WG’s Christmas Cruise 2025 – Part Three

Thursday 25th December, Christmas Day at Sea

I started my Christmas Day with the Bing Bong of the ship’s tannoy waking me from my slumbers and the voice of the ship’s Captain apologising for the ship-wide (including cabins) broadcast, but there was a medical emergency on board, and a helicopter was expected to land in about 10 minutes to evacuate the patient to a Portuguese hospital. He asked that passengers should not go onto their balconies or the open deck to watch, as there would be a very strong downdraft from the helicopter and for the helicopter emergency response team to assemble.

It was around 03:30, so I turned over and went back to sleep. I was later awoken for a second time by the noise of the helicopter and, through my balcony doors, I saw the flashing lights of the helicopter as it left for the mainland. It was then that I made my first mistake. I grabbed my travel alarm clock to see the time. It was pitch black in the cabin, so I had to press the button to light up the screen. 04:05, so back to sleep I went.

I was woken up by the alarm clock going off at 06:00. I had turned the alarm on when I hit the screen light. Then I made my second error. I thought I had turned the alarm off, but no, in my dozy state I had hit the ‘Snooze’ button and 15 minutes later I was woken up again. This time I put the cabin light on and hit the alarm on/off button and killed it properly. But, try as I might, I couldn’t go back to sleep. So, I read a bit more before it was time for breakfast.

On sea days the Main Dining Room opens for breakfast at 08:00 and I was there, clad in my Christmas jumper, a few minutes past. The queue had subsided and I was immediately handed a glass of Bucks Fizz and shown to a table for 8 right by the big windows at the stern of the ship. At 8 o’clock it is still dark outside and all I could see was the ship’s wake. As soon as I sat down a man who was already at the table asked me if the helicopter had woken me. I said that was the second time; the first had been the Captain’s announcement of the medical emergency.

Somehow this man had not heard the Captain’s announcement but had been woken by the helicopter. He then proceeded to moan about the downdraft from the helicopter and how he had to hang on to the handrail on his balcony. I responded, “That’s why the Captain asked passengers not to go on their balcony or deck.” Anyway, I had a most enjoyable breakfast: orange juice, Rice Krispies, tea, square toast and a celebratory P&O breakfast, which is actually a Full English with black pudding.

I understand Father Christmas is in the ship’s atrium giving out presents, but I can’t be arsed to head down there. I am happy where I am until it’s time to eat again! Kindle in hand, I had made my way to the Crow’s Nest, flopped into one of the comfortable chairs and, with a panoramic view ahead, settled into finishing my second novel of the cruise.

As lunch approached I decided that, as it was a big seven-course dinner that evening, and it was an hour earlier than usual, I should eat sparingly at lunch, so it was just a hot dog (no chips) and a bottle of Doom Bar for lunch. I then headed back to my cabin for a post-lunch nap and an update of this log before preparing for my Christmas dinner.

I arrived at our table to find only 2 of the ‘Merry Widows’ already there. Eventually 6 of the 8 arrived. One lady has been missing for 3 evenings now; I do hope she is OK. It was another amuse-bouche to start and then I skipped the cauliflower soup and moved on to a tiger prawn cocktail, only 3 prawns but they were rather large. Then came the main event, the turkey dinner, but not for me. I chose fillet steak (medium rare) and it came with roast potatoes, carrots, green beans, parsnips and leeks. It was delicious.

Midway through the main course one of the missing ladies arrived; she hadn’t realised that we were an hour earlier than usual. I must say the waiters were fantastic and whizzed her through the courses so by the time we were finishing dessert she was just starting. Only one person on the table had Christmas pudding and custard and it wasn’t me. I had a trio of chocolate desserts that I really enjoyed.

I forgot to mention there were crackers on the table for everyone. Mine contained a small set of nail clippers! We also had complementary glasses of wine. With the after-dinner tea or coffee came plates of chocolate truffles, mince pies and stollen. A most enjoyable meal.

I wandered up to the Crow’s Nest for my after-dinner vodka and lemonade, but it was packed, so I found a seat at the bar. My usual waiter whispered to me, “It will thin out very shortly, this is the pre-second sitting dinner drinks crowd.” And he was spot on; five minutes later people were drifting away, and I moved to a comfortable armchair. A super meal and a pleasant evening.

Friday 26th December, Boxing Day, at Sea

The second of 3 consecutive sea days as we plod down to the Canaries. I’m awoke about 7 and lay in the dark for a few minutes before deciding it was time to get up. It’s 8 o’clock breakfast as it’s a sea day. I wandered down to the Deck 2 part of the Meridian Restaurant where they open for breakfast, timing my arrival perfectly as the 8 on the spot crowd had been processed, and I was able to walk straight in and be allocated a table. This morning it was an eight I had been on two days ago and I had breakfasted with all the others on the table at least once before.

So it was back to my normal breakfast, orange juice (to wash my pills down), Rice Krispies, a mushroom omelette, square toast and several cups of tea. Today’s omelette was unusually hot. I am not sure if it was directly from the kitchen or had been in the hot cabinet.

The further we travel south the better the weather is becoming and more people are venturing in the pools. Today there is only a slight rolling swell and the sun is out. The temperature has crept up to 16° and it is nice enough to sit on the balcony to read.
I was not very hungry at lunchtime, so I just picked up a chicken mayonnaise bap. I looked around for an empty table but everyone around the pool was in use. There was a table for four with a single man in a wheelchair at it, so I asked if he minded me joining him. Well, to cut a long story short, I think that Albert was delighted to have someone talk to him as if he wasn’t mentally disabled as well as physically disabled. He was fed up with people giving him a wide berth and ignoring him. We had a long chat and as I left he said he had enjoyed talking to someone who just treated him as a person and not an object in a wheelchair.

A quiet afternoon spent in an armchair in the Crow’s Nest reading a Jack Reacher story. As usual, lots of fights and deaths. I wonder if anyone has ever calculated how many people Reacher has killed in all the books. Back to the cabin for a shave and a shower before dinner. The shower over the bath is quite powerful and there is no shortage of hot water.

A full table of 8 for dinner for the first evening in a while. Two ladies had been to the Peninsula Club Baltic & Ligurian Levels Loyalty Lunch and were so full they only had a starter and dessert. I expect that will be me tomorrow. There are over 450 people on these two high levels, so the lunch has been spread over two days. I started with one of my old favourites, tomato soup. Then I had beef bourguignon which, for some reason, came with a rasher of streaky bacon. The bacon was so hard the waiter brought me a steak knife to cut it with! Mind you, the beef was lovely. Chocolate tart and cream for dessert, another excellent meal.

Then it was off to the Palladium Theatre for the pantomime, Beauty and the Beast. What can I say, it was a true pantomime with songs, dancing, awful jokes, and all the normal boos and hisses for the baddies and cheers for the goodies. A pleasant way to pass an evening before heading for my normal nightcap.

Saturday 27th December, Still at Sea

The clocks went back to GMT overnight so it’s back to the same time as the UK for the remainder of the cruise. As it’s a sea day it’s 8 o’clock for breakfast and today it’s already daylight. As it’s my turn for the Baltic Level lunch at noon it is a light breakfast today, just cereal and toast. The sea is a little lumpy this morning, but the sun is shining and the temperature had reached 17° by mid-morning. I found an armchair in the Crow’s Nest and settled down for a bit more Jack Reacher.

I headed to the Main Dining Room for my lunch and was shown to a table for six and handed a glass of fizz. Then it was large glasses of red or white wine, which were constantly topped up throughout the meal. As usual the waiters were quickly on hand with water and bread and to take the orders. I started with delicious crab and cod fish cakes. Next came a nice sharp lemon sorbet and next my choice of main was roast lamb that was excellent. I chose pecan pie with cream for dessert and once again it was really good. Finally, it was tea and a bit of fudge. I was a bit full, so I think I might need a nap this afternoon.

A nice nap, but the wind has got up and the ship is rolling a bit more. The Captain says there is a big storm out in the Atlantic and we are right on the edge of it, but we will run out of it overnight and the forecast for tomorrow in Tenerife is warm and sunny. That suits me.

Down to dinner, but I don’t know why, I am not a bit hungry after my big lunch. Pity as there was liver and bacon on the menu tonight and under normal circumstances I would have had that. Instead, I had a bowl of tomato soup, no main, and 3 scoops of ice cream and even that was hard work! A different bar again tonight as I want to watch the football and they don’t have TVs in the Crow’s Nest. So it was the Rising Sun this evening and it was packed.

Saturday 28th December, Tenerife

We arrive ahead of schedule this morning. The Captain says there are 8 cruise ships in port today so it’s going to be rather busy. As it’s a port day it’s 07:30 for breakfast which gives me loads of time to eat before my 09:30 excursion. On a sharing table for 8 this morning with a couple of people I have breakfasted with before. Anyway, it’s back to OJ, tea, Rice Krispies, a mushroom omelette and square toast. I like loads of butter on my toast as I should not eat marmalade.

As we were eating, Fred Olsen’s Borealis was backing in and I wondered if Judy, the lady who was on my long Christmas cruise a few years back, was on board. I saw on Facebook she was on a Fred Olsen trip this Christmas. I later discovered she is on Bolette and in Gran Canaria today.

My trip today is over to Puerto de la Cruz on the north coast. I stayed there more than 50 years ago, so I suspect it will be totally different to my memories. First stop was a viewpoint over the Orotava Valley which is very agricultural and offers a nice view of Mount Teide. As it is winter the 3,715-metre-high mountain is covered in snow from about 2,000 metres up and looked lovely in the warm sunshine.

Then on to the Puerto Botanical Gardens, quite interesting but I suspect it would be much better in the spring or summer. Although there was a huge tree with aerial roots which become supports for branches.

Then we moved on to a second garden, Sitio Litre, which specialises in orchids and some were spectacular. They also have a 600-year-old dragon tree. We also got a complementary glass of wine which wasn’t too bad. Finally, a stop on the sea front of Puerto, mid-way between the old town and the new promenade. I strolled a bit along the seafront of the old town and there were some brave people in the sea. Then back the other way past the lidos which had all been drained for winter. I found a café for a coffee before heading back to the coach for the journey back to the ship. I don’t think I would enjoy a holiday in Puerto de la Cruz these days, it was incredibly busy for a Saturday in winter and very developed with hundreds of hotels and apartments. I think I will stick to cruising.

Down to dinner to be greeted by a story from Christine, one of the Merry Widows, who tells us that Elizabeth, another of the ladies, is flying home from Lanzarote tomorrow. Apparently she had a fall in her cabin and is badly shaken up. But for some unknown reason she hasn’t taken medical advice. Instead, she phoned her son in England, and he has arranged the flight. How she will get on with an insurance claim without having seen the ship’s doctor, I really don’t know.

I read through the dinner menu and there was not much I fancied, which is most unusual, so it was down to the old reliable favourites, tomato soup and a sirloin steak, chips and peas. You can’t go far wrong with that combination. Dessert was interesting; I was the only one not to order rhubarb and ginger upside-down pudding with custard. Instead, I had fresh melon. For a dinner where I wasn’t keen on the choices I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Next stop was the Crow’s Nest for the obligatory nightcap. Most of the Merry Widows were off to the theatre for ‘Mr Tickerton’s Clockwork Circus’, a decent show if you have not seen it on previous cruises. Back to the cabin where I discover my first minor problem of the cruise. My bedside reading lamp won’t come on. Not worth reporting until the morning.

In Part 4 – The Canaries
 

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