The day has finally arrived! My parents very kindly drove us to Southampton, and after a tearful goodbye we went to check in. This was much improved on last time - a nice new terminal with seats to wait until your given check in number was called. We got our first glimpses of the ship from the waiting room and it looked just as beautiful so we had imagined! Then after relinquishing our passports, handing over a credit card, and confirming we did not have any tropical diseases, we were off through security and onto the Aurora.
First stop - lunch (as it was about 2.00 by now and Jean-Louis' stomach was rumbling!). As it was the first day there was just a buffet lunch provided, but we were served whatever we wanted by a team of staff. I got my first bemused smiles as I requested just 1 piece of tomato, 2 pieces of cucumber, and the bits of hard boiled egg with no yolk from the salad bar! Plus some yummy bread and rice and then some chocolate cake. I'm going to be just fine for food I can tell!
By this point our room was ready so we went to check it out. It is wonderful! It's a lovely size, with plenty of storage space for clothes (phew!), a nice sofa/ living area, enough room to store my mountain of toiletries in the bathroom, and a gorgeous balcony which I'm sure we will use a lot when we are well away from British weather/ waters!
We then set off to get some very important things sorted. First to check the restaurant had received notice of my supply of Quorn (they had - hurrah!). Then to book up our final shore excursions - there were places luckily available for all of them. Then to reception to check about keeping our 2 larger suitcases on board when we leave in San Francisco... When we asked, the reception staff member looked at us blankly and said "I'm sorry, that is not possible"!!!! After watching JL go red in the face and me hyperventilate for around 10 seconds he grinned and went "just kidding!" I'm not sure if I wanted to kiss him or punch him! Final stop was the Internet cafe, where I was given instructions to get my 1000 minute package (with 100 minutes free since I booked on the first day - yay!) That should last me til Australia at least! We also had a sneaky peek at the gym which looks amazing, and picked up the program of exercise classes. The fitness instructor this time is female and very good looking - Jean-Louis showed an interest in personal training for the first time ever!! He also rather liked the look of the exercise bike where he can play a computer game at the same time! Watch this space...
By this point it was nearing 5.00 so we had to come back to the cabin to collect our life jackets ready for our muster drill. They sounded the (very loud) alarms and we assembled in our designated area, checked we could put on the jackets and that we had a working light and whistle, then returned to our rooms past the lifeboats. Hopefully that's the first and last time we have to do it!
We then went on deck to watch the sail away. There was a brass band playing on the dock and fireworks as we sailed out of the harbour. Luckily it was not too cold/ windy so we stayed out for a while.
Two of our suitcases had by now arrived to I set to work unpacking, once again proving to JL that I was right in packing some extra coat hangers! By the time I had unpacked all the evening clothes it was time for dinner. But first we went to collect our free welcome drink to thank us for being regular P&O cruisers! This cruise we have chosen to do something called Freedom Dining where you can show up to the restaurant at any point between 6.00 and 9.00 for dinner. We hope this will be more convenient to fit around day excursions and evening entertainment. It means if we are lucky then we will get a table for 2, but otherwise may have to share/ wait. Tonight we ended up on a table for 8 with a bunch of nice people. We had a nice meal and sorted out the Quorn situation for tomorrow.
We then headed to the theatre (a fabulous venue) for the evening's Welcome Aboard show. It had a few song and dance numbers but was mainly a presentation of the entertainment and activities that would be onboard over the next few weeks. I am thinking of trying line dancing! We were also introduced to a lady who would be doing a few comedy shows who we realised eventually was Marlene from Only Fools and Horses!!
Back to the room to finish unpacking, which Jean-Louis did in no time, while I was up until about 11.30 finishing off and reading all the various documents we'd been given about the ship and the cruise! The ship had started creaking and rolling a bit by this point so I was glad to eventually lie down in my very comfy new bed!
JL: From the bridge: "Due to the prevailing weather conditions and sea state, Aurora is experiencing a certain degree of movement"... Yeah, right! How about: "it's rough!!!" Fortunately we are sailing South in the Bay of Biscay away from the storm. Conditions should be back to normal by tomorrow. First bit of excellent news: there are no kids onboard! And,miracle of miracles, Emma may not be the youngest on board as we have spotted a few 30 something which brings the average age down from 74 on Arcadia four years ago to around 66 which makes me one of the youngest onboard! Finally, which do you prefer? The good news or the bad news? Good news first: as I was going to bed last night, I found a bible in one of the drawers, so all is well! The bad news is: the captain of the ship is Italian; should I, and 2000 other people, be worried?
Sounds absolutely fantastic! You lucky things xxx
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