Boudicca Review by by Richard

Richard joined Cumbria Cruises this year, and has never cruised before. His first experience of a cruise ship was visiting (but not sailing on) the ms Eurodam in May 2009. This was his first time at sea.

He joined Boudicca half way through her 10 night Iberia & Morocco cruise on 1 October 2008

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Day 1 - Malaga
Day 2 - Casablanca
Day 3 - At sea
Day 4 - Vigo
Day 5 - At sea
Day 6 - Southampton 

Day 1 - Monday 6th October 2008 – Malaga

I travelled down by train to Manchester from Barrow-in-Furness on the evening of Sunday 5th October. On arrival, I was transferred by bus to the Crown Plaza Hotel, where check-in ran smoothly and I had enough time for a quick bite to eat before heading to my room for a good nights sleep. My alarm was set for 4.30am to give me enough time for a hearty breakfast before getting a transfer to Manchester International Airport. Check-in was quick and easy; the flight left at around 7.30 and at  around 11.00 landed into Malaga. On arrival bus transfer was provided to the port where Boudicca was waiting... what an elegant looking ship!

Upon embarking the ship I checked in at reception and also received my On-Board Card, which allowed me to get in and out of the cabin and also allowed me to add drinks & other onboard purchases onto my shipboard account. My cabin was a D Grade Outside Cabin on Atlantic Deck (Deck 4), which was mid-ships and had two port-hole windows, which allowed for a good view of the various ports of call.

I freshened up and headed to the Secret Garden Café, where there was a variety of food available to choose from: I loved the BBQ spare ribs so had to help myself to seconds! After a bite to eat I headed to the poolside bar where I got a nice cold beer and soaked up the sun in the Jacuzzi. After a few more drinks it was time for the ship to set sail; it was the perfect setting for a complimentary rum punch followed by music and dancing on deck!

In the evening I enjoyed the Observatory (A very relaxed bar with music playing in the background) and had pre-dinner drinks before heading to the Tintagel Restaurant for the Second Sitting Dinner at 8.30pm. The food was brilliant, there was a nice range of cuisine to choose from and the waiters serving it were really friendly.

Day 2 - Tuesday 7th October – Casablanca

I headed to the Four Seasons restaurant for a buffet style breakfast, before adjourning the Neptune Lounge as it was time to head ashore for a shore excursion!  The guided tour took in the Hassan 11 Mosque (The second largest Mosque in the world) - wow! It was huge and very beautiful.

After a few hours exploring the tour returned to the ship where I headed to the Four Seasons Restaurant for a buffet style Lunch, again there was a lovely array of food on offer. The ship stayed in dock for a few more hours so I decided to spend the whole day in the swimming pool and soaked up the sun once again! That evening it was casual dress so there was no need to wear ties or jackets. After another wonderful meal I headed to the Neptune Lounge where there were dancers and entertainers; what a perfect way to end the night!

Day 3 - Wednesday 8th October – At sea

After a leisurely morning I decided to have lunch at the Marquee Bar where I tried Burger and chips: delicious! It was so tasty that I ordered it again. They were also offering complementary Ice Cream so I managed to sample some. As the ship was at sea there were all sorts of activates to take part in such as learning how to dance or taking a chance at a spot of gambling.
 
In the evening there was a Western theme where all the staff dressed up as cowboys and girls, even the waiters serving us made an effort to take part. The evening menu was again very good and I decided to try the Baked Alaska - Wow! All the staff came out singing and dancing with sparklers to present the desert to me!

Day 4 - Thursday 9th October – Vigo

Boudicca arrived at Vigo in the morning and I decided to take an early stroll round the shops before they opened at 10am. The shops were not very far from the ship which was handy considering I didn’t have a lot of time to look round. At lunchtime I decided to head back to the ship and decided to have lunch at the Poolside buffet, there was grilled red snapper on the menu so I decided to try some with a nice mixed salad. The ship departed Vigo at 2.00pm and the rest of the day was spent relaxing by the pool and in the Jacuzzi.

It was the Captains Cocktail party that evening which was ‘formal’ attire, Its always nice to have a night where you can dress up and make a real effort. Group and individual photos are taken through the evening which could then be purchased outside reception the following morning for under £10 each. The dinner was very good again and the entertainment was as good as every other night. There was a magic show on this particular evening which was very impressive.

Day 5 - Friday 10th October – At Sea

Today was spent looking around the various bars and restaurants and just getting a feel for the ship and how to find my way around it. I also had a look at the shop on-board which had various items including perfumes, jewellery and watches. It was an ideal time to purchase presents for loved ones.

A big highlight of the day was when I was taken to the Bridge to meet the Captain; he demonstrated all the navigation controls and explained a bit about the ship.

I decided to try learning how to dance and went to a lesson in the Neptune Lounge just after lunch. After 5 minutes I decided I wasn’t getting the hang of it and decided to call it a day.

Again it was a relaxed evening in the dining room as again there was no need to dress up and as always the food was fantastic and the staff were as friendly as ever. Luggage needed to be outside the cabins for 2am at the latest so after a few drinks we decided to head back to the cabin to pack.

Day 6 - Saturday 11th October - Southampton

On arrival into Southampton we woke up to find our luggage was being transferred ashore. I disembarked at around 9am and got a taxi from the port to the train station for my journey home.

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