French star Pierre Garnier and Myles Smith join Ed Sheeran on stage on the Mathematics Tour

 

Concert Review: 10 Out of 5 Stars

Ed Sheeran and his guests delivered a phenomenal show.  And we are so, so glad we saw the show in Lille France as we got the chance to see Pierre Garnier.

Pierre Garnier

He was crowned winner of Star Academy (season 11) in February 2024 with 55 % of the vote - four days later, he released his debut single “Ceux qu’on était”, which topped the French charts in under 24 hours - an amazing story. His rendition with Ed Sheeran is here.

Lille Walking Tour

Lille Stadium is well served by road and train, so wherever you are in France or Belgium, it is a concert option. If you have never visited Lille, we strongly recommend staying for at least one night. This video shows all of the highlights suggested for an extensive walking tour of the city, but it has a menu so you can skip past some sections.

If you are travelling from the UK - is Lille as easy as Wembley. We live near to Wembley and it is just a few stops on the tube, but Lille is only a few more and we prefer it and would go there again. Bruce Springsteen played there earlier in the summer.

Myles Smith

Myles Smith, recently seen on The Graham Haughton Show, was the main support for the concert, and he was outstanding.

Not only was Myles the support, he also came back during Ed's section and they played together. That was something to treasure so I recorded it and share it here - the copyright owners gain from any advertising so it has been allowed on our Cruise Doris Visits city guide channel.

Ed Sheeran

It was a very special night of treats, but to only show the support acts would do the incredible Ed Sheeran a disservice. Here is the start of the concert, where the audience counted him in.

If you enjoy city guides, travelling, and cruising, please share our channel and join. Thank you all, and do enjoy Lille as much as we did.

How To Become A Cruise Ship Speaker - Jean interviews the very interesting Roy Paul

 

Rarely have I laughed out loud at a guest speaker on a cruise ship, but Roy Paul has a wicked sense of humour.

Arcadia cruise ship 2025 - post refit

 WE have just got off the Arcadia Cruise Ship. Us making a new video was well overdue, but we were waiting for the refit. New carpets everywhere make the ship look good. We find all the little areas that few use, from the thermal room to the relaxation room. Take a look at this adult-only ship, which is still smallish, but twice the size of SAGA and VIKING, which does afford a better entertainment program.

Freeport - Bahamas - Beach, Marina, shopping and swimming pigs.

 Freeport - Three options 1. Port, 2. Lucaya Centre, marina and free beach, or 3. beach club. Freeport is a fairly large port complex with bars and shops, and close enough to walk back and forward from the ship.

Tours and taxis either go to beach clubs, we show you the Coconut Beach Club at Pirates Cove, and then there is the free beach at the Lucaya complex.

As always, we show you, you choose.

 

Lucaya is lively from midday. The beach is a good morning option and is a very short walk from where the coaches or taxis drop you.
This film shows you the way to the beach as the access is rather hidden access. Here, local vendors sell cold beers and BBQ at lunchtime.

Ships calling on their flag countries of Bermuda and the Bahamas are routinely visited by drug-sniffing dogs. The laws of those countries allow them to board the ship and inspect for drugs without warrants.

Available Tours

The Bahamas is the setting for the mystery thriller Cruise Ship BLOOD DIAMONDS.

SHIP TOURS help you choose your next ship Aurora Ship Tour Marella Discovery 2 Azura Ship Tour Cunard Queen Victoria Britannia Ship Tour Virgin Scarlet Lady Arcadia Ship Tour Ventura Ship Tour SUITE on P&O Every cruise ship and every fleet listed here

You may have seen cruise thriller author & movie maker Stuart St Paul - click here on a ship giving an after-dinner speech or a talk with a book signing. Cruise crime novels are a whole new all-year cruising experience. You may not have been to the ports in the novels, you certainly won't have been to the parts of the ship they use but they take you there. Stuart's page is here. The cheapest way to buy his cruise thrillers is the KINDLE BOX SET, all six cruise thrillers for the price of two.

 CHAT GROUPS - a fantastic way to help others and a place to find answers. We run a Facebook Group for each of the ships. For example, P&O IONA group  P&O Ventura MARELLA EXPLORER Disney & Family cruise chatSAGA Ocean & River cruise chat group Viking Ocean & River Cruising chatCunard Chat - Premium cruise liners Find the complete list of chat groups here

The Amazing Working Mother - Electric Violinist Joanna Marie, who can travel thousands of miles and 24hrs to get to work

We don't do this enough: interviewing acts and celebrities who travel miles and miles around the globe, from plane to plane, to join in the most remote islands—especially working mothers, the issues and problems, because it is not a glamour.

Some mothers don't see their children for months as they work to send money home; these are those in the crew. But the acts fly from ship to ship, three planes home, a few hours and then three planes to a new theatre.

This filmed interview gets added to the 'playlist' of acts and celebs who cruise - The Cruise Doris Visits YouTube Channel is FREE to subscribe to; that is the only button you need to press.

Joanna Marie is a wow factor electric violinist. Some people need to 'sell' their acts, but she only needs to play. She has a handmade glass violin with a deeper, warmer tone towards the cello sound. Then she rocks it up, whether classical or modern.

Joanna is married to a senior officer, soon to be a staff captain, and they have a six-year-old daughter. See her interview for her story of working at sea.

We had one night off in Cozumel together, and along with Margaret of the ballroom instructor team and Andrea who is onboard teaching Spanish to guests, Jean went and explored for a few hours.

With her husband, Graham, Margaret runs three classes or sessions a day. They teach in the morning, the practice is the afternoon, and in the evening, they help with the dancing or the ball. Andrea teaches Spanish a few times a day to guests, and once with the crew. THe stage act, like Joanna, do a rehearsal with the orchestra at 5pm, then the same act twice after dinner sittings, then a separate show a couple of day later, then she leaves at the next port.

Jean is an actress who has five monologue shows that she does during the daytime program, as well as hosting the cruise TV Channel Doris Visits.

On the way home from the Caribbean, there was a force ten gale and 30m high waves. The ship could not dock at Benrmuda, so all the guest acts had to stay on board for 5 more days until the Azores - then a 14 hour journey home via Lisbon. Life at sea .....