Mr Trip on Navigator , part 3.

So after a fantastic and entirely different Halloween at sea, our next port was Gran Canaria. The weather i have to point out was again just brilliant! The Port of Las Palmas which is less than a 5 minute walk out of the Marina.  We headed straight for a day at the beach! The boys insisted, no shops  no walking,  just beach…….my wife an i were happy to oblige in this weather. Although very busy the beach was about 10  minute walk away. Set alongside a host of restaurants, shops, bars, showers facilities.  Lovely blue sea, hardly any loungers but again was very busy, we didn’t care just happy to soak up the sunshine, in November.  Its worth mentioning that buses are easily accessible from the ship, just a few yards from where we docked, also lots of horse and cart tours ready to take anyone on a tour of the town.  Tonight’s show was something we could all look forward to as a family, Adam Heppenstall, a close up London Magician, entertainer. The show was absolutely fantastic, he was just brilliant , the whole audience was enthralled. Then the usual stress of where can we go, where can we find a seat starts, its a real issue we’ve never come across on other ships before. There’s never a seat spare, and often you almost join a queuing system at the entrance to the lounges or bars, everyone waiting for someone to vacate. We would even split up , one child each, go try another lounge, if not back in 10, we’ve got seats, come and find us, became a real tiresome farce.

The 2nd of November brought us to the Sunny island of Lanzarote and the port of Arrecife. We only had a couple of hours here, just enough time for the 15 minute walk from where we docked, to lots of local market stalls, selling linen, bags, hats, copies etc. Also just enough time for a couple of glasses of wine in a lovely little bar in the winter sunshine. We’ve been to Lanzarote before so didn’t bother us hugely the little time here.

After a couple of calm beautifully sunny days at sea we were heading to Vigo.  Another thing i’d like to mention to Royal Caribbean is about the poolside movies. My two sons are huge fans of Princess cruises and movies under the stars, Royal Caribbean barley lived up to expectations, actually they fell way below them with this. The same you’ve been framed type video was shown all day everyday on repeat since we left Southampton. The same 3 movies were shown afternoon and evening every single night , and sometimes not until 10.00pm. When we approached the stand for blankets, bearing in mind we counted 7, yes 7 people on loungers ready to watch a movie we were told no more blankets, No hot drinks, no waiters, no popcorn, nothing, just the same film over and over. We never want to see Transformers or Wonder Woman again! Even if you wanted to watch a movie in your cabin, there is an $11.95 charge each time. So disappointing and frustrating.

 I in particular was really looking forward to Vigo, as I’ve sold it for many years without having been there, its great to be able to make my own opinion of the resort. If you like mysteries and legends, Vigo’s links to witchcraft and Celtic folklore will have you captivated. Situated in the north east Galicia region, it’s also known as the ‘Wales of Spain’ as the rain-soaked hilly landscape is so different to well known south of Spain.  As a Welshman, I’m ready to explore! I love that again just a short walk to town from the ship, not once on any of these trips, have we needed to get taxis to the ports, all have been so accessible.  Vigo looked such a lovely marina. A real mix of new and old could be seen from the ship. There’s a huge shopping mall directly where you dock, so any last minute shopping can be done here, along with a host of locals trying to sell you goods from the pavements. The town itself was a backdrop to the marina. Some flat , some steep hills, lots and lots of side streets and gardens. Tourists shops in their abundance, Lots of little coffee shops, book shops, and ice-cream parlors. In particular there’s a Christmas shop, that i couldn’t drag my wife out of quick enough for she broke the bank. The architecture in this port has you constantly looking up.

That’s all for for the ports really, there’s so much to write and say but i won’t bore you with all the details, but please if you have any questions, just let me know. In all we had a fantastic time , a great family holiday. The boys surfed on a ship in the middle of the Ocean, we watched ice skating at sea…we really thought Royal Caribbean was the answer to our holiday conundrums.  But, as a family we are divided as to whether we would go Royal again. I just felt the service wasn’t what we’ve had on any other cruise line, it was good just not THAT good. I felt like whenever we could have paid for extra we were being asked to, $ right left and centre. We have two very shy children, and the ship was full, this limits the access to some of the facilities and just felt corners were cut. Broken frozen yogurt machines, struggling to find a waiter for a drink, never finding anywhere to sit after dinner, being asked for a photo every 15 minutes, and limited varied entertainment. We will certainly cruise again, its in our blood, its something we love as a family but it may be a while before we choose Royal again, oh and if we do, it will only be if the drinks package is included.  This is obviously just my opinion, i’ve hundreds and hundreds of loyal Royal Caribbean customers who may well disagree with me!!

As always if you need me just feel free to give me a call.

Haydn