Aurora - Fjords & Iceland Cruise Review

Aurora - Fjords & Iceland

It was casual night thankfully and we watched from the cabin window as Nuuk disappeared into the distance while being deafenened by the anchor cable coming up. Why couldn't the weather have been like this when we arrived?

Dinner. If I couldn't have something due to salt or just not liking it, I'd have melon. Juanita had Yorkshire Pudding with her beef, although said it was the oddest one she'd had because it was more air than batter. Made me glad they left it off mine. Tonight Juanita ordered two desserts.

We went to the Animated Characters quiz hosted by Stacey in Champions at 8.45pm and won - yay!!!! For once I knew sod all and Juanita answered most of the questions. The prize would be delivered but would it be the pregnancy testing kit (clock) or sex toy (reading light)? TV Themes quiz in Masquerades with DJ Pablo at 9.30pm and we won - yay!!! We could take our pick from the pen/keyring set or notebook so he let us have both then back to the cabin.

Another sea day on the 14th and we passed lots of ice floes and icebergs as we steamed towards Reykjavik, where we would now be having an overnight to get us back on schedule. That actually worked out well because we both had an all day excursion so we could now see the city and Juanita look for presents. Juanita had been up far too early for breakfast again so managed to capture some birds on a berg while I went to the Prom deck after I had when we were told whales were about. Alas I saw spurts but no blubbery things unless you counted some of our fellow passengers.

I grabbed some fruit from the Orangery and we sat outside waiting. An announcement came on there was an iceberg on our port bow. How many of the nearly dead conked out at the thought we were going to hit and die? Sadly not enough. Mind you, they have to use paper navigational charts up there because electronic ones weren't available so hope of rescue was slim. Did anyone tell that to the nearly dead to scare them into being completely dead? Damn!

Time for Gavin's Motown music quiz and now they had the pregnancy testing kit and sex toy back - grrr! I went for lunch at the Sidewalk and tried their pizza of the day which was Tandoori Chicken and yummy! Juanita got some food from the Orangery then we headed back out.

After being told at Explorers I wouldn't be refunded because I'd handed the ticket over (despite the fact they take the money BEFORE you go and don't refund if you don't turn up!) I went to the Cyb@study then we headed to Champions for Scattergories and the picture quiz (which we'd come second to a team of nearly dead who never smile, thinking it's their right to win) to find someone hadn't changed the info channel again! There was no way it was a force 4 the way we were rocking, hitting dead bodies and having the windows washed! We were at Cape Farewell again, which was turning out to be as bouncy as the Bay of Evil, only the sea condition wasn't as bad as going up - yet! But would it be?

Dinner and it was formal night. Juanita was able to get to the Medina since the pitching and rolling wasn't making her feel as bad as the 11th. Val would certainly be glad to say goodbye and good riddance to Cape Farewell. Although I haven't mentioned it for a while, Cedric hadn't given up trying to recruit so we all said we'd come and watch him line dance the next day and watch him and Marge sing.

Back to the cabin since there was nothing of interest for me until Gavin's Video Vault quiz in Masquerades at 9.30pm while Juanita did go to the 2011 movie one hosted by James and apparently a lot of films were from 2010. The info channel had been updated for wind force but not sea state. As I was taking pics of the telly, our view was hidden by wet stuff so of course it's calm, dear!

I remembered I'd forgotten to do the Asda order, which took an age on this system because it hated that as well as Yahoo! Then the signal kept going so I left. To the quiz! We lost the tie-break to the people whose paper we marked in the quiz - bugger! Mind you again, there were four of them to our two and Juanita had no idea what half the stuff was because she's foreign, so we didn't do too badly and can be proud. Still want that pregnancy testing kit and sex toy though and have nine days left to get them or at least one.

And so yet another sea day, apparently calmer, and we were up early to go and watch Cedric in Carmen's, bumping into Mike on the way who reminded us about the wedding that afternoon. We arranged to meet him in the Crows Nest at 2.30pm. Gareth and Beth were already there watching, Gareth thinking Cedric wasn't there but you couldn't miss him anywhere! We all took our photos and I did some video then let him know I was there, making him a little embarrassed. Sarah, who was hosting it, said there was a Cedric fan club! We then went to Champions for Gavin's number ones music quiz then popped out onto the Promenade deck.

We went to the Playhouse to cheer on Marge and Cedric at their Aurora Vocalists rehearsal. Beth turned up but Gareth got to the door, said he'd be back in a minute then vanished! Perhaps he was worried Cedric would manage to recruit him! There must have been about twenty-thirty people but only one was youngish. I recognised her from the next table. All the others ranged from mid-fifties to nearly dead! For a bunch of amateurs they were very good, though when they began, A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square, I thought of Steve Read again, since that was played at his funeral in February. I really miss that bugger and he'd have been the first person I contacted about the 85 knot winds if he were still alive. Anyway, Juanita went back to the cabin afterwards while me, Marge and Cedric got the lift to the Lido for some lunch, me going to the Sidewalk, they to the Orangery. I decided to try a chicken sandwich, since the other queue was too long, and it was okay but very dry.

I got a copy of the bill because Juanita had a query at Explorers and the girl gave me a list of names of people to say hello to in the equivalent office on Queen Mary 2! P&O no longer give you an interim bill 'to save paper' yet asking for one from reception umpteen times throughout the cruise uses more. The green con creates far more waste than it saves. Juanita noticed I had been charged ship price for just transferring my excursions so I got the difference refunded as onboard credit. Up to the Crows Nest to meet Mike for 2.30pm for what he said was a pre-wedding drink. We waited and waited, buying our own in the end, and finally I sent him a text asking where he was. He was on his way. Gradually the wedding guests began to arrive, as did Mike. Dave, the Best Man, wanted a photo of Mike when he was kissing my cheek, probably to blackmail him with!

I saw the Captain arrive outside, disappearing into the Uganda Room, so we decided to leave them to it. It was Smart night and, since it's so ambiguous, I couldn't be bothered changing considering what some people got away with wearing. Marge told us Cedric got his food at lunchtime then went and sat at the opposite end of the Orangery. Silly old duffer. So glad he's not one of the miserable nearly deads! He had what looked like a Jammie Dodger but was, in fact, a Chilled Irish Cream Soufflé with a dark chocolate cream centre and biscotti.

Juanita went to see Colin 'Fingers' Henry, since our table companions raved about his first show only was disappointed. She said he was very good but his entire act was aimed at old people so she didn't find it good at all. Although we were hitting a force 5, there was gorgeous light outside so we popped to the Prom deck for photos.

I had intended to go to the second crew show which was Aurora 'Loosely' Dancing in the Curzon at 10.30pm but my back was playing up so didn't. Instead, we ended up watching Life on Mars on the telly.

Putting the clocks forward an hour threw many people. Iceland is on GMT all year, something we need to do because it's pointless changing them these days. We got up at 9.45am and I was beginning to think Juanta was lying dead in her bed since she's usually up and out for breakfast long before then. She went to eat while I grabbed a table in Champions for the one hit wonders quiz. I should have got a couple of those including Nut Rocker, which I've only heard of through an ex! I knew the tune - damn! I also failed to put down one of Juanita's guesses but it wouldn't have made any difference because our friendly rivals, Phil and Maureen, still won. When we went back to the cabin I found a letter saying my Geiranger excursion had been cancelled due to lack of interest and they only had the 9.30am one available. Off to Explorers before they closed, stopping to chat to Marge and Cedric outside their cabin en route. I ended up booking Mount Dalsnibba, which she assured me was better even though it was the same length. Suited me since I wanted to get to Flydal Gorge for the view of the shippies below. The girl seemed to be under the impression you could walk to that and Eagle's Bend - only if you're bionic! Out on deck to see our lunchtime arrival into Reykjavik. We bumped into Jacqueline and Bill on the Prom Deck, so I told them about P&O refusing to refund me then we went to the Sun deck, which is where Mike found me as we were docking. Sue also popped along. Apparently it was going to reach a whopping 11c - get out the sunscreen!

Phew! It didn't half pong! Juanita had eaten and I hadn't so I went to the Sidewalk for something quick before we got the shuttle into town. Darren was begging people to have their photo taken in front of the ship otherwise he'd be fired and sometimes it didn't work. Due to the wind and angles, the photos Juanita took of me made me look pregnant!

The shuttle bus was boiling for some reason, with the cold air switched off completely making her feel sick. Juanita ended up having to take most of her clothes off, which would have given a thrill to the nearly dead if we'd been on longer than fifteen minutes.

We were dropped off at the tourist information place so had a look in there before setting off around the town. They had some interesting T-shirts which you could only get down if you were about ten feet tall! Juanita was looking for bag charms to go with the Olympic logo ones she'd bought in China but so far had been disappointed in Ireland and Nuuk. Even here, the souvenir tat was just that and she wasn't interested. As we wandered, free food was dished up, gathered from bins. With so much wastage from restaurants, hotels and even cruise ships, it's a good idea really. I just wouldn't eat it unless I was desperate! I made my first purchase outside of the ship - socks for my dad! I'd already bought him things on the ship and, like before, found myself over-compensating now there was just him to buy for so told myself some was birthday presents, with his 70th being at the beginning of August.

Next