| There was a little worry when we arrived after being told there may be a shuttle back to the port. We had paid for this trip so transport back should be automatically included. Our Dolphin World boat was the adorable 48grt Brixham Belle, originally built in 1960 and registered in Cowes on the Isle of Wight. It was a mad rush trying to find anywhere to sit so you could get a clear view of the dolphins. I ended up sitting down for most of it since the skipper loved doing sharp turns and nearly making us fall overboard! It was a good trip though and we saw many dolphins. He even created a wake so they would swim alongside which was great. |
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| This was where a jobsworth security guard ordered me to stop taking photos of the ship. While I'd been enjoying the marine wildlife, Juanita was having an interesting excursion of her own. They arrived at the cable car only to discover it had broken down. People were trapped at the top. |
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| Then they went to see the Barbary Apes. There were several tourists there and a woman, not with their tour, did what people are told not to. She had an ice cream, waved it in front of one of the animals then screamed when it naturally took it from her. They were climbing over everying and Juanita just missed one wrecking the windscreen wiper on the back of a vehicle. |
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| They went back to the cable car but it was still broken, a rescue going on bringing people down a few at a time, so they returned to the ship. I'd been back since about 4.20pm while Juanita got back around 5pm. I went up for our 8pm sailaway and saw our ropes had already started being thrown ten minutes early. I was chatting to Frederico, who does crew washing up. He has a hard job for lousy pay whereas the likes of piano players do bugger all a couple of hours a day for thousands a month! Something's not right there. Juanita joined me shortly after we'd started moving. But guess what? No send off and no blasting! We'd really gone off this captain. |
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| By the time we got to the Martini Bar I was in need of a drink or several. Upon returning to the cabin after sailaway, there was a message on the phone from Guest Relations. Would I be using my transfers and can I go and let them know. So I went down, explained how Mandi was told I would NOT be getting any due to deferring the flight two days so we made our own arrangements, and she eventually wrote it all down. She then took the transfers, saying she needed them for the report to head office and I would get them back. We would also wait to see what they said. Bear in mind this was Friday at 9pm, 4pm in Miami. There was a weekend so no one could look at it until Monday - the day before we disembarked! I met Juanita in the corridor as I went to the cabin to put my tickets away and explained the latest farce. Then we headed down for our drinky poos! I liked these. No matter how many you had or how strong Brian made them, there was no hangover! We decided to try something different so Juanita had lemon sorbet while I went for banana split. I didn't like the banana split one much so my next order was the chocolate. Juanita liked the lemon sorbet but it was too citrus for me. |
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| Alex suggested we went across to the photographer who was bored so we did, since we'd had a few. What better way to do silly poses? I did things he enjoyed but Juanita wouldn't do any. What a spoilsport! Then Alex left us for the craps table and we grew steadily drunker. Our fourth was bought for us by an elderly couple called Gloria and Carlos. She was American, he Spanish and he joined in Vigo. They had enjoyed being entertained by us with the boys behind the bar so much, they didn't want us to go when they saw we were about to! Juanita thanked them. We had to at 11pm anyway since it was an early start, but we were really gone, wondering how much alcohol had been put in those drinks. Juanita managed to stop giggling long enough to order the usual tea and jug of water from room service. Despite her constant complaints to room service, the stewards and Guest Relations, nothing had been done about the strong stench and taste of filter coffee. Then it was a drunken sleep. |
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| Up just after 9am for our arrival into Cartagena as breakfast came. The toilet paper hadn't been replaced so subsequently ran out during the night. Frederick brought two rolls then Niles brought three. Wouldn't run out now! But it was a pretty poor show something as basic as that was overlooked and ended up being the latest thing we'd run out of. |
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| We went to the theatre to wait for our Journey To Murcia tour. There were five buses and we were number five, which was called after one, two, three, four, six, seven and eight! We followed a bus out and after a long drive, arrived at the Sanctuario de la Fuensanta, which overlooks Murcia. A service was going on and we were told not to go in, though many did. Towards the end we were allowed to but had to be quiet. Pity some people used flash when taking photos, one man going right down the front for a picture. Also a carpet was being laid for an impending wedding and some people walked down it, even posing for photos. I noticed on our paddle Royal Caribbean underneath the Celebrity Cruises label. |
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| We left around 11am after a few stragglers finally turned up on our and another bus. What is it with people's inability to tell the time? Our next stop was a cathedral in Cardenal Belluga Square. |
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| We then were taken to the Museum of Fine Arts which was an absolute NIGHTMARE. Juanita managed all the floors but I could only do two. With all the excursion people at the same place there was barely elbow room. Our guide said he couldn't give us a tour but bus one's did. I went outside to wait. While the majority of shops were closed, one was open so I went to buy some water. As we stood in the boiling heat waiting for the bus to return, we saw Gloria and Carlos, who were on bus one. Ours turned up at 1.45pm. Then we headed back to the ship where we arrived fifty minutes later. During the journey an American bloke asked about lunch AGAIN, despite knowing this tour doesn't include any. |
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Why oh why do Royal Caribbean insist on making you go through security yet again. I mentioned this earlier but it really is a pointless exercise when Spanish customs have already done it. As we made our way to the cabin, we passed a female security guard and then discovered our door was on the latch while no one was around. We called the guard back, she checked who was in charge, called them and it turned out Niles was down in the laundry on deck 0. She had no interest whatsoever checking for anyone being inside, damage, theft or even looking at the CCTV footage unless WE requested it at Guest Relations. What was the point of being in security then if they can't be bothered doing their job? Niles had done the room, even bathroom, but failed to empty the bin. We ordered a burger from room service which took nearly an hour to come. Later, around 5pm, Frederick knocked on the door to find out what had happened earlier. He'd clearly only just been told by the head of housekeeping. What he hadn't known was how the door was left meaning anyone could have walked in. It's a shame really he gets it in the neck because, unlike Niles, he actually did his job. The main problem was there were too many cabins and not enough stewards. It was formal night so time to posh up again! We tried out the self-timer on my camera as we waited for the 6pm sailing, which seemed to work. We actually sailed ten minutes early, which was fine. Meant more time at the Martini Bar before dinner! |
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| It was a Baked Alaska parade minus any flame due to health and safety. I thought these plastic ships were supposed to be safer than those with wood, or so SOLAS 2010 would tell us leading to so many fine vessels going to the scrapheap because of it. Compared to what they'd done on Constellation two years earlier, this was sorely lacking. Without the flame it was just a cheering contest for your own waiter so a waste of time. Also we'd had dessert BEFORE the parade, which also made it pointless. |
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