Here’s the latest roundup of what we’ve been up to, and guess what? Yet another trip, which this time wasn’t one we had planned, but was an offer we couldn’t refuse. 

Andy, our cruise guru, messaged out to all his customers to say that he had booked a cruise for himself which he now couldn’t make due to a training course that his wife wanted to go on.  We saw the WhatsApp message and Neil said ‘that’s good value – is that for 1 or 2 people?’  It was for 2 so Neil said ‘just grab it’ as he rubbed his hands together.  It was never in the schedule but the opportunity to get some Autumn sun and visit Lisbon & Valencia amongst other places we had never been was just too big an opportunity to miss.

There were just a couple of negatives but we went for it anyway.  It was P&O, which we had previously decided not to use again, and it was a huge ship, The Iona, which holds 5200 people.  On the plus side it was from Southampton and it was a new ship.  It was also October so probably wouldn’t be full, and at two weeks long, unlikely to be packed with kids. We cruised at the same time last year and it really felt like the summer had been extended so with the disappointing weather this summer who wouldn’t want some last minute sunshine?

Boarding was swift and our cabin décor was fresh and modern and we were on Deck 15 so certain to get plenty of exercise using the stairs!  We explored the ship and really liked the enclosed dome area on the upper decks where some circus style entertainment would take place over the pool area on some evenings, and the large and airy atrium and generally the fact that everything looked shiny and new. 

The weather was a little grey as set sail later that afternoon.  There was an announcement from El Capitano to say that storm Kirk was on it’s way and that he intended to miss our first port of call, La Coruna, and just head south at great speed to avoid the storm.  That meant an extra sea day but at least it was smooth sailing.   It wasn’t the weather for the sun worshippers to toast themselves so the public areas were packed – and that’s when we realised there were a lot of school age kids on board as well.  Scotland have different school hols, they had two weeks and the ship was at full capacity – ugh.  Another surprise was that on such a huge ship you had to use an app to book into the big shows in the theatre, the special shows in a really tiny venue, the main dining room and any speciality dining – and some people had done this before they boarded so most things were full up – more ugh.

Hey ho – as you know, regular readers, we are resourceful and soon discovered that we could rock up to the main restaurants (choice of 4) without a booking, agree to sharing a table and we were straight in.  Same with shows – hover outside and ten minutes before the start if there were seats, and there always were, we could get in.  We found some quieter spots, got chatty with the bar staff enjoyed the excellent wines in The Glasshouse and generally settled in despite the chaos and noise all around.

Our first port of call was Vigo in Spain – not a hugely exciting place but we enjoyed a stroll around the town.

Another sea day – with not a lot to do and then to Lisbon in Portugal where the ship stayed two days. We really enjoyed Lisbon, and have decided to go back there, probably next year.

We tried to get on the historical tram 28 but the queue was huge so wandered around and eventually stumbled upon a strange doorway with a small queue inside – a near vertical tram and we took a ride.

We arrived in the early hours so didn’t realise what a scenic ride the sail away from Lisbon was going to be. It was really picturesque as we left the cruise dock and headed towards the sea taking in the amazing views of the town. We got to an enormous bridge but as we got closer it was apparent there wasn’t going to be much room left as we passed

Hola Amigos

The weather wasn’t kind as we left which was a pity but as we sailed into the Mediterranean it warmed up.  Our next port of call was Valencia.  We had previously arranged to meet old friends Clive and Karen who live about 2hrs away.  We had an excellent lunch, a drink or two, and lots of laughs.  Clive reminded Neil that they have been friends now for over sixty years, and they are still as daft as the day they met!  Great to see them and now we’re looking forward to visiting them again in  2025.  Valencia, by the way, was lovely and we’ll be back there next year as we fly there for a few nights before meeting up with C&K.

Next stop was Barcelona where we last visited more than 20 years ago.  The Gaudi Cathedral is still ongoing and probably will still be ongoing in another 20 years.  It is one of the weirdest things we have seen and we were keen to find so were some of the other Gaudi buildings.  Cheryl plotted a route back to the ship via a number of buildings that were Gaudi inspired.  Whatever he was smoking we’d like some!

There was one major surprise that we didn’t know about until we got on board.  Gary Barlow has been working with P&O cruises, particularly with creative input into some of the entertainment venues on the newer ships.  He was going to join the ship in Lisbon to put on a couple of shows, but entry was by ticket only and to get a ticket you needed to donate £10 to his two favourite children’s charities and you would be in a raffle.  Lucky is Neil’s middle name so of course we won tickets, and the charities got a huge £27,000.  Cheryl really enjoyed the music and the show but Neil, who is not a big fan of his music, had to admit that the show was superb.  How about that, Gary Barlow for a tenner a ticket!

Last stop was Cadiz which we visited last year.  A really pleasant town and we enjoyed a long walk following the old city walls and then exploring the charming old town.

A couple more sea days – again with miserable weather, and we were back in Southampton.  There were quite a few things we didn’t enjoy about the holiday, but there were many positives – Lisbon, Valencia with C&K, Barcelona, Gary Barlow, the excellent wines and Ryan North the  pianist in The Crow’s Nest who played some perfect late night cocktail music whilst we sipped all sorts! Another bonus was we decided to take the upgrade on the travel insurance to cover missed ports as it only cost £13 and got £300 back in our bank account on our return- woo hoo!

Mundane stuff took over on our return, flu/covid jab for Neil plus typhoid and Hep A for both of us, dentist, garden, chimneys taking shape and so it goes on.  We did front of house at The Gateway, Bar work for the Riviera Dogs gig night, and we had the first Comedy Club night which was a great success.  The next one in 3 months is already nearly sold out.

Spot the difference? There’s definitely at least six for the eagle eyed, not including seasonal differences as the first picture was taken during the viewing in April 2019 and the second in November 2024

Celebrations

Cheryl spent a few days in London to celebrate Son Alex’s birthday and spend time with the boys.  Great day out at Kew Gardens, fabulous lunch on the Thames followed by using the really fast River Bus for the first time.  Cheryl and Alex also had an evening learning the basics of Thai cooking at Borough Kitchen – it was delicious.

While she was away, Neil decided to tackle the redecorating in the big bedrooms to cover up the water damage from the leaking chimneys.

Our regular lunch with Neil’s siblings and spouses, June, Roy, Bill and Sue took place at a new venue, The Village Inn at Liddington near Swindon.  It’s a pleasant enough venue, food was OK but the company was great.  Due to holiday schedules, and Christmas, it’s looking likely that April will be the next date.

You may remember that Neil managed to spin out his 70^th birthday celebration for several months so he could fit in all his friends and family?  Not to be outdone, and as she has a special birthday coming up, Cheryl decided to start hers during her visit to London then continued with a special dinner with Marlpit Lane Social Club.  Chef Dariusz arrived to work his magic and produced a spectacular 3 course meal.  He left and we continued with a cheese course and more wine and chat with the party finally ending after midnight.

The big day is actually at the end of November and there is something really special planned.  You will have to wait for the next update to find out what it is!