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Celebrity Malala to Stena’s Fairy Pawmother

16th November 202416th November 2024 funtime65

Ship ahoy and cruiseheads don’t need me to tell them about naming conventions – but this is a new one on me as I float from Celebrity Malala to Stena’s Fairy Pawmother.

Every ship has her very own fairy godmother.

And contemporary godmums have moved on and got younger.

With crew on Celebrity Edge requesting the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner to launch their pioneering ship on its maiden voyage to the Bahamas.

With a cast of VIPs, Alesha Dixon, Kelly Hoppen, myself et al.

Pet project

On the Edge: And treated like a Celebrity

Fast forward to today and we’re celebrating a very different VIP… a very important pawson if you will.

The pick of Stena’s 87,500 pets crossing the Irish Sea.

Four-year-old Kea donates both her blood to help critically ill canines and her time to help train a generation of aspiring vets.

Kea saw off competition from 4,000 pets.

The competition marks Stena’s enhanced experience which includes 70 animal-friendly cabins across its Irish Sea routes.

And pet lounges on its Stena Superfast vessels operating between Belfast and Cairnryan, my old stomping ground.

Kea royal

At just eight-weeks-old, Kea found her forever home as part of Belfast belle Serena Maini and her family.

Over the years, Kea has been helping Serena at the Royal Veterinary College in London, both as a teaching dog and a blood donor.

Serena says: ‘Kea loves taking the trip from Cairnryan to see my family in Belfast.

‘It is incredibly pet friendly and super convenient. She has made the trip four times now.’

Pets win prizes

As well as the aforementioned those pet friendly facilities include kennels or dog lodges during the journey.

Guests can prebook the Pet Lounge from only £20 per pet.

Or where applicable, a pet-friendly cabin from only £55 per cabin (maximum two pets per booking).

All passengers who wish to travel with their pet in the pet lounge or cabin must pre-book in advance of travel.

And ensure all necessary vaccinations and documentation is up to date.

Countries, Cruising, Deals, Europe, Ships

Wave goodbye and thanks Croatia and isle be back

19th October 202419th October 2024 funtime65

Mahmuti zbogom i Hvala Croatia i isle be back.

Or for those who aren’t fluent by now in Hravatska wave goodbye and thanks Croatia and isle be back.

Which, of course, in this idiosyncratic strip of a country of 1,423 islands means waving goodbye to a pancake machine.

Which is how we kickstart the contraption in the buffet at the Grand Park Hotel.

Playing to the balcony: The Grand Park Hotel, Dubrovnik

On our loveholidays and EasyJet odyssey in Dubrovnik.

It would, of course, be back on our kitchen worktop by now.

Had the Mother of all Dragons not packed the suitcase to the brim with olive oil from the islands.

A scoot around the Elaphiti Islands

We have, in truth, barely made an indentation on those 1,423 isles in our seven days here.

But we did bag three more, the Elaphiti Islands with Get Your Guide (from €60pp) on our last day.

And now with luscious Lokrum, just 700m from Old Town Dubrovnik already explored that makes four.

In all honesty, the Elaphiti Islands lacked the charm, or peacocks, of Lokrum.

And contrary to Pliny the Elder’s claims despite the origins of their name there are no deer on these Elaphiti Islands.

Although plenty of wee Croatian Old Dears, one of whom in Sipan fluttered her eyelids.

To draw Herself into buying her olive oil.

The cutting crew

We have come here on Triton which we pick up from the marina having been driven to the shore from our hotel.

Lorenzo, our dreadlocked polyglot Italian guide and Jakob, his barefooted Polish pal deckhand, get the party going.

We start with Abba and I am reminded of my starring part in Jimmy, Jimmy (A man after midnight) on the Bosphorus.

But word must have reached them and I am not asked to reprise it.

Jakob gives us a pep with plum Rakija chasers and Lorenzo tops us up with Dalmatian wine.

Choose your church

Now if you love yourself an oul’ church then the Elaphiti Islands, and Dubrovnik in general, will be right up your ulica.

With one church for every one in the audience.

Although you imagine St Jerome the Hermit wouldn’t have shared his.

And his doors on Lopud are shut when we visit.

My little flower: Herself on the islands

Our time on the islands is alas too brief, 45 minutes each, although we do get to leaf through the botanic gardens.

But hardly enough to get lost on the steep rocky steps in Sipan which houses a positively throbbing 419 residents.

To get to yet another monastery ruins and meet another moggie.

Bare truth about departure time

Now you’d think 45 minutes would be long enough for a nudist beach.

On Kolocep which boasts just 163 inhabitants and just as many cats.

But alas it is too far out to get there and back in time for departure.

With Jakob saying Triton leaves bang on time, kit or sans kit.

In search of a dense hot chocolate

Now despite everyone on the isles seemingly working in the hospitality sector not one serves la ciocolatta di calda densa.

The thick hot chocolate, sometimes found in Dubrovnik, and always in Italia.

There is enough time on our eight-hour boat trip though for Lorenzo and Jakob to wine and dine us some more.

With no shortage of fresh fish, chicken and vegetarian fare all part of the package.

While spirits and coffee are budget prices.

Negotiating the waves

Lorenzo and I parliamo Italiano as we rise to the rhythm of the waves and the Cuban dance music.

And I feel I have made a connection when I share that I loved visiting his hometown Bergamo.

That is until I over-reach and mangle my Italian greeting.

And when I shortchange him at the end when he gets the tip bucket out our prospects of being amichi fade.

And my parting ciao falls on deaf ears without even a buona notte e sogni d’oro in return.

Still, my pancake machine the next morning at breakfast loves and understands me.

So I head for home with a wave goodbye and thanks Croatia and isle be back.

And my wee pancake machine waves back.

Countries, Cruising, Ireland, Ships, UK

Stena’s Holyhead family hub is a racing cert

3rd October 20243rd October 2024 funtime65

It wasn’t always like this, for Fiftysomethings it was toy cars on the deck, but for today’s kids Stena’s Holyhead family hub is a racing cert.

It is safe to say that Seventies chidren, or maybe just this lad, got to know the deck of the ferry pretty well.

On those schoolday Easter trips from Stranraer to Larne with my Dear Old Mum, on our way to her Co. Donegal homestead.

And always on my eyes ducking passengers’ feet.

The Irish Sea diaspora

For those of the Irish Sea diaspora, and with air prices sky high, the car ferry was always the vessel of choice.

With the good people of Donegal and the north of Ireland always decamping to Scotland on account of its proximity.

And those from Dublin and the south relocating to England through the port of Holyhead on Anglesey.

The ferries became a window into the world of the Irish Diaspora on the move.

Men exchanging the craic in a swirl of smoke and booze in the bar.

And the women trying to keep their kids under control as their kids whizzed their newly procured toy cars through’ folks’ legs.

Bells and whistles

Times have, of course, changed.

And no tech-savvy kid would put up with a toy car for entertainment on a ferry.

And Stena has too with its bells and whistles family hub to keep Mum, Dad and Junior happy… and outta the way.

With an interactive wall, digital floor projections and a cutting-edge gaming corner, Stena Line.

And there’s space too on the top-of-the-range Estrid which I’ve road tested and so has their team of kid testers.

Estrid’s family hub boast a seating capacity for 115.

And Stena offers a 2.2 family and car return from Dublin to Holyhead on board the top-of-the-range Estrid from £353

Countries, Cruising, Deals, Europe, Ships

You too can be an Olympian Celebrity

9th August 20249th August 2024 funtime65

And as the newly-garlanded victors begin to cash in on their triumphs here’s how you too can be an Olympian Celebrity.

And at the heart of the Olympic story too in Olympia, the site of the first Games in 776BC.

The elite cruise providers are offering a timely As Good As Gold Olympia, Greece package which will make you feel a winner.

All part of your 10-night Greek Isles & Turkey.

Spoiled and ruined: At the Acropolis in Athens

Join your bus from your ship from the island of Kerakolon for Ancient Olympia.

Now, of course, any day excursion will never be long enough to channel your inner Olympian hero.

And I can vouch. from a rushed run around the Parthenon, that any time soaking up Hellenic Classical culture is worth it.

Olympic glory

During your visit you will spend an hour and a half.

A little less than the best Marathon runners will take.

You will explore the Temple of Zeus, the temple of Hera, the shrine of Pelops, the treasury, the Palaestra and Gymnasium.

After the guided visit you will have half an hour free time.

Before you will rejoin the bus for a five-minute drive to Touris Club.

By the beard of Zeus: The Temple of Zeus

Where you will taste snacks and enjoy traditional Greek folk dances.

With your booking you can get at least 30 per cent off guests 1 and 2, and up to $200 per room to spend onboard.

Also, you can include drinks & Wi-Fi for only £59pp per day.

All roads lead from Rome

Celebrity Equinox will sail you away from Barcelona to Rome (Civitavecchia).

And on to Mykonos, Greece, Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey, the jewel of the Bosphorus that is Istanbul.

Santorini back in Greece, Olympia (Katakolon) and Rome (Civitavecchia).

If you can’t wait and you’ve a spare €1,448pp down the back of the sofa.

For an Ocean View you can get away from August 23-September 2.

Or there are another six alternative dates from next May to September.

So there you have it, the quest does pay off when you too can be an Olympian Celebrity.

Countries, Cruising, Deals, Europe, Ships

Asterisk Asterix and the Olympics

29th July 202429th July 2024 funtime65

Mais oui, the Games have indeed begun but still the fall-out continues from the Rain on the Seine, the Drag Queen Last Supper and the opening ceremony, but for us we want to asterisk Asterix and the Olympics.

Nor are we alone in feeling short-changed by the greatest Gaul of all being absent from the curtain-raising ceremony in Paris.

Particularly as our comic book hero and his bon ami Obelix boast such athletic prowess.

As featured in their adventures and particularly in Asterix at the Olympic Games.

Which was turned into the-then most expensive non-English and French film of all time, featuring inevitably Gerard Depardieu, back in 2008.

Now while Emmanuel Macron and the French Olympic Committee may have overlooked the appeal of Asterix.

Parc it with Asterix

Chantilly grace: A short train drive from Paris

Our friends at Irish Ferries know his popularity endures with enfants and grand enfants alike visiting their shores.

Which is why they are flagging up Parc Asterix, 20km from charmant Chantilly, itself only a 24-minute train ride from Paris.

It just so happens too that the Parc is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year.

Now fresh for this year they boast a grand new attraction among the roller coasters and rides… La Tour de Numerobis.

Ride on: Roller coaster thrills at Parc Asterix

You’ll rise to a height of 40 metres and be rewarded with a panoramic view of the whole of Gaul from your perch in Egypt.

While for those who love a water ride Le Grand Splatch becomes La Revanche des Pirates.

Where Red Beard takes revenge on the Gauls.

We’re told that between catapults, nets and harpooning you will be required to show skill and courage to avoid being shipwrecked.

While on that theme there is a new float at the Gaulish Parade.

Gaul’s well that ends well

Asterix has flagged up the Défilé Gaulois to us.

Where you’ll see a parade featuring Astérix, Obélix, Cléopâtre, César, Barbe-Rouge and all our other favourites.

Which this year features a new chariot based on Asterix in Spain.

Now everyone’s a critic after the fact but here’s a thought Emmanuel…

Would it not have been better, a lot more fun, and probably a little less costly to just let Parc Asterix run the opening ceremony.

The perfect match

Parc Asterix offers a one-day/one-night stay.

For two adults and two children in a four-person room at the Hôtel des Trois Hiboux or the Hôtel de la Cité Suspendue in high season from €87.85pp.

And to get you there, Irish Ferries has the seasygoing option for you this summer.

On board its flagship W.B. Yeats.

With sailings from Dublin to Cherbourg from just €238.

For a car with one adult and child in August with an inside ensuite cabin.

So even if Emmanuel and the French organising committee don’t deem him worthy of their attention you can still Asterisk Asterix and the Olympics this summer.

Countries, Cruising, Europe, Ships

Da Day I’m docked with Diana in Leith

28th July 202428th July 2024 funtime65

Da Day I’m docked with Diana in Leith, dastreen she was in Lerwick, and Da Moarn she’ll be in Aberdeen, it’s just how I cruise.

Now if you think I’ve been drinking then that’s only because ye ken me, and ye ken Swan Hellenic’s hospitality.

From here to Sobriety: Sadie keeps me in tow

But no, for once I’ve had to forgo the champagne, wines and cocktails but thankfully not the cuisine.

As I put mind and body back together a full week after racking up the rounds at the Open golf in Troon.

All as a guest of Hilton Head Island and Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport.

Viking twang

So today is a new experience for Shipman Murty, cruising without the boozing.

I don’t know what the Vikings, around whom this Swan Hellenic 12-nighter Sailing with the Vikings cruise from Norway to Amsterdam, would think.

Or our old Aberdeen neighbours who have long since decamped to Elizabeth’s roots in Lerwick, Shetland.

But I hope they would appreciate my attempts at Norn/Shetland dialect which has been handed down the generations.

Since the days when Shetland was under the rule of Norway until it was given in a dowry to Scotland.

And, no, the Shetlanders were never asked and have never quite accepted it.

Oh Diana

Gateway to the Arctic: Only 20,423 miles to go

The Norsemen (or Normans) came, Thor and conquered down from the fjords along these routes that Swan Hellenic are taking.

Luckily for us, things have come a long way since those longboats of yore with Diana the largest vessel in the Swan Hellenic fleet.

Boasting nine decks, Diana offers 192 guests five-star 96 staterooms and suites, many with private balconies.

The ship is equipped with a heated outdoor pool, open deck Jacuzzi, gym, spa and beauty salon and sauna with panoramic views.

Restaurants include the Swan Restaurant, Club Lounge, Pool Bar and Grill and room service.

Chef has pans… will sail

Did we say that Diana invited along a chef just for the Edinburgh to Amsterdam leg of the itinerary?

Nicolai Wiedmer, owner of Restaurant Eckert in Grenzach-Wyhlen, Germany, who rustles up his own Gala Dinners.

And yes, myself and my own queen of the seas had to be prised out of our seats.

All to allow the cruisers who were off for the afternoon exploring Edinburgh back on.

And naturally we tried to hide ourselves away as stowaways.

All around the world

Now we all know the Vikings were famous seafarers but this Norway through Scotland to the Netherlands cruise is just a breeze for Diana.

She will travel the world in 2024/2025, with sailings to Swan Hellenic’s flagship destinations the Arctic and Antarctic regions.

And from Brazil to Papua New Guinea, Norway to New Zealand, Australia to Africa and Madagascar to the Mediterranean.

So while Da Day I’m docked with Diana in Leith then Da Moarn I could be anywhere in the world with Swan Hellenic.