AIDA Cruises
 

http://d1ozq1nmb5vv1n.cloudfront.net...?1511167672091


AIDAPrima at Funchal, Madeira to the stern of Queen Elizabeth.

That is one ugly bitch of a ship!

The next problem is that they have made the Queen Victoria look the same.

And the Arcadia. Same design. I think she was going to be Queen Victoria before P&O stepped in.

Well, today I have seen the ugliest ship I have ever seen. Alongside Vuna Wharf in Nuku'alofa, Tonga is a steel (I hope it is) monstrosity "Celebrity Eclipse" dominatiing not only the wharf area but the lower town. I don't know how many pax and crew she carries but I would not like to be on board her in case of fire or other event. The designer must have been employed drawing cattle stock vessels previously.

They don't look so bad three or four miles away as you pass them in the dark - as I see them off the coast of the Canaries when I'm on holiday: but close up they are just plug ugly! They don't seem to build good looking Pax boats/Cattle Ships any more.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, the "Must have 3 funnels and no balcony's" Brigade has re-emerged. What will we do with them?

Celebrity Eclipse. Crew. 1271. Pax. 2850.

Modern cruise ships are more floating hotel than the traditional means of travel.
Like hotels, ships have evolved to suit the customer base..

I just hope there is no necessity to ever abandon ship. Boat drill for 4000+ souls every week.?

There is a mandatory emergency drill for passengers before the initial departure of every cruise.
ALL passengers are required to attend their muster station where a full safety briefing is carried out.
Any passengers declining to attend will face the sanction of being put ashore immediately.
For crew there continues to be the mandatory full emergency drills which are normally carried out alongside when a large proportion of the passengers are ashore and not inconvenienced.
On some ships ‘spot drills’ are run where the bridge announcement will be preceded by ‘For exercise only.’

I hope there are also drills to remind the Captain to give that small island over there a wide berth.

Drills.

Last week the very loud and mounted in each room where I was staying alarmed at 0200.

Of the many guests who must have been roused by it (although it did stop relatively quickly) those mustering were in minority of one. Muggins here. I then had to wait until it was reset and the lifts once more available before I retired for the second time.

Many years ago the YM and I were in a hotel somewhere in Southern England.
Fire alarm goes off at about 0200.
Get up dressed warmly etc etc (everything except lifejackets :D) and down the stairs.
Pretty quick and well done we thought until we got to the assembly area where we found a Chinese family of mum, dad and four young kids - all immaculately dressed and kids complete with school bags on their backs. All looking as if they had been there for ages.:)

With their school bags.
I'll bet all the British kids had their X-Boxes, Nintendos and games consoles with them.

On their "Smart" phones texting each other and posting on all the anti-social media claiming how unbelievably shocked and horrified they all were at such a cataclysmic disruption to their lives. Probably would have to have counselling when they got back to skool.