We’re back on Victoria for the first time since our Western Med cruise back in 2018, and back in Britannia for the first time since the post Covid “Cruise to Nowhere” in 2021. We took this short cruise because we needed three more days to reach the Diamond loyalty tier and we are off on another QV cruise in a couple of weeks and the extra benefits provided by being diamond would be welcome. Because this was a short cruise my theory was we wouldn’t need much luggage so it would be a good time to try getting the train
Category: Port Days
Jane had asked Cecilia, our cabin steward, if they could have a look at the air-con yesterday, as the room was too warm for a lady of a certain age. I can report that it’s fixed because it was freezing overnight and I was fully wrapped up in the duvet when I woke this morning. I’m really enjoying being in a Britannia cabin on this cruise, yes the stateroom is slightly smaller than the PG stateroom and you don’t get free bottled water delivered every day, but I do have a shower that comes up past my chest and as
Our returning berth had been changed from the Mayflower to the Queen Elizabeth cruise terminal. Our only experience of this terminal was not a good one with train movements causing traffic chaos and extensive delays to cars arriving at the terminal. So naturally we were worried since our train was scheduled for 10:30 and our disembarkation time was 09:40. Normally plenty of time to collect our bags and get to the station but in the circumstances we were concerned. It turned out that it wasn’t an issue, our 09:40 turned out to be an 09:10 with an announcement for all
This is our first fly-cruise, and because we had a lot, and I mean a lot of bags, we had decided to stay in a hotel at Gatwick, dropping our bags off the night before which would allow a fuss free journey to the plane via security in the morning. It all went well until I took my phone out at reception only to find I didn’t have it on me. Find my iphone dot com said it was back home, so at least I don’t have the worry that it’s gone.After a terrible night’s sleep, me not the hotel,
We were woken at 06:30 by the screeching of a pump of some kind just outside our stateroom. I had an alarm set as we had an early start with a tour out to Old Antibes at 08:45 but this was just a bit too shrill and early for me. It did give me a chance to get out onto the balcony and watch the sunrise over the Ile Sainte-Marguerite Suitably showered and now awake I headed up to breakfast with Jane in tow, I had Swiss bircher Muesli yesterday so changed it up to smoked haddock and poached eggs
We woke up late today, 8am which I would like to think is unlike us, but I’m sure as the cruise progresses it will become the norm.The view from the stateroom window was far more industrial than yesterday’s as I could see nothing other than cranes and shipping containers. I dithered around until Jane said it was 09:15 and if I didn’t get a move on we’d miss breakfast. Suitably focused we were in the PG restaurant well before it closed and ordered up our breakfast while we decided what to do. We hadn’t any trips booked as I didn’t
I woke at 07:15 with what looked like bright sun piercing the stateroom curtains, so I hopped out of be to capture this morning’s sunrise only to be told to shut those curtains, Jane is not a morning person. We went up to the PG restaurant for breakfast where I was undecided on what to have. I would like a fry-up but my waistband really can’t handle it every day, so it was a compromise with a mushroom, cheese and chilli omelette and a Cumberland sausage on the side. Nice. After breakfast we hurried off the ship as there were
I hopped out of bed to catch the sunset this morning but alas we are on the wrong side for it today. We are in Valencia today, we were here in November where we went on a tour. We didn’t plan on going on a tour but we’d decide we fancied getting the shuttle ashore at breakfast. It turns out there is a world triathlon event in Valencia today and the shuttle has a transfer time of 40 mins so that put paid to any thought of going for lunch ashore. Instead it was decided that we’d do the laundry
It was all a bit noisy this morning with the hustle an bustle of disembarkation for the guests who’s cruise had finished today. Jane had decided that she was having a lie in so it was breakfast for one for me up in the PG restaurant. Breakfast finished early today at 09;00 so by the time I had arrived at 08:45 it was very quiet and I opted for a granola yoghurt pot with compote and a mushroom, cheese and chilli omelette. I grabbed a granola pot and a banana for Jane back in the room so she had something
After a terrible nights sleep, plagued by indigestion which I blamed on a breakfast bagel, we were woken up by the screeching of the tenders being lowered ready for ferrying guests over to the port. We didn’t have any trips planned for today so it was a leisurely breakfast – no bagel for me today, We’d had a chat with the head waiter Vitali who suggested getting the train. So we discussed whether to go to Monaco as Jane hadn’t been there before so we got the tender over to Villefanche Gare where it was 12 Euros for a return