Britannia B017 Fantasy Blog

[kalos]

51 minutes ago, DamianG said:

 

Keep reading!

 

The toast in the buffet had a strange texture ...Almost like trying to eat a roof tile  ! 

 

 

Sorry guy's I just remembered , that is normal for their toast 

 

Back to reading ! 

[indiana123]

3 hours ago, Eddie99 said:

Code Alpha 😳

No...it'll probably be for exercise, for exercise

[DamianG]

Monday 20^th July 2020

 

Monday morning on a P&O cruise means one thing to us: Eggs Benedict for breakfast. I thought our home-made version turned out nicely. Our son had a room service type of breakfast as I delivered him some Rice Krispies to eat in his bedroom (pre-ordered of course).

 

As usual on the first few days of a cruise I still woke up early so I went out for a wander around the ship. We’ve been on Britannia twice before so knowing that there is no Promenade deck, I made my way up to the Sports deck instead for a few laps of “The Promenade”. The sun was out but it was quite breezy though I didn’t mind too much as I completed several circuits. I’ve no idea how far I went as there are no distance markers (not that I saw anyway) which is a shame as I used to like the signs on Oriana and other ships advising that “3 promenade deck laps equal 1 mile”.

 

After stretching my legs, I returned to the cabin to collect my wife (Michelle) and son (Kyle, about time I started to quote their names on here) then we made our way to The Epicurean for breakfast. We stuck with our P&O Monday tradition of Eggs Benedict and they certainly lived up to our expectations. One other thing I should mention is that although I usually find the coffee in the MDR far too strong for my taste, in the Epicurean it is just fine. I don’t know why this is, it could be because everything about the Epicurean breakfast is nicer than elsewhere or just the fantasy element of this blog doing its thing again. Either way it was great and I enjoyed 2 cups.

 

After breakfast we returned to our suite and of course it had already been made up by our excellent cabin steward Kapil. Kyle wanted to stay in (as is often the case) while he works his way through various films on the cabin TV service. He was disappointed with the choice on Ventura last year but is far happier with the newer version in Britannia. We were happy reading our books and catching up with the news at home via social media (for some reason P&O have given us a complimentary full internet package on this fantasy cruise). Our butler Sunil also checked in with us to say hello and offer his services but we don’t need anything (and I would like to think that we are a pretty low maintenance family so we’re not likely to use his services much at all).

 

At lunchtime Kyle wanted pizza so we took him to the pizzeria on the Lido deck. We easily found a free table outside and he and Michelle enjoyed their pizzas while I had a delicious (*) burger from the grill. Upon seeing other kids enjoying the pools Kyle decided that after lunch he wanted to go for a swim as well so we left Michelle with the seats while we made a quick dash back to the cabin to get changed. The Lido deck pools are really deep (6 foot) so going in with Kyle is a real struggle for me as a non-swimmer and being 5 feet 8 inches tall. He is a strong swimmer and thoroughly enjoyed himself while I stayed clinging on to the side trying not to sink as usual.

 

* Delicious – not auto-corrected from delirious, not a carpet burger and not some awful defrosted low meat frozen version. I can dream anyway.

 

Eventually I was relieved of swimming duties by Michelle who is a good swimmer as well and once I was out of the pool, I decided to reward myself for my bravery with a large glass of Pinot Grigio. As soon as they got out Michelle greeted me with a typical “Where’s mine?” so I beckoned a waiter and ordered another along with a coca cola. We all soon dried out in the sunshine and for once enjoyed a pleasant afternoon in the Lido area where the music was good, it wasn’t too noisy and everyone was just having a good time in a responsible way.

 

We returned to the suite late afternoon and I decided to try the coffee machine. I’m not used to those either but it seemed fairly idiot-proof and I managed to produce quite a nice cup of coffee. One thing our Butler Sunil had done for us was to bring a carton of semi-skinned milk and that made the taste much nicer as I really dislike those mini UHT milk cartons. Talking of Sunil, he arrived with today’s canapés with impeccable timing just as my coffee was ready. On my blog on Cruise Critic there was some debate about the quality of canapés onboard so I should advise that yesterday we had Steak and Béarnaise Profiteroles which were superb and today we had Spicy Crab Squares. What do you mean you don’t believe me?

 

In the evening we met the in-laws outside the Meridian Restaurant again then we asked the manager if the same table as yesterday was available. Our luck was in and we were soon ushered inside. Sachin and Verat seemed happy to see us again and soon were asking how our day had been and what we had been doing. In particular, Verat chatted to Kyle and asked him all sorts of questions about which online games he played and what he liked doing. Although we prefer freedom dining (as we find the club dining times of 6:30pm too early and 8:30pm too late) we still prefer to stick to the same table if we are happy with the location and waiters so we really appreciate being able to request a specific table via the restaurant managers.

 

I chose Bavarian Lentil Soup with Herta Frankfurter as a starter, King Prawn Biryani and Vanilla ice cream to finish. Michelle made a quacking, clucking choice of Smoked Duck with Oriental Dressing, Crown Roast Chicken then Apple and Blackberry Crumble Tart. Kyle was still full of pizza so just stuck to his usual pasta and tomato sauce. I was struggling to choose a wine to match our choices but Virender came to the rescue with a suggestion of Denbies Surrey Gold which proved to be a perfect accompaniment for the curry and the chicken. Normally I would never have chosen a medium sweet white wine so full credit to him.

 

We finished dinner early enough to get to the Headliners Theatre in time to see the show “My Generation” based on the Mods and Rockers subcultures in the 1960’s. I loved seeing the orchestra perform live and the production was impressive. Kyle enjoyed parts of it and lasted out the show pretty well but not enough to make this a regular occurrence. It was well after 10pm when we came out of the theatre so we decided to call it a day and save ourselves for the first port day tomorrow. As usual, Kyle wanted a little TV watching time before lights out.

 

Edited July 20, 2020 by DamianG

[Harry Peterson]

Very nicely penned, Damian. I enjoy your literary style. 🙂

[grapau27]

On 7/19/2020 at 9:09 AM, AndyMichelle said:

Well I've saved Damian and his family seats at our table in the mdr for breakfast. 

I wish they would hurry up, the toast is getting warm😊

Andy 

We are sitting on our balcony eating breakfast so I will see you later by the pool for a few beers.

[DamianG]

1 minute ago, Harry Peterson said:

Very nicely penned, Damian. I enjoy your literary style. 🙂

 

Thanks Harry!

[DamianG]

Just now, grapau27 said:

We are sitting on our balcony eating breakfast so I will see you later by the pool for a few beers.

 

I would love that!

 

When it was just Michelle and I cruising we used to always share tables and meet people but these days its nearly always us 3 and the in-laws so we do miss out on the social aspect of cruising a little.

 

Sending you both some virtual drinks to get started 🍻🍸🍸

[Selbourne]

Pleased to hear that all is going well. Eggs Benedict is my favourite too and, like you, I ask for two! I see that the Epicurean has changed its crockery since we were last there! I can recommend the mixed berry smoothie. It comes with a very ornate ‘swirl’ of colour and is an improvement on the MDR versions which, regardless of which flavour it is that day, all just taste of banana!

 

 We had Sachin on our 3 week cruise on Aurora last summer. He is in very high demand. Regulars who are ‘in the know’ seek him out and he seems to have an oversight role over many other waiters as well as being used for special events. When I got off the tender in Sorrento he was even in charge of one of the tender berths!

Edited July 20, 2020 by Selbourne

[DamianG]

8 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Pleased to hear that all is going well. Eggs Benedict is my favourite too and, like you, I ask for two! I see that the Epicurean has changed its crockery since we were last there! I can recommend the mixed berry smoothie. It comes with a very ornate ‘swirl’ of colour and is an improvement on the MDR versions which, regardless of which flavour it is that day, all just taste of banana!

 

 We had Sachin on our 3 week cruise on Aurora last summer. He is in very high demand. Regulars who are ‘in the know’ seek him out and he seems to have an oversight role over many other waiters as well as being used for special events. When I got off the tender in Sorrento he was even in charge of one of the tender berths!

 

Apart from the Captain I'm making up the staff names as I go along (with a theme linking them all) but it is nice to know that there is a real Senior Waiter called Sachin who is excellent at his job!

 

I'm not a fan of smoothies generally but will be sure to give that one a try, hopefully next year.

Edited July 20, 2020 by DamianG

[grapau27]

9 minutes ago, DamianG said:

 

I would love that!

 

When it was just Michelle and I cruising we used to always share tables and meet people but these days its nearly always us 3 and the in-laws so we do miss out on the social aspect of cruising a little.

 

Sending you both some virtual drinks to get started 🍻🍸🍸

Thanks Damian.

They will go nicely with our breakfast.

[P&O SUE]

Brilliant Damien, I’m looking forward to reading the rest 😊

[DamianG]

Tuesday 21^st July 2020

 

Cadiz

 

Land ahoy! I woke early again but rather than getting up I opened the curtains then returned to bed and watched the approach into Cadiz from our “Crow’s Nest” bedroom (thanks again to Selbourne for this tip). The ship turned around in port and as it did, I quickly got dressed so that I could go out on the balcony to watch us tie up. As our suite is port side and the ship faced out to sea, I had a great view of the proceedings. 20+ cruises and my fascination with the arrival or departure procedures in a port continues.

 

We woke Kyle in time to get to breakfast at the Epicurean. He grumbled a little but there’s no way we want to miss it. It was fantastic again and a nice touch was the waiters remembering our preference for sweeteners for our hot drinks without us having to ask. I really shouldn’t have a cooked breakfast every day but it’s so hard to resist, especially when someone else is doing the cooking then the washing up afterwards.

 

We disembarked around 10:30am which is quite early for us but we’ve been here many times before, had a definite plan and knew what to expect. From the port gates we crossed over Avenida del Puerto and then caught a bus. We used Line 1 to get to Residencia and the cost was a flat fare €1.10 per person. From Residencia it was just a short walk to Playa de la Victoria which we think is far nicer than the beach nearer the port (La Caleta). We soon hired some sunbeds at a cost of €10 each which was arguably a bit much as we won’t be using them all day but we didn’t want to do without any shade. We then had a very pleasant couple of hours paddling, swimming (not me of course) and just relaxing.

 

Around 1pm we packed up our belongings then made our way to La Marea restaurant https://www.lamarea.es/  We first noticed this restaurant when it was featured on the TV programme “Rick Stein’s Long Weekends” and have been a couple of times previously. Leaving the beach at 1pm was a little earlier than we would have liked but we knew from experience that any later and we would struggle to get a table, even on a Tuesday lunchtime. Our luck was in and we were allocated one of the last tables on arrival, with the restaurant being full shortly afterwards. The waiters speak a little English and combined with my (somewhat broken) A-level Spanish we managed to place our order without too much trouble. The waiter explained that our Arroz Caldoso Marinero (literally “seafood broth rice”) would take around 40 minutes but we were in no rush as we had a nice bottle of Albariño to enjoy and Kyle was happily playing a game on his iPad using the free WiFi. We also got a side order of fries to keep him going though I had to use Google Translate to help with his request for ketchup (salsa de tomate; simple, I really should have remembered that).

 

Eventually our seafood rice broth was presented to the table in a huge iron bowl. It felt like it was presented with a bit of ceremony as the waiter placed the bowl in the middle of the table then served us a couple of scoops each before leaving us to it. It was probably just how they do things but it felt special to us. Even Kyle enjoyed some of the rice but he wouldn’t go near any of the shellfish. The broth was delicious and really lived up to our expectations, so much so that we even mopped up the last dregs with the fantastic crusty bread rolls that they had brought out earlier. We were all full but the friendly waiter tempted Kyle into having “helado” (ice cream) and he enjoyed a few scoops to finish the meal.

 

Once we’d finished it took a while to get the bill and settle it (doesn’t it always or is that just us?) and we eventually left the restaurant around 2:45pm. We then had a short stroll back to the bus stop and on the way, Kyle spotted a shop selling “Turbys” (“we put the lush in slush”) which he remembered from previous port days in Spain. After a quick slushy pit-stop we were soon on the bus and back to the port for 3:15pm, well inside the “all aboard” time of 4pm. There were 2 gangways on the quayside with the forward stairway being less busy so that suited us fine given our cabin location. We were safely back in the suite for 3:30pm after a really enjoyable port day.

 

After freshening up I sat on the balcony and watched what was going on quayside. There were a few stragglers arriving just inside the all-aboard cut-off time as usual and one thing that struck me is that they never seem to be in a rush, do they? As ever there were the usual announcements for various passengers to contact reception to confirm that they were onboard but these gradually reduced to a consistent, single announcement seeking “Mr. and Mrs. Tarde” (I think that’s what they were called anyway). 4pm passed and the announcements continued every 10 minutes or so until we passed our sailing time 4:30pm. At this point Captain Gray made his announcement (as they always do when we are due to leave port) and confirmed that 2 passengers hadn’t yet made it back onboard but that we would wait a little longer.

 

On the quayside there was only a single stairway remaining and all the usual furniture (gazebo, security railings etc.) had been brought back onboard. The dockside workers were either waiting in vans or hanging around chatting and smoking. This carried on for so long that even I got bored so I went back inside the suite and grabbed a book to read whilst sat on the balcony. Sunil arrived with today’s canapés (Smoked Salmon and Pea vol au vents) which I had all to myself as Michelle didn’t like them.  He said that we wouldn’t wait much longer and that the missing couple could be left behind but I really didn’t think that would happen.

 

Eventually around 5:50pm I felt the ships’ engines start to rumble and realised that we were about to sail. I hadn’t been watching so I didn’t know if the late passengers were back onboard but Captain Gray soon made an announcement that we could wait no longer and were going without them. We cast off and as Britannia edged away from its berth, I noticed a couple running down the quayside. This could only have been Mr. and Mrs. Tarde but it was too late now and they were intercepted by what looked like a port official. I wonder if they mistook the all aboard time 1600 hours for 6pm?

 

We got ready for dinner and met the in-laws outside the Meridean Restaurant as usual. We lucked into the same table again with Sachin and Verat. They asked if we knew of the passengers left behind and my in-laws told a story of how they’d heard that the (missing) couple had spent the afternoon in Taberna La Manzanilla, had a little too much sherry and lost track of the time. Sachin said he’d heard that the couple had taken a private taxi tour but the car had broken down in the Andalucian countryside. At this point Virender arrived and his story was that they’d taken the train independently to Seville but missed the train back. (The rumours onboard are unbelievable; how can anyone know?). One thing they all agreed was that official P&O excursions are best as you never get left behind (well done for promoting the company’s services chaps!).

 

For dinner I chose Sweet Chilli Tiger Prawns, Rack of Lamb and my all-time favourite dessert Rum and Raisin ice cream. Michelle had the same starter, Poached Salmon and finished with cheese and biscuits. Kyle had pasta and tomato sauce again. Since Michelle is less fussy about wine pairing than I am I chose a bottle of Kaiken Reserve Malbec to go with the lamb.

 

After dinner we went to the Crystal Room and I enjoyed watching the orchestra play for a handful of ballroom dancers. They played a series of instrumentals before taking a break, after which they were joined by a female vocalist. Things livened up thereafter with the orchestra playing more up-tempo numbers and the songstress really demonstrating her fine voice. The room became more crowded in a pleasant way and it made for a fun atmosphere. I studied the cocktail menu in great detail (as I often do) but as usual couldn’t find anything that I would like other than Cuba Libre. I couldn’t risk the caffeine in the coca cola keeping me awake (I’m a poor sleeper at the best of times) so in the end I just stuck to more Malbec. We stayed until around 11pm before retiring to our cabin.

 

 

Edited July 21, 2020 by DamianG

[Britboys]

So, Mr & Mrs Tarde obviously didn't get the chance to say Buenas Tardes to anyone when they got back then...

[DamianG]

👍

12 minutes ago, Britboys said:

So, Mr & Mrs Tarde obviously didn't get the chance to say Buenas Tardes to anyone when they got back then...

 

I'm so glad my careful name choice wasn't wasted! 👍 😉

Edited July 21, 2020 by DamianG

[Harry Peterson]

Thanks - as interesting as ever to read.  You really do put a lot into these - must take quite a time.  📚

[DamianG]

4 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

Thanks - as interesting as ever to read.  You really do put a lot into these - must take quite a time.  📚

 

Thanks again Harry. It does take a long time but as I am still out of work (yet another job application rejected this morning) I am justifying it to myself as keeping my brain ticking over and my keyboard skills sharp.

 

By the way, I don't say "unemployed" as I am not signing-on (tried it briefly, a truly awful experience and did nothing for me). There's probably thousands like me (2 of my closest friends are in the same position) and my guess is that the official "unemployed" stats are way understated. Anyway I digress...can't beat a bit of thread drift.

[Harry Peterson]

1 minute ago, DamianG said:

 

Thanks again Harry. It does take a long time but as I am still out of work (yet another job application rejected this morning) I am justifying it to myself as keeping my brain ticking over and my keyboard skills sharp.

 

By the way, I don't say "unemployed" as I am not signing-on (tried it briefly, a truly awful experience and did nothing for me). There's probably thousands like me (2 of my closest friends are in the same position) and my guess is that the official "unemployed" stats are way understated. Anyway I digress...can't beat a bit of thread drift.

Very sorry to hear that, Damian.  It must be very tough.  Is journalism your line by any chance?

 

I’d guess you have an excellent CV, so all the very best with the search. 

[DamianG]

4 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

Very sorry to hear that, Damian.  It must be very tough.  Is journalism your line by any chance?

 

I’d guess you have an excellent CV, so all the very best with the search. 

 

34 years in financial services, Brexit preparations (reducing UK costs to free up funding for an EU based office) did for me.

 

Cheers

Edited July 21, 2020 by DamianG

[Ilovemygarden]

Who is performing in the Limelight Club this week?  Someone fantastic I would think. 

[DamianG]

36 minutes ago, Ilovemygarden said:

Who is performing in the Limelight Club this week?  Someone fantastic I would think. 

 

Good idea, got me thinking 🤔

[Eddie99]

Gary Barlow? 😳

[terrierjohn]

4 minutes ago, DamianG said:

 

Good idea, got me thinking 🤔

Damian, since this a fantasy blog you could invite anyone to headline in the Limelight club, The Beatles, Elvis, Buddy Holly, Frank Sinatra, your list is endless.

[DamianG]

1 minute ago, terrierjohn said:

Damian, since this a fantasy blog you could invite anyone to headline in the Limelight club, The Beatles, Elvis, Buddy Holly, Frank Sinatra, your list is endless.

 

Come on John, keep it realistic! I suppose Phil Fryer "as Frank Sinatra" is a possibility.

I've met a few different Elvis' serving dinner in the MDR by the way. At least that's what their name badge said.

[P&O SUE]

2 hours ago, DamianG said:

 

Come on John, keep it realistic! I suppose Phil Fryer "as Frank Sinatra" is a possibility.

I've met a few different Elvis' serving dinner in the MDR by the way. At least that's what their name badge said.

Yes there always seems a lot of Elvis’!

[AndyMichelle]

4 hours ago, DamianG said:

 

Thanks again Harry. It does take a long time but as I am still out of work (yet another job application rejected this morning) I am justifying it to myself as keeping my brain ticking over and my keyboard skills sharp.

 

By the way, I don't say "unemployed" as I am not signing-on (tried it briefly, a truly awful experience and did nothing for me). There's probably thousands like me (2 of my closest friends are in the same position) and my guess is that the official "unemployed" stats are way understated. Anyway I digress...can't beat a bit of thread drift.

With your communication skills, empathy & creativity Damian, the right position won't be far away. 

Difficult times though, there are a lot of very talented people struggling to find work at the moment. 

Keep positive and we wish you the very best of luck. 

Andy & Michelle