As I mentioned in Chat, yesterday OH and I went on a tour of a cruise ship while it was docked in Southampton. The outing was organised by OH's pensioners' group and are always well planned and good fun.
We got to the dock quite early as we didn't know how road works would affect our journey, and it wasn't hard to find "our" ship - towering about 17 decks, it was huge! We stood and watched as another ship slipped past "our" ship and docked. We commented on how it didn't seem to be moving very fast, but seemed to get tied up etc very quickly. And also that it seemed late - most ships seem to come into harbour very early in the day.
The rest of our group arrived and we were split up into smaller groups, offered very welcome coffee and pastries, and then set off for the tour of the ship. We saw a state of the art theatre/ open stage with all the latest wizardry you'd find in the best theatres in the world, restaurant after restaurant with gourmet menus, many available 24/7, a massive state-of the-art gym, lounge areas, quiet areas, the top suite on the ship (the visitors due to occupy it had cried off, ill, the previous day), an ordinary, but very well-appointed outside cabin, two swimming pools, several hot tubs, spas with steam rooms, saunas and relaxation beds, various bars and entertainment areas. Everything was pristine and in great condition. We had a delicious 3-course lunch with wine in a waiter-service restaurant, and all the crewe were friendly and welcoming.
So after all that luxury, would I go on a cruise? I doubt it! By the time we left about 2.30, the ship had filled up with many of the 2,000+ guests it can accommodate. Suddenly what looked spacious and enticing, was busy and rather noisy. I'm probably just a miserable old fuddy-duddy, but it was too .... everything! for me. I can see why some people love cruising, you get to see lots of places while staying in a floating palace with all your needs, wants and wishes catered for, and perhaps it will appeal to me at some time, but for the moment I'd rather stay in a nice hotel where we can explore as we wish, and be able to wander on a beach at dusk, paddle in the sea, sit at a pavement cafe and people watch, etc.
Tragically, we found out why the ship in the next berth was docking when it was - they had lost a passenger overboard, and sadly she didn't survive.
We got to the dock quite early as we didn't know how road works would affect our journey, and it wasn't hard to find "our" ship - towering about 17 decks, it was huge! We stood and watched as another ship slipped past "our" ship and docked. We commented on how it didn't seem to be moving very fast, but seemed to get tied up etc very quickly. And also that it seemed late - most ships seem to come into harbour very early in the day.
The rest of our group arrived and we were split up into smaller groups, offered very welcome coffee and pastries, and then set off for the tour of the ship. We saw a state of the art theatre/ open stage with all the latest wizardry you'd find in the best theatres in the world, restaurant after restaurant with gourmet menus, many available 24/7, a massive state-of the-art gym, lounge areas, quiet areas, the top suite on the ship (the visitors due to occupy it had cried off, ill, the previous day), an ordinary, but very well-appointed outside cabin, two swimming pools, several hot tubs, spas with steam rooms, saunas and relaxation beds, various bars and entertainment areas. Everything was pristine and in great condition. We had a delicious 3-course lunch with wine in a waiter-service restaurant, and all the crewe were friendly and welcoming.
So after all that luxury, would I go on a cruise? I doubt it! By the time we left about 2.30, the ship had filled up with many of the 2,000+ guests it can accommodate. Suddenly what looked spacious and enticing, was busy and rather noisy. I'm probably just a miserable old fuddy-duddy, but it was too .... everything! for me. I can see why some people love cruising, you get to see lots of places while staying in a floating palace with all your needs, wants and wishes catered for, and perhaps it will appeal to me at some time, but for the moment I'd rather stay in a nice hotel where we can explore as we wish, and be able to wander on a beach at dusk, paddle in the sea, sit at a pavement cafe and people watch, etc.
Tragically, we found out why the ship in the next berth was docking when it was - they had lost a passenger overboard, and sadly she didn't survive.
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