29th January 2024 – Home to Heathrow and beyond

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Well, here we are, finally off on our long-awaited cruise (postponed from last January because of my treatment).

As Dave & Janine had very kindly offered to take us to Heathrow and our flight wasn’t until 20:05, we had a leisurely start to our day leaving home at around 11:00. The journey to Heathrow was mostly uneventful, we just had one 15-minute hold up on the M1 so, after a stop for a light lunch, we reached Heathrow with time to spare which was great.

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There was some slight confusion on our part when we arrived as we had already checked-in on-line and then discovered that we needed to check our own bags through on one of their machines to get the luggage tags and that machine also gave us fresh boarding passes. The next step was for us to weigh our own bags, scan our boarding cards and send the bags on their way BUT their machine didn’t like our boarding passes (and by this time we had a total of 12 (six for each flight) four from home, four from their machine and four on the phone!! After a little help from a member of staff we were on our way and we had a time to shop and to relax with a cup of coffee.

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Boarding went without a hitch; the flight took off almost on time and although not the most comfortable seats they weren’t too bad either and we each managed to get a little sleep which was just as well as the first flight was 11 hours and fifty minutes.

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We arrived at Sao Paulo, Brazil at 05:00 and our connecting flight was scheduled to leave at 07:05. We landed at a point some way from the airport building so had to wait for buses and the handicapped transport to arrive and that took best part of 25 minutes. A tour around the airport perimeter followed and we were then handed over to the ground staff. As Sao Paulo was our point of entry into Brazil we then had to go through passport control, go and collect our bags, clear customs and then go out to check our bags in again in the domestic flight area.

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When we arrived there we were told we were too late to check our bags in so we should take them to the gate, we then had to go back through security with all the rigmarole that entails we then quite literally ran all the way to the gate (the girl with the wheelchair, the guy with our suitcases and me), there had been a notice on the aircraft that said that it took an hour to transit for domestic connections, and it did, but it was out of our hands. When we arrived at the gate they opened the barriers for us, took our bags off to the hold and we finally boarded with minutes to spare. It turns out the there were at least two but possibly four people who missed the flight. Fortunately, there was another flight at 15:00 so they were supposed to be getting on that.

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We were met at the airport by a Viking rep. and delivered to our hotel which very much a business hotel in an area which doesn’t seem to have a lot around it but we are only here for one night. There we two other people on our cruise who did make the flight albeit even later than us and we have since been for a brief walk with them. Gave up trying to find a local café for light lunch and ate in the hotel buffet which was fine but as it’s their only restaurant we’re all going out to eat at a local restaurant a taxi ride away this evening so that should be interesting.

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N.B. It had been mostly sunny and very hot and humid today.

 

 

31st January 2024 – Manaus, Amazonia, Brazil

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Our excursion out the restaurant last night was great. We took a taxi to a restaurant that had been recommended by a member of staff at the hotel and I can see why it was recommended. The menu (which incidentally was only in Portuguese) included mostly steak and fish and as none of us could figure out the menu, we asked for a recommendation. As there was a slight communication issue the waiter showed us a picture of the dish he was suggesting and we decided to go for that. It was a very large river fish which was prepared for the four of us to share and it came with a rice dish, a dish of floured roast bananas and mixed vegetables and the whole thing was very, very nice. I’m still not sure what the fish was but I’d have it again given the chance.

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This morning’s departure for the ship was scheduled for 11:00 so we had a leisurely breakfast before departing.

 

Unfortunately, we did have one issue to contend with as the air conditioner in our room started to pour water all over the floor (this was the second time as it had happened yesterday but they had supposedly “fixed it”).

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We arrived at the ship after fairly short drive and a very nice ship it is too. Very modern, very clean and very spacious. After a welcome drink (they’re already one up on Oceania on that score) and a brief visit to see where our muster station, we made our way to the buffet restaurant for lunch (the only one open on arrival day). We then made our way to our cabin which is also very spacious and well laid out. The bathroom is also far easier for Graham to use than on most cruise ships so that’s another plus point for Viking.

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Once we’d unpacked, we took a wander around the ship to try to get our bearings and stopped off at the Customer Service desk to find out how they would manage my dietary needs. They already had a note of my issues and confirmed that they would provide me with menus each evening so I could pre-order (which is how many of the cruise lines deal with it). Later in the day I had a call from Singh, one of the head waiters, confirming how it would work and then as we were wandering around he came and sought us out to meet face to face which was very good of him (another brownie point for Viking).

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A little later in the afternoon we went along to the Lounge to have a pre-dinner drink and discovered that the package we have includes almost all of the available drinks so that was a bonus too. Whilst partaking of our champagne two young ladies arrived and we were treated to a range of music played on a violin and cello, very pleasant it was too.

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Having seen the evening’s entertainment programme we decided to have an early dinner where we were joined by two Americans who had just arrived on board and who were dashing off on an evening excursion.

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The reason we ate early was so that we could listen to two guest speakers who were on board. Simon and Lisa Thomas who have spent 17 consecutive years travelling the world on motorcycles (dirt bikes) and who were giving a talk on Manaus, what to see and do and a little about the culture and it was definitely worth 45 minutes of our time. We were also able to have a brief chat with them separately which was very interesting.

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After the talk we made our way to the Explorers Lounge (a panorama lounge at the front of the ship) where we were joined by Richard and Liz for a nightcap whilst we listened to a very good guitar player/singer.  It was then time to call it a night.

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N.B. It has been mostly sunny, very hot and very, very humid today.

 

 

1st February 2024 – Manaus, Amazonia, Brazil

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As we were both awake early this morning we decided we may as well get up and have an early breakfast (which was, incidentally, very good). Whilst we were eating at a table by the window overlooking the harbor it started to rain and then to pour, eventually it got to the stage where we could barely see the dockside. It was still absolutely bucketing down when we left the ship at 10:00 and we took advantage of the free rain ponchos that were on offer at the gangway. We were booked on an Excursion entitled “Panoramic Manaus” which was supposed to drive to see a number of sights before a visit to the city zoo. Unfortunately, due to the weather the zoo had been closed as the ground was dangerous under foot and many of the sights really weren’t visible through the rain sodden windows so overall it wasn’t the best of trips.

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Once back on the ship we joined Liz and Richard for lunch at the poolside grill (the pool has a retractable roof) whilst the ship set sail for our next port of call. Fortunately, it stopped raining before we reached “the meeting of the rivers” where the Rio Negro and the Amazon meet but don’t immediately flow together because of the different viscosities of the waters.

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A little later in the afternoon we went along to the theatre to listen to a port talk which gave us some details of what to expect at our next two destinations. A little later still we went along for our first visit to one of the speciality restaurants “Manfredi’s”. The food generally was good although I can’t say I enjoyed my main course as I’d inadvertently chosen a dish which included both squid and octopus neither of which were really to my taste (the squid was okay(ish) but I couldn’t even cut the octopus tentacle I’d been presented with so I gave up with that one without even trying it).

 

At 21:00 we had all been invited to the theatre where the ship’s captain was to introduce himself and his top team so we went along to find out who was who. We’ve been to these before on other ships and they’re all similar but there are some where you feel the officers are putting on false smiles but these guys and girls seemed to genuinely enjoy their jobs and, it’s fair to say that seems to be the case for the rest of the crew too which is great.

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2nd February 2024 – Manaus to Parintins, Brazil.

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We were up fairly early again this morning as we had an early tour departure. This one is a little different as there is only one tour option here and just about everyone on board is encouraged to make the effort to go. Paritins is a very small town which can only be reached by river or light aircraft but it has the second largest annual festival in Brazil, second only to Rio’s Carnival apparently. The festival actually takes place in June each year but the performers give an hour-long performance of some of their routines in the local conference centre so that tourists can get a taste.

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As we were anchored off-shore and being tendered to the town we were all given different tour times ours being 08:30. Once on shore it was a very short walk to the centre where we were given a sample of the local traditional drink which was interesting as it’s pretty alcoholic and it wasn’t even 09:00 yet!  Being early there we were able to get front row seats which was great. The show itself didn’t start until all of the morning’s guests had arrived at 10:00 and we were then treated to a fantastic, energetic, noisy, colourful display of folklore dancing, singing and drumming. It was absolutely great, better than we had expected.

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After the show there was chance to take a look around the craft stalls that had sprung up outside the centre and I also took a short walk to the centre of the town but by now it was getting really hot and steamy so we made our way back to the tenders and then the ship.  After a lightish lunch we planted ourselves on sunbeds close to the pool and I took my first dip in the very inviting pool. A little later we took-in a port talk which gave us an idea of what to expect from tomorrow’s port of call.

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This evening we joined Liz & Richard, Margaret & Graham (all Brits) for dinner in the main restaurant before heading to the theatre to watch the first show by the on-board singers (all of whom happen to be Brits), and very good it was too.

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As we were losing an hour tonight, having moved across a time zone, we decided to make it a fairly early night so headed straight to bed after the show had finished.

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N.B. It was partly cloudy and hot today, a definite improvement on yesterday.

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3rd February 2024 – Parintins to Santarem Brazil.

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We had another early start this morning having booked a Panoramic tour which was due to leave at 08:15. As it was, we left a little early as everyone turned up to the bus early which was great. The first stop on our tour was the city cathedral which, although nothing spectacular, was worth looking at although I did feel a little uncomfortable that bus loads of tourists had turned up to take a look whilst there was a service on. Fortunately, we were using the QuietVox system where we each have our own headphones turned in to the guides commentary so we weren’t causing too much disruption I suppose.

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Next stop was the city museum which was pretty small but held some interesting artefacts including pottery which is estimated to be thousands of years old.

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Our final stop was at a ‘Cassava House’ which is essentially a small family run farm where they still process Cassava using traditional methods. They also grow rubber trees alongside a variety of fruit and nuts all of which we had the opportunity to try (and, yes, we did buy some Brazil nuts).

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Once we returned to the ship we were met by a small number of stalls selling various handicrafts which proved quite popular with our fellow travelers (we bought T-shirt each). Next, we headed to the buffet restaurant for a light lunch before returning to the cabin for a while (I sat on the balcony reading whilst Graham tried to download all the pictures I’ve taken so far).

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As the ship was still relatively quiet this afternoon with many people still ashore, we decided to take advantage of the afternoon tea which is served most days in the Wintergarden (a cleverly constructed glazed in area close to but separated from the pool.

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4th February 2024 – Sailing the Amazon River

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As we were sailing all day today, we had a later than usual start to our day and we took advantage of that by having breakfast served in the main restaurant. Afterwards we were very fortunate to find a couple of sunbeds under the Lanaii (covered area near the pool) where we could while away the day watching the scenery go past, sometimes at very close quarters, and we also got some reading in.

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A little later in the day we went along to the Theatre to watch/listen to a talk given by Simon and Lisa which was designed to give us some additional information about the Amazon basin and their travels in it. Very interesting it was too. We then moved back to the pool area for a quick ice cream (it had to be quick as it was melting faster than we could eat it!). Another lecture then followed, this one given by an ex senior CIA officer, it had promised to be an interesting talk but, unfortunately, his presentation style was a little lacking.

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We later had our evening meal in the main restaurant where we shared a table with a couple who now live in the USA but are originally from Poland and, I have to say, from their accents you wouldn’t have realized they had emigrated. It turned out to be a very interesting evening.

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We finished the day off with another visit to the theatre to hear the on-board entertainers singing their way through a number of show tunes before settling in the Explorer lounge with Liz & Richard to listen to the resident guitarist/singer.

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 N.B. We also crossed the equator today on what turned out to be another very hot, humid, partly cloudy day.

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5th February 2024 – Sailing the Atlantic Sea.

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Another hot and humid day ensued today and we started out by attending a meeting we’d arranged with Pablo the “Future Cruises Manager” as we wanted to see, once and for all, if there was any possibility of us ever being able to safely visit Antarctica (they have an Expedition boat which has a different method of loading passengers on to zodiacs etc.). We explained Graham’s difficulties to him and it seems the major difficulty is likely to be finding a way to keep the new, fancy leg dry if we had to climb out into water. He explained that they provide you with all the protective equipment you need including long boots (rather like Wellies) but none of us was sure Graham would be able to get them on/off. Pablo is going to speak to one of his colleagues, an expeditions expert and with “Charlotte” who specializes in their accessibility offering and see what they suggest. We could, apparently, take our own boots along if we can find something suitable but they have to be specially cleaned before you get to Antarctica. We’re still not sure if this will come off and it would be a very expensive tour so we’ll have to see what they come back with. One thing he did say was that last time he took that cruise there was a lady with a walker who managed pretty well.

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After our meeting it was back to the pool area for another relaxing day reading and eating lunch before heading back to the theatre for the next of Simon and Lisa’s talks which was, once again, very entertaining and informative. There was also a brief Captain’s party in the Atrium this afternoon and after we’d had a drink and a chat there, we realized we hadn’t left ourselves a great deal of time to get ready for our first visit to the “Chef’s table”. We made it just in time for our 18:30 booking and we joined a very nice couple from Washington D.C. so not only was the food and wine excellent but the company was great too.

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The Assistant cruise director Hazel had her own show in the theatre this evening so we went along to listen to her sing before calling it a night as we had an early start planned for tomorrow.

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N.B. It was, once again, hot and humid today.

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6th February 2024 – Isles du Salut, French Guiana.

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When we booked this trip we discovered that there were no tours at all offered for this stop and we have since found out why. Until we boarded I for one hadn’t put two and two together but I’ve since realized that these are the islands that formed the French penal colony where the story we know of as Papillon originated. There are three islands in total and we all (900+ of us) had the opportunity to visit the largest, Isle Royale where there are still buildings in various states of ruin which give an insight into how those poor souls lived. We were provided information on a number of different routes to take around the island and we decided we had to choose between two, the shortest which involved steps, or a longer sloping pathway. Graham decided he was prepared to try the stepped route and we took the first tender across to the island at 08:00 and it was already blisteringly hot and humid but, after a valiant effort he made it to the top where the majority of the building are. This included a small bar where we took the opportunity to replenish some of the lost fluids and, for once, we got our timing just right as the heavens opened shortly after we arrived there.

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Graham had already decided that the longer and slightly less uneven was the route we should take back and we left shortly after the rain had stopped. It took us some time to get there but we made it back to the tender station just as the rain started again so, once again, perfect timing.

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Whilst on the island we were fortunate enough to see quite a few Capuchin monkeys, a few very odd large rodents that I’ve forgotten the name of and a very pretty blue macaw. The pictures weren’t easy to get but I think I’ve got a few that will be worth keeping.

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Once back on the ship (as we’d taken the first tender over and got our tour in early, we got back before a good few others) we found ourselves some sunbeds to rest on whilst we had a light lunch and then a read. We’re now back in the cabin (Graham inside me out on the balcony) as it had got far too hot by the pool as the threat of further rain had prevented them from opening the retractable roof.

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7th February 2024 – Sailing the Caribbean Sea

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As we had nothing planned for today we decided to have a slightly later, more relaxed breakfast. Unfortunately, so did a lot of other people so the service was pretty slow but it didn’t really matter as we had nowhere special to be.

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We were very fortunate that shortly after breakfast we managed to secure two sunbeds under the Lanaii so we spent a few hours reading by the pool before retreating to our cabin away from the heat (it became really hot even though the roof was fully open). I sat out on the balcony for a while whilst Graham watched a film.

We had dinner in the main restaurant where we were joined by the on-board historian and his wife so that proved to be an interesting interlude. After dinner we went along to the theatre where the cruise director Ryan was performing his own show which was very good. From there it was back to the cabin and bed.

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N. B. It’s been hot, sunny and humid all day today.

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8th February 2024 – Barbados.

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We were back to an early start this morning as we had two tours booked so breakfast was in the buffet restaurant. The first tour left at 08:30 and was a Panoramic tour of the island which showed us some of the coastal towns (one very nice one called Speightown) and it also stopped at the ruins of a sugar plantation where we were offered a rum punch before we had a brief walk around to see the gardens. It probably wasn’t one of the most dynamic tours we’ve done but it was worth it to see something of the island.

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Once back at the port we realized we didn’t have all that long before our next tour was due to start so, rather than return to the ship for lunch, we found a small café on the waterfront where we shared a selection of very nice Bajan delicacies. Fortunately, the lady who served us realized we might not be quite ready for the hot pepper sauce so she put that on the side and it was a really good job as it was crazy hot! There were also a number of souvenir shops at the port (surprise, surprise) so we had plenty to keep us occupied before our next tour.

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This afternoon’s tour was called “Bajan Rum & Beer” and it did exactly what it said on the tin, it took us to a family run Rum distillery where we were given a tour before tasting five different rums. From there we drove across the island to the Dread Hop Brewing Company for another tour and tasting.  They had nine different beers on the moment including a Porter and a Wheat Beer! We tried several (in the name of science you understand, hic!). It was then back to the ship where they had their “traditional” barbeque evening by the pool which we chose not to join, choosing instead to have a quieter than usual evening in the main restaurant. We stopped in the main lounge for a brief chat with two other Brits we’ve got to know (Margaret and another Graham) before heading off to bed.

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9th February 2024 – St Lucia.

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Another early start, another two tours, it’s such a hard life!! We had breakfast in the buffet restaurant again due to our early start and we then took a took a tour to the rainforest in the centre of the island where we had an hour and a quarter ride on an open gondola through the forest. As we’d had a brief rain shower this morning and it wasn’t as warm as it has been we didn’t see all that much wildlife although we did see a number of birds including some very pretty hummingbirds, I also caught a brief glance of a mongoose but I wasn’t quick enough to get a picture.

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After a return to port and a light(ish) lunch on the dockside we joined our second trip of the day. This was another panoramic tour which meant spending the majority of the time on the bus but we did have a stop at a privately owned house which had lovely gardens and views. We were also provided with a small snack of local dishes (some sort of fried cod and a couple of different cake samples). Once again I’d have to say it wasn’t perhaps one of the best excursions we’ve ever taken but it was still worth doing.

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We’re booked into the specialty restaurant Manfredi’s this evening and we’re supposed to be sharing with someone but we don’t know who yet, time will tell!

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N.B. Although we had a brief shower this morning it’s been largely dry and pretty warm but definitely not as hot as it’s been up until now.

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10th February 2024 – St John’s, Antigua.

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Today hasn’t been quite such a success partly as both of us has managed to pick up the cold that someone kindly brought on board with them (as have a very good percentage of the other passengers). As we had a tour that was due to leave at 09:30 we were up fairly early so that we could eat breakfast in the main restaurant before we left. Unfortunately, this didn’t turn out the be the best plan as it wasn’t one our best meals (Graham’s poached eggs were sent back as they were stone cold).

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The tour we had booked was another panoramic tour which was due to visit a number of places we’ve been to before on a previous visit. This included the Nelson’s dockyard where an official park guide takes the tour. Unfortunately, she sped off at a rate of knots that we weren’t going to be able to match so we dropped out and, while Graham waited for me, I went and had a wander around on my own. It’s a number of years since we’ve been here and this was a very different experience to our last visit. Last time there were just two small ships in port and it was relatively quiet but, this time, there were three large ships in, loud music blaring from the waterfront and far too many people for our liking. Also, it started to rain just as we reached the secure area of the port and when I say rain, it really rained. By the time we got back to the ship we were both soaked, so much so that we had to get changed before doing anything else.

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As Graham wasn’t feeling too good, he went back to the cabin for a rest whilst I found myself a sunbed under the Lanaii, had some lunch and a read. Graham joined me a little later and we spent much of the afternoon chilling by the pool.

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This evening we had arranged to meet Liz & Richard for dinner which was very pleasant. Unfortunately, Graham still wasn’t feeling too hot he went to bed straight after we’d eaten whilst I joined Liz & Richard at the Captain’s farewell gathering. This is a fairly common occurrence on cruises where a good number of the crew, including many of those that passengers never see, are brought along to the theatre so that people can show their appreciation. This was followed by a country music-based show which was, once again, pretty good.

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N.B. Today has not only been very wet from time to time but it’s also been quite a bit cooler too.

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11th February 2024 – San Juan, Puerto Rico.

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We had a slightly later than usual start this morning as the ship wasn’t due to dock until 11:00 but we didn’t leave it too late as we had to get most of the packing done before we leave the ship tomorrow. As with most cruises we have to be out of our cabin by 08:00 tomorrow and any bags we want the crew to take for us have to be outside our cabin by 22:00 this evening so although it’s not a job I relish, it had to be done. Now all I have to do is to try to pack the smaller bags before we leave tomorrow.

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Once we’d had breakfast and then packed, we had a fair bit of time to wait around as we’d been warned that the U.S. Immigration required ALL passengers to leave the ship and go through passport before anyone could return to the ship. As it turned out, apart from having to do a fair bit of waiting around, the process went pretty smoothly I even managed to get through without having the usual hassle with my fingerprints. They didn’t even ask for my prints and when Graham showed his surprise, we were given a hint that, as I’ve had problems before, they have a note somewhere on their system which should, hopefully, prevent any further issues.

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After we’d had our passports stamped and been allowed back on board we went along for some lunch before picking up a tour at 15:15. This was another panoramic tour which also took in a visit to the main St Cristobel fort where Graham, very sensibly, decided to sit I out and wait for us. We were then driven around a number of other sights before being driven to the Old Town. As many of those on the tour had either been here before or, like us, were staying on in town for a few days the majority of us decided to come straight back to the ship rather than have the prescribed 45 minutes of free time to look around. This has worked quite well for us as we have a dinner booking at the chef’s table this evening and it would have been a rush to get ready if we’d not come back when we did.

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N.B. It’s been pretty cloudy and also windy today so, although it was around 26 degrees it really didn’t feel like. Fingers crossed we’ll get a bit more settled weather tomorrow. 

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12th February 2024 – San Juan, Puerto Rico.

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WE had another early start this morning as we had to be out of our cabin by 08:00 and the transfer to our hotel was scheduled for 08:45. As it was the transfer was a bit delayed whilst all those leaving on flights were, quite rightly, given priority. What we hadn’t realized when we booked our extra few days was that there were at least three bus loads all going to the same hotel which meant that, once we arrived, there was a massive queue to get checked-in and, as it was still fairly early, the rooms weren’t ready for us either.

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Once we’d deposited our bags we decided that rather than stay in the chaos of bus loads of people, we’d take a taxi in to the old town to take a look around. It’s a pretty town with lots of very brightly coloured buildings and quite a few nice squares with little café booths. After we’d both had a walk around Graham opted to sit and wait for me in one of the squares so I could do a bit more exploring, we then sat at one of the cafes and had a light lunch. As we were deciding to decide where we could find a taxi to take us back I noticed a tourist office so we went and asked in there and a very nice young lady told us about a free golf cart service that would take us back to the taxi rank so we made use of that.

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Once back at the hotel we collected our room keys (which are actually a wrist band?!) and our luggage. Our room is okay but has a pretty grotty view over the car park of the next-door hotel but I guess we’re not going to be spending too much time here as we’ve booked a tour tomorrow which is supposed to take us into the centre of Puerto Rico.

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13th February 2024 – San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Having already spent $30 on taxis to the old town we decided to stay local last night and ate in one of the restaurants attached to the hotel which specialized in Puerto Rican food. Graham decided to try the Mofongo (a sort of stewy type thing) and I had a dish made using a plantain cooked and stuffed with minced meat, cheese and spices; I can’t remember what it was called but it was very nice. It turned out to be quite a nice meal but, as with everything in the hotel complex, it was pretty expensive.

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We had booked a five-hour tour for today which was supposed to show us some of the inland areas of Puerto Rico. Jerry, our driver/guide arrived just a little late having picked up six other guests before us (two American and four Korean) and he started by taking us to a few of the old town sights that we’d already seen but he then headed out into the countryside where we had some good views over the city and where we were able to see more of the way people live here. Jerry turned out to be a very good, informative guide and, as well as seeing the sights, he had arranged for us to have lunch at a local restaurant which was very good but much bigger than we needed or expected.

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After our tour it was back to the hotel for a rest around the pool area where we decided to try the Pina Colada which, allegedly, was first made in this very spot. As we’d eaten rather too much at lunchtime, we decided to take a short walk over to a nearby bar/restaurant for a light meal rather than go out elsewhere for a meal. Despite there being a number of restaurants in the complex there was nothing in the way of entertainment so it was off to bed for us as we needed to be up fairly early to get packed and ready to leave.

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14th February 2024 – San Juan to Miami and Heathrow.

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We were up fairly early this morning as we needed pack ready for a 10:30 transfer to the airport. We arrived at San Juan airport and were immediately taken to an “assistance” area where we were helped to check our suitcases in before being taken straight to the departure gate. As we had an hour before boarding I decided to get us a coffee but that turned out to be a bit of a mistake as it took almost all that time to queue at Starbucks!!

We arrived at Miami airport where Graham was taken, along with a number of other passengers, to our gate whilst I made my own way. As we had four hours to spare I went in search of food (a slice of pizza each) and it was as well I did as we had a long, long wait for food on-board.

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Our flight was due to depart at 19:50 and we boarded on time and then sat there, and sat there. We eventually had a message from the captain advising that a passenger on the in-bound light had lost their cellphone into their business class seat and the engineers were on-board dismantling the seat to get to it (they can’t leave it in case the battery overheats and causes a fire). After around 2 ½ hours we were told they’d been unable to locate the phone so the aircraft was being taken out of service. Fortunately, they had found a replacement aircraft which was at a gate quite a way away what they hadn’t arranged was transport for those who needed wheelchairs. Eventually someone turned up with a trolley and Graham and others were taken to the gate whilst I, again, made my own way there.

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As the aircraft had to be made ready it was another hour or more before we finally took off (a total of around a four-hour delay). The journey from there was largely uneventful although a bit of turbulence enroute meant they kept the seatbelt signs on for almost all of the journey which was bit of a nonsense as it didn’t stop people being up and about.

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15th February 2024 – Heathrow to Home.

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We finally arrived at Heathrow just before midday where Dave & Janine were waiting to take us home (thank you so much for that both). After a brief stop on the way we arrived home at around 17:00 feeling absolutely shattered.  

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