The Ms Eurodam Birthday Cruise July 2016
Thursday 14 July 2016
My friend Graham drove me to the airport at 11.30 am so I
had heaps of time for check-in and relaxing with a light lunch in the Qantas
Club before the flight to Melbourne.
The 3 hour flight went very as the lady beside me and I
compared travel stories and various places we had visited around the world. It
was a relaxing flight as I was seated in 4A with plenty of legroom as it is the
row behind Business class.
The transfer from the Domestic Terminal 1 to the International Terminal in Melbourne went smoothly and the Security process was swift and efficient. The Qantas Business Lounge was my home for the next 5 hours before my flight to London via Dubai.
The lounge was nice and quiet for the first 3 hours but then filled up with folks catching the various international flights departing after 7.30 pm. My flight didn’t leave until 11.30pm.
I had a beaut seat upstairs in the small economy compartment that only has 30 seats.
Friday 15 July 2015
After a late dinner I managed to get in a few hours sleep on the 14 hour flight to Dubai. I watched a few movies and dosed on and off before it was daylight and we were arriving in Dubai.
The flight from Dubai I was lucky to get in a few hours sleep and watch a movie before we landed in Heathrow London. As you know I don’t have much time for Heathrow and it is so unorganised and chaotic.
I managed the transfer from Terminal 3 to Terminal 5 and didn’t lose my cool with the inefficient security procedures that took over an hour to go through.
Then I as a Qantas Club member not allowed to use the BA
Lounge. I paid to use the facilities of the Aspire VIP Lounge which was
comfortable But nothing to write home about. You even had to go out into the
public areas to use the bathroom. I had a 5 hour stop over at Heathrow.
I met a nice lady to have a chat with and she even bought me
back a G&T every time she would go up to the Bar so that helped the time
fly by a lot faster. Then I noticed my flight was delayed and so was hers.
After she went for her flight I had a battle keeping awake. I would have had a
shower but this lounge wanted 20 pounds extra, which I thought was outrageous.
Finally my flight came up on the screen and to my surprise I
had to change to the B section of terminal 3. This change encountered what
seemed like a 5 mile walk, many escalators, a train ride and then more walking.
I finally made it to gate B44 and confirmed I was at the correct gate for my
departure and was told yes but due to the late arrival of the aircraft. It
would be a while before boarding. At least I could now relax and the 15 minutes
extra wait was not a problem.
I think I was asleep in my seat even before the plane had
taken off and an hour later I was awaken to be asked if I would like refreshments. The
ginger ale went down well as well as the very small chicken roll. Then I went
back to sleep.
Saturday 16 July 2015
I awoke to the PA announcement that we were about to land in
Venice in 15 minutes and the arrival time at the terminal would be 12.30am.
The arrival procedures were very swift and I was outside in
the line waiting for a cab by 1 am.
I arrived at the hotel by 1.15 am and OMG it was so great to
have a long hot shower. I then checked my emails to find many friends and
family were letting me know about their concerns about my travel Turkey because
of the coup. Of course I had no Idea about this was all about as it had only
happened hours before. Another email from Holland America advised that at this
stage the proposed Turkish ports had been substituted with Greek ports, so I
guess we will be safe.
I finally got to bed about 2.30 am and had 7 hours beautiful
sleep and not even having to get up once during that time was a bonus.
I made it to the dining room just in time to get some brekkie before the 10 am closing. Back in the room I caught up on the news and made a few Viber calls to family and friends so by 1.30pm I went back to bed for a nanna nap which ended up being a 4 hour sleep. So as you can see it has been a very restful day in Venice.
The sunset was not until about 8.45pm and I had dinner in
the hotel. I settled for a hamburger and a glass of red wine for dinner while
tuned into Macca’s ‘Australia All Over’. Maybe with the troubles in Nice and
Turkey I felt a little homesick for the Lucky Country Australia.
When I returned back to my room I tuned into my friend Joe
Harrington on ICMR broadcasting from Ireland. I enjoyed Joe’s show for a few
hours and unfortunately could not see from my hotel window the huge fireworks
display for the festival here in Venice.
I called it a night about midnight.
Sunday 17 July 2016
Bright eyed and bushy tailed I awoke to a perfect morning
about 5.30 am and it was already brilliant sunshine outside.
I took advantage of not having to rush so I caught up on
emails and made some Viber calls before going down to brekkie in the dining
room. I had a pleasurable brekkie and the croissants were so fresh and still
warm as they must have just come out of the oven. I did have a few hiccups with
the coffee machine as all the buttons were in Italian. What I thought was going
to be a white (milk) coffee turned out to be a hot milk, I settled for a
cappuccino to be on the safe side.
I checked out from the hotel at 11.45 am and left by cab for
the Cruise terminal a 15 minute drive and the traffic was very light. The
process of handing in the luggage and getting into the terminal was very swift
and efficient.
My friend Alex from the UK was waiting for me so I took him in through the 5 star priority boarding area. From when I got out of the taxi to boarding the ship would have only taken 15 minutes so I was impressed.
After checking out the cabin I met up with Alex and we went up to the welcome back drinks up in the Crows Nest. Well this is when the fun started as Peder the Beverage Manager was there to meet us and had arranged for a Bloody Mary to be waiting for me. Peder and I have been on the same ships many times in the past but we hadn’t seen each other for over the last four years.
It was also great to catch up with Andrew the Asst BM,
Marvin and Edsal barmen from previous cruises. Well if I thought Peder was
going to let me get away with I was mistaken. After about the 3rd
excellent Bloody Mary made by Edsal I took Alex down to the Seaview Bar so we
could get some Pizza. The Papaku Pizza is now on the menu of the ship after I
gave instructions how to make it. As usual it was yummy.
About 4ish I went down to unpack and get some clothes off to
the laundry. It was warm and sunny out on my veranda so I took advantage and
got about 20 minutes sun.
I didn’t have time for a nanna nap as I had to get ready to
meet Alex in the Ocean Bar (OB). Simon the Cruise Director is a nice chap and
is British. He came over and had a chat with us.
Then it was off to the Dining Room to be seated at the
Papaku Table by the window. It is a table for 4 so it means Alex and I can
invite other folk to join us now and then.
Well the service was excellent and Mark the Culinary Manager
joined us for a catch up chat and he organised our wine for the night. I had
the chilled pear soup and the pork chops which was a great choice.
I took Alex for a quick tour of the Tamarind restaurant and
it was great to be recognised by some of the girls that remembered me from 2
years ago on this ship.
I called it a night virtually shortly after dinner and was
in bed by 10.30 pm. (yes that’s right, NO night caps).
Monday 18 July 2916
It was about 5.30 am when I woke up after having a night
mare that I had left my Passport in my shirt pocket that I sent to the Laundry.
Shock and horror I bounded out of bed to check and could not find it at first.
OMG instant stress as I searched everywhere and luckily found it in the safe
and was hard to see with the black cover of the passport on the black carpet on
the floor of the safe.
What a relief, I was then able to get on with getting this
travel news up to date and the photos downloaded.
I met with Alex for brekkie in the dining room and guess
what I enjoyed my Croissants with vegemite which has become a Papaku on board
custom.
On the way back to my cabin I called into the housekeeping
managers office and asked the friendly officer if it was possible to have a
chair in my cabin as it was very uncomfortable sitting on a low stool to do the
computer work. No Problem at all and a chair was delivered before I got back to
the cabin.
The front office supplied me with the following information
you may find interesting:-
There are only 8 Five Star Mariners, 48 four star, and 139
three star and the rest are 2 or 1 star. The ship has 2273 pax from 47 nations
and the main nationalities represented are:-
Yanks USA 748
Canadian 293
Dutch 283
Aussies 249
Poms (Brits) 171
The other 42 nations are represented by smaller numbers.
After brekkie we went ashore and got a shuttle bus to the
water taxi for the trip into St Mark’s Square. It was great seeing the city
from the water.
We spent a few hours exploring the city and the alleyways
which meant crossing many little bridges with gondolas passing underneath. It
was a very warm day so we found a nice but crowded place to have a cool drink.
About mid-day we made our way back to the ship for a late
lunch. I had a chicken burger from the Dive-in and a Bloody Mary at the Lido
bar. We were joined by Peder and his new wife who is onboard with him. Andrew
very kindly ordered our burgers and arranged for one of the staff to pick them
up for us when the buzzer went off. There is nothing like getting spoilt and
looked after
At 3pm we had the compulsory boat drill and it was very hot
on the sunny Port side of the ship. While waiting for the drill to start the
life boat commander came up me and asked me for my room number so he could
cross me off then told me to go into the Ocean Bar lounge to listen to the
Captain’s instructions so I would be
more comfortable. I noted I was joined by about a dozen other ‘old’ folk.
Anyhow I appreciated being in the air-conditioned lounge sitting in comfort.
For the sail away I invited Alex up to my veranda and as on
the Port side had a fantastic view of Venice as we made our way out to the open
sea.
I then enjoyed a well earnt nanna nap before getting ready
for pre-dinner drinks even though missing out on happy hour.
We joined Edsal up in the Crows Nest for the drinks before
going to dinner. Dinner was a fun time experience and we have become great
friends with our friendly waiters who give excellent service.
Mark dropped in and arranged our wine for the meal which was
greatly appreciated.
Peder joined us in the Crows Nest for a night cap and this
was a funny time with Peder and I teasing each other. Alex and I were the last
to leave the bar about 12.30 am.
Tuesday 19 July 2016
Today is a sea day as we sail towards Sarande Albania as
part of the amended itinerary. It is a beautiful calm sunny day with an expected
max temp of 28C (82F).
We had a late brekkie at 9 ish then went to the talk on the
ports to be visited on the amended itinerary. I had a Guinness late morning and
decided I was still full from the big brekkie that I would have an early nanna
nap.
I met up with Alex and we did Happy Hour in the Crows Nest.
The Tamarind was the venue for dinner and this my favourite
dining place on board we had an excellent meal with heaps of laughs.
Andrew
took us into the Silk Den bar for a night cap.
Wednesday 20 July 2016
I met Alex for an early brekkie as we were doing a tour in
Sarande, Albania and it was a tender port.
We did the Saranda, Lekuresi Castle and Blue Eye National
Park tour which took us out into the country side. I was surprised to note how
dry and dusty the countryside was. The roads certainly need a lot of work and
maintenance as it was a rough ride to get to the Blue Eye springs.
There were a
total of 18 very deep and cold natural fresh water springs in this national
Park.
Then we were off to visit the Lekuresi castle located 1800
feet above the city of Saranda and gave us fantastic views of the region.
The evening ended up having a late night of and didn’t get to bed until 1 am.
Thursday 21 July 2016
Today we arrived at the Port of Katakolon the place for
visiting the ancient Olympia and as I have been here a few times I decided to have
a rest day on board the ship.
I had a sleep in and a late brekkie up in the Lido. It was
nice to sit out on the veranda and get some sun.
I enjoyed a long 4 hour nanna nap before going up to Happy
Hour.
The plan was then to have 2 night caps in the Crows Nest and have an early night.
Yes well we were hijacked by the beverage management team
and summoned down to the Gallery bar and I finally escaped just after 1.30am
Friday 22 July 2016
After the late night I enjoyed a sleep in and had a late
brekkie at 8.45am. Alex and I made our plans for going ashore in Athens and
doing the hop on hop off bus tour.
As I had a few days here last year I only went on the bus
for the ride and refresh old memories of the city. The traffic congestion
slowed the bus down as we made our way around the city sights.
OMG it was so hot upstairs on the open top deck we had to make our way downstairs to the lower air-conditioned cabin. Although this move restricted the view the escape from the heat was well worth it.
OMG it was so hot upstairs on the open top deck we had to make our way downstairs to the lower air-conditioned cabin. Although this move restricted the view the escape from the heat was well worth it.
I made it back to the ship just after 2.30pm and just had a
snack from the Dive-inn and a few glasses of water to replenish the fluid lost
in perspiration. Then a quick nanna nap before Happy Hour.
The Happy Hour was very quiet as many of the guests were
still ashore and others were at the Greek BBQ on the rear lido deck.
Dinner was a great time and the waiters had made us some
paper dogs named Papaku and Alex for the table.
I called it an early night and sneaked up to bed just on
10.30pm.
Saturday 23 July 2016
We were advised today the itinerary has been revised and we will
now be in Santorini for the birthday on the 25th which will be
great.
Today we are visiting Mykonos and it’s a tender transfer to
the town.
After the short tender ride we walked around and took some
photos before finding a beaut place to have a Frappe (Greek Iced Coffee).
The free wifi was a bonus and the people watching was excellent. After another walk around the waterfront shops I made it back to the ship.
The free wifi was a bonus and the people watching was excellent. After another walk around the waterfront shops I made it back to the ship.
A Papaku pizza was an excellent late lunch before a nanna
nap.
Happy hour was a bit quiet as many folk were still ashore as
all aboard was at 5.30 pm.
At 7.30 pm I had to go to the VIP function in the Crows Nest
before dinner.
Dinner was the usual fun filled time and the roast turkey
was excellent. After dinner we had a few night caps back at the Crows Nest.
I made it to bed about 12.30 am.
Sunday 24 July 2016
After a leisure able Brekkie in the dining room it was to
get ready for another perfect day in
Greece and today we are visiting Rhodes.
As we all had been to this fantastic port before we just had a walk around and went to our favourite outdoor Garden restaurant to have a drink as it was a very warm and sunny day.
Then it was up to the top of the Old Town to the Castle of the Knights of the Ancient Masters Museum. After an hour or so of gaining all this culture we headed down to our friendly eating place to sit out under the vines and have lunch. I will let the photos do the talking.
We made it back to the ship about 3.30 pm after a walk along
the waterfront outside the old city wall.
There was only a quick time to freshen up before Happy hour.
We decided we would go to the Tamarind for dinner.
We had an excellent meal with friendly service and it is
always a pleasure to go to the Tamarind for a relaxing and enjoyable meal.
I decided after dinner to make it an early night and was in
bed before 10.30 pm.
Friday 25 July 2016
My first phone call was Alex singing Happy Birthday to me
and also to confirm our time for brekkie.
Brekkie consisted of Special K with Yogurt and croissants
with vegemite. The picture perfect setting of Santorini was in the background
with the cliff top white houses looking like snow in the rays of the early
morning sun. After brekkie Alex
presented me with a few gifts for my birthday which came as a pleasant
surprise.
There were no waiting for the cable car to get up the cliff
top town of Fira. First up we found a great restaurant to have coffee and use
the free wifi to catch up with the outside world by checking Facebook and
emails.
We then went on a walk through the narrow lanes of Fira
looking in on some of the shops as we passed by. We found a beaut open air
restaurant with great views for lunch. I had fried calamari and it was
delicious.
Then we started to make our way back to the cable car for
the return trip to the ship. As on the way over there were no lines or waiting
periods for the tender or the cable car.
I got a huge surprise to find my cabin door covered with
Happy Birthday balloons so many that it was difficult to find the slot for the
key card to open the door. Fortunately a tall Dutch guy was passing and he
assisted me to open the door and then we both exclaimed OH MY GOD as the room
was of filled with balloons.
They were pilled about 3 feet high on the bed and the floor was covered with them.
They were pilled about 3 feet high on the bed and the floor was covered with them.
Showing the folk at the Crows Nest Happy Hour the photos of
all the balloons was the cause of much laughter. I’m sure that without the
photos folk would have thought I was exaggerating the situation.
Peder and Mark took us to the Tamarind for dinner, what an
experience that was and the 2 officers were perfect hosts and the service was
fun filled excellent.
We were the last table to leave and then adjourned down to the Gallery bar for a night cap or 3. It ended up being a late night, but what a way to celebrate the 67th.
We were the last table to leave and then adjourned down to the Gallery bar for a night cap or 3. It ended up being a late night, but what a way to celebrate the 67th.
Tuesday 26 July 2016
Well let me tell you this kid was very tired and only
sparking on about 2.5 cylinders when he woke up and had a light brekkie.
I decided to have a rest day and went back to bed for the
morning. I met up with Alex for a chicken burger for a late lunch as he had
returned back to the ship from the morning in Crete.
Later in the afternoon before going to Happy Hour I had a
frustrating time with the extremely slow internet on this ship. The worst
internet service I have experienced on any of the ships in recent years and it
now looks like I have lost 95 minutes as it would not log off.
I had a fun time up at Happy Hour but would you believe a
Kiwi bloke was sitting in the Papaku bar stool. All the regulars were waiting with
baited breath to see how I would react. I just totally ignored the Kiwi and sat
on another stool. Mr Kiwi only stayed for one drink so I quickly regained my
normal logistical position to a great round of applause from the regulars.
Dinner was in the dining room and the boys were very busy as
everyone seemed to turn up for open seating at 8pm. Folk were still waiting to
be seated at 9.45 pm we left the dining room. Thank goodness I have the Papaku
table reserved for 8.15 so we were able to jump the queue and go straight to the
table.
I called it an early night and was in bed by 10 pm.
Wednesday 27 July 2016
After brekkie I started the process of getting things ready
for packing as we were not arriving at the port of Argostoli until 12 noon.
One of my wheels on my large suitcase was damaged when it
arrived on the ship so I asked for some superglue and gloves so I could fix it
up. No way was my mate Peder or housekeeping were going to let me loose with
superglue so Housekeeping managed to take the case and would fix it for me. Of
course I had no objections to this.
Just after 12.30 pm Alex and I set off on foot to explore
Argostoli. It was unlike the majority of the other Greek ports and seemed very
modern in its infrastructure and buildings.
After walking along the waterfront for a while we found a friendly
sidewalk café with free wifi, so we decided to call in and have another great
Frappe (Greek Iced Coffee) and take advantage of the internet and make some
Viber calls.
The waterfront views were very scenic and we were impressed
how crystal clear the water was and some locals were even swimming. Like most
Europeans the locals are not body self-conscious like Aussies and Yanks so the
big fat and ugly were having a great time with the slim trim and terrific
beautiful people which was great to see and watch.
After a few hours I made it back to the ship while Alex went
off to do some shopping. It was a hot walk back to the ship and required a
change of clothes and a shower before I went up to Happy hour.
Happy hour was the usual great fun and it’s a pity on a
short cruise folk take so long to relax and get to know the others at the bar.
The regulars sitting in ‘their’ barstools consisted of Aussies, Poms, Dutch and
Yanks. The regular other Aussie was Phil a good guy travelling with his wife
and family and on most afternoons he would get a leave pass for Happy hour.
Over the last few days the noise levels have increased as
there was now much more interaction amongst the regulars and everyone seemed to
be enjoying their new found friends.
We had dinner in the dining room and had a fun filled meal
with our waiters who keep presenting us with new paper animals each night. It
was obvious they enjoyed waiting on the Papaku table as they could relax and
have fun with us but still giving us excellent service.
After dinner we met up with Peder, Mark and Andrew for a
night cap that turned into 2 or 3 nightcaps.
I called it a night a bit after midnight.
Thursday 28 July 2016
Today is the last day of the cruise and a sea day so that
provided time to do the packing. I only had a light brekkie as this morning
there was the Mariners brunch and presentation.
I as the senior Mariner on the cruise was presented a
platinum medallion for having over 700 days at sea. It was a bit late in being
given to me as I now have 950 days at sea.
After the brunch I finished my packing and had a short nanna
nap before Happy Hour. Oh yes housekeeping had done a splendid job of fixing
the wheel on my port (suit case).
I love my sea days as I have a chance to recharge the
batteries and relax.
I think many folk were still packing as the last Happy Hour
was a bit quiet. Phil the Aussie was there and has by now become good friends
with Alex and myself.
Then all the sad goodbyes and all the hugs and kisses had
to be made when our new friends left the bar. It is always sad to say goodbye
to the bar staff, esp Edsal and Edgar who had looked after us so well over the
past 12 days.
After getting ready for dinner we decided to have a
pre-dinner drink in the Silk Den and Mark joined us for a short while.
Dinner in the dining room was great but sad to say goodbye
to our food and wine waiters who had given us excellent service whilst we were
on board.
As it is now a custom I head straight for my cabin after
dinner on the last night as there is nothing worse than trying to travel long
distances and dealing with the authorities with a hang-over the next day.
I was in bed by 11.pm and my suitcase outside the door.
Friday 29 July 2016
I awoke feeling alive and well and ready to take on the
challengers that the long day would throw at me.
Alex and I had the last brekkie and Mark quickly joined us
to say goodbye.
After brekkie We went down to say goodbye to Peder and Andrew
but as it was going to be a very busy day for then getting ready for the Gay
charter they were not in the office.
They called our numbers earlier than advertised so it was a
bit of a rush to leave the ship and go through the formalities of customs etc
and get our luggage. Alex and I were doing the ships transfer to the airport
with about 120 ‘Old pushie shovie’ Europeans and Americans. Well you should
have seen the circus when only 2 coaches arrived. OMG the old girls knew how to
use those walking sticks as weapons of mass destruction.
Blind Freddie could see all these folk were going to fit on
the 2 coaches with all the luggage. With the fear of being trampled to death
Alex and I decided to wait until they got extra coaches to take the rest of us.
About 15 minutes after the 2 coaches left for the airport another 2 coaches
arrived to take the rest of us. So with no Hustle and bustle we boarded our
coaches that had plenty of room to spread out in.
So now we had noted we had left the 5 star service of the
ship for slack Italian shore service, but the Marco Polo airport was a mess and
the check-in counters were undermanned. I was in the line for 55 minutes just
to check-in my luggage and get my boarding pass.
Then I had to say good bye to Alex as he could not check in
his luggage for another 2 hours so that stuffed up the idea of me going to the
BA Lounge with him until my flight was called.
They took us by busses out to the aircraft and that’s where
more fun begun as we sat on the aircraft for 2hours 15 minutes as the baggage
handlers were on some sort of go slow protest.
Finally we arrived at London Heathrow 2 hours late so many
had now missed their connections and the atmosphere on the aircraft was not
very happy.
Fortunately I had heaps of time to make my connection to
terminal 3.
After going through security I headed for the BA lounge and was
told I couldn’t come in as I was only economy class. So I set off tail between
my legs to the public areas to fill in the time. Have I told you I hate
Heathrow and British Airways,
At long last I made my way to the boarding area for my
Qantas flight where I was given priority boarding so this uplifted my spirits.
A nice young Pommie lady doctor was seated beside me as far as Dubai. We
chatted for a while and after dinner decided to sleep.
Saturday 30 July 2016
It was great in Dubai to use the Emirates Business lounge to
get some brekkie and clean my teeth and freshen up for the next long hall
flight to Sydney.
I must be getting used to the long flights as I slept a lot
and got up every now and then to stretch the legs and go down to have a cuppa
tea and a chat with the flight attendants.
Sunday 31 July 2016
We arrived in Sydney to be met by a blood red sunrise and
the temp was 12C so a lot cooler than what it had been in Greece.
The formalities of immigration and customs went very
smoothly and I was very quickly transferred to the domestic terminal for the
flight to Cairns.
It was beaut to have a shower shave and change clothes in
the Qantas Club and feel human again. I had a light brekkie and before long it
was time to board the last flight.
The 3 hour flight home from Sydney was slightly marred by
the arrogant and rude Frenchman sitting next to me. He kept pushing my arm off
the armrest and spilling over into my chair space. He was upset that the
announcements were in English and not in French. The strange thing was he could
speak English and seemed to understand it. He and his wife got up twice to go
to the toilet which meant I had to get up to let them out. Of course there was
no please or thank you and some of you know they got the Papaku stare ‘I am not
amused’ a look that scares most people but not this rude man.
My friend Graham picked me up from the airport and we called
into the supermarket to get some basic supplies on the way home.
It was great to finally be home as it was 39 hours since I
flew out of Venice.
