11th October 2023

It’s a very different Atlantic Ocean from the one we crossed a couple of weeks ago; this one is calm, offering no troubling motion for its elderly passengers. The air is still, occasionally allowing a thick sea mist to form, prompting the ship’s horn to sound a warning for any unseen smaller craft.

Embarrassingly, while I was watching several pods of porpoises chasing the ship during breakfast, the announcement came over the speaker system, informing us that a muster drill would take place in fifteen minutes. I was sceptical, as there had been no mention of this in the ship’s daily bulletin or last night’s announcements. Nevertheless, despite no alert bells sounding, quite a few passengers dutifully made their way to their muster stations, only to be told it was a false alarm. Half an hour later, the Captain apologised over the tannoy, explaining that one of his officers had inadvertently pressed a button beneath a sheet of paper on the bridge.

Ordinarily, a ship’s clocks are adjusted overnight as it crosses time zones. Today, however, they were moved forward at midday. I was at lunch, and Sue was in the theatre watching I Care a Lot. There was no perceptible shift in the world, my lunch still consisted of three courses, and the film didn’t skip a scene. Strange!

The evening’s entertainment featured the Polish violinist Michael Bacala, who gave a delightful performance.

12th October 2023

This morning brought bright sunshine and flat calm seas. A day of gentle routine.

The ship’s news channels remain dominated by the terrible conflict in Israel and Gaza. Any prospect of peace between those two nations now seems tragically distant, perhaps even unreachable.

The evening entertainment, Music is a Language We Understand, performed by Tony K Irving, was not enjoyed by Sue and me. While we acknowledged that he has a fine voice, we didn’t care for his choice of songs.

13th October 2023

Another day of flat, calm seas. Once again, the clocks moved forward an hour at midday.

One of today’s lectures is worth special mention: Andy Reid, who suffered catastrophic injuries in an IED explosion while serving with The Yorkshire Regiment in Afghanistan in 2009, shared his remarkable life story. He spoke movingly about his recovery and his ongoing work as a passionate ambassador, public speaker, and fundraiser for charity. At the conclusion of his talk, he received a well-deserved standing ovation.

The evening show was an unusual blend of circus, gymnastics, and contortion performed by Illa and Olesja, entertaining and impressive, though it certainly made us feel our age!

14th October 2023

We woke late (8 a.m.) to rolling seas, and during our morning mile around Deck 16 after breakfast, the chilly, blustery conditions suggested that winter is well on its way.

Overnight (for us), Sarah and her friend Abby met at Gatwick Airport and flew to Miami, ready to embark on a Caribbean cruise.

The clocks moved forward yet again, another hour lost at noon! This must be the most inconvenient time to reset one’s routine, and it plays havoc with your internal biomechanisms. Having eaten breakfast later than usual (a knock-on effect of yesterday’s time change), lunch came far too quickly. The ship’s activity schedule remained unchanged, except for the missing hour, which affected our whole day. You can’t very well go to the gym or stride around the decks immediately after eating.

I decided to abandon the idea of trying to adapt and declared it a rest day in the cabin, focusing instead on the two Rugby World Cup matches being played in France. Sue, meanwhile, continued to attend lectures and various activities, though with her runny nose and frequent sneezing, I’m convinced I made the wiser choice!

It wasn’t a good day for Northern Hemisphere rugby: Argentina defeated Wales, and New Zealand overcame Ireland.

In contrast, Jamie, Ruth, and Joey embraced a far more energetic challenge. They drove to North Wales and climbed Snowdon, taking five and a half hours in total. They ascended via the Miners’ Track and descended on the Pyg Track, a 13-mile round trip. While these are among the easier routes up the mountain, it remains a demanding climb.

Neither of us attended the evening entertainment in the theatre.

15th October 2023

The sea was choppy today, and the air decidedly chilly as we edged closer to the UK. Despite the conditions, we still managed our daily mile around the deck, though it was a bit wobbly at times.

Charlotte sent a message on Messenger to report that Leicestershire had its first frost of the autumn. I’d hoped to return in time to gather any fruit and vegetables that ripened in our absence, but it seems the frost will have spoiled them.

In the afternoon, Sue attended a book signing by Andy Reid, while I watched a tense England v Fiji match. Fortunately, England clinched the win in the final few minutes.

Though it was a formal evening for dinner, we chose instead to dress smartly and dine in the buffet restaurant, which allowed me to watch the South Africa v France rugby match and Sue to enjoy the production show in the theatre.

The horror in Israel and Gaza continues unabated. Ordinary citizens bear the brunt of atrocities inflicted by barbaric opposing governing bodies, each continuing to attack regardless of the human cost. I fear there is no solution; only the evil in the world seems to prosper from such conflict.

Meanwhile, Sarah and her friends Josh and Abby spent the day enjoying themselves in Miami before boarding their Royal Caribbean cruise ship on Monday.

16th October 2023

As we neared the Cornish coast, we woke at 7 a.m. for breakfast. The sea was peppered with white horses, but thankfully, the ship remained reassuringly stable. During our gusty morning mile, we caught sight of land in the distance and several other ships forging through darkened waters. Flocks of gulls accompanied us, soaring on the updrafts near the bow, making our circuits rather hazardous, thanks to their airborne faeces. The deck was dotted with little white splatters, nature’s version of scatter bombs.

While playing Sue at Scrabble later, I became curious: why are seagull droppings white, when their diet consists mainly of fish and the odd scavenged ice cream? During one of Sue’s lengthy deliberations, I looked it up. The answer: birds excrete nitrogenous waste as uric acid or guanine (rather than urea like mammals), which conserves water and forms a white, sticky paste. So the white part is actually bird urine, and the darker centre is the poop. In other words, they were peeing mid-flight!

In the afternoon, we attended The Voice of the Ocean, a spoof of the TV talent show. Neither of us has watched the original series, but we enjoyed the onboard version. Still, it hasn’t tempted us to tune in at home.

The evening show, titled A Royal Gala Show, didn’t feature any actual royalty, but included plenty of lively singing, dancing, and some acrobatics, a good time all round.

There’s a distinct feeling of melancholy around the ship this evening, as passengers prepare to disembark. Sue and I packed our cases shortly after 5 p.m. and left them outside our cabin at 9 p.m. for collection. We’ll see them again dockside in the morning. After the show, we opted for a quiet film in our cabin before drifting off to sleep around midnight.

17th October 2023: Disembarkation Day

We were awakened at 5.15 a.m. by the ship’s thrusters coming to life, their vibrations unfamiliar after weeks of gentle sailing. We got up at 6.30 a.m., dressed, and headed for a busy breakfast.

Disembarkation was organised by colour-coded luggage tags, each indicating a different departure time. Regular announcements kept everyone informed as each group was called. In contrast to our delayed departure from Southampton, today we disembarked half an hour ahead of schedule.

We collected our car keys from the CPS car park beside the ship and, after a brief struggle locating Sue’s Mini, we were soon on the road heading north, following the fastest route suggested by TomTom.

We arrived home just after noon, sorted through the post, and began unpacking. Barely fifteen minutes later, we had a surprise visit from Sean. He had just returned from a short break in Krakow earlier that morning and, assuming we’d been home for a few days already and decided to drop in for a coffee.

At 6 p.m., we had more visitors; Charlotte and Suraj arrived to drop off Harry. The following day, the whole family were flying out from Heathrow for a holiday in the Maldives, and we had agreed to look after the dog.

Still very much in cruise mode, we opted for takeaway fish and chips for our evening meal. Afterwards, I settled down to watch England beat Italy 3–1 on television in a Euro qualifying match.