Day 14 16th January NASA Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA

We have had a great day at the NASA tourist centre and visited the launch sites and saturn 8 centre too. The IMAX productions have been epic,  as has the orchestral piped music that leads you believe that you are on a film set for the entire day. Our guide Jodie has been the epitomy of good humour all day long  and will departing for the ship with her, by coach in half an hour. Today the tourist centre has been remarkably deserted and we have walked straight into all the shows and exhibits, coffee bars and cafes. One other ship is in port, Walt Disneys "Dream", a huge liner twice our size. The day couldn't have gone better. Its been a balmy 26 degrees and sunny all day. Food was good and not too expensive. The rockets have been up close and huge, the US attendants friendly and patient.

The past week has seen us complete the crossing of the Atlantic and then we spent two days in Bermuda, which was beautiful, fairly bleached white and fairly flat. One decent sunami would roll over the place. However as long as its around Bermuda will be a stop where only the rich will stop for long. Coffees are $5 a cup and 17% gratuity.

Next stop is Fort Lauderdale where we arrive tomorrow morning and stay just the day. Speak more in coming days...
 

Day 9 Wednesday 11th January At Sea.... somewhere ....

We made the departure after a planes, trains and automobile journey. The cabin is lovely and new carpet is all over the ship. We sailed from Southampon with fireworks exploding on the quayside.

We joined the beginners bridge classes and beginners ballroom dancing classes. Joined the choir too and there are over 100 in it as we speak. When not at classes or eating we play short tennis in the netted court on deck 13 and table tennis on deck 12. We have had our first swim and have discovered and used the hot tub, sauna and steam room. People are great, a real mix of mostly retired folk from all over the UK with ahandful of Irish and the odd Swede thrown in for good measure.

We attended a "Meet the Captain and officers " event some days back and captain David Box is exactly the type of relaxed, experienced british officer you'd hope for. He's been mixing with passengers across all the ships decks and appears to have all the time in the world to chat as

He announced a change in itinery on day 1. The US authorities refused us permission to stay overnight in Fort Lauderdale on 16th Jan. Booh.........

But that means we now will visit Cape Canaveral and NASA! We are booked on the excursion that includes a visit to the Apollo launch pads. We also booked a nature tour of the everglades the next day so we'll be busy.

Later he had to announce that due to heavy swells we wouldn't visit Porta Delgado in the Azores, our first stop but it only meant we visited a neighbouring smaller island and a town Pontia Di Victoria which was fine. I know Miriam made contact with some of you from there via a banks free wifi.

We are starting our fourth day at sea and won't find land until tomorrow. Its been a rough last two days with stormy weather and gale force 8 winds. It's led to a bit of pitching and heaving as the ship rides out the white tipped waves. At certain times the ship is traversing sea that is over 5,000 metres deep. It's a view of choppy sea in all directions.

Our cabin is located in the bow and sleeping in it over the last two days is like sleeping in a flight simulator. There is quite a bit of wardrobe doors opening and suitcases on wheels rolling out onto the carpet. But we are both well if a little off our food. The conditions are expected to improve sometime today.

We have experienced three time changes are are currently 3 hours ahead of you.

Most of the outer decks are off limits so we have continued our beginners bridge classes and the choir rehearsals. There really is plenty to do at all times and entertainment in the evening has been first class. There has also been several afternoon classical recitals which take place in the large lounges with curtains pulled. The musicians play brilliantly while the on stage long curtains roll left and right with the ships movement.

We've made friends with Paddy and Angela and meet outside bridge classes for practice rounds of mini bridge and a chat.

The dinner for us is first sitting at 6.30 pm at a table of eight and its going well. We shuffle seats each night and the food is to die for. The two waiters are Indian but carry anglosized name tags, Lloyd and Sanjay. Daphne, a similar indian girl is our wine waiter. Downton Abbey eat your heart out! Its a formal black tie meal tonight so Miriam will be dolling up and looking glamerous once more.

We bought the ships photo offer so we'll have plenty of quality pictures to bore you with on our return.

Will leave you for now but you do know we thing of you all frequently and always visit the churches for a quick pray for you all.

-The journey starts

If I thought I'd seen the back of the portable weighing scales last night I was sorely mistaken. Some feverish redistribution of clothes and reweighing went on before Evan, our neighbourly chauffeur arrived on the dot of 11.30 am. We also set timed lighting sequences throughout the house, set the central heating to blast heat at various cold hours of the night and gave away / dumped the contents of our fridge and freezer. A double check of all windows and doors and the cutting off of the gas supply and we were done.

We piled into his mothers car, thanks Tricia, and we arrived in Gorey a full 30 minutes before the bus was due. We cut an odd couple, two massive and two smaller cases  + a pink rucsack and the two of us wearing holiday white hats in Wexford in January. The bus stop was on the shady side of the main street and 3 degrees felt -1 thanks to an artic breeze. The Wexford Bus arrived 10 minutes early and just as well as he picked up at least 20 souls to add to an almost full bus of over 100. I slid the 4 cases into the storage area under the bus and then spent the journey worrying about their safety. From that minute onwards I rose from my seat when the bus stopped to take on or let off passengers. If he opened the baggage doors I dismounted and checked our bags were still on board. Fortunately there were only a handful of stops between Gorey and Dublin and most involved people with only hand luggage. It was only when the bus pulled up at the IFSC/ East Wall area of Dublin did passengers take from the baggage area. I was by their side I can  assure you!

The Wexford bus journey was well worth doing. Though the coach was full the seats were comfortable and we were nice and warm on the journey to the airport that even with stops took just over an hour and a half.  The speedy journey was helped by no small measure withe our trip coinciding with a bank holiday. There was no free wifi but no piped music either so I was happy enough. It was my first time using the north Dublin tunnel and enjoyed the experience. Isn't it great being a passenger and someone else driving? Thoroughly enjoyed it.

We checked into the Radison blu Hotel and offloaded the cases before setting off  on foot to explore Terminals 1 and 2. I am normally in too much of a rush to explore when I reach the airport so I did enjoy the leisurely walk around both buildings. We found a few minutes to squeeze in a prayer for all in the Queen of Heaven, RC Church which looks every bit of a 1960's building.

Tonight we are resting up on the third floor of the hotel which has a fine view of the long term carpark and the passing motorway.  I'm sorry the story is low key but we did hope to take the stress out of the trains planes and automobile trip we must make to catch the boat which sails by 5.00 pm tomorrow. Hopefully I can write from onboard! Keep well guys!

The reality of what we are doing just came home to me today when we spent most of the afternoon and early evening trying to squeeze what clothes, shoes & stuff we think we will need into two suitcases and some even smaller hand luggage.

Once packed each case was weighed, several times, partlially unpacked and then reweighed anxiously hoping by some miracle that we'd hit "just  below the maximum" allowable weight. I left quite a few items on the bedroom floor and I know Miriam had some difficult decisions to make. Right now the bags are weighed and packed and it will be Tuesday morning at 7 am before we breath a sigh of relief.

Part of the problem is the need to carry clothes for the first and last days of the cruise when it will be baltic and the rest of the time when it will be tropical. Should have flown out and back.  Anyway this is all small beer and you wouldn't hear complaints from me. Looking forward to getting the whole journey started tomorrow and will keep you in the picture as the days pass bye.