Smithy's Cruise Blog

I found this on line, drawn by one of our fellow passengers – Queen Victoria and the Little Mermaid.

Sadly we didn’t see the mermaid this time. In the past, ships moored close to her and it was a short walk to see her. We were tied up this time further out of town in what appeared to be a newly developing dock area. Two large MSC ships were moored ahead of us

There would be large numbers of tourists in town today.

The very helpful lady from the tour office was in charge of shuttles today and was keen to keep me updated. I think she had been warned about me. There were to be 3 or 4 separate adapted vehicles each taking 2 wheelchair users and 6 carers/supporters.

When we were ashore an adapted vehicle arrived within 10 minutes and we were off. The sun was out and it was warming up. It was a 20 minute journey to get into the centre of Copenhagen.

We aimed for Nyhavn. The well known area was packed.

Thousands were lunching, more were queuing for tickets for boat trips up the canal and cobblestones were prolific. We decided that we would turn and travel in the direction of the Tivoli Gardens. Walking in the traffic free areas was easy and it was flat. There were plenty of cheerful people of all nationalities enjoying an early summer day.

We walked a long way and eventually turned left and left again, taking in the amazing architecture .

It was an excellent day. When we returned to the shuttle meeting place, an adapted vehicle was ready to leave and we were soon back at the ship, tired but happy.

This was the view from the cabin. The Baltic has thousands of these wherever you travel

At dinner tonight the iPads and mobiles were produced and Peter and Frank had photos of the group taken by the waiters. When the photos arrive I will include them in the blog. Frank and Jean are from Droitwich and Peter and Sylvia are from Matlock.

They have been great table companions and we have learned an enormous amount about the middle of England from them. They have learned very little from us, but I must congratulate them on listening to the same old stories that I churn out to anyone who feels obliged to listen.

Parties are back. Last year, when cruising resumed following Covid, the Captain and officers were rarely seen around the ship. Now they are not only seen around the ship but joining the guests at parties in the Queens Room.

Last night the drinks were flowing freely at the World Club party. That’s for Cunarders who have cruised frequently with Cunard. The Deputy Captain spoke and introduced the Senior Officers.

Today at lunchtime at the Senior Officers party again there was a great atmosphere as staunch supporters of Cunard began to feel that the old traditions were returning. Laurence and Linda Coleman were there and introduced me to the Customer Services Manager, Callum. They also pointed out to me an elderly man who apparently lives on the ship.

Some of you may recall that an American lady, Beatrice Muller lived on QE2 for many years. Her last voyage on QE2 was just before she was sold (QE2 not Mrs Muller). She was 89 years old. She was paying between £3,500 and £5,000 a month, which was far less than she would have paid for a place in a retirement home. And she became such a personality that she she rarely had to buy a drink for herself!

For the last 2 weeks the sea has been calm but today it was less so. We are out of the Baltic and back in the North Sea and from lunchtime onwards it’s been lumpy.

It was noticeable that many tables were empty at dinner tonight. I guess people were caught out by the sudden change from a flat calm for nearly 2 weeks to a fairly rough sea. Frankly, with the stabilisers out the ship is not moving much, but there are a large number of elderly people with walking difficulties and they are the people affected in the main.

The singers and dancers were due to give their final performance tonight (Tuesday) but it has been cancelled because of the ships movement. It’s a shame because they are very good and their 7 month contract comes to an end in Southampton. It would have been a great finale.

Saturday in Poland. It looked promising. As I looked down on the dockside where we were berthed, 3 white vehicles were parked. All had stickers marked

CUNARD – SHUTTLE BUS

Fantastic. The message must be getting through. They were adapted vehicles designed to take 2 wheelchairs and seats for 6 others.

By the time we were off the ship, 2 of the adapted vehicles had left for town. We were loaded into the 3rd and off we went on a 20 minute ride. We were told that the drop off point was the Riviera Shopping Mall which meant nothing to us, but when we arrived we found that we were in the middle of a large carpark, miles from any of Gdynia’s highlights. There was this massive shopping Mall and nothing else. All the shuttles were going there dropping off hundreds of Queen Victoria’s passengers.

You know me by now. I hardly ever complain (!) but this smacked of something underhand. Why would Cunard want to deposit hundreds of their guests at a vast shopping mall, miles from the centre of the town in a country the guests had probably never been to before? I wonder who funded or contributed to the cost of the transport to the mall?

I will be preparing a paper for Cunard. I apologise for boring you with this but I fear that Cunard hand over the transport issues and the organisation of tours to local operators and retain little or no control themselves over what happens.

What was also of interest was that at the drop off point in the vast carpark were a number of taxis, waiting for passengers who would soon realise that they had been dropped in the middle of nowhere. The taxi drivers would then take away those who wanted to see the highlights of Gdynia and/or Gdańsk. Of course none of those taxis could take a wheelchair so we were lumbered!

A vast supermarket – the biggest I have ever seen on the ground floor and then floor after floor populated by every worldwide retail outlet known to man.

The most exciting part of the day was when Jane and Kim decided to leave me as I was trying to buy a piece kit to enable me to transfer photos from my camera to my new iPad. The lead I had, worked on my old iPad but not the new one. You all know what Apple are like. Perpetually changing the fittings. I thought Kim said they were off to Matalan on the first floor, but I apparently misheard her.

The chap in the electrical shop eventually decided that he didn’t have the bit if kit I needed but said there was an Apple Store in the complex and pointed me in what he said was the right direction. I never found the Apple Store. Having walked for what seemed like hours, I thought I ought to find Kim and Jane. An information kiosk told me they had never heard of Matalan. I looked at my phone for Kim’s number. I didn’t have it.

Houston – Mission Control – we have a problem.

Where in this massive complex could they possibly be? Do I go back to the electrical store and hope that they back track there or do I go to the shuttle drop off point and hope they go there?

Then I see a sign for TK Maxx. Could that be the place that they were going to on the 1st floor? Jane likes the one at Hedge End. This one is vast and I scour it with no success. I contemplate a coffee and then Kim spots me. Drama over. And what sort of coffee are we forced to endure? Costa Coffee. The one I avoid at home.

The outing to Gdynia is not what we had hoped.

As we were sorting out adapted buses 2 days later for the trip into Copenhagen, I raised the issue of the shuttles into Gdynia very gently with a very nice member of the tour staff. Clearly I wasn’t the first to raise the issue as she had an immediate answer. She said the local council would not provide a place for the shuttle buses to drop off and pick up passengers! Does anyone think that likely? The local council would surely be desperately keen to have hundreds of tourists visiting their town and spending money there.

We were here 4 years ago. I was looking up the history of Lithuania this morning and looked back to 31 May 2019 on the blog, only to find it was all set out there. If you enter May 2019 in the search box it will take you to it.

I realised this morning that my knowledge of the Baltic states is almost nil. There were traumatic times for Lithuania in the 1940’s and it was not until March 1990 that Lithuania was able to declare independence.

But on to today. It was a bright, sunny day. We couldn’t remember the berth, but we were in a commercial dock.

This time we went to the Old Town in a shuttle. The cobbles were a pain. Crossing any road was a nightmare, so we crossed the river (by a bridge!) to a more modern area. As it was a sunny day, some school teachers had clearly decided to bring their classes out. There were groups of happy children drawing, dancing and others eating from their matching lunchboxes

We remembered the sculpture park, but the lady shuttle organiser advised against a visit for reasons we didn’t really understand. We found a lovely coffee shop instead in the middle of the park and away from the crowds.

On our return to the ship I took this photo of the shuttle we had been in. This is the sort of vehicle that should be used in every port. Today all the shuttles were like this. The great thing about them is that they all have fold down ramps in the middle so every shuttle can take 2 or 3 wheelchair users and a large number of able bodied people.

In addition, as we walked to the ship we came across some police cars and this armoured police vehicle. I hid in case they were looking for me. It transpires they were not but if someone knows what had happened could they please let me know?

The weather was not good when we arrived on Wednesday morning. It was raining and it was cold. We were on the berth by 7.30am and briefly the sun came out. But not for long. The ship was moored starboard side on which meant that we could look down on the activity on the quay where numerous coaches were beginning to assemble.

I prefer it if our cabin is looking out over the quay. Generally I book our cabin on the starboard side because, in the main, Captains seem to prefer to moor starboard side on. Jane will tell you I’m wrong about that and uses this voyage as an example because for the first three ports we were port side on.

What I particularly enjoy about overlooking the quay happens in the early evening. We are told to be back on board at a certain time, say 5.30pm. The ship will usually be geared up to sail away 30 minutes later. The staff at the gangway will know at 5.30pm if passengers who went ashore have not returned. If it’s a coachload on a Cunard tour caught in evening traffic, then the ship will wait. But if it’s a few individuals, then their names and cabin numbers are read out across the loudspeaker system and if they are aboard and the computer has not recorded it, then no problem. It is the others who have forgotten the “All Aboard” time who create the most fun.

Sometimes you can see them ambling along without a care in the world until someone shouts out that they’re late and the ship is sailing. Panic sets in, and if they are able to do so, they run! I know I shouldn’t enjoy it, but I do.

If they are very late, they are left behind and have to find their own way to the next port. We have seen that happen.

In Stockholm the Shuttles and Hop on/off buses were appearing, as well as the tour buses. We decided to have breakfast before deciding on the mode of transport.

It was still raining. We decided to take the Hop on/off bus. If it stayed really wet we could remain on the bus. The city was busy, lots of traffic and plenty of red traffic lights. When we reached the Old Town and the Royal Palace we left the bus. The approach to the Old Town appeared steep and cobbled so we found a bar with coffee and settled down to the days sudoku.

The barman produced what appeared to be shot glasses alongside the coffees. The clear liquid in the glasses turned out to be a sweetener and not liquor. Pity – some alcohol might have rejuvenated us.

We then set off up the hill to the Old Town. It was not too difficult despite the cobbles. Quaint narrow streets and quirky shops. A wig shop which the ladies thought might appeal to me! Cheeky.

We then found the Royal Palace. Impressive but because of the large number of coaches outside indicating vast numbers of tourists in the Palace avoiding the rain, we decided not to enter but to return to the ship.

Soon after 6.00pm we set sail. During the day I had checked out previous visits to Stockholm. I had forgotten that on a cruise exactly 5 years ago in May 2018 there was a problem which resulted in the ship being turned away. If you look back in the blog, clicking on May 2018, you will see what happened.

On this visit we were asleep as the ship sailed into Stockholm in the early morning and had not appreciated the distance between the Baltic and the City of Stockholm. The journey is through narrow channels between the 50+ islands that make up the City.

On Wednesday evening we set off on the journey back to the Baltic Sea. It was very similar to those trips down the Norwegian Fiords with houses dotted about amongst the trees.

Some were clearly holiday homes but some were substantial and well established. There were jetties and boats everywhere, but very few people about. These scenes stretched for miles and 2 hours after we set off from Stockholm it was more of the same.

And then it was the open sea and time for dinner.

Exactly eight years ago in May 2015, we were last in Tallinn. Five years earlier we had made our first visit and were not very adventurous on that occasion. We made our way to the Lower Town and settled on that. Manual wheelchairs can be very testing when cobblestones and hills are involved.

But in 2015 we made it to the top and were pleased we did. Of course today we had Kim to share the load.

It was raining when we set off from the ship. The journey time to Lower Town in the shuttle bus was 10 minutes each way. Yet again most of the buses couldn’t take a wheelchair but we were told that there were 2 that could. Sorry to go on about this. When one turned up, it didn’t have any sort of restraint to keep Janes chair in place, so your blogger stood holding her chair to ensure that she didn’t set off on a mission of her own.

There were still cobblestones galore, but it was sometimes possible to find a pavement that was flattish. Dropped kerbs are rare though. But I taught Kim how to negotiate big kerbs!

It was still drizzling when we reached the main square, which is halfway up the hill. Entrances to cafes and other hostelries usually involve a step or two to get in, but there were awnings for us to sit under in the square, and we settled on one with a smiley host for our coffee and sudoku.

Tallin is the Capital of Estonia. The walled Old Town is packed with medieval buildings that have gained UNESCO status. It is well worth a visit.

On the way back to the shuttles we passed a small market which only appeared to be half open. It was mostly women’s clothes. Of course Jane managed to find something of interest, but luckily the lady stall holder didn’t take credit cards and I had not taken many Euros ashore. Shame.

We arrived here at 7.00am on Sunday. Mothers Day here in Finland apparently. A clear blue sky and the sun shining. Breakfast has developed into a regular routine. We eat breakfast in the Lido because we never manage to get Jane up and ready before the restaurant closes. But that’s not a problem because the omelettes cooked in front of you by the pretty young lady chef in the self service Lido are wonderful. For me, fruit follows and then some profiteroles and coffee.

Today was a big test for Cunard and it’s transportation abilities. It passed, I’m pleased to report. As we left the gangway there were two shuttle buses waiting and no queue. One of the buses had a ramp and Jane was soon settled in for the 20 minute journey from the port into town.

We had been warned that we would have to contend with more cobblestones and that proved to be the case. Close to the drop off area for the shuttles was a Sunday market which was fun (but mostly standard market tat), but the marketeers were very friendly and of course their English was impeccable.

We moved on towards what appeared to be some form of temple, but when we arrived we found that it was at top of a high hill and as we had the push wheelchair we moved on. It was time for coffee. We we close to a ferris wheel, which turned occasionally but appeared to be unoccupied for most of the time.

After an excellent coffee we rumbled on through bumpy side streets and eventually discovered a magnificent square where the pavements were flat and less exhausting for Jane. On two of the sides there appeared to be government offices and on the third side the Cathedral.

And in front of the Cathedral the impressive statue of Alexander ll

In the square Kim and Jane were talking to staff from the “Hop on Hop off” bus out fit. They confirmed that their buses all now have ramps and areas for wheel chair users to sit. We will probably try that for our second day out in Helsinki tomorrow.

We arrived here at 7.00am on Sunday. Mothers Day here in Finland apparently. A clear blue sky and the sun shining. Breakfast has developed into a regular routine. We eat breakfast in the Lido because we never manage to get Jane up and ready before the restaurant closes. But that’s not a problem because the omelettes cooked in front of you by the pretty young lady chef in the self service Lido are wonderful. For me, fruit follows and then some croissants and coffee.

Today was a big test for Cunard and it’s transportation abilities. It passed, I’m pleased to report. As we left the gangway there were two shuttle buses waiting and no queue. One of the buses had a ramp and Jane was soon settled in for the 20 minute journey from the port into town.

We had been warned that we would have to contend with more cobblestones and that proved to be the case. Close to the drop off area for the shuttles was a Sunday market which was fun (but mostly standard market tat), but the marketeers were very friendly and of course their English was impeccable.

We moved on towards what appeared to be some form of place of worship, but when we arrived we found that it was at top of a high hill and as we had to push the wheelchair, we moved on. It was time for coffee. We were close to a ferris wheel, which turned occasionally but appeared to be unoccupied for most of the time.

After an excellent coffee we rumbled on through bumpy side streets and eventually discovered a magnificent square, Senate Square, where the pavements were flat and less exhausting for Jane. On one side is the Government Palace, and in the centre the Lutheran Cathedral of St Nicholas.

And in front of the Cathedral the impressive statue of Alexander ll

In the square Kim and Jane were talking to staff from the “Hop on Hop off” bus outfit. They confirmed that their buses all now have ramps and areas for wheel chair users to sit. We will probably try that for our second day out in Helsinki tomorrow.

Earlier in the voyage, as I was about to enter a lift on 6 deck, a man came out of the lift. I recognised him, but couldn’t place him. Initially I thought he might be someone from Southampton but he was not. We exchanged names and I left in the lift.

When I thought about his name, Bill Boyle, I realised that Jane and I had met the Boyles on a Cunard ship long ago. For years Jane kept a record in the back of our address book of the names and addresses of people we had met on holidays and it revealed that we had met them on Queen Victoria.

I had a feeling that we had met as guests of the Captain Paul Wright, the first Captain of QV on its maiden voyage. It was the occasion when we first met Stewart and Elizabeth Wilson. I emailed Stewart about meeting the Boyles and within a short time this appeared – a photo of the guests on that particular evening.

A couple of days ago I bumped into Bill and Jane. Their cabin is 4 away from ours on the same deck! We were all rushing off to lunch, so we agreed to meet for coffee the next day.

Cunard set aside 2 days at sea for the voyage from Gothenburg to Helsinki. Here to help is my map.

Gothenburg is highlighted on the western coast of Sweden. From there we sailed south, past Copenhagen (which we visit as our last port), then round the southern part of Sweden. Next we sailed north towards Helsinki, which is highlighted in southern Finland.

The weather has been amazing. The sun has been shining almost continuously although it has been chilly. The sea has been like a millpond.

This was taken from our cabin on Saturday evening, just before dinner, as we passed two vessels travelling even more slowly than we were. At noon on Saturday, the Captain said that our average speed on the segment to Helsinki would be 13 knots.

We are due to be alongside In Helsinki at 7.00am on Sunday for our two day visit.