thefouramigosblog

People often ask me what is my favorite cruise line. That’s a really hard question to answer because even within the cruise lines, some ships can be better than others.

Holland America

For instance, we were on our first Holland America cruise on the Oosterdam. It’s a relatively smaller ship with less than 2000 guests. I liked the size because it limited wait times and long lines.

I have to say our Captain, Captain Breibert, was our favorite out of 14 cruises. He had a sense of humor, he was understandable and he was approachable. The crew was great – wait service prompt and attentive. Our cabin steward and assistant have been on top of things especially cleaning up our mess.

What I found lacking was the entertainment. They had the usual nightly mainstage shows which were not all that great. The dance company did not have singers which made it rather lackluster. The first night act was the best and they were tango dancers from Buenos Aires.

There were no enrichment talks at all. I thought Holland America was known for that but nothing on penguins, glaciers or even anything that we could attend.

The port talks were done by the cruise director. The theater was so crowded people were sitting on the floor. This wasn’t because they were so interesting but because there wasn’t much else to do.

In the bar a female piano player was on every night. She couldn’t carry a tune. And the casino was boring – no excitement.

The food was good. Have no complaints about that but sure missed my escargot. The ice cream was great, many flavors.

And as far as health and safety. Obviously, after a week into the cruise, many passengers were coughing, and in the theatre it sounded like a TB clinic. HAL should have had masks sent to each stateroom, broadcast the port talks on the tv, and implemented some of the health measures they had in place after they resumed sailing after COVID. This was the biggest turn-off of the cruise.

Princess cruises

Right now I’m on the Caribbean Princess going to Iceland. I was on this ship in May on a transatlantic. It was a very enjoyable cruise.

Now the food was not the best on the Transatlantic. Bruce likes rich cream soups and they had few. Also, we have not always enjoyed the meals in the dining room. And I missed the ice cream from Holland America. The food this time is better and the soups have been good. I wish they would serve different flavor ice creams. At least on this ship its only chocolate and vanilla.

The entertainment was fabulous. From the production shows to the guest singers, they really didn’t have a bad entertainer. So far the same in this trip. The only bad part is we have seen the production shows.

Activities in board were great on the crossing. We had enrichment lectures every day on murder and mayhem. Just my speed. There was music playing all the time at some venues. And they have bingo, art auctions, trivia, and game shows going on all day and night. Same us true for this sailing.

The Trawlermen was my favorite show of all time!

Our cabin was not as nice as on Holland America. Our shower curtain fell down and a bolt came out of the bathroom handle. It’s an old ship and it’s showing.

I don’t have much to say about the captain except he brought us through some rough seas. The crew was ok on the transatlantic. Our cabin steward though was not friendly. The waiters were good but not anyone we wanted to go back to. Our cabin steward now is great.

There doesn’t seem to be a lot of sickness on board so no safety protocols for health safety. No crew member telling you to washy washy as you go to the buffet.

Celebrity

The cabin on the Equinox was roomy with a couch. The bathroom was ok. Our balcony was nice.

The best part of celebrity is the escargot. Every evening. I do love that.

They do have many ice cream flavors available which I liked. Food overall was well presented and good.

The crew was great. Our cabin steward was wonderful. He was attentive and friendly. Everyone was happy to be on the ship.

The entertainment was exceptional. Its not the full Broadway experience but the singers and dancers were very talented.

Today we are in Ireland. We visited this port in May so we weren’t sure if we would leave the ship. It was raining and quite dreary but we decided to go to Cork by train.

Of course, our first stop was a little cafe at the port of Cobh. Scones and cappuccino. Yummy!

The train station was right next to the port and it was 3.50 euros each way.

It was about a 30-minute train ride to Cork with lots of scenery on the way.

We didn’t stay in Cork long – just long enough to take some photos and say we went there. It was drizzling so not so much fun to walk in the rain.

There are a lot of colored buildings in Ireland. Our tour guide in England said that the colored buildings where we were, were painted different colors so when someone was drunk, they could say, “Take me home to the red house.”

Our view from our balcony was quite lovely today.

It was a fine Irish day. Now a couple of sea days than Reykjavik.

#cobh#cork#ireland#paintedhouses#scones#train#travel#cruise#port

Yesterday was a down day for us. I don’t mean emotionally, just physically. We slept in, ate lunch, took naps, and had coffee with friends. It was nice being on the Caribbean Princess while people were on shore.

We ate dinner at a table of 10 and then went to the show. The group was the Trawlermen and they sang sea shanties, folk and Celtic music. They really had the crowd hopping.

This morning we woke at 6 am for coffee in the cabin and headed to the Explorer Lounge to meet Heather and Dave, the couple with whom we shared today’s tour. The weather was slightly overcast and cool.

We landed in Falmouth where we met our driver Pat and off we went on our adventure. The highlight of today was to do a walking Doc Martin tour in Port Isaac. But first we stopped at Newquay and the beach.

This is supposedly one of the best surfing beaches in England. Lots of people ready with their boards but little wave action.

Also the Headlands Hotel is located here, a very posh, upscale property.

And quiet spots for solitude.

Down the road overlooking the harbor was a Huer’s Hut. This was where a lookout would watch for ripples in the water and diving birds. When he saw this he would notify the fishermen and they would head out to catch fish.

Our next stop was the village of St. Mawgan in Pydar .which was built in the 13th century. St. Mawgan has a 13th-century parish. The church was originally a cruciform building of the 13th century but was enlarged by a south aisle and the upper part of the tower in the 15th.

We arrived just in time to hear the end of a service and say the Lord’s Prayer.

The Yew Tree which is in many English Churchyards, wards off evil spirits.

The Lanherne House became the home for cloistered nuns who took vows of silence, chastity and poverty.

There was a chapel attached to the convent that had a silence sign on the door. We ventured in to say a prayer or two.

Next to the chapel was a Celtic Cross which our tour guide said was the oldest in England and possibly the world.

We headed closer to Port Isaac and stopped at a beautiful area with outcroppings into the sea.

It was a lovely spot but the path was difficult to walk. We walked a bit and Heather took a few photos of us.

And seconds after that photo, Dave missed a step and ended up rupturing his quad muscle.

The Coast Guard and ambulances were called. They were there quickly and off Dave went to the hospital.

Unfortunately our tour ended and the driver took Bruce and I and Dave’s wife back to the ship. She picked up their passports and some other things and headed back to the hospital.

They were not able to come back to the ship and probably will fly home tomorrow. I felt bad that we missed Doc Martin but I felt so bad for both of them. That’s no way to have a vacation.

We relaxed the rest of the day. And saw this beautiful sunset tonight.

#celticcross#cornwall#stmagwan#nuns#convent#coastguard#england#tour#langernnehouse#huershut#headlandshotel#trawlermen#seashanties#caribbeanprincess#yewtree

It was so difficult packing for this trip. We are going to England and then cruising to Iceland. It is a wee bit colder there than it is in south Florida. So mostly long sleeve stuff with rain gear and hopefully that works out.

Our ride by Lyft was fairly uneventful. We arrived at the airport with four hours to kill.

We went to the Centurion Lounge but they wouldn’t let us in. Only 3 hours before flights. Wow! Kind of annoying since it was only 25 minutes. Oh well. So we waited and entered at the right time.

We had our fill of wraps and chicken. Bruce had soup. All was good.

For this flight, we booked economy basic which was $1300 each round trip. My American Express Platinum card gave me a $200 Airline Credit and American was my airline of choice. I booked two exit-row seats at $141 each. So it cost me $82 out of pocket. The seats were pretty good. Bruce had lots of legroom but the seats are not very wide. We missed our business class seats.

Now we are staying for two nights in Southampton at the Doubletree by Hilton. My gold status gives us free breakfast. It was $175 a night and using points doesn’t make sense. So another expenditure to add to my cheap cruise.

We had pizza for dinner and Bruce had the real sticky toffee pudding.

Today we are out and about in Southampton. It’s a bigger city than we thought.

I love the old walls and architecture.

The old buildings.

And of course churches. We visited St. Michael’s Church.

Next, we stopped at St. Joseph’s church.

Southampton once had a wall built around it to protect it from raiders. Now there are only pieces of it standing here and there.

Just a bit of walking and we were ready for a stop. We found The Pig in the Wall which is also an inn.

I had a cappuccino and oatmeal raisin cookie and Bruce had a strawberry cake.

We spent the afternoon at the SeaCity Museum in Southampton. It was fairly comprehensive on the lives of the crew of the Titanic, especially those who resided in Southampton, the ships departure port to the US.

The SeaCity Museum was housed in a fairly old building. The restroom was quite interesting.

For dinner we ate at M’Dim Sum.

It was an amazing meal but it could have fed 4 people. Our starter included spring rolls, chicken satay, toast, and ribs.

Our next course was Peking duck and its trimmings.

Followed by sweet and sour chicken, fried rice, Chinese vegetables and steak with mushrooms.

We had so much leftover, that we took a to-go bag and gave it to a homeless person sleeping on the street. He seemed very grateful. If you ever have leftovers and are in a city with lots of homeless, its better to give food then money.

We walked 5 miles today but it felt like 10. I am realizing how out of shape I am. This vacation I plan on building my stamina and hopefully not eating too much!