We recently went on our first SAGA cruise

 The SAGA ocean-going cruise ship, the Spirit of Adventure, is one of the newest ships at sea.

SAGA refers to itself as a boutique cruise line. We looked up the meaning of 'boutique' and the phrase that fits is a small company that offers highly specialized services or products. Its product is for those 50 or above, but it specialises in the great care of those who may need a little more help, some maybe a little older. On our cruise, with them, the average age was said to be 77, and we are not sure if that included the crew but it probably included guest artists like the 19-year-old drummer and the rest of the musicians and acts, because they are full guests whereas the resident hosts and musicians are crew and wear badges.

There is normally a Chaplin on board, the menu is traditional and the speciality restaurant should be informed if you like spice when you order. After our first meal, we asked for a spice level of 10/10 and it was great. 

The all-inclusive tours normally have space as they tend to be panoramic type tours. That buzz word panoramic on all cruises tends to mean a coach journey seeing the sights, with one or two photo stops. Of the three we took, one was just that with the toilet stop longer than the photo stop, the second was a museum with lifts plus a coach tour (Ephesus), and the third would have been tough for anyone with walking difficulties and they clearly said that. That tour also included a museum and was by far the best for us. (Troy). Our film of the three comparing the tours is here.  SAGA WEB PAGE

Back to the ship. The TV is great, very modern, with biographies, loads of movies and talks from the captain and crew plus menus and other information, the daily paper and events. I guess these will soon be on an app as they have gone this far. There are very set dining times, breakfast ends at 10 am. Lunch ends at 2 pm, and dining is over early. Often both salad options on the menu had meat in (see menu above), and sliced turkey will have pork sausages and bacon laying on it in the serving bowl.

There is room service which many who rarely venture from their rooms take advantage of, and the waiters are dressed butler-like. There is only one show, then the ship goes very quiet. The upstairs Britannia lounge will have a small gathering and the guest entertainers are normally there and the hosts have to dance until 11.30 which is similar to Cunard. A trio backs the cabaret act, and the house band is a trio with a singer. There are some sail-away events, either a duo, the house band or the hosts. 

The ship is very new in design and has many new features. These include the five vertical fire and flood zones (unlike other ships they number their zones with Zone 1 starting at the back, zone 5 being the front and a helicopter rescue area that was used during our cruise. (film). Having two separate power generator plants, each with two generators (nine-cylinder diesel) and them being away from each other means a fire or flood in one area allows the ship to function. They can produce up to 6900 volts!  SAGA WEB PAGE

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Right down to USB sockets to charge your device not just in your cabin and in the library but in other places on the ship, it is a ship designed to meet the future of cruising. The use of an electronic device to read or listen to an audiobook is definitely a nod to the future too, as there are no real books in the library (apart from the book swap pile). We can confirm that is where the market is because our own books are read mainly in the Kindle library and sell more on Audiobook than in paperback. If you are new to our cruise crime series, start at the beginning and get to know the characters. Cruise Ship Heist is book 1 although each is a separate story and can be read as a stand-alone novel.

The fins or stabilisers are side fins that are pushed out hydraulically and operated independently by a computer driver sensor to stop the ship from having a bad rolling motion when the sea is rough. The Captain suggested even with a side wind the tilt was expected to be no more than ten or eleven degrees. Being a small ship, and the smallest we have been on for some time, they do move more with the sea than bigger ships. The pitch front to back, or up and down is noticeable so if you suffer from sea-sickness choose to stay in the middle and low down. Also, pack the wristbands. There is a tiny shop on board and small jewellers, but this all-inclusive ship does not work on the need to sell. You are not chased by the waiters like you are on ships that have to meet targets. There are also two bow propellers in tunnels through the ship to help side manoeuvres and parking at the birth (the modern version of side thrusters).

The manoeuvrability of the ship is fantastic. It has 2 x Siemens SISHIP SiPODs that can swivel a full 360 degrees (on a large cog driven by 4 x internal motors) meaning the ship can pirouette. The electric motor that drives the high skew propellor (that pulls the ship rather than pushes) is in the pod (one in each), not the ship, which means no shaft and less vibration.

The small ship is not actually small, and it dwarfed the R-class Azamara ship next to it in Lisbon. At 236 m long it keeps at 999 guests to be referred to as a small ship. However, it is roomy and spacious, though the speciality restaurants get busy as people look to sample the more adventurous food.

The top speed of 18 knots was beaten by a run at 19 knots during our stay

During our 4-week cruise, the ship was half full. 524 guests and 535 crew were on board. The following amounts were consumed.

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• Lobster main coarse on formal night[/caption]

  
  

• nearly 0.5 tonnes of Lobster
• 5 tonnes of chicken
• 85,000 eggs
• 3,000 ltrs of ice cream
• 15,000 bottles of wine
• 1,500 bottles of liquor

Incineration and waste are done at least 12 nautical miles out, and they have the latest ecosystems and incinerators inside. There are three SLCE water makers and each can produce 10 tonnes per hour. There is a storage capacity of 1,400 tonnes of water. The fire-fighting system is also the newer vapourised water approach. This means a mist of vapourised water is used to consume the fire, but uses less water and gives less of a flooding problem than when fighting fire with sprayed water. There are two fixed pump areas, each with 14 pumps, ready to be used for fire fighting. Hot steam is also pumped around the ship from a couple of boilers, to heat the water. But the ship also uses exhaust fumes to reheat.

To keep you cool there are 4 x chillers, each with 6 compressors. These are used for cooling and air-conditioning. The ship still uses external seawater to cool the engines, and this is via scrubbers (filters) in the 'sea chest'. 

It is very heartening to know that the ship can remain afloat with two of the five watertight sections flooded. That it uses two types of fuel (14,500 tonnes fuel capacity) so carries the cleaner gas oil when a port demands, meaning better access to destinations. At full speed it uses 70 tonnes of fuel a day, and 40 tonnes when cruising. On a port-day (8am to 5pm) it will use 6 to 7 tonnes.

The air rescue area at the front of the bow is only overlooked by 4 master suites. This deck is normally a crew relaxation deck on most cruise ships, so on these ships, the crew get the court area on deck 14, which means no ball games, no walking football. Cabin Video here.

987 Guests | 6 Lifts | 540 Crew | 236m or 774.3ft length | 102.4ft beam | 58,250 GT | speed 18kn | Built Meyer Werft | Launched 2021  SAGA WEB PAGE for OCEAN CRUISING

This is our own film of the ship, showing what it has to offer. Please share and embed.

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SAGA CHAT GROUP - all the ships

Cunard next then back to P&O.

This ambitious build in Midtown Manhattan between 48th and 55th streets is historic as it was taken on by one man. It was declared an American National Historic Landmark in 1987. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. leased the 22 acres from Columbia University in 1928, the development began in 1930 without the originally planned opera house as his plans changed following the stockmarket crash of 1929 and the Metropolitan Opera's continual delays to hold out for a more favourable lease. Rockefeller decided to move forward without them stating, "It was clear that there were only two courses open to me. One was to abandon the entire development. The other to go forward with it in the definite knowledge that I myself would have to build it and finance it alone." As the sole financier, on a 27-year lease with options for three 21 year renewals, from Columbia, he negotiated a line of credit with the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and covered other expenses through the sale of his oil company stock. The initial costs were estimated at $250 million. It was the largest private building project ever undertaken in modern times. Now the building attracts approximately 350,000 visitors and tenants daily!!!

The Rockefeller Centre is the most recognised commercial property in the world. The Rockefeller Centre houses art, pieces, sculptures and wall paintings. There are some restaurants and bars, much commercial office space and roof gardens. NBC runs 21 floors, then there is the combined ticket Top of the Rock and Museum of Modern Art. The centre building stands 70 floors and reaches 872 ft less than half the size of the Burj Khalifa showing how times have changed in so many respects. The address is 30 Rockefeller Centre and it gave its name to the TV show. It is situated in midtown Manhattan between Fifth and Sixth Avenue. The first building completed was the Radio City Music Hall, in December 1932. At the time, it was said to be the largest and most opulent theater in the world. As well as being famous for the Christmas Tree and Ice Skating there are other family events throughout the year. It has Bill's Burger Bar, Ben & Jerry's, Harry's Italian Pizza and other eateries. The shops include the NBC shop and a Lego shop.

SEE THE CRUISE BEFORE YOU CRUISE THE SEA. Check out some of the great Cruise Routes, our concise films of what a ship offers when it takes a specific route. These are typical routes but we do have films to help cruisers on every popular cruise destination in the world.  Baltic Route - Canary Islands Cruise - New England Cruise - Caribbean Cruise (from Barbados) - Norwegian Fjords - Mediterranean Routes

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P&O cruise ship Azura, ship tour all passenger areas

The Cruise Ship from P&O Azura has a 3100 passenger capacity but doesn't feel like a big ship which is why it has its fans and such a high returning customer base to its 14/19 passenger decks.

With some bigger ships having over 6800 passengers and the P&O flagship Britannia having approx 3640 passengers, maybe, the Azura will soon no longer be referred to as large. It no longer makes the top 30 biggest cruise ships. However, it is three sets of corridors long as opposed to the Arcadia's or the even slightly smaller but spacious Aurora's two sets, so it is larger. It is the sister ship to the Ruby Princess and the Ventura.

It is said to be the ship that the raunchy romantic novel Her Virgin Voyage was written on during a Canary Islands cruise, but not the ship in the second book which predicted P&O's venture into the first same sex marriages at sea in the second book The Perfect Storm. The Azura is an easy ship to navigate, it offers a lot in the way of fine dining options and entertainment with three large venues as well as quiet areas and a library, so it has the best of both worlds. It also has a pub and casino on the lower decks if you wish to avoid dressing on formal nights. Take a look at our film of all passenger areas first. Please subscribe to us on You Tube and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Check out some of the great Cruise Routes, our concise films of what a ship offers when it takes a specific route. These are typical routes but we do have films to help cruisers on every popular cruise destination in the world.                                                          

 Baltic Route - Canary Islands Cruise - New England Cruise - Caribbean Cruise (from Barbados) - Norwegian Fjords - Mediterranean Routes

If you are new to Doris Visits Cruise TV then welcome, we invite you to comment at the end of our blogs, and ask you for follow us on here on www.DorisVisits.com and like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and subscribe to our YouTube Channel to get the best from us. We are always looking for presenters and social media activists to help us expand so drop us a line anytime with ideas at press@DorisVisits.co.uk  PLEASE SHARE

SEE THE CRUISE BEFORE YOU CRUISE THE SEA. Worldwide destination films for cruisers; New York to Barbados, Rome to Stavanger, Bora Bora to Tallinn, Tenerife to Cork.

The New England Cruise Route

Nothing is as impressive as autumn on the east coast of North America, a perfect time of year to witness the superb spectacle of colour in the Fall or Autumn - whichever.

These New England cruises offer a contrast between some of the most British of American harbours with the familiar colours of leaf fall, and the rugged Cornish-like sea coast. Boston is many people's favourite American city with its huge park and "Cheers" bar. Our films there take in the Parks and Freedom trail as Boston is an easy city to explore on foot although there are trolly buses for tourists.

Bar Harbour is a port that is a tender port and often missed due to bad weather so the dreamed of ''lobster roll' was missed - it has been for us every time. One day we will get there.

New York’s wonderful Statue of Liberty against an instantly recognisable skyline is an amazing sight as the ship cruises along the Hudson River. Then the ships start to creep further south to Baltimore, then to Charleston and Bermuda before taking in the Azores on the way home. All these are featured on our East Coast menu, so if you have not cruised there yet, take a look at this route. Our destinations are split into route sections to make it easy for you, have a look around and let us know your thoughts. This was the main section of the Aurora 715 Boston down and back to the Azores.

A cruise route is like a road trip at sea, if you have missed our previous blog on the road movie film The Last Flag Flying, please take a look. Great movie.

Check out some of the great Cruise Routes, our concise films of what a ship offers when it takes a specific route. These are typical routes but we do have films to help cruisers on every popular cruise destination in the world.              Baltic Route - Canary Islands Cruise - New England Cruise - Caribbean Cruise (from Barbados) - Norwegian Fjords - Mediterranean Routes

Caribbean Explained

Caribbean - round up

The Atlantic crossing has long meant so much; the journey to a new world, to wealth, freedom, and discovery - for some. For others, it was the nightmare of slavery and abuse, of rape and pillaging. The slavery museum in Tortola is hidden away, the lights in this building are not often on in this building even though it is open, but it is a dreadful reminder of how man is repeatedly shown to have poor standards and a convenient justification of actions. In Solo Cruiser book 3, American Portrait, Aled, the young painter straight out of art school takes Violet there and she stands in horror at the history of the near past. Book 3 and book 4 are set in this area and I am sure the islands will be re-visited in future books and I hope we are still involved. We like these books because aside from the romance the stories unveil so much about the past as well as cruising. For the winter sun, many ships sail off for the 'Caribbean season'. So, Columbus discovered America, which was already there, already populated and had been discovered before. What he discovered was how special these places were, how they could supply fruits, sugar and rum, minerals and gems. Money changes hands, people lived off supplying facilities to these sailors and traders from bars and sex to shipping repairs and farming tools. Plants and plantations were moved with slaves to work them. Even after the slavery act had been agreed, British ships dropped their British flag and the owners continued to ship slaves under another flag to their wealthy relatives who needed a continuous labour stream. From the TV show Roots to the recent Taboo starring Tom Hardy to Pirates of the Caribbean there has been filming all over these islands so what is this area to a cruise fan? It is a means of income for the families that live there now.

The Cruisers Caribbean - Area

The Caribbean Sea is a finite area but the Caribbean route is not. South America and the Amazon are at its base, the land joining the Americas with the fracture made by the Panama Canal is to the east, the Gulf of Mexico and Florida is to the North and the Caribbean Islands themselves to the West, form the barrier to the Atlantic Ocean. Barbados for example is on the east edge. On this island, the west coast is a holiday resort and has beautiful beaches as it faces the Caribbean. East coast Barbados has a rugged stormy coast line facing the Atlantic, we have a film of each. For a cruiser, one could include Charleston in the North as the top of the circuit, with the growing Port Canaveral as the most northern Florida stop. Here you will find Space Parks and Disney and so much more as Jean shows in our film there. Canaveral is a transit stop for many Caribbean cruises to fly into. Also to the North you get New Orleans. To the South, most maps and routes include Trinidad as the last island, but then some will add the Amazon as an extended adventure. All these places can be on a route, so we have broken it into three menus in our cruise destinations. We have all the islands.

please check out our menus for the Caribbean and films on every island. www.DorisVisits.com

8.4 Billion dollars expanding the Suez a few years ago is having positive effect. Oceana adds Arabian Adventures to its 2019 itinerary, so it won't just be the Arcadia World or Fred Olsen who takes you there. Who else will go through the canal?

SUEZ CANAL to SALALAH, MUSCAT, DUBAI

When Doris Visits went to the World Travel Market at the end of last year, one of the things that was being pushed very hard was the work between governments and tourist agencies to open up some areas of the world that were being avoided. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi who has now held power in Egypt since 2014 is said by some to be building Egyptian stability through achievements. His 8 billion dollar expansion of the Suez Canal is having a positive effect. Egypt means business! It also opens the Middle East for bigger business and cruise ships adding the over 100 mile transit through the canal may be a sign of its success. The Middle East is changing fast; over 80% of Dubai's population are non native and have gone there to live, work and play hard and have better life styles than they could achieve at home. The expansion of the Suez Canal can be a historic sea change in people getting to know each other, integrate and mix more, that always achieves something! This connection is so important that Pharaohs as far back as the 2nd millennium BC were trying to achieve this. This video takes you through at motorway speed in under two minutes.

The Suez Canal makes the Middle East closer and quicker to get to. However, even with the canal Dubai is still a long way away to be in a short cruise unless you fly cruise, and the Oceana offers that in 2019. We have never travelled on this ship, but before it goes there we will have joined the ship at least twice and will be able to show you round and its many special destinations. The Oceana is probably a ship for those who like history for it often explores Greece and the Roman empire. Valletta in Malta with it’s 16th century bastion walls and spectacular views of the Grand Harbour are in the outward journey. This port may get much busier if cruise traffic increases.
The Suez passage is then an unforgettable route from Port Said, Suez in the Mediterranean to the Port Tewfik in the Red Sea. Originally a one way passage for a considerable length when built in 1869, it contains no locks system. Seawater flows freely north of the Bitter Lakes flows north in winter and south in summer. The expansion of the Ballah Bypass, some 35 km of waterway, cost 8.4 billion. Suez extends from the northern terminus of Port Said to the southern terminus of Port Tewfik at the city of Suez.
Salalah originally the capital of Dhofar it is the largest city in the Province and the second largest city in the Sultanate of Oman. It became famous for its incense trade in the 13th century and is said to be fragrant with frankincense, littered with ancient ruins and home to the Queen of Sheba’s palace. Much history has been told and retold here and a fantastic day awaits you. The sultan traditionally lives in Salalah rather than the capital Muscat your likely next stop. Muscat has been known as an important trading port since the first century and is a fast growing multi ethnic city rapid advances to infrastructural development that has led to a vibrant economy heading towards a population of 2 million. The influences of  the Persians, the Portuguese the Ottoman Empire and its own influence extending as far as East Africa and Zanzibar are all still evident.
Dubai is likely to be next, often called the ‘Pearl of the Arabian Gulf’ it is a heady mix of hot sun, parties, alcohol, high-rise architecture, the cleanest metro ever, youth, polo playing, the tallest building in the world and boutique shopping. We have ten films on Dubai and our son and his wife lived there for years. The Oceana then goes on but it is your choice whether to disembark in Dubai or further explore. The ship cruises the area for some time after this and takes in the ports listed below. Please share and use our links into P&O to book. Thank you. Hey, if you film a port let us know.
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• Oceana 902 10th to 30th January 2019, Southampton to via Suez Canal. ends Dubai. Click here for more details, availability and to book.  You can join 902 and 903 together.
• Oceana 903 30th Jan to 9th Feb 2019, Dubai to Dubai. Click here for more details, availability and to book. PORT STOPS - Sir Bani Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, Manama, Khor al Fakkan, Khasab
• Oceana 904 9th Feb to 19th Feb 2019, Dubai to Dubai. Click here for more details, availability and to book. PORT STOPS - Manama, Abu Dhabi, Sir Bani Yas Island, Muscat, Khasab
• Oceana 905 9th Feb to 1st March 2019, PORT STOPS - Dubai to Dubai. Click here for more details, availability and to book. PORT STOPS - Manama, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Khasab, Sir Bani Yas Island
• Oceana 906 1st March to 11th March 2019, Dubai to Dubai. Click here for more details, availability and to book. PORT STOPS - Manama, Abu Dhabi, Khor al Fakkan, Khasab, Sir Bani Yas Island
• Oceana 907 11th March to 21st March 2019, Dubai to Dubai. Click here for more details, availability and to book. PORT STOPS - Manama, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Khasab, Sir Bani Yas Island
• Oceana 908 21st March to 9th April 2019, Dubai to Malta via Suez Canal. Click here for more details, availability and to book.

Take advantage of Early Saver Deals when available for these cruises. We have videos of many of the cruise stops you might make from Miami to Tahiti, from Bruges to St Maarten. With your help we will build more and be a better resource for cruisers. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter and share and book via links on our site. Thank you.

• Fred Olsen  - Click here   Often combine the Canaries with Casablanca or Agadir.
• Saga Cruises  - Click here
• P&O Cruises  - Click here
• The Royal Caribbean - Click here
• Azamara Club Cruises - Click here
• Celebrity Cruises - Click here
• Norwegian Cruise Line - Click here
• Regent Seven Seas - Click here
• Cruise and Maritime Voyages - Click here

SOLO CRUISER BOOK SERIES. Violet Becket has never cruised. infant she has been no where for a long time. Too long. And she has never had romance, never ever. As an older woman time is running out and she needs to make a change. This romantic read is based around cruises because once she cruises she loves it. That is her romance, well, there is a little more. Sally Katz used the films on Doris Visits to peg her books on! With permission. Each good read shows off a typical good cruise. But it is not about the places or the ships, you will know them back to front, if not you will get to know them. It is about Violet's journey. Warning, there are two versions; HER VIRGIN VOYAGE is the lighter version, but VIRGIN VOYAGE is the full fat with full raunchy version like 50 Shades. Her Virgin Voyage has all the story just about 2500 words shorter. It is about a woman discovering life late in life, Violet's story ranges three books. The second is a Baltic Cruise, again there are two versions, the third in the USA / Caribbean and there is only the lighter romance version as her story concludes for a while. Book four follows another character you have met and liked.

Cruise the Norwegian Fjords, this is what a typical cruise looks like

A fjord is a deep, narrow and elongated freshwater lake drain into the sea, so the waters mix. Basically sea water with fresh water means it is crystal clear water with steep land on three sides. I guess you can explain everything in print, but the fjords are something to see, possibly with classical music playing. At one end of the ship it probably will be playing on the address system, because they know it works too. This is a cruise where people from all nations travel to join British ships because of the spectacle. Sailing between huge mountains that nearly touch the side of the ship has a majesty and reminds me of old Hercules movies. I ski a couple of times a year or more and have done for twenty years, I have seen some of the worlds biggest waterfalls like the Zambezi and worked filming a commercial on the one on the Thai / Burmese border about forty minutes out of Chiang Mia so I don't trek up to glaziers on this cruise, it has a different appeal. There is something majestic and peaceful, huge yet serene, there, I said you could perhaps tempt a few words but take a look at the video then I will give you a run down of the cruise, the route, the week.

After leaving the UK there will be a day sailing across the North Sea. This is very likely to be a Black Tie night, the entertainment will be good and the fine dining restaurants busy. Day two you will arrive at a gateway, one of two, either Stavanger, Haugesund or Bergen, before heading further north. It is normally Stavanger and as long as it is not a Sunday it will be open. Sunday is a quiet day. Stavanger's old town is the best place to start, it is on the hill up from what used to be the fishing quay and will now undoubtedly have a cruise ship parked against. It has a canning museum, an old worker's cottage and next to it a glass artist. The tourist office has been moved down out of the town into the quay. There are normally two ships in at least every day. Other things we show on the film are the cathedral, the lake and the street of coffee shops in the market.
Day two is often Flam, which is maybe the adventure centre of the Fjords. Much to do, buzzy and busy, organised and friendly, this is the place to hire an electric talking tourist car for two (small people with driving license) and much more. In the car you can easily travel to Aurland or into the Stegastein Valley. For the mountain train book in advance or on the ship it has limited ability and will and does sell out. Walking in the mountains is fun and we have covered was 3 to Brekkefossen Waterfall on film. In contrast day two might be Skjolden where you can hire a bike and cycle to the glacier or just stroll around the tiny town.
Olden is often on Day three and it is a small village. Olden has a population of only 500 people, which is about 40% of the size of the cruise ship Azura's crew and as many children as were in the passenger section on board. It is a time to walk and relax.
There are normally four stops so the last is on the way back south, and normally Bergen. My funny story is that we had Jon Fisher on board entertaining us, he is the foremost Gary Barlow tribute act, and the Princess ship that was also in had Tony Fisher on board who is the foremost Robbie Williams tribute act on board and they met in a bar for the first time! Our week's entertainment was full and also included comedian Manuel Martinez who guest appeared in the Bergen film. We should have filmed that rather than the city, maybe next time. Bergen has a steep mountain train or vehicular to the top where there are incredible views and gardens. The town has a fish market where you can taste whale meat, and an old village within the town of wooden houses, shops and coffee houses. Bryggen is a must for all visitors.
It can rain at all of these stops. The ones onside the fjords have been mostly sunny for us and the gateway towns always rain at some point. Be prepared for hot and cold. So the trip is the same, the glory of the Fjords, cut by nature during the ice age.
See all the other videos we made during this and other cruises. The Fjords are very filmatic and the our video of a typical Norwegian Fjord Cruise shows that to Mark Blackledge's wonderful music. The guides of the towns like this one is just of the town. We also have guides on Olden, Fläm, Stavanger, Skjolden and Bergen. Please share this page. The Fjords can take in other stops and head further north to Iceland, so choose your route.
Check out our travel web series on www.DorisVisits.com

• Fred Olsen  - Click here
• Fred Olsen Norwegian Fjords - Click and book here
• Saga Cruises  - Click here
• Saga Norway - Click and book here
• P&O Cruises  - Click here
• P&O Norway and Iceland - Click and book here
• The Royal Caribbean - Click here
• Azamara Club Cruises - Click here
• Celebrity Cruises - Click here
• Norwegian Cruise Line - Click here
• Regent Seven Seas - Click here
• Cruise and Maritime Voyages - Click here

STRICTLY ON A SHIP by actress Jean Heard. TV cruise presenter for Doris Visits.

As the main presenter for the on line and Opera TV cruise show Doris Visits I get to cruise a lot, but I was keenly looking forward to Strictly Come Dancing at sea. I normally work at every port stop filming from the moment the ship docks until the moment it leaves, and I try and see every entertainment act so I thought this might be a busy cruise for me. I had no idea just how busy and exhausting, I have never been on a cruise with so much on offer! If you have never cruised tale a look at the ten minute blow by blow of ports, ship and what was on. It is an education. B718 in the Med. Actually as this blog is content heavy you might want to read it then come back to the links.

Day one, a Sunday the Britannia left Southampton and quite a few of the three and a half thousand passengers were finding their way round the ship for the first time. The tone of the cruise was set as we found costumes from Strictly, soon to be known as SCD on mannequins around the ship. SCD is now very organised on board, so if you are worried that such an event filled cruise might be battle to see things I cannot stress enough that is not. Britannia holds 3600 passengers and the Headliners Theatre holds 950. Each special SCD act performs four times and they are ticketed to ensure that everyone gets to see the show and I think almost always when they want. Now it is down to you, the passenger to plan how you will get round the event filled day and find time to eat! With choir, other entertainers and port stops the list of events looked daunting.

Monday 26^th morning it started early with the opportunity to book private lessons with Janette Manrara and Aljaz Skorjanec in the Atrium where passengers were also encouraged to book to compete for the final grand passenger dance off. There was a SCD help desk set up in the Atrium. At 2pm there was a Master Class with Janette Manrara and Aljaz Skorjanec in the Crystal Ballroom, this was busy but people were in good spirits. then at 4pm Janette and Aljaz were in the packed 950 seat Headliners theatre. The charming couple were introduced by Tracy Clegg and Aljaz told the story of how the last question two years ago on the same cruise was ‘when are you going to propose?’ He said he went straight to the on board jewellers and bought the ring, he told how he proposed and they then revealed their wedding plans which are to take place just a couple of weeks after they disembark the ship. Three weddings, London, Cuba and Slovinia. They also announced that they have both been confirmed back on this year’s Strictly with three new female dancers and a new female judge. We were off to a great start Black Tie evening I was spoilt with an early treat at Michelin star chef Atul Koochar’s Sindhu Restaurant.

10am on Tuesday 27^th there was the first of a hosted wardrobe tour of the SCD costumes on board and at midday Janette ran a Master Class in the Crystal room. Later in the Limelight Janette and Aljaz ran a dance class for youths in the more private area of the Limelight Club. Everything worked like a well oiled machine with Eric Lanlard doing both a Master Cookery Class in the morning and an Audience with in the headliners in the afternoon. Because some of the events are ticketed, there was a Strictly help desk established in the Atrium from 9am to 10.45 daily. I was spoilt with an early treat at Michelin star chef Atul Koochar’s Sindhu Restaurant.

Wednesday  28^th June the costume tours repeated but there was the additional live fashion show at 4pm from the resident ship’s show cast. Jeanette and Aljaz did a meet and greet session, signing and having photographs with guests at midday. Film director Stuart St paul revealed the secrets to filming on location and spilt the beans on how little of Angels and Demons was shot in Rome. (that is a fun way to see Rome, see the blog) (He also reveals the best way to shoot the Trevi Fountains in the Rome blog)

The black tie evening was quite special and very full so we eat early. I had the lobster main course and the two of us shared the suggested wine so we were off to a great start. Jeanette and Aljax did the forst of ther evening shows and we were there. This was a ticketed event, not because there was a cost, but because everyone wanted to see them and it was the perfect way to ensure everyone did. There were two shows that night in the headliners, 8.30 and 10.30, then two more to follow tomorrow. That meant four chances to see the show. The Headliners theatre is bigget than most West End shows, it has an LED back wall for effects and backdrops but that was not used. The whole stage was a dance area and they performed. It was a joy to watch such master talent close up and personal and I have not seen such great dancing since Patrick Swayze danced with his wife at the Oscars. Two other dance couples danced with them twice, and they were the specialist dance instructors on board for the tweo weeks. They were also magnificent dancers, but, the sheer excellence of the our stars was obvious. The show was funny and engaging and mixed clips with antidotes as well as dances including the Russian Tango, the American Smooth and a Jive. The ‘Evening With’ event at the headliners felt like a longer very full show and one can see why they need to eat because the energy they must use twice a night plus their day time training as well as dance classes must burn huge amounts of calories. Opposite them in the live lounge at the other end of the ship KaiMcKenzie was Michael Bublé, a tribute act even Michael says is the best. We left the theatre having been spoilt with a great show and managed to find seats to watch another hugely talented individual.

Thursday 29^th June was our first stop in Alicante and I was off filming one of our usual films for Doris Visits. In the evening were the next two shows for Jeanette and Aljax to ensure the hole ship had seen them, we went to see the very funny comedian Tucker, who we have seen before but had new material and even the ones we had heard before made us laugh out loud.

Friday we were in Barcelona. Jeanette and Aljaz left the ship and Karen and Kevin Clifton got on. Eric and Ern, the Eric Morceombe and Ernie Wise tribute who we also play golf with back home in The Stage Association, the next small world phenomenon happened. Another of the golfers partners was on board to sing. This was a real treat because we have heard about her for a long time as one of the top female West End stars but had never seen her, Jenna Lee-James. She had just finished playing the lead in Mamma Mia and had previously been in We Will Risk you for nearly six years so she sung everything from Streisand to Freddie Mercury and we were in the presence of greatness once again.

Saturday 1^st July. A cruise ship does make the world a small place because although it was too windy for the Britannia to pull into Cannes, plans were made for us to detour to Corsica. Having missed Cannes film director and Cannes veteran was on board to explain the Cannes Film Festival and what goes on there. In the evening Tucker held a late night comedy session. The entertainment kept coming day and night and it was exhausting reporting on all of them. Tucker was a treat.

Sunday was La Spezia and we took the train Pisa and filmed the leaning tower, cathedral and town for Doris Visits. On the way back we did a short film on La Spezia for the many who like to see the local town and never venture further. Back on board was an audience with Karen and Kevin.

Monday 3^rd we arrived in Civitavecchia and we travelled into Rome where I presented and Angles and Demons film made for Doris Visits. Kevin and Karen performed the first two of there show in the evening. Or there was a cookery club dinner at the chefs table in the Cookery Club on deck 17. Bucks Fizz star Cheryl Baker started her four nights in the Limelight.

Tue 4^th July Black Tie - Peter Andre performed the first of his four shows and in the live lounge was Rieta Austin one of the Strictly singers performing her show. Film and action director Stuart St Paul was in the Headliners theatre in the afternoon talking of his years of Pop Videos where he co choreographed pop videos like Wild Boys with Strictly’s Arlene Philips and Elton John Videos with Strictly’s Bruno adding the action, the fire and the sumasulting gymnasts into the routines.

Wed 5^th July we stopped at Catagena, a regular stop but I had not been there since a very early Britannia cruise and noted that since then they have hidden the entrance to the amphi theatre that was accidently found in 1980. Now you have to accidently find it again, though the best views of it are still from above it, the castle and the park.

Peter Andre did the last two of his four shows and Jayne Middleton was in the Live Lounge as Annie Lennox.

Thur 6^th saw Craig Revel Horwood start the first of his four shows in the headliners and soul legend Jimmy James played in the Live Lounge. Darren Day started his run in the Limelight.

Friday 7^th was a black tie night, and Strictly’s Natalie Lowe hosted a chat session at midaday then judged the passenger dance finals with Craig and Executive producer Richard Curwen. Lven Johnson played the live lounge as Winey Houston but we saw Dareen Day in the Limelight perform an incredible show.

Saturday 8^th, the last sea day saw things wind down with Exec Producer Richard Curwen talk about whe behind the scenes, Natalie Lowe did a signing session and then the ships company of in house entertainers did the second of the strictly fashion shows. Director Stuart St Paul did his final talk about directing on Petra and the Wadi Rum as an introduction to the Arcadias 99 day circumnavigation next year. That night I had dinner in the Sindhu, feeling totally spoilt and exhausted and needing a holiday to get over the busiest and most entertainment cruise I have ever been on. Even Richard Curwen said it was the biggest Strictly Cruise show ever and that talks were on going for next year to be even bigger. It is a good job I am boarding the Azura for the Fjords in two weeks time as I need a break? Click the picture or here to get to the ten minute fast cut film of the blow by blow cruise.

Doris Visits is a cruise travel Channel now with over 200 films up and many informative blogs. If you would have told me when we were shooting the 60 episodes of the web series Shades Of Bad, that it would turn into this I would have laughed. Now I look at the next twelve months in the diary, having already cruised three times in 2017, and there are with more cruises. I am looking forward to the two round Greece next year. Please share and flow us at www.DorisVisits.com

Note from the editor, she never even mentioned the stop in Gibraltar !