoping for a quiet afternoon to watch the test match on the tv. No chance of getting a ticket to the match this late and as we are leaving at 3 pm not worth it.

This means that we are no longer calling into Dominica but continuing from Barbados to Tortola in the British Virgin Isles. We won’t arrive until 2 p.m. but don’t leave until 9:00p.m. On receiving this information Garry booked another night in the Beach House as we will still be in port.
After Tortola the rest of our itinerary remains the same with St Maarten, Antigua and St Lucia.

4 th Formal night on board. Not a great menu in the Main dining room but as Sindhu is still closed we decided we would eat in the Main Dining Room. We got our ‘glad rags ‘ on to go into the restaurant then straight back to cabin to change and met our friends on the aft deck for a few drinks. A perfect Caribbean evening.

[Suekersh]

Another cruise report from Sue and Garry

Thursday, 17 March 2022 - Barbados re-visited

We were docked around 7 am and Queen Victoria was docked behind us. Lots of passengers out on their aft suites balcony who were waving .

It wasn’t long before the day began to deteriorate with the Captains announcement that the authorities would not grant shore leave to anyone.

Captain Love hoped that this may change once the exchange of passengers and crew that were embarking or disembarking to or from Queen Victoria had been completed.
My turtle snorkel was cancelled so we set up on the aft deck for another lazy day.
Mid morning the yellow flag was raised on the front of ship which signifies that Aurora has a contagious disease on board. If the flag remains raised then we won’t get clearance at any port. Hopefully once all of the infected passengers are removed to Queen Victoria the yellow flag will be taken down and we will be allowed to continue the cruise. Another wait and see day. At least the sun is shining despite some clouds trying to spoil the party.

Just after 11:30 am the Captain announced that clearance had now been given for passengers to go ashore but we have to be back on board at 3 p.m. not sure why they changed their mind as the passengers from Aurora were still being transported to QV.

We let the passengers who were desperate to get off go and we went for some lunch before disembarking. It appeared that most of the passengers in a rush hadn’t ventured further than the terminal building for the free wi fi. The bar was closed as were most of the shops but one café was doing a bomb selling beers and anything else they could get their hands on. The bar that wasn’t open was full with passengers drinking beer etc bought from the small café.

We topped up our cabin supplies and made our way back to the ship.

We were at least an hour later leaving Barbados than planned. Hopefully we will get into Tortola tomorrow in time for me to get to the beach. We are not due to dock until 2 p.m.

We had a drink on the aft deck but it was very windy so retreated back to the cabin. The Captain had his foot down on the pedal as it’s a long long way to Tortola.

[Suekersh]

Latest report from Sue and Garry

Friday 18 March 2022 - Tortola BVI
Another glorious sea day but very blustery on deck.
We were not due to dock until 2p.m. so another lazy sun bed day. As we got closer to the Virgin Islands there was some stunning scenery.

During the day the loyalty team had sent a voucher to the cabin for a cocktail of the day. The loyalty cocktail parties cannot be held because of Covid protocols.

Once docked Clearance was given very quickly and we got off together. Garry to have a look around Tortola and me to the beach.
An open sided 8 seater was ready to set off to Cane Garden Bay and I took the last seat. 8 dollars per person.
At the beach 2 chairs and a brolly was reduced to 10 US dollars as they knew we only had a short time there.

The sea was heavenly and the Pelicans were diving in very close to catch their lunch. The beach was very quiet compared to previous visits here.

When I returned to the cabin Garry had had a successful afternoon and we are fully stocked now for the trek back across the Atlantic which suddenly is only 3 more ports away. Close to the ship he found a bar selling real ale with a great view over the marina.

We had booked the Beach House for our evening meal as we were in port until 9 p.m. we had a fabulous view of the moon rising over the hills.
We met friends for drinks on the aft deck as we sailed away.

Tomorrow we are in Saint Maarten.

[Jan Rosser]

I’m really enjoying Sue’s reports - just imagining being there and remembering past visits - fabulous

[Ray B]

Good to see Sue and Gary are enjoying the cruise. On the good ship Azura it's been a case of lots of room to enjoy with lower passenger numbers. No ports missed and to my knowledge no covid concerns. Covid protocols have not spoilt the enjoyment.
Tonight we head to the Atlantic.
Enjoy your cruise Sue

[Suekersh]

Todays report from Sue and Garry

Saturday, 19 March 2022 - St Maarten

We were expecting. Very busy day in St Maarten with six ships in dock. It wasn’t as one of the ships was on turnaround day and two others were very small boutique ships.

We bought all day tickets on the water taxi which took us to the town and beach. The beach looked a lot cleaner than last time we were here as did the sea. The hurricane had caused a lot of damage in 2017 and in 2020 it still wasn’t all sorted now you would never know it had happened.

It was hot and the air conditioning in the shops very welcome. We looked around the duty free shops and then to our favourite jewellers on Front Street where Raj welcomed us back like old friends.
He showed me some different pieces and I decided on a Ruby and diamond ring. Raj got me a beer whilst he and Garry sorted out the deal.

After finishing the duty free shopping we headed to a bar on the front for drinks with a view of the beach and sea, before getting the water taxi back to the ship.

[CaroleF]

Like Jan, Sue's accounts are bringing back lots of lovely memories. Tortola was always one of our favourite stops and can easily remember looking over at Cane Garden Bay. So pleased that they are making the best of their cruise and remaining healthy. I hope it continues.

Carole

[Suekersh]

Afternoon all, a nice update from Sue and Garry

Sunday, 20 March 2022 - Antigua

We docked early at 07:30 and had clearance very quickly. We went out on deck and immediately noticed how much money had been spent extending and upgrading the port area in anticipation of the bigger ships arriving next season.

We had arranged to meet friends at 9 am to go to Fort James beach.

The taxi driver informed us that the beach bar there had closed down. Such a shame as it is the closest beach to the ship and they sold the local Wadadli beer. Instead the taxi took us to Dickinson bay which was okay but not a patch of Fort James beach. We hope by the time we return in November that the bar will be open or took over by someone else. A Business opportunity there for someone.

There was a bar with great wi fi and it was an easy gentle slope into the sea and beach was typical Caribbean. I went out snorkelling by the rocks but as they were man made there were very few fish to see but lots of crabs. The Sandals hotel chain is right on the beach but appeared to be very quiet.

We stayed for 4 hours which just sped by then went back to the port area. It was Sunday and most of the shops were closed and as we were the only ship in it was extremely quiet. We are so used to Antigua being buzzing.

We spent the evening on deck as usual. We need to make the most of the few balmy evenings we have left although we will still probably sit out with our coats on drinking hot toddies instead of Rum or Gin.

Tomorrow is our last port of call in St Lucia.

[Suekersh]

Morning all, latest cruise report from Sue and Garry.

Monday, 21 March 2022 - St Lucia
Our final Caribbean port of the cruise.

Queen Victoria was already there on the other side of the port ready to disembark the Aurora passengers who are now testing negative.

I had arranged a full day private tour with Cosol and before the cruise started we were a group of 24.
Covid hit and we were down to 14 passengers.

Cosol are a government approved tour company which allowed us to disembark in St Lucia. Anyone not on a P & O tour or an approved taxi tour could not leave the port area. There were approved taxis in the port area to take passengers to beaches or on tours. No one could ‘just walk off’ into town.

We met in reception and got to the Cosol meeting point which fortunately was undercover just as the liquid sunshine started. It didn’t last long and that was the last we saw of it all day.
The two tour guides split us into two vans one holding eight and the other six. As they were both 12 seater vans we had plenty of space to spread out. Our driver and tour guide was Cassius.
We met up with the other passengers regularly at the various stops along the way.
I have done this tour many times and it never fails to disappoint. The iced drinks both soft and beer are in the van along with the rum punch and at every stop they were passed around.

We had photo opportunities, and shopping for local souvenirs, we stopped at a Banana plantation and sampled a local banana, along with locally made banana ketchup, spicy bbq sauce and spiced rum.
We made our purchases and continued to where the snake man was waiting for us with a huge Boa constrictor. I wasn’t brave enough to have it wound around me but got great photos of my courageous snake loving friend.

We drove through two fishing villages Anse La Raye and Canaries. Cassius explained that when the boats came back loaded with fish they blew into a conche shell so the villagers knew that there was fish for sale. The houses were very basic and close together but with fabulous views.

Pre Covid the tour included a buffet lunch of local food all prepared and cooked by Cellisia a local chef. Due to Covid restrictions this was no longer allowed but instead we were all handed a paper plate by Cellisia who had prepared us a ‘grab & go’ of the local food. More beer to go with it.

As we descended towards the town of Soufriere we had views of the magnificent twin pitons. Although I had seen these many times they are still awesome.

We boarded the water taxi from Soufriere to Sugar Beach which is located between the pitons for swimming and snorkeling. This was no mean feat as it is a wooden ladder to climb down into the boat but the young fit boatmen ensured we were all in safely. During the ten minute ride we enjoyed the unbelievable views of the coast.
We had an hour at the beach / marine park for snorkeling. It is just like snorkelling-in a tropical fish tank there were so many varieties and plentiful. Those not snorkelling still got to see the fish as I had suggested they take bananas and feed the fish from the pier. The fish just love bananas.
All too soon the hour past and it was time to get back on the boat and say goodbye to this paradise.
Back at the transport Cassius had the much needed cold beers and soft drinks ready for us.

Then we went to the only drive-in volcano in the world. Here Cassius asked who wanted to partake in the mud bath but none on our group wanted to get into the hot communal muddy water. Pre Covid this was a highlight of the tour.
He continued to the viewing area of the volcano where a guide gave us the history behind it. We could see the lava bubbling but it’s hundreds of years since it last erupted.

The final stop was at a very refreshing waterfall. The water was fierce but so invigorating. I was the brave one here from our tour group.

All too soon it was time to head back towards the ship but first another treat from Cellisia of warm homemade bread and cheese. Now it was time for the Rum punch. Boy was it strong but it went down well with our group. Cassius told us that it is secret family recipe and made by the Boss Lady.

Back at Seraphine point where Aurora was waiting for us we said our goodbyes and thank yous to Cassius.

Queen Victoria was still there on the otherside of the port and hopefully all the guests who were fit enough are now back on board Aurora for the sailing across the Atlantic Ocean to Prai Vittoria.

When I returned to the ship Garry was waiting for me. He had a good day at the ‘home made beer bar’. Our friends came to his rescue after saying to them he would buy the beers he realised in his rush to get out after finishing the laundry he had forgotten his money. No Garry your cruise card doesn’t work ashore.

We had booked the Beach House for dinner which was very busy. It did rain and our table had to be pushed back further but no way did we want to eat inside. We ordered a bottle of wine to go with the Fish kebab and the Beach House also offered us a free glass of house wine.
The rain didn’t last long and it was another fabulous evening spent outside.

We met our friends after dinner and had drinks outside. I just hope the warm weather lasts for a few more nights.

[Suekersh]

Latest update from Sue and Garry.

Tuesday, 22 March 2022
1 st sea day to Azores.

The clocks went forward 1 hour overnight and there will be 4 more changes before we reach the Azores.

A glorious hot sunny day which I spent in the sun whilst Garry read in the shade and kept my liquids topped up.

Formal night and the food was excellent just like it used to be for all the formal nights. We both chose the Panko prawns as a starter, followed by Beef Wellington and Raspberry soufflé.
I did wonder if the food was a few notches higher than it has been all cruise because it is the launch day tomorrow for the summer 2024 cruises.

We sent the evening with friend on deck sampling some coconut rum they had bought in St Maarten.

Wednesday, 23 March

The summer 2024 brochures were delivered overnight.
The loyalty desk opened early as we are still 3 hours behind UK time. They had been expecting queues but when we went past there were very few passengers around.
Garry went at around 3 p.m. to get some prices and no queue.

We were completely underwhelmed with the launch and we only identified one cruise to book. Even that is a disappointment as 24 nights to the Caribbean only gives 5 islands in the Caribbean.

It was hot and sunny and I spent the day on deck on the sun lounger.
It was extremely busy and all the beds were taken around the pool area. Not much social distancing going on down there.

There was some outside entertainment planned for the evening with Dancing under the stars. Why has it taken 3 weeks into the cruise to organise this ? So much more Covid friendly than dancing in Masquerades. It probably won’t happen again as the weather will start deteriorating very soon.

Thursday, 24 March 2022

Blustery on deck and a passing storm in the morning. Cloudy most of morning but sun arrived soon after lunch. I stayed there soaking up the rays until it was time to get ready for the evening which was another formal night

A few days ago we received an invite from the Loyalty staff for a meal in any of the select dining venues on board. We had booked Sindhu but had heard from other passengers that it was closed for the rest of the cruise due to operational reasons.

The Beach House is fully booked until the 28 th March which only left the Glass House.

It was a lovely meal and a different menu to last time we were there earlier in the cruise. It was exceptionally busy and I was pleased we went early. The Glass House cannot be booked in advance so they have no idea how many they are catering for. More and more staff were being brought in from other venues to help out.

As usual we met friend on deck who had brought brandy with them for me to sample. The measures were very liberal and after the pre dinner gin & tonic, bottle of wine with dinner, port with the cheese then the brandy I slept like a log.

[Suekersh]

Morning all
A nice update from Sue and Garry

3 Sea days and Praia Vitoria - Azores

Aurora rocked and rolled across the Atlantic.
I wasn’t feeling too great after last nights excesses and the motion of the ocean wasn’t helping either.
I took a tablet which worked and we went down to Main dining room breakfast. We were sat on next table to Margaret & Colin who we had met on previous long cruises. We hadn’t seen them all cruise but found out that they had been in isolation for 16 days and missed all of the Caribbean ports of call.

Passengers were sat out on deck in jumpers and fleeces but unless the sun was out it was very chilly on deck.

Lots of groups forming airing their grievances about the ship and management of Covid. A passenger was told by reception that everyone staying on board for the next cruise had to pack their cabins up, leave their suitcases on board in Southampton then disembark for their test then once positive can reboard and unpack their suitcases. This information almost caused Mutiny on Aurora until it was partly refuted by officers but as the testing regime is changing no one actually knows what is going to happen regarding testing in Southampton. All will be revealed in the next few days.

Covid was still rampant and many crew had gone into isolation with it.

We had another excellent meal in the Glass House but had heard reports from other passengers who were disappointed in the food they were served in there.

Mothering Sunday and our lovely cabin steward Isian left me a pink carnation and wished me Happy Mothers Day.

I contacted my sons but only by Wi-Fi.
The 7 th formal night with only one more formal left. I usually enjoy the formal nights but because we aren’t going to any entertainment venues it has become a chore to dress for dinner then go immediately back to cabin to change to sit outside.

Tomorrow we are in Praia Vitoria but although the wind is light and the seas moderate, so will not prevent us from docking it is still not certain that we will be allowed off ship because of the very high Covid cases on board.

We docked early morning in Praia Vittoria and all formalities were quickly dealt with and the announcement that we had all been waiting for that we can now disembark Aurora.

It was a lovely warm sunny day. We caught the shuttle into the centre and walked down to the beach area where there are plenty of bars.
Many passengers walked up the steep incline to get the view overlooking Praia. I forgot to wear my trainers so sat and watched them whilst sampling the local beer.
The wi fi was free and a good connection meant that everyone had the same idea. The news soon got out that Aurora is going into Dry dock next month and cruises had been cancelled.

Most of the passengers staying on for the next cruise are hoping that it will be cancelled but it hasn’t been announced yet.

The sailaway announcement from the Captain included for the first time the recognition that there was a lot of Covid on board amongst the crew and passengers and that the galley crew were severely affected. Reception staff also affected and will be closed between 2 p.m and 5 p.m. daily.

After dinner we had a message from our friends that they had just been tested for Covid and that she had tested positive, although her husband was negative. Such a bad ending to their cruise but at least they visited every island.

A lovely final port day.

[allatc]

How badly affected with Covid were Margaret and Colin ? (By which I mean Covid symptoms / effects not the issue of being incarcerated in a cabin
Are we talking mild symptoms, no visible symptoms or on the verge of being rushed to intensive care ?

[cruisin_duo]

Sue, thank you for your reports - enjoyed reading them.

Safe journey home.