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A 19-day adventure by Lee Read more
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  • TravelerSouthampton to New York
    Day 1

    Day 1, Worksop to London

    September 1, 2017 in England ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    So the day has finally arrived when we embark on our travels to New York. Today has been a busy day, finishing off at work for me, Sharon had the day off. We popped out for breakfast to our local friendly cafe before getting home and finishing off. Had a beautiful gesture from our lovely neighbours Colette and Steve, they knew we were running around and came across with a cup of tea and a biscuit each for us. Such a lovely thought. Steve delivered us to the train station for the first part of our journey to London. Had a First Class Virgin all the way down, have to say was a lovely experience, i mean free beer and food, what more does a man want? We checked in to the Thistle hotel in Euston but within minutes we were off out in to town. Although we were only out and for about 3 hours we managed dinner in our favourite bar in Leicester Square courtesy of Sharon's Mum & Dad, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, Downing Street, the Thames Embankment before getting a tube back. A cool 8 mile walk to start the jollies. So we're all tucked up now ready for an early start in the morning to Southampton. Goodnight all.Read more

  • TravelerSouthampton to New York
    Day 2

    Day 2 London to Southampton

    September 2, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Evening all. So an early(ish) start this morning saw us up and out of the hotel in London. We jumped in a black cab and the driver was an older boy been doing the knowledge for 40 years. Had a lovely chat with him as he delivered us safely to Victoria Coach Station straight through the heart of the west end. Well that was a bun fight once in there, and the car they delivered us to Southampton in was huge. White in colour and carried lots of people, funny stripes down the side, I think I caught someone saying it was a "Bus" model, not something I've ever really heard of 😂. The driver was spot on taking lots of back roads to avoid the stood still M3. A short taxi ride at the other side saw us join our floating hotel for the next 2 weeks, the "Crown Princess". We've not been on this ship before but just like the rest of the Princess fleet it doesn't disappoint. Straight on, hand luggage chucked in the room and off up for food. The weather has been outstanding and out on the open decks it was glorious. We are very lucky as we get on early due to the number of cruises we have done. That gave Sharon the perfect opportunity to face time Her Mum and Dad and show them around the ship, they love to know we are ok and picture where we are. That was obviously hard work so we went and had more food to recover !! At 5.00pm we set sail for Lerwick, the sail away party very good as ever and a great atmosphere as we left Southampton in the sun (I know, I need to make the most of it). As we picked up pace so did the breeze, I'm glad I packed my coats !! A nice drink at the back of the ship then down to the room to unpack. A few 💤 for me before yep you guessed it we went for dinner. It's been a long old day and we had a lot of walking and a late night last night so we've decided an early night tonight. So we're on our way, currently passing Eastbourne, due to dock in Lerwick on Monday. Good night all.Read more

  • TravelerSouthampton to New York
    Day 3

    Day 3, At Sea

    September 3, 2017, North Sea ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Evening all. So today was spent "At Sea" which roughly translates to eating, sleeping, more eating and more sleeping. We both slept exceptionally well last night and didn't wake up until 8.15 this morning. We were straight down to the restaurant to be served breakfast. Ooh how I've missed the Lemon Danish Pastries, so much so I had 2 which I thought was really good of me as I turned down the third one :). We have been very lucky with the weather today, beautiful sunshine all day and fairly warm, around 20 degrees, I was even on deck in a T-Shirt, I'll take that. I've been storing it up for the coming days. We spent the morning on deck, Sharon watched some garbage film about weird kids in some hotel, I took that as a que to sleep a bit more out on the deck, wake up and go get a hot dog. We then had a wander around the ship and a drink or two to keep us going before having lunch outside at the back of the ship. The lunchtime briefing from the captain wasn't the best news we've ever had, he pointed out that tomorrows forecast was heavy rain, thick cloud and winds of up to 60 miles an hour with waves around 4 meters. Whilst he doesn't think it will affect whether we dock at Lerwick tomorrow, he cannot guarantee it. So Bridget, I fully understand Uncle Tony's thoughts about Lerwick and its weather. He also advised to check everything was stowed safely as we are going too sail through some rough seas during tonight. Fab !! We spent the afternoon looking for the hidden door on one of the decks to get us out on to the top of the bridge, deck 15 front is the place to go. We were out there by ourselves and the view was simply beautiful. So quiet and not a soul in sight. Afterwards we went in the hot tub out on the deck for a couple of hours, we had them all to ourselves and the sun was shining, it was lovely. Another crappy film on though, this time about weird animals which escaped all over the world. There's a theme developing here - weird things on the Telly, King Arthur tonight so that's out !! After getting out of the tubs, we had a small snack and spent the last couple of hours soaking up the last bit of the sun at the back of the ship with a cuppa and a cake before heading back to the cabin to get ready to go out for dinner. So as you've probably guessed, eating sleeping and soaking up the sun was today's job, very relaxing and we are loving it. It's currently 10.30pm and we are about 170 miles to the East of Edinburgh heading North, no sign of the rough seas yet. So that's it from us, anyone trying to contact us will be struggling, we cant get any texts or phone calls and email isn't playing ball. Internet is extremely slow and very limited. Over and out for tonight, back tomorrow evening all being well, unless we've sunk in the storm !!Read more

  • TravelerSouthampton to New York
    Day 4

    Day 4, Lerwick (Or Not)

    September 4, 2017, North Sea ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

    So we got up early this morning to see us dock in to Lerwick. We were due to dock at 9.00am so we're in the restaurant for breakfast at 7.30. The sea was quite rough and we had a bit of a wobble on. It was during breakfast that the captain made his announcement to say the weather and sea conditions were so poor we could not dock. 60mph winds, torrential rain and 10ft waves put pay to Scotland. So, you've probably guessed today's weather which has meant a fairly quiet day. Those of you who know me know how much I like the cold so that set the scene for most of the day. Sharon decided to go and get her hands and nails done at the spa as she was given a $50 gift voucher by princess. I watched a few episodes on Minder on my iPad. We then went and had a spot of lunch and a wander around the ship. As it was cold and wet, there were few people out on the open decks so we decided to go and get in the hot tubs. We spent a couple of hours in there and the sky started to clear. Although still a bit wobbly the rain stopped and the sun came out for a couple of hours. After dinner we went out on deck in the dark, Sharon convinced we would see the Northern Lights. Unfortunately to no avail. Another sea day tomorrow, weather set to improve but I fear the sun and any temperature is over for a while. So until tomorrow, over and outRead more

  • TravelerSouthampton to New York
    Day 5

    Day 5, At Sea

    September 5, 2017, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Evening all, so today was the best start to the day, The Lumberjacks breakfast in the restaurant, my favourite. 2 Lemon Danish pastries to start followed by Steak, Eggs and Hash Browns. Certainly sets you up for the day. The weather today has been very bright and sunny, the odd cloud about and once the sun was high enough, reasonably pleasant on deck. It's actually been T-Shirt weather and coats aren't essential just yet. I think we have that pleasure to come tomorrow. Whilst out on deck we had a crew member approach us and asked if we knew the way to Horizon Court, he explained he was new and only been on the ship 4 weeks. Well we've only been on 4 days mate, but I was able to assist, Sharon unfortunately still hasn’t grasped which is the front or the back. We watched the movie this morning on deck, Finding Dory (the royal we, I had sunnies on so was impossible to see if my eyes were open or not 👀) followed by a drink on the deck. We saw a whale 🐳 out to see but it wasn't too close. We have wandered around the ship today as the weather has been so nice, played a bit of golf putting right at the top of the ship, the views from there were ace, could see right out to sea but taking in the back of the ship as we were so high. We tried to sneak out on to the bridge but the that was closed so we just walked around the prom deck. Once again we hit the hot tubs on deck and it was like being in the Caribbean (until we got out, sunny but a cooler breeze). Formal night tonight so best bib and tucker on, Sharon got another free gift, this time from Effy the jewellers on board. She got a necklace and earrings to match her dress. It's 9.30pm and it's still light here, sun is just going down and it's pleasant out, not hot but not Baltic yet. We have just had a walk around the ships decks and are now sat at the back of the ship with a drink. We are due to dock in Akureyri tomorrow so will be up early to see us dock. So for tonight, over and out.Read more

  • TravelerSouthampton to New York
    Day 6

    Day 6, Akureyri

    September 6, 2017 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    So, first dock of the holiday in Akureyri, Iceland. The plan was to be up early to see us cruise down the fjord in to the berth. I'm pleased to report that Sharon made it, I opted for an extra hour in bed. We were docked by 8 as we made a couple of hours up because we missed Lerwick. Thick cloud and 5 degrees greeted us but to be fair the weather did improve throughout the day. Hat, coat and gloves weather but it did get to a massive 9 degrees in the height of the day. Had breakfast up in the buffet this morning and disembarked around 9.30 after most of the tours had left. It was only a short walk in to the town. We stopped off at the tourist information to see the lady Sharon had emailed and thank her. She told us about the local bus to the waterfalls which we booked for this afternoon. We had a wander around the town and walked up to the botanical gardens, stopping at a Lady's house who was selling hand knitted scarves and gloves that she had made herself. She was selling some that her sister had made 2 years ago but sadly died, Sharon chatted to the lady for a while. The Botanical Gardens were beautiful, very pretty and very well looked after. We walked back through the town to the ship for some lunch before going for the bus at 2.45. We were a tad nervous as most people had taken the organised tour but there were 12 of us so we figured if we got in to trouble we could get a taxi back. Our fears were unwarranted, the bus service was excellent and the driver gave us a running commentary about all of the history, even pointing out a house to us that Kevin Costner rents for 1 month each year. It wasn't too shabby to be fair but there was only the 1 Ferrari on the drive !!The Godafoss Waterfalls themselves were simply amazing, such power and force and all nice and warm too, where hot meets cold. I managed to get down to the bottom but nearly want arse over tit a couple of times. On return to the town we had a look at the Arctic Circle museum where the staff advised us they have seen the Northern Lights 7 times in the last 17 days, unfortunately it looks too cloudy tonight but we are going to have a look anyway. As we sail towards our next port, we do cross the Arctic Circle we think, only just but Sharon does get her wish to go to the Arctic for her birthday. Something I struggled to make happen but with some will power we managed between us.Read more

  • TravelerSouthampton to New York
    Day 7

    Day 7, Isafjordur

    September 7, 2017 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Well hello everyone, today's dock was in Isafjordur. No actual dock so we just pulled up out to sea and tendered in. We had a leisurely breakfast in the restaurant as to let everyone off as we didn't have any trips planned. Got chatting to a nice couple from New York and they gave us a list of different but interesting places to see when we get there next week. We disembarked the ship and had a wander around the town. It was a very small town and was quite pretty but not really a great deal to do. The weather wasn't too bad today, we had quite a bit of sunshine and we hit a high of 7 degrees in the height of the sun. However, wait for it, we are expected to reach 13 degrees in Reykjavik tomorrow, woohoo, could be down to just 2 jumpers tomorrow and only a couple of pairs of socks 😂😂. We got back on the ship just after 1 and had some lunch whilst overlooking the Iceland Sea in the sun. We decided to hit the hot tubs on the open deck this afternoon and we're chatting to a lovely lady from Colorado. She was telling us all about the bears and the mountain lions they see where they live. We were delayed leaving tonight due to a fuel problem, 30 minute delay but won't impact our dock tomorrow. We spent the evening out on deck watching "The Mummy" on the movies under the stars. Got the blanket count down to 3, was toasty, but by god it was Baltic when I moved at the end. It's currently 9.30pm, the skies are very clear and the sun is going down in the starboard side of the ship and the moon is rising on the port side. As it's so clear, we are just going for tea and cake at the back of the ship and then going to look for the Northern Lights later. Reykjavik tomorrow, early dock. See you all there 👍Read more

  • TravelerSouthampton to New York
    Day 7

    Day 7, Newsflash Northern Lights Special

    September 7, 2017, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Hello all, so a special additional blog today. After a lovely day today we were treated to a show of the Northern Lights as we sailed towards Reykjavik from Isafjordur. After being at the wrong end of the ship, I realised we were sailing the wrong way and we quickly relocated to the back of the ship. It was quiet with the odd one or two people about. Sharon's app on her phone reported "Disturbance" and the probability of visibility increased significantly. We were so lucky, after about 10 minutes they appeared. We were first to see them and they suddenly became quite clear but lasted only for a few seconds. This pattern continued for about half an hour with lots of activity. Not the brightest show and not in abundance but enough for us and most certainly visible. The sightings were announced on the ship and it was soon packed out at the back of the ship, unfortunately for the others, although still visible, they were not quite as clear. We were extremely lucky. Sharon had always wanted to see them and this cruise was booked as her 50th birthday present. We've been to the Arctic Circle and we've seen the Northern Lights, mission accomplished, Happy Birthday Sharon xxRead more

  • TravelerSouthampton to New York
    Day 7

    Day 8, Reykjavic

    September 7, 2017 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    Evening all, so a nice long dock in Reykjavik today, docking at 7am this morning and not leaving until 10pm this evening. Due to all the excitement last night with the Northern Lights and the fact that we were very late to bed, we missed this mornings dock and breakfast in the restaurant as our peepers didn't open until 9am. We wandered upstairs to the buffet breakfast and indulged. We didn't hang about as we wanted to get in to the town for a look around and get a tour to the golden circle. We went in to the town and to the tourist information and booked ourselves a trip to depart at 12.30. We were in a private minibus and there were 12 of us, a nice bunch. The driver was excellent and first stop was to the country park to see where the tectonic plates have divided the US and Europe. We then moved on to the Geysers, natural hot sulphur springs which shoot 100 degree boiling water up to 30 meters into the sky all naturally. They were amazing to see and truly fascinating. We had an hour there before being driven to the next stop the Gullfoss Falls. These were magnificent Waterfalls and get their name because when in the sun a rainbow appears and the word Gullfos means Golden. We were lucky enough to see the rainbow, in fact we saw 2. Moving on we visited Icelands second largest glacier, followed by a smaller waterfall on the Clearwater river which had a salmon ladder before being driven back to the ship via one of Icelands active volcanos. It was a phenomenal trip and a very long day. We were back on board, quick dinner in the buffet and we are now out on deck watching us set sail for St Johns, Newfoundland, Canada. We're all togged up looking to see if we can catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights again, the decks are very full tonight but nothing as yet. Communications will be limited until we hit New York a week on Sunday but I will endeavour to update the blog daily if the internet behaves.

    ** Scrap the last comment, the Northern Lights have come out to play. Captains turned all the lights out on the decks and it's packed and a cracking display.    Read more

  • TravelerSouthampton to New York
    111
    Day 9

    Day 9, At Sea

    September 9, 2017, Greenland Sea ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Hello All, so a sea day today, and indeed for the next 3 days too. Time to recharge the batteries. Last night we were once again very lucky to experience the Northern Lights but they were a lot more active than they were the night before. It was tremendous. The decks were packed but we were there early enough. The captain 👩‍✈️ blacked out the top of the ship and then announced that they were visible which is when we were invaded by the masses. It was a wonderful show, they were so much more vivid than the night before and to be sailing through the Greenland Sea in total darkness with these beautiful multicoloured natural phenomenon's was a once in a lifetime feeling. However, that being said, the previous night was special as there weren't that many people there and it was our first sighting so a bit special really.

    Well all that took its toll on today really, as it was gone 1am when we went to bed, it was 10.28am when our little peepers opened this morning. Being served for breakfast was off as the restaurant closes its doors at 9.30, however the buffet breakfast is a bit more forgiving so we went to that. We then went and had a leisurely cuppa at the back of the ship before having a wander around the ship. There was a certain buzz about as everyone was talking about the Northern Lights from last night. The weather on the open decks hadn't been brilliant, only managed 10 degrees, very cloudy and wet but that didn't deter us from watching the P!nk concert from the hot tub out on the deck. We spent a bit of time this afternoon watching Spooks from the beginning on the iPad before heading down to the restaurant for dinner. A lovely meal as always and we are now sat upstairs at the back of the ship with a drink whilst I write this.

    So, that's it from us tonight, hope you are all well, until tomorrow, Au Revoir.    Read more

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