Alarm went off at 5.00am. Shower, shave, load the car and off we went to Nik and Gaz’s place in Bicester. They were ready and waiting and not long after we arrived, the taxi did too.
Very nice Merc — travelling in style! We chatted a bit, slept a bit, and before we knew it we were at Heathrow T3. No issues at all with check-in or bag drop, although it was immediately obvious that Tash and I are very light packers. Our bags were about 16kg and 16kg compared with 24kg and a whopping 26kg… what on earth must be in those?! Thankfully no issues or extra charges.
Breakfast and a pint, obviously, and then it was already time to board. No real delay, great seats, all good. Sitting for 8.5 hours is a bit dull and uncomfortable, but Virgin really do have it sussed. I’m typing this with about 45 minutes left and we’ve had drinks, dinner and even afternoon tea — which was excellent.
Enjoying my music as usual — I wanted to dance. It’s been nice to properly switch off and not think about much, although inevitably my mind drifted to Charlotte’s wedding and my speech. Also the realisation that I really need to get fitter so I’m presentable in the photos! God knows when it’ll be — I reckon maybe 2027 — we’ll see.
We watched season 4 of The Traitors, which has been great fun. I’d downloaded last night’s episode and we watched that before dipping into anything else onboard. No idea how it’s going to go, but it’s halfway through now and I’m loving it.
After a very good flight we landed in Barbados, got through customs easily and found the TUI rep and our coach. We were slightly unsure about the bag process but confirmed we did collect them ourselves as normal.
On the coach with all the other Marella Discovery 2 passengers, I had a brief wobble. Sitting there, it suddenly hit me that we were officially package holiday makers. Completely ridiculous, but I felt weirdly claustrophobic — like our independence had been stripped away! Absolute nonsense of course, but still. Something to get used to for the week.
Half-hour drive through Barbados and we arrived at the port. Boarding passes sorted, walked along the dock and onto the ship.
We decided to explore — Nik and Gaz hadn’t cruised before — and ended up on the top deck where there’s a pool and a couple of bars. It was clearly the liveliest spot (and proved to be all week). Drinks ordered, seats found, and we just sat taking it all in.
Had a few wanders around to get our bearings. Decent-sized ship with plenty of variety and things going on.
Eventually headed to the cabins to freshen up. Everyone’s bags had arrived… except mine. Slightly concerning if I’m honest. Had to check with reception and chase it, but thankfully it turned up right at the end of the evening. Huge relief.
Phew.
Dinner was in the restaurant called 47 — very nice.
After that we went back up to the main pool deck, more drinks and some entertainment. Exactly what you’d expect on a British TUI cruise ship — if you know what I mean from a slightly snobby point of view. That said, I’m writing this in hindsight on the last day, and it’s actually been incredibly good fun. Any snobbery from Tash and I has been firmly kept in check — and we’ve been just as bad as everyone else!
We didn’t have a particularly late night as we were all pretty shattered from a long travel day.
End-of-day reflection:
A smooth, stress-free start to the trip. Travel went well, the ship exceeded early expectations, and despite initial “package holiday” reservations, the mood quickly shifted to excitement and relaxation. Tired, slightly overwhelmed, but very ready for what the week would bring.
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