Capnpugwash is going to the Canaries

[capnpugwash]

Update No 5

 

When we came down this afternoon we found that the atrium has been further decorated with hundreds of helium filled green, red and white balloons set at different heights, it really looks lovely, and this decoration is continued in the Coral restaurant where we eat.

 

Once more we had a very pleasant evening at dinner, either our complaining couple have stopped moaning or I am becoming more used to them, but they were fine throughout the meal and she toasted the table with Christmas greetings at the start of the meal. I had a plate of cold meats including ham, pork, turkey and tongue with a small salad; it was delicious and fairly light. It left room for three scoops of lovely chocolate, banana and vanilla ice cream, well no-one’s perfect are they. We went to the quiz and in spite of being deducted one point as the previous winning team; we managed to tie for the lead again. Unfortunately we, or more accurately I, got the tie break question wrong.

 

After the quiz Mrs P and I went to join the crew at Midnight Mass back in the restaurant. The crew had all rushed back and got changed out of their work clothes and there were about 40 passengers with about 200 crew at the service. We are not particularly religious but normally attend midnight mass, particularly on board ships as there is normally a really nice atmosphere without being all God Squad. This priest that was officiating was about 40 years old but he could have been 90 as he reminded me of all the mean spirited priests that I have had the displeasure on encountering over the years. It was a real shame, he wasn’t blood and thunder, but that was only because he lacked the skill to be so. I am sure that he would have wanted to be so. We left at communion as we had both had enough and the Mass had already dragged on for an hour with his endless sermon. As we left I think the other, more committed Catholics looked at us in envy of our decision to leave early. Perhaps it wasn’t envy but disgust, it was too late anyway as we were gone.

 

Overnight the little ship was being tossed around in the sea which was good fun. This morning we have passed Cape St. Vincent at the south west corner of Portugal and turned south east heading towards Casablanca which is west of the Straits of Gibraltar on the north coast of Africa. The sea state is moderate, the wind is Force 7 and the temperature has increased to 16◦c or 61◦f we are steaming at a very sedate 7 knots. we are all just heading off to breakfast.

 

After breakfast I met up with a few solo travellers and had two cups of P&O coffee, thank you very much. I have just played deck quoits and again we won the first round and just got nudged out 11- 9 in the second. I have come back to the cabin to update this report and get ready for my hot towel shave at the Spa, my Christmas treat. I have never had one before.

 

The whole shave experience was wonderfully relaxing; creams and potions were liberally applied interspersed with nice hot damp towels, shaving creams and a nice shave followed by another hotter towel which in turn was followed by oil being massaged in to my face and then another shave. There was then another hot towel and some eye gel which has miraculous claims to restore my youthful appearance and then a face moisturiser which was closely followed by a wonderful head massage. The whole thing was excellent and I could certainly stand to do it every day. Unfortunately one does have to return to normality however and maybe it is best to keep it as a treat, which it most certainly is. It was so nice that I felt compelled to give him a tip on top of the £35 charge levied by the Spa. Well it is Christmas after all!

 

I haven’t touched upon the deck walkers that circle the promenade deck like vultures. There are literally hundreds of them and they operate in groups of ten and twelve, always walking anti-clockwise around the deck. They won’t wait a moment while you take you quoit shot at the stern of the ship, or if they are forced to stop, they mutter darkly amongst themselves. They operate from 6am until around 5pm; there may well be shifts of them! Being a more mature crowd on board this ship does mean that we are spared the treat of deck joggers who make strolling on the open decks a very hazardous pastime indeed.

 

Speaking earlier to an entertainment officer, he informed me that Linda Bellingham of Oxo fame is joining the ship tomorrow in Casablanca and we will also be joined by the Dubliners who were a singing trio back in the sixties, apparently it is more like a tribute band as there is only one of the original three left, sadly he is the one who couldn’t or perhaps didn’t sing. You have to wonder how these acts get booked.

 

More later

[cruiseanywhere2]

Happy Christmas to you and your family Capn, really enjoying your updates keep them coming please. It's John Rebus and I love the books as well as the television series.

[StLucia]

You're observations are an absolute joy, Cap'n, do keep them coming.Thank you.

[Summergee]

Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. As usual, I almost feel I am with you. I am envious of the temperatures you have been having!

[SOAP DODGER]

Like other posters I am enthralled by your daily "ramblings" I too feel that I am aboard with you and your family! Keep us informed. Your style reminds me of a certain Mr. Derek Kane from another site!! Keep enjoying your cruise!!

[conniedoug]

For a start I am a new cruiser (April 2011) and have enjoyed reading the capt,s posts and if in the unlikely event I meet up with you on my cruise I would,nt send my guys over I would do it myself

 

 

Beautifully put. Having read langolad's uncalled-for & boorish comment, l am trying very hard to keep my patience - in this the season of peace and goodwill to all!

 

I too, am a relative newcomer to Cruise Critic - well it's a year now coming to think of it! Anyhow - From the start, while perusing the Cunard Forum, l became an avid follower of the Capn & his travels. Imagine my surprise when my son & l came across him just 30 minutes after boarding QM2. Speaking with him daily over a post-prandial drink was one of the highlights of our voyage & may well have set the standard for our journeys to come.

 

Pugwash - l wouldn't miss a word that you write! Enjoy the rest of your trip & safe home.

 

A

[DKNYC]

Hi Capn P and Family

 

Happy Christmas to you. I am also envious of your weather...even the rain. Here in NY we are in the middle of a raging Snowstorm complete with 45+ mph winds and thunder & lightning. They expect the city to get 12 to 18 inches by 8am Monday . It will be fun going to work.:eek: When you learn shuffleboard you'll have to explain it to me.:D

 

Denise

[capnpugwash]

Update No 7

 

The buffet was surprisingly poor in comparison to others that we have attended on this and other P&O ships. The food was just ok whereas in the past it has been great, the choices were less than normal on both main courses and desserts. The waiters would normally dress in kaftans or something similar but Carnival seems to have stopped that practice so the atmosphere is absent. As always the staff tries very hard but it was definitely lacking and was not memorable as they had been in the past.

 

After dinner we went to a show by the Headliners, who are the theatre dance and show group, of whom we had heard very mixed reports but they were absolutely top class in our opinion. It comprises two male and two female singers accompanied by 6 girl dancers. They danced perfectly, were very energetic even managing high kicking while the ship was rocking badly. In the hour that the show lasted they all performed about eight full costume changes. They are a really good and entertaining act and well worth seeing.

 

We had another crack at the syndicate quiz and came second again. Tomorrow is another day!

 

The ship is jumping around quite a bit at the moment although we seem quite close to the coast of Africa, so maybe it is because of the shallow depths that the sea is choppier than it has been. It is just after midnight on Monday morning and the moon is a golden semi circle with a horizontal top so only the bottom half is visible. I wonder if the colour is due to sand from the Sahara being whipped up into the atmosphere by the wind. I think that clouds are obscuring the remainder of it. The sea state is described as moderate, although I think it is more than that, the temperature is 16◦c or 61◦f and we are steaming at 16 knots. Today is a sea day so hopefully the sun will shine on us.

 

During the night the sea calmed down and now at 7.30am it is slight with a south westerly force 2 breeze and unchanged temperatures so today should be pleasantly warm. We are continuing down the west coast of Africa although we are now slightly further away from the coast as we are heading to the Canaries and La Palma which I believe is our next port of call, this is followed by Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Madeira. I didn’t realise quite how far north these islands were.

 

I have just put the cash and credit card back in the cabin safe and I thought that I would advise you how small it is. The measurement are about 9 inches wide by 6 inches high, the tricky part is that it is under 1½ inches deep, so don’t be bringing anything that isn’t slim to store as it won’t fit. The door is secured by a key operated lock and the whole thing is fixed at chest height on the rear wall of one of the wardrobes so you have to burrow through the clothing to get to it. Then of course, what do you do with the key? We leave ours on the back of a shelf above the TV, poor security I suppose, but I find it hard enough to open.

 

More later.

[Host Sharon]

Oooh - those lovely Christmas cakes that Mark Cook makes. I brought two home with me last week - one I passed to a friend but I am happily nibbling my way through the other! I hope the weather improves for you Cap'n.

[fue-fue]

Happy Christmas to you & your family. i am enjoying reading your reports, we sailed on Artemis last year & loved her.

[capnpugwash]

Update No 8

 

Today’s breakfast special was Eggs Benedict which are one of my favourite dishes; I had that after a bowl of porridge which always sets me up for the day. I went to the Horizons lounge and listened to my book for a while, until I was joined by the people from the solo travellers coffee group and we spent a pleasant half hour exchanging war stories from previous cruises we had all taken. At the same time but in an area sectioned from the main lounge, there was a meeting of Freemasons, there were quite a few in attendance including one woman, which really surprised me as they are not normally permitted to attend. Maybe now we are in the 21st century everything has changed. After that it was time for quoits and I was partnered with a Yorkshire man who had never played before. I explained the rules to him and he struggled to toss the rings anywhere near the target. Nonetheless we won the first round and as usual were eliminated in round 2. One day perhaps, we may progress further. Practicing would probably help me achieve that, but I am supposed to be on holiday after all.

 

I went and sat in the sunshine on deck 4 for an hour and listened to more of my book, it was lovely and warm and the sky was partially covered by wispy white clouds. It is nothing like a winter’s day, at least not one that I am used to.

 

I have arranged with the bar staff, up in Horizons where we play whist, for them to cut our Christmas cake into sufficient slices for each player to have a piece. Hopefully it will taste as nice as it looks. I have no idea why I thought of doing this but it seemed like a good idea at the time. It would be nice to have a cup of tea with it but that may be pushing our luck.

 

The cake went down a storm with all of the players. There were 28 of us plus the entertainment officer, Karen, who was running the whist. The barman cut the cake into 30 pieces so we all had one and my son who was sitting up there reading a book had the last piece. It was a nice moist fruitcake with beautiful royal icing, rather than the fondant type which modern day cake decorators seem to favour.

 

It is 3.30pm and Mrs P has gone to a classical concert being performed by the pianist Robin Colvill; she says that he is very good. The sun was glorious this afternoon I saw a whale spout off the starboard side of the stern; I didn’t get to see the whale itself so I have no idea what size it was. Apparently there was also a school of porpoises jumping playfully on the side of the ship but I didn’t see those either. You can’t be everywhere on board can you.

 

I bumped into a lady that we had met earlier in the cruise and she was looking very worried, it transpires that her husband was currently an in patient in the on board Medical Centre as he is suffering from pneumonia and is running a very high temperature. We are arriving at La Palma tomorrow and they are both being off loaded for the husband to be hospitalized. Whilst this is bad enough they are not aware of whether their Insurance Company have or will accept their claim so they will have to pay their on board costs and then possibly recover this amount from the insurer. The Canary Isles are part of Spain so it is possible that as they are UK citizens they will be entitled to free treatment under a reciprocal medical scheme that exists amongst members of the European Community. Her other problem, although more minor than the costs, is what they are to do with their luggage. They will take a little with them but leave the remainder on board to have it transported to Southampton. This is much easier for them, rather than having to carry it all with them when they ultimately fly home. How they get it to their home from the port remains a mystery to me but I suppose that this is not the first time this situation has arisen.

 

We had another delicious dinner with a savoury being served at the end of the meal which was sardines on toast, and it was lovely. Obviously not to everyone’s taste but very nice nonetheless. Our picky lady was on form tonight, the salmon was dry and overcooked and the French beans were stringy and undercooked. She ate all of the salmon and most of the beans. I also had the beans and they were very nice. I think that it may be a conspiracy by the chefs against her. Her major complaint was with the poor standard, quality and variety of the cabaret artists that have been offered. I must agree with her here. Normally, to be fair, the artists on board are either well known and heading to the end of their careers or relatively unknown and just starting out and finding their way through the world of entertainment. Both have their place and value but we have had a poor comedian with old jokes and a bad singing voice, a singer who is reported to have a weak voice. On the other 4 or 5 evenings there have been shows where the Headliners troupe has performed. On a cruise at Christmas you would normally expect to have a “star turn” at least every other night and it looks like we will have 3 in the 14 days of this trip, plus a chat by Lynda Bellingham telling of her life on TV, interesting perhaps but ultimately not really inspirational. I think that this is a sign of the falling quality of what is offered by Carnival. It is such a shame that they are spoiling their product by cheapening what they both offer and ultimately deliver.

 

The quiz was very tough but one team managed 18 correct answers, excellent compared to our 14. It was quite windy tonight as we walked back along deck 9 and we currently have a moderate sea, with the temperature being 18◦c or 64◦f. we are steaming at almost 17 knots and are due in La Palma at 8am today.

 

I woke this morning at about 6.30am to unchanged weather and sea conditions but we have speeded up a little and are now racing along at a touch over 18 knots, we are scheduled to arrive in one hour at this small, apparently relatively unspoilt island which has the alternative names of the “fair isle” or “La isla bonita”. We arrived at the island early and had moored and cleared the local immigration process by 7.55am. That seems very clever to me to be so accurate with estimated arrival times when crossing the ocean but in truth it is probably calculated by computers so the crew just do exactly what the electronics tell them.

 

More later.

[rolfecms]

Captain, I always subscribe to your threads as they are the best way to vicariously enjoy the cruise experience from an English perspective. Hopefully one day we will sail with you in person but until then your postings have provided mental preparation/anticipation for our first Cunard experience which begins the day after you disembark from your latest adventure on January 4.

 

Merry Christmas and best wishes for a Happy New Year to you and your family.

[LibraLass41]

Captain P

Regarding the entertainment offered on your Christmas cruise, it could be worse, if you were on Cunard now - I think it was QM, you would of been subjected to John Prescott doing a talk, which didn't go down very well I hear, and Des O' Conner, singing....so count your blessings lol...:D

[capnpugwash]

Update No 9

 

We are not alone in the port today, we were the first ship to arrive but have now been joined by two other much larger ships belonging to the German cruise line, Aida. I don’t know the names as they don’t seem to display it on their bows and I can’t see their sterns. It is a great day, not a cloud in the sky and at 9.30am the current temperature is a comfortably unchanged from earlier, it is forecast to rise to 22°c or 72°f. We all went up to the Conservatory buffet for breakfast this morning and I had some Weetabix, fresh fruit and a bacon roll. Fortunately the restaurant wasn’t too crowded as some people had already left for their tours. The sun was streaming through the windows and it was actually much more pleasant than the breakfast in the Coral Restaurant. It is just that I seriously dislike self service buffets.

 

After breakfast, instead of going ashore with Mrs P and the children I went up to the gym and did a little bit of exercise on the bike, but it is one of the reclining modern type rather than the old fashioned bike shaped machines that I much prefer. Becoming bored very soon I decided to go for a sauna. I like steam but being an older ship the choice is limited to sauna or nothing. So I sat and baked for twenty minutes and then I thought I would have a swim in the pool on deck 9 which is twenty feet from the spa. The pool had been drained because it had leaked into someone’s cabin on deck 8. The nearest pool is about 45 yards away and down one deck. It is nice and deep, at 5’7” and I descended the ladder and then dropped the last few steps. It was sea water which was a bit of a shock as I tasted the salt on my lips, but the biggest shock was the temperature; it was bitter cold, nowhere near the 30 degrees that they profess. I did some exercises in the water for 20 minutes and then went back up to the spa and the sauna. Another 20 minutes at 90 degrees and then a nice warm shower. I was back to the cabin by just after noon to find that the family had returned from their walk. It seems that there is not very much to see in the town but it is very picturesque sitting on the plateau at the base of a fair sized mountain which is covered in vegetation for the majority its’ height. Three ships in town at one time seems a case of overkill for such a small place.

 

Mrs P and I are going to skip lunch today; I think and then see how many people turn up for whist this afternoon. Tonight is a smart casual evening so dressing will be quick and uncomplicated and then down to the bar for a few pre dinner cocktails. Lynda Bellingham is appearing tonight at 7.15 discussing her career, I will manage to keep away but I believe that Mrs P will be going as will most of the second sitting diners.

 

After whist Mrs P tried to have a swim but the only pool available was still too cold to go in. she called the Reception Desk to mention it to them and they said that the maintenance men were fully occupied repairing all the public toilets on the starboard side. It seems that it is more difficult to adjust than just turning the temperature up.

 

More later.

[Host Sharon]

Update No 9

 

It seems that there is not very much to see in the town but it is very picturesque sitting on the plateau at the base of a fair sized mountain which is covered in vegetation for the majority its’ height. Three ships in town at one time seems a case of overkill for such a small place.

 

 

La Palma is my favourite port in the Canaries - well worth wandering ashore Cap'n. It is a very pretty little town with lovely church and great shops. The Christmas Decorations round the town hall are lovely, although I agree three ships will rather swamp the place.

 

No sign of the new Artemis book on sale then on board?

[conniedoug]

Hi Jim

Life is tough & my heart bleeds for you!!! Sorry that the weather hasn't risen to expections and that, as a consequence, you haven't had the opportunity to do the 'Englishman abroad' business and wear either a teatowel or an handkerchief on your head!!!:D

 

On a more serious note - your blog, as always, is pulling at my heart strings. MORE, MORE, MORE.

 

BTW... Yes, the Canaries enjoy exactely the same medical benefits as mainland Spain.

 

Once again, enjoy & safe home

 

A

[DKNYC]

Hi Capn

 

Sorry your pool is cold. Mine has icebergs in it.:D We are still diggibg out of the 2' storm. Parts of the "outer boroughs" have yet to be seen by a ny snow removal equipment. Now I remember why I moved to Manhattan.

 

Glad you all are having a good time and keep the the reports coming. I've been told I look good in green.

 

Denise

[Presto2]

Have just discovered your posts and thought we'd send very 'warm' wishes for a fabulous Christmas and New Year from a very foggy, damp, miserable Stoke on Trent ! We don't have a pool here, but our bird bath has only just defrosted! :(

 

We were on the Oceana in August for our first P&O cruise and your posts bring back so many happy memories (cried when the band played us off too ------ and hit the champagne as well )

 

Have joined DKNCY with our colour --------------

 

Best wishes to you and yours - be safe ===

 

:):):)

[capnpugwash]

Update No 10

 

We had a couple of quizzes this afternoon which were both run by a new entertainment officer called Arwyn, he hails from North Wales where men are men and sheep are nervous. Sadly the questions that he had chosen were very odd and almost unanswerable, we scraped 10 correct answers and only 5 of them were very lucky guesses. We didn’t bother with the second quiz as we imagined the questions might be similarly odd so I am just splitting a bottle of Champagne with Mrs P before she heads off to the talk.

 

On the way into the first quiz I passed the future cruise desk and unfortunately there was no passenger there or waiting so I sat down to enquire about next Christmas, to make a long story short I booked 2 cabins on the Arcadia for a 23 night cruise from and to Southampton. It departs on December 17th and returns on January 9th. It calls at Madeira on the way down and Ponta Delgada in the Azores on the way back, 5 ports of call in the Caribbean plus the two that I mentioned means that there should be 15 sea days, how good is that. Now I have to do some work to pay for it all.

 

I have had an ice bucket delivered by room service so we have an outside chance of chilling the bottle to a more drinkable temperature than is achieved by our refrigerator, if that is the right term for the useless box that we have in our cabin.

 

Dinner was very pleasant this evening and we had a very amusing time; Mrs P had been to Ms Bellingham’s talk and said that it was very interesting. I waited for her in the bar, gently nursing a couple of gin and tonics. When I went into the bar there were 7 of us in there and 3 of them were waiters, I assumed that the missing passengers were in at the talk. As it finished the bar was suddenly packed. We did the quiz again and were 2 points adrift from the winning team so once more we left without the cigar. We did get some good answers but we were defeated by some more obscure questions. The winners only got one question wrong which was a very good performance.

 

We are heading to Tenerife which is no distance from where we were today, I am sure that we could see it in the distance from our mooring. We go into Santa Cruz which is at the north end of the island. If we decide to go ashore we will get a local cab to take us around instead of buying a P&O tour, I don’t know whether to go out or go to the gym again. I will decide in the morning after breakfast. We are just cruising along at 10 knots, basically circling Tenerife; there is a slight sea, a force 3 breeze and a temperature of 20°c or 68°f.

 

We arrived a little early unsurprisingly and I went out on deck to see the mooring and gangway operations and it was quite fascinating. The gangways are stored horizontally at deck 4 and are then winched down when required and set up from deck 2 to the quayside. I think that we arrived at high tide because the angle of the gangways is about 45 degrees, later it should lessen as the ship drops lower as the tide recedes. We were informed that the dock gates are 100 metres away; we must have lost the raffle because we are about half a mile away and there are two big white ships moored between us and the gate. One of them is the Balmoral and I can’t identify the other one, it may be one of the Aida ships from yesterday.

 

It is gloriously warm today, I sat on deck 9 after morning coffee and it was almost too hot for me, I returned to the cabin and changed into trunks to go swimming. I went up to the pool that was empty yesterday as it has been repaired and refilled, it is much better than the middle pool as it is about 12 yards long so you can get a few strokes in if you are swimming lengths. I was the only mad soul up there in the water, plenty of others sitting and lying around but no-one as daft as me. I persevered for 20 minutes and by then the coldness of the water started to get to me so I went into the warmth of the sauna. After 25 minutes of around 95 degree heat I came out of the hot sauna cabin and sat and cooled a little. This was followed by a nice warm shower and I felt marvellous, totally refreshed and invigorated.

 

I am back in the cabin now as it is close to lunch time; the sun has gone behind some large grey clouds so whilst it still nicely warm the real heat of the sun has gone. I quite fancy a little lunch today so I will head up to the Conservatory and see what type of curry is on offer. After lunch we will play some whist again, I have to go back to the future cruise desk tomorrow as they couldn’t process my deposit payment yesterday because of some computer programme glitch and they have to contact Southampton head office to have them work their magic.

 

I had a very tasty Mutton Maneer (?sp) curry for lunch, the meat was minced and mixed with peas. It was nice and spicy and the pappadums were light and crispy as they should be. After that it was whist as usual, during which two wonderfully clear rainbows appeared over the mountain, they moved together, I imagine blown by the wind to immediately behind the ship. The colours were as though they had been painted on the sky, not the normal fuzzy bands that we get in the UK but distinct bright bands and we could see both ends of each rainbow. Where is the camera when you need it? The answer is that it is sitting on the dressing table 5 decks down and at the other end of the ship! Whist was followed by two general knowledge quizzes, in which we came in the top three each time but didn’t actually win. I am quite happy doing that but obviously I do enjoy winning, but having said that, the result was no disgrace.

 

I have just had another ice bucket delivered for tonight’s champagne and I asked the waiter for a napkin to wipe the chilled bottle but P&O only run to paper napkins apparently; so I purloined a hand towel from the steward’s cart which was standing in our corridor. Not quite the same but it does the job well. We like something to nibble on with the champagne and we had nothing, fortunately our daughter wandered in as the ice arrived so Mrs P despatched her to the on board shop to buy something; she arrived a few minutes later with cheese and onion Pringles. These fill the bill perfectly.

 

Tonight is tropical night on board, I didn’t realise that this was scheduled so I have left my tropical shirts at home, I will find something else to wear that has less visual impact but will still suffice. Mrs P has come fully prepared for this evening, I must discuss things with her more thoroughly.

 

In spite of eating lunch, I actually felt quite hungry for dinner tonight and it was excellent, perhaps not to everyone’s taste, but I happen to like black pudding from Bury, pea and ham soup and plaice fillets. Marvellous. We went to the quiz and again we were two points off winning. We couldn’t work out where Nelson was buried and who was the ex US President who has been to Cuba, it was Jimmy Carter not Bill Clinton but we guessed wrongly, again.

 

It is just Midnight and we and the ship are bouncing about quite a lot, and I assure you that it is not totally alcohol induced. We are only doing 10 knots and I wonder if that adds to the bumpiness of the ride as the sea swells may have more effect at a relatively slow speed. We are actually sailing away from Gran Canaria where we are due to be tomorrow, we have moderate seas and the temperature has dropped a little to 18°c or 64°f. We are due to arrive at the port at 8am.

 

It is hard to believe that we now only have 5 nights left on board until we dock again in Southampton. We leave the Canaries tomorrow afternoon and head slightly north to Madeira where we arrive on the 31st and leave on the 1st January 2011 in the afternoon. We then steam straight to Southampton in the remaining 2¾ days. I would not be telling the truth if I said that I was looking forward to getting home. We have had such a nice time on board and that result comes from a combination of the ship, the crew and the passengers. This is the last time that we will sail on MV Artemis and I, for one will miss her. She is old and cranky but some say that of me. She is a lovely little ship and will be hard for P&O to replace.

 

I woke this morning at 6am for some reason and I peered through the curtains onto the promenade deck, it was still very dark as the sun doesn’t rise until 7.50am, there were three lady joggers dressed in black pounding around the deck, circuit after circuit. Then I saw another lady all in white running in the opposite direction. It is probably less important at this time of day rather than later when there are other more normal people occupying space on this deck.

 

The ship continues to have problems with the toilets and the supply of hot water to some cabins, we have been fortunate I believe, as we have had no plumbing difficulties other than a slow draining sink and bath. This had been speedily remedied by a man with a plunger and since that successful operation it has flowed away very quickly. We are heading for the port and are still a couple of miles offshore and we have 30 minutes left to run before we dock for the day at Las Palmas, Gran Canaria.

 

I don’t know if it was a coincidence but I was out on deck watching the procedure for lowering and establishing the gangways and they actually do 90% of the work as we sail towards the berth, the time was approaching our expected arrival time and as the second hand on my watch swept past 8am exactly, the first lines were thrown from the bows to the waiting port workers. It must be computers for us to arrive that accurately to time, I think. We are directly outside the cruise terminal and there is a line of cabs and 4 coaches waiting for business. It is supposed to be a nice town, we are in an area that is not very attractive, but truth be told, there are few pretty docks in the world.

 

As we went up for breakfast we got a good view of the town rather than the dock area. It is typically Spanish and I don’t mean that in a nice way. They have ruined the coastline here in exactly the same way that they have in their country. Overbuilding and high-rise apartments line the streets almost down to the sea. It looks terrible to my eyes; I much prefer the approach of the Portuguese who won’t allow this type of construction at or near the beaches. Most of their coast is a National Park and is thus protected from this building mania.

 

More later,

[capnpugwash]

Update No 11

 

Something has gone wrong on board, after breakfast I walked for a while around deck 9, not as a deck walker but just checking out the air temperature and it was nicely comfortable so I returned to the cabin and put my trunks on to go swimming in the front pool, this is where I will explain what has occurred. I got into the pool gingerly and someone, obviously mistakenly has turned the heating up. It wasn’t bitter cold merely pleasantly cool so I was encouraged to stay for about half an hour walking, swimming and jumping. I had music on my iPod as I had just finished my book so I was listening to the soundtrack of Across the Universe which, I believe is a low budget British film that I saw a year or so ago and it comprises 90% music by the Beatles and others of that era. I was so tempted to sing along as some of the tunes are great. I did resist the temptation so I have not been restrained by Security or the Medical staff.

 

We sail later this afternoon for Madeira where we are due tomorrow for New Years Eve. I have not witnessed it but the firework display at the island to see in the New Year is legendary. We will meet the Queen Victoria and at least 4 other ships so the island will be quite crowded although I believe that we will leave our mooring at just after 11pm and then proceed outside the harbour and then anchor in the bay, as this gives a more panoramic view. Pretty soon after the fireworks finish we will start the journey to Southampton. It might be warm for one day after that and then the temperature will start to fall rapidly. We are hardy animals at heart and outdoor swimming is ok in cold weather until you have to get out of the pool into the chilly air, and it will be exacerbated by the wind across the deck.

 

We are all booked for tea at Reid’s Hotel tomorrow afternoon at 3pm. I booked it directly with the hotel which means that we will actually sit on the terrace to take our tea, sandwiches, cake and scones. If we had booked with one of the P&O tours we would be relegated to an inside room in another part of the hotel. In fact P&O have cancelled their proposed tour as they couldn’t get any accommodation at the hotel because of all the other ships stealing the march on them. We are ok though, the choice of teas is amazing, I think they have about 14 different teas on offer and they are real tea leaves that give the tea such a fresh and fragrant taste. It is a rather nice way to spend an hour or so in the afternoon, I do hope that the weather is kind to us tomorrow.

 

We have had a disaster today, Mrs P likes to spend some of her spare time in the laundry on board, in fact we always book a cabin as close to it as possible, being on the same deck is not good enough, opposite is perfect. I know that others want to be as far away as possible. It truly does take all sorts. It had apparently sprung a leak somewhere so it is closed while they repair it. The prognosis was that it would be fixed by midday today. I went along to check on the progress at 1pm and it was like the Marie Celeste, a pair of step ladders in the centre of the room, some roof panels displaced and removed and a total absence of anyone doing the repairs. At 4pm nothing had changed, still deserted. I phoned reception but they are useless, they have no knowledge of anything that is occurring on board the ship. Their stock answer is either “I will refer it to the deck supervisor” or “what problem?” I would expect that they would call me to advise the updated situation when they speak to someone who knows something but here we are at 5pm and not a sound from them. There is a book at Reception which passengers are supposed to write their fond memories of this ship in its’ final season. I think that it is full of complaints about plumbing and lifts and similar problems that have arisen. I can understand those complaints but apparently there are a great number of moans about the food on board. Why these are there is a total mystery to me, the food has been very good, well prepared and tasty, I really don’t know what some people eat at home if the food on board is deemed unsatisfactory by them, they probably just like moaning I think.

 

Tonight, the dress code is Semi Formal, being trousers, shirt and jacket but no tie.

 

We departed Las Palmas at just after 4.30 this afternoon and we are now sailing for Madeira, the sea is being quite boisterous and it is throwing us about quite a bit. We seem to be rolling about 10 or 15 degrees to each side and every so often there is a loud bang as we run into a wave and it almost stops us. We are approaching 20 knots, which is almost top speed and steering 18 degrees west of north or 342 degrees. The wind is not particularly strong but it feels cool on the open decks, yet the air temperature is said to be 21°c or 70°f. We are due to arrive in Funchal at 8am again tomorrow, I wonder if we will arrive so promptly in the morning.

 

Dinner was very good although one of our party really didn’t look very well; he was feeling very hot and actually removed his jacket. I hope that it is something minor and that he is better by tomorrow. We went to the quiz again and tonight we made the tie break with two other teams all on 18 points. The question asked for the year that Windsor Castle caught fire. We were closest as we put 1990 and it was 1992. We won a bottle of white wine.

 

It is now New Years Eve and we are on an unchanged course and speed, the screen tells me that the wind is force 3 and that the sea is moderate. It feels worse than that as the ship is rolling and pitching quite a lot and as I walked back along the deck the wind was high. Of course that could be a combination of the wind and the speed of the ship. The air temperature is said to be 19°c or 66°f.

 

It is now 6.30am on December 31 2010 and the weather is unchanged although the rocking and rolling of the ship during the night has lessened. It is still dark here and we are approaching Madeira from the south and I can clearly see the lights of Funchal ahead of us. I believe that the horizon is 12 to 15 miles away at sea so that probably means that we should be there comfortably in a little under 1½ hours.

 

I will take this opportunity to wish a Happy New Year to you all.

 

More later.

[moniquet]

Happy new Year to you too! Your regular updates could win a travel writiers award:)

[cruiseanywhere2]

Happy New year to you all and hope everyone enjoys their day in Madeira. Looking forward to your next report.:)

[AlisonH]

Happy New Year Cap'n and thanks for sharing your cruise with us!

 

I hope you enjoy 2 of the best things (IMO) about Madeira!

[rolfecms]

A very happy and prosperous New Year to you, Mrs P and your family. Enjoy those marvelous fire works as you welcome in 2011 and savor your remaining time on board the Artemis!

[u2cruiser]

I finally caught up with your wonderful, entertaining reports. You should be enjoying your afternoon tea at Reids as I type. :D

 

Thank you and Happy New Year to you all onboard Artemis :)