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Well this is different. Well, not so very different actually! We do seem to start our trips in distinctly non-conformist ways. This time a “technical hitch” at our credit card company resulted in non-payment of part of the final amount owed to Silversea. “It’s OK. Just wait a day or two and it will sort itself out!” Or so we were told. A delay of five days in the payment meant that our e-tickets didn’t arrive until three days before departure from home. Stresss!
We packed more than we would normally take to Austrslia for a three month trip. Much more, in fact. But the weather is likely to be colder than that in Oz – and more variable. Not to mention that the ship is going to be substantially more formal than we are used to.
On Thursday we drove to Jeremy and Lucy’s through torrential showers which caused massive flooding and, at times, almost no visibility. We even got a polite message from the car saying that the radar controlled variable cruise control had been switched off because the car couldn’t “see” the traffic ahead through the spray! That’s another first!
We hesitated at Weymouth to carry out a property inspection on behalf of Dorset and Weymouth Councils. A small problem with planning permission! Probably best not to ask! That way I don’t have to explain – and only two people will ever know what it is I’m talking about! Much the best!
On Friday (9th September), with the car’s electronic vision fully restored we drove the last thirty-odd miles to Southampton. Entering the Dock area via gate 8 – one of only two remaining art deco entrances to the port.
This is Gate 8, but it’s neither my photo nor our ship! Our port access documents were inspected six times by a total of 14 hi-vis jacketed staff by the time we got to the car park which was less than 500 metres from the road and all of 50 m from the terminal buildings.
The first task was to complete health check forms. Basically declaring in 10 different ways that we didn’t have Covid. A bit like the US immigration question: “Are you, or have you ever been, a terrorist?” I mean WHO is ever going to answer that question in the positive? We then queued to have our forms inspected. Then we queued again to have our wrist temperatures measured and recorded on the form. We then queued to have all our hand luggage scanned. Then we queued again to have our forms re-inspected by a doctor who also wanted to see evidence of our inoculations – the QR codes which we had already uploaded to the company system in order that tickets could be issued in the first place. He seemed to have difficulty with double sided printing. Yes there really are three codes on two pages on my documents! Then he repeated his difficulty with the second set. Creepers – we hope he’s not the ship’s doctor!
Anyway, we were now in the departure lounge where we queued at passport control for our health forms to be inspected yet again in case we had caught the virus while queueing. Finally, the forms were taken into custody along with our passports. Our security passes were dished out and we were through! One more queue on the ship to present our security cards and we were liberated to the bar on deck 5 – and a bottle of champagne with two jet lagged Canadians!.
As i recall, we came on a cruise to avoid queuing at airports! But at least the bar has more waiters than customers at this point! And the champers is free!
Having taken two hours to be “processed”, we had only 20 minutes to wait before we were given access to our cabin. Suite 946.
Absolutely lovely – and bear in mind this is the second bedroom of one of the four owners’ suites. Our neighbours didn’t need a second bedroom and bathroom so we were able to rent it! It comes with it’s own butler – Kumar – who seems to be trying to outcompete himself. I asked for a whisky and he presented me with a litre bottle of single malt!
That much hooch would last me a year or more at home. I guess I’ll be smuggling 7/8 ths of a bottle off the ship in a couple of weeks time!
The walk-in wardrobe was supplied with enough hangers for all our 237 hanging items. So the extra 20 hangers we lugged aboard are surplus to requirements – so long as I double stack two pairs of trousers!
This morning we had tea in bed courtesy of Kumar, to discover that we were still only somewhere off the Kent coast – we hadn’t even entered the North Sea proper. By teatime today we are somewhere between Yorkshire and The Netherlands. Fortunatrly, the sea is really calm.
We passed huge arrays of wind turbines and a number of oil/gas rigs and platforms. I didn’t realise how many there are out here – and we are still miles south of the main fields off Scotland
There are six restaurants on the ship of which we have sampled three to date. The food has been exceptional so far and we have no reason to think the standards will fall any time soon!
Tonight we have our first formal evening -:that’ll be fun in a dressing up sort of way.
OK. So I’m off to see if I can still fit into my DJ!
Oooh…this sounds like you are going to have the most amazing time and Norway is so so beautiful. X ❤️
Marie ever so jealous. We were due to cruise the Norwegian Coast before Covid. Sounds like an exciting land trip to Southampton. Relax on board, which I’m sure you will be able to do quite easily, reading your account of the first day.
That food looks so yummy.