Transcript
Speaker: Hello everyone and welcome to the Sober Cruise podcast. My name's Martin and as always I'm joined by Mark. Hello Mark. Hello Martin, how are you today? Very good, thank you. How are you? Very well, thank you. I've been up up at Mountain this morning so I'm feeling very refreshed and ready for ready for the evening ahead. It's New Year's Eve, the end of 2025, so I'm looking forward to next year.
Speaker: Yes, and looking forward to ah the Sober Cruise in August as well. I think that's going to be one of the highlights of the year, isn't it? It is. some beach yeah Yes, excellent. So on today's podcast, we're going to be talking about the ports that we're to be visiting on the Sober Cruise. So we did actually handpick this particular cruise. um One, because of the virtual voyages, but when we kind of narrowed it down, we had a look at the different itineraries, and we both really loved this one. We thought...
Speaker: These ports really stand out, don't they? They do, yeah. there's ah There's a great mix of cities and and countryside and and just just some magnificent scenery and some magnificent little towns.
Speaker: they They are going to be a lovely set. And of course, as we were talking and beforehand, one or the other of us has been to each of these ports, so we will be able to talk about them with at some level of expertise.
Speaker: Yes, and also there'd be excursions available through Virgin Voyages, for example, at each of well, so can go and explore everything you these amazing ports have to offer. Now, sometimes there's stuff to do around the port itself and sometimes slightly kind of further afield, and we'll get into that as we get into the podcast. um But I think yeah we've we're in for a real treat with these ah these amazing ports. I think there's there's a few. Which one are you most looking forward to?
Speaker: I think I'm looking forward to La Spezia because I've not been there. that I've not been to that town before, but I've been to that area before. and And the last time we were there, we went to Genoa and a lovely little place called Rappello, a little seaside town. And we took a day trip to Portofino and Portofino is just one of those magical places like that everybody should get to at least once.
Speaker: Yeah, I think I'm exactly the same. the Anything anywhere in Italy to me is always going to be top of my ah ah list of places to go to. I absolutely love going to Italy. So I think we're going to have the same pull that we're going to make sure we we spend as as much time as possible ashore. So... wesh The first port, obviously, we're going to be starting at is Barcelona. um Now, a lot of people have been to Barcelona quite a few times. I've run city breaks or to go on to another cruise. I've taken quite a few cruises, quite a few Virgin Voyages cruises from Barcelona. In fact, that actually, that's where we when we went on our Transatlantic cruise. We started in Barcelona. um So...
Speaker: I think most people that are coming with us onto the Soba Cruise will be staying at least one night beforehand. And we have picked a really nice hotel. It's about a, because it's the hotel I stayed at last time, it's about 10 minute walk down to the port, 10, maybe 15 minutes um walk down to the port. So it was really nice and easy to go down. Now, the good thing is if you book with us and you book to stay in that particular hotel, we're actually going to include transfers. So you don't have to walk. I just like walking everywhere.
Speaker: um And I only had a small suitcase with me, so that's fine. But you if you've got a lot of luggage, the last thing you want to be doing is casting it along the quite bumpy... um Yes, there there is a very long bridge, if I remember. So yeah walkings walking's probably not practical unless you've just got hand luggage.
Speaker: Yeah, well, this is the thing is the first time I got on board ah Virgin Voyages from Barcelona, it was at the port, the first one that walked down to. Now, I could have taken the bus. The Virgin Voyages did have a bus that went from that port down to the actual cruise terminal. But I decided it was a nice day and had a while. So I walked down completely forgetting that there's a huge flyover bridge that you have to walk over.
Speaker: And it was quite sunny that day. So, yeah, that's why next time we will be going, we will be taking transfers from the hotel. So, yes. So Barcelona, I don't think we need to sort talk too much about Barcelona because it's one of those places I think most people have been to. But embarkation, you want to give us your sort of impressions of your first time going Virgin Voyages, how the embarkation Yes, ah like a lot of things that Virgin do, they do them very, very well. and Now, a lot of other cruise lines, they just say arrive at such and such a time and it's a little bit of a free-for-all.
Speaker: But with Virgin Voyages, it's very, very disciplined. and if if you If you book it at a check-in time of 2.30, then you will be getting on the ship at 2.30. There's no point in arriving at 1.30 because they're not going to let you on. So the first thing to do with the first thing to remember with the embarkation process is that you do need to book the time before you board.
Speaker: So what we suggest to people is says as soon as you've got your cabin showing in the app, then book your embarkish or sorry book your embarkation time as part of the check-in process so you basically it brings you through this nice little process um where you enter your passport details and then you enter your credit card details and then once you've done those two things it allows you to go in and pick a time the times tend to start from about two o'clock um and they run all the way through to about 4 30. So what we'll be doing is encouraging people to book as close to two o'clock as possible. So so and quarter past two, half past two are probably the most likely times to to be available.
Speaker: When you do arrive at the port, the first thing you'll notice when you get off your taxi or your bus, is that towards the right-hand side of the door, and there will be people queuing up with luggage. So that's the first thing you need to is drop off your luggage.
Speaker: Now, Virgin will send you an email in advance with your luggage tags, and inviting you to print off your luggage tags, attach these to your cases. In fact, you don't need to do this at all. I've never done that. I just turn up and give them, because you just show on the app,
Speaker: your um your cabin number. So a if you've memorized it, which i I had a really easy to memorize cabin number up, I memorized it quite quickly. But if you don't know it, you just show the app and they're just right. They will write it all free, yes. So they will take cases. Funnily enough, they will not take knapsacks. So your knapsack will ah will have to come on through security with hear you.
Speaker: They will ask you, do you have your passport? Now, they don't want to see your passport. They just want to make sure that you haven't put it into your luggage. And because this does happen, this does happen that people leave their leave their passports in their luggage. The luggage goes on the ship and they arrive to check in and have no passport with them. And of course, if you arrive to check in, you haven't got your passport, you are not getting on that ship.
Speaker: Your luggage is getting on the ship, but you are not. So make sure you keep your passport with you at all times. ah So once you've left the queue for the luggage, you if you look towards the left-hand side of the main door, you'll see what looks like a taxi rank, and effectively, because I think it is a taxi rank.
Speaker: And what happens there is that they tend to then have two queues. So they'll have a queue for two o'clock and they'll have a two a queue for 2.15. So if you're in the 2.15 queue, then you basically just join that queue. At 2.15 on the dot, they will start letting people through.
Speaker: And you go through the security, like ah like an a airport security scanner, and then you're ushered through to see somebody at the desk who will and effectively might take a photograph of you if your if your original photograph wasn't good enough, um or but will hand you your little bracelet, which is your key to everything. It's key to the room and key to anything that you want to want to buy on board.
Speaker: What you will be surprised by is how quickly you get on board. you know i think yeah is I think I got through, I was at 2.15. At 2.14, I was at the the end of a very long queue of people.
Speaker: At 2.16, I was going through the door and I think by 25 past two, I was on the ship. It was absolutely amazing how quickly they get they get people through. And once you get on the ship, then the only thing the left you have to do is watch the safety video and and then go to the part of the safety video. It'll tell you where you need to go. So it'll be somewhere like the grounds club or the casino. And you have to go there and get yourself buzzed in to say that you've been on the ship ah and that you've watched the video.
Speaker: And what I was very surprised by was that they asked me questions about the video. to make sure that I watched it. And I was luckily able to get, luckily be able to come come somewhere close to a coherent answer.
Speaker: But once you've done that, once you've watched the video and once you've gone to your muster station and and had your your wristband buzzed in, you're then free to do whatever you like. And for most people that will be to go to the galley and get something to eat.
Speaker: I was about to say yes, but I hope for much more, including me, is the first place to go to is up to the galley to go and get some food because, you know, it's just after lunchtime.
Speaker: and but I've had breakfast at the hotel, so it's kind of getting on to lunchtime. You want to get into the swing of things, getting into, the you know, the the rhythm of being on a cruise. So, yeah, straight up to the galley. Maybe go and sit outside, have a little wander around. If you're first on board, obviously, go and get, like, your bearings, everything. Little tip.
Speaker: Pretty much all cruise ships are done like this. Fun at the front, food at the back. So if you're at the back of the ship, generally, apart obviously see where the cabins are, that's generally where most the restaurants are. And then the funds of things like the manor, the red room, that kind of stuff, more at the front of the ship. so Yes.
Speaker: I have never thought of it like that, but it' i'm i'm I'm just trying to check through all the different cruise ships in my mind when when you're saying that. And it that is that is actually true. Yes. like is Yeah.
Speaker: In the back. Yeah, certainly the theatre's always at the front, so there's probably some reason for that, but ah yeah. I'm honest, it's probably probably something to do with that, but yeah, it's yeah it that's pretty much the easiest way of doing it. So if you're not sure, just think, okay, am i yeah ah if I want food, I need to go to the back of the ship, basically, even if I want, and then everything just tends to be in the middle, so it's nice, easy way of doing it. So Set sail. It's great because there's a really nice sail away party up on the top deck. Now, what I kind of like to do is if I've got on board early is I actually go and grab a Coke Zero and I go and sit in the jacuzzis just to sort of get really into holiday mood. But we're kind of going on to other things because we're talking about the ports um here. So our first port to call is Palma de Mallorca, which you've been to quite recently, haven't you?
Speaker: I have, yes. i was in Palma de Mallorca in September. and We went for a week and we were staying in a very nice hotel just outside of Magaluth. And we went to Palma de Mallorca just for one day.
Speaker: i was very surprised at how nice Palma de Mallorca is. I was expecting it to be just, well, I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it's just a lovely Spanish city. Reminded me quite a lot of Malaga, if you've if you've ever been there.
Speaker: and it it is really, really very nice. the I guess the the single biggest tourist attraction and in Palmet is the the cathedral. The cathedral is just magnificent. um Now, you do need to pay to get into the cathedral, it's about 10 euros, but you can book online.
Speaker: and But once you've done the cathedral, really, there's ah there's ah also a little palace you can go and visit, there's also some and Moroccan baths you can go and visit.
Speaker: But it really, is it's it's a nice place just to walk around. you know that there's There's a very nice old town, and there's a very nice modern bit with lots of shopping. So it's like it's a kind of a really really nice place to ah who just spend three or four hours in. And if you want to see the rest of the island, because I know we will be there from 8 o'clock in the morning to about 6 o'clock in the evening, then you could get a taxi.
Speaker: But off the places we're going, I would suspect that New York is probably the least interesting ah in terms of outside of Palma. I don't know if you agree with that.
Speaker: But it's ah if if if it were me going, I would spend my time in the city and not really try to fear outside the city too much. Yeah, I think been some oh I've been to Mallorca quite a few times in the last few years.
Speaker: um And I'd probably say that, yeah, once once you've done the... um but ah Palmer's the the kind of place to go. If you're going for an actual holiday, then I think that's slightly different um because you're off to go and enjoy the beaches and things. It's some really nice beaches and nice places to go and eat and...
Speaker: more mountain-y kind of bits in the middle. But I think most people on a cruise are going to spend their time around Palmer. There is a nice beach in Palmer as well. There's a really good aquarium as well. When I went, it was about 10 years ago now, but I went with a bo someone and we we went to the aquarium for half a day. and It was really good. It was really well done. Pretty fun thing. It's right next to the beach, so you can kind of combine it with the beach. not a million miles away from the centre of Palmer, but I think they had a shuttle bus to kind of take us down that car. remember was while ago, but I was, yeah, it was very nice.
Speaker: Very good. So after Palma, we'll be leaving Spain and heading into France. So the first place we get to in France is Marseille. And I have a feeling I've maybe been to Marseille, but I can remember very little about it. But you have been there, haven't you?
Speaker: Yeah, I mean, I live in France most of the year um and Marseille is of those kind of places that um um yeahp you you use Marseille as a jumping ball to get to other places.
Speaker: So and the town of Marseille is nice. It's fine. But you're really there to go off and go and do sort more exciting. fit More sort of French things as well. So you can go off to Aix-en-Provence, which is a really beautiful town. Really, really nice. Not particularly difficult to get to from there. You can kind of get there yourself on a train. You can do it because we dock straight in the center of Marseille.
Speaker: or virgin do actually do a trip where they do i think they go to a couple of different little towns and one of them is exon provence which slightly bigger sort of town you can go there now they also have a little tuck tuck ride uh that will take you around marseille as well so you can jump on one of those and have a little look around uh marseille itself up The French countryside is really kind of like where most going to go and head off to. But there are a few, so you can actually do, um with Virgin Voyages, you can do a hike.
Speaker: So you go up a little mountain. And that's a bit like you what you've done today, is you can go up a French mountain. No, I prefer the Spanish mountains. You can go up there instead. um Or they do actually have quite a few waters booked, so you can do snorkeling, for example, while on the excursions. are Because the water's down there. Once you get away from Marseille itself, because it's a port town, once you get away from there and you're off more sort of down the coastline,
Speaker: There are some really amazing places that you can go to the beach, you can go kayaking, for example, you can go snorkeling. And these are all excursions that Virgin have that will take you from there.
Speaker: Because if you're to from Marseille to Exxon-Provence, you can do that. You can do that yourself on the train. But to go off somewhere else in the countryside or further down the coast, I would do that with one of the excursions. Because if you book an excursion that Virgin have organized,
Speaker: So if you do book onto a Virgin Voyages excursion, um they basically, if if you're late coming back, the ship has to wait for you. If you have done your own thing, you know, you've kind of gone off to some faraway place and you can't get back for whatever reason.
Speaker: this ship will go without you because it's buying by the ports a lot of money and also you need to make some get to the next port as well on time as well so um yeah they will leave you behind it happens more in the caribbean apparently than it yes yeah i think i think that's from ah something that's overstated a little bit a lot of cruise lines use this to to charge extortionate prices There are certain places where I would definitely make use of that. So, uh, Livorno for Florence or Cattavecchia for Rome. There's no way I would go to Rome except on a, on a cruise ship because you're like nearly two hours away.
Speaker: But in some of the ports that we're going to, um, one of the nice things about the stays is that they're they're leaving relatively late. You know a lot of them are leaving like eight o'clock in the evening, which is quite late for leaving ports. So there's going to be very, very little risk of anybody missing the books if they're any way careful.
Speaker: Yeah. And the the good thing is that, know, for Marseille, we don't, you pretty much in the centre of Marseille, within a walking distance, same as quite the other ones that are coming up as well. For Parma, Parma the cruise terminal, they just run shuttle buses between, ah that will take you right up almost to the cathedral, sort of about couple of hundred metres away from the cathedral. Usually it's where they drop you off and then you just go back there later on to go and um get back to the ship. So,
Speaker: we haven't kind of picked those ports that where you are sort of traveling hundreds of kilometers uh to get to them so yeah uh marseille i think maybe go out for some uh go out for some lunch have a french onion soup although actually it's gonna be august so maybe maybe the way it's not the weather to have french onion so go out and have a have a nice lunch get a baguette because there's nothing like french bread uh really yes sir you can They are very, very good at it. And then if you want to go and do something exciting, then go and do the kayaking or snorkeling because the the the waters down there are sort of crystal clear, really beautiful.
Speaker: And once we've left Marseille, we'll be staying within France and we'll be heading down to Cannes. Yes, and I've actually been to Cannes quite a few times on on different cruise ships. and It is lovely.
Speaker: So one of the nice things about being in Cannes is that and we get tenders from the ship into the town because the shoreline, the the water around the shoreline is not really deep enough for the ship to come right in.
Speaker: and And it can be really nice. This can be a really nice thing to do just in the morning and then coming back in the afternoon. Now, if you want to go on the tender, you need to book a ticket up until about 10.30 and you get those from the shore excursions. But after 10.30, because most of the people will have left, you can you can just go any time after that.
Speaker: When you're in Cannes itself, it's kind of one of those places that you feel as if you know, you know, because we've all grown up hearing hearing about the Cannes Film Festival and we've all grown up seeing pictures of of the the movie stars in the doorways of those hotels.
Speaker: It's a beautiful place. You know, that that when you when you step off this you get a step off the tender, there's all these beautiful yachts and and it just it just oozes opulence, really.
Speaker: It doesn't take terribly long to see it. It's effectively one long promenade. So it's a beautiful walk. and Or there's and like a little, very little quaint hop on, hop off.
Speaker: but almost like a ah life-size wooden train you can get that goes from one end to the other. So it's a lovely place just to have a little wander around, have a cup of very expensive coffee, ah and and just look at the beautiful people.
Speaker: and If you do want to go further away and and you've got so you've got them and maybe a youve a few more hours to kill, then you can get the train. There's some lovely, lovely places nearby. You can get to places like Nice within 30 minutes. You can get to the nice Yeah. Which one? Oh, very good, Martin. Very good, very good. Denise's mice. Yes, thank you. ah You can get to Monaco in an hour and Monaco is again one of these places that everyone should see at least once. It's lovely. One of the best casinos that you'll ever get into if they will let you into it. 45 minutes will bring you to a little place called Eze.
Speaker: and And my favourite rock band, you two, Bono and the Edge own a house in Eze. Yeah. So you might bump in August time. you Who knows who you might bump into? or Whether you want to spend just a few hours there or you want to spend 10 hours getting the train to monte Monte Carlo or to to Nice. it's ah It's a great port. it's a it's of and yeah You'll not forget being in Cannes.
Speaker: Yeah, it is really nice there. And and you you can what I like is when you're on the beach, you can see the ship and then you can go, that's my ship, that's where I'm staying. And of course, it depends on which side you're on, if you're on port side or the starboard side, which is obviously where the ship's facing. But, you know, you can go, oh, I can see what happened from here.
Speaker: you know No, right, of course, we've got the Central Sea Terrace cabins as well. they're right in the centres. quite easy to see. They're quite easy to find. They're quite high in the centres. So that's kind of a yeah right. but um Yeah, I went during the yeah the film festival once. And unfortunately, yeah, on a version of Voyages as well. but We had Duvenal. Yeah.
Speaker: um But um unfortunately, we missed ah Tom Cruise by a day and we missed Tom Hanks by a day as well. So ah we didn't get to see any of those. We got to see some French celebrities. So not as exciting. But it was really cool to be in there. And you could see ah the ah the menus all had sillotape over where they'd cover their old prices. Oh, right.
Speaker: support Right, you are some cream, is it? Okay, right. I'm sure it's not normally this, bro. Yes, yes. So you don't want to be having at lunch maybe in Cannes. Maybe go back on to the ship for that.
Speaker: Yes, head back or onto the ship is absolutely fine. for her ah But but ah next place we're going to, we're still within France, although were sometimes the the locals might um dispute that and they know how that you we're our own place, but they are technically part of France.
Speaker: and that And that is Corsica. Have you been to Corsica before? I have not been to Corsica, but I do know who was born in Corsica. And who was born in Corsica? Yes. Napoleon was born in Corset. Yeah, he certainly was. And that's one of the things you can go and do is you can go and do an excursion to go and find out what about Napoleon, about his life. Very interesting man. um ah a massive, I mean, he's the reason why most of Europe drive on the wrong side of the road.
Speaker: Or the ink the other side of the road. Yeah. It's because of because of him and he has shaped history quite a lot. So he's very interesting person to go and learn about his background with kind of stuff. So, um yeah, you can go and do that whilst you're in Corsica. Now, something else, which is Corsica is a very nice, small little island.
Speaker: ah And where we dock into is really kind of like very picturesque French kind of town scenery. So you can go around and again, you can go and get your your pastures and those kind of things from from the boulangerie. You're not going to see a huge amount of chain shops as well. It tends to be like a lot of smaller ones. And we might be lucky. We might actually, when we dock, there's a market space there. So it might be a market day the day we dock as well. so It might be that you can kind of go and go around, wander around the market and go and see all the different cheeses and flowers and all that kind of stuff. And a few Napoleon fridge magnets.
Speaker: I'm sure there's lots of Napoleon fridge magnets. You can buy those all year round. You don't have to on the market. But where one of the really exciting things Virgin Voyages offer, and I'm sure this is quite expensive, is you can take a helicopter ride.
Speaker: uh over Corsica so that would be quite a a cool way to see everything uh or ah you know um if you're not great with hives like me you can go out on a catamaran for the day uh as well so again these are ones that Virgin will pick you up uh from the port you dog straight in the it literally walks straight out and you're right in the center of the town um and they'll take you to the catamaran and you go off and again it's beautiful crystal clear waters around the islands it's a nice place to relax want to do something slightly more exciting you can do kayaking or a jet ski is the other kind of things to do as well but if not there's plenty of sort of nice little places to go and relax and walk around we just kind of walked around when we were there and just chilled out and then went back to the ship and I think we probably actually went yeah and of course you were telling us there about a few of the Virgin Voyages excursions but one of the things you'll be doing over the next couple of months is to is to investigate our tours that we will we will try and put an excursion on for each for each ah place and you'll be trying to work out what what the best option is so we'll be true rel it trying to keep the cost as low as possible I think in terms of the tours won't we And the Virgin aren't the worst now in terms of tours, but they do tend to be quite expensive.
Speaker: You know, yeah yeah they're not, they're not the cheapest, but they're not them but yeah not um the um the most expensive, uh, by any stretch imagination. But, um, Yeah, that we'll be sort of listening to feedback and finding out what people want to do in these kind of ports. And of course, you're completely free to just do whatever you want whilst you're in port. Stay on the ship if you want to. But we will be having a little group excursion. So maybe 10, 15 of us might go off and go and do something ah in Corsica and various different kind of places. So you've always got something to do.
Speaker: Exactly. So that brings us to the last port, which was the one that we said at the beginning that we were both looking forward to the most. And and that's La Spezia. So tell us why you're looking forward to it. And I'll tell you that then I'll tell it sort of talk about why I'm looking forward to it.
Speaker: I think I really just love going to Italy anyway. I think it's such a nice, relaxed atmosphere. And, of course, ah pizza and pasta. You're going to get much better at pizza and pasta when you're in um in east Italy.
Speaker: um But I think it's just that it's that um if you you have Google image a typical um Italian countryside, this is basically what you kind of think it's going to look like. um you know you've got the countryside of things and then you've got the beautiful color colored houses as well um which i it just looks amazing a picture postcard uh place so um what about you what are you looking forward to A lot of the same things that you've just mentioned. Now, I hadn't heard this term before we went, but La Spezia is part of what they call the, I'm going to pronounce this very, very badly, the Sanctaire, which I guess must mean something like five towns or five lands or something like five earth. Yeah, but I suppose lands or something like that. And what it is apparently is it's it's like five little villages that are connected by this and train line. So one of the things that most people do when they get to Las Spezia is get to get on the train, and maybe not try and visit all five because lot there'll be a lot of pushing and shoving and getting off on and off trains, and but maybe visit three, you know.
Speaker: And you can get a a a day ticket, which goes, i think costs about 30 euros. You can get it online before you arrive. And that that will bring you up and down those villages.
Speaker: If you do want to stay a bit longer, then it's the gateway to a lot of other places. So once you get to the last village on the Sanctuary, you can then get a bus which will bring you to Portofino, which is really well worth the trip.
Speaker: Or you can get a train that will bring you around to and Genoa. Genoa is an interesting Italian town slash city in that is it it is it's it's interesting, but it's a little bit run down. It's not as pretty as as Florence or or any of those.
Speaker: and But if you do want to take a longer trip, you can then go you can go to Florence. It's about two hours, so you would need to be a wee bit careful of the time. But if you've never been to Florence, that is one of the cities that that everybody should see at least once.
Speaker: and You can also go to Pisa, which is about 90 minutes away. Pisa, I would suggest, is the the opposite, is that there's a tower which leans, and apart from the tower that leans, there's actually a very nice church opposite the tower that leans.
Speaker: But it's it's one of those places that's maybe not worth the effort of getting there. If you're on a bus tour, it's worth stopping at. But I don't think I would... I think if I spent two hours getting there and two hours getting back, I would be a little disappointed ah to take a photograph. Yes, yes. so and But as you say, the whole the whole area is just lovely, you know. And as you were mentioned, Genoa has the most impressive aquarium I've ever been in. It has a very, very nice aquarium as well.
Speaker: So there's lots to do that. And we can compare it. Yes.
Speaker: Compare ah the different aquariums of of Europe.
Speaker: and Well, I think once you've seen one aquarium, really, you've seen them all. They're quite similar, aren't they? Yes. Yes. Yeah. And then, of course, ah we'll we'll have a final day at sea, which we've all spoken about on another episode. So, of course, ah have a little listen to that and um the previous episode all about a day in the life at sea um when you're on board the with the Sober Cruise. And then heading back to Barcelona. And Barcelona is is, you know, some people are going to stay afterwards. Some people are going to stay in Barcelona.
Speaker: Some people are going a bit further down the coast, for example. There's plenty of things to do in Barcelona. And some are just going to fly straight home. Obviously, it depends on on what you're doing. But ah it's quite easy to get off the ship. I've never found it. There isn't really... and You can book a particular time to get off, or you can just get off when when you want to. um It's entirely up to you. You put your suitcases out the night before, and then by if by magic, you ah the next day they're waiting for you when you get ashore in Bar Summer, so you don't have to mess around with anything. You just have a backpack that you have all your last night clothes and things to add in, and you walk off with that. But... you know, everyone, pretty much everyone, goes to the galley, I think, first thing in the morning, have a little wander around the top deck, get in those last sort of like few minutes of being on board the ship and then ah head ashore. But the great thing about Virgin is they don't really kick you off that that quickly because usually you kind of have to um start making way aboard no later than 10.30, which most other ships are clear by 9.30.
Speaker: nine thirty s sister quarter past nine so virgin don't want you rushed they want your last experience uh on board to be a really nice breakfast um uh and that is you can just forget but also um the wake's open isn't it you can go to the wake it is you can go and have breakfast there if you want uh if you want something less rushed so you can have one last steak and eggs with Yes, yes. And one of the things i do remember that when you get off the ship and and you go into the the baggage hall, the the bag the bags, it it just looks to be like a sea of suitcases. That is actually quite well organized. Once you realize the the the way they've coded it, it it is it is quite easy to find your bag. But one little tip would be to maybe tie something very colorful to the handle of your bag so you can she can recognize your bag.
Speaker: and but Virgin will offer a coach tour or sorry a coach to get you to the airport but really I'd never had a problem getting a taxi from Barcelona so you'll probably find it quicker and cheaper just to get off the ship and if you want to you know get a taxi from there rather than do the Virgin one unless you're getting a particularly early flight and you want to be guaranteed to get there by a particular time Yeah, so I recommend not getting a flight before one o'clock, which I would agree with just as case late getting into the pool, whatever. But if you do take their um the transfer, you basically put your luggage out the night before. um As far as I know, it got they put it onto the coach for you because they know which coach you're going onto. you don't even have to claim your luggage.
Speaker: You just put it out the night before. And the next time you see it is at the airport. and you pick Yeah. as well which is pretty good same thing is if you arrive on the day we don't usually recommend arriving on day but if you do decide to arrive on the day and you take verges transfers again a bit more expensive but you again you leave your luggage um at the airport when you arrive and put it onto the coach you don't have to take it off they do all that kind of stuff for you and then it's ah it's way of view outside your cabin a few hours later so know it is more expensive but you don't have to carry your luggage yeah
Speaker: A very good point. So as you can see, we've picked some amazing ports to visit whilst on the Sober Cruise. i Hope you're really going to enjoy visiting these ports with us.
Speaker: ah Our favourite one we're looking forward to is going to Italy, but they've got some amazing ports in Spain and also in France to go to as well. And you know what? Maybe we'll take their helicopter ride in in Corsica. Who knows?
Speaker: But for now, that's going to be it for this episode. Now, next time we'll be talking about one of the best things about Virgin Voyages, and that is the food, isn't it? It is. The food is excellent, yeah.
Speaker: Yes. and So we'll be talking to all things dining, talking about the restaurants, we're talking about our group dining, et cetera, and how you go about making reservations, but also, more importantly, the best places to eat on full version voyages. So thank you very much, Mark, for joining us.
Speaker: You're very welcome, Martin. It's always always good to see you. And for more information, please visit thesobercruise.co.uk. If you want to book in a call with us, you can talk to us about going on the cruise, if you have any questions, that kind of stuff. And you can do that, once again, at thesobercruise.co.uk.
Speaker: And of course, as well as that, Martin, people can follow us on Instagram and follow us on Facebook. And they can also look at a fantastic website called thesobercurator.com where I've been writing a series of articles about our cruise experience and they've been kind enough to publish them on there for us.
Speaker: Yeah, it's a great resource, isn't it? There's lots of interesting articles on there and of course, including your article, but there's lots of different ah exciting and interesting articles to read on there.
Speaker: Indeed. Excellent. Well, thank you much for listening and we'll speak you soon. Thank you much. Have good day.
