Cruise Days 1-3, 22-24 November

Day 1 - 22 November - What a difference a couple of days makes. Departure from Barcelona was a Charlie Foxtrot if ever there was one. The police turned up 90 minutes after they were due - known for it at Barcelona port as it turns out. And did we mention the cold weather had arrived in Barcelona. Which would have been OK, but for the smokers barrelling through the massive automatic doors every 2 minutes letting the warm air out and the freezing air and ciggie smoke in. But hanging about in the departure hall was the least of our worries. The taxi was perfect, the bag drop off was seamless, the negative tests were examined at least three times and then we got to the easy, final, checkin bit. Theoretically… "Madam Vivienne, where is your Brazilian visa please?" Say what? New Zealanders don't need a visa for Brazil, very close countries etc, etc, 90 days visa free. Never have, didn't last time I visited, still don't. As it turns out, the port authority in Brazil (apparently) advised the ship (apparently) that all kiwis must have a visa for our four Brazilian ports. I pulled out my Australian passport and all was well(ish) - but still had to pfaff about as the entry stamp from Cherbourg in my NZ passport was almost illegible, but I'd planned ahead, taken a photo and enhanced it. And it was confusing them that they thought I'd have to be stamped out on the Australian one if it was going to be my 'ship' nationality. Sheesh. That was a close one. Bit funny actually as when we visited Brazil in 2013, it was James who needed to jump through multiple nerve wracking hoops to get a visa for Brazil. I look forward to seeing the emailed response from the Brailian embasy in Wellington, but as it was, 'No Aussie passport, no cruise'. I did wonder how any other kiwis aboard would fare. Pointless as it turns out… on a ship of 3 thousand there are only two kiwis, me and a staff member. The next minority seems to be Mauritians… met one in the crew and there's only 3 of them. So after copious to-ing and fro-ing, it was simple enough, the ship just wanted to make it difficult. When they eventually turned up, the cops stamped me out of the Schengen zone on my kiwi passport which is what I came in on - simples. The Australian passport will be requested by the brains trust in the ships office in due course, in the fullness of time. The ship is flagged in Italy, the vast majority of crew and passengers are Mediterranean. We have a sneaking suspicion Costa time is similar to if not worse than island time.

Day 2 - 23 November - Our first Sea day - We chilled, we ate, we took a lot of stairs - it's the only way we'll get through the cruise in tip top shape. The diabolical September 2022 crossing of the Irish Sea from Dublin to Cherbourg seems to have flicked a switch in my seasickness cortex / ears / balance crystals. The sea is apparently rough and I've only take 2 tablets so far. Hmmm. Hope it lasts.

Day 3 - 24 November - Woo hoo! First port day. Casablanca, Morocco (with an excursion to the big mosque and a trip up to Rabat and back). We left the port of Casablanca about 9 am and headed immediately to Rabat to avoid the worst of the traffic. Despite multiple checks, signs, labelled tickets and presumably brains in their heads, our bus was 2 people over as we prepared to leave. Couple of blokes booted off on the basis that this bus was not going to provide a great trip to Marrakech. Seriously- couldn't find their backsides with two hands and a map. It was a clear run up to Rabat once we reached the highway and we saw the exterior of the Royal Palace. We the minority (English speakers on board) numbered about 2%. The 98% Spanish contingent on the coach were quite put out they couldn't go inside. It had to be explained multiple times that it wasn't personal, no one other than the royal family and the staff is ever allowed inside. We continued on to the royal mausoleum (1 king and 2 princes so far) and it happened to be closed to the public today (always a risk). The guide was getting less popular by the second. The Mausoleum was very reminiscent of the Alhambra in Grenada and also one of the mosques we visited in Delhi back in 2019. This was also the site of the unfinished mosque. Nothing has been done since the great quake of 1755 - yes the very same quake that dropped Lisbon. It was beautiful and a little eerie, even in bright sunshine, seeing the columns stretching into the distance (pictured) The horses on guard outside were on 2 hourly shifts - more than enough in the heat. Next stop was a very peaceful coastal fortress community with 3500 odd residents all enjoying the peace and fresh air on the coast with no cars within the walls. There were, of course, also many cats. This is Morocco after all. We enjoyed the fortress walkabout and headed off for a stunning drive along the wild Atlantic coast with crashing waves, a lighthouse, cliffs and a stunning cemetery with fabulous views.

All the same, but in reverse, we made it to the freeway for the drive back to Casablanca. Desperation was setting in amongst some of the day trippers… it having been several hours since feeding time. We made it to the Movenpick Hotel in Casablanca without a revolution, but it was a near run thing. Lovely hotel and a great Moroccan buffet lunch. It is clear after just two days on board that the Mediterranean palate is actually quite bland. We enjoyed our lunch (with wine! and coffee!) immensely. The highlight of the tour day was always going to be the Mosque. Yes we've visited mosques before - big, small, blue - the works, but this one was a doozy. Huge! Incredible chandeliers (and we had a close up as one was down for cleaning), stunning craftsmanship and all on a massive scale. A wonderful visit. There was of course the gazetted stop at a Berber pharmacy on the way back - no point complaining and some of the group spent up big on black soap and argan oil… we're just spoiled as we're usually in Morocco for weeks at a time, not just a day. Final stop was an artisan's co-op that had a good range of the country's handicrafts. We bought some postcards. It was a long day and if we are ever in Casablanca again, we'll likely just wander off on our own and shop in the medina - but it was a good tour and we hit the hightlights. Onwards to the Canary Islands.

PS - We have already met the two rockstars of this cruise - our filipino cabin attendant Erwin and our Indian waiter, Koushik.