Outward Journey

We went to bed in a fairly grumpy and resentful mood as we were still cross that P&O had not allowed us to postpone this cruise at a time when Omicron cases were raging on the UK.

Alarms were set for 3.15am. We got up and said to each other that we needed to start to be positive about all this and just get on with it. We set off at 4.15am, 15 minutes later than planned in the dead of a cold winter's night when it was trying hard to decide whether or not to rain cold drizzle on us. Nevertheless it was a good run up the M1 to Leeds then on to the M62 across to Manchester.

The satnav said to use the usual route via the A628 over the Woodhead Pass, but that had been impassable due to snow early yesterday, so we thought best not to risk it. It turned out for the best, because there was visible snow for a number of miles alongside the M62 summit, at over 1000 feet, the highest motorway in England.

The temperature was a couple of degrees above freezing but with a warm front coming in from the west. We knew we had to get an LFT test before we could check in, so we parked up in the T2 West multi-storey at the airport just before 6am and took the long walk to the testing station at the railway station.

Needless to say, none of the escalators or travelators were working, so we certainly got our steps in for the day and it wasn't even 6 o'clock! We got ourselves tested and were told to wait for 30 minutes for our results. We duly collected our 'negative' stickers for the backs of our passports and, with slightly mixed feelings, we returned to the car to collect our bags.

Bags on the trolley, we set off to check in where a sizeable queue greeted us. Once at the queue we were asked once again to complete a health declaration even though in the previous 24 hours we had already completed identical ones online for both P&O and the Barbadian health authorities.

Once checked in it was a case of making sure we had all the TV downloads we could possibly want before leaving the UK and getting to the gate. This was it. There was clearly no going back from here on in, so it really was finally time to get and stay positive. We boarded the TUI Dreamliner and settled into our seats.

The ‘weather outside was frightful’ to steal a phrase, so surely it could only be onwards and upwards from here. The scheduled take off time was 11.05am, but you know how these things go - since I first flew in 1964, I think I have only left early once! We left the stand 20 minutes late then took the usual scenic route - in this case a fairly complete tour of all the hard surfaces across the whole Manchester Airport complex.

20 minutes later the engines moved from a steady purr to a great roar and we were finally, finally off. Soon we had powered our way from a very gloomy and drizzly Manchester into clear blue skies. We had, temporarily at least, left a mucky English winter behind.

It was all calmness on board. It seems that the child catcher had been standing by the plane’s entry door and we were on an 'adults only' flight without initially realising it. We weren't really sure what to expect on this charter flight but, after a while the complimentary drinks service came round (with free refills!) so, after a couple of glasses of red wine for Mr A and a G&T plus a glass of water for Mrs A (isn't she just so virtuous?!) and with the sun reflecting off the plane wings, suddenly all was right with the world again.

That was followed by a hot meal of chicken pasta (when was it anything other than that?!) plus further offers of alcohol (well, for once I wasn't driving at the end of this flight, so what the heck?!) and the sun was still shining on the plane wings and we were both by now feeling nicely drowsy.

With Tony Blackburn reliving Graeme's teenage years in the finest decade of all, the 60s, interspersed with some Beethoven (what's not to like there?) and Elizabeth reminding herself of Joan Collins's colourful life on a TV download, we were definitely getting ever more positive about all this!

Time for a quick snooze them suddenly another round of drinks and all things covid were forgotten. Afternoon tea was next and then we had to hear that, with just under 3 of the 8 hours to go, the weather in Bridgetown is 29C and sunny. I'm finding that hard to imagine, but I'm sure I'll cope when we arrive.

Now, how best to round off this flight? Of course, it had to be the first episode of the new series of ‘Death in Paradise’. Nothing like a good Caribbean murder mystery to start off our Caribbean cruise.

We finally landed, but in a sharp rainstorm. After some delay we were told that they were holding us back until the rain eased.  That sounded a little ominous, in other words like they don’t do air bridges in Barbados!

Well indeed they don’t and it took me back to landing at many a Spanish airport in the 1980s where you went for aviation luxury to wet concrete in the twinkling of an eye. We were shepherded into modest queues and small coaches appeared.

Elizabeth started to get the feeling that, once aboard these buses, our next stop would be the ship and so it turned out to be.

Now we’ve only ever been to Barbados for cruise stops and on lovely scenic tours, but the ride from the airport to the ship was not one of those and we were rudely reminded that the per capita income here is a smidgen over $13,000 or around £10,000, whereas in the UK it’s almost 5 times that much.

We were delivered to a quayside cargo hall where we were processed and then on to another security checkpoint where I wondered just how much I would have to take off this time. Not much as it turned out.

And we were on board at last. We had to go to out muster station to be ticked off the list and then on to our cabin to collect our sea pass cards.

No big bags as yet, but at least we had a bed to collapse on to and a couple of cabin bags to unpack. We had just done that when it was ‘knock, knock’ and our cabin stewards was at the door asking us to put our masks back on (after 15 hours of wearing them!) so that he could tell us a few things.

We asked him if we could each have a bathrobe. That provoked a bit of a sharp intake of breath.  He would see what he could do.  That sounded like a ‘probably not’ job.

Then the captain came on the PA after a bing bong. Welcome on board (don’t forget to wear your masks) enjoy your cruise (don’t forget to wear your masks) the spa is closed due to covid, enjoy your cruise (don’t forget to wear your masks), there are no personal services due to covid, enjoy your cruise but don’t forget to wear your masks, the gym is closed (but enjoy your cruise) and don’t try to sneak your masks off while seated in the theatre because our staff will see you, but do enjoy your cruise! Go away, tiresome man.

Time was getting on now (UK time that is). TV channels are good (Sky News, BBC News 24, Sky Sports News etc), but I soon learned that Watford had lost 4-1 to holders Leicester City in the FA Cup and then the officer of the watch came on the PA to remind us of the emergency signal – 7 short blasts and one long one and just as Elizabeth had just about nodded off on the bed. They are loud!

It was now 20 to 11 UK time and we had been up since 3am.

As I was dropping off they told us that our departure would be delayed as some guests were still not on board as their flight had been delayed – geeez!

So, with no supper, but a lovely comfy bed to slip in to and it was ‘and so to bed’.  Good night.