roscoe39

We arrived in time to meet a boat containing some entertainers and couple of passenger's who apparently had done an overland, i dont remember an over land that finished in walvis bay so they must have been independent. Intriguing…. We are now underway again our champagne corks flying and the ghostly sound of a string quartet following us in a ethereal flume through the fog ofwhich has enveloped us. i must say, i live a good fog horn..

well that certainly made for an interesting couple of days. We are now heading to Tenerife so ten days at sea because as you know by now Walvis Bay has to be missed (don't worry there's nothing there, a couple of flamingos and a pile of sand) Can't wait .... I love the sea days unfortunately there are some on board not so enamoured with them and the rumbling continues, as you would expect after all .....We are Cunard. Some think that Cunard did it on purpose to save port fees others are blaming Viking for not being adventurous. Although the Captain did tell us the Viking ship was refusing to move in his broadcast there would have been much more going on behind the scenes and it wasn't necessary for us to know all the details. We were off in Port Elizabeth to do our own overlands independently and were nicely ensconced in our lodge having just returned from our early morning game drive when I looked at ship tracker and must admit to having a bit of a surprise when I saw the QV was still out to sea. Facebook was a nightmare and the rumours swirling around about what would happen next were more amusing than alarming as it was obvious that if she wanted able to get in that day she would have to just wait it out until she could. There was the refuelling for her stint up the coast of Africa to Tenerife, 900 passengers getting off, 700 getting on, the provisions the ship so badly needed and the Captain wanting his holiday plus a number of Cunard sponsored excursions that were on land. There was no way the company could not complete those tasks so if it took a couple of days waiting it out she would have to. It is also a good lesson in taking out good travel insurance. As it turned out despite the naysayers online and after a great night in a hotel in Capetown with all of us gelling in a group of combined experience - those on the Cunard excursions being covered completely by the company - food booze accommodation the lot, we had a great night out with them in the V & A waterfront area dining on Zebra and sampling some very fine South African Wines - it all went very well. I think the numbers swelled to about 15 of us in the hotel. some independant some sponsored by the company I must say as an independant and watching how Cunard's Agents worked on the excursions behalf they were very well looked after. Fortunately I had recognised some from my dining room and stuck to them like a limpet as I knew that to do so meant that I was where I was meant to be at the right time. Once the ship got in, the ship swung into action and the began bunkering and she provisioned right up until 7.15pm that night and once they got immigration off the Hull doors were slammed shut and it was just a waiting game. There had been an opportunity at 6pm to get us away but the ship wasn't ready. They checked all night until finally at 6am a narrow opportunity opened, we had half an hour to make a break for it and within minutes and to much horn blowing between us and the QM2 we made a break for the breakwater and out into the seas. I believe that the port was closed behind us although don't quote me. The QM2 finally made it out at 3am 8 hours late. This is quite typical of my previous port visits here so was expected. I've read the viking threads......oh you guys are funny......some of the comments had me chuckling...oh how we laughed. All good now although some on board are angry at Viking and some have some great conspiracy theories about the whole adventure, don't let facts get int he way of a good story. Will update the blogs completely in the next few days. exitviathegiftshop.blogspot.com

why thanks NE, of course the adventure across the sea has been nothing compared to doing Safari and game drives here at dawn on the Eastern Cape of South Africa or watching the Cheetah Kill the Zebra yesterday. Back to looking at sea rubbish in a couple of days when we catch the ship up.....

the mind boggles

something people do in the Weekend?

4062 is an obstructed view, not a balcony, you might want to recheck that number if you think its a balcony. I had a friend in that particular cabin from Auckland to Sydney last month.

I thought last nights Gala evening looked really good, the ship positively sparkled and shone, at least last night there seemed to be a good uptake of the dress requirements.

Shux and thanks richard, it was a great visit and i would have happily spent a few days taking in the portugese history there… the casinos dont hold any interest but there is plenty of other entertainments to be had there

hi Tgetz, Im currently on the World Voyage, Singapore today, and I have as it happened been blogging about it, warts and all, if you want to take a look http://exitviathegiftshop.blogspot.com . If you scroll right back you will find the complete 2016 world voyage http://exitviathegiftshop.blogspot.com/2014/12/is-earth-really-round.html I personally am a fan of Cunard's World Voyages, although this year there have been lots of changes noticelably the dumbing down of the formality which isn't sitting well with most doing the full world but it is still a great experience.

goodness! that was quite a read! and here I was thinking that no one was reading my blog this year.... the defence measures were lifted when we left Manilla, and I suppose may come back around the Indian Ocean. Ask the moment the most danger we are at seems to be the excess of souffles and scones with clotted cream. I really need to go on a diet.

the QV is definitely the best ship in the fleet in my opinion, thats basically comes down to the crew. Although the facilities are basically the same she has a feel to her that is not on the QE, and she is the ship that the crew seem to want to come back to.

Thanks Richard, there have been some positive reports from the QM2 which called in there a couple of days ago. Apparently the welcome was exuberant and most people who stayed in town to look enjoyed it immensely. Who Knew? One day out and we are surrounded by Islands, there are over 18500 islands that make up the country and well over 100 million people. Last night we had a NZ pianist on stage, Carl Day, he was excellent. So far most of the entertainment has been a little disappointing, the comedians especially. We will not forget the Texan who was meant to do two shows and only did one, personally I was surprised he was allowed to finish that one. Some of the lectures have been excellent, Professor Denis Folley particularly who lectured on Australia, race relations and the history of slavery in Australia. Yesterday the Q & A with the chief engineer and our captain - the Irish 007 was a sell out and well deserved. Both of them particularly good with the Dad jokes. The food in the restaurants beautiful presented and a great and varied menu. Anyone getting on soon has something to look forward to.

Hi I've done the South American trip twice already and booked on again for next year. In the past they have offered Iguassu Falls, the Galapagos, Muchu Picchu but I think you will find Antarctica is a little ambitious. The Galapagos was the closest that we got to covid on that trip and I believe some passengers returned to the ship with the symptoms and it was rumoured they were turned away but I can't confirm that. The Machu Picchu trip experienced problems as well returning to the ship as there was a hold up with the transit and they had to catch the ship up. Its one of the most exciting Itins that Cunard offer and am looking forward to doing it again in 2025. As with the WC I am currently on, some excursions were offered online only a short time before we departed and I suspect they will add to what is currently showing closer to the time. By the time the ship had put on its South Africa overnight Safaris this year I had already booked a private one....which was particularly advantageous considering the price.

last night as mentioned we turned into the Torres strait, I was out on the balcony at 2am and we were traveling at 5 knots, it must have been the point that the captain had mentioned we would have 1 meter below the keel. There were lots of markers and the red beacons lighting up the sides of the ship as we drifted by, movement was barely perceptible and there was no sound from the bow wave. Weather calm warm and stable, apparently Indonesia where we are heading is about to experience a tempest. Last nights entertainment was a comedian, apparently English and well known although I had never heard of him. I lasted quite long for me....about 45 seconds. The big world cruise party last night on the poop deck was a hit, it was. bbq theme, plenty of room which made a difference as the previous ones in the Queens room have apparently been quite crowded. There won't be a report on it as I wasn't meant to be there and I don't want to alert the authorities......... Im not one to judge.......but.......there has been a gentleman coming into the chart room each morning at 8am just as I am arriving in the office and he orders a double Gin, Ice, no short. It sent the boys into a fluster to begin with when he got on in Sydney but now they have it ready for him each morning and he shuffles off, job done. No judgement.

ay we continue our trek up the coast of Queensland - tonight at 7pm we will turn the corner around cape York and proceed through the Torres Strait on the way to Indonesia our next port of call. we are surrounded by atolls reefs and islands the area being quite treacherous for marine traffic as many of the shipwrecks below us can attest. The ships decks are alive again with the screams and yell of the English around the panda tennis table, foreign accents yelling to each other across the pool about god knows what and the laughter of the Australians in the deck chairs around me over the guy in the jacket and pocket chief.....hey! Wait a minute! Blog update for anyone interested...