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Trans-Atlantic Cruise

March - April 2023
From Bridgetown, Barbados, to Southampton, UK! Read more
  • 14footprints
  • 5countries
  • 14days
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  • 7.3kkilometers
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  • TravelerTrans-Atlantic Cruise
    Day 13

    At sea 🌊 - day 8 🚢

    April 6, 2023, English Channel ⋅ 🌬 11 °C

    A late start meant we went to today's dance lesson before we had breakfast. As it was the final day, the lesson was a recap lesson...but the recap was of dances we'd not been to class for, which made for a rather chaotic cha cha cha in the morning, and rumba and jive in the afternoon.

    I finished cross-stitching one final king for the holiday whilst we watched Death on the Nile. Over dinner, we were treated to a spectacular moonrise, before retiring to listen to the pianist in the Crow's Nest one last time. In to Southampton tomorrow.    Read more

  • TravelerTrans-Atlantic Cruise
    Day 12

    At sea 🌊 - day 7 🚢

    April 5, 2023, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

    Another clock change overnight puts us back to the same time as the UK...I think!

    After a big breakfast, we headed for a dance class that wasn't to be as one instructor was feeling unwell so it was rescheduled from Tango to Foxtrot...so we gave it a miss. I finished cross-stitching James I and Charles I and Ben went to a talk on the prisoners of the Tower of London.

    We tried the afternoon dance class and had a fabulous time learning the Argentinian Tango, with rather more success than the Waltz! We celebrated our success in Brodie's, trying a couple of flights of beer and watching some ice hockey (Edmunton Oilers v LA Kings).

    This evening was the final black tie evening, so we made the most of it. After getting ready, we had a flight of champagne and prosecco in the Glass House, and listening to the Britannia 'Orchestra' before going to dinner, which was a superb scallop ceviche, and lobster & tiger prawn feuille. The highlight of the evening was a silent disco in the Crystal Room!    Read more

  • TravelerTrans-Atlantic Cruise
    Day 12

    At sea 🌊 - day 6 🚢

    April 5, 2023, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    After leaving Ponta Delgada, we enjoyed an evening of crib in the Crow's Nest.

    Today, I spent most of the day cross-stitching and Ben finished his Aaronovitch book (no further on A Court of Honey and Ash for me!). Ben briefly popped out to a 'talk' about the running of the ship, which turned out to be more like a slightly odd show-and-tell, so he came back. Instead, we bingewatched Killing Eve as the weather was rather dull and overcast outside, before a few games of Carcasonne back in the Crow's Nest where we had rather a few glasses of red wine!Read more

  • TravelerTrans-Atlantic Cruise
    Day 10

    Pineapples! Ponta Delgada, Açores

    April 3, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Into port early this morning, we arrived at the Azores. Having toyed with a shore excursion, we decided instead on a bimble around the town, starting with a walk west down the sea front to the fort (now military museum). Ponta Delgada rises up from the harbour, and we walked the cobbled streets up towards the botanical gardens passing a number of sadly but fascinatingly dilapidated houses on the way. The first botanical gardens had a huge bay tree from Australia with roots more like river tributaries than anything else!

    Walking through more mosaic streets, we visited the chapel overlooking the harbour, giving great views down the coast. Further west was the Plantação de Ananas dos Açores, the pineapple plantation! Apparently the only place where they are grown in greenhouses, the pineapples here take 18 months to grow. After we'd looked around, we sampled pineapple jam and liqueur, and stayed for a few very nice pineapple lagers.

    We headed back towards the ship through the main shopping but of town which was well geared up for tourists with tat shops and cheap beer, so we didn't stop!

    The streets and houses throughout the town are pretty, with street art commonplace and a charm to even the run down buildings.    Read more

  • TravelerTrans-Atlantic Cruise
    Day 9

    At sea 🌊 - day 5 🚢

    April 2, 2023, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    Quite a lazy day today. The sea overnight had been notably rougher, with a lot of roll on the ship.

    We missed breakfast so grabbed food from the Lido Deck before I stitched Edward VI and Lady Jane Grey whilst we watched Mare of Easttown in our cabin.

    A late afternoon game of crib in the Crow's Nest (which Ben won by miles) before getting ready for the third black tie night. Dinner of guineafowl and lamb was delicious and we watched a passable entertaining P&O version of The Chase before retiring for the evening.

    Ponta Delgada tomorrow before three more days at sea!    Read more

  • TravelerTrans-Atlantic Cruise
    Day 8

    At sea 🌊 - day 4 🚢

    April 1, 2023, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌬 19 °C

    Up earlyish for breakfast today...another clock change overnight, so what time it actually is is anyone's guess. We decided to take part in the ships activities today, and turned up to learn the waltz. In the morning class, we fared quite well. We learnt the basic steps, the whisk and the syncopated whisk. After lunch and a beer, the afternoon class was less impressive (on our part...the instructor James was superb!) but much fun and hilarity was had nonetheless.

    For dinner, Ben wanted to go to the Glass House , where we had tapas and tried three wine flights - fizz, white and red. Both food and wine were delicious.

    I began A Court of Honey and Ash (to about 22%) whilst Ben continued Amongst Our Weapons.    Read more

  • TravelerTrans-Atlantic Cruise
    Day 7

    At sea 🌊 - day 3 🚢

    March 31, 2023, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌬 20 °C

    A time change again today as we continue northeast...genuinely have no idea what time it is anymore as my phone, watch and cabin TV all display different times! 🤣

    After breakfast outside under the sun, I cross-stitched Henry VII whilst Ben went to a talk on the crown jewels. We had a now traditional afternoon cider on the balcony and read, Ben continuing to read Amongst our Weapons whilst I finished Gilt. We joined an afternoon quiz for the first time today, coming a respectable joint third by two points, tripped up by our own doubt (I couldn't decide whether the second stamp was the Penny Red or Blue, and wrongly picked Red; Ben couldn't decide on the year of the Beatles break-up - which he tried to work out by remembering the year of Apollo 13, and wrongly plumped for 1971 over 1970). The weather closed in through the afternoon, becoming more overcast with the Captain warning of 4m swells in the coming days.

    I started to cross-stitch Henry VIII before getting ready for the second black tie night. Heading up to the Crow's Nest before dinner, I discovered they'll happily make me a frozen margarita...that might prove to be a terrible discovery! Dinner was a deliciously rare beef wellington, before enjoying another drink in the Crow's Nest listening to the pianist playing an A-Z of songs, before we retired for the evening as the heavens opened out on deck.    Read more

  • TravelerTrans-Atlantic Cruise
    Day 6

    At sea 🌊 - day 2 🚢

    March 30, 2023, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    Another relaxing day at sea today, and when we woke up, the sea was like a millpond under the sun. It's still quite strange to see absolutely nothing off the horizon from our balcony, and until this afternoon we hadn't even seen any ships. The captain had said as we left Antigua that they have a friendly bet on the bridge of how many ships they'll see in the coming five days at sea, and that it is never more than 100...today we saw just two!

    We had breakfast under the sun this morning, which was delightful. The breakfast buffet is very good with a huge selection, so we do have to try and be sensible!

    I finished What Lies Beyond the Veil (which was excellent, albeit a bit predictable) and read half of Gilt, also managing to cross-stitch Richard III. Ben went to the second talk about the Tower of London in the morning, and spent some time in the gym in the afternoon, finished reading Contact, and started reading Ben Aaronovitch's Amongst Our Weapons (Rivers of London). The 'at sea' entertainments are not the most comprehensive we have ever experienced, with a distinct lack of quizzes!

    We made an early dinner tonight, still having the light as we ate a lovely meal of duck, before a glass of wine and a game of crib in the Crow's Nest. We also realised tonight that it is not one more day at sea until our next port, but three! So lots of reading to be done!

    I now sit on our balcony catching up on a few days of Find Penguins writing...and despite being nearly 10pm, it is still most definitely t-shirt and shorts temperature out here.    Read more

  • TravelerTrans-Atlantic Cruise
    Day 5

    At sea 🌊 - day 1 🚢

    March 29, 2023, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Our first full day at sea proper today...and we spent it relaxing! I started a new book - What Lies Beyond the Veil - and read about half of it by the end of the day. I also finished two more kings on my cross-stitch! Ben went to a talk by a former Beefeater about the Tower of London (passing, he says, a rather dicey looking line-dancing class on the way back...which we did not attend!). We had a lovely lunch of a sharing platter of jerk pulled pork, spending the afternoon reading on the balcony with a glass of cider. Both of us were rather red-faced, having burnt our foreheads yesterday in all the time spent on the balcony.

    The evening was the first of four black tie nights. So we enjoyed a glass of wine in the Crow's nest bar before heading to the Meridian for dinner.    Read more

  • TravelerTrans-Atlantic Cruise
    Day 4

    A rescue at sea, and Antigua 🇦🇬

    March 28, 2023 in Antigua and Barbuda

    Possibly the strangest, and saddest, day aboard a cruise ship.

    At 2.15am, the captain came on the tannoy directly into our cabins (most announcements don't), to say that there had been an accident in the local area not far from St Kitts, and the Britannia had been requested to attend the scene, and that we'd be there in about 30 minutes. We were told a vessel had gone over with 31 people on board and local vessels were all being tasked to help with the search.

    When we arrived, the searchlight scanned the waves in on the starboard side, our side, as we watched from the balcony of our cabin. Other smaller ships patrolled too, along with a helicopter overhead, and the ships crew kept watch from the decks. At about 3.30am, what looked like an upturned hull was spotted by the search light and tracked to the position of one of the smaller ships (a coast guard vessel, we think).

    After several hours on our balcony we returned to bed, woken around 6.30am with the captain announcing that the Britannia had been requested to stay at the scene until French fixed wing air support arrived, expected to be about 9am when he thought we'd be stood down. As Britannia was the lead vessel, we couldnt leave until released by the Maritime Rescue and Search Centre in Martinque. He also said that 15 people had been found.

    Air support was clearly rather later arriving that expected, and we finally left our balcony for some food about 10am. As we sat overlooking the sea from a window seat at breakfast, a man overboard call was put over the tannoy. From where we sat, we could see a neon yellow speck in the middle distance, and it became apparent that both a lifeboat from us and the coast guard were going to investigate. We hadn't realised that right next to our ship, another person had been spotted, and ultimately the coastguard pulled what looked to be two bodies from the water.

    Returning to our balcony, our ship continued its search grid along with the coast guard boat and a Seabourn cruise ship. We later spotted a life ring in the water, and could see through our binoculars it was attached to something. The coast guard intercepted that too, appearing to pull a third body from the water. It was a surreal and sad scene to watch unfold.

    By the time the Britannia was stood down, the captain announced we would not make Antigua until at least 5pm. Therefore, instead were going to head to Antigua and hold just outside the port where we would collect critical spares and change some personal before sailing on to Ponta Delgada. Throughout the day, the captain's words were sensitive, measured and professional, and he and his crew must have been exhausted by the time we reached Antigua.

    When we did arrive, we took a quick photo of the island from the balcony, before grabbing a drink in the Crow's Nest, and talking about the events of the day and then going for dinner.

    The day brought into sharp relief the perils for those who spend their lives at sea. Rest in peace any who did not make it home.    Read more

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