Sue Kersh Live from Adonia

Reports about cruises on Adonia
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Sue Kersh Live from Adonia

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24 August / Embarkation Day

We drove down to Southampton from Lancashire Saturday morning. The roads were very busy with Bank Holiday traffic, as well as the Reading Festival and West Brom fans travelling to play at Southampton. We didn't hit any major hold ups until after Newbury but then it was nose to tail all the way.

We had booked to stay at the Elizabeth House Hotel which offer B & B along with cruise parking. A very friendly hotel, spotlessly clean and an excellent breakfast.

The hotel has a restaurant but unfortunately doesn't serve dinner at weekends.
Brett the owner recommended a couple of local bistros and not really wanting to travel far we opted for the Dock of the Bay just across the road. An excellent recommendation with lots of choice.

We were woken during the very early hours with the fire alarm going off. Amazingly, although the hotel was full only 3 couples evacuated their room. Luckily for everyone who didn't get up and risked being frazzled it was a false alarm. Apparently it had been activated due to the inappropriate use of a Hairdryer. The mind boggles as to what this actually means at 1 a.m!
Breakfast was excellent with lots of choice and everything was freshly cooked to order.

Boarding Adonia was stress free. With less than 800 pax. I had the honour of being first on board. We have cruised on Adonia twice before and it all came flooding back as we found our way to the Curzon lounge for the Champagne lunch. It was in here that I met some ladies I had been corresponding with on the cruise forums. We had already arranged to meet up on the first sea and now we will recognise each other.

Our cabin was ready for 1pm and our friendly cabin steward Diogo came to introduce his self. 3 of our 4 cases had arrived and the last one just before muster drill. It is surprising how everything fits in, but there are lots of nooks and crannies to fill and a novelty on PO ships there is actually a dressing table drawer and hooks on the walls. The balcony comfortably fits 2 reclining chairs on and a small table. Not as big as the C deck balconies but larger than the A & B deck balconies on Azura. The shower room is tiny but is spotlessly clean and modern.

Captain Box announced our departure shortly after the muster drill, and forewarned us of stormy seas ahead for the next 48 hours.

We had asked for a table for 4 by a window in the restaurant as we were supposed to be cruising with friends. It was a lovely surprise to see that the Restaurant manager was Rav who had been the restaurant manager on Arcadia for the world cruise. He recognised us immediately and gave me a huge hug. We explained that our friends had to cancel at short notice and he instructed our waiters to set the table for 2. The table is in a lovely area of the restaurant close to the wine waiters station so we will never have a problem getting our wine. Our waiters are Mendeep and Vikash both are friendly and professional.

After an excellent first meal we went to the Curzon lounge for a dance and to watch the headliners welcome on board show. Only 5 headliners in the group. 3 men and 2 ladies.

Tracey Clegg is the Cruise Director and gets very involved in the entertainment. There are only 3 other ents staff, Katie, Mel and the only male member Chris.

An early night beckoned especially after the bottle of Australian red wine with dinner followed by a couple of cocktails of the day which was Long Beach Iced Tea. One of my favourites.

A great first day on board the Little Adonia.

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Re: Sue Kersh Live from Adonia

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25 August - 1st Sea Day

Typical Bank Holiday Monday weather had followed us South. We woke to grey skies, choppy seas and the fog horn sounding regularly. According to Captain Box, Adonia has the biggest Horn in the fleet and he certainly takes great delight in using it.

There are contractors on the ship replacing and updating so e areas to meet the new Maritime laws which are due to come in force. I doubt they got much done today, as the decks were mainly closed due to High Winds and regular squalls.

There was plenty going on around the ship. I went line dancing before meeting the ladies from the forum in Andersons. We spent a pleasant ½ hour chatting before I met Garry for lunch in the Conservatory. I don't generally eat in the buffets but the Adonia buffet is just so civilised. There is a speaker on board who we met at lunch and he is very interesting company. His talk today was on the Colosseum and tomorrow the Acropolis.

The Battle of the Sexes Quiz was held in the Crows Nest. After the first round of general knowledge the ladies were ahead by 10 points but then came the dreaded musical questions. It finished with the men winning by 10 points but we have another sea day tomorrow ……..

There was a hair demonstration in the salon which was not particularly well attended but it could be because it is high up at the front of the ship. You can certainly feel the movement more up there. By the time I got back to the cabin I needed to take some medication and have a siesta.

The sun made a very short appearance just before we left the cabin for dinner.

The evening dress code was Smart, Jacket required and appeared to be adhered to. There was no alternative as the buffet does not open every night for dinner on this ship. The entertainment was Maxine Mazunder as Dusty Springfield. We have seen her before on Azura but on Adonia she is so close to the Audience. She was excellent but unfortunately she is disembarking in Lisbon so there won't be a second show.

We finished the evening off with a visit to the a Crows Nest to listen to a duo called Traffles, and then the syndicate quiz which is held in the buffet restaurant. A nice venue for the quiz but the temptation to eat the lovely cakes is overpowering. We joined another couple and although we didn't disgrace ourselves we didn't shine either.

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Re: Sue Kersh Live from Adonia

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26 August - 2nd Sea Day

Once again we woke to grey skies although the temperature was around 19 degrees and did not feel as cold as it looked. The ship had been hitting the Atlantic pot holes overnight but the good news was that we were making good progress and were almost through the BOB.

The Line Dancing had changed venues to the Oasis Spa Gym. This must be the worst spot on the ship when the weather is bad. It is forward and high. Dancing was a challenge but we had a decent work out.

We lunched in the Conservatory and finally the sun had his hat on and we ate outside overlooking the wake. We had spotted a pod of Dolphins or Marlins enjoying the sun and the wake.

More ladies turned out for the Battle of the Sexes but we only managed a draw with the gents so still trail by 10 points. It is good fun and the rivalry between the ladies and gents is gently fuelled by Tracy and Chris.

During the afternoon The Headliners performed Noël Cowards play Private Eyes. We had seen it on a previous cruise so decided on a siesta instead. The reports on the play were very good.

It was the First Formal night and the Captains Welcome Aboard party. The sea was now like a mill pond. The Captains speech was very weather orientated and everything was looking good. The drinks flowed freely and our wine waiter at dinner looked after us.

Dinner was the MPW menu of Asparagus, White wine and mushroom soup, Lobster and strawberries in Prossecco with Chantilly cream. All courses were excellent but my dinner was made when our waiter produced the Port Marinated Stilton round. This had been missing on our last cruise on Azura and I had feared that due to cut backs it would never be seen again.

The entertainment in the Curzon lounge was Roger Wright of Lion King fame. We had not seen him before but he has been on ships for a while now. We have seen some great acts on the ships and some extremely poor ones but Roger Wright is one Not to be missed. His show was full of energy and he performed for almost an hour. Such a shame it was a one off show and he disembarks in Lisbon.

Once again we finished the evening with the Syndicate Quiz. We had a full team and did better than last night. At the half way mark we were in the lead but after talking ourselves out of 3 different answers to the next questions we dropped down the leader board like a stone.

Tomorrow we will be in Lisbon and the forecast is Hot Hot Hot.

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Re: Sue Kersh Live from Adonia

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27 August - Lisbon

As promised by the Captain Lisbon was hot and sunny. As we had called here on many occasions we had planned to head off down the coast to Estoril.

We had docked fairly central to the town so the walk to the station Cais Do Sodre was around 25 minutes flat walking. The trains just go from The Station to Cascais with Estoril situated just before Cascais. It cost less than 10 euros for the return ticket for both of us. The journey was approx 25 minutes with a view of the coast line most of the way. At Estoril the beach was 2 minutes walk from the station.

The sandy beach was packed with holidaymakers and many were braving the Atlantic Ocean. We wandered around the area which isn't very big then found a bar with a view over the beach front and people watched with a couple of beers. With the sun shining it really began to feel like we were on holiday.

During the afternoon whilst on the balcony I looked down to see swarms of huge jelly fish drifting in the current. The colour of the Tagus river is a very dirty greeny brown and the Jelly fish had taken on a similar hue. There were hundreds of them.

There sailaway was planned for 4:30 and Tracy our cruise director was to take on the ice bucket challenge. I fully intended going to video this but unfortunately the beer and wine with lunch meant that I slept right through it.

We had booked the Ocean Grill for dinner which as usual was excellent. The surcharge for this cruise is £12:95. We were sat at an aft table overlooking the wake and watched Lisbon disappear into the distance

The entertainment programme for the evening was a Headliners show in the Curzon and the Orchestra playing Jazz in the Crows Nest. As we were later out of dinner we couldn't see both so opted for the Jazz night. A good choice as the orchestra were in their element.

We finished with the syndicate quiz. We had a full team again and although we aren't winning we are having great fun. As one of our team mates said ' it's the banter that's great fun the quiz is just secondary' she was so right.

Tomorrow is Portamao on the Algarve. A new port for us and the grilled sardines have been highly recommended.


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Re: Sue Kersh Live from Adonia

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Post by CaroleF »

Thank you so much for writing this report, and to Dennis for posting it. We join Adonia on 12th September and this is certainly whetting our appetite - don't think we will have much sun though, we are off to the Baltic!

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Hope Portimao was good!

they are in Seville today - look at the webcam
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Post by Jacknian »

Thanks for the good report, never been on Adonia so it's interesting reading about your cruise.

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I am really enjoying your excellent reports. Looking forward to more when you have time.
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Great report so far Sue but then yours usually are, looking forward to the rest of it.
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Re: Sue Kersh Live from Adonia

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28 August

Portamao

This is a new port for us although Adonia has called here previously. The port guide did not have a great deal of information and no map. Luckily I had done research before leaving home.

It was another sunny hot day and our plan was to get the shuttle into the centre and wander around before heading to the Arade river area for lunch.

The shops all had sales going on but were surprisingly quiet. Portamao is the 2nd largest city in Portugals Algarve area and it is certainly spread out and quite hilly. There are lots of seating areas, small parks and fountains and fabulous sandy beaches close by. The local ladies had crocheted colourful pieces to cover the barks of the trees. This made the park look colourful even without flowers. The plan for the city is to promote the tourist attractions so maybe the cruise ships will start calling more often.

The city is famous for its sardines, and we headed for the river area to sample some of these at their freshest. There are lots of restaurants here all trying to get you to sample their fish. The fishing boats are tied up by the restaurants and there was a lovely cooling breeze.

We sampled the local beer and ordered the sardines. A plate of Bread, butter, sardine pate, olives and local cheese was offered to us as a starter to nibble on while the lunch was being freshly cooked. The sardines are served with a chopped tomato and pepper salad, and small potatoes cooked in their skins very similar to the ones served in Teneriffe. The sardines were fat and juicy, and all washed down with the local red wine. Delicious and I was in my element. For me this is what travelling to different areas is all about.

We got a taxi back to the ship as we were too stuffed to manage the walk back into town to catch the shuttle and by this time the temperature was in the mid 30's.

The evening entertainment was Chris Reynolds who is the only male member of the entertainment team performing as Elvis. Hilarious and if you ever get chance to see his act don't miss it. He has an incredible voice but he is also so funny.

The band performed in the Crows Nest with Tracy narrating dressed as an elderly gentlemen eating egg mayonnaise sandwiches and dunking biscuits in a cup of tea. I guess you had to be there to appreciate the humour. The band are very talented musicians who play a variety of instruments.

We put the clocks forward one hour overnight in readiness for Seville tomorrow.

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Re: Sue Kersh Live from Adonia

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Post by Suekersh »

Hi all. We are stranded in Seville. Please don't tell the Captain but it was my fault. Last night I said to Tracy wouldn't it be nice if we could have another day in Seville then call at Gib instead of Tangiers. Well we have another day in Seville due to engine problems. We won't get to Tangiers but not sure yet where we will go. Oops if you wish hard enough .........

Love Seville and an extra few hours here is a real bonus. The next tide is 11 pm so they are hoping to set sail at 10 pm ish.

Sue

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Enjoy your extended stay.
Gill

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Post by Meg 50 »

what is it about Tangier?

we didn't make it there after Seville either!

It'll be interesting to hear where you're going next - we couldn't go to Gib cos it was too windy - so we pootled to Portimao... but you've already been there
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Apologies for the delay, next instalment

Seville

We entered the Guadalquivir in the early hours of the morning. The leisurely sail up the river was everything I had expected it to be. We passed country side, farmland and rice fields. The locals came out to wave to us and even the fish were jumping out of the water. One of the bridges had to be raised to let the ship through, and then the ship had to turn round and be backed down the river into the dock area.

We docked around noon and it was almost 40 degrees. There is very little around here as very few ships can navigate the river. It was extremely hot and we did not want to walk into the town area in the heat. It would have been a good ½ hour walk and I do think that P & O should have provided a shuttle bus. We disembarked and purchased tickets for the hop on hop off bus. It was very hot on the top deck and no shelter. We did see other buses with a cover over the top which would have been much more comfortable. Once we set off the breeze was refreshing. We had a two hour tour around Seville and saw many of the different Barios. We got our bearings ready for going out again in the evening once the sun had cooled.

In the evening we ordered a taxi to take us into the centre. We could have used the hoho again but it would have taken an hour and half to reach the centre which in the taxi took 10 minutes and only cost 6 euros. We wandered around the narrow streets and finally settled on an authentic Spanish restaurant to eat dinner. The restaurants have canopies which spray cooling water to keep the temperature and air around comfortable. We looked for somewhere that the Spanish people were eating at and were not disappointed. The food and wine were delicious and the waiters were teaching us some Spanish. A very enjoyable evening ashore.

When we arrived back at the ship the deck party was underway and it made such a change for it to be held on a balmy summers evening rather than the normal windy conditions out at sea.

Saturday in Seville

The following morning we breakfasted early in the cabin and then set off to explore the Parca Maria Luisa which then leads to the magnificent Plaza Espana. This features a huge semicircular building with towers at each end. There are hundreds of mosaic tiles , and each Spanish City is represented. There were Horse and Carriages offering tours around. It was wonderful just wandering around the waterways and bridges soaking up the atmosphere in the early morning sunlight. Many Spanish people were up and about early running around the park.

The Captain had announced yesterday that we would be departing at 10:30 am as he needed to catch the high tide. Even at High tide there are areas where the depth of water under the ship was only 2 metres. We really could have done with another day here but I have no doubt that we will return in the near future.

We departed at around 11 am but only managed to get just beyond the bridge which raises before there was a propulsion problem. The Captain announced a 15 minute delay, then a further 30 minute delay and then another 15 minute delay. At 1 pm he announced that the problem still wasn't sorted and that as we have now missed the High tide he was moving over to dock at the Commercial port. We are hoping that we will be allowed to disembark to see more of this wonderful city but at 2 pm we are still awaiting further information.

Eventually we disembarked at 14:15 with instructions to be back on board for 10pm. The formal night is now Casual. Night and we will not be calling at Tangiers tomorrow. Still not sure where we will be calling but are hoping for Gibraltar. It could do with being somewhere out of the EU or we will be paying VAT on everything purchased on board.

We flagged a taxi down which we shared into the cathedral area.

This is a very busy area with lots of tourist shops and bars. Very lively and 2 large beers only cost 3 euros. The sign did say free WIFI but that was not working. Amazingly we have only found one WI FI spots in Seville and that was very poor reception.

Now in Starbucks enjoying a cold Caramel coffee. Delicious.

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Seville Evening 30 August

We had a mooch round the Cathedral area but did not venture inside the Gothic Cathedral which is where the remains of Christopher Columbus are entombed. The architecture is amazing. It was exceptionally busy with locals as well as people on holiday. The bars were doing a roaring trade and it was difficult to get a seat anywhere. The sun was at its hottest at over 40 degrees and it reminds us why we prefer to do our sightseeing in a morning but this extra stay in Seville was too good an opportunity to miss.

We did consider eating out again but with the 10pm deadline we decided against it so we returned to the ship in time for a quick shower and change for dinner.

Just before dinner the Captain announced that we would still be calling at Tangiers albeit just for an afternoon call. We should arrive at 12 noon and will be departing at 6 pm. It seems a long way to go go for ½ day but the trips are all still running.

The entertainment was a fabulous young vocalist from Liverpool called Rachael Russell. Rachael holds the title 'Liverpool City's Singer in Residence'. This is another show not to be missed if you come across her on the ships.

We retired to the cabin early after 2 very busy days sightseeing ( and as in port there was the dreaded Spanish tax added on to all on board spend) and enjoyed a quiet drink on the balcony watching the night drawing in over the river.

Diogo had left us some towel art. 2 swans whose necks formed a heart shape. Very Romantic.

The clocks go back an hour during the early hours of the morning.

The ship finally departed just after 11 pm and arrived back into the Atlantic Ocean 06:30am.

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Post by Meg 50 »

glad they made it to Tangiers after all!
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Re: Sue Kersh Live from Adonia

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Post by Belle53 »

We saw Rachel Russell on our Canary Islands cruise on Oriana this summer and we thought she was fantastic, a very talented young lady with a lovely personality. Really enjoying your reports Sue, thanks for posting them.

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Re: Sue Kersh Live from Adonia

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Post by Suekersh »

Now back in Southampton. I have sent Denis the reports up to the end of this cruise. Just doing some shopping then re boarding intime for champagne lunch. It's such a hard life. Hope this next cruise lives up to the last which was fabulous.

Sue

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Post by Dennis The Menace »

I don't know, you don't hear anything for days and then Sue sobers up enough to send 5 days reports in one go - get yourself a brew and settle down :)

31 August

Tangiers

We arrived in Tangiers earlier than expected at 11 am. It had been a very windy but hot day on deck. By the time the officials had done their bit it was 12 noon before pax could depart.

There had been warnings galore about the need to book trips and the majority of pax had done so. However last night further warnings were delivered to the cabin regarding safety in Morocco and there was a long line of pax wishing to return their tour tickets. Only 3 trips were offered here and none had appealed to us.

We had a leisurely lunch on board and once the tours had departed we disembarked intending to look around the port area and perhaps wander into the town. As we got to the bottom of the gang plank some pax were returning. They advised us not to bother as it was a long uphill hike into town and even just leaving the port area you had to run the gauntlet of the hawkers.

We walked a little further to the 'tat stalls' and I doubt if they had sold anything in the last 10 years. Everything was faded with the sun and dusty and grimy. A further group of pax were walking back to the ship and once again we were advised that there was nothing worth seeing. We joined them to return to the ship.

We spent the rest of the afternoon lazing in the sun and enjoying the half empty ship.

The evening entertainment was the Theatre company who performed a Tuxedo Junction, followed by the Band playing Glen Miller with Rachel Russell the extremely talented vocalist from the previous night singing to a couple of the numbers.

Tomorrow is a sea day and the Ligurian lunch as well as the Black and White formal night.

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Re: Sue Kersh Live from Adonia

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1st September Sea Day en route to Opporto.

We woke to calm seas and a sunny day and spent a lazy morning sat on our balcony watching out for the sea life. It must be the right time of year for seeing Dolphins as they have made regular daily appearances.

At 11:45 we made our way to the dining room for our Peninsular luncheon. As usual it was very enjoyable and the conversation along with the wine flowed well. Our table was hosted by Peter a senior officer from the engineering department. The difference with the Adonia is that as there is only one dining room other diners are lunching in the same room. The restaurant manager had his hands full as chocoholics afternoon tea was also scheduled for the same day.

After lunch we went to see the Headliners perform the second play of the cruise called The Opposite Sex. They are a very talented group and the Curzon lounge was full.
The Chocoholics Buffet and galley walk through followed on after the play. The executive Pastry Chef who is responsible for the weight gain on this cruise is called Mark Cook. Very apt.

Although very tempted we skipped the chocoholics afternoon tea in favour of a siesta before the Black and White formal night.

The evening entertainment was Chris Hamilton a brilliant showman pianist. He was exactly that. At the end of his show he asked the audience to shout out the names of their favourite songs. Once he had about 10 names ranging from various Concertos to My old mans a dustman, and some pop classics as well, he sat down and played a seamless compilation including all of them. An amazing extremely talented man.

The entertainment on this cruise has been so superior to what we have recently experienced on the other ships.

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Oporto

The port for Oporto is Lexios. We arrived to a foggy/ Misty morning although the Captain did promise it would soon clear.

We got the second shuttle into Oporto arriving shortly after 9 am. We had visited here once before and had been on a river cruise down the Douro, and toured the port cellars before ending up at Crofts for port tasting which lasted most of the afternoon.

This time we decided to explore the other side of the river but first needed to ascertain where we could purchase our port supplies. The tourist ladies were very helpful at marking out the wine shops on our map. We visited a couple and sampled their wares even though it was still before 10 am. We made our purchases and arranged to collect them later in the day on our way back to the shuttle.

We wandered around the area which is very picturesque but hilly, so decided to take it easy and do the sightseeing train. It went around the town with a commentary in English, then over the river to the port cellars. The rest of the pax disembarked the train for a tour of a port cellar but we stayed on and returned to the city.

By this time is was noon so time to visit a local bar to sample the beer, then off to collect our port purchases before they closed for lunch. We found a very nice bar near the port shop which served local snacks. These were delicious croquettes. We tried the fishy one and a chicken one. Both were excellent and only 1 euro each. The waitress was chatty and luckily for us wanted to practice her English. She told us she was in her 3 rd year of a 5 year Chemical engineering degree. The lectures are taught in English so she needed to practice at every opportunity.

After this light lunch we caught the next shuttle back to the ship just in time for a late lunch sat in the sun then back to the cabin balcony to try out a bottle of pink port which is served cold. Very nice too but after a couple of glasses we both managed to sleep the rest of the afternoon and awoke too late for the Great British sailaway Party.

The entertainment was the Headliners in the Curzon performing Night of 1000 stars and the Band in Crows Nest. For the first time this cruise there is an early performance for 2nd sitting passengers. The Band were fabulous again and included a fair amount of comedy in their performance. The saxophonist actually made an instrument out of a huge carrot and played it. A very entertaining show narrated by Tracy who was equally as surprised as the passengers by some the bands numbers.

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3 Sept

El Ferrol

This was a Maiden call for Adonia and the town of El Ferol on the North West tip of Spain had planned a huge reception for us. The mayor was due to meet the Captain later in the day and we were welcomed ashore by smartly dressed officials.

The sail in was very picturesque and the Captain told us this was the Spanish equivalent of a fjord.

We had booked a trip to Santiago de Compestela which was approx 1 hours journey on very good roads. Once off the the coach there was an 8 minute stroll to the central square where the magnificent Cathedral is situated. On the opposite side is the Town Hall, on another side is the Hostel dos Reis Catholicos now a Parador Hotel but which began life as a Royal Hospital founded by Isabel and Fernando in 1492.

Our guide advised us to use the toilet facilities behind the town hall as these were the cleanest public toilets in town. They were actually a disgrace. Although very modern and clean looking none if them were working properly. The doors would not lock, or they wouldn't flush, or if they did they flooded. The amount of money this town makes from visitors should mean that they could keep the facilities repaired.

The town itself is very compact and brimming with outstanding architecture, shops and bars as well as museums. The local delicacy here is Pulpo (octopus) and almond cakes. The local ladies from the cake shops were in traditional dress and stood at the doors of their shops offering free tastings of the cakes.
We found the local supermarket with some difficulty as it was in one of the very old traditional buildings and were not allowed to advertise on the outside of the shop. We stocked up on some essentials and then set off to look for a nice local bar for lunch. Once again we chose to eat where the Spanish were eating and were not disappointed. I had the local delicacy of Pulpo and some Almejas (small clams cooked in garlic) with lots of local bread to mop up the garlic and oil all washed down with the local white wine. Garry was less adventurous with his Russian salad and Prawn Omelette.

Fully satiated we set off again and purchased the local cakes and wandered back up the narrow winding streets to the square. We went into the Parador Hotel bar and enjoyed a local beer and the comfy seats and tranquil atmosphere of this beautiful hotel. Free Wi Fi and clean toilet facilities were an added bonus.

We met the guide at 2 pm and walked back to meet the coach. Everyone but the escort from the ship and another couple managed to find their way back okay. The guide was frantic that she had lost 3 people who had managed to get to the meeting point on the square but had got lost on an easy straight and sign posted route to the coach park. Finally after about 15 minutes they arrived from the opposite direction they should have been coming from but by this time we had lost the guide who had set off to look for them. The driver telephoned her and she arrived back out of breath and flustered but obviously relieved that the passengers had been found safe and sound.

Back at the ship the locals were out looking at the ship and waiting for sailaway. The sun was shining and we were lucky to have a starboard balcony with dpfull view of the local band playing for our departure. We set sail back through the Fjord and stunning scenery and as we reached the open sea the Fort set off a gun salute and our Captain responded by sounding his very loud horn of which he is so proud. Another excellent day and tonight is our final Black Tie night and the Peninsular Cocktail Party in the Crows Nest.

Dinner was Marco 's menu again with the Beef Wellington and Baked Alaska. Both were the best I have had for a long time on our cruises and certainly the food on Adonia has been excellent. It is the same menus as the other ships so can only think it is because they are catering for less numbers. During dinner we were entertained by many schools of Dolphins who performed all through dinner. It was also the parade of the chefs who marched round the room to the applause and appreciation of the passengers.

The entertainment in the Curzon was Andrew Skrimshore who plays the Cello. We have seen him before on Azura but so well worth seeing again. This guy can make the cello sing and his very dry wit and repartee makes for a fabulous show.

Tomorrow is our last sea day before reaching Southampton. Let's hope the Bob behaves better than it did on our way out.

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Dennis The Menace
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Re: Sue Kersh Live from Adonia

#23

Post by Dennis The Menace »

Final Sea Day to Southampton

We woke to a stunning sunrise over a very calm and tranquil Bay of Biscay. It is a lovely thought that we don't have to think about packing as I am nowhere near ready for this holiday to come to an end. We did pack some of our lighter summery clothes in readiness for what must surely be a cooler cruise to the Scilly Isles, Cobh, Guernsey and Honfleur. Also packed away are some of my clothes that appear to have shrunk due to the sea air. Luckily I had pre empted that this might occur and had packed extras just in case.

The sun stayed on our balcony till late afternoon and once again the Dolphins came out to play in the sun and calm seas.

It was the final of the Battle of the sexes quiz but the gap was far too large to catch up the men. We did however make some gains mainly due to the ladies superior knowledge of the P & O fleet and their Godmothers.

For our final dinner of this cruise we dined in Sorrento. As much as I enjoyed the food in Ocean Grill earlier in the cruise I actually preferred my meal in Sorrento at less than half the cover charge cost. I chose the mixed fish starter which consisted of perfectly cooked whitebait, Calamari and large prawns. For main I chose fish again with Sea trout in a crab sauce and a trifle to finish. All excellent and as we left we booked for a night next week. Apparently it was virtually sold out for the next cruise.

We were too late for the Headliners show so made our way to the Crows Nest to get a prime spot for the final performance of the band who were accompanied by the Adonia passenger choir.

I have mentioned before how Quintessence try out different ways to entertain and tonight was no different. Geoff the bandleader had been training the choir on sea days and the show was called Bottoms Up. It was all about Beer from the very early years to date. I think it was the first time they had tried this and it does need some work. Unfortunately the band drowned out the choir but it was enjoyable. Song sheets were handed out and the audience invited to join in. Very different from the usual ships choir performance we have seen in the past.

We finished the evening at the syndicate quiz and said goodbye to our quiz companions.

It seemed strange seeing everyone's cases in the passages knowing that we still have another week to look forward to.

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GillD46
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Re: Sue Kersh Live from Adonia

#24

Post by GillD46 »

I know it sounds gloating, and perhaps a little spiteful. but I just love it when many of the passengers are going home - and we are not!

Hope the next one is as good.
Gill


CaroleF
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Re: Sue Kersh Live from Adonia

#25

Post by CaroleF »

Really interesting report Sue, thank you. We are looking forward to a week today when we board. It's great isn't it staying on for the next cruise. We experienced it in the Caribbean this year for the first time - such a lovely feeling when you see all the cases outside the cabins. Not that we gloated! Just a lovely feeling.

Carole

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