ConnieTact

Great sunset and met friends taking each others photos. Chatted rest of the nite then unexpectedly snacks arrived!

Dinner!

Plenty of staff in the Clifton Lounge!

We’re booked in for dinner at 7pm and this clashes with trivia. Bit disappointing as we may have enjoyed that- especially as it’s ‘easy’! I could ask to change sittings as the ship’s not busy but tomorrow is the Beatles and I really, really want to get good seats for that show! 😍🎸🎤🎵🥁

Only 507 onboard and same amount of staff. Great welcome from captain and cruise director as I type! This really is live reporting! I am delighted that we have free internet this time- so handy! A great surprise.

Muster drill all done. Very professional and well organised. We all stood on deck ‘old fashioned style’ and this is somehow reassuring. sorry no photos allowed!

Straight to buffet for late lunch! Shocked that there is NO Earl grey tea! 😅 good job I brought along some of my own!

All Aboard!

Awaiting to board following our great Beatles tour! Photos to follow re that! just put luggage in and now awaiting on some chairs.

Breakfast has been good, although surrounded by dirty floors. Coffee machine is broken but they were going around serving filter coffee. I got Earl grey with tea leaves in a pot. A couple of areas for improvement would be a serviette on the uncut loaf of bread so people aren’t eating whatever germs were on the last cutters hand! Also I saw them sanitise tables but not backs of wooden chairs it would take two secs to just do them too! Also, I think there should be tongs for taking the pastries and cakes- again not good to have other people touching your food. I’d like see hand sanitisers at the entrances to the restaurant too. That said, I still enjoyed my breakfast and just avoided the bread and cakes! Not a bad idea anyway! 😅

While we were enjoying the music people at the bar continued to get frustrated as the bar staff struggled to cope! I witnessed one server try her best to shake a cocktail only to get the shaker stuck on the mixing glass and couldn’t get it off. She then discovered she’d only mixed one portion but divided it between two glasses. Another bartender came along and, aiming to be helpful, reached over to pour one into the other glass but in doing so, cracked one of the glasses in pieces! “We’ll have to start again,” he declared. He took over the mixology asking her to get my easier drinks order instead. She looked dumbfounded when I asked for a small Malbec and he explained to her she’d find it in the red wines cabinet! She went on to charge me almost double for two large ones. I waited for a long time for a manger to be found and agree the £10 refund. I used the time to act out charade-style, “be sure to check your bill” to the guy who was next up to be served and standing at the other end of the bar. He got it in one, put his thumb up, and we both smiled. I saw him laughing and telling his wife about it when he sat down. Another thing-don’t ask for a wine list either in the bar or the restaurant because they don’t have one! 😅 The quality of the drinks was good though- worth the wait. Although, I saw more than ten people come to the bar, wait and then leave.

The music organised through the Cavern really makes this hotel. Without that and without the Beatles pictures, the hotel would not have been worth booking. MrCT said to me last night, we could always stay somewhere else next time and just pop in for the entertainment. This sounded like a “boss” idea -as they say up here! Craig the singer was joined by Kaitie who was an America with a beautifully sounding voice. They sang well together and make up two of a band of four called Carousel who are one of the resident bands at The Cavern Club. If you like, check them out. https://www.cavernclub.com/resident-bands/carousel/

Next on to the bar at the hotel for entertainment straight from the cavern club. There were no bar staff at the bar and we watched as so many would be customers came and left. Then, just like buses, three bartenders turned up at once! 🤪 The live music was and is amazing/ really good - I’m watching as I write!

We went fir a walk after supper.

After a rest we went fine for supper in Blake’s restaurant again. We were surprised to see nobody in the restaurant! We went to reception, just to catch waitress coming from ‘downstairs’ where there is a wedding party in full swing! Due to this we were the only ‘allowed’ diners along with two other parties as we had pre booked. Food was good again and the waitress plsyed Beatle’s tunes from her phone so a bit of background music tonight! Still crumbs in the seats and floor though! We assess restaurants and it’s hard for us to not notice this kind of thing. Another diner came in and happily set on the crumbs but this made me cringe to even see that happen! 😅

A few more from the Beatles museum.

Our plans to go on ‘the Beats Tour’ in a replica of John Lenin’s Rolls Royce changed rather abruptly this afternoon! I told Robbie the car’s owner we were booked in for the tour only for him to bark at me “No you’re not!” We thought he was joking at first, but he insisted the car was full and I only had one place in the car! I had originally paid for tickets in October 2021 but we couldn’t get off the ship in time for the tour. When we realised we were going to Liverpool again, I contacted him and he offered to give a ‘free’ place and I would buy another. I was happy with this but did worry he would forget about the agreement. My dread was realised when he told me bluntly, “the booking wasn’t checked out- there’s no place!” My second lot of money checked out from my bank though! I had paid in full for three tickets and here we were on the street, in front of the hotel, being told we weren’t going anywhere this afternoon in his car! After further discussion he said we could squeeze onto tomorrow’s 12 noon tour and, if we got there early, he would do his best even if it was a shortened tour. We agreed but told him we had luggage to take to the ship by 2pm tomorrow! He reassured us he’d either get us there or get us to a taxi so we would get there. I’m still feeling pretty upset at the way he confronted me in public in such an impolite way but we decided to rethink our plans. We have come to the Beatles Museum. We had tickets I won in an auction in aid of Bath cats & dogs home! So here we are!

Looked around hotel at memorabilia and art and was really impressed. Settled to look at brilliant photo books provided by hotel too. Great fir any Beatles fans. We’re in same block as Cavern club so will be visiting there later.

Breakfast was good. We got there early so didn’t have to queue- we read reviews so knew that could be an issue.

The view from our window this morning! Good morning Liverpool!

We took a walk around the neighbourhood, as it was a lovely evening in Liverpool. Then went back to check out the live music in the hotel bar. The guy singing was talented, and fun, played lots of Beatles and even a bit of David Bowie especially for me!

We ate in the dining room names ‘Blake’s’ after Peter Blake who designed the album cover of Yellow Submarine along with lots of other pop art. Unfortunately the restaurant lacked atmosphere, with no music playing, crumbs on the floor from breakfast and only tow other couples in there. The food was fine though and service was friendly. When we declined a dessert the waitress replied “oh yes! You must be stuffed! Sausages are really filling!” 😂

Here’s some pictures of the hotel room at The Hards Days Night Hotel. Although we had to remake the bed before sleeping in it as it had been set up with duvet tucked right in on one side and hardly reaching the other side(!) we both slept well.

We dropped off our hired car and easily picked up an Uber in one minute flat! While we were in the Uber we got a call from Enterprise Car Hire in Bristol. We were to be charged an extra £50 odd quid for ‘one way’ travel! Needless to say, I agued the point, it was not in our contract and, we had not been told of this charge either in writing or verbally. Following this the manager ‘removed the charge’. It made me think of the ‘nickel-and-diming’ Americans complain about. We had already agreed and extra £25 for added insurance because we were told even if you damage the car slightly, we would take £1,500 from your card! All this didn’t make us feel inclined to return to that company, even though the car was good and we had no insure with it.

On our way to Liverpool in our hire car- a Fiat 500. Just hit a bit of traffic but so far so good. I’m not a huge fan of long car journeys but we’re taking a couple of breaks along the way.