Cruise Barcelona to Dubai

Mon 30 Apr 2012

After a great day in Barcelona we re-joined the ship with all the new passengers for this segment from Barcelona to Dubai. Heaps more are now on the ship mainly from the UK, China and Europe. They have taken on an extra 200 Chinese crew that don’t speak much English at all.

The compulsory lifeboat drill was conducted at 10pm, which did not go down too well as many folk had been up early to travel to Barcelona to catch the ship and were dragged out of bed in their night gear to attend.

My main upset was at dinner I was at my new table for 6, but was the only one to turn up. Not a good feeling sitting with all my imaginary friends at a large table, so after main serve I got up and left the dinning room. Let me tell you Sir Pat was embarrassed by this stuff up and had no one to hold court with.

I was up in my cabin by 11 pm. I had a Scotch night cap from my new supply. This mob are a shambles and not very well organised at all.

Tue 1 May

I had a good night’s sleep and woke at 6am before going up for coffee and brekkie in the windjammer. I did my 2 mile walk around the deck before going to the talk on the tours for Egypt. I will purchase a couple of tours as it would be unadvisable for me to wander of and try to do my own thing.

 We are preparing for a possible pirate attack after going through the Suez Canal and into the Gulf of Aden. They have a training video on our TV and we will do an exercise before we get there.   

I have been down to the office for a second time to see why my on board credit of $230.00 given to me by my travel agent has not been credited to my account  and got told they hadn’t posted them as yet, which was an excuse to get rid of me.

I went up to the Windjammer with Jimmy and Coral for dinner before calling it an early night about 10.30pm.

Wed 2 May 2012

I was up for coffee about 6.45 am and then went to the Windjammer for brekkie which I had with Carl and Jill that had managed hotels and motels in Mackay and Airlie Beach in the 80/90’s so we knew a heap of the same people. After a long brekkie I did my 2 mile walk around the deck.

I went down and booked my excursion to the Pyramids and a cruise on the Nile River. Boy oh boy, this mob charge like wounded bulls and I had to fork out $195 for the day trip. I later saw on the tv that the riots have started again in Cairo so I wonder if the trip to Cairo and the pyramids will be still on when we get there.

The sea has been very calm all day and the weather perfect and a lot of the Poms were looking like cooked prawns after a few hours in the sun.

I went down to the office to see about my on board credit again and was just about to get fobbed off with them saying I had to prove that I  was given an on board credit (obc) by my agent and the value of it. So I was fuming by now and went up to the cabin to get my paperwork and confirmation before re-joining the long line again. They have taken a photocopy of my confirmation and have now emailed my travel agent to see it I am entitled to it. So stay tuned.

I tried out the sports bar for a pre dinner drink and met up with a heap of Aussies which was good. I went up to my dinner table and found I’m sitting with 2 Chilean doctors and there wives and only speak a little English. They were nice enough but it was hard for them to have a conversation with me so I will see about getting a new table.

With all the of todays stuff ups I call it an early night about 10.30 pm after dinner. Have I mentioned that the management on this ship is non existent?  

Thursday 3 May 2012

Another sea day so I tried to sort out the on board credit saga but have found each  Chinese person I speak to on the front desk I get a different answer. They are more confused than me but no body seems able to right this wrong and as usual with this mob want to blame the travel agents.

I would email my agent to see if she could sort it out but the internet is not working on this segment as it is a full ship the complaints are flooding in to the office. As the Chinese staff don’t understand English very well they have been given a stock answer that doesn’t make sense so folk scream at them and then give up. I guess the travel agents will get the blame for this mess also. LOL.

Friday 4 May 2012

Wow, What a day!!  After a much disorganised departure from the ship for the day coach trip Pyramids and the Nile. This was a complete contrast with the professional manner the Egyptian tourist people as we set off from the port of Alexandria to travel the 200 kms to Cairo and the surrounding attractions.  

What a dirty dusty 3^rd world city Alexander is. However everyone remarked how clean the clothes of the people were. The nearly 3 hour trip to the Pyramids was very interesting with the tour guide giving us a much needed history lesson as well as pointing out the points of interest on the way. As riots had broken out in downtown Cairo we did not go into the heart of the city for safety reasons. Even as it was we travelled in convoy (23 coaches from the ship) with a military/police escort.

The Pyramids of Giza are one of the 7 wonders of the world. These musoleums were built to show the ancient Egyptians’ belief in eternal life. They contained the Pharaoh’s tomb, but were also storage places for treasures and solar barques (boats for transport in the afterlife.) What an experience to see these big blokes, it was an awesome feeling. Then we went on to the Sphinx on the Pyramid plateau, which was carved from one tremendous piece of limestone and is 50 meters long and 22 meters high.

We then headed of to the Nile River near Cairo for a river cruise that served lunch and provided traditional dancers to put on a show. The food was yummy and the show was fantastic.

Then we went to a papyrus making shop that sold very expensive souvenirs but the demonstration on making the paper was very interesting. Then there was the long 3 hour trip back to the ship and we arrived back on board about 8.40pm.

I had a long hot shower to take the travel stiffness out of my weary bones and to remove the very dusty feeling after being in the desert all day. I had a quick meal in the windjammer followed by an early night.

Sat 5 May 2012

I had an easy day and went to see John (the Aussie Purser) about trying to get my $230.00 on board credit from my travel agent sorted out. John took all the info and said he would get back to me. About 2 hours later he did and he was very confused by the incompetent Client Service Manager, so I went through it with him again and he agrees with me that they had no right to take it off me and pay it into prepaid gratuities. So he told me not to stress out over it as he would get it sorted out.

I then went off to the stalls set up in the port area where all the souvenir sellers were trading. I had a great time bargaining with the sellers and got some good buys shocking some of the yank women who had paid heaps more for items than me. I now own a traditional caftan and Arab head gear saving $28 on what a lady before me had paid. I also got a polo shirt for $5 which a yank bloke bought for $25 as he paid the asking price.

 George and Alice came up to my cabin for a sail away drink on the balcony as the ship left Alexandria. George and I adjourned to the bar and he learnt many new Aussie words from the Aussies I meet up with some arvos for a drink. Alice wanted to take in a movie.

I had a room service steak sandwich before an early night as I wanted to be up early in the morning for the Suez Canal. 

Sunday 6 May 2012

I awoke at 5.45 am and we were already in the Suez Canal. I was on the Port side so was facing east and saw the bright sun rise out of the desert. Most of the settlements were on the starboard side of the ship so I met up with some Aussies in the Windjammer for brekkie and we got a window table right at the aft of the ship so we were able to see both sides looking back. It was a very interesting day however there was no commentary but what could you expect from this mob.

I was amazed to see so many small fishing boats with 1 or 2 people in them along the entire length of the canal. They seemed to be fishing with nets. Some would nearly fall out of their boats waving and yelling at us. 

There were mainly deserts on both sides and it appeared that dredging is a full time job.

We left the Canal at 13.30, I think the security people are relieved that the small fishing boats are unable to get near us as we are moving faster as we are now in the gulf heading for Jordan our stop tomorrow.

Monday 7 May 2012

It is a fantastic clear sunny day for our arrival in Aqaba Jordan. The water of the Red Sea is so clean and blue. The surrounding countryside is very dry and brown looking. Today I will spend the day in the city as I don’t feel up to the 12 hour return bus trip to Petra and I have seen so many other ancient ruins on other travels.

The service has not improved on this ship and this morning they have watered down the tomato juice to make it last longer. My on board credit has not been fixed up as yet. The internet on this ship is not working at all now but they are charging folks for trying to log in.

I went ashore with 4 other Aussies on the shuttle bus provided by the port of Aqaba. We first found an internet café and for $2 got an hour. This was the first time I had been able to log in for over a week so there were over 300 jokes and travel newsletters to delete without opening, before I could get to read the private emails. It was good to catch with the news from home. 

 

We then hired a mini van and went on a sight seeing tour of Aqaba and out to the borders of Israel and then Saudi Arabia. OMG! How do folk live in these hot and very dry deserts?

We stopped off at an international pub for a beer out by the pool. Because this is a Muslim country it was very hard to find a bar open in daylight hours. That is why we had to go out back by the pool. Going by the price charged ($8.50) for a beer they are certainly not encouraging drinking.

It was then back to the ship for a late lunch and a hot shower followed by a nana nap. I slept for about 3 hours and was late for happy hour. After dinner I had an early night.

Tuesday 8 May 2012

We returned to Egypt and docked in the port of Safaga. What a grotty dirty dusty place it is. I went with 3 other Aussie blokes for a 2 hour taxi tour. We went out to a resort along the Red Sea for a swim. We even had to pay $5 to use the beach. The other 3 were big guys and I had to squash in to the middle of the back seat of this little old car. We were relieved to get back to the dock in one piece after we struggled to get out of the taxi.

After going off the ship in these dusty desert places it is always good to have hot shower when back on board. Lunch was followed by a nanna nap.

After a late happy hour I went up to the Windjammer with a few Aussies for some dinner. After dinner I went to my cabin and heard a very rowdy mob outside on the wharf, well this mob entertained me from my balcony until the ship sailed about 11 pm.

What had happened was a ferry had arrived with a heap of pilgrims from Mecca and all there possessions were just piled on the wharf and they were trying to reclaim what was theirs in loud yells and the occasional fists flying when someone picked up the wrong parcels. The goods looked like and were wrapped up like bails of wool. The rich loaded their property on to carts and the others dragged or carried theirs on their heads.

I was in bed by 11.30 pm and we were well out into the red sea by then.

Wednesday 9 May 2012

I was up at 6 am and went up for coffee and then did my walk before brekkie. At 11am we had the mandatory Safe Haven Drill. This exercise is part of the precautions for the transit of the Gulf of Aden. The aim of the exercise is to move all guests away from all open decks and away from balconies and windows in the unlikely event we encounter suspicious (pirate) boat activity whilst in the Gulf of Aden.

I ran into John the purser that had come up with a new excuse he was given by the stupid Guest Relations Manager as to why I did not receive my $230 OBC. Guess what? The latest ‘pork pie’ excuse is to blame it on my travel agent as they now claim they had not received it. I told him my agent has emailed me to advise me she is getting in touch with his head office to find out why it had not been credited to my account. John said he hopes my agent can sort it out as he said Mr (Stupid) GR Manager now claims he has not received it, yet only a few days ago he told me it had gone to prepaid gratuities. I have always told if you are going to be a liar you have to have a good memory, and let me tell you Mr Stupid has now given about 5 different excuses, so I don’t think he has a memory at all. Oh well, I wonder if I will get the $168 OBC for the next leg. 

Now some good news I have been upgraded from an ocean view cabin to a balcony cabin for the last segment of the cruise on what is supposed to be a full ship from Dubai to Singapore. Do you think this is their way of trying to sweeten me up for their stuff ups?

I went to my new dinner table in the dining room and found it is a table for 10, mainly Poms and Aussies. At least they speak English so I will join them now and then until we get to Dubai in 5 days time.

Many folk are now coughing and spluttering as a cold/flu bug spreads through the ship since our last day in Egypt.

I called it an early night about 11pm.

Thursday 10 May

I woke up with the sniffles and a cough so I hope I can get rid of it quickly. After the walk and even though it was 6.30 am it was very warm and humid so I had a shower before going to brekkie.  This was the first time on this segment I had gone to the dining room for brekkie.

At 10 am we had another one of Mr Stupid Guest Relations Manager’s meetings for on going consecutive cruisers. He held it in a larger venue and handed out forms for everyone to fill in for India and we had to hand in our passports again. Well Mr Stupid stuffed up again as he didn’t advise folk forms had to be filled in so most did not bring pens or even their reading glasses. Also the lights were too dim to read the forms for most people. Poor Mr Stupid I wonder if he will ever get things right? So most folk had to leave and get glasses and pens and fill out the forms in their cabins then return the completed forms together with their passports as quickly as possible.

This then took up most of the morning and at mid day we had to put our time forward an hour so now we are 7 hours behind the time at home.

I had a late lunch and spent most of the arvo chatting to other Aussies in the Windjammer. Then I had a nanna nap before happy hour. The big topic of conversations was the British Royal Marines boarding the ship with their weapons and equipment to protect us from any possible pirate attack. They will be on board for about 48 hours. Last night we had all curtains closed and all external lights of the ship were turned out and the open decks or balconies were out of bounds. Actually we will all be pleased to be out of this terrorist area.

Fri 11 May 2012

Slept in this morning and didn’t get up for the walk until about 7.30 am to be shocked by the heat and the very strong wind. I only did half a lap because of the conditions and then went for a small brekkie.

We have now arrived in the gulf of Eden so the security and the Marines are on full watch, although it is night time most of the pirate attacks happen.

I went to the ATM to get out some more Yankee money but as it works on internet connection it is out of order so I went to the front desk to change Aus$50 to Yankee and got back US$49.40 which I thought was a good deal. Carmen the young lady behind the desk (one of the few brighter ones on the front desk) sorted it out for me so I mentioned the OBC saga to her and she put me on the phone to my travel agency. It was all sorted out in a few minutes; well I know what has happened so I can de-stress about that issue now. Honestly the lies and the made up stories these idiots on the ship have given me over the last 11 days could drive a bloke to drink and with no internet I was not able to get the replies from my agent.

My sincere thanks go to Debbie, Sally and Kay at Smart cruiser for sorting out the problem for me with all the bad communications and of course Carmen for letting me phone the USA free of charge from the ship.  I went down later and gave Carmen a small Koala in appreciation for her help, she was so surprised anyone would have thought I had given her $50.

As I am now in a much happier mood I enjoyed Happy Hour today and the formal night dinner. I was in bed by 10.45 pm knowing we were safe and the Marines would protect us.

Sat 12 May 2012

I was up on deck 11 by 6.15 am for coffee and then my 2 mile walk before brekkie. It was about 9 am by the time I got down to the cabin to shower etc. I went up to meet friends for coffee at 10.30 am so that took all the morning. 

I went to lunch in the dinning room with George and Alice. I had the calamari salad which was the most enjoyable meal I have had on the ship so far. We chatted up to 2 hours over our lunch. The Captain advised we will keep up all the security precautions until we arrive in Dubai on Monday so another 2 days the Royal Marines will get off the ship.

After dinner I went down to the Pig and Whistle Pub for the sing-along with Irish music and songs which resulted in a late but good night.

Sunday 13 May 2012

I slept in and didn’t get up to brekkie until about 9 am and sat with Jimmy and Coral for about 2 hours holding court with others that passed by. After brekkie I returned to the cabin where I went back to bed and didn’t get up until 3.30 pm and then sat out on the balcony to get some sun.

 I have enjoyed my lazy day but the cabin guy is concerned that he hasn’t been able to service the room. I told him not to worry and just to give me some new towels and I would do the rest. He informed me he will service the room when I go to dinner.

Happy Hour I was late getting to because of the parade on deck 5 and dinner was a bit of a flop as I had to sit beside 2 up themselves but trailer trash type Pommie Sheilas who were away from the UK for the first time and were experts on every other nation. How boring they were. After dinner I went down to the Pig and Whistle Pub for a night cap.

Monday 14 May 2012

I was back to normal routine again today with my 2 mile walk before brekkie. We were entertained at brekkie by a large school of small dolphins putting on a great playful show swimming along side the ship.

I have to pack up today as I have to move cabins tomorrow for the final leg from Dubai to Singapore. As I want to get on the net in Dubai and still have time to have a look around, I don’t want to be stuffing around packing tomorrow.

I have done the bulk of the packing to move cabin for the last segment of the cruise. Milroy will move everything for me as soon as my new cabin is ready. I plan to go off early and catch up with the internet, Emails etc.

After happy hour I went up to the windjammer for a light super and was in bed by 10 pm.

Tuesday 15 May 2012

We arrived at a very hot and dry Dubai the temp was 43C and humidity was about 10%. As usual this cheap skate cruise line parked the ship in the industrial port (it is rumoured to save port charges).

 There was no internet wifi in the big tent they used as a terminal on the wharf. I shared a cab into town with John and Sandra from Sydney and we went to the Dubai Old Souk (old market town) which was great with all the shops in the little narrow lanes selling everything from clothes, gems  to fish and food. 

The atmosphere was fantastic and the locals were not too pushy like we experienced back in Egypt. I bought some medications to ward off this cough and nasal congestion that is sweeping the ship since our last visit in Egypt.

The dynamics of the ship has changed with 2,000 new folk coming on board. I understand there are 300 new Aussies and 400 new Poms and it appears heaps of people from India.

I just had dinner in the windjammer with Coral as Jimmy has taken sick and is going to rest up a bit. After dinner I called it an early night and was in bed by 9.45 pm.