First port was Cadiz - we just got off and wandered - there was a lovely market - lots of jewellery and bags and I am afraid I together with my DIL and her mother succumbed and each bought a leather bag - I need another bag like a hole in the head!!! We walked to the Cathedral - spent an hour there looking around - my DIL taking lots of photos (she always compiles a book of our holidays - photos/tickets/little bits of information etc.) and has it printed and bound. We had a drink in a small cafe and then made our way back to the ship. It was a hot day and the girls spotted a sign for hot chocolate and churros - they didn't want the hot chocolate but went in and ordered churros to take away. They came out of the shop with a large brown paper bag full of them - piping hot and absolutely delicious - they hadn’t expected to be given so many so we all got stuck in which wasn’t a hardship quite honestly.
The next port was Messina, Sicily and my son and DIL had booked the “Godfather Trail” tour - they are both fans of the Godfather books and films. As you can imagine the girls weren't interested so the two Nannas took them to the beach - it was only about half an hour away and we were provided with beds and umbrellas - the sand was scorching hot - couldn't walk on it without flip flops. There was a beach aerobics session taking place in the sea - must have been about 50 people in the water dancing to some very loud music - hilarious. We returned to the ship around 2.30 pm - lots of excursions returning at the same time so the usual queue to get back on board. My son and DIL really enjoyed their trip although it was very hot and there was a lot of walking but they saw lots of the places where the movies had been filmed.
The sail-in to Venice started at 6.30 am so we got up early and went up to the deck above the Crow’s Nest and had a commentary from someone in the excursions department. It never fails to impress me although the first time we visited Venice we sailed in on a Celebrity ship with classical music being played and lots of Americans whoop whooping - sticks in my mind as the most memorable entrance to the port. As a first for the family though it was lovely to see how much they enjoyed it too. They had booked an excursion which they thoroughly enjoyed but commented how hot and busy it was. They didn’t want to return in the afternoon so I didn’t get off having done it all before a few times - I wasn’t really bothered and the in-laws certainly didn’t fancy negotiating a wheelchair around. I noticed from the ship’s log that the temperature for Venice was 20 deg. - that must have been at 7 am - it was certainly hotter than that during the day.
The next port was Sibenik, Croatia - the only new port for me and the in-laws - they didn't get off as it was a tender port. We went ashore by tender and then by bus to Sibenik - pretty place with lots of bars along the front and a square with a church and some tourist shops - amazing flavours of ice-cream in the little kiosks - would have been rude not to try. There were trips further afield to Split and the Dalmation Coast. This was the hottest day so far and we returned to the ship for lunch and then my son, DIL and her mother decided to go back to swim off the piers near the dock for the tender - big mistake - it was difficult to get in and quite choppy and getting out was a nightmare - they stepped on urchins and were picking out the little needles for days. Some people went on a trip to the Krka National Park but were disappointed not to be able to spend more time in the lake there although they had been told it was going to be for a very short time - the rest being to see waterfalls etc. It amazes me that people just don’t read the information about the trips they book.
Dubrovnik was our next port and we went on the shuttle into the town. Foolishly I agreed to go with the family up on the walls - I had forgotten just how many steps there were to climb - lots of fantastic photo opportunities however and a drink to sustain us but I swore I will never do it again (yes I said that the last time). It was comforting to know that the family struggled too and they are years younger than me - the heat didn't help either. We came down and wandered around the streets but the girls were hot and bothered and we went to join the inevitable queue for the bus back to the ship. While we were waiting a male passenger felt ill - would you believe he was dressed in long trousers, long sleeved shirt, full shoes and socks - no hat - and it was 36 deg. We spotted him a few times on the ship - cords, long sleeved shirt etc. was his standard garb - did he not realise he was going to the Med in July/August and the likely temperatures - the mind boggles!!!
We spent the following day cruising through the Messina Straits en route for Sardinia.
The next port Cagliari and again a very hot day - a shuttle took us into town and we bought tickets for an hour’s tour around the town in an open-sided bus - we were provided with headsets with a running commentary of the sights. We saw far more of the town than walking the streets - the bus took us right to the top of the town and we had spectacular views - lots of photos taken. When the tour finished I took the girls back to the ship while their parents continued exploring.
We had a day at sea and the last port - Gibraltar - it was a Sunday but most of the shops were open. There is a watch stall on the way into the town and both the girls had new watches - the youngest girl had a purple one with lots of buttons for just £8 and the oldest a really blingy one with diamonds
for £18. My DIL however invested in a new Skagen watch and an emerald pendant and my eldest granddaughter a ring - lucky girls. My son bought a litre bottle of vodka for the ridiculous sum of £7.We had four formal nights on the cruise - most people adhered to the dress code certainly in the dining room and the bars like Anderson’s and the Crows Nest. The rest were smart casual which means absolutely anything but I didn’t see anyone in shorts in the dining room - couldn't speak for the buffet as we only ate there at lunch time. There were lots of families like us - grandparents/parents and children plus some older couples but it never seemed to be too busy even when we were at sea we always managed to get beds or chairs. We did get a bit annoyed with the bed hogging especially one day when a pair of red trainers “sunbathed” all day and when the guy who owned them put them on he left a pair of flip flops in their place.
I went to the Caribbean lunch with the out-laws - lovely menu which we were told was actually the Baltic/Ligurian lunch menu - bit of a moaner on our table but generally fine - we outnumbered her - the officer on our table was in charge of the stores ordering everything from loo rolls to engine parts.
We were up very early to have breakfast at 7 am on disembarkation morning - we were leaving the ship at 8.45 am for the coaches and this was a bit of a fiasco as although they had two rows from the theatre leaving at a time there was quickly a hold-up and we were just queuing all around the stairs to get off - bit chaotic. Being a smaller ship it was easy to find the cases and we were leaving the docks at approximately 9.30 am and I was home just after 1.15 pm. My poor son however had a dreadful journey - accidents on the way home on M5/6 and of course the roadworks held them up too.
My youngest granddaughter declared it the best cruise ever but then asked where we were going next summer - her father replied - the caravan and got the response “that’s not a proper holiday”. She had forgotten we have booked the Christmas cruise in December 2018 to the Caribbean and it is far too expensive to do two family cruises in one year especially as we are limited to school holidays.
We did have a great time - 17 nights - lovely ship - we all like Aurora - the crew are happy and although there are not the facilities of the larger ships I would be quite happy to sail on her again. We particularly like the Crystal Pool with the retractable roof - those first few days out of Southampton can be a bit cool but it is a pleasant place to sit and of course the children can use the pool.
If you got to the end of this report - well done - I know I ramble on a bit
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