I’m no longer a cruise virgin!

I think I said in a previous post that I’m thinking about solo holidays now and when discussing with D&T, they said that cruises are great if you’re on your own. ‘I don’t want to go on a cruise’ I said, and quite rightly, they replied, if you’ve never given it a try, how do you know! A few weeks later and a taster cruise was booked! T set up a What’s app group for the cruise. Panic set in. Will I hate it? What will I wear? Do I need currency? Can I take food/drink with me? Will I feel sea sick? On and on went the questions. I reckon D&T were probably fed up with me even before we stepped on the boat!

I drove down to Southampton on Wednesday 16 October. Parking was close to the terminal (£99 for 4 nights). ‘Bloody hell, the boat’s humongous!’ I said out loud to myself as it came into view. I knew it was going to be big - but crumbs, not that big! How on earth does it stay afloat?! And will it sink when my huge body gets onboard?! (I was like this the first time I flew - will the plane rock if I get up for the loo? The answer’s no!)

I arrived early - I’d been worrying about breaking down, getting lost, being late. We were allowed to get on board at 10am - although the boat wasn’t leaving til 7pm. I found a seat and got chatting to a single guy who does loads of cruises. He confirmed what I’d been told - it’s a great holiday and a good way to meet people. Once D&T turned up, we embarked. That’s the word. Embarkation! And how smooth it was! Nothing like airports. My case had been taken off me before I entered the terminal. I just had hand luggage. That all went through the Xray machine, as did I - and for a change, the metal in me didn’t set the alarm off!

We walked along a gangplank. Is that the word? Probably not. And we were on board! We entered the ship at the Galleria; an area with shops, restaurants, bars and above there’s a dome ceiling that kept changing - the union jack, then the English flag followed by the Welsh flag and so on. I could hear ‘Shape of the Heart’ being sung. We went to have a look. It was Sting and Trudi Styler! Well not really, but it looked like them! We decided to drop our bags off at the cabins then meet up for a drink. So, we set off looking for the cabins. We were on different decks. D&T were on deck 11, and I was 13. I did eventually find it, and I must say, I was impressed. I’d booked the cheapest room - no window, inside. It was a great size. Huge bed (which I found later to be extremely comfortable), dressing table area,wardrobe, fridge with (chargeable) goodies, big TV, nice shower room. (I had a shower later - great pressure and heat. How do they do it?) The lifts are interesting. There’s a group of 6 lifts at the front and back of the boat. You press the floor you want on a screen, and a letter appears telling you which lift to get, so once in the lift, you don’t need to do anything. I did find a single lift at one point and was standing in there a while before realising that I had to press the button inside! Amazing how quick we get used to things!

We went to the pool area for a drink or two. Well, we had to start as we meant to go on, eh!? There was loud music, which was a bit bassy (which continued into the galleria later), and by the evening I was moaning like an oldie (oh wait …) but I did get used to it eventually.

MSC is the company we’re with and the boat’s called Virtuosa. I suppose I should call it a ship really. We had an app on our phones which updated once we were on board to tell us the shows we could book for, and the daily activities. There was also a map of the ship, a map showing us where we were on our travels, and even a chat group so we could keep in touch with each other. Although I had paid for internet (£32) since the house move is imminent. We booked the shows on the app and then popped to the buffet because we were starving. Good selection and plenty of fresh fruit and salad which was lovely. We found a quiet area to sit, and it was really pleasant. We were informed that we had to return to our own cabins for 4.15pm so that we could watch a safety video. Once watched, we had to phone a particular number to register that we’d seen it, then we had to go to the muster point to get our cruise card scanned - to show we knew where to go. Now we all knew what to do in the event of an emergency. The cruise card is what we use for spending on the ship. (On checking in (a few days before) I provided my credit card details, and at the end of the cruise, the outstanding balance was taken). So no cash or credit cards required on the ship, and no tips to be given to staff. And talking about the staff, bearing that in mind, they were all really friendly and helpful.

I went for a little walk on my own. Came across a football pitch (a match was taking place), F1 rides, and came across a pub that had part of it outside - unfortunately it was raining - but I got chatting to a couple of lovely Irish ladies and we had a laugh.

Later on, having changed, D&T and I returned to the buffet for more food and made sure we were in the Galleria in time for the 15 minute dome show. How exciting! We got great seats - outside the ice cream parlour. Of course we had to get some ice cream. Portions were big and delicious. Unfortunately, the dome show lasted just 5 minutes - some fish and mermaids. Disappointing. Earlier there had been whales which were really impressive. Not to worry, we went to the pub - Masters of the Sea - to commiserate! We could hear live music from the Virtuosa bar, and some people were dancing which was nice to see - we watched them from the balcony above.

Next day I woke at 7am. Which turned out to be actually 8am - the clocks had gone forward. We were already in Cherbourg. I immediately started worrying about the day - we’d been thinking of going to a chateau whilst T went on the excursion to Mont St Michel. But what if we were late back and missed departure? I asked the Info desk whether they could arrange taxis for there and back. No, but apparently there’s a shuttle bus. Anyway, turns out T didn’t go on the excursion - too early a start, and he’d forgotten his sickness tablets (he’s not great on a coach). Buffet breakfast was excellent. Walking by the pool it really grabbed my attention. The sun was shining and the water looked so inviting. No one was in, the surrounding area was quiet, and I was so tempted to just get my swimsuit and stay onboard. However, we decided to go off ship and visit the museum instead of the chateau. It was literally just steps away. Phew! That removed any worries I had.

Before paying for the entry, there were a lot of robotic undersea vehicles, including Deep Challenger (I think it was called) which James Cameron (Titanic director) went in. He’s gone to depths that no one else had ever reached. Interestingly the shape of his vessel was different to all the others there. More like a rocket. D paid our entrance fees - thankfully she’d thought of bringing her credit card since mine was in the safe!! Then I saw a restaurant. Very French. And it suddenly dawned on me that I’d been here before. Years ago. I asked a waitress how long it had been here and she said 22 years. We went about 20 years ago, with family! (When I later mentioned the museum to my son, he said he remembered the submarine - I was surprised - he’d been so young when we went.) I actually felt quite emotional seeing the restaurant - so much has changed since we were there last. So many people had died. Johno - who’d been with us at the restaurant - my Mum and Dad …

Anyway, back to our day. The Titanic museum was good, and we listened to audio on the submarine. I got a bit lost with the audio. I ended up asking D&T what section they were on. “1” they both answered. Oh - I was on 4! Always urgent, am I! I went back to 1 and suddenly it all started making sense!! I’d never thought about it before, (even when I was on the blumin’ submarine years ago, probably) how submarines try to stay in shipping lanes or wherever it’s noisy so they’re not detected. The thought of being in a submarine under the sea is terrifying! Also, I’m too big! The sailors had to be tiny; the ceilings are low in places, the spaces are small, and the bunk beds are tiny! The sun had come out and I sat outside for a while which was nice. I could see the top of the ship towering over the rooftop of the museum. Honestly, I could not get used to how big this thing is! When we’d had enough D and I returned to the ship. There was quite a queue - the sea had dropped too low and there was only 1 entry point to the ship now instead of 3. Luckily, I got priority boarding because of the stick - it has some uses. T was having a French coffee and joined us later.

Interesting to see that quite a lot of people don’t leave the ship when in port. D commented that the ship is probably luxury to some guests and they feel no need to get off. She made a good point. Also, whilst talking about D - she’s my very best friend. Known her since primary school. She is hilarious. She told me that her family think she’s posh because she drinks green tea! That did make me laugh. I love D to bits but she is not posh! Johno, who I mentioned earlier, always called her Slinky. My Dad adored her too.

Just a thought - I’d love to get a behind the scenes tour of the ship. Where do the staff live? Where do they eat? What do they do when they’re not working? I understand they’re on the ship for 8 months, and work everyday. Hope they earn a lot! Also, where’s all the water stored, and the fuel? And the food, drink, etc etc. Talking of drink, I didn’t pay for a drinks package. I think it would have encouraged me to drink much more. It doesn’t take much to be honest. The prices were fair by the way.

We changed for dinner - nothing posh - seems that anything goes. Some people dress up to the nines, some are smart casual, others are in shorts! One thing I’ll say, it’s warm on the ship. I was thinking of ferries when I packed, not luxury cruise liners! I wish I’d packed cooler clothes!! Still, maybe I burned off the buffet calories through sweating! We dined in the buffet again, then went to a bar or two. At one point my head started to feel funny - as though I had drunk too much (I really hadn’t had much). Then my body started swaying. T was the same. D clearly has sea legs; she felt nothing! I actually hated the feeling, and started worrying about the next day - a day at sea! How could this humongous ship be moving like this? Once in bed, my cabin made noises like it was going to break apart. I put my ear plugs in! Later in the night, I woke with a start. I was convinced someone had plonked themselves onto my bed! I was scared. I moved my beautifully manicured hand (I’d had nails put on before the trip [painted sparkly pink]!) to touch the body, but actually reached the edge of the bed. Phew. No one there. Apparently, at the same time T moaned at D for moving! And she wasn’t. Turns out it was a particular movement the ship made! Quite funny really.

How was I going to manage tomorrow on the ship at sea? To be continued…