Getting Away with Walking Difficulties

[fabnfortysomething]

 

 

Several years I started a series of blogs relating our adventures[and misadventures] of cruising with someone who has walking difficulties ie my husband.

For anonymity I call him 6.

You may remember the 70s series about Steve Austin an astronaut who was severely injured and rebuilt with bionics to the tune of 6 million dollars.

Well as a result of Rheumatoid arthritis hitting him in his 40s he has had replacement hip surgeries totalling nearer £6000.[although rising]

 

We took to cruising around 2008 as a low mobility option to travel and were hooked ,cruising at least once a year and making some great friends along the way.

A brain haemorrhage in 2019 added insult to injury but we still managed a round UK and Ireland cruise that year.

That turned out to be our last cruise for a while for obvious reasons.

 

We both have a quirky sense of humour so this review is light hearted but focusing on issues relating to walking difficulties.

 

I had originally booked an Iceland and Norway cruise but doing research it was going to be expensive pre cruise in Iceland and excursions also expensive and no easy route for 6.

When our USA friends K and D said they had booked this unique itinerary I switched so we could cruise together again

We met on our second cruise and have kept in touch with several cruises and their visits to England

We had planned to visit them in 2020 but of course that didn’t happen but hopefully will get to see their home in Indianapolis sometime.

 

Because this cruise started in Rome and ended in Lisbon I booked airfare through NCL.

However it was a day of cruise flight which always makes me nervous.

Several weeks before cruise we heard that baggage handlers were going on strike and that gave me the incentive to change flights to day before. Cancelling NCL transfers meant cost difference wasn’t that great.

 

London Heathrow is 260 miles from our home but as our daughter, son in law and 2 granddaughters live close to Heathrow we drove down Wednesday so as to spend some time with them before our flight on Thursday.

There is now no spare bedroom at their house since the girls[almost 3 and 1 year old ] had their own bedrooms.

Actually as the nursery gets so hot they now share a bedroom but I decided to book a park and stay package pre and post flight at Hilton terminal 5.

This is a bit of a misnomer as it is 3 miles away unlike Hilton Gatwick which is adjoined to the terminal via walkway. They did however advertise a hoppa service and we could leave the car at hotel car park

We were given a complimentary upgrade as Gold members of Hilton loyalty club with access to executive lounge and free breakfast. Unfortunately as our flight was 6.30am this    was no use to us.

The receptionist informed us that the hotel hoppa didn’t start till 5.15am so no use to us[we later found out it actually starts 4.30]

He booked us a taxi for 4.15 and gave us a card from WeKnowLondon for our return which he said would be a cheaper alternative[again misinformed us of running times of Hoppa]

 

The taxi cost us £24 and then we were given misinformation at airport where to check in for wheelchair assistance[not good so far]

Once the man arrived with wheelchair it all went a lot smoother . He fast tracked us through security and passport control and went with us on train to terminal building opposite where we pre boarded and were able to settle into our seats.

 

The flight to Rome was an uneventful 2 hours but there was no sign of wheelchair assistance at the other end.

The flight crew rang and eventually assistance arrived.

Sometimes you get one person escorted you all the way, in this case there were 4 stages throughout airport with a series of 4 females who were getting younger and prettier-6 wasn’t objecting!

 

We had booked the same bed and breakfast place as our friends in Civitiveccia and the owners arranged a taxi transfer for the hour journey from Airport for 130 euros-this actually worked out better for us than trying to negotiate public transport. It also is nice to see your name on placard as you exit .

The driver had parked in adjacent rail station carpark and took one of our cases but set off at a pace 6 couldn’t keep up. Eventually he realised and slowed down.  

It was a pleasant drive along motorway with flowers self seeding in central reservation and we arrived at Il Borghetto guest house

This is a 2 bedroom unit on 4^th floor of apartment building which are rented separately but have common area with TV and kitchen area.

As our friends had booked the other room for 3 nights this worked out very well for us as we could make use of whole unit.

The owners were there to welcome us and show us the facilities and told us how to reach them in case of problems.

There were lots of steps to negotiate within building but 6 can manage these-its distance he struggles with.

 

K and D had taken train into Rome for the day so when they arrived back we  got pizza from local eatery and spent the evening drinking wine and beer and catching up before collapsing into bed.

[sunshine55]

1 hour ago, fabnfortysomething said:

 

 

Several years I started a series of blogs relating our adventures[and misadventures] of cruising with someone who has walking difficulties ie my husband.

For anonymity I call him 6.

You may remember the 70s series about Steve Austin an astronaut who was severely injured and rebuilt with bionics to the tune of 6 million dollars.

Well as a result of Rheumatoid arthritis hitting him in his 40s he has had replacement hip surgeries totalling nearer £6000.[although rising]

 

We took to cruising around 2008 as a low mobility option to travel and were hooked ,cruising at least once a year and making some great friends along the way.

A brain haemorrhage in 2019 added insult to injury but we still managed a round UK and Ireland cruise that year.

That turned out to be our last cruise for a while for obvious reasons.

 

We both have a quirky sense of humour so this review is light hearted but focusing on issues relating to walking difficulties.

 

I had originally booked an Iceland and Norway cruise but doing research it was going to be expensive pre cruise in Iceland and excursions also expensive and no easy route for 6.

When our USA friends K and D said they had booked this unique itinerary I switched so we could cruise together again

We met on our second cruise and have kept in touch with several cruises and their visits to England

We had planned to visit them in 2020 but of course that didn’t happen but hopefully will get to see their home in Indianapolis sometime.

 

Because this cruise started in Rome and ended in Lisbon I booked airfare through NCL.

However it was a day of cruise flight which always makes me nervous.

Several weeks before cruise we heard that baggage handlers were going on strike and that gave me the incentive to change flights to day before. Cancelling NCL transfers meant cost difference wasn’t that great.

 

London Heathrow is 260 miles from our home but as our daughter, son in law and 2 granddaughters live close to Heathrow we drove down Wednesday so as to spend some time with them before our flight on Thursday.

There is now no spare bedroom at their house since the girls[almost 3 and 1 year old ] had their own bedrooms.

Actually as the nursery gets so hot they now share a bedroom but I decided to book a park and stay package pre and post flight at Hilton terminal 5.

This is a bit of a misnomer as it is 3 miles away unlike Hilton Gatwick which is adjoined to the terminal via walkway. They did however advertise a hoppa service and we could leave the car at hotel car park

We were given a complimentary upgrade as Gold members of Hilton loyalty club with access to executive lounge and free breakfast. Unfortunately as our flight was 6.30am this    was no use to us.

The receptionist informed us that the hotel hoppa didn’t start till 5.15am so no use to us[we later found out it actually starts 4.30]

He booked us a taxi for 4.15 and gave us a card from WeKnowLondon for our return which he said would be a cheaper alternative[again misinformed us of running times of Hoppa]

 

The taxi cost us £24 and then we were given misinformation at airport where to check in for wheelchair assistance[not good so far]

Once the man arrived with wheelchair it all went a lot smoother . He fast tracked us through security and passport control and went with us on train to terminal building opposite where we pre boarded and were able to settle into our seats.

 

The flight to Rome was an uneventful 2 hours but there was no sign of wheelchair assistance at the other end.

The flight crew rang and eventually assistance arrived.

Sometimes you get one person escorted you all the way, in this case there were 4 stages throughout airport with a series of 4 females who were getting younger and prettier-6 wasn’t objecting!

 

We had booked the same bed and breakfast place as our friends in Civitiveccia and the owners arranged a taxi transfer for the hour journey from Airport for 130 euros-this actually worked out better for us than trying to negotiate public transport. It also is nice to see your name on placard as you exit .

The driver had parked in adjacent rail station carpark and took one of our cases but set off at a pace 6 couldn’t keep up. Eventually he realised and slowed down.  

It was a pleasant drive along motorway with flowers self seeding in central reservation and we arrived at Il Borghetto guest house

This is a 2 bedroom unit on 4^th floor of apartment building which are rented separately but have common area with TV and kitchen area.

As our friends had booked the other room for 3 nights this worked out very well for us as we could make use of whole unit.

The owners were there to welcome us and show us the facilities and told us how to reach them in case of problems.

There were lots of steps to negotiate within building but 6 can manage these-its distance he struggles with.

 

K and D had taken train into Rome for the day so when they arrived back we  got pizza from local eatery and spent the evening drinking wine and beer and catching up before collapsing into bed.

 

You obviously  know how to roll with the punches.  Life is short.  You are making the best of life...Enjoy!

[goldmom]

Looking forward to more.  I have always enjoyed your posts!

[fabnfortysomething]

Day 1 embarkation

 

After a leisurely breakfast provided by the guest house we left the building 10.15 in what we thought would be plenty of time for our 11-11.30 embarkation slot.

 

Civitiveccia isn’t a regularly used embarkation port and today NCL Getaway  and an MSC ship were both starting cruises from here .NCL had 5000 passengers and the MSC ship was even bigger.

 

This could only be described as Disorganised Chaos

 

We walked the 10 minutes from guesthouse to port entrance fairly easily and could see the 2 ships a few hundred yards away.

However the road to the left leading to ships had no walkway so unable to go on foot with luggage.

To the right was a mass of people with suitcases waiting for shuttle -bear in mind Europe in middle of heatwave and no shelter.

We waited 10-15 minutes for a bus to turn up then there was a surge towards it with no regard for orderly lines.

Not wanting to be trampled by a herd of elephants with luggage we fortunately noted another bus pulling in behind it and went to that one. It did mean we had to wait for it filling up before we could enter the next phase.

 

This consisted of the bus driving along harbour front to the opposite end of the town to the bus station where we had to get off and enter said venue where another shuttle bus would take us directly to ship.

A teeming mass of cars and passengers with luggage were blocking access and there was no attempt to create a separate entrance and exit .Seemingly swimming against the tide[Now I know how the lone fish going in opposite direction on the carpets on NCL carpets feels] we fought our way into the bus station.

It took a while to work out that there were 2 lines inside, left hand side for NCL right for MSC

No staff to monitor situation till you got to head of line where they directed you onto a bus

The only non passenger visible was a man selling sunhats amongst crowd to stave off the beating sun as you waited in very slow moving lines.

It became apparent there were only 2 shuttle buses allocated to NCL and 3 for MSC. These were running to and from the ships and had to empty their passengers from ship before we could get on-hence the chaos at entrance.

 

Since his stroke 6 suffers from disorientation issues in crowds and I could tell he was struggling.

Several shuttles came and went before we were able to board ours and back along the harbour front passing the same point we had entered an hour before.

There was a delay getting past security gate as a uniformed officer boarded each bus and checked passengers boarding pass but eventually we arrived outside ship at 11.45-so much for our allocated port arrival time.

 

The bus driver went off for a cigarette and had to be tracked down as he hadn’t opened 1 side of the luggage compartment to allow us to get our bags out.

 

We had booked wheelchair assistance at pier but no signs so had to walk full length of terminal building to entrance then all the way back once inside to reach the baggage drop and security screening airport style.

Of course 6 set the alarms off and had to be checked before we could get to check in desks.

Fortunately as Saphire latitudes we could use priority and got our keycards fairly quickly. Only then did we see wheelchairs which by this time he decided he’s gone this far lets just get on the ship.

 

By this time it was 12.15-wheres the nearest bar!!!!

We headed for O Sheehans restaurant area where we had fish and chips and a beer.

 

Dand I headed to atrium to arrange our speciality restaurants and sign up for a couple of ships excursions to utilise our $50 credit including 1 to Cinque Terre the next day.

As this was also where our muster station was got keycard swiped.

 

As atrium was getting packed 6 went to find a quiet area[aka waterfront bar] and K D and I went to spice H20 to enjoy some sunshine.

 

2.30 there was a tannoy announcement that rooms were not yet ready so please enjoy rest of ship rather than sitting on stairs and blocking them!

3pm it was announced rooms ready and after waiting for rush to die down went to drop off hand luggage.

 

Our balcony cabin was mid ship deck 10 and as the ship doesn’t have central stairs and elevators was a long walk between aft and forward ones.

 

We went to Spice H20 for an informal sailaway we had arranged on out roll call but only 1 couple turned up.

 

6.30 we returned to cabin to find our cases had arrived then went to Garden café for bite to eat where we met K and D

As no excursion tickets had been left they visited the desk to be told our excursion next day was sold out and we weren’t on the list-wish they could have told us that at the time we booked!

 

As our complimentary water bottles and chocolate covered strawberries hadn’t been in cabin we went to cruise next desk and they signed us up for wine tasting and on list for dinner with officers. We declined ship tour as its interesting the first couple of times but been there seen it done it.

 

We managed to find a fairly quiet area in atrium where spent rest of evening listening to vocalist and enjoying the Ultimate Beverage package!

  

 

[bluesea777]

You haven’t said which ship and when was the cruise?

 

 

[RD64]

Correction -Civitavecchia is a regularly used port - and I believe it has the most passenger traffic in Italy. Disorganized chaos is a way of life in Italy.

[fabnfortysomething]

3 hours ago, RD64 said:

Correction -Civitavecchia is a regularly used port - and I believe it has the most passenger traffic in Italy. Disorganized chaos is a way of life in Italy.

I know Civiyiveccia is a regularly used port but didnt think it was used for embarkation port as much

That was me trying to find excuses for them 

Rome airport was also a mess

[fabnfortysomething]

4 hours ago, bluesea777 said:

You haven’t said which ship and when was the cruise?

 

 

sorry NCL Getaway Rome to Lisbon 20 July

[fabnfortysomething]

Day 2 Livorno

 

Awoken by the cruise directors announcement that the ship was cleared for leaving I reflected it was just as well we weren’t going on excursion as felt really tired and it would have been a long day meeting at 7.15am.

I checked the envelope slot outside cabin and found an envelope with tickets for Alicante tour later in week and a slip of paper saying Cinque Terre was full but I was on waiting list-no chance of that now

I went back to sleep and awoke around 9.

 

I visited the spa and had a guide round -I liked the look of it so signed up for cruise long pass for $319 and made sure I visited daily.

I had a couple of hours in the sun at Spice H2O The adults only area then after lunch headed for first thermal Spa session.

Its on the 15^th floor forward above navigation so good views over front and side panoramic windows.

 

Livorno is a very industrial port and you cant walk through it-a 7 euro shuttle is provided by the port.

 

4pm I returned to cabin to find no 6 but complimentary water had been delivered.

I sat on balcony watching tours return.

 

6 returned from his tour of the ships bars and making friends with bar waiters so we met K and D at Taste/Savor dining rooms 5.30 as they opened

It was quiet at that time but filled up by 7 and sailaway time

6 found with his back to wall he wasn’t overwhelmed and when we went to atrium he found sitting in Starbucks area again with back to wall he was able to sit through the New vs Not so newly wed quiz show#

 

We definitely noted the shift towards quiz shows and self entertainment such as karaoke at the cost of professional musicians which is a shame.

We were able to find some but weren’t spoilt for choice as on previous cruises.

 

K and D headed to bed about 9.30 but we caught Syd Normans show at 10 and managed to find a seat

Its high energy singing and dancing and lasts an hour after which bar staff are keen to clear you out!

 

We grabbed a couple of glasses of wine to enjoy on our balcony and listen to the sound of the waves.  

[Panhandle Couple]

In the 60's show The Prisoner (now a cult classic) the main character was called Six.  Everyone had numbers, no names.  His pained line of "Who is Number 1?" is a trademark for the show.

 

He was held on a seaside resort from which there was no escape.  He tried many times.  Hence the title "The Prisoner".

 

[valleyvillage]

33 minutes ago, Panhandle Couple said:

In the 60's show The Prisoner (now a cult classic) the main character was called Six.  Everyone had numbers, no names.  His pained line of "Who is Number 1?" is a trademark for the show.

Some feel the answer, "You are number 6" was meant to be "You are, number 6"

[fabnfortysomething]

thanks to those chipping in with facts and figures

[fabnfortysomething]

Day 3 Villefranche 7-6

 

Originally was meant to be Nice but there were several port substitutions since we first booked

This was the only tender port -as Saphire latitudes we could have met between 7 and 9 in Illusionarium theatre to get priority but I decided to stay on board although K and D went ashore.

Not much chance of a lie in though as tender announcements were made every 10 minutes until about 10 when open tender was announced

 

I got a phone call from the General managers secretary asking us to confirm our places for Dinner with officers. After checking K and D were on same invite I confirmed for all of us.

 

I eventually drew back curtains and was faced with a beautiful view of the bay with yachts and forested hills down to sea level-can see why it’s a tender port!

 

I headed to Spice just before lunch to get some sun before grabbing some lunch at garden café where bumped into 6

He then joined me at Spice before heading to cooler climes-he doesn’t do sun tanning-he just gets redder!

The bar opened at 1pm and a touring bar waiter persuaded me to partake of a Mohito-very refreshing and I must admit it became my drink of choice for an afternoon in Spice-I became known as Miss Mohito.

I was joined about 3 by D .They had got off via tender and walked miles-she confirmed it was very hilly!

 

After she left to shower I headed to Thermal suite-it was busier than yesterday but still tranquil.

I watched the activity in bay with tenders gradually retuning with last one due 5pm.

 

Returning to cabin I found a towel animal of 2 swans kissing-usually done for honeymooners[well its been 37 ½ years for us until K and D who were about to celebrate 49!

I must admit to loving the towel animals and regret they are no longer routinely offered.

 

As I had organised the meet and greet We had an invite to the VIP cocktail party 7pm in Bliss lounge with Captain and Officers

Most of the officers are not natural mixers so we spent more time chatting to bar waiters we recognised!

 

We then met K and D 7.45 for our first speciality meal in Cagneys

The wine waiter spent a lot of time going through the wine list on his tablet and then on being informed we were on UBP and had a voucher for a free bottle of wine he then said most of wines he was showing us weren’t included!!!

This delayed our food waiter giving us menus and taking our order so we found service very slow and wouldn’t have been prepared to spend extra money there.

 

D and I wanted to catch Howl at the Moon duelling pianos at 9 so we left before dessert leaving K and 6-apparantly they weren’t offered dessert menus for ages because the waiters were waiting for us to return!.

 

Afterwards I found 6 in sugarcane bar listening to same Pianist who was playing earlier at VIP party

We got another couple of drinks to enjoy on balcony before crashing into bed.

[DCGuy64]

Lovely review, really enjoying reading it. Your comments regarding Mojitos reminded me: last Sunday we went for dinner with my sister-in-law, her 4 daughters and their erstwhile nanny who is now studying in London but back stateside for a brief visit. Suffice to say TWO Mojitos had to be ordered for me because the nieces (all under 21, FYI) kept drinking mine! 🤣 Those things are delicious, BTW!

[ggTexasGal]

Loving your posts with lots of helpful information! 😀

[Augustsunshine]

I am enjoying reading along. You write so well and I’m sure your observations have helped some people navigate their own adventures. Good work!

[fabnfortysomething]

Day 4 Marseilles 6-6

 

I was awoken by announcement that ship was cleared but went back to sleep till 9

 

I met K and D for breakfast then intended walking off ship with them.

Problem-there are 2 ports in Marseilles,1 close to centre of town and 1 in a large commercial port 5 miles out.

Guess which one we were at!

There was a note on shore excursion desk that shuttles were available for 15 euros taking 45 mins and every 45 minutes.

I decided to stay on board but they decided to give it a go.

 

I headed to Spice H2O for a morning of sun and headed back o cabin to find 6 who hadn’t got my message that had stayed on board.After lunch I headed back to Spice where I was persuaded by Kevin the bar waiter to have a Mohito and he asked where my friend was.

He was very attentive with drinks and carried a water spritzer which was very refreshing in the heat!

 

D turned up about 3 and informed me the info on shuttles was rubbish.

They walked off ship to find 6 waiting shuttle buses which only took 220 mins to get into town.

They spent 3 hours wandering then got an easy shuttle back.

 

4 o clock I went to shower and get changed for dinner with officers-we were told to meet in atrium 5.30

There were 10 of us and Harta the General Manager PA ticked our names off a list and guided us to Tropicana restaurant.

The officers were 2 ladies,Yolanda art gallery manager and McKenzie stage manager

Both were very engaging and it was a fun meal.

We had name cards so one of the guests recognised mine and said she had emailed me about the meet and greet.

 

We later headed for Syd Normans and McKenzie was introducing the band.

It was a very good night-after the show the singers come back out and mingle-they recognised us from prior night and were very impressed with photos 6 had taken on his semi professional camera.They asked him to forward to their Instagram .

 

Collecting our balcony wines we noted the ship was moving pretty fast to get to Barcelona for next morning.

There is nothing quite like sitting out on balcony on a clear starry night listening to the waves and sipping wine.  

 

[fabnfortysomething]

Day 5 Barcelona 7-7

 

I had already decided to stay on board today as have been to Barcelona several times.

I spent a relaxing morning in the Thermal spa more or less to myself.

 

I Met 6 on the stairs-as already mentioned our cabin was about same distance between aft and forward elevators and stairs

Rather than waiting for elevators [which seemed to be a playground for kids amusing themselves riding up and down ] we both tended to use stairs most of the time.

These were also crowded at times with people of all ages sitting on them and some unruly kids who thought it was a good idea to play football at top of them!

 

I spent an afternoon in Spice H20 until was joined by 6 and D .K and D Had taken 9 euro shuttle to centre of Barcelona and walked and walked.

As if this wasnt enough exercise K was now doing his usual jogging route on ship in boiling heat!  

 

During covid lockdown I started a variety of online exercise classes one of which was a fan dancing course every 12 weeks which ended with an online performance of 2 routines open to family and friends.

The final clashed with this holiday so I brought along my feather fans to be able to join in from the cabin later tonight.

Believe me its not easy with low cabin ceilings!

My daughter was also joining in from home having found this a good way to get back into shape post childbirth-it does involve core strength.

Unfortunately the wifi signal on board was pretty terrible it kept breaking up so had to wing it!   

6 got some good shots of me in action though .

 

Afterwards we went to sugarcane to listen to pianist and vocalist Jacob till 11 then our usual balcony wine

[fabnfortysomething]

Day 6 Palma Mallorca 7-6

 

I decided to get off ship with K and D and we met up around 9.

 

It was nearly 3 miles to centre so got 15 euro shuttle which dropped us near base of cathedral.The shuttle also provided a map with main attractions which proved useless.

We had difficulty finding some of the attractions and when we did our reaction was “is that it?”

A very old knarled tree in the centre which I remembered from a previous visit wasn’t listed and that was a lot more interesting!

 

There were lots of horse and carriages which no one seemed to be taking-you had to hold your breath as you walked past so would not have been pleasant riding in them as the heat intensified the smell of horse dung.

The marble steps everywhere also got very slippery so tread carefully

 

After 2 hours D and I had seen enough so headed back to ship whilst K explored a bit more.

 

I spent a couple of hours in Spice H20 then to thermal spa

The panoramic windows had view of Palma cathedral in the distance and yachts of varying sizes in the harbour.

Lots of apartments and hotels to the left of harbour.

 

Mallorca became a major holiday destination for sun starved Brits in the 1960s and 70s with cheap package holidays.

When the idea was to acquire as deep a sun tan as possible and SPF sunscreen wasn’t seen as important the result is a rapid increase in skin cancer amongst our generation.

 

I found 6 lying in darkened cabin and guessed he was having one of his off days

After his stroke he suffers neurofatigue which comes upon him with little warning and he needs to self isolate and switch off from stimulation

He calls it low Battery syndrome.

 

We were due to meet K and D for second free speciality restaurant le Bistro and at first he rallied chatting to K.However after meal he retired back to cabin.

 

D and I  headed to Syd Normans for the Rumours tribute evening which was very good.

[fabnfortysomething]

Day 7 Alicante 6.30-4

 

This was a substitute port for Ibiza which should have been 7-2.30 which wouldn’t have given much time in sun so this was better but would affect Meet and Greet later at 3 till 4

 

We had booked shore excursion to utilise $50 credit-As 6 was staying on board this worked out a cheap excursion for me.

We have always avoided ships excursions preferring private but it had been a slow roll call and some of the ports we had visited several times so decided to give a big bus tour a go.

 

This was 4 ½ hours duration with a walking tour of Alicante for 30 mins then inland to Novelda

The desert landscape is very ugly on the way but Novelda itself pretty.

The personable guide told us that this area historically had 3 distinct communities

Arab/Moors ,Jewish and Catholic

We headed up a mountain on which were 3 places of worship looking down on valley below

A mosque in ruins

A synagogue converted to a restaurant

A church still active due to murals inside depicting Mary Magdalene who was supposed to have ascended to Heaven from here[despite zero evidence she ever lived in the area]

 

Down to valley floor for a tour of local vineyard and tasting of 2 wines.

We were back on ship by 2.30

 

Usually the Meet and Greet is held on the morning of first sea day and attended by ships officers.

On this cruise there were no sea days and chose today despite being late in cruise as should have been only day could accommodate people being back on board.

 

We originally were due to set sail from Ibiza 2.30 but change of itinerary affected turnout-there were 8 of us and group service co ordinators Anne and Malou greeted us

We knew no ships officers were to be present as busy with sailaway but we had a buffet set up and an interesting chat with Anne and Malou and fellow passengers about pre and post covid cruises.

 

We missed sailaway 4pm as Bliss was venue for meet and greet and an inside venue so no windows.

The latitudes party was 5.30 in Illusionarium theatre and was attended by ships officers

The captain did a talk and introduced his officers as we;; as doing a count of various latitudes level

We recognised some of our favourite bar waiters who had been called in for the event

Music was provided by guitarist and vocalist duo who we later followed to Sugar cane to end the evening.

 

[fabnfortysomething]

Day 8 Motril 8-7

 

This was substituted     for Malaga and as mentioned at Latitudes party was a brand new port for Ncl. Perhaps this was why they provided free shuttles.

I was awoken by docking announcement but went back to sleep and next thing I knew it was 11am!

I drew back curtains but quickly closed them again as cabin steward was opening up balcony dividers to allow cleaning of balconies

 

I headed to thermal spa before lunch at garden café.I noted empty chairs on pool deck-many people had gone ashore

In the afternoon I headed to Spice and although busier than usual still plenty of loungers.

 

I was joined by D and K who had gone ashore and found an interesting cactus garden

However listening to other cruisers there was little else ofinterest.In fact talking to a crew member who had gone ashore the café she found insisted on closing for siesta.

 

6 was feeling ill off and on all day so rested up in cabin

I joined K and D in atrium and listened to pianist until we all had an early night.

 

[fabnfortysomething]

Day 9 Cadiz 6-4

 

We had pre booked a private tour with a lovely man we had met on a previous cruise

Unfortunately as 6 wasn’t doing well we had to cancel a few days earlier.

However I can well recommend Carlos from Toursby Cadiz

 

K D and I headed ashore,it was close enough to centre to walk.

Although billed as port for Seville it’s a long trip there so we wandered round the city-it has a university so presumably an active night life!

There are lots of little parks with huge knarled trunked trees-presumably so as to optimise water storage in the arid climate.

Following waterfront and the old city walls we then headed inland along narrow alleys.They are set out in grid pattern so easy to navigate and as you got closer to port you could see Ships funnels rising above levels of buildings.

There are lots of interesting old buildings so if you don’t want to head to Seville theres plenty to explore.

 

Heading back on board I headed for O Sheehans for fish and chips

D headed to cabin to pack ,K to go for a run

6 had seen me return to ship as he had found comfy seats on waterfront deck 8 so clear view of port gates.

 

After a last spa session It was back to cabin to pack

Done in 45 minutes

On way out I cross pack in case a case lost but for return home it was dirty laundry in smaller case and everything else in larger case

Headed for couple of drinks to enjoy on balcony before I headed for pre booked 4pm Canvas 4 U painting class.

We went to Taste 5.30pm but service was slower than our previous experiences

 

Sailaway on our balcony before putting cases outside door

 

We had obviously already passed through straits of Gibraltar into the Atlantic which was noticeably cooler than previously balmy nights

I wish I had kept out a brand new Joules sweatshirt given as a birthday present from the kids but instead had packed it in to large suitcase which had already been collected

 

You just know this a a spoiler alert don’t you?

[cruiseny4life]

11 minutes ago, fabnfortysomething said:

You just know this a a spoiler alert don’t you?

Robe disembarkation wearing?? 😁

[fabnfortysomething]

Disembarkation day Lisbon

 

Clocks had gone back an hour putting us on same time zone as UK so gained an hour sleep

However early morning announcements for self disembark came all too soon

This is for people who choose to take all their luggage off themselves and suitable if you want to be first off ship.

Then comes colour coding which means your luggage will be waiting for you but only if you follow the system otherwise if you try to disembark before your colour luggage will probably still be on board   and you will add to congestion in disembarkation lounge

 

We had priority luggage labels which meant ours would be first off and in priority area close to exit so could get off at any tiem

Our flight back wasn’t till 6.45 pm so in no hurry and as k and D were spending an extra few days in Lisbon we intended getting off as late as possible and leaving our luggage at their hotel

 

They want you out of your cabin by 8.30 so we headed to garden café for breakfast which was heaving

It quietened down and we ended up being the only ones left there so we headed a bit further back and rested on poolside loungers

The colour coded announcements continued alongside pleas not to congregate in lower levels as getting overcrowded

This announcement was originally only in English but was then repeated in Spanish giving a clue as to whom were causing the problem

 

Eventually the call came for all remaining passengers to disembark and we headed downstairs to join a very long line snaking through theatre till eventually getting off ship

 

Just as well we had stayed in open air as long as possible-remember 5000 people to disembark!

We found  our cases easily and not wanting to go through hassle of putting toiletries into plastic bags at airport I put toiletries bag,extra stuff including hat and my masterpiece from canvas 4U into large case so as to minimise weight of rucksack

NOOOOO my future self cries[spoiler alert]

 

Exiting port the taxi rank was completely disorganised so found a gap and a taxi pulled up to take 4 of us and our 4 cases about 3 miles to central Lisbon hotel where K and D where to spend next 3 nights before heading back to USA

Price of 45 euros was a bit eye watering!   

We left our cases as planned at the hotel and sat in park opposite till we were joined by V and his wife

 

We had cruised with him in 2012 and K and D had arranged to meet up post cruise

As we had time to kill we were also able to join up and he took us to the lookout point a few minutes walk which provided a beautiful panoramic view over Lisbon

There is a food market there so we ordered a pizza to share and V introduced us to a local liquor based on cherries-cheers!   

We spent over an hour chatting ten 3pm headed back to hotel to collect our cases.

 

V called an uber which was only 10 euros and got us to airport in 30 minutes.

               We joined line for BA check in-only 3 desks were open and one was for premium /business class and very slow moving.

We were 3^rd in line when one of the check in girls said they were prioritising 5pm flights so could we step out of line for 20 minutes.

 

Once back in line we were given boarding cards and advised to go straightaway through security as taking a while

I pointed out we needed wheelchair assistance and she called for help who arrived promptly with a manual wheelchair

He took us through a shortcut of passport control and a priority lane for wheelchairs,pregnant women and young families

 

We were left at gate 43A which was boarding the 5pm Heathrow flight so had 1 ½ hours to wait

The same guy came back to pre load us so were first on shuttle bus for taxi to the aircraft at some distance away.We had to wait 10 minutes as plane was still being cleaned

There were 2 sets of steps at front and back of aircraft but even though our seats were row 30 at very back of plane they insisted we had to board at front set.

 

Trying to find our way to the back was made even worse when a second bus arrived with rest of passengers who were boarding from the rear

Now I know hoe the lone NCL fish swimming against the current on the hall carpets feels.

 

The plane was 45 minutes late taking off and our seats at very back had no windowand we were last to be served

Also even though was supposedly smooth flight with seats belt signs not being turned on during flight it was very bumpy at back and my ears were hurting.

 

Wheelchair assistance at Heathrow was via  crane that goes to level of plane steps so you jus step across

However it was having a malfunction and wouldn’t lower to the ground

Eventually the driver got it to work and we were transferred to another asisatance person who fast tracked us through to landside.

 

It was now 10.30pm and or final wheelchair assistance guy was due to come off shift 11 so was told could go home as soon as he’d helped us recover our baggage.

Of course this was not to be and heres the spoiler alert I referred to earlier

 

Suitcases going round on the belt but no sign of ours

Eventually 1 turned up-the one with the dirty laundry but the larger one with clean clothes and more valuable items didn’t

 

He took us to lost luggage where made claim

By now he was on overtime but wanted to help us so asked whether there was someone to meet us

I sowed him the card for “we know London” and he took us to the desk

No cars available for 90 minutes!!!

They tried to arrange an uber but no joy

Having been given wrong info on timings of Hotel Hoppa our option was to take a black cab from outside near bus station

 

The first 3 in line refused to take us the short distance wanting more lucrative fares to London

Eventually one agreed to take us for £30

We got to hotel after midnight!

Drove back home next day minus 1 suitcase and over a week later still no sign of it!!!!    

 

Just as had given up hope 9 days after returning home we got news that our case had been found and being returned to us via Eagle Aviation who bill themselves as leading baggage repatriation-obviously a lot of business for them!

Awaiting courier with bated breath

 

 

    

[dmms]

Wow - what a story!

Your cruise sounded lovely but definitely ended not so lovely at the airport;(

Laughed out loud at the fish swimming upstream  metaphor😬

Enjoy your writing style - have read some of your previous reviews and it’s like reading an entertaining short story.

Glad your luggage was recovered - you might have had to claim a high monetary loss for your art “masterpiece”😊

Thanks for sharing your adventures 😎