We had muster and then got ready for the evening as we set
sail. The steward had brought us canapés - olives, biscuits and cheese. We
are on My Time (Their Time?!) dining so we're given the mandatory pager and sent
off for a drink whilst we waited for a table to become available. We got a
table by the window (but t was dark by now!) and dinner was up to the usual
standard.
It was Hallowe’en and there was a mini party. Not
the greatest success as no-one had been asked to bring costumes The
competition was won by Mr and Mrs Potato Head so that gives an idea of the
standard. It was nothing like our party on Adventure of the Seas in 2012!
The hotel had told others waiting for the shuttle in the lobby that it was chaos at the port but when we got there all was calm and orderly and we had the smoothest check-in ever. Concierge class passengers pay only a little more for the cruise but get lots of extra perks and priority check-in is one of them! That said, even the plebs check-in was calm and quick, it seems. We were soon on board and were told that cabins would be ready at 1pm. As it was just after midday we decided to go into the restaurant for a spot of lunch - another perk for being Concierge class guests!
When we turend up at Southampton to check in on Celebrity Eclispe in 2012, I looked at the fellow male passengers around me in their open sandals and with their beards and joked about it being the 'Lib Dem Party Conference at Sea' cruise. Well, I soon ate my words when it came to formal nights as they generally scrubbed up very well indeed. This time it seems we're on the Ashley Care Home cruise. Time will tell if I have to eat my words again this time. We're definitely at the younger end of the age profile and the Pied Piper seems to have been at work as we've spotted only one baby, one young lad and a teenager. Many of the excursions in Israel are described as strenuous. We sense that a lot of passengers won't be doing them!
We came out of the terminal building (see top left). Elizabeth was looking at the two fenced off areas. I was looking at those around me. She said: "Are those ancient relics?" I said: "No dear, they're our fellow passengers"
Big makeover here since our previous cruise in 2010
The hotel's small breakfast area was very busy when we went down to eat so we decided to have a look round the port in daylight. We were pleasantly surprised by what we found. It was almost like Monaco, but with graffitti! The skies may look grey in the photos, but it wasn't as dreary as it may appear and it was quite mild. We came back to the hotel, got ready to go and, once again our bags were taken from us and we were bussed to the port complex.
We set off on our first day - up at 4am and away by 5.15am then lots of 50mph road works areas and a 40-minute delay on the M1 as two 'white vans' had shunted into the back of a small saloon car in the outside lane. There were also lots of short delays due to the sheer volume of traffic here and there and we were reminded that motrways are double-edged with both benefits and drawbacks. We arrived at Purple Parking about an hour and 20 minutes after we'd planned to as the satnav and Purple Parking didn't seem to see eye to eye as to where they were situated!
There were long queues to check-in at Terminal 5 - pretty disgusting by BA as very few of the many check-in desks were open and it is their exclusive terminal building to use after all! At check-in we were told that the flight would be slightly delayed and ours on the departure board did seem to be the only one shown to be delayed!
We got through security OK - Graeme got thorougly frisked and his shoes wet-wiped for explosives - he was told he was a random selection! Then we go to the gate. Boarding was smooth. We were almost at the back of the plane, but we were together and off we took!
The flight was without incident. There seemed to be many business people on board and no children in sight so it was all very civilised. The Austrian Alps looked beautiful in the autumn sunshine and then it was across the Balkans to Athens. We took the airport bus from the airport to near our hotel in Piraeus. The journey was around 75 minutes and my seniors ticket was €3 and the standard fare was €6, so quite a bargain. As we were getting into the town, we passed a big football stadium, only to see that it's where Olympiakos are based. As we got off in Piraeus I realised that the hotel had tried to get me on my mobile to check on our progress. I phoned back and a charming woman on reception aid she would send George round in their minibus to fetch us. He was soon with us and insisted on putting our cases into the minibus and then taking them to reception and onwards to our room on the 3rd floor. Getting checked in at the hotel was painless and everyone was so friendly. The hotel gets rave write-up on Tripadvisor and it's all true. It's a hidden gem with spotless everything and even Hansgrhe massage shower heads and bathroom fittings and we had a quiet room with balcony and all for around £74 for two for the night. Our room was very compact but enough for us for an overnight stop. Some basic unpacking followed and so to bed.
Elizabeth finds the Harrods shop. No surprise there, then, but she did say that the other Harrods shop (there are indeed two of them in Terminal 5) was too posh and she only wanted to go in this one!
Scary Hallowe'en man at the Jaegermeister stand by the loos. Elizabeth didn't realise the threat I was under as she emerged from the Ladies!
The Austrian Alps
We found a Pizza Hut round the corener from the hotel and there was just time for a bit of Facebooking before our pizzas arrived
