As we arrived, Southampton was gleaming in the early morning sunshine, so different to that cold damp January morning 106 days previously.

I was looking forward to reuniting with the friends I had missed during my time away, yet there was sadness. The friendships forged on the cruise, along with the adventures, excitement and good times we shared, were now coming to an end. But what incredible memories!

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Most of my posts have been about trips ashore but, to finish, here are some more photos in the ‘life onboard’ category.

The string trio was a delight throughout the cruise, performing in the bars and on stage. They primarily played classical music, but occasionally included pop favorites and even an Irish jig or two. On a couple of occasions, Jimmy, on the left, set aside his guitar to play the piano and sing. His voice was wonderful and nearly brought the house down!

Artist in Residence

Talks & Lectures

During the sea days, I thoroughly enjoyed many talks on a wide range of subjects provided by excellent speakers. A favourite was Concorde pilot John Hutchinson, who shared captivating tales of his exploits, the celebrities he met, and the plane crashes he survived, all delivered with suitable wit and humour. What an incredible man!

Formal Nights

It’s a treat, and a privilege, when a ships officer joins your table for dinner, and we had officers for dinner on no less than four occasions. They are always good company, they can tell you about their personal backgrounds, and blow away misconceptions about how the ship operates. But best of all, they provide the wine.

After dinner, before settling for the evening’s entertainment and the quiz, we would adjourn to the ‘shuffleboard’ table for some light exercise. Competition was fierce but tempers were controlled and no fighting broke out.

Sporting Events

Theme Nights

At least some people made the effort on ‘theme’ nights, and dressed accordingly.

Restaurant Staff

The staff are amazing. Well trained – doing everything correctly and being so pleasant and helpful. They even learned everyone’s name.

Above are the restaurant welcoming staff at breakfast time. When they address you, they insist on putting the ‘Sir’ or ‘Madam’ before, instead of after, your name. So every day as I passed waiters and waitresses on my journey to the table, the words ‘morning Sir Alan’ would echo repeatedly through the restaurant.

As the captain didn’t use his table at breakfast, the ten seater became established as the “singles’ table” and a lively conversation to start the day was guaranteed. One member, Michael, a keen geologist, (standing) would ensure that all the important topics such as sports results, scandals, and what rocks to look out for on the next island, were discussed in an appropriately light hearted manner.

The Final Evening

Throughout the cruise, the food had been excellent and the restaurant staff maintained an extremely high standard, but with a very pleasant and friendly manner. It was impressive.

So on the final evening, understandably people were expressing their gratitude with a little bit of sadness as we said our goodbyes.

But as people were finishing their meals we suddenly noticed that staff were gathering on the two staircases, waiters and waitresses on one side, chefs on the other.

Guests immediately stood and started to applaud and cheer loudly, as they saw the whole ensemble, seemingly gathered to take a well deserved final bow.

But how wrong we were…………… they were thanking us.

The head maitre d’ gave a speech lasting a few minutes. It was punctuated with the staff clapping and cheering loudly between sentences. It included the line: ‘The memories we have shared will live in our hearts forever.’

Of course, they want us back again, but this was not just a PR exercise. The gesture was powerfully delivered with genuine sincerity radiating from the entire assembly. Emotions were stirred and tears flowed freely among many of the guests. There is no doubt that those memories will live in our hearts too.

So now I am at home. The ship-lag has worn off and I’m getting back into the normal routine. But I am so glad I did this blog as I can look back and remind myself of those wonderful times.

And thanks to everyone who has followed me around the world via the blog, I hope I have been able to share with you a little bit of the pleasure it has given me.

That’s it folks. I don’t know if I’ll be cruising again. Let’s wait and see…..