InvictaMoto's Family Travels

This is a right bloody palaver. A troll through the internet and National has resulted in a reservation for a full size at MIA. It's damned expensive.  I had a look on TripAdvisor to look for recommendations and have a few other ideas to follow up on. I have had a look at a few of the comparison sites and there are cheaper offers. With National, they include most of the the insurances and I have never paid for anything on top so need to check the cheaper companies to see what level of cover there is. On one of the TA pages someone was saying they have third-party insurance that covers any excess that they would have to pay on the rental in the event of an accident.  I will look at that as well.   As for the Timeshare. Looking at Orlando area for week 1 and week 2 nearer Miami. It's still seven months away so hopefully a few more resorts will pop up. posted from Bloggeroid

Now that flights have been booked and we are committed it's time to look for somewhere to stay on the first night. As usual I went to booking.com for answers and found a Motel 6 with free cancellation and no advanced payment. The reviews give it 7.4/10. It looks from blurb that many hotels like to take a deposit or even the full amount immediately on reserving a room, even if there's free cancellation. We had this before at the Blue Marlin in Key West where we stayed two nights and were about $300 out of pocket five months before going. It wasn't so bad as we still went. I know a lot of hoteliers don't like the free cancellations part of the system but to me it gives flexibility to the customer. If you're honest and give good service, then people will still stay with you. Car hire seems to have hiked a bit since October 2017 when we last busied ourselves over. Currently checking the booking sites to see what deal there are. With the chances of the times...

Booked today.  Cost £64 for the car on top of the Assen MotoGP trip fare that I had parked with them after we couldn't go. To accommodate taking Reggie to the kennels for the weekend on Friday morning I have booked 28/9 1120 out and 1/10 1750 back. As we will be back too late to go and get him on the Monday I have Tuesday leave as well and so I can go and get him in the morning.

So. We have ordered three tickets for the race weekend.  Claire and I will go in the car and Neill on his BMW, I expect. Before then he had a trip to Canada to fly in the Lancaster bonber. Before we make any firm travel plans I have booked the leave from work and Reggie is booked into Wyncot. We need to sit down with Neill and see what his plan is for the journey up. He won't want to be contrained by the progress a car can make especially when the roads get a bit busy. We have to take Reggie to Wyncot. That is easily an hour round trip from home on nasty narrow country lanes. I don't want to be thrashing it all the way there to wherever the hotel at the Assen end is located. I think we'll be looking at around an 11am Shuttle. Anything not to be around Antwerp at lunchtime or evening rush hour. That place is a bloody nightmare through the tunnels and merging highways. The Insignia has a range of about 650 miles to a ta...

So. The question of how to use the 36 RCI points I have banked was coming down to two periods of time. From UK to the US it is really not good value to spend 9 hours plus flying for one week away. So it needs to be when there are two weeks or more to fit into. Easter and Summer holidays. Surprisingly July/August was best for the timeshare exchanges in the more westerly states; Arizona etc. But from reading Roger Naylor's articles for Arizona magazines it's monsoon time. After last year in Florida following the hurricanes, no thanks!!!  But airfares to Phoenix or Last Vegas are for the rich only. So my attention was shifted to Easter. Schools break up on April 5th and return the day after Easter Monday. And since our management dictated our holidays could only be in school holidays I booked that fortnight off ages ago. Now the problem was looking for flights. We went into the Thomas Cook agency in Hythe. Got some ideas. Then used Skyscann...

Flickr Album

Flickr Album

Home. After the entertainment on Friday night we went to bed, forgoing the midnight feast in the deck 15 buffet. It was around 11pm UK time when when we stood looking out of the cabin windows to see us slipping past Dover harbour.  We weren't that far out and a ferry out of Dover slid across behind us en route to Calais or Dunkerque, When we woke at around 5.10am and had a look out we were on the way probably past Portsmouth.  Later on we were alongside in Southampton.   Not a great view! We had to be checked out of the cabin at 8am and in the muster station for disembarkation at 8.45am. We were breakfasted well in time for the cabin clearance.  Our luggage had been collected the night before. We'd assembled and within minutes we were taken down to deck 6 and off to the terminal, All very quick. We located our luggage and were outside in good time.  Collecting the car was simple too.  The TomTom estimated we'd be home my 10.28am.  Some two and a b...

Managed to get to the first session at 8.30pm of Mike Walker. All round entertainment. Really good although glad not in the front row by the stage. Rule 1 of Comedy - never sit in the front row.

Once we had left Bergen, the poor 3G internet was gone. Until Southampton.

Once we had left Bergen, the poor 3G internet was gone. Until Southampton.

Just a few pix... posted from Bloggeroid

Just a few pix... posted from Bloggeroid

Join the queue When we were here way back in 2013 the ship moored a coach ride out from the city centre. Luckily this time we are right on the end of the Bryggen block.  Where we had hoped to land last time has Fred Olsen's Braemar on the berth this time. We set off a out 9.45am just before the lifts went off for testing and maintenance.  Our first stop was the Fløibanen. The queue was pretty long and one of the attendants put out a sign to split ticket holders (us) and those that didn't. Having two shorter queues seemed a good idea. We waited about 15 minutes and got loaded on.  I took a video of it coming into the lower station. I might update with that when we get a connection greater than 2G!! Once at the top we checked out the view. It was quite muggy at sea level but cold at the top. We had a mooch about and retired for a coffee and 🍰 when it began to pee down.  The wind was strong from the north east and blew it away and the run came out. By the time we joine...

Arrived about 7am. We had a short lie in to let the rushers get up to the breakfast buffet and bugger off and leave it easier to munch. Off out now. More later.

Arrived about 7am. We had a short lie in to let the rushers get up to the breakfast buffet and bugger off and leave it easier to munch. Off out now. More later.

Deck 10. From our cabin looking forward. Still about a third of the ship behind us. It's massive.

Deck 10. From our cabin looking forward. Still about a third of the ship behind us. It's massive.

Quietly slipping our moorings Azura headed west to open sea and then to turn south for the final stop on this cruise at Bergen. Oddly we have the best telecom internet connection of the week ... It started to rain as we slipped and so everything is covered by a fine drizzle.

Quietly slipping our moorings Azura headed west to open sea and then to turn south for the final stop on this cruise at Bergen. Oddly we have the best telecom internet connection of the week ... It started to rain as we slipped and so everything is covered by a fine drizzle.

The monument outside the town hall to the heroes that worked tirelessly during WW2 to hamper the German occupation of neutral Norway. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_heavy_water_sabotage

The monument outside the town hall to the heroes that worked tirelessly during WW2 to hamper the German occupation of neutral Norway. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_heavy_water_sabotage

After breakfast left the ship and have come across to look at the Ålesund Museum. It's a short walk if you see the signs but longer if you trust the map. Nice little museum. Now across the street in a cafe with a coffee where there is WiFi. posted from Bloggeroid

After breakfast left the ship and have come across to look at the Ålesund Museum. It's a short walk if you see the signs but longer if you trust the map. Nice little museum. Now across the street in a cafe with a coffee where there is WiFi. posted from Bloggeroid

Arrived whilst it was a little dark and murky. A little brighter now but forecast not too encouraging. Need to take macs with us. The cloud is a little strange.

Arrived whilst it was a little dark and murky. A little brighter now but forecast not too encouraging. Need to take macs with us. The cloud is a little strange.

After the sailaway we sat on the balcony and watched the Innvikfjorden sliding past we went to dinner.  Each evening dinner gets better. Tonight was very good. All courses. And we were finished in good time for the 10.30pm show. Tonight's entertainment in the main theatre was all round entertainer Mark Walker and as billed, he was very good.  Tomorrow, when typing,  is Ålesund.We are due to arrive around 8am. We have until 4.30pm to look around. There are a couple of places we want to see here.

Soon after the ship was secured for sea the pub alongside the jetty began to play Rod Stewart's "Sailing".  This tune grew in popularity in UK after it was used by TV as the theme tune to a documentary series about the aircraft carrier "Ark Royal". At the moment there is not enough bandwidth or even a phone signal to upload my video to FB or YouTube. An hour later we are making our way westwards along the Innvikfjorden heading to the Nordfjord and the sea.  We are sitting on our balcony as we slide between the high sides of the fjord. Both sides heavily wooded with open patches with small groups of houses. Tonight we have decided to have a later dinner.  The entertainment on Monday was very good and we just made it. The group were called "Beautiful World" and were a tribute to Take That. Last night we just made it to the Malabar to watch the reggae group "Accent" perform covers from Bob Marley and others. If anyone with a working internet can...

Some pix. If the signal gets strong enough they might upload .. and if Bloggeroid is over its html errors. posted from Bloggeroid

The app has been playing up over the last few days with it creating html errors when trying to send posts. As an "all in one" post creater the problem has to lie with them  

In Olden today. Some people went on the excursion buses but as we have been before we decided to have leisurely walk from the ship to the town itself. Have an ice cream and nip in the Coop for some chocolate bars. I took a few photos of the fjord and then on the way back we came across a viking from the other ship! Claire with a "Viking" Azura on the right

It's early morning and we have started up the fjord to Olden. By daylight we were deep in. There's still snow on some of the mountains.

It's early morning and we have started up the fjord to Olden. By daylight we were deep in. There's still snow on some of the mountains.

Everyone had to be back onboard no later than 4.30pm. By 4.45pm we had slipped our mooring and were heading off down the fjord towards the open sea.  Our next destination is Olden.

At sea.  Lunch was quite unremarkable.  Met some interesting people however at the table again.  Went for a walk round the promenade and by this time the weather was changing.  There were a few white horses appearing on the sea and the sun was quite hazy. We decided to try the afternoon tea today and once again it was Ok.  Met some more nice people who livened up the conversation again! Tonight was the dressing up for dinner event.  We had our invitation to the captain's drinks. Disappointingly we spent the whole hour waiting to have our photos taken ...not sure if we will want copies!  Once more in the queue we got chatting to another couple.  Exchanging views on various cruises is both interesting and helpful. As we wanted to see the "Take That" sort of tribute band performing at 8.45 we had to rush off to dinner.  The restaurants are always busy and we had a lovely table by a window.  Another interesting set of dinner companions! A co...

Stavanger. Arrived about 7am. Looked out to a murky damp day. Went back to bed. Breakfast was quite liesurely and then we got ready. Lashing down as we left. Neighbours towed in Headed for Starbucks to use wi-fi. Onboard normal telecoms very poor sub 3G.  Now off to sightsee as it has eased off.