11. Homeward Bound.

We are now on our way back to Southampton, the air has turned cool and damp once again, and we have just passed under the Great Belt Bridge with just inches to spare.

As with any trip it's time for a few general observations. We found that the food has been rather hit and miss, especially during the first few days, another sign of the inevitable cost cutting no doubt. Although not affecting us greatly, it has been disappointing to see that shuttle buses to the city centres have either been withdrawn completely, or are subject to a charge, or are run in conjunction with the hop on hop off bus company. That is more cost cutting for sure. The evening shows we have either seen before or, with one exception which was a celebration of Burt Bacharach's music, have just not appealed although entertainment shows in the smaller lounges have been good.

On the plus side, the staff and crew have been as helpful and friendly as always and the ship is spotlessly clean throughout. The seas have been calm despite the cool weather, there have been no major or nagging issues and the ports of call have all been a delight.

Of the total 3,000 or so passengers, over half are British with around 700 Americans and a smattering of other various nationalities. There are also a number of younger children on board who seem to take over the swimming pool and several dozen older teenagers, (who have probably been brought along by their parents as a reward whilst waiting for exam results). They have been pretty well behaved and would definitely make an interesting "people watching" project!

Amongst our various dinning companions, the Aussies tend to be the best company although we have met some other interesting characters. One elderly gentleman (ex-services, late of Manchester and now living in Tel Aviv) kept us entertained with some sleight of hand tricks after dinner...and very good they were too. Magic! We also dined with another couple who left us speechless at times. He was a high flyer in finance now running a consultancy business (think Boris Johnson's long lost brother but with neater hair), while she was exuberant to the extreme (think Penelope Keith on speed), and also ran her own Management business. They had traveled extensively so part of the conversation went as follows;

Us - so where is your favourite place in the world?

Him - Oh, we love Tibet and Nepal, I've been to Everest three times

Her - (interjecting) Yes, but only to Base Camp, dear.

We have met one other elderly Jersey couple and believe that there is at least one more local family on board as we spotted a VCP sweatshirt!

We have participated in many of the trivias, sometimes on our own and sometimes with people we have met...unfortunately we haven't won, but always seem to be one or two points below the winners who seem to be semi-professional. The obligatory visit to the roulette table resulted in $15 winnings, enough to buy our cocktails for the evening.

So now we just have bags to pack ready for disembarkation tomorrow morning. Another little travel blog ends, but for anyone interested keep a look out as another one will begin in the middle of October when our next adventure begins!