ex HARALD JARL ::: ex ANDREA ::: SERENISSIMA :::

[Seagull]

Day 10 – 26th April - Goodbye Serenissima



I woke to find Norwegian Star moored next to Serenissima!

After breakfast and disembarcation our excursion buses were waiting on the quay. After a fascinating morning (which included a visit to a pineapple plantation and lunch) we were checked into our hotel, directly overlooking the harbour. But Serenissima had already departed, on her way to begin a season of cruises in mainland Europe.

It might have seemed strange and perhaps sad to still be on holiday but without her, and photographing Norwegian Star, Zuiderdam, and Prinsendam from my hotel room balcony instead.
But I had already booked to return to Serenissima in January 2017 - and that is another story!

[PoloUK]

Wonderful story telling - as ever. Thanks so much for sharing that trip with us Cecilia.

Do you ever sleep? There seem to be photos from every hour of every day!

[Guest]

Once again, great pictures from the places on this cruise and pictures taken on board.
Nice to see images from a well-maintained machine room and of course the wheelhouse where I feel at home.
Thank you so much for sharing your photos with us, Cecilia

[yvneac]

The whole report is a delight Cecilia....but this last dinner onboard...WOW! Great.

[Clipper]

Good old Harald Jarl gets everywhere these days.

Take a look at this totally unrelated BBC video about new voters in UK's forthcoming General election.

At 0:11 to 0:13 seconds and again at 0:31 to 0:34, who should be there!?!?

[Seagull]

Clipper! What a find! Oh to have been a 'fly on the wall' to see your face when you were watching that news item ...and suddenly saw our dear ship!

[Clipper]

According to her track on MarineTraffic, Serenissima rode out a storm at anchor in the lee of Jura (in the bay off Craighouse) for some 15 hour (06:30 to 20:45 UTC, Tuesday 6th June).

It's been bad enough down here in the south of England, but up there it's been blowing a hoolie. Constant winds up to 80 kph.

They are now on their way to Oban - a place Serenissima knows well! She'll know not to move over for the Cal-Mac ferry this time.

[Gaelsail]

and of course she was in Oban when I visited yesterday https://flic.kr/p/UhmRXY

[pakarang]

To me, it seems like the former Harald Jarl is fast becoming the most-travelled-(exhurtigrute in the history. I can't recall any other ship, apart from former Midnatsol (of 1982) that has tracked around the world as much as Serenissima.

Wonderful report - and I have to ask too, as above, did you ever sleep on this cruise?

[Seagull]

Thank you, every one of you who enjoyed this voyage with me.
And as for the question of Polo and Pakarang ...yes amazingly I DO get some sleep, probably rather more so than along the Norwegian coast on a hurtigrute where I like to wake and venture out on deck at many night ports.
On a cruise type of schedule on Serenissima I love to get up early when the ship is approaching her destination for the day, as you have seen. But I am generally retiring to my cabin right after dinner. You have to remember that photogenic late evening light and sunset is much earlier on the cruises I have been on than is the case in Norway.

At one point during the time it took me to gradually post this trip, Serenissima was once again, one year later, back in the Azores on her way from Central America and the Caribbean! This year she actually made it to the island of Santa Maria, which she did at the start of her cruise. I'm not sure whether she was able to land the cruise guests on Corvo or sailed around that island as I did, as there was a gap in what I could see of her track on AIS. At the island of Terceira the ship moored in the port of Angra do Heroismo rather than Praia do Vitoria, thus avoiding the complicated bus shuttles in between (and possibly inspired by my group's enthusiasm for the afternoon hiking!)

The Azores cruise will not figure in her plans for 2018 as Serenissima will spend the period December 2017 to February 2018 in the Indian Ocean!

[Tommi]

Thank you Cecilia for the report. Atmospeheric real-life photos and lovely presentations and explanations. It's very nice to "ride with you" as always.

[pakarang]

Not sure you all have seen these two "drone"-films on the website of Noble Caledonia... but if you haven't, this is what elegance and true ships are made of:

https://vimeo.com/220008098

https://vimeo.com/220008434

Enjoy!

[Seagull]

Although I was totally prepared for a decision to close the forum, I knew that I would forever feel guilty about one thing in particular - my not having managed to completely catch up with my cruises on Serenissima. Now that our captain has spoken and I’ve pledged another year at least, it is time to welcome you aboard for another voyage with me, and, as I did for the previous two cruises, I shall concentrate on photos of and from the ship herself.

A cruise aboard MS Serenissima - "Ancient & Natural Wonders of Central America"
January 22nd - February 8th 2017

Days 1&2 - 22/23 January 2017 - Guatemala, and embarcation in Puerto Quetzal.

Fortunately, as I am posting in the ship's thread, I have no obligation to describe the excruciating flight connection involved. Too much politics and prejudice on my part might surface for this polite forum! But finally aboard the second flight of Day 1, I was at last heading to Central America where on arrival in Guatemala City a well-organised transfer to a comfortable hotel awaited the group. Day 2 took us by road to Antigua Guatemala, a delightful UNESCO World Heritage town with colonial buildings, cobbled streets, fine squares, Baroque churches. A benign nearby volcano puffed obligingly for our cameras, and we enjoyed a tasty buffet lunch in civilised and relaxing surroundings. There was ample free time to enjoy museum and art exhibitions or shopping for local handicrafts and unusually for me I actually bought something! Already a souvenir on Day 2 - I’ll show you in a moment!



Then we continued to the Pacific coast at Puerto Quetzal where the dear ship Serenissima awaited us.




Welcome aboard!

[Seagull]

Even though I had booked this voyage so long ago, all the single cabins had already been taken, but I was allowed a very nice small double, 309, located directly at the bottom of the main stairs down from Reception.


My porthole at the end of the quay




I went up to decks 4 and 5 to photograph more of the surroundings of the port, including the pyramid-shaped cruise port building.

[Seagull]

My next photo was taken later in my cabin after the briefings and safety drill. I photographed my mascot Sea-Troll with the towel-swan that had decorated my bed. As you can see, they have some company! That afternoon many of the ladies had been keen to purchase the local hand crafted bags and shawls and suchlike, all in very traditional patterns and designs, but what did I choose to buy? - a MINION! And I'm not even blushing!



Sunset before the evening departure.

[Seagull]

Day 3 - 24th January 2017 - Puerto Chiapas, Mexico.



It's next morning, and there are reasons you might be confused!

Firstly I should mention that Mayan-style pyramids seem to be the design of choice for cruise terminals in this part of the world! Serenissima did indeed depart the previous evening, but contrary to what you might expect (knowing that the Panama Canal was the finale of my cruise) she headed up the coast. I nearly wrote 'north' but it is actually west a bit and then north-west, which takes us into Mexico at Puerto Chiapas, some 13km from the border with Guatemala.

[Seagull]

I was one of the first ashore after breakfast, keen to picture the ship in these pleasant surroundings in such lovely weather.




A number of ports on the Pacific coast are making efforts to attract more cruise ships, and it was no surprise when the Mexican equivalent of Leith's welcoming piper turned up, though in this case the sound was supplied by a loudspeaker and the emphasis was on the dancing.