Tranquility Base

Yep, A very good diy day. UK immigration inspection was done here. A simple visual check of passport versus person was done in the Universe Lounge. Not too much of a delay. We were docked at D1 cruise terminal opposite the City Airport. A complimentary and frequent shuttle into town (15 mins ) with numerous helpful info people at the drop off at the info centre. In town, Titanic Belfast and the City Hall were 2 popular visits. Titanic would be walkable for some, otherwise it can be reached via the Glider bus service for a couple of pounds. A very interesting and friendly stop, once again with pretty nice weather. Greenock tomorrow.

The info from the front desk. If on a multi segment, IF the segment is 30 days or longer it should be settled at the end of segment. If less than 30 days it should roll over for settlement on the following segment.

Yep, A very good tour today with an excellent guide. Caernarfon and Snowdonia with 3 stops in that area. Very nice scenic drive between stops. A lovely part of Wales. Lucky with the weather as we had sun, whereas apparently the previous ship 2 days ago had rain all day. Belfast tomorrow, a DIY day for us.

I’ll ask at the desk when I get back from tour this afternoon. Just arriving at Holyhead. Nice to be back in jersey / jacket weather again.

Yep, Arrived about an hour early at 11am, which provided a lovely arrival up the river. Always a pleasure that. A DIY wander around today. Up & down, round & round, then some more up & down….just in case. The motto for the day… ….. if you don’t know where you are going, you can’t get lost. The main mission was ensuring you didn’t get run over whilst taking the duty photos of the trams trundling up Alfama. Two sea days before Holyhead on Thursday.

When doing your research don’t forget the Dover - New York segment on the ‘25 World Cruise. 5 ports in Norway, 2 in Iceland, 2 in Greenland, 1 in Canada.

Thanks for all the reports. If possible, it would be great if you could relay any feedback you hear from some of the independent Osaka people as to the effect on their day due to the delays.

Tangier Everyone I have spoken with seemed to have a nice day here. We went on a wonderful tour to Chefchaouen, The Blue City. About 2 hrs each way, but totally worthwhile. Aided by having a great guide today. Shuttles were provided into Tangier which many took advantage of, as well as some private tours. Lisbon tomorrow, but arrival isn’t till noon (as per schedule). It will make for a nice long and picturesque sail in however.

Malaga. Taxi up to the Alcazaba fort for a wander round, then walked down to the Cathedral. Strolled the fancy main shopping street. Tapas & drinks, then walked back to the ship. Tangier tomorrow.

Although not an official Meet & Greet, there is a slot pull organised. You could perhaps put a few faces to some names there. Tues 18th at 3:15, Casino.

I believe there is a current thread where wine fees and such like are already being discussed. PS: Thoroughly looking forward to our next few stops. Malaga, Tangier and Lisbon.

Google………Cerberus heatwave. Place your bets as to weather (sp intended) you think it will be better or worse in two years time.

Would we expect 2026 ATW to be released this year or next ? Personally, hoping it’s time for a westabout.

Yes indeed. High quality and full of flavour.

Yep, An easy day for us today. Wandered the Gothic Quarter for a few hours, leisurely lunch, made all the better by a busker group ( double bass, banjo, clarinet ) near the Cathedral. Very pleasant. On our way back to the shuttle spent some time in the Mercat de la Boqueria for some yummy fruit. Sea day tomorrow then Malaga.

Yep. Nice visit to Gordes, Roussillon and Bonnieux. All pretty villages. Included close up look at some quite large fields of lavender. Currently on our way to Barcelona.

Able was I ere I saw Elba. Nice port stop here. Walked up to a couple of forts and viewpoints for some good photo shots. Back into Portoferraio for light lunch. A number of tours available, and local bus around large parts of the island. As planned an easy DIY, back on ship by 2pm…..last tender is at 4. Marseille tomorrow. Heading up into the hills somewhere to a couple of towns.

Yep. Just back from a nice tour to Civita di Bagnoregio and Orvieto. Portoferraio ( Elba ) tomorrow. Planning a relaxing DIY day ashore.

Their own website, when “ Introducing simply MORE”, now proudly announces “The Best Value in Luxury Cruising “.

Yes, Aqaba stop was simply delayed 24 hrs. 7am - 10:30 pm.

Yep, nice day here. People would have done all sorts of tours here. Just back from our Sorrento - Salerno Amalfi Coast drive. Being a Sunday it was extra busy, but it was still good to go back and find something new. We had a lovely long lunch in Amalfi. Up the old stone steps to the left of the Main Street into an alleyway parallel. A few restaurants along there, far quieter than the main walking street. Civitavecchia tomorrow.

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An enjoyable day here. Whilst some went on tours, naturally many wandered the town. Being a Saturday afternoon, I reckon 50% of the people I saw around town were from the ship. On previous occasions here I had always done tours. This time wandering up & down the hills, and then along the waterfront area, I was impressed by some of the sights to see here. Now on our way to Salerno.

Thank you, very well put. This, I believe, originated from the airline industry in the ‘70s & 80s. They developed their CRM program ( cockpit resource management ) which then developed into crew resource management. In the maritime world this initially became BRM ( bridge resource management ). As you say, there are numerous safety advances in play today which are a result of moving away from the old school blame culture. Modern day incident / accident investigation is far more advanced than that of 40 years ago.

I think they would soon catch on.