Day 94 14th April 2011

This is the last day of the cruise. When we awoke his morning we were docked in Southampton. On our side we could see many small boats moored in mid-stream and some tankers and other supply vessels coming alongside to begin the process of getting the ship ready for its next voyage back to the Caribbean. We went down to breakfast since the timetable for leaving did not allow passengers to leave until 9.30am but actually they started at 8.50am with an announcement over the ship’s loudspeaker system. This filled us with optimism that we would be off the ship early but it did not happen since after the early start it slowed down.

After breakfast we waited patiently in the cabin for the announcement that  were next but the lifts were very slow since everyone was on the move so we started off early. We arrived at deck 5 to hear our group announced so could proceed immediately to the gangway. It was still slow process since there is only a small lift for wheelchairs which takes one at a time. The lift brings you out into the enormous baggage hall where we needed to get a porter and then find five suitcases and the manual wheelchair in the several hundred other bags. We located them reasonably quickly and set off through customs to the waiting taxi. John, the taxi driver had rung a couple of times to co-ordinate his actions with ours. When we emerged he was waiting for us.

Three hours drive and we were home. The house had been decorated with ballons and bunting to welcome us back. The pile of mail was simply enormous and the house felt quite strange after three months absence.

Day 93 13th April 2011

This is our last day on board the Aurora. We are now sailing rapidly towards Southampton and will be arriving in the early hours of Thursday morning. The ship is rather like one large waiting room with people seeking different ways of passing the time. There are many people reading in every public room while the cinema is full and many others are attending the last in the series of lectures. We went to listen to a talk on the Falklands War by a former navy officer who had served on the staff of the commanding admiral. It was a bit technical but clearly well informed if rather biased in favour of Margaret Thatcher. Chris went to the cinema to see the Last Three Days while I attended the last talk about 15^th and 16^th century pottery by David Barby.

We have successfully packed everything and can only wait until the morning to collect it. Hopefully the taxi arrangements will work and we will be home in the early afternoon.

Day 92 12th April 2011

It’s a bit of a grey day and quite cool (i.e. 13C). This is no surprise since we are heading north towards the western approaches. The normal end of cruise activities are underway such as completing the evaluation form, receiving the preliminary statement of account for us to check and collecting envelopes for tips. There is a routine for giving people a tip and it is to place the money in an envelope and then hand it to the individual. This is normally done on the last day but you have to get ready. In our case we have identified five groups of people we want to give something to.

They are starting to collect luggage from today. This is very early but is due to people having far more items than on a short cruise. The suitcases are taken from the cabins (we leave them outside) and they are then stored below so that they can be unloaded early on the last morning. No one can leave the ship until the bags have been unloaded and checked so it is important that it is done efficiently. We are all issued with a coloured ticket that gives us a time to disembark. In our case it is green or 10.15am. They often do it faster than the plan so I would anticipate being off the ship and in the taxi around this time.

We gained another hour at 12am so we are now at GMT+1, that is we are at the same time as the UK. We have come the full cycle of time. This afternoon we finished packing three of the five suitcases and sent them away. In between packing we listened to John Barby speak about the age of William Hogarth. I walked my normal 13 laps today and worked out that I had walked 750 laps of the ship during the voyage or around 220 miles.

Day 91 11th April 2011

The Quay

The Square

This is our last port of call so we are a little sad but also looking forward to getting home and seeing everyone. Three months is a long time to be away. Ponta Delgada is a small island and we docked at St Michael which is the largest town on the island. The ship is berthed at the cruise terminal, a new building set in a curved quay with a range of shops and restaurants. The quay leads you into the town. We had a walk around the town and a cup of coffee. The people were very friendly and it is a pleasant place for a stroll but little to do. It looks Portuguese in places but also Baltic in some of its buildings. It is a bit hilly but also has nice flat areas for pushing a wheelchair.

The port has a container area that serves relatively small vessels perhaps for inter-island freight transfer. There is also a marina for pleasure craft and we saw a large catamaran sail past Aurora on its way in. The tranquil weather has continued. It is a warm and sunny day. Some (including me) of the passengers got the temperature wrong thinking that 16c was cool and put on coats but in the sun it was hot.

We were only in port for the morning and by 1.30pm we were at sea again. During the afternoon we went to listen to a talk about the history of P&O. This was followed by a tour of the galley. What surprised me was how small was needed a space to cater for 1800 passengers. After the tour it was the chocoholics buffet which as the name suggests is a chocolate themed event with a chocolate fountain, chocolate cakes and even chocolate bread and butter pudding. You have to like chocolate to appreciate it.

We have been sorting out suitcases to check we have enough space for everything. We do!

Day 90 10th April 2011

We are now in the middle of the Atlantic. It is remarkably calm and peaceful for the middle of an ocean. We did have a few showers earlier today but it is now warm and dry. It has been a quiet day and we have been to hear the last Peter Purves presentation. He talked about Blue Peter and his life after the show ended. He appeared in many pantomimes and presented a range of shows including Kickstart. For over thirty years he has been involved in the Cruft’s dog show. Last night we went to see Tom O’Connor. He is doing a couple of shows before Southampton.

Tomorrow we have our final short stop on Ponta Delgada.

Day 89 9th April 2011

Our drinks party went well with a full cabin. We had many people sitting on the bed since there was not enough room to be anywhere else. We were lucky that it was very calm if the ship had been moving it might have made things difficult. We had asked room service for ice and lemon slices but they did not arrive so not everything works on the ship.

We started today with queuing to be seen by British immigration. The process only took a few minutes but queuing took far longer. They always carry out these operations in the Alexandria restaurant which is probably the least accessible space on the ship so we have to queue then take a lift, enter the restaurant through the door everyone else is leaving and then rejoin the queue. This is the first time on a cruise we have had to go through UK immigration on the ship. We can only assume the rules have changed or they treat longer voyages differently. Anyway we can now enter the UK.

We gained another hour at 12am so we are now at GMT-1 or two hours behind British summer time. It is another warm day with little breeze and a calm sea. We felt compelled to start packing so one suitcase is now done. Chris went to see the film Black Swan which she described as a load of old twaddle while I watched the live broadcast of the Manchester United versus Fulham game.

It is another formal night and I cannot escape the view that they are trying to pack as many of them in as possible. We have one more day at sea tomorrow before we arrive in Ponta Delgada on Monday.

Day 88 8th April 2011

It is a calm warm day with a smooth sea as far as you can see. It is a quiet almost subdued day with everyone now talking about going home. We have met several people who have already started to pack their suitcases. It does seem a little early to me but we will probably have to make a start in the next day or two. Some passengers have clearly bought a lot and doubt they can fit their belongings into their existing suitcases.

We went to another talk by David Barby who reviewed the changes in fashion, housing and furniture after the Second World War. It was interesting presentation and well attended. Later this evening we are having a few people around for a drink before dinner. We have been invited to several during the voyage. We are going to the Indian theme dinner tonight after our soiree.

We gained another hour today at 12am so we are now at GMT-2 which is another indication that we are getting nearer home