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Cruise on the Canberra by Maxine Bates On 23 December 1994 I boarded the Canberra amid a festive atmosphere. Santa was there to greet us and a Christmas tree was being hoisted up the mast!! This was only my second cruise, but I could quite easily become addicted. What other way is there to see the world in luxury and without living out of a suitcase? There were so many activities on board and not enough hours in the day - the ports of call were really only a bonus! Each morning the ship's newspaper was delivered to the cabins, so we could plan our day. Should we attend a craft demonstration, 'stroll-a-mile' around the promenade deck, play deck quoits, visit the beauty salon, take part in the keep fit class, listen to a port lecture, learn the rules of roulette, join in a dance class, swim in one of the three pools or just laze around on the Sun Deck? Decisions, decisions... Between all this action we also had to fit in breakfast morning coffee, a five course lunch, afternoon tea and finally a seven course dinner! (Amazingly I am still the same weight!) And for those who were still peckish, snacks could be delivered to your cabin 24 hours a day!! For some passengers the excellent food was the highlight of their cruise. The Captain's cocktail party and meal on Christmas Eve was particularly good, as was the gala dinner on New Year's Eve - complete with haggis, tatties and neeps! Evenings could be just as hectic and we found ourselves dashing from the restaurant to a variety show to a team quiz (a good opportunity to make new friends) to the disco and finally to dance to a live band until the early hours. There was also the choice of whether to watch a cabaret show, listen to a classical piano concert or visit the cinema, casino or one of the nine bars!! My favourite was the Crow's Nest Bar with its panoramic views. It's hard to believe that one ship can offer as much as, if not more than, some cities! As for the ports of call ...our first stop was Gibraltar on Boxing Day. Christmas day was spent at sea. It was strange to see sunshine and Christmas decorations! As it's so small we managed to visit St Michael's Cave, the Ape's Den, Catherine's Battery, the (very short) runway and Main Street in a few hours. Some shopkeepers had opened specially because Canberra had docked. Could it be the thought of 1,600 passengers wanting to spend their hard earned money on souvenirs!? Next it was down the coast of Africa to Agadir. This was my first - and last! - visit to Morocco. The town was full of concrete buildings, had no character and plenty of beggars. I took an excursion inland to the walled city of Taroudant, where we were propelled through a grotty market at high speed, stopped for a bottle of Coke at the Hotel Salem (a former palace, but now a tourist trap) and the highlight of the afternoon was seeing the tree-climbing goats. Yes, tree-climbing goats!! The only passengers who enjoyed Morocco were the ones who stayed on board the ship!! Have any Travel SIG members been to Morocco and, if so, did I just visit the wrong place? Gran Canaria and Tenerife were both scenic, warm and sunny. With the islands being so close together, we didn't need to leave Las Palmas (Gran Canaria) until midnight, so had a chance to sample the nightlife; namely the beach bars. Our final destination was Madeira on New Year's Eve. I took a full day excursion, including a tour of a wicker factory, a drive into the hills, a traditional lunch, a display of (and participation in!) folk dancing, wine tasting and, of course, the famous toboggan ride. £8 to be dragged down a hill in a laundry basket, but it's one of those things you just have to do whilst on Madeira! Unfortunately we arrived late afternoon when the toboggan handlers were probably exhausted, so our ride was more of a slide than a whizz!? In the evening there was a chance to walk around Funchal harbour and even have a drink on Vagrant - a yacht once owned by the Beatles and now a bar/restaurant. Then on the stroke of midnight a spectacular firework display (estimated cost £250,000!) began as loud cheers rang out and streamers were let off. A New Year's Eve I won't forget in a hurry! At 1.00 am
on New Year's Day we departed Madeira - I think the navigation crew had
to draw straws for that unenviable shift!! Then we turned north and the
swimming pools were covered over as we headed back to winter weather.
I'd just managed to find my way around Canberra without consulting
the maps located at every stairway when it was time to disembark! First published in VISA issue 16 (April 1995). |