Sea day – 23 August

Had a lateish start.  Went up to the Horizon Court which was heaving and then pottered about.  The sea was a little choppy but we definitely seem to have our sea legs.

We went to the cookery demo which was really good and then we watched the cha-cha and Irish dancing classes.  It was pub lunch again today.  To Catherine’s dismay the menu had changed, so no steak and kidney pie.  She had chicken curry instead and E had fish and chips as usual.  We opted out of the dessert as it was sherry trifle, not b and b pudding and we reckon we’ve eaten enough recently anyway!

We had the Platinum and above loyalty event.  C discovered that she likes rum punch!

Tonight we went to the show which, again, was excellent.  The entertainment on here continues to be some of the best we have seen on ships.

The party theme tonight was The British Invasion so the Piazza was decked out although as usual there wasn’t much evidence of the English part of Britain in the decor!  However, when it came to the music it seems that the only Brits ever to write any songs were Lennon and McCartney!

That is probably it for this blog.  The ship is in Le Havre on 24 August.  We expect the ship to be quiet as the excursions are long to such as Paris and the Normandy beaches.  We will spend the day enjoying the ship, packing, going to the gym and to the trivia quizzes.

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone and of course Harris.  We’ve loved this ship.  The TV programme about Royal Princess was not at all accurate.  The crew are excellent.  We do wonder sometimes how they continue to smile when faced with bizarre requests mainly from US passengers e.g. A triple large vanilla latte with 3 shots of coffee – whatever that might be!

The passengers as expected have been mainly US, but we there are also Australians, Italians, Spaniards and French Canadians as well as a few Brits.  There are several large tour groups and a fair share of mobility scooters!

Edinburgh - 22 August

Woke up on a lovely morning with a wonderful view of the Forth Bridge.

The Ocean Princess turned up.  She is much smaller than us (about 600 passengers) so was able to go under the Forth Bridges.

We had breakfast in the cabin and then headed off for the dining room to get our tender tickets.  We expected to have a very long wait but couldn’t have been more wrong.  After less than 2 minutes we were on our way!  We got a local shuttle into Edinburgh (£10 return) and found ourselves in Charlotte Square.  We had a walk along Princes Street taking in the views of the Castle and the Scott Monument and then joined the hop on hop off bus which took us round the usual sights. 

The Iron Duke built in Bronze by someone called Steele!

We then got off at Holyrood, had a quick toilet stop in the 20^th century grotesque architectural style of the Scottish Parliament building (what would Nicola say?!) and then headed off on foot to the Royal Mile.  The Royal Mile was filled with vibrant and some weird street performers and promoters from the Fringe which created a great atmosphere.

Have C and H got a sideline?

Our trip to Edinburgh could not be complete without popping to see Edinburgh’s favourite animal (apparently more popular than the pandas or Dolly the Sheep) – lovely Greyfriars Bobby.

We then returned to Queensferry and the ship ready for our evening.  Wonder if you can guess what we had for our very late lunch? 

We then spent a little time watching the ship’s fountains before getting ready for dinner - C did some video but you'll have to see that when we return.

Invergordon - 21 August

We arrived in Invergordon on a slightly overcast morning and disembarked so that Catherine could step on her most northerly point of land so far.  There were a couple of little gift shops and a pleasant high street.  Invergordon has a lot of large murals.

C with a 'muriel'!

and another!

View from the cabin

We decided to spend the day enjoying the ship so we ventured to the very well-equipped gym and spent some time in the hot tubs.  By now the sun was out and it was really nice to be outside.  By then we had got an appetite and had our daily visit to the Trident burger bar.

We then dressed up for dinner – we have a very small fan club of older North American men who admire our dresses.  Most of the women dress down and wear trousers and crops for dinner.  We have our British reputation to uphold!

Key lime pie - gave creme brulee a miss tonight!

Waiter insisted C had a dessert

At Sea - 20 August

Rather late start this morning after last night.  After breakfast we did a bit of shopping – $10 sale today which was heaving. The Piazza was all ready for tonight’s balloon drop.

We then chilled until lunchtime. Pub lunch today which was yummy.

We then dipped into a couple of films – really excellent selection to choose from.  We watched the 2^nd Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and saw the beginnings of 50 Shades, A Little Chaos and American Sniper to help us decide what to watch all the way through.

We sailed close to the Island of Skye.  Unfortunately Harris was too far in the distance for us to be able to take meaningful photos.

We then realised we hadn’t eaten for a couple of hours so a chicken burger for C and hot choc and biscuits for E. 

Tonight was formal night so time to rock out the posh dresses.  C got loads of compliments for her beautiful red dress.  It was the Marriage Game tonight which was hilarious as usual. The golden balloon drop finished the evening.

Sorry that today's effort is mostly food and drink but that is basically what we have done today.  However, here is the promised photo of us with our quiz winnings.