Tuesday, 31 January 2017

29th & 30th January - At Sea

We are now on our way to Cabo San Lucas. I had my first yoga lesson today and another booked for tomorrow. The cocktail party for World Voyagers this evening was packed.  Nearly 600 people are doing the world tour but it was so much better on Queen Victoria when there were only 200 and much more intimate and friendly.

I went back for more yoga punishment this morning!

Tuesday 31 January - Cabo San Lucas
Cabo is a city at the Southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula.
Fortunately the weather is still good although the temperature will start dropping as we sail on to San Francisco. We have to tender off today so will wait until it's a little quieter before we go ashore. We were here a couple of years ago and the only cruise ship in but today there is also the Grand Princess and Carnival Miracle so it's really busy.

Enjoyed a quiet drink in one of the bars before moving on to Fat Tuesday's where the tequila was flowing freely. It is next door to Senor Frog's which is absolutely mad!
Thanks for the comments Heidi. If anyone else would like to then please feel free!
I haven't found it that easy to use but then I keep losing my wifi connection. Very frustrating x

Saturday, 28 January 2017

Thursday 26th & Friday 27th January

At sea on our way to Mexico.

A beautiful, calm Pacific Ocean and hot, sunny days.

Not a lot to say really!

We had a special Peking Duck dinner with our dining friends last night with crepes Suzette to follow. Extremely tasty and good fun. Watched the Cunard singers and dancers in a London Palladium show which was actually better than we thought it would be. I went to see Lord Robert Winston's talk on happiness & emotions which I found really interesting (Terry was on dolphin watch)!
We've seen a few pods of dolphins,tuna and flying fish - Terry thought he saw a whale and the bridge also saw whales so probably so. We've walked miles (at least it feels like it!) and played table tennis.
Party night with the resident band Changez.

Saturday 28th January

Huatulco, Mexico

Happy birthday to our lovely Granddaughter Grace and Great Granddaughter Layla xxxx


Currently on the beach in Huatulco, Mexico. Terry has a Corona beer and I have a rather large Margarita!

Thursday 26th & Friday 27th January

At sea on our way to Mexico.

A beautiful, calm Pacific Ocean and hot, sunny days.

Not a lot to say really!

We had a special Peking Duck dinner with our dining friends last night with crepes Suzette to follow. Extremely tasty and good fun. Watched the Cunard singers and dancers in a London Palladium show which was actually better than we thought it would be. I went to see Lord Robert Winston's talk on happiness & emotions which I found really interesting (Terry was on dolphin watch)!
We've seen a few pods of dolphins,tuna and flying fish - Terry thought he saw a whale and the bridge also saw whales so probably so. We've walked miles (at least it feels like it!) and played table tennis.
Party night with the resident band Changez.

Saturday 28th January

Huatulco, Mexico

Happy birthday to our lovely Granddaughter Grace and Great Granddaughter Layla xxxx


Currently on the beach in Huatulco, Mexico. Terry has a Corona beer and I have a rather large Margarita!

Thursday 26th & Friday 27th January

At sea on our way to Mexico.

A beautiful, calm Pacific Ocean and hot, sunny days.

Not a lot to say really!

We had a special Peking Duck dinner with our dining friends last night with crepes Suzette to follow. Extremely tasty and good fun. Watched the Cunard singers and dancers in a London Palladium show which was actually better than we thought it would be. I went to see Lord Robert Winston's talk on happiness & emotions which I found really interesting (Terry was on dolphin watch)!
We've seen a few pods of dolphins,tuna and flying fish - Terry thought he saw a whale and the bridge also saw whales so probably so. We've walked miles (at least it feels like it!) and played table tennis.
Party night with the resident band Changez.

Saturday 28th January

Huatulco, Mexico

Happy birthday to our lovely Granddaughter Grace and Great Granddaughter Layla xxxx


Currently on the beach in Huatulco, Mexico. Terry has a Corona beer and I have a rather large Margarita!

Thursday, 26 January 2017

The Panama Canal











Wednesday 25th January

Panama Canal Transit

The Panama Canal is 51 miles long and connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.  Work on the Canal started  in 1880 and was completed in 1914.  Many deaths from yellow fever caused delays from the outset. It is certainly a magnificent feat of engineering.

We started our transit about 7.30am and first passed through Gatun Lock into Gatun Lake. It really is fascinating to watch even though we have been through it a couple of times previously. (Enjoyably so when our friends joined us for lunch during the transit a couple of years ago). We then carried on through Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks before reaching the Pacific Ocean about 4.30 pm. It was scorchingly hot but we're very lucky to have a wrap around balcony at the back so had good views.

As it is also Burn's Night we started our dinner with haggis, neeps & tatties! We watched the address to the haggis in the ballroom and a little bit of Scottish dancing before going to the theatre to watch a Frank Sinatra tribute.

A long but enjoyable day.

Tuesday, 24 January 2017

Arrived in a very hot and sunny Cartagena, Columbia early this morning. Enjoyed ourselves sightseeing on a Fun Bus (rum & coke, beers included!) not to mention the music played be three guys with accordion, bongo and something that looked very much like a cylindrical cheese grater!

Cartagena was founded by Don Pedro de Heredia in 1533 and captured by Sir Francis Drake in 1586.

Just a few pics






Cartagena, Columbia








Monday, 23 January 2017

Monday January 23rd - Tel's birthday

Another hot day sailing off the coast of South America on our way to Cartagena.

Terry was very happy to have Birthday cards to open this morning. A nice surprise for him. Had lunch out on the terrace in the sun and an extra beer!
Thought we'd be really decadent and have afternoon tea too. Sadly our waistlines won't allow it too often. I don't think our two games of table tennis would have worked much off. One game each but too hot for the decider. I'm just happy to win a game.

Sunday, 22 January 2017

Sometimes it's hard to believe you're on a cruise ship. When we are in the ballroom or indoor bars and restaurants it seems no different to any other high standard hotel. Unless the sea is rough of course.

A relaxing day sailing across the Caribbean Sea. Very warm but breezy so nice on the balcony. Nothing very energetic today apart from walking (which there is a lot of just getting around the ship) and table tennis.

Party up on deck this evening. Lovely and warm but too windy for us so didn't stay long. Came down one deck to our balcony where we could finish our drink out of the wind and still listen to the band.

We see Lord Robert Winston every day in the Grills and he gave a talk on the dark side of genetics yesterday but we completely forgot about it.

Sunday 22 January - Curaçao
Arrived at 9am this morning to a temperature of 39c. Nothing specific to do here so we walked into the centre of Willemstad past the Rif Fort where the shops and bars are. You have to walk across the Queen Emma Bridge also known as the floating bridge which is powered by a diesel engine to swing open for boats coming and going into the harbour. Even when you are crossing it.
We stopped for a Dino beer and bought a small bottle of Curaçao (as you do).

Here you go Heidi - a long way away though!


A few pics of Curacao







Saturday, 21 January 2017

Friday 20th Jan

Perfect sailing day. Hot and sunny with a cooling breeze. We now have deckchairs on the back and side of our balcony so that we can choose where to sit without having to move them! We are following the coast of Cuba before turning between Cuba and Haiti.

Met up with a couple that we used to do the quiz with on Queen Victoria. Although they're Brits they live in the US and have just boarded.

We've had a game of table tennis and hit a few golf balls. It's the first day the weather has been good enough to have our lunch outside on the Grills courtyard terrace.

Formal dress and ball tonight. The Cunard dancers and singers are very good and the professional dance couple did a splendid show dance.

Saturday 21st Jan
I won't bore you with everything little thing we do throughout the day as most sea days are pretty similar.

We are currently sailing on the Caribbean Sea and will pass by Jamaica shortly. It is hot and sunny with a much needed breeze. Our balcony now has four loungers and a sun bed! Christina is an excellent butler and looks after us really well so we're sitting on our balcony in the sun with a pre lunch beer and g&t and listening to the band playing on the upper deck.  We have everything we could wish for but it would be wonderful to have our family here with us.

Thursday, 19 January 2017

Fort Lauderdale

Wednesday
Much warmer again today although it's very breezy. Good enough to do a deck walk without a coat now.

Had drinks with a couple we'd met previously so a bit later for breakfast this morning.

There was a big change over of guests in New York and although we still have our German couple, Hamburgers Helmut & Christina on one side we have new dining neighbours on the other. A very pleasant English couple from Buckinghamshire, Sue & Hugh, on their way to San Francisco. Temperature 23c with a wind speed of 32 knots and we are travelling at 18.7 knots.

Not going out after dinner tonight so that we're up in time for our trip in Fort Lauderdale.

Thursday 19th Jan - Fort Lauderdale.
Early breakfast then off to Miami for the day. We did this trip a couple of years ago but then it was raining and today is hot and sunny.  Drove around the Ocean Drive area looking at the Art Deco buildings. Apparently they are only considered Art Deco if three stories or less. Very pricey with an interesting past. Such as the shooting of Versace.

We then went on to Bayside and dropped into the Hard Rock Cafe before boarding a boat to tour around Biscayn Bay and even more expensive houses on the islands (and a 300 million dollar yacht!). There are still a few well known people living there but most of them are now owned by rich businessmen.

A Cunard tradition as they leave Fort Lauderdale is always to sound the ship's whistle as a farewell and the residents of the apartments we pass respond by waving, blowing horns and flashing their lights!

While we were waiting for this we saw the Atlas V space surveillance rocket take off.

Two days at sea now before we arrive in Curaçao on Sunday.