This was our first cruise on P&O Aurora and it was to Belgium and to Guernsey over a long weekend.
Day 1 Southampton Friday 13th May
I did go a little overboard on my packing as here are my two cases plus my carry-on.
We arrived early at the Mayflower Terminal but then had a 2.5 hour wait to board. The terminal was packed and there were a lot of parties.
Our suitcases were in our room by the time we boarded and after some unpacking we had a quick snack at the poolside grill. Then it was off to the safety drill in the Curzon Theatre. At least the recorded message wasn’t so loud as to be deafening. After practicing putting on life jackets and a warning that the whistles on the life jackets ‘could have had a thousand mouths on them’ load whistle touts could be heard all around the theatre!
It was a beautiful afternoon as Aurora turned 180 degrees to come out of the dock and sailed out of Southampton Water.
Dinner was the second sitting dining in the Alexandria on a table for six, with friends from earlier cruises. Lots of choice on the menu and I had Haggis tartlet , salad lyonnaise , steak and my favourite honey and ginger ice cream
We managed to get seats in the Curzon Theatre to see the Flyrights in their second show of the evening at 10:30. We had first seen them on Azura in March and they didn’t disappoint with both their singing and their dancing.
Day 2 Zeebrugge, Belgium Saturday 14th May 2016
We Docked at Zeebrugge early in the morning and as this is a working container port there are coaches provided either to the dock gates or into Blankenberge.
After an early breakfast we were able to catch a shuttle Transfer coach to Blankenberg just by the side of the ship. Once there, we walked up Kerkstrat and up the steps to the promenade(Zeeduk).
The shops are all clustered in this area and after an hour so of window shopping we headed back down Kerkstrat to have a drink and a rest in the at Terminus Bar. We were looking for somewhere to have hot chocolate like Bruges, but the bar did make an excellent mug of hot chocolate.
For lunch we had decided to pick up rolls from a shop and find a seat along the promenade. The rolls from the shop were Brie with nuts and pine nuts and ham and egg with salad. We were fascinated by the special till in the shop that took coins and notes and dispensed change so the staff never touched money. The man in front of us must have placed over one Euro in one cent coins to buy his loaf of bread. Probably better than leaving it in a drawer at home!
Every so often we would notice a large influx of people down the streets. This was after a train had arrived from Brussels to bring people for their weekend away. By the time we had arrived back at the promenade the sun had gone and we searched for a sheltered spot to eat, eventually using the sand garden of a closed bar.
As we left the promenade we had rain showers to add to the cool wind. This had people sheltering in doorways and behind food kiosks.
This was the moment that we decided that enough was enough and we left the sea front and headed back to catch the shuttle bus back to the ship.
We did stop and pick up some delicious pastries to have back on the ship as we walked.
The original railway station in Blenkenberge has been knocked down and a new modern building is being built in its place.
Back on-board the ship, we walked around the promenade deck and had a good look at the deployed anti-pirate noise generators that were deployed at the stern of the ship.
Once Aurora has cleared the harbour we set off down the channel at over 18 knots initially to make it to St Pter Port i the morning
Dinner was Marco Pierre White’s special with beef Wellington, followed by Baked Alaska and in the theatre the show was ‘Back to the 80s’ with the Headliners.