Final day to port

Rounding the north-western point of Portugal and into the Bay of Biscay...but actually the sea conditions had been worse on the previous day than in the Bay...except the fog. The sea was more settled, but there was lots of fog, which again meant the foghorn every two minutes (which we could not hear at all from our room). We saw Phil Campion again, this time speaking about a deployment in Sierre Leone. Most of the day was spent quizzing in Brodie's and playing board games, and the afternoon/evening spent watching Die Hard films.

So...homeward. And what of Arvia? Much of that which we thought about Iona was also true here. The addition of the 6th Street Diner was nice. The programme was rarely up to much (and seemed full of errors and omissions), although the speakers were good. The quizzes were pretty rubbish, and it was far too difficult to actually get a drink in some bars due to their sheer size. The room was lovely - indeed, we'd probably choose it again over a balcony given the balconies overlook the promenade on these large ships and it's lovely to be near the waterline. Discovering the Quays (Deck 8) for al fresco breakfasts was a win, especially as our cabin was on Deck 4 and the buffet was on Deck 16 (and as ever, we never use the lifts!). As always, the staff were superb. Although the Captain of the Arvia seems to be the opposite personality to the Captain of the Iona! 😂Read more