Peter's Travel Blog

This morning, a man came round to close the porthole hatches (I can’t remember the technical term for them… deadlights or something… I think). This is a sure sign that we’re most definitely on the last leg of our voyage; over the next few days, we’ll be crossing the Bay of Biscay and hoping that the sea remains as calm...

Today, we arrived in Ponta Delgada, on the island of San Miguel, in the Azores, our final port-of-call, and perhaps the tidiest place on the entire itinerary. Bordering on OCD, the harbour and town looks like everything has been carefully positioned and painted, ensuring contrasting blacks and whites fall in all the right places, and adjusted to the minutest degree,...

Today, we arrived in Horta, the first of our two stops in the Azores island group. I must confess to having a bit of a soft spot for Horta, having visited on several occasions, but was surprised, when I looked out on deck, to see that we were berthed by a brand new quayside and terminal at the opposite end...

Being on ship is a physical experience at the best of times, what with the rocking of the ship, and the gyroscopic work needed to remain upright, and the constant climbing of stairs to get from one deck to another (unless you use the lifts, which can occasionally become inoperative in rough weather – particularly the smaller, aft one). This...

Last night’s Passenger ‘Showcase’ was surprisingly entertaining. I’ve seen more passenger shows that I care to remember, but this one was something a llittle bit different. They had a couple of songs from the choir (which was about 60 passengers strong – all crammed onto the stage, wobbling to the sway of the ship), a display of line dancing and...