2015

The last few weeks have been partially spent sorting out my cruises for next year. Since I still have a real day job, albeit part time, I am limited in how long I can take so I needed to maximise my leave, plus choose a least a few places new to me, and indeed ships new to me so....

The first and most exciting one goes to Antarctica! And it is with Holland America Line! And it is a fly-cruise - my first!!

Holland America Line have long been on my must-sail list and I have visited both Maasdam and Prinsendam so am very much looking forward to Zaandam. I have to admit this was not the cruise my friend and I had in mind - we thought we would probably choose the first two sectors or Aurora's world cruise but then, my friend disliking flying, decided that if we had to fly, we may as well fly both ways and have more time in South America, which has been on both our bucket lists for a while now. I was surprised as Aurora goes to Rio de Janeiro which my friend really wants to visit. The Zaandam cruises starts for us in Buenos Aires and then travels round the coast to Valparaiso/Santiago, via the Falklands and Antarctica. Antarctica is somewhere I have always wanted to see but never thought I would reach, given the increasing restrictions on cruise ships in the area and the normally very high cost of cruising the region. The Chilean Fjords also were high on my increasingly long list of must-sees as well - so pretty much the perfect cruise for me - I hope! Oh - and not to mention penguins :)

More about the other two 2015 cruises another time.

P&O Cruises' Artemis in the Chilean Fjords



It's come!

For a couple of years now I have been looking for an affordable, practical camera bag that will double as a handbag so I don't have to carry both when out and about travelling. For obvious reasons, in some places, I don't like to advertise the fact that I am carrying a camera either. This search has been pretty fruitless  - until now!

I have seen the Kelly Moore range
http://store.kellymoorebag.com/collections/all

but didn't fancy paying $169 upwards, particularly as they don't appear to have a UK stockist so you have to pay customs dues plus PO fees on top and you don't know what these will be until the package arrives!

Enter Jo Totes bags http://www.jototes.com/  . Lovely feminine styles and colours, but with the practicality of a proper padded camera gadget bag. Mine arrived today - only ordered on Sunday evening - and at a bargain price of $79.

 

It is synthetic leather so not a problem getting damp and comes with a detachable shoulder/cross body strap and lots of moveable padded dividers inside.

 

So now I am set - I just have to sort out my foot, which is extremely painful right now due it seems to flare-up of arthritis - which I didn't even know I had in my foot! 

Happy 10th Birthday Queen Mary 2

Today saw big celebrations in Southampton as the three Cunard Queens returned from their round the world wanderings - just in time to mark the 10th birthday of Queen Mary 2. Sadly I could not be there in person to watch the events, but well remember the time the three sisters were in port together to mark the Queen's golden jubilee in 2012 and the wonderful arrival of the procession of the ships as dawn broke over the city.

 

It is strange how our perceptions change over time. I well remember my first ever sighting of QM2. It was 2004, not that long after her launch. I was on P&O Cruises' Aurora and we had just arrived at Corner Brook, Newfoundland. As we arrived we were told that QM2 was still in our berth and we would therefore have to land passengers on excursions, me among them, by tender at the yacht club marina while Aurora waited to go alongside.

 

 

As we drove through the beautiful countryside in its autumn reds and burnt oranges, I caught my first glimpse of this new liner - and I have to say I thought her hideous, especially compared with the traditional lines of Aurora.

 

So - to come back to my earlier statement on how our perceptions change over time. For a start, on that first sighting, I never expected to ever sail on her. That came in 2009 - a transatlantic crossing and back with a short Independence Day cruise to Boston and Halifax in between. And that was when I fell in love with this beautiful ship. I love the vast expanse of teak-surfaced decks, the elegant interiors, stunning Grand Lobby and huge Queen's Room. I love the fact that you can get away from everyone and sit and watch the ocean or join friends in the bars and lounges. Further adventures on her followed, the last being a short Christmas Market's cruise to Le Havre and Zeebrugge last December.

 

But if I have to single out one abiding memory of this great ship it has to be one wet morning in Rotterdam, when I sat and chatted with Commodore Warner about the book I was co-writing about Artemis (ex. Royal Princess). We sat in a corner of the bridge of the world's newest transatlantic liner, with a view of the 1959 Holland America Line liner, SS Rotterdam ahead of us. Total magic!

 

Happy Birthday Queen Mary 2

Photography

Yesterday I treated myself to a new camera!

OK - I probably didn't NEED one but what can I say? I love photography. I even have nightmares where I am going away but have left my camera at home! I do however need to weed out some of the equipment I no longer use.

For travelling I usually take my Nikon DSLR with two lenses as well as a small pocketable compact camera with zoom. For the last three years the latter has been a Panasonic Lumix TX19. However, this is now almost unusable due to dust on the sensor and I am not inclined to pay nearly half the cost of the camera to have it cleaned. Having said that, I have found a uTube video on how to do it myself so may give it a go sometime soon.

I also have a very small Canon Ixus 105 for slipping in an evening bag or similar, but I am not that enamoured of the pictures it takes.

So, after a big think, and the thought that I may soon start long-haul travelling, I went to look at replacements for the Lumix. So how did I end up with a compact system camera!!

Well, to be honest I totally fell in love with this camera the moment I held it. It is a Fujifilm X-E1. OK, I know the E2 is the later and better model but that was well outside my price range for a second camera.

The X-E1 felt like my lovely Konica S2 rangefinder camera that I learned much of my photographic skills with when I was growing up, only better as you can change the lenses and of course it is digital.

It has a solid quality feel with an excellent 18-55mm fast lens. Even better, Fuji are offering an additional free 50-300mm lens with this model. It also boasts an electronic viewfinder - probably not as good as an optical one but certainly better than cameras with only a screen. Reviews are good and I cannot wait to try it out properly.

I am hopeful that it may even replace my DSLR on some occasions. I just need to go back to refresh myself with photography basics now I have a shutter speed dial to play with!!  

So its first ship-related outing will probably be my visit to MV Voyager early next month. Can't wait!

Northern Lights, Oriana 19th of March 2014

Found this wonderful time lapse sequence of the night I was at Kautokeino and saw the Lights.

Saga Pearl II

A couple of days after my visit to Sapphire, we boarded Saga Pearl II for the day. At 18,591grt she is half the size of her fleet sister and with 252 crew to 449 passengers offers a very high service ratio of over 2:1. The vessel's maximum passenger capacity is over 600 but it has been kept low to offer a luxury experience.

Our first impressions of this ship were that she is more traditional in feel, although of similar age to her sister. She was formerly Astoria and latterly Quest for Adventure - sailing for Saga's discovery-style adventure cruise division.

We entered the ship on A Deck. There is no atrium and I was immediately aware of the fairly low ceilings. However this awareness soon disappeared as we walked through the corridors to the cabins.
 

 

Once again they were spacious, although slightly smaller than Sapphire. I was however aware of the large numbers of over-bath showers in the mid to higher grade cabins. I preferred the walk-in showers of the lower grades or the wet rooms with shower and bath of the suites. On Bridge Deck there were a number of what HAL call Lanai cabins or suites, that is cabins with a door out onto a narrow communal deck. They are a nice bridge between outside cabins and private balconies. The window and door had one-way glass. The cabins were well equipped with hand-held hair dryers, shoe horns, toiletries (in large bottles – the same whether a suite or inside), robes etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The deck areas were mostly all teak-planked with the usual deck games of quoits and shuffleboard as well as deck and table tennis.

 

Although not fully walk-around, the sections of promenade deck are wide with comfortable (if somewhat scruffy) sun loungers and blankets and towels to hand. The stern area is given over to tables and chairs so you can eat al fresco from the buffet.

 

The public rooms were surprisingly spacious with a lounge (Shackletons) and a show lounge as well as a huge library area.

 

 

Although we didn’t get to see them, there is a spa, small pool and gymnasium down on C Deck, a small shop and reception and tours deck as well as a photo gallery outside the main restaurant. I did pick up a tours brochure and thought the options very limited but since we often DIY in ports that wouldn't affect any decision to sail on her.

 

By the end of the tour I had decided that I liked Pearl much better than Sapphire but in view of Saga's high prices (IMO) I may not be sailing on her anytime soon.

 

All my photos of her can be seen here.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sharonsshiptravels/sets/72157643888290804/

 

Saga Sapphire

Wednesday 9 April 2014 saw me boarding a ship again, but this time on a day visit to look over Saga Sapphire. The weather was very different from the last time I saw this ship - in Alta in Northern Norway last month when both she and Oriana were on cruises to see (hopefully) the northern lights.

This time it was a bright and sunny spring day in Southampton. I was up early enough to watch her arrive, assisted by a tug at her stern, although since she didn't sail in until nearly 8am it wasn't a hardship!

My friend and I decided to get the ferry over to Southampton and stop off in Mayflower Park to take more close-up photos of her before we walked to the City Terminal where we were to embark.

 

We were offered bottled water while we waited for clearance from the captain to board. People were still disembarking Sapphire up till around midday, although we were told people could stay on board until their transport arrived, even if it was for an afternoon flight. This is because Saga offer free transport from your home to the ship.

 

We boarded on Deck 7 by Reception. There is a small atrium on the ship, with a delightful hanging sculpture of silver fish. One apparently has a red eye - if you have the time to search for it!
 

 







We were taken on a guided tour starting in the small spa and gymnasium on Deck 2. Unusually for a ship today, she has a small indoor swimming pool as well as saunas, steam room etc.

We were then taken round a selection of various cabins and suites. Like QE2, there is a great variation in the shape of cabins within certain grades but they were all very spacious. Because the balconies were added later, they are small and the balcony area was taken from the cabin so outside cabins are usually larger than cabins with balconies. Quite a few cabins had over-bath showers rather than walk-in showers, and I didn't like the fact that the top suites are round the stern, overlooking the stern deck and each others balconies!



Suites with overlooked balconies

The public rooms were delightfully furnished but there were a few odd changes in levels with steps/slopes.

 

Our tour ended with a delicious four-course lunch in the main dining room. This is open-sitting every night between 6.45pm and 9pm.

To sum up, I thought her a lovely ship with great food, but left with the thought that I was not ready for Saga. 

On the plus side were:- robes in every cabin, same toiletries in every cabin and large bottles at that, gentlemen dance hosts, good food (judging from our four-course lunch), open sitting dining, large cabins, nice atrium, huge library, towels and blankets available on deck, free “sweet shop” and ice cream on deck, free internet, you can stay on ship until transport is ready – even if afternoon flight.

Minuses for me were:- no reclining chairs on deck – only sun beds or chairs, composite decks, suite balconies overlooked and only have view astern, carpets need replacing – thin and grubby, strange changes of levels everywhere requiring a few steps or slopes, lots of over-bath showers in cabins rather than walk-in ones, no three-berth cabins - that is to say there were three berths but the third berth was not in use.
There are many more photos here:-
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sharonsshiptravels/sets/72157643859675683/

Next time - my visit to Saga Pearl II !