Selbourne ‘Live’ from Aurora’s 2024 Grand Tour

[Cathygh]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

It’s always worse late afternoon and evening when, of course, we are always on the ship. I also have a sneaky suspicion that it might be the air con, which is why I feel that I’m stuck with it until I am home. If I still have it after a few days at home then I shall definitely see my GP. 

Mine magically disappeared when I went outside.Next time I go on an older ship I will be looking for hints and tips to avoid it. Ice bucket in the cabin I read somewhere. We opened the door before we went to dinner and then kept it open all night, as that seemed to ease the coughing at night.  It has put me off going on Arcadia again. 

[Selbourne]

Todays MDR menus

 

Edited March 4 by Selbourne

[Red Ray]

On 2/29/2024 at 2:27 AM, Selbourne said:

The 10pm show was Maurice Grumbleweed.

He wasn't impressed when I played cricket with him in the nets on one cruise several years ago and hit him for 34 off his over. Tbf he was a pretty decent batsman and not a bad bloke so I had to tell him I had played at Minor County level & he shouldn't be too upset!

[Selbourne]

 

 

Day 62 - Monday 4th March - Praia da Vitoria, The Azores
 

We woke in the night to considerable movement and feared that our port call to The Azores might be in jeopardy. However, we managed to get in OK. 

 

We made it to breakfast with 2 minutes to spare and afterwards got our bearings from deck 13. Thankfully this is a port where coaches for excursions and shuttle buses come right up to the ship. Two pleasant surprises. Firstly the shuttle was free, which was handy with us having booked a saver and the excursions are on proper coaches, not those dreadful minibuses that we had to suffer around the Caribbean. We needed a wheelchair accessible shuttle and thankfully one was provided. We only had to wait about 15 minutes which was lucky as it can only take two at a time. 

 

We were dropped by the fire station and walked down Rue da Jesus (the main drag) down to the promenade. Praia da Vitoria was nothing special, but pleasant enough and frankly quite like a British seaside resort, but without the tackiness. We had a wander around for an hour and headed back to the ship, again waiting around 20 minutes for the wheelchair accessible shuttle to return. Chatting to the driver there is almost no crime on the islands and they feel that it is a great place to live. He said that they see the ocean differently to us. They don’t see themselves as isolated, but rather in the middle of a highway that can take them anywhere. Interesting concept, although I feel that the Isle of Wight can be a bit isolated and you can see the mainland from there 😂

 

We managed to get lunch in the MDR prior to me going on my final excursion of the cruise - South Island sights and Angra. The tour started with a long climb up to a viewpoint over a vast area that had been created following volcanic activity in the past. Apparently there are still two active volcanoes on the island (although not actually at risk of eruptions any time soon). Incidentally, I had no idea that the island was hit hard by a major earthquake in 1980 and around one third of the towns had been wiped out, so a lot of the current buildings were built afterward. 

 

We then made our way towards Angra and stopped at Fort Brazile which overlooks the city from afar. To get to the viewpoint the driver had to take the coach thorough a short tunnel with about 6” clearance each side. Finally we made our way down to the city where we had just over an hour to explore. This could either be done independently or with our guide. I opted for independent once she’d shown us where the botanical gardens were. 

 

Angra was a delight. A lovely place with cobbled streets and pavements, buildings with the shallow railed balconies and pastel coloured properties with contrasting coloured window sills. Most of the photos in today’s post are from Angra rather than Praia da Vitoria. I’d bought some Pastel du Nata in a bakery so when I returned to the ship I took my wife to Raffles for a drink to enjoy them with. 

 

As it was our last sail away of the cruise, and the Azores is a major hotspot for whales of all sorts (including Blue, Humpback and Sperm whales) who rest and feed there on the migration north for the summer, we put on jackets and stayed on our balcony until the light had faded. We managed to see…….nothing 😂

 

Dinner in the MDR was quite good. Piri Piri chicken was a first appearance and a nice change. We had considered going to see a new act afterwards called iHoppers, who do 50s and 60s music, but there was already a lot of movement and with the theatre being right at the front we didn’t fancy our dinner going up and down, so we gave it a miss. In his pre departure announcement the Captain warned us that sea conditions will worsen with 4 to 5 meter waves. Good job we found the spare Stugeron on the way down. Tomorrow is the first of our 3 sea days back to Southampton. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 4 by Selbourne

[Dobbers]

Thanks again for a great blog, hope your journey back isn’t too rocky.

[mrsgoggins]

I'm so pleased that you made it to Angra and that you also found it to be 'a delight'. Such a pity that your good lady is unable to accompany you on some of your excursions. However, on reflection, there are a some trips I've been on in the Caribbean that with hindsight, I would have swapped for a few hours reading on the balcony! Anything where I have been 'folded up' into one of the dreadful Caribbean minibuses comes to mind.

 

Here's to calm seas and green bean-free meals for the last leg of your journey 🥂

[lincslady]

Lovely photos, and so good that you both had a great day in  your last port of call,  Here's to a smooth journey back to Blighty.

[galeforce9]

Thank you for all your reports.  I hope you are back cruising and reporting soon to keep us all entertained    

[Eddie99]

Lovely photos from your last port of call.  I’m glad you had a nice day

Here’s hoping for a smooth passage back to Southampton 

 

[Beckett]

A final "Thank You" @Selbourne for your wonderfully entertaining blog. You've been a joy to read. Jane xx

[Selbourne]

1 hour ago, galeforce9 said:

Thank you for all your reports.  I hope you are back cruising and reporting soon to keep us all entertained    

We have 2 more cruises booked for this year, but both are with Cunard. As I’m not ‘known’ on the Cunard pages I am looking forward to having a break from doing blogs!

[Purdey16]

A big thank you to you Selbourne for doing a lovely job on here keeping us all up to date on your long cruise, I have enjoyed every minute of it and getting some tips at some of the ports that we will visit early next year. I’m happy you had a good last stop and was able to get in after a bumpy ride. Smooth sailings for your return home and not too much movement , enjoy your last few days .

[bobstheboy]

Thanks for an entertaining blog. I hope you enjoyed the cruise, apart from the aircon problems and a less than friendly Captain. 

[RJChatsworth]

Selbourne. As a frequent passenger on Cunard’s ships I have enjoyed your daily posts.  You might be more well known to Cunarders, particularly the Brits, than you imagine!

[Host Hattie]

41 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

We have 2 more cruises booked for this year, but both are with Cunard. As I’m not ‘known’ on the Cunard pages I am looking forward to having a break from doing blogs!

That's a shame, I was looking forward to reading your impressions of your Cunard cruises, especially as you're sailing on their brand new ship.

[Selbourne]

Just now, Host Hattie said:

That's a shame, I was looking forward to reading your impressions of your Cunard cruises. 

I might do a summary on here afterwards along the lines of @Dermotsgirl excellent one ‘P&O cruiser does Saga’ as I found that to be extremely helpful in our deliberations as to whether or not to try them. 

[Eddie99]

I’ll look forward to that.  Our next cruise -11 months away! - is Cunard.  

[Fionboard]

Really enjoyed your blog. Am joining Aurora next Tuesday for Norway cruise and I might see the Northern Lights this time (third time lucky maybe!) Safe journey home. 

[jh1809]

I imagine there are still two or three daily reports to come, so I won't thank you just yet. 🙂 I did the "South Island sights and Angra" excursion on my way back from the Caribbean in December, 2022 and very much enjoyed it, so I'm glad you did too. And yes, the proper coach was a blessed relief after all the minibuses.

[Selbourne]

Just now, Fionboard said:

Really enjoyed your blog. Am joining Aurora next Tuesday for Norway cruise and I might see the Northern Lights this time (third time lucky maybe!) Safe journey home. 

We’d love to be on that cruise. The itinerary is even better than the usual Northern Lights cruises. Fingers crossed for you. We’ve been twice. The first time there had been a massive solar flare that made the news and we had a sky full of lights, with greens and reds visible to the naked eye, not just the camera lens, but the second time we went (exactly the same week one year later) we saw absolutely nothing. Such pot luck. 

[paulatsea]

I am on the Rotterdam 4 nights Aurora - boarding when you get back on Friday.

It’s been a great blog - thanks.

 

I would be interested to know how your throat is after you get back - and hopefully a brief review of your Cunard trip.

 

Best wishes.

[Megabear2]

58 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

We’d love to be on that cruise. The itinerary is even better than the usual Northern Lights cruises. Fingers crossed for you. We’ve been twice. The first time there had been a massive solar flare that made the news and we had a sky full of lights, with greens and reds visible to the naked eye, not just the camera lens, but the second time we went (exactly the same week one year later) we saw absolutely nothing. Such pot luck. 

There was a huge flare on Sunday and the lights were seen as far down as Cornwall.  Yet again they were seen at Stonehenge.  The signs are very positive for those joining Aurora. 

[elmsliebev]

2 hours ago, Selbourne said:

We have 2 more cruises booked for this year, but both are with Cunard. As I’m not ‘known’ on the Cunard pages I am looking forward to having a break from doing blogs!

I'm on the Cunard pages and I "know" you 🤣

We're on Queen Anne on 23rd June - are you on that one?

[Selbourne]

Just now, elmsliebev said:

I'm on the Cunard pages and I "know" you 🤣

We're on Queen Anne on 23rd June - are you on that one?

No. May and November, both Queen Anne. 

[$iouxie]

Hi Selbourne

Have followed your reports on this cruise with great interest. I've enjoyed all your comments regarding life on board during a longer voyage, particularly the food and beverage side of things. Also loved your photos and details about your ports of call and excursions, brought back a few memories of our past cruises to the Caribbean. 

Wishing you a safe return to Southampton and onwards home. Thank you for taking the time to write your blog, do hope you enjoy your Cunard cruises and reconsider writing  another blog for us all to enjoy.

Best wishes