Oceana Christmas Cruise E625

Oceana cruises in 2016
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Happydays
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Re: Oceana Christmas Cruise E625

#101

Post by Happydays »

I hope everyone enjoys the firework display.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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Raybosailor
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Re: Oceana Christmas Cruise E625

#102

Post by Raybosailor »

Happydays wrote:
I hope everyone enjoys the firework display.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Yes we did Happydays thank you, the whole day in Funchal was most enjoyable, we decided to just have a walk round the town because we have done most of the tourist things in previous years.
The main road where the shuttle bus drops off was buzzing all day with various folk musicians,dancers and singers entertaining the crowds milling around the town and there were quite a few artisan craft and food stalls lining the street which together with the music and dance put everyone in party mode.

Back on Oceana we had a lovely Black Tie dinner event where the haggis was piped in and addressed in traditional style by a Scottish member of the Headliners troupe and the toast was conducted by Captain Andy Willard.

Up on Riviera Deck the champagne flowed as the party got into full swing with the Four Tunes male singers setting the pace backed up by DJ Dom until the ships horns signalled the midnight hour and the fireworks did the rest. What an amazing display it was too, we didn't know which way to look next as there were three dredgers out at sea setting of displays behind us competing with those in the town, in the end I just held the iPad at arms length videoing as I was pirouetting round the deck.

New Years Eve on Funchal is definitely one for every ones bucket list if you haven't already done it and one event I would repeat time and time again.

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Re: Oceana Christmas Cruise E625

#103

Post by Happydays »

Glad to hear how good it was:)
We have never been on a New Year cruise. It sounds very good would definitely like to try one.

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Re: Oceana Christmas Cruise E625 The Review

#104

Post by Raybosailor »

Oceana Christmas Cruise E625 Review

20th December. On Route
We prefer to stay overnight in Southampton and we were booked into the Travelodge on Castle Way, no frills but clean and ample sized rooms and there is limited garage parking beneath the hotel.
Our usual route to Hampshire looked a bit iffy on the Highways website so I decided to take the 10 mile longer route via the A42, M42, M40 to pick up the A34 which turned out to be a good decision as we sailed through. I had planned to arrive at the hotel at 12:00 noon as previous guests would have to vacate by this time leaving the car park practically empty, as last year my plan worked and we pulled in to an empty car park and even got the same bay as last year right next to the lift.
Being a tight wad I elected not to pay the extra tenner for early check in but the friendly receptionist said she could clearly see my car on the security screen and would keep an eye on it so after a quick drink in the bar we walked across the road to the West Quay Shopping Centre which gets bigger every year. After a couple of hours in West Quay with Cheryl I soon realised it would have been cheaper to pay for the early check in at the hotel, my only purchase was a Santa hat in Poundland and guess how much I paid for it ?.

21st December Embarkation.
We had a 13:30 check in time but as it took an hour to queue just to get rid of the car last year we decided to leave the hotel at 12:00, as we reached the flour mill which was where we started queuing last year there was not a car to be seen and we carried on through the gates to find that there were only a handful of cars in front of us.
Oh dear we are going to be far too early now said Cheryl but with the luggage taken away I was prepared to take a long wait, we were ushered straight to check in and issued with our cruise cards and then asked to sit in the lounge and wait to be called. As there were quite a large number of passengers who were obviously going to board before us we decided to sit back with a glass of wine and listen to the excellent choir who were singing carols.
Just as the last sip of wine went down our embarkation letter was called out and we were told that all cabins were ready so we dropped our coats and hand luggage off and were sat having lunch in the Plaza at 12:50 so P&O get a ten from Len and Hooray from Ray for that.
Our inside cabin was ample but the wardrobe hanging space was limited so I removed all the wooden hangers from their clips as we pack most of our clothes on wire hangers which take up less space.
We were unpacked and even had ample time to explore the ship before the muster call went out and we were soon on our way down Southampton Water into the Solent from where we took a Westerly course past the Needles towards La Coruna.
We were allocated as requested a table for four and were joined by a couple from Ashford in Kent John & Julia, our head waiter Harish introduced himself and we discussed my dietary needs and as usual I was looked after very well for the remainder of the cruise.
The entertainment in Footlights was the Headliners introduction show which we enjoyed before a drink in The Yacht and Compass bar before retiring for the night.

Weather: Wet and windy but not too cold with a moderate sea swell as we entered the Channel shipping lanes.

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Re: Oceana Christmas Cruise E625

#105

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Raybosailor wrote:
Arrived in Arrecife this morning and watched Oriana ( crewed by the one and only Cubie ) berth beside us. The sun is shining and it is a very pleasant 19 degrees.
Last night was the ships company pantomime " Robinson Crusoe" which was very amusing and even Captain Willard made an appearance.
Tonight is curry night in the Plaza so we are giving our waiters a rest before setting off for the Starlights Theatre to watch the Headliners show.
Glad you all had a (mostly) enjoyable trip. We found the weather was good all around - calmest seas we have experienced in 10 years of Christmas cruising. Even got a bit burnt in Gran Canaria and Lanzarote! We did share a beer in Lanzarote with a couple from Oceana who gate crashed our table. They said it was largely enjoyable but had encountered this bad-tempered sort from Nottingham !!

Turns out one of our former Christmas table companions was also on Oceana - Michael and Ann from Bedford. He has a few steam engines so you will remember him if you came across him!


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Re: Oceana Christmas Cruise E625

#106

Post by daib GC »

qbman1 wrote:
Raybosailor wrote:
Arrived in Arrecife this morning and watched Oriana ( crewed by the one and only Cubie ) berth beside us. The sun is shining and it is a very pleasant 19 degrees.
Last night was the ships company pantomime " Robinson Crusoe" which was very amusing and even Captain Willard made an appearance.
Tonight is curry night in the Plaza so we are giving our waiters a rest before setting off for the Starlights Theatre to watch the Headliners show.
Glad you all had a (mostly) enjoyable trip. We found the weather was good all around - calmest seas we have experienced in 10 years of Christmas cruising. Even got a bit burnt in Gran Canaria and Lanzarote! We did share a beer in Lanzarote with a couple from Oceana who gate crashed our table. They said it was largely enjoyable but had encountered this bad-tempered sort from Nottingham !!

Turns out one of our former Christmas table companions was also on Oceana - Michael and Ann from Bedford. He has a few steam engines so you will remember him if you came across him!

The new berth in Arrecife is excellent. A very present walk along the Marina past shops bars and restaurants. When I say walk I mean scooter.

It was quite cool and windy in GC but better in La Palma.

I did take Oriana's photo.

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Re: Oceana Christmas Cruise E625

#107

Post by qbman1 »

daib GC wrote:
qbman1 wrote:
Raybosailor wrote:
Arrived in Arrecife this morning and watched Oriana ( crewed by the one and only Cubie ) berth beside us. The sun is shining and it is a very pleasant 19 degrees.
Last night was the ships company pantomime " Robinson Crusoe" which was very amusing and even Captain Willard made an appearance.
Tonight is curry night in the Plaza so we are giving our waiters a rest before setting off for the Starlights Theatre to watch the Headliners show.
Glad you all had a (mostly) enjoyable trip. We found the weather was good all around - calmest seas we have experienced in 10 years of Christmas cruising. Even got a bit burnt in Gran Canaria and Lanzarote! We did share a beer in Lanzarote with a couple from Oceana who gate crashed our table. They said it was largely enjoyable but had encountered this bad-tempered sort from Nottingham !!

Turns out one of our former Christmas table companions was also on Oceana - Michael and Ann from Bedford. He has a few steam engines so you will remember him if you came across him!

The new berth in Arrecife is excellent. A very present walk along the Marina past shops bars and restaurants. When I say walk I mean scooter.

It was quite cool and windy in GC but better in La Palma.

I did take Oriana's photo.
Lucky you - we still had that 'orrible 'bus ride through the port! Apparently there is a path to the town but I didn't fancy it. I have a couple of pictures of Oceana too - one when we were coming in first thing and another with the sun going down over her stern. I'll try to post them tomorrow

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Re: Oceana Christmas Cruise E625

#108

Post by qbman1 »

As promised, here's your little tub in Lanzarote last week - early morning and evening
IMG_5884.JPG
Last edited by qbman1 on 06 Jan 2017, 10:45, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Oceana Christmas Cruise E625

#109

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22nd December At Sea

After a comfortable night we took breakfast in the Ligurian Restaurant and went for our morning walk round the decks before the forum meet up in the Card Room arranged by Dai. There was quite a good attendance as there were three different forums involved and it was nice to put faces to people who had made contributions to the various threads. Unfortunately Lynda was unwell on the morning but David came down for a few minutes but we never caught sight of them thereafter so I hope Lynda is ok.
First black tie night and Captains welcome party tonight and our first sight of Captain Andrew Willard, the champagne flowed pretty well and we were offered a second glass plus a top up before we left for dinner. Our son Tony had ordered us a surprise wine package so we ordered a bottle of Chardonnay with our meal and top that with a drink in the Yacht and Compass we retired to the cabin very merry indeed and both slept through a heavy swell as Oceana did the Jingle Bells Rock.
Weather: North Westerly force 6 with a heavy swell, max. temperature 12 deg.

23rd. December La Coruna
Despite copious amounts of alcohol last night I was awake by 05:30 so to avoid waking OH (would I dare?) I went above to raid the beverage station in the Plaza and after three brews I stood on Sky Deck to watch our approach into La Coruna before returning to cabin and surprisingly my cell mate was up and dressed.
Usual breakfast in Ligurian then back to cabin to pick up essentials for our walk ashore, we have not booked any shore excursions on this cruise so it will be a leisurely walk ashore at every port. The walk around Coruna was very pleasant as we meandered around the narrow streets and squares, after a stop for coffee and Wi-Fi opposite the Playa we returned to the ship for a late lunch.
The afternoon for me was spent in a very competitive game of shuffleboard with three chaps from Birmingham while Cheryl went to watch a film.
Always ready for a sing along we attended the sail away party on Lido deck led by Liam Jay and his team before returning to our cabin to prepare for dinner.

Weather: Light winds and moderate swell with max. temperature of 15 deg.

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Re: Oceana Christmas Cruise E625

#110

Post by qbman1 »

Is that you I can see looking out of the window of the Plaza and clutching a cup of tea on my first piccy, Raymondo ?
IMG_5884.JPG

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Re: Oceana Christmas Cruise E625

#111

Post by Raybosailor »

qbman1 wrote:
Is that you I can see looking out of the window of the Plaza and clutching a cup of tea on my first piccy, Raymondo ?

IMG_5884.JPG
Probably Cubie I bet it was my third mug by the time you took this, hope you had a good time on Oriana and a Happy New Year to you and yours.


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Re: Oceana Christmas Cruise E625

#112

Post by daib GC »

Raybosailor wrote:
22nd December At Sea

After a comfortable night we took breakfast in the Ligurian Restaurant and went for our morning walk round the decks before the forum meet up in the Card Room arranged by Dai. There was quite a good attendance as there were three different forums involved and it was nice to put faces to people who had made contributions to the various threads. Unfortunately Lynda was unwell on the morning but David came down for a few minutes but we never caught sight of them thereafter so I hope Lynda is ok.
First black tie night and Captains welcome party tonight and our first sight of Captain Andrew Willard, the champagne flowed pretty well and we were offered a second glass plus a top up before we left for dinner. Our son Tony had ordered us a surprise wine package so we ordered a bottle of Chardonnay with our meal and top that with a drink in the Yacht and Compass we retired to the cabin very merry indeed and both slept through a heavy swell as Oceana did the Jingle Bells Rock.
Weather: North Westerly force 6 with a heavy swell, max. temperature 12 deg.

23rd. December La Coruna
Despite copious amounts of alcohol last night I was awake by 05:30 so to avoid waking OH (would I dare?) I went above to raid the beverage station in the Plaza and after three brews I stood on Sky Deck to watch our approach into La Coruna before returning to cabin and surprisingly my cell mate was up and dressed.
Usual breakfast in Ligurian then back to cabin to pick up essentials for our walk ashore, we have not booked any shore excursions on this cruise so it will be a leisurely walk ashore at every port. The walk around Coruna was very pleasant as we meandered around the narrow streets and squares, after a stop for coffee and Wi-Fi opposite the Playa we returned to the ship for a late lunch.
The afternoon for me was spent in a very competitive game of shuffleboard with three chaps from Birmingham while Cheryl went to watch a film.
Always ready for a sing along we attended the sail away party on Lido deck led by Liam Jay and his team before returning to our cabin to prepare for dinner.

Weather: Light winds and moderate swell with max. temperature of 15 deg.

Lynda and David were both fine, we saw them on a number of occasions around the ship.

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Re: Oceana Christmas Cruise E625

#113

Post by qbman1 »

Obviously Lynda just trying to avoid Raymondo !

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Re: Oceana Christmas Cruise E625

#114

Post by Raybosailor »

qbman1 wrote:
Obviously Lynda just trying to avoid Raymondo !
Looks that way Cubie

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Re: Oceana Christmas Cruise E625

#115

Post by Raybosailor »

24th. December Christmas Eve At Sea

There was an air of festivity about Oceana this morning even at the early hour that I was up on deck having my first brew there were one or two people walking about with Santa hats on, and by 7:45 when we took the walk to the Ligurian for breakfast there was Christmas music playing in the Atrium.
We took our usual mile (or just over as we did 4 circuits) around the prom deck and then walked up the stairs to the Lido Deck where we found a place out of the wind to sit and for Cheryl to read her Kindle and for me to do a few Sudoku’s. We were going to have a chill out day today so we stayed there to take part in the Music Master Quiz, we were two points off winning it but the family group that got the most points were using their phones so we quietly considered ourselves the winners and there were no prizes anyway.
As we sat up on Lido deck we noticed that there were quite a lot of kids in the 12-16 age group and as the days went on they were all forming into a fair sized group and our concern was that they would get a bit rowdy. Our fears were never realised as they were very well behaved indeed which was more than I could say for a handful of adults onboard. They joined in with all the deck parties with great enthusiasm and they took up a whole row in Footlights for most of the shows and were a credit to their parents.
At 17:00 we went back up to the Lido deck for the Christmas Eve party and the arrival of Santa at the ships funnel, there was a lot of singing and silly dances which really put everyone in the Christmas spirit. Then it was back to the cabin for a shower and get changed for dinner complete with Santa hats as our table companions had insisted that we wear them, as it turned out they had the same hats as us with flashing lights (someone else shops at Poundland).
The Headliners did a “Jingle Bells Rock” show which was really good and we found ourselves rocking, singing and clapping all the way through the show. Then it was off to the Yacht and Compass to sing along with the Front of House group before collapsing into bed. Oh! I forgot to mention, Santa had been while we were out and left us both a stocking with chocolates in and there was a P&O Christmas card signed by the Captain and senior officers.

Weather: North Easterly Force 4 wind with a max. temperature of 15 deg.


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Re: Oceana Christmas Cruise E625

#116

Post by Lynda and David »

Raybosailor wrote:
qbman1 wrote:
Obviously Lynda just trying to avoid Raymondo !
Looks that way Cubie
Hello Ray

I'm sorry we didn't get to meet I really wasn't trying to avoid you, I don't understand why I felt so ill on that first sea day I don't usually get seasick and was fine the rest of the holiday even going through that dreadful storm on Monday on our way back. At the end of the first week I asked Dai and Linda if they had seen you and if they knew which bar you drank in but Dai said he hadn't seen you since the get together.

Maybe we'll get to meet on another cruise.

Regards

Lynda

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Re: Oceana Christmas Cruise E625

#117

Post by Raybosailor »

Lynda and David wrote:
Raybosailor wrote:
qbman1 wrote:
Obviously Lynda just trying to avoid Raymondo !
Looks that way Cubie
Hello Ray

I'm sorry we didn't get to meet I really wasn't trying to avoid you, I don't understand why I felt so ill on that first sea day I don't usually get seasick and was fine the rest of the holiday even going through that dreadful storm on Monday on our way back. At the end of the first week I asked Dai and Linda if they had seen you and if they knew which bar you drank in but Dai said he hadn't seen you since the get together.

Maybe we'll get to meet on another cruise.

Regards

Lynda
Glad you were ok after that first sea day Lynda, we drank in the Yacht and Compass after the shows in Footlights, I was hoping to speak to David again about the Bush and Hammersmith but maybe on another cruise as you say.


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Re: Oceana Christmas Cruise E625

#118

Post by daib GC »

Raybosailor wrote:
Lynda and David wrote:
Raybosailor wrote:
qbman1 wrote:
Obviously Lynda just trying to avoid Raymondo !
Looks that way Cubie
Hello Ray

I'm sorry we didn't get to meet I really wasn't trying to avoid you, I don't understand why I felt so ill on that first sea day I don't usually get seasick and was fine the rest of the holiday even going through that dreadful storm on Monday on our way back. At the end of the first week I asked Dai and Linda if they had seen you and if they knew which bar you drank in but Dai said he hadn't seen you since the get together.

Maybe we'll get to meet on another cruise.

Regards

Lynda
Glad you were ok after that first sea day Lynda, we drank in the Yacht and Compass after the shows in Footlights, I was hoping to speak to David again about the Bush and Hammersmith but maybe on another cruise as you say.

Ahhh that's why we did not see you we were always in Winners or Magnums or the Atrium never drank in the Y&C

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Re: Oceana Christmas Cruise E625

#119

Post by Raybosailor »

25th December
Christmas Day at sea.

I was up late this morning 6:30 and Cheryl was awake early so over a cuppa we opened our Christmas presents then headed off to the Ligurian for breakfast where everyone was comparing Christmas jumpers.
Later on the Captain read a story to the children in the Atrium and around the ship there was a lovely air of Christmas.
Christmas dinner was black tie and it was nice to see that everyone had made an effort and there were quite a few kids dressed to the nines too.
Christmas dinner was not the best we have had but bearing in mind that the chefs had cooked for almost 2000 people it was a sterling effort.
Due to the amount of alcohol consumed the rest of the evening remains a blur so I can't remember what the evening entertainment was.

Weather: Easterly force 3 winds,
max. temperature 19 deg. and dry.

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Re: Oceana Christmas Cruise E625

#120

Post by Kenmo1 »

Raybosailor wrote:
Due to the amount of alcohol consumed the rest of the evening remains a blur so I can't remember what the evening entertainment was.
Sounds like you enjoyed yourself anyway.

Thanks for bringing back memories of last Christmas for us. Having said I probably wouldn't do another Christmas cruise, your review is starting to tempt me.

Maureen

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Re: Oceana Christmas Cruise E625

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26th. December

Agadir, Morocco

I was up early this morning and raided the beverage station for my first of many cups of builders tea (yes a two teabag job) and was joined by a woman who told me her whole life story over three mugs of tea, and I thought I'd had an interesting life.
Before long the lights of the port were visible and we watched as Oceana slid gracefully into her berth, I begged my excuse from Lady Dunnitall and scurried down the stairway to find that Cheryl was not feeling too good and would be skipping breakfast.

With Cheryl still not feeling well she told me to go ashore and Facetime the family as we had promised so I boarded the courtesy coach and set off for the town. At the bus drop off point I made straight for the beach area, playing Russian roullette with the traffic across the two busy roads and down the alley beside the smelly zoo.
When I reached my destination (McDonalds for wifi only) they were shut but I sat on the bench outside where I got a half decent signal to catch up with family and sift through a multitude of emails received since Coruna. Speaking to fellow cruise passengers down there they told me that not many places were accepting the Euro so considering that I only had a few cents in change and two 50 Euro notes I wasn't going to risk getting a pocket full of camel teeth or Dirham as change I never spent a penny in Agadir.
I was soon back on the bus back to the ship and it was soon evident that a lot of passengers did likewise and talking to people who had done excursions many of them were disappointed with them.

Cheryl was feeling much better when I returned so we decided to have lunch in the Plaza where we sat with a couple from Long Eaton and we were amazed to find that the lady was born only a few doors from where Cheryl was born and her husband lived most of his life in my old stomping ground and we sat for ages reminiscing about life in those areas.

We spent the afternoon in a sun trap on Lido deck drinking copious amounts of builders from the beverage station as we were trying to cut down on the alcohol but we succumbed to a Pina Colada at the sailaway party where we were joined again by the Long Eaton couple. Like many others I was not sorry to see Oceana leaving the port of Agadir and can fully understand why so many stay onboard.

Wheather: Winds Easterly force 4 with a max. temperature of 21 deg. and dry.

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Re: Oceana Christmas Cruise E625

#122

Post by qbman1 »

We joined the "stay on board in Agadir" fraternity this time too. It appears that quite a few cruises are scheduled to call there. I know P&O are looking for "new" or "different" destinations but this one seems generally unpopular so I wonder how long before it is dropped

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Re: Oceana Christmas Cruise E625

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27th. December

Arrecife, Lanzarote

Up on deck early as usual with mug of builders to watch Oceana's approach into Arrecife, the island is well known for its strong breezes and today was no exception.
After a couple of hours up there with cobwebs blown off and a few more mugs of tea I went back to find Lady C up and dressed and the kettle was on the boil so I joined her in another brew before going down to breakfast in the Ligurian.

We have done most of Lanzarote on shore based holidays in the past so it was a walk ashore for us and a trip to the market, then after a walk around the town it was a quick coffee and wifi hook up before returning to the ship.

I hadn't ordered a gluten free meal today but we went to the Ligurian for lunch as they always have the cold meat platter and side salad and we much prefer to eat there as opposed to the Plaza buffet. We were seated on a table for six but to our horror there was a couple on there that openly addmitted that it was the first time they had been allowed out of the cabin. They were telling us all about the men in white suits and face masks coming to their cabin so we excused ourselves before the sweet and coffee courses and made a hasty retreat. (calling at the sheep dip on the way out).

The rest of the day was spent on Lido Deck where we took part in the Music Master quiz but finished with a measley 22/30 score. We stayed up there until the sailaway party but as the cocktail of the day seems to be normal price now I sang along aided by a bottle of Magners cider.

All of the guest entertainment is either something we have seen before or not to our taste so unless the Headliners are in Footlights we seem to be following the resident group Front of House around the ship.

Weather:East South Easterly Force 6 winds, dry with max. 19 deg. C

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Re: Oceana Christmas Cruise E625

#124

Post by qbman1 »

Raybosailor wrote:
27th. December

Arrecife, Lanzarote

Up on deck early as usual with mug of builders to watch Oceana's approach into Arrecife, the island is well known for its strong breezes and today was no exception.
After a couple of hours up there with cobwebs blown off and a few more mugs of tea I went back to find Lady C up and dressed and the kettle was on the boil so I joined her in another brewbefore going down to breakfast in the Ligurian.

We have done most of Lanzarote on shore based holidays in the past so it was a walk ashore for us and a trip to the market, then after a walk around the town it was a quick coffee and wifi hook up before returning to the ship.

I hadn't ordered a gluten free meal today but we went to the Ligurian for lunch as they always have the cold meat platter and side salad and we much prefer to eat there as opposed to the Plaza buffet. We were seated on a table for six but to our horror there was a couple on there that openly addmitted that it was the first time they had been allowed out of the cabin. They were telling us all about the men in white suits and face masks coming to their cabin so we excused ourselves before the sweet and coffee courses and made a hasty retreat. (calling at the sheep dip on the way out).

The rest of the day was spent on Lido Deck where we took part in the Music Master quiz but finished with a measley 22/30 score. We stayed up there until the sailaway party but as the cocktail of the day seems to be normal price now I sang along aided by a bottle of Magners cider.

All of the guest entertainment is either something we have seen before or not to our taste so unless the Headliners are in Footlights we seem to be following the resident group Front of House around the ship.

Weather:East South Easterly Force 6 winds, dry with max. 19 deg. C
You must have a cast-iron bladder, Raymondo !
IMG_5912.JPG

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Re: Oceana Christmas Cruise E625

#125

Post by Raybosailor »

How would you like security checks like this at Mayflower Cubie ?

http://d1ypndy0byt0zg.cloudfront.net/wp ... ages_8.jpg

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