The cruise was booked in February and the day of sailing, 29th April 2011, came round quickly. I caught the Red Jet over to Southampton where I met up with Patsy on Town Quay. After the obligatory photos of the ship line up - as well as Vision of the Seas, other cruise ships in were Celebrity Eclipse, Ventura, Saga Pearl II and Black Watch, which should have sailed two days before but had broken down. Unfortunately it was a misty and murky day, although bright, and the photos are a bit washed out; having the camera set to JPEG (L) and not RAW didn't help either - it was to save card space but I should have stuck with RAW.
Click on each photo for a larger version.
As an aside, Southampton City Council (or is it ABP?) really need to do something about the burnt-out and derelict Royal Pier. It's been in that state for years and is frankly embarrassing.
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| Vision of the Seas |
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| Celebrity Eclipse |
We then took a taxi round to berth 106, the Mayflower Cruise Terminal, where Vision of the Seas was docked. Patsy had suggested walking through Dock Gate 8 and along Herbert Walker Avenue through the docks, so she could see Celebrity Eclipse and Black Watch, as well as 'Vision' up close, but I said no, as we probably wouldn't be allowed and, besides, it was bloody miles! I'm not lazy but my knees aren't the best and I was towing a largish bag on wheels, as well as toting a camera bag, so I couldn't be arsed.
To cut a short story shorter, we checked in and boarded the ship immediately. Patsy has sailed with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises, who are allied, and has enough points to have 'Platinum' status so we got priority boarding and disembarkation, which saved a lot of hanging around.
After lunch in the Windjammer Cafe on Deck 9, which has a view forward, we went up to Deck 10 and waited for the crocked Black Watch to sail on her delayed cruise to the Med. BW had her departure put back so many times in the past 48 hours it was becoming something of a joke (although presumably not to the passengers on board!) but, just after 3pm, she sailed. A couple of people on Vision had friends aboard BW who they were in contact with via mobile phone and, unsurprisingly, they were very pleased to at last be on their way. Prior to her sailing, I had noticed a few people walking away from the ship, complete with luggage, I guess these were people who had decided to cut their losses/accept compensation for the delay and leave. There was also an ambulance on the quayside which left with no lights or sirens but with only the driver visible, which probably meant that the victim wasn't seriously hurt - or was dead.
Black Watch was docked starboard side to, so she had to go past us up to the Upper Swinging Ground to turn. It's true that the best place to take a photo of a ship is from another ship.
Our sailing was on Southampton VTS as 1745, but we were told it was 1630. Before that, at 1600, we had to go along to our lifeboat stations on the boat deck (Deck 5), although we didn't need to bring lifejackets from the cabins with us, to be told what to do and where to go in the event of disaster - in our case it was Muster Station 14 on the port side.
Once that was done, it was back up to Deck 10 to watch the other ships go and to wait our turn. While we had been waiting for the muster station practice to finish, the container ship Bangkok Express had left her berth and was in the process of going past us when I got back to my vantage point on Deck 10 so, unfortunately, the only photo of her was an 'arse shot'.
The other cruise ships sailed at, or just after, 1630. Saga Pearl II went first from the QEII Terminal, followed by Celebrity Eclipse from the City Cruise Terminal at Berth 101 (I agree with Patsy when she says that she wishes that they'd drop the 'Celebrity' prefix from the ships' names) and then Ventura from the Ocean Terminal.
1630 came and went, then 1645, then 1700 and we didn't move. I have no idea what the delay was, and the dockers were ready on the quayside to cast off our ropes, but we eventually went at around 1715. I was hoping we'd be on time because my aunt was waiting at East Cowes to see us go past and I'd already phoned her and told her we were leaving at 1630.
As we left the quayside the ship's Master, Capt. Magne Johansen, hit the horn which sounded just like the QE2's horn, a proper 'ocean liner' sound (check out this YouTube video of the QE2 versus 'nails down a blackboard'). It was very loud up on Deck 10 forward (I'd promptly rechristened that part of the ship 'Ten Forward' after the observation deck aboard the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Yes, I am a Trekkie!) and small children started bawling!
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| Mayflower Park from a different perspective. |
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| A different view of a Red Funnel. I'm usually 'down there' and not 'up here'. I assume the ferry is 'dressed overall' because of the Royal Wedding, which was earlier in the day. |
While it always seems to take ages travelling down Southampton Water on the ferry after visiting Southampton (I usually travel on the vehicle ferry rather than the fast ferry because it's cheaper with the added bonus that you can take pictures from the car ferry), it seemed to take no time at all on a big ship. Soon we were at Calshot, where a number of ship photographers were gathered, and beginning our turn round the Brambles, listing spectacularly as we did so, and into the Thorn Channel.
My aunt was at East Cowes to watch us go by - I know it sounds daft, but I have always wanted to sail down Southampton Water and past East Cowes on a big ship and be seen to be doing so! - and she took a number of photos of us.
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| My aunt (arrowed) was at East Cowes to watch the ship go past. I was hoping to see the dogs but they weren't visible, probably back in the car by then - I know how awkward it is to take photos and control dogs at the same time! |
My aunt's photos of Vision of the Seas passing East Cowes:
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| I'm on the top deck, next to the climbing wall behind the funnel. I could just about make myself out in the originals. |
As we left the Solent and passed the Nab, the light was beginning to go and thoughts turned to dinner. Our sitting was the second sitting at 8.45pm, this was because we didn't want to miss sailing down the Solent but we did want to miss families with small children who would be at the first sitting. After dinner, we went up to the Viking Crown Lounge, where a disco was in progress. The music was hopeless, mostly drum 'n' bass stuff you usually hear on Radio 1, so we didn't hang round for long, especially as there was a lairy, pain-in-the-arse stag do group who were loud, obnoxious and who, contrary to notices all round the ship and PA announcements when we sailed, chucked litter over the side. One of them took a glass onto the dance floor, which was not allowed, and promptly dropped it with the entirely predictable result that the glass smashed and the dance floor had to be cleared.
Luckily we seemed to have lost them at Amsterdam, as we never saw them again - hopefully they got chucked off! Having a good time is one thing, being a drunk and obnoxious moron is entirely another.
Onward to Amsterdam, where we were to arrive the following day...that'll be in Part 2.
