Tuesday 15th November

Sea Day

Beautiful sunny day. When you wake up in an inside cabin you have no idea about timings or weather as it is so dark but once the alarm wakes us up we put the tv on channel 40, which is the camera view of the front of the ship, and you get an idea of how it is outside and of course depending on the time of the day let's you know whether it's still dark or if there's daylight.

After breakfast we had our daily stroll on the promenade deck and as we wanted to go to the theatre for today's talk by Angela Rippon at 11am decided to collect our books and take a comfy lounger on deck 3 for an hour rather than climb the 8 floors to the Lido deck.  It was really warm once you sat down although quite breezy whilst walking.  Spoke to a nice lady who was writing her journal and holidaying with her mum.

The theatre was full and hardly even any standing room. Angela  Rippon proved to be a big hit and entertained with many stories of a very interesting life.  She spoke very fondly of her father and sounded like he was a huge inspiration and driving force in everything she did.  She spoke of her joy if her infamous dancing with Eric and Ernie and how they had become lifelong friends and how her father met them several times with her and the fun he had sharing jokes with Ern (ie). We look forward to her next talk in a few days.

The Captains 12 noon announcement explained that in the night we went off course after a request from authorities to check an area following a possible sighting of a distress flare which didn't turn out to be anything but did show as a dogleg on the tv onscreen map of our voyage.  Each day at this time he delivers a short humorous naval anecdote - today's was the origin of the term "hanky panky" which he explained was a drink of ginger mixed with brandy which sometimes resulted in naval personnel behaving inappropriately in particular with members of the opposite sex.  Not sure whether this is available on the current drinks menu!

By the time we went up to deck 9 it was sunny but very windy. We sat out for about 90 minutes and went to the Lido for a light lunch.  After lunch we decided on a wander and went to buy a Queen Elizabeth fridge magnet but the ones we preferred in the shape of the ship were more or less already starting to peel and at $9 decided to leave it.

Decided to have some quiet time reading and surfing the internet in the Commodores Club for an hour mid afternoon.  This extended to fit in a lovely G&T with a supply of nuts and crisps to keep us going.

Formal night tonight with an invite for drinks with the Captain for Cunard world club members.

Wednesday 16th November

Lisbon 

Started the day slightly earlier to watch the sail in to Lisbon which was nice. Had a quick breakfast in the Lido buffet for the first time - best part was freshly prepared omelettes to order.

It was our first time in Lisbon so decided to use the hop on hop off bus to get an overview. There'll be chances in the future to plan our visit more carefully. Although it was a nice enough day it felt quite cool on the open topped bus and felt underdressed for the conditions.  It's a good way to see the area but we've had better experiences on hoho buses and didn't think much of the commentary.

At the end of the trip we went for a drink and wifi in a cafe and enjoyed an hour of sunshine. Angela Rippon sat on a nearby table.

After getting back onboard for a late lunch of hotdogs in the Lido deck we sunbathed for a while to get the last of the sunshine but wasn't that warm.  We watched the sun go down over the 25th of April Bridge which was lovely.

Sea Days Thursday 17th and Friday 18th November

We went to the Captains talk in the theatre which was a virtual tour of the bridge at 10am. It was an excellent talk and the Captain is one of our favourites both extremely professional but also has a lovely sense of humour and fun.  Angela Rippons talk followed on so we stayed for this too.

We strolled quite a few laps on the promenade deck and as we were wrapped up well it was v refreshing.

We had lunch in the Golden Lion and the food was up to its usual excellent standard - and the staff in their are amongst the best onboard.

Monday 14th November
Gran Canaria

Beautiful sunny day today. Wandered into port and were pleasantly surprised - nice sandy beach and more of a holiday resort feel than our port in Tenerife.  We hadn't taken our beach towels or swimsuits so strolled along the beach and  promenade and stopped for a drink before boarding in time for lunch.  Healthy food options today as clothes are feeling a bit tighter.

Whilst we were in port bumped into lots of fellow cruisers. Caught up with our new dancing pals Paul and Claire and chatted with Roy and Marilyn, one of the couples from dinner.  We got into a conversation with a couple from Sweden who were holidaying in Gran Canaria but were very interested in the details of our cruise.

We hunted for a suitable fridge magnet and were very pleased with our final choice.

It was a very hot afternoon on deck and as I couldn't be bothered to get my sunhat from the cabin 8 floors down made a compromise with a towel and pegs


We sailed away at 5pm with a deck party - music and singing from Changez - who are always entertaining.  We chatted with Olena, the female professional dancer, and look forward to their next show dance display tomorrow evening.



David went to the gym and although I know I should - I didn't!   Decided instead to have a little sort out in the wardrobe and then shower early so we can squeeze a plate of cheese and biscuits from the room menu before dinner with our G&T once David's back from the gym.

Tonight we are going to the theatre to see a circus acrobatic duo from France which should give my dancing feet a rest.

Sunday 13th November
Tenerife

After yesterday's sunny morning but showery afternoon we decided to switch plans around today. We hadn't organised anything for this port and just planned a wander, a cafe with wifi and a fridge magnet purchase, so we decided to make the most of the sunshine and do some bronzing around the pool for the morning. After breakfast in the dining room we headed for the Lido deck.  It was fairly quiet and plenty of loungers available.  Weather was gorgeous and decided today would be a good day to purchase the Vodafone Eurotraveller which at £3 for the day gave me use of my full mobile phone package. I paired/bluetoothed it with my iPad so David had use of that within the cost whilst I used my iPhone.  I wanted to learn how to add photos to my blog but unfortunately still haven't worked it out - never mind I will add it to my list of jobs to do when I get home and next time we travel hopefully be able to use it.  David was quite happy being able to watch the highlights of his beloved Blackpool FC game on YouTube and with a 4-0 win against Notts County was chuffed.

We ate lunch outside, David indulged himself with a cheese  burger and curly fries, I had a baked potato with bolognese sauce and salad. No desserts today.

We used the port shuttle bus at about 3.30 to go into port.  As we phoned our parents and children we got caught in a shower and sheltered under a tree.  We hunted out a suitable magnet for the collection and decided to head back to the ship instead of going to a bar as we planned to open our bottle of bubbly in the cabin.  As we headed back to the shuttle bus we were lucky enough to see a double rainbow over the Queen Elizabeth and took a few snaps just before it rained again.

Once onboard we drank our Pol Acker and ordered a cheese plate from room service to keep us going to dinner.  Now the bubbly - Pol Acker comes in for a lot of stick on the cruise forums but as we are not experts and actually enjoy anything complimentary from Cunard.

We had the usual 45 mins of sequence dancing before dinner.  David missed the chance to do the Mayfair quickstep with the American lady as she left a little earlier but I asked an older gentleman to dance a  basic Rumba One. I had noticed he had been to the dance classes and often watched the evening dance on his own and thought it would be a nice gesture.  He was lovely and think his name is Eddie, hopefully get chance to do the same again before the end of the voyage.  There are 4 dance hosts who are very enthusiastic and give the single ladies, or those whose partners don't dance, a chance to join in but it's much harder for the men who are travelling alone.

Dinner was lovely again and I shared my joy of magnets with the table and of course amazed them with the fact that the cabin walls are magnetic.  I really am the person to invite to a dinner party - only kidding!  Everyone is getting on really well at dinner and each evening we switch places around the table- always sitting with your own partner - but it really does make for a sociable group and we've all enjoyed catching up with everyone's adventures of the day.

After dinner we danced the evening away in the Queens Room again - once they played the Viennese Waltz I felt a panic  as one of the dance hosts had previously asked if I would dance with him if we got the chance.  I didn't need to be so worried we were the only ones dancing but both survived and he was very much a gentleman checking with both myself and David if it was ok and giving me the option to refuse if I had changed my mind.

We ended the evening for the second night chatting with another dance couple Paul and Claire who we have befriended during the cruise.  They're a lovely couple and considering they are fairly new to dancing do so with ease and elegance.  We first started to say hello when they ran each day on the promenade deck as we walked our circuits.  As they were going  in the opposite direction they became a familiar sight and always smiled.  It's funny how easy it is to make friends through cruising and I'm sure we will bump into them again in future cruises as this has happened regularly in the past.




Saturday 12th November

Today's port is La Palma one of the Canary Islands. The Captain warned the seas may get a little choppier last night but we didn't notice. We walked the short distance into port and thought it was a nice little place for a stroll and drink.  We stopped for a while to listen to a local folk band which was nice and then stopped off for a beer and daily wifi before heading back to the ship for lunch.  We ended up ordering 2 beers each as the weather was overcast so no hurry to return to the ship.  When we asked for the bill we were charged €4.80 so called the waitress over to tell her she hadn't charged us for our extra round of beers but she assured us she had so we were very pleasantly surprised at the cost at only €1.20 each glass.

We walked back to the ship and stopped off at a Spar shop to buy a new toothbrush for me as I had brought my electric one with me but the charger didn't fit in the bathroom which I'm sure it usually does??  We also ended up buying a litre bottle of Gordon's gin for the cabin as at less than €12 it seemed rude not to.

We ran back to the ship and pretended it was because we were caught in a rain shower but in actual fact I had an urge for fish and chips in the Golden Lion and David thought they stopped serving at 2pm so it ended in a sprint with us stepping into the bar at 1.59pm, as it happens we think it must have served lunch until 2.30 as others came in after us and ordered.  We didn't have dessert - not because we were being good - we just didn't want to be put off afternoon tea at 3.30pm.

The weather didn't end up improving so found a comfy chair to spend an hour reading and blog writing.

David is going to go to the gym later to work off the additional calories but I'm not sure I will.  The other day he came back from the gym to proudly tell me that one of the cabin stewardesses had told him he had a good body and asked if he worked out regularly so think he's been spurred on.

I've not previously mentioned that we buy a magnet from each new cruise port.  We started doing this after a previous table mate told us she did this for each port on each cruise and writes the date on the reverse and pops them on the fridge under a magnet of the ship for that particular cruise.  We adapted the idea so just buy magnets for each new ship and new port so we have a lovely colourful memory board on the fridge of our holidays.  Whilst at sea I put the newly purchased magnets to good use in the cabin as the walls are magnetic.

Dinner once again went smoothly - David struggled to find options for his fussy eating tonight for the second time but Ramil is very obliging and brought plain chicken, baked potato and vegetables.

We danced again this evening and feel very humbled to receive so many compliments from guests on our dancing, both from fellow dancers and non dancers.  We are simply social dancers at home and enjoy dancing to our best ability and this is one of the main reasons we keep choosing Cunard as our cruise line of choice.  Sequence dancing has been on offer before dinner each evening and although not our first choice happy to participate.  It's nice to see the American dancers so interested as I don't believe they are particularly familiar with this in the USA.  After chatting with one American  couple who dance ballroom beautifully David offered to teach the lady the Mayfair Quickstep - so hopefully it will be good for Anglo American relations.

Friday 11th November

Today was a lovely day in Madeira. After 3 full sea days we were ready for land and some sunshine.  Having holidayed in Funchal a few times we decided to head for a coastal walk to Camara De Lobos. We throughly enjoyed it. We left the ship at 10am and at the end of the dock road took a left when everyone else was heading right along the road to Funchal town.  We walked passed Reid's hotel and noted the cost of afternoon tea was €34 pp whereas the ship tour was $199 for two which included return transfer to the ship.  Unless it was a helicopter transfer I think it was quite overpriced.

We continued our walk to the Lido area and noted quite a transformation from our previous trip 2 years ago when it was being renovated. We continued on before eventually stopping for a drink half way at a lovely bar called Doca Do Cavacas. 2 x 33cl glasses of local beer a bargain at €2 each.   We walked through the cave and reached Camara in time for lunch at about 12.45pm.



I had spaghetti bolognese and David had a ham and cheese roll - washed down with another glass of beer.



We headed back to Funchal on the public bus which ran about every 20 minutes and cost €2.20 pp - tickets were purchased from a little booth opposite the bus stop. A good 20 minutes or so later we were back in Funchal. We walked along the newly renovated sea front to the far end of town and walked back through the old town. Had a quick look in the market and found a little bar with wifi for another drink.

Back onboard for sail away at 5.30 ish - in total walked a approx 23k steps and spent less than €30.  Temperatures were lovely and Madeira is a beautiful place and hope to return many times in the future.

Dinner was great again and everyone is really getting on well at the table - we feel very lucky with our fellow guests - but then again we've rarely had any other experience. However, I always seem to have an issue with Sommeliers losing my bottle of wine at some stage during a cruise and this was no exception. I only have a small glass of white at dinner so the bottle often lasts 5 nights.  David drinks red so we always have our own bottles. David was ready for a new bottle as he'd finished his the previous evening - he duly ordered a new one - after a while i realised that I had not been offered any so David spoke to the sommelier to request my glass to be filled to be told I had finished mine the previous night.  Anyway after a brief discussion the sommelier went in search and duly came back with my bottle which had been put in the wrong ice bucket by mistake.  It was quite timely as I had only just had the conversation with a fellow guest about my misfortune with wine in the past.

We had 45 minutes sequence dancing before dinner and went to the show after dinner to see the dancing and singing from the Cunard Troupe.  Apparently it was their first performance on board.  They performed a very energetic show but we would prefer it if everything was calmed down a little with perhaps some narration or quieter singing between sections.  You have to admire the effort they put in though. We finished the evening dancing to Changez performing popular music in the Queens Room.

Tonight's dress



We had a lovely evening for our first formal night. We danced prior to dinner and it was nice to have the orchestra playing before as well as after dinner.

Dinner was excellent and our waiter, Ramil, is looking after us very well - ensuring everyone is happy and has enough food - he is particularly fond of force feeding additional ice cream with your dessert.  We all left the table fairly handy to watch the professional dancers Dan and Olena perform a Viennese Waltz in the ballroom and we were not disappointed.

It's lovely dancing in your formal wear, although it can be a bit tricky doing a jive in a long gown.  We spoke to a few of the dance hosts who were quite charming.  One very enthusiastic German dance host has asked me if I would dance a Viennese waltz with him when we get chance - which although very nice of him will fill me with fear as I'm only used to dancing with my husband - it certainly won't resemble the pros!



Thursday 10th November

It's been slightly warmer today and we even sat out on deck for a while this afternoon.

We usually have a table for two for breakfast but today shared with a father and son travelling together.  They were good company and it really is the perfect way to spend quality time together when you're holidaying with an older parent.

Lots of people taking in the air today on the promenade deck and managed quite a few laps ourselves before having half an hours reading and then a salsa dance class.

Lunch for us today was in the lido buffet and I had a chicken salad with two tiny desserts and David had a variety of cheeses and chicken and bread rolls.  He managed to squeeze a couple of desserts in too.

Tonight is another formal night with Captain's Welcome Reception at 7.45pm

Unfortunately I'm having problems uploading photos but as soon as I can I will




Our first dinner went well, we booked 2nd sitting with a table for 8.  We were in the upper dining room in deck 3 which was a first for us.  Always feel a little apprehensive about the first meal but don't think we have anything to worry about - first impressions all very good having been seated with 3 other couples who were friendly and chatty.  We danced before and after dinner to the orchestra in the Queens Room til midnight.

First night sleep went well although the bed seems much shorter than usual and David commented his legs were having over the edge.  Luckily the bed is comfy and plenty of nice soft pillows.  Cabin is situated forward on deck 1 and is nice and quiet.

Tuesday 8th November

Breakfast and lunch in MDR. There was quite a queue for breakfast this morning and as I am antisocial in the morning opted to wait a little longer for a table for 2.  By lunch I'm a bit friendlier so we were happy to share with 4 others.

Went to the morning port presentation on Madeira, followed by a Dance class at 12.15 covering an intro to the  Cha Cha Cha. Afternoon Tea followed in the Queens Room - which proved v popular as it was a sea day.  We enjoyed the company of a solo traveller on the next table - a lovely lady aged 90 who still enjoyed her independence, she told us her mother who had lived to 1 day before her 100th birthday had been a suffragette.

David went to the gym and I had a little nap before dinner as can feel a sore throat and cough coming on.

Danced before and after dinner until midnight in the Queens Room and declined David's offer of our usual brisk walk on the promenade deck before retiring

Wednesday 9th November

Woke this morning to the controversial news of the presidential election and wondered how it would impact on the world.  Enough of politics though - we had breakfast to go to.

After breakfast and feeling quite lethargic decided we would stay outside this morning. We did quite a few laps of the promenade deck.  The seas has been a little rocky but not as bad as I feared.  7.5k steps later we went to another dance class - today it was Quick Step.  The classes have proved v popular and the teachers were good.

Now whilst I'm mentioning steps - I love gadgets and just last week got a new Fitbit which reminds me if I have not achieved a minimum number of steps per hour (think it's 250) so if we've been having a quiet read it may look a little strange when I suddenly stand and jog on the spot to reach my target.  It's our tenth cruise and we have never used the lift since the very first day of our first cruise when a helpful steward put us in the lift when we didn't know where to go. Now at times it's like being on holiday with the "stairs police" as David reminds me on a daily basis that we do not use the lift.  I have been tempted when he goes to the gym just to sneak out of the cabin and ride the lifts for an hour and then sneak back in and he'd never know!

Lunch was in the Golden Lion - I had fish and chips and David went for the sausage and chips, nicely lubricated with a pint of Greene King and I had half a pint of shandy.

Now for a little read and catch up in the Commodores Club before afternoon tea in the Queens Room. In fact going to make our way down half an hour early to secure a seat so we don't have to queue today.

Looking forward to our first formal night tonight - Cunard Ball and hope that tomorrow may bring some sunshine as we get nearer to Madeira.

Parking at the terminal worked really well - just don't depend on your satnav but follow the road signs.  We pulled up right outside the Terminal, luggage taken off us and handed car keys to a lady who gave us a receipt and off we went.

Checking in was swift and uneventful with barely no queues. Straight onboard and to our Inside Deluxe Cabin on Deck 1. The cabin was quite spacious with a large sofa and armchair and a bottle of bubbly. Quick explore of the ship and bite to eat in the Lido Buffet, I had a salad with trout and 2 cakes and David had boiled egg, cheese, ham and cheese butty, chips and minute steak and 2 cakes.

A bit more of an explore and back to the cabin to find cases delivered and now unpacked.

Next is the safety drill before we depart for Madeira on Friday.

David's going to the gym to work off his lunch before dinner and I'm going to have a snooze.  Looking forward to G&T time at about 6 followed by the first of many cocktails of the day and a quick dance in the ballroom before dinner at 8.30pm.

Sunday 6th November 

Hi I'm Linda and will be embarking on our 7th Cunard voyage tomorrow on Queen Elizabeth sailing to the Canaries from Southampton with my husband David.  I'd hoped to start a blog for this holiday after very much enjoying Rakkor's recent blog but haven't had chance to teach myself to do this as had a few busy weeks in work.  My lovely future daughter in law Lucy recommended trying blogger.com so fingers crossed as only logged on to it this morning (Monday 7th - day of embarkation).  Hope you enjoy my simple updates.

Arrived at Southampton Hilton Hotel at 7pm on Sunday 6th November for our pre cruise overnight stay.  Pleased with the hotel - clean and bright - we were lucky enough to get a great deal since our daughter works for the chain so made the most of 50% discount on food and beverages.  After checking into our room which was of a good standard went and had a bite to eat in the bar - lovely pizza and a nice large glass of Pinot Grigio for me and an Omelette and Chips and large Red for my husband David.  Retired early to watch the last episode of Poldark and had a fairly decent nights sleep. Breakfast was ok but know we've plenty of excellent breakfasts to come.  The restaurant was fairly quiet and we guessed 99% of guests would be joining our cruise too. Getting ready to drive to the terminal where we've booked parking through CPS (Cruise & Passenger Services not Crown Prosecution Service as David had joked).

We will be sailing for 12 nights and after we set sail tonight won't set foot on land until Friday in Madeira so fingers crossed for good weather.

If you wish to follow my blog go to Lindalea1.blogspot.co.uk and hopefully I will get better during our journey.  Bon Voyage!