Alan and I shared a taxi with Lorraine and Mick from Leeds to get to our ship. And as always, I am reminded just how small a world this country is – everywhere we go, there are people we know. Although we did not know Lorraine, her family is from Kilmarnock! Just up the road from us. They have cruised extensively – with this being their 22nd cruise!
We are travelling on the P&O ship Azura. This is a more British experience than I am used to when sailing and things become more apparent all the time that this is a different experience. The first, and most upsetting experience was at check in – my passport was collected and I will not have it returned to me until we leave the ship at the end of the cruise. I could not have predicted how upsetting this was to me; never in a million years did I expect that being separated from my passport would cause me to feel like bursting into tears! The explanation is that all non-European Union passports are collected and reviewed by each island’s immigration before we will be allowed to leave the ship. Otherwise, we “foreigners” would have to get up at 5am when these people board and get our passports inspected. Trying to be sensible, at least I don’t have to worry about losing it during the journey!
Other differences in this cruise from the others I have been on:
1. A kettle in the room!!! Yippee, I love having a kettle in the room and am enjoying a coffee as a result of it being here as I write this blog!
2. No ice tea! One of my pleasures of either being on a cruise or being in the US…not real happy about this one.
3. Actually, no ice at all! No ice machines and no ice in the drinks, unless specifically requested. I have lived in the UK long enough to be able to adjust to this hardship, but it does seem odd to me. (I have since learned you can take your ice bucket to any bar and ask them to fill it.)
4. According to Lorraine, the slot machines are a bit less generous than on other cruises. We noticed a distinct lack of luck when we tried last night. Normally we at least win enough for a drink! I think we will retire from our little gambling habit once my “player account” goes dry!
5. The alcohol policy – Although we don’t really drink much, it is nice to have a drink when on holiday and usually cruises charge way too much. So we investigated and it looked acceptable to pack a bottle in our case. We were not sure about this and worried until the cases arrived. I had to wait almost 3 hours after Alan’s arrived, so I was particularly worried, especially after already “ losing” my passport. The next day we learned that P&O has a duty free shop and you can buy bottles on board, to use while travelling, and they were a very competitive price! Any other cruise ship has forbidden bringing alcohol on board and would only sell it as duty free for you to take away at the end of the cruise.
I am sure there are other differences, but the sun is coming up and the day beckons, so I need to go have fun!
“Journey through your day with efficiency, hope and a sense of humour.”
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