Smooth Start

Everything has started out very smoothly. Some might suggest ‘too smoothly’, but I’m happy to go with the flow and keep my fingers firmly crossed behind my back, at least for the time being.

We travelled South from home yesterday, stopping off to spend some time with family in Peterborough before holing up in Brentwood Travelodge. A convenient pub next door, The Halfway House, provided us with adequate sustenance (shame about the beer), but more importantly, it placed us within a mere twenty minutes drive from the Tilbury Cruise Terminal.

This morning, we had the time to enjoy a leisurely breakfast in Basildon Asda Cafe and a mooch around the local retail park before heading over to Tilbury in good time for the start of embarkation (which was 12:30pm).

The smoothness continued unabated with a swift drop-off of our luggage, followed by me taking the van to the long-term car park. After a short shuttle bus ride back to the terminal, we made our way into the terminal building where a very efficient and attentive young man fast-tracked us through the checking-in procedure. By 1:30, we were on board the Magellan, revelling in the luxuriously big cabin to which we’ve been assigned (which even features a kettle! – something that we’ve never yet had on any of the previous CMV ships… so, a good improvement indeed!).

It’s been an afternoon of meeting up with old friends and acquaintances, and negotiating the terms of how the art and craft sessions might best be divvied-up. We’ve also introduced ourselves to the Shore Excursions team, and agreed to escort a couple of tours in the morning, when we arrive in Amsterdam. I must be in a good mood… as a goodwill gesture, and a means of accruing Brownie Points with Shorex, I’ve even agreed to escort the walking tour around Amsterdam (I absolutely hate walking tours…).

So, all-in-all, it’s been a highly promising start to our adventure. As I write this, we’re sailing out of the Thames estuary, heading towards Amsterdam, which will be our first port-of-call tomorrow (where we will be picking up a contingency of Dutch guests). I’m typing furiously, trying to make use of the wif-fi through my phone before the I lose the signal. I’m happy with our cabin, and happy that the art classes itinerary seems to have been worked around in my favour (although those details will officially be confirmed tomorrow afternoon when all the entertainments team, lecturers and tutors meet properly for the first time).

It’s perishingly cold outside; so cold that we didn’t even have to go out on deck for the emergency drill (yess… another bonus!). After tomorrow, though, we’ll be heading to warmer climes… bring it on!…