E427 - the Canaries

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E427 - the Canaries

#1

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The run-up

Seven weeks ago, mum was rushed in to hospital, vomiting faeces and thinking she was going to die. They couldn’t find the blockage, which cleared itself but they did discover that there was a leakage from where they removed half her bowel in a cancer op a couple of years back. While she was in, they tried to find out why she has lost so much weight.

Around that time, I developed a tummy upset, which lasted for 5 weeks.

Three weeks ago I developed tonsillitis and was off work for the best part of two weeks (one week was planned leave but I was still ill).

Mum had her gas boiler service last week and the engineer discovered a fault in her house’s electrics, in that there was no earth. They traced it back and found that the earth bus under the pavement had corroded away – none of the houses in that side of the street were safe. The pavement was dug up in the pouring rain and the cable renewed. The hole was tarmacced on Monday.

On Sunday, I broke a tooth.

Mum was starting to think this cruise is jinxed.

The Lady C decided she was going to bring her teddy-bear, Isaiah (Izzy) with her.
Alan

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Re: E427 - the Canaries

#2

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Tuesday 14 October

What a day!

We left the house at 0845 to go to Tesco and Timpsons, the latter for a watch battery, the Lady C’s watch having packed up. The traffic trying to leave Bradley Stoke was stacked up for a mile and a half in each direction. Although due to open at 0900, we gave up at 0915 and decided not to bother with the watch battery. We filled up with petrol and headed for the motorway. The traffic had now cleared. The rain was torrential. As we passed the M32 junction, we saw an information board warning of hold-ups between J14 and J13. About a mile or so before J14, we ground to a halt. It took us an hour to reach J13 – the lights at the exit had failed, apparently. They were switched back on just before we got there. Instead of reaching mum’s at 11.00, we arrived at 12.30. After a quick cup of tea, and fixing her computer (she’d logged herself out of Skype and couldn’t get back in), we loaded her things into the car and headed off to the docks just before 13.00. Halfway round the M27, I saw a stone flying through the air and then a loud bang – I’ve now got a cracked windscreen.

Maybe this cruise is jinxed…

As we turned onto the road alongside Ikea, we joined a long queue of traffic. We eventually arrived at the QEII terminal at 1350. Handing over the car was not as slick as when we checked in previously at the Ocean terminal – I had to park the car and wait until someone came to register it. As we approached the check-in desk, a coach disgorged its passengers in front of us. When it came to our turn to be processed, the computer on the desk we were at crashed just as she was registering the credit card, so we had to be passed to another clerk, and the process started afresh. Hey ho, we were on board by 1430, and fed and watered by 1500. As is now our tradition, the Lady C had a salad and a cider, I had a curry and a beer.

Mum met up with her neighbours, who had a check-in time of 1400, and who were onboard at 1100. Maybe it’s just the mega-ships where they are enforcing the check-in times…

The safety drill seemed to take forever, then it was out onto the Promenade deck to watch the sailaway. Portside was alongside, so we moved to the front of the ship to get away from the smokers, but standing at the drinks station to get our complementary glasses of bubbly meant breathing in a lot of smoke and, by the time I got back, I felt very queasy. The actual departure was a bit of a non-event and it was too cold to stay out for long, so we went back to the cabins to finish unpacking. Well, the Lady C did that, I went up to have a look at the gym facilities, which I must try and use this time.

Our table companions seem very nice, a middle-aged couple with her mother, who is older than mine. So we’re well matched! Apparently the chap isn’t one for restaurant meals so we won’t see too much of him. It looks like one of our waiters is Atul Kochar – I asked him shouldn’t he be on Ventura cooking in Sindhu. He was gracious enough to laugh at the joke.

This was our first time with P&O since they introduced the concept of plated meals and we think it works very well.

We then went to the Footlights to watch the Welcome show. We don’t have a cruise director on this ship, we now have an Entertainments Manager. The children’s entertainment chap looks like Nicholas Cage. The show was only 30 minutes, so we found a seat in Explorers and chatted until Café Jardin opened for bedtime drinks, then it was up there for our customary decaf coffee, hot chocolate and Horlicks.

Wot – no pillow chocolate??
Alan

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Re: E427 - the Canaries

#3

Post by Silver_Shiney »

Wednesday 15 October.

A bit of a bumpy ride overnight – the Lady C was woken up by an almighty bang around 0200. Mum later reported that she’d heard and felt it too. The sea state was classed as moderate and was expected to get rougher as the day goes on. You’d have thought that, given the number of ships in this part of the Atlantic, they’d have done something about the potholes in these sea lanes….

We came back to the cabin to find Izzy sitting on the bed wearing my baseball cap.

My ladies went to a cookery demonstration while I went to a lecture on the history of ocean liners and cruise ships, before we met up for lunch in Café Jardin. Mum then announced that she wasn’t feeling too well and went back to her cabin to rest.

The Lady C went on to a craft class, to make Japanese wire jewellery, while I had a nap before going to the gym.

‘ere – where are my three dress shirts? Answer – hanging up safely in my wardrobe at home… Fortunately, the onboard shop had one left in my size! There’s another thing – the cruise joining instructions said there would be three formal nights. There are now four. This has thrown a lot of people, not just us.

I knocked on mum’s door at 1715 – she was fast asleep. She said that a wave of tiredness had swept over her and, when that happens, she literally has to stop everything and go to bed. She’s feeling fine now.

After dinner, none of us wanted to go to the show (Gotta Sing Gotta Dance) so we sat in Tiffanys, mum to people-watch, me to read my book and the Lady C did her cross-stitch. Then it was up to Café Jardin for our bedtime drinks.

Izzy was sitting on the bed reading Horizons.

We had pillow chocolates tonight – the steward must have nipped back to Southampton for fresh supplies.

The sea state is getting worse, and there’s a frequent noise like a 40 gallon oil drum falling over. As we’re near the front on Deck 6, it’s probably waves crashing on the bow. The ship’s movement made it hard for me to get to sleep.
Alan

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Re: E427 - the Canaries

#4

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Thursday 16 October.

Woke up feeling very tired. The ship’s movement is still bad, even with the stabilisers out. I’m having to take Quells. It’s forecast to improve after lunch. After breakfast, we found Izzy wearing my http://cruise-community.me.uk/gallery/i ... age_id=626] headphones.

Surely there’s only so much the cabin steward can do with him?

Mum and I went to the second in a series of lectures on the history of transport. Yesterday was ocean liners and the development of the cruise industry. Today he’s talking about cars. The Lady C went back to her craft class and made a necklace for herself.

Lunch was, again, in Café Jardin. We sent mum back to her cabin for a nap, I went to the library to read my book and look at the jigsaw, while the Lady C caught up with a study she’s doing before she and I went to the Plaza for afternoon tea. I then had a nap while she did some circuits of the promenade deck.

I sat in Tiffanys to read a book while the ladies went to see a film. Mum saw the start and end, and slept through the rest. Then back to Café Jardin for our bedtime drinks. When we got back to our room, we found the TV switched on and Izzy sitting there with http://cruise-community.me.uk/gallery/i ... age_id=619]the remote in his paw.
Alan

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Re: E427 - the Canaries

#5

Post by Silver_Shiney »

Friday 17 October.

The sea state is still moderate and the ship is still rolling and pitching. Another motion sickness tablet for me – I hope we can find a pharmacy once we hit port otherwise we may not have any left should we need them for the return home. It is a lot warmer outside though. Yesterday at midday it was very cool and so overcast you would have though it was the night-time side of dusk.

When we got back from breakfast, Izzy was staring intently at Claire’s phone.

I’m actually a bit upset and troubled by how adversely the ship’s motion is affecting me. The Lady C has already overheard two couples whinging about the motion and saying they will never cruise again. For crying out loud, we’re in open ocean, for Pete’s sake, oceans are full of things called waves. Is the captain supposed to be responsible for the weather?

I went to the next talk on the history of transport – aviation today. Claire took mum with her to the jewellery-making class, which lasted a couple of hours, and then they caught up with me in the library before we went for lunch in the Plaza.

I still wasn’t feeling wonderful so retired to our cabin, while mum went to a classical piano recital and the Lady C found a quiet spot to catch up with her study and do some cross-stitch.

After a very nice dinner, we all trooped off to Footlights to watch The Beatles Experience – wonderful. We would highly recommend this group, who sound just like the Fab Four.

When we got back to the cabin, Izzy was crashed out on the bed. Obviously this high life is too exhausting for him. Either that or our steward has run out of ideas…
Alan

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Re: E427 - the Canaries

#6

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Saturday 18 October – Madeira

We docked just after 0900, there being a slight delay caused by Balmoral being in the berth our captain had expected and she had to move up a bit. There was a shuttle bus from the dock into the town, which was complementary to Select Fare passengers, everyone else had to pay. We were told it would take around 20 minutes to get there but Claire and I decided to walk. It took us 15 minutes and we got there at around the same time as a couple who were getting on the bus as we left the ship. We had a nice little stroll along the sea front, then cut inland to find a market. Having found it and wandered around, we then found what was billed as a shopping mall but was more reminiscent of the old Inshops. We did find a little café there where we had an expresso and custard tart for €1 each. I managed to pick up a signal on WIFI-Madeira, which didn’t require any login details. The connection was a bit sporadic, but we both managed to check our emails. We walked a bit further and found a large white church, outside of which were sitting a large number of ships’ crew (as well as Balmoral, there was also Emerald Princess and MSC Simphonia in port) busily tapping away at their phones, tablets and laptops. We returned to the ship and met up with mum for lunch on the balcony of Horizons before readying ourselves for our “Scenes of Madeira” excursion. The tour took us round to various viewpoints on the island before taking us to a winery in the centre of Funchal. This was very disappointing. We thought there might be at least nibbles but anyone can just walk in and be given a small glass of the local wine. We, too, got that, and a voucher with which to get either a second sample or 5% discount off any purchases. There was no talk or anything, unlike other wineries we’ve been too. We were then bussed back to the ship for a formal night.

After dinner, the matriarchal one went to Starlights to listen to a singer, while Claire and I sat in Magnums, she to do her cross-stitch, me to read a book. After the show, we all trooped through to Tiffany’s until it was time to repair to Café Jardin for our bedtime drinks. We have noticed that the standard of service here is nowhere near as good as it used to be, with the exception of one waiter, Joy, who knows “our” table and what we want to drink without us having to ask. The coffee is also very weak.

The bear was just sitting on the bed tonight.
Alan

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Re: E427 - the Canaries

#7

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Sunday 19 October – La Palma

We didn’t arrive here until just after 1200, so we went to a shortened church service and then just lazed around (well, mum and I did, the Lady C explored the delights of the laundry room….). The sea state was moderate, just as it was on the trip down, but the ship didn’t seem to have as much movement as before, so I didn’t feel at all queasy. The captain announced that, because of the expected bad weather forecast for the afternoon, all excursions were cancelled. Apparently it was the island’s authorities who made the decision to cancel all trips. After we docked, we went ashore and followed Towny’s instructions (thanks, mate!) to get into the town. Being a Sunday, very little was open so we found a café, had a drink and came back to the ship. Mum went for a nap while we sat in the Jacuzzi below the Terrace Bar. If we ever come back here, we’ll try for an excursion – there doesn’t seem to be much to the town, even allowing for it being Sunday and most places being closed.

As The Beatles Experience was very popular, we opted to have an early dinner in the Plaza and get to the Footlights before the rush. The show was excellent – a very talented group. We sat the rest of the evening out in Magnums for a change before going up to Café Jardin.

Izzy was wearing my sunglasses when we retired.
Alan

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Re: E427 - the Canaries

#8

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Monday 20 October – Gran Canaria

We decided we would use the HoHo bus today, and found we could buy tickets onboard, chargeable to our ship’s account. This, however, did not mean we were exempt from the very long queue to get on the bus. The stop by the docks is No 9 on its 10-step route – we would recommend crossing the road and a plaza beyond to get to the No 1 stop, where the queues (if any) will be much shorter and some folks will have got off the bus by then. We got off at the cathedral but were disappointed that the narrow streets associated with such an area were absent, so we found a café (the El Monje) that offered coffee and cake for €2.30. Their wifi password is elmonje27. It’s about a 30-minute journey back to the dock – the whole route takes about 50 minutes. There’s a large shopping mall next to the dock but many units were empty. They advertise free wifi on the second floor, but there were only two connections available (one being courtesy of the Land of the Golden Arches) and both were very weak, even sitting right outside McDonalds (no passwords were required).

We took mum back to the ship and had some lunch, then Claire and I got back on the HoHo and managed to get onto the top open deck. We found that the headphones were a waste of time – the commentary was very sparse.

Although Gran Canaria is a large city, there doesn’t seem to be much there (as also evidenced by the sparse commentary on the HoHo). I was thinking that should we ever return, we’ll have to do an excursion but someone said to us that there’s just desert beyond the city limits. I’m sure a member of this illustrious forum can put me to rights on that!

On our return to the ship, we went for a soak in the Jacuzzi before dinner.

The show tonight was a comedy ventriloquist, Steve Hewitt, who came fourth on BGT. We know he came fourth because he told us. Several times. He was very good indeed.

I had to have a word with the girl in charge of the stewards in the Café tonight. The drinks were barely warm and, again, Claire had to wait for her coffee and then again for the milk.

Izzy was wearing my hat tonight.
Alan

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Re: E427 - the Canaries

#9

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Tuesday 21 October – Lanzarote

Our tour was to the Mountain of Fire and was scheduled to leave at 0850. We decided to get up earlier than usual and have breakfast in the Plaza, instead of the MDR, so as to get to the bus early and hope to get a seat near the front, as mum and I don’t travel well at the back. As it happened, we were the first on and got a seat right at the front. This turned out to be just as bad (for me) as being at the back. Fortunately I had taken a motion-sickness tablet before we boarded, but by the time we returned to the ship, I was still feeling a bit green. We were advised to take warm clothing because it could get cold near the top of the volcano – as it happened, it was quite warm up there.

This excursion was well worth it. We thought Lanzarote was just black everywhere, but the various forms of solidified lava come in reds and yellows, as well as blacks and greys. The actual structures are fascinating to look at too – smooth, rough, strata, plates, small stalactites, it’s all here. We had to wait a long time for entrance to the national park because there were a large number of coaches queuing up to get in. Only so many coaches are allowed in at a time, so we had to wait our turn. The tour guide was not pleased about this as the excursions including a camel ride are supposed to go to the camel park first. On the way back, we passed through the vineyards on our way to a bodega where we were given a sample of wine and the chance to buy some. The wine at this particular place is consumed mainly in the Canaries but a small amount is exported to California, Germany and France – you won’t get it in the UK.

After lunch, Claire and I walked back along the exit road to a marina complex that only opened three days ago. There are some expensive boutique shops there as well as a local supermarket, which offers free wifi. We hadn’t brought our Hudls, so can’t comment on the quality of the connection. As I hadn’t slept at all well the previous night, I went back to the cabin for a snooze while the Lady C went off to find a quiet spot to catch up on her cross-stitch. Later, we went up for a soak in the Jacuzzi.

Strangely, this was a formal night – never known that to happen on a port day before. The main show tonight was a comedy magician, who was very good.

The service in the Café tonight was spot-on, all drinks served promptly and piping hot.

We now think we know what happened to our pillow chocolates on the first night – we came back tonight to find the bear with one of tonight’s choccies in his paw: obvious conclusion is that he’d scoffed the first two…
Alan

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Re: E427 - the Canaries

#10

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Wednesday 22 October

We’re now transiting back to Lisbon. After breakfast, we found the bear sitting on the chest of drawers, with a cup in his paw.

I went to the lecture on the development of the cruise ships, while the ladies went to the MacMillan coffee morning. The rest of the day was spent quietly bimbling round the ship until it was time for the Chocoholics party. On our last cruise, mum fell down the stairs at the bottom of the atrium. Today she tripped up the step in the Ligurian. She sustained a few cuts from the plate she was carrying that broke, and the medic came up to dress these (the cuts, not the bits of plate). There was concern that she wouldn’t stop bleeding because of the warfarin, but the medic said he wouldn’t charge her for the treatment. The Lady C was more shaken than mum.

There was a towel animal on the bed tonight, and Izzy was sitting next to it.
Alan

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Re: E427 - the Canaries

#11

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Thursday 23 October – Lisbon

We berthed between Balmoral and Adventure of the Seas, near the railway station, and saw the HoHo bus just across the road so, having already bought our tickets on the ship, we made our way over there and set off for a tour of the city, which was a new port for mum. We got off at a large department store – El Cortes Inglés – for a coffee and one of Portugal’s famous custard tarts. The store is huge – seven floors above ground level and four below. We caught the next HoHo for a ride down to the west, past the Belem Tower, and then back to Black Horse Square, where we got off and walked back to the ship. There is a little pottery shop half-way back that we wanted to find and nearly missed it today, as there was a slot of scaffolding outside, but we found our way in and bought a few bits and pieces.

It was gone three by the time we arrived back at the ship, so made our way to the Plaza for a late lunch, then mum went back to the cabin for a nap while Claire and I sat on the Promenade deck to watch the departure.

Tonight’s show was Killer Queen, a tribute to Queen and some of their hits. It was a superb show and the first time I’ve seen Headliners get a standing ovation. We made our way back to Tiffany’s for a drink and some people-watching, then we went up to the Café for our usual – shock, horror, there was someone sitting at “our” table: a group who still hadn’t finished their main meal. Hardly the end of the world!

Izzy was having a kip when we got back.
Alan

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Re: E427 - the Canaries

#12

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Friday 24 October

We’re now on our way back home. Today’s talk was on the development of the car during the 50s and 60s, and how it influenced culture. The lecturer is very interesting but, when he makes an American quote, he adopts a silly American accent.

The sea state is flat calm – you’d hardly know we were moving.

Most of the afternoon was spent in the library or just resting.

It was another formal night tonight – the Gala dinner with the Chefs’ Parade. Strangely, there was nothing on the menu to inspire me and the “safe” options of grilled salmon, steak or chicken were not officially available. The waiter persuaded me to try the Beef Wellington, which was surprisingly good.

None of the entertainment appealed and we actually had a job to find anywhere to sit. Tiffany’s was very noisy, and we ended up in the Yacht and Compass. The group there wasn’t too bad and after they finished their set, there was a pub quiz, so we had a laugh and joined in. We didn’t do as badly as some….

The bear is now advertising hand-cream ...
Alan

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Re: E427 - the Canaries

#13

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Saturday 25 October

The sea state, as we enter the Bay of Biscay is as lively as it was on the way down, but the motion of the ship is quite smooth, so no feelings of sickness, thankfully. The guest speaker wound up his series of talks on transport with a lecture on “Concorde, Jumbos and Aviation Today”. It was, as usual, very interesting but spoilt by his adoption of a faux American accent. Meanwhile, the ladies did their packing.

Claire and mum went to afternoon tea in the MDR, while I made a concerted effort to work on the jigsaw that has been out all week. It turned out that, even while only one-third done, there was several pieces missing.

After a decent dinner, we went to see the final magician show in Starlights, then it was back to Tiffany’s for a final round of drinks. At 1030 we went upstairs to the Café where, sadly, the young lass on serving duty let us down again with her poor performance. After first serving someone who arrived after us, mum and I got our milky drinks, then a few minutes later the Lady C got her (weak) coffee. I’d finished my drink by the time the milk was delivered. Another word was had with the head waiter, while the lad (Joy), who had been such a star during the other evenings, was given a well-deserved tip.

Izzy was resting when we eventually got back to the cabin.
Alan

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Re: E427 - the Canaries

#14

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Sunday 26 October – disembarkation

Our cabin steward consented to us leaving our hand luggage in our cabin while we went to the Plaza for an early breakfast. We were then required to go to Starlights to await disembarkation. This was delayed by a quarter hour or so, as there was a problem getting the luggage off. Eventually a young girl came through and started emptying the lounge in small sections. Inevitably, there were some who felt this did not apply to them and just barged through. Overall, the disembarkation process was the smoothest we’ve experienced to date.

Once in the baggage reclaim, we couldn’t see any trolleys. These were eventually found through a gap in the wall, but there was no sign saying where they were. We regained the car keys very quickly and set off for home. All in all, a very enjoyable cruise.
Alan

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Re: E427 - the Canaries

#15

Post by Gill W »

After the run up to the cruise, you all needed a good holiday, so I'm glad you enjoyed it overall, and that Izzy had a good time too!

Thanks for posting your reports
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#16

Post by towny44 »

After reading your mammoth saga Shiney I am very tempted to bin my attempt, your's is very interesting and entertaining, do I gather that you will now become Izzy's agent as she/he looks to conquer the world of advertising.
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#17

Post by Silver_Shiney »

towny44 wrote:
After reading your mammoth saga Shiney I am very tempted to bin my attempt, your's is very interesting and entertaining, do I gather that you will now become Izzy's agent as she/he looks to conquer the world of advertising.

You're too kind, sir. Please don't bin your story, I'm quite sure it will be at least as interesting as my ramblings.
Alan

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#18

Post by Dark Knight »

nice to see you back safe and sound :thumbup: :thumbup:
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#19

Post by Silver_Shiney »

thank'ee, kind sir!
Alan

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Re: E427 - the Canaries

#20

Post by Bunion »

What an enjoyable post-lunch read! Brilliantly written, thank you for the time you took to do it. We are going on Oceana for the first time in 11days time, and it was really interesting to get a feel of the ship from your report. Just noted that we live pretty close to you - I must keep an eye open for a much travelled bear who is obviously partial to a choccie!

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#21

Post by Silver_Shiney »

Thanks, Bunion, I'm absolutely certain that you'll love the Oceana.

Tiffany's on Deck 7, around the atrium, seems to be the most popular place to sit in the evening. We found the best time to get a seat was at the start of the second dinner service just after the first show in Footlights ended - but you'd need to be quick because everyone else leaving the theatre will be hunting for a seat! Le Club can be quiet, especially during the day, but the one evening we chose to sit there quietly listening to the piped music, DJ Dom came in and started a request show, and pumped up the volume :evil:

Izzy is also partial to a cuppa!
Alan

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#22

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What a lead up to your cruise Alan, thankfully it was all fine by sailing date, lovely review and I loved all the photo's of Izzy :thumbup:
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Re: E427 - the Canaries

#23

Post by CaroleF »

What a great report - loved the adventures of Izzy! Oceana is one of our two favourite ships - the other being Adonia - and we are on her again next March on a similar trip to the Canaries - I just hope it's all plain sailing in all ways. Glad you were able to enjoy your trip. Looking forward to the next review of Izzy's adventures!

Carole

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Not so ancient mariner
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Location: Cumbria

Re: E427 - the Canaries

#24

Post by Not so ancient mariner »

Bunion wrote:
(snipped)

I must keep an eye open for a much travelled bear who is obviously partial to a choccie!
.....and whose eyes are slightly off level.. ;)


daib GC
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Re: E427 - the Canaries

#25

Post by daib GC »

Alan thanks for an interesting report. Especially so as we were on the two cruises before this one. We fared much better with the weather havering calm seas for nearly all the 25 nights.

On Gran Canaria we always just walk over the peninsular to the beach on the other side. No more than 10 mins or 40 if you stop for a coffee. The beach is very nice and popular with a long prominard. It must be over 2 mile. On the prom are cafés and shops. Giving a very pleasant walk.


Gan Canny


Dai

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