It took us 4.5 hours to get to the Alternative Cruise Parking lot.  The main part of the journey was fine, but we got snarled up round the north-western part of Southampton as we approached the parking area.

The transfer was very quick and all the better for the fact that the mooring had been transferred to the Mayflower Terminal fairly late on rather than the originally scheduled Ocean Terminal.

We arrive at the terminal building at around 1.30pm and waited quite a long time there until we were called to register.  Once on board we found our cases outside our room and the cabin was waiting for us.

We were well impressed by the cabin – it was very spacious with lots of room to move around without getting under one another’s feet.  A bottle of champagne and a box of Belgian chocolates were there to welcome us and we also had dressing gowns, the best cruise line slippers we’ve ever been offered, large format binoculars, a decent atlas, a full size umbrella, the usual P&O tea and coffee making facilities, two television sets, a good range of toiletries from the White Company and lots of desk, drawer and cupboard space and walk-in wardrobe area.  The bathroom was also noticeably larger than usual and included a ¾ size bath with shower over.

Having unpacked, we did some exploring, had muster, an early dinner and then saw a stunning show by ‘The Headliners’ call ‘Destination Dance’ and was one of the very best shows we’ve seen on a ship – the sets, the costumes, the choreography and the way it was executed as well as the singing.

We even squeezed in our first quiz and were only pipped by one mark by a team of 6 people.  We were well and truly rocking in the western Channel by then and decided to strap ourselves down in bed for the night.

The bed rocked and rolled all night and then seemed to calm down as morning approached.