Captain's Party

Most Cruise lines will have a formal night for any who want to attend. This is a great time to meet the ships officers and highlights a fun week. We are shown here with the Greek Captain Ioannis Notarakis. These cruises are all about customer service and bringing people back. We have found that we don't like our holidays run by the clock with schedules for us each day. On a ship it's all about schedules and deadlines so it has to be very structured. After taking 3 cruises I have found that what I like the most on a cruise, is having the time to really get to know other people. Evening meals are usually with the same people each night and the food is the best. We were very lucky to get to know a wonderful British couple who we will visit soon. Calm seas and lots of sun made it fun. You gotta try it once.

Barcelona, Spain

This was our first visit to Barcelona and what a wonderful city. We could have spent a week here and not seen it all. This is a shot of the most popular attraction in Spain. The Sagrada Familia, is a private funded Catholic Church which has been under construction since 1852 and will be finished in 2026. Julie and I enjoyed the city center with thousands of tourists. I was really lucky when one of the locals pointed out this warning sign to me just in the nick of time.

Cannes, France

Cannes, Pronounced (Can), is famous for the annual Cannes Film Festival. We were here in 2008 but now had a chance to spend time in the city. Here we had lunch in a local outside pub. During a visit to the festival site I got a photo with George Clooney on the red carpet. We did an earlier visit to Ajaccio, on the Island of Corsica. I'm having trouble remembering all of these ports.

Pompeii, Italy

Pompeii was a thriving coastal city built around the 7th and 8th century BC. Again this Mediterranean city showed much Roman and Greek influence, architecture and lifestyles. In 79 AD Pompeii was totally buried under a mountain of volcanic ash with the fatal eruption of the volcano Vesuvius. Today we see this city, completely uncovered, just as it was 2,000 years ago. The positions of bodies uncovered showed that they were completely unprepared for the disaster. Here are a few of the many pictures I took. Look at how the roads were built, with stepping stones to cross on when rain and sewage ran down them. The stones were spaced so that horses and carts could pass through.

Naples, Italy

Our third day we docked in Italy's most beautiful port city, Naples. This is the third largest city in Italy and here we had a full day with a tour of Naples, Sorrento and Pompeii. All of these Mediterranean coastal cities depend on the tourist trade as their largest source of income. Here are photos of us coming into port and shopping in the city.

Trapani, Sicily

After being under sail for over 30 hours we made our first stop at the port city of Trapani, on the Italian island of Sicily. This fishing village was first settled about 1000 BC, with much Roman and Greek influence. We toured the historic old town as we spent a sunny day here. Always watching the clock we had strict deadlines when to be back on board each day. If you were even 1 minute late you would be beaten senseless and locked in your cabin without food. Night life on board was the best with formal dining, evening stage shows, gambling and dancing. They aim to please so there is fun for everyone.

Mediterranean Holiday Cruise

Last Saturday Julie and I flew to Palma, on the Spanish island of Majorca. We got up at 3 in the morning to catch a 6 AM flight out of London Gatwick. After a 2 hour flight we arrived in Palma and boarded our cruise ship beginning a 7 day Mediterranean cruise. The ship was of Greek registry called the Thompson Destiny. Length 218 meters, width 29 meters, tonnage 38,000, 18 Knots cruising speed, 11 decks, 725 cabins, 1450 passengers, 540 crew, and powered by four 5,600 HP Diesel engines. The ship had 2 pools, 2 restaurants, 5 bars, 2 lounges and 7 lifts. Everyone on the ship was required to participate in the emergency procedures as they take safety very serious. We got to the pool bar very quickly and started working on our sea legs and a proper holiday attitude.