Blogs from North Atlantic, Atlantic, Oceans and Seas - page 2

Wednesday 11th January 2023 I have just spent the day writing up our first week and a bit away only to have lost it all! So this is likely to be an abbreviated version. Tuesday 3rd January Thanks to Christopher for coming down with us on Monday to stay overnight in Winchester, so we only had a half hour journey on Tuesday morning. We were at the checkin at the appointed time with what I thought was all the relevant paperwork. Well, most of it was ok, just a small matter of my passport number not having registered for the American ESTA visa. Rogers had been accepted but mine hadn’t. No idea why not. We ended up in a Q with quite a number of other passengers who were also having problems with visa paperwork. Some ... read more

1. - Introduction - Southampton I suspect like many other travellers, 2022 is a year where travel plans cancelled by the pandemic finally come to fruition and this trip to Iceland and Greenland was no exception. This was to be our fourth visit to Iceland (the first being on honeymoon some 40 years ago!), but our first to Greenland and therefore a place on our bucket list to be ticked off. In mid-August, we travelled over to Southampton with a couple of days spare before embarking Island Princess for our voyage north. As most of Europe was experiencing an unusually hot summer, we aimed to keep our outdoor activities in Southampton to a minimum. Our first stop was at the Tudor House, an old merchant house originally built on the dockside but now a fair distance ... read more

Saturday, March 26, 2022 We started the day with an alarm clock waking us at 8am so we could get our PCR test. No test? No leaving the ship when we dock in Lisbon….even if it’s your final destination. SO…everyone needs the test. Piece of cake. We, of course, forgot our paperwork in the stateroom, so Christopher ran back papers in hand, and we moved through the line. First, they scan your Oceania Card, then take your temperature, then you hand over the documents and someone scans your card again which creates a barcode to indicate (anonymously) the testee (not to be confused with any anatomical reference). Then off to the test. Thank goodness it wasn’t one of those that went back to your brain. Those are most unpleasant. This was easy. At the start of ... read more

Saturday 4th April. Have been trying to catch up with the blog but although not much is going on time seems to fly, especially now we are on our last leg of the cruise. Have heard this morning we will be anchoring outside Tenerife to refuel in a few days. Other than that we are enjoying the tropics. Passed over the equator yesterday afternoon at almost exactly 4pm, so now in the northern hemisphere. It’s hot and humid, cloudy, but quite pleasant at the moment with some light airs. Better than yesterday when the air was full of moisture and everywhere outside felt like a sauna. It rained several times, but cleared up later in the evening. Enjoy the news below. We are about 160 miles off the African coast near Liberia. First picture Cape of ... read more

At Noon this day, the captain reported Caribbean Princess had crossed 60 degrees north latitude at 5:30 in the morning. We were now officially in the Arctic Region! Presentations were held on board about maritime navigation and the preparations Princess Cruises had made for this cruise. In one lecture, the Third Officer discussed navigation. Ships today normally use electronic charts. However, sailing to Greenland would require plotting the course on traditional paper charts. Bridge officers had taken special training in Arctic navigation. In addition, Greenland pilots had boarded at Sydney, NS, and would remain with the ship until St. Johns, Newfoundland. We had been hearing the ship's whistle sound often during a frequently foggy passage. Sounding a foghorn is required whenever visibility drops below two nautical miles, we learned. The Third Officer then took us on ... read more