Wednesday 26 June 2019

Ventura Blog: Weather, Wifi, and Technology


When I first asked Chris where he would like to go on our next cruise, and he replied "Iceland", my heart sank. I do enjoy a bit of sunshine, and you don’t choose a cruise to Iceland if you are seeking hot weather. But yesterday’s fine weather on our first sea day was a real bonus. I sat for over an hour in the heat of our cabin balcony until the fear of sunburn called me inside.


We also attended a meet-up of all those facebook members who had joined the cruise event on social media. With so many passengers onboard, it's a great way to connect in person with a few familiar faces.




The threatened overnight thunderstorm never appeared though rain did wash the decks after dinner.


The evenings are growing longer now as we anticipate our arrival in the land of the midnight sun, and there are always interesting things to see in the North Sea.  



As I write this we spending our final sea day before we arrive in the Faroes. We are currently sailing between the Orkneys and Shetland Islands, and although the sky is clear, the temperature is definitely dropping. It’s time to pack away the T-shirts and find the jumpers.
Swimming in one of the two outside pools today would only be for the very brave, but Ventura also has a large all-weather pool with a retractable roof. Although unoccupied when I took this photo, several active souls went in this afternoon.


For me, today was a good opportunity to chill with a book and to catch up on some technology.  Wifi onboard is not necessarily cheap, but there are a variety of packages to choose from.


The occasional user can select a ‘pay as you go’ option, which will cost very little if you compose your emails off-line then only connect to wifi post them. There are also three daily or cruise packages. Chris and I share the cost of the ‘browse’ package for the entire cruise. This gives us internet access to everything except video streaming. We can’t both go on line at the same time, but with a bit of negotiation we seem to manage. All the cabins also have a TV (two TVs in balcony deluxe and suites) which show a wide variety of films, popular TV shows and international news channels. The TV also streams ship’s information and port talks. We do enjoy the navigation channel which has a live link to our location.






And while I am on the subject of technology, I have a confession to make. Yesterday my watch strap broke, and the only small size really cheap replacement I could find in the onboard shops was a child's Barbie Doll one. So instead, I treated myself to a Fitbit watch from the ship's Dixon's Travel Shop. I now have a step tracker and calorie counter attached to my wrist which is motivating me to use the stairs instead of the lift. I doubt my new found fitness enthusiasm will last long!  




       My next blog post will be about our day in Torshavn in the Faroe Islands.


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