| The Planetarium always seemed to be open at this time of night. It wasn't being used except for films and lectures though as it had been broken some time, leading to many disappointed people. By 3am I was back in the cabin and enjoyed a lovely rest on the balcony. With the shelter it was cool although a shame you could only see sky. Then it as time for bed. |
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| Another late start, 11.40am this time and I popped onto the balcony for the noon whistle. Today was another sea day so bugger all would be done. Lunch in Kings Court because the poxy quiz nuts hog the Golden Lion so you can't get a seat until after 1.30pm despite lunch beginning at noon. Have the bloody quizzes in the Winter Garden. Get it used! The Winter Garden, despite having a salad bar, was virtually empty during lunch time. I went to get a drink and after sitting there ages, went to the bar to ask for one. Then had a snooze because I was getting a sinus headache. It was lovely and relaxing being at sea but later we had quite a nice sunset, which I saw from the Golden Lion. It was another formal night and a young woman wore a grey chunky knit jumper which just covered her bum and wide belt! They happily let her enter the Britannia. WTF????!!!! Time to do away with it altogether if they don't bother enforcing it. I keep telling people Cunard isn't posh like they think but just like any other mass market cruise line. It was the Big Band Ball in the Queens Room so I popped my head into that for a bit then went to bed to try and shift my sinus headache. |
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| Our third sea day and I'd slept so long I missed the noon whistle, instead hearing Captain Oprey's announcement where he said we would have a force 5. Lunch from the salad bar in the Winter Garden and old old American woman behind me told her husband Captain Oprey said he would get them working on reversing the weather for Madeira. I tried so hard not to laugh. A wander around and the Observation deck was open at last - yay!!!!! The weather was lovely and the two old lady power walkers all wrapped up against the cold I'd seen two days before were wearing summer clothes as they marched around the Prom deck. I returned to the cabin and sat on the balcony a while, ordering room service. I'd been having towel problems, and I wasn't the only one. My towels were being replaced when I put them on the rail. Today she excelled herself. |
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After some culture in the Chart Room complete with canapes, I went to the show in the Royal Court Theatre. It was Flash and Fever, presented by Nico, now assistant cruise director. He's come a long way since DJ on the QE2. The show was a husband and wife and presented magic, vaudeville and acrobatics and very good. Captain Oprey, his wife and family were also in the audience. Afterwards, I tried to find a seat in the Chart Room but quiz refugees had taken them all and a lovely quiet bar had become as noisy as the Golden Lion. I managed to find one in Sir Samuels but the whole thing is ridiculous now they do these pre-dinner quizzes. In November 2011, people abandoned the Golden Lion due to the noise, preferring the Chart Room. Now, thanks to some idiot decreeing we MUST have a quiz at 8pm instead of letting second seating passengers relax before dinner, they are ruining the atmosphere elsewhere. Dinner and Ann and Maggie returned. Ann thought the Chicken Kiev I had was frozen and I tend to agree. It wasn't fresh chicken but the same stuff you get frozen and if you pressed it, it would bounce back. Afterwards I showed Ann the Observation deck as she didn't know about it before going to the Commodore Club. We said our goodnights and I went to bed after snapping the latest in the towel saga. |
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| Land ahoy! Madeira was outside my hull hole - woooo! Our arrival time was 9.30am but we were early, docking around 9am. AIDAbella was due for 10pm but lurking off our port side. I had seen that ship several times in the past month. Some really intelligent people on the Observation deck said we were taking Bella's place and wondering where she would go while calling Mary a boat. Pity they didn't stay once we'd docked to see she'd go behind us and how clever they all were. Bella gave three blasts, whether to signal astern or at us I have no idea but she didn't do it in November and we gave no response. But each ships' passengers were as loud as each other though as she backed up. |
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| Shuttle time at 10.30am and the queue was massive but they had two boarding which was good. The Cunard info had stated we were dropped at the Marina Shopping Centre bus stop in Avenida Arriaga and thankfully not the cable car, as Royal Caribbean had a month before. This wasn't where we had been dropped in 2011 so I needed to get my bearings but Mary is a HUGE beacon so easy to find out where you are and get down to the front. When I was having my photo taken, an old local man called me sexy. Bless him! I was also pleased they had two gangways open and dock side rather than that awful one on the upper part of the terminal again. |
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