DFDS Cross Channel Ferry
Today we are at sea – all day with docking in Southampton due in the early hours of Sunday morning. If anything looking out of the windows at time are progress not only seems glacial – more like non-existent. I assume we are moving forwards but we really are moving very gingerly – the average will be under 10 knots for this journey.
To ensure we are au fait with the dining options we go to the Artisans Foodhall for breakfast – it is of course simply a renamed buffet and here I sense a real design problem. The counters are set high and plates are all passed over it with all food being served by the chefs. Fine – except that the plates are pretty warm and we have seen a lot of people this week on board using walkers and wheelchairs who simply cannot reach that high (and can probably not so easily manage a hot plate). I assume the high level design emanates post-covid – but to me it feels like a step backwards. However I do get both black and white pudding – which is rare anywhere else – so well done Cunard.
White Cliffs Dover
Regrettably the fine weather has vanished and it is grey and overcast outside; if it were not for the excessive number of windmills on the various horizons it is similar to being mid-Pacific – although as the day progresses we get views of coast lines and indeed intermittent 4G signals enabling a partial football score – until the signal is lost!
We have not previously visited the Observation Deck so head up there – it is open air and as we soon find it is the only location onboard where smoking is permitted – well there has to be somewhere! We do some reading but head elsewhere in favour of fresh air after a while. I think we have seen most of the ship on our various peregrinations around the boat. We did plan a burger on the Pavilion Deck – which is the main pool area – but it is both busy and noisy so decide on a light lunch up in the Grills restaurant.
Appealing activities were limited this morning but we have a busy afternoon. Jackie does her packing and then heads off to Bingo. I make use of the balcony – the seats are comfortable and I can listen to some podcasts and also observe the white cliffs of Dover as we are proceeding (still pretty slowly) along past Dover and Folkestone – with cross channel ferries crossing in front of us at one stage.
I then attend to some of my packing and then I attempt to find out progress in Brentford of the Southampton team – once we go 1-0 down I am fed up and almost glad that we lose the signal. I then join Jackie for some music in the Queen’s Room before attending most of the evening performance in the Royal Court theatre – but it is not as enthralling as “Brief Encounter” so depart for dinner.
Come Sunday morning we are docked and an early breakfast beckons before we can disembark, find our suitcases and car and return home.