So we're back on board ship and this time and we are on the
way to the fjords of Norway. It's only a
week long cruise, but a brilliant way of getting a taster of the Astoria, which
we've not been on before. We'd heard
that the ship was quite old, so I read up about it.
The Astoria carries 550 passengers and is quite distinctive
in terms that she has a "skirt" at the stern. I always think "Does my bum look big in
this?". She is only contracted by
CMV for a few months of the year, over winter, and we thought this would be her
last year with the company, but they've recently chartered her again for 2018. The most
interesting thing about the Astoria is the fact that at 71 years old, she is
the 2nd oldest ship cruising the ocean.
She has a somewhat chequered history, having run into an Italian cruise
ship 60 years ago. The collision caused quite
a few fatalities and the other ship to
sink, (you can read about that here). We'd
not heard brilliant reports about her before we came on board and didn't know
what to expect. Well I can tell you,
we've been very pleasantly surprise.
First impressions are that the ship is like an old duchess. Someone described it as dated. I think of it more as vintage, or a grand country house. There is plenty of sheltered deck space, a
tiny pool, loads of small quiet lounges, a cinema, and of course the restaurant
and the buffet eatery. For those that
are interested, here are the pictures:
Our cabin. Were down
on the bottom, but the cabin is roomy, the beds are wide and the bathroom is a
good size.
In fact, the bathroom has a bath as well as a shower and a
bidet!
This is the covered part of the back deck. The only thing I wasn't sure about the people
smoking under here. But people are free
to smoke in quite a lot of the open decks on this ship. More than we are used to.
I don't know the name of this lounge, but it's nice and
relaxing. I'm sitting in it now to type
up the blog.
This is the Captain's Club.
Very small and "gentleman's club". The bar wasn't open in the evening
though. I don't know if it's used.
The restaurant
A grand staircase
The open decks at the back of the ship. I liked it, the curves make look it look good , and there is quite a
lot of shelter so it's not a bad place to sit.
As you can see, we've had quite an idyllic evening, sailing out of Tilbury and the Thames. You'd almost think we were on holiday.
I haven't got pictures of the buffet, (called the Lotus
Grill) but it sort of feels a little 50's/60's to me. I never lived in the fifties, so I could be
entirely wrong there. The shopping area,
central bar and casino are all mirrors, lights and glass. Sort of makes me think of an old casino in
Las Vegas. (Somewhere else I know
nothing about, so don't take my word for it). And, like all CMV ships we've
been on so far, it's very clean. So far
so good. We like it.
Tomorrow we are supposed to be in Amsterdam, but due to bad weather, the itinerary has changed, and we are going to IJmuiden,
24 miles away from Amsterdam, so that the ship can make a quick getaway when we
leave. It's all due to bad weather and
trying to avoid it. Fingers
crossed.
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