She Said . . .
Only one more full day on the cruise ship after today. It is always sad to see an enjoyable vacation come to an end.
Last Three Sea Days
The last 3 days at sea (Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday) were quite relaxing. However on Monday evening before we went for dinner, the captain of the boat came over the loudspeaker in every room of the ship, including the cabins. I don’t know about other cruise ships, but that has never happened on Celebrity and certainly hasn’t this Azamara cruise either. So we knew it was not good.
The Captain told us there was a medical situation with a “very special person” on the ship so he was increasing the speed to full capacity so we could get to Agadir and a hospital Tuesday evening rather than Wednesday morning - about 12 hours early. He went on to say he was not worried about fuel consumption because the doctor on the ship said the person in need of medical help, needed to get to Agadir as soon as possible.
Upon looking at channel 14 (the channel where you get the “you are here” information, the camera view at the front of the boat, weather, and our travel particulars) earlier in the day, Blaise and I had noticed the speed had increased greatly to nearly 20 knots.
That evening and all day yesterday, there seemed to be a sense of urgency with the speed of the ship. I do not know what was wrong with the guy but I certainly hope he is OK.
Yesterday, we stumbled upon a Q&A with the chief engineer in one of the bars and he was asked why a helicopter wasn’t sent to the boat to pick up the person. He said they don’t like to send helicopters to ships on the ocean because of the dangerous maneuvering that must occur to get the person in the helicopter (which doesn’t land but rather sends a basket down to get the person). The doctor on the ship felt if we could get to Agadir earlier, that would be the best option to assist the person. We couldn’t stop at some place closer because 1) they do not have the hospital facilities for the person and 2) we would miss our other ports.
I do wonder what was wrong with the person that 12 hours would make the difference. Not being a doctor, I would not know.
As a result, the wind across the ship along with the cloudy skies and cooler temperatures, made sitting outside on the deck yesterday, too chilly to handle.
Blaise and I both continued to read our respective books during the sea days. Yesterday I watched the “Top Chef” like demonstration between the cruise director and the hotel manager. The hotel manager was the straight guy to the cruise director’s goofball antics.
On Monday while I was on the treadmill and after all these years of taking cruises, I saw a very large fish (perhaps) the size of a shark jump out of the water as he was swimming the direction of the boat. Then I started seeing a bunch of them swimming around just below the surface or with their dorsal fins sticking out of the water. I have no idea what they were. They did not appear big enough to be an orca whale but they were black on top and white on the bottom. It was wonderful! I had wished Blaise was there to see them too. It was the highlight of our days at sea for me.
Also on Monday, we walked passed the woman I suspect to be my CivPro professor and I hear her say “Fort Worth” as she is talking to some people. OK, this is weird. I tell Blaise, I really think she IS Professor Penrose. Why else would she mention Fort Worth? Now this is really bugging me! AND I am convinced it is her. I also start thinking I should ask her the next time I see her but later talk myself out of it - I am not sure she would want to be bothered by a former student while on vacation. I still can’t understand why she would be on a 17-day cruise in the middle of a law school semester.
Agadir, Morocco
We arrived in Agadir during dinner Tuesday night. After dinner, we walked onto Deck 5 to find the ambulance there waiting at the pier for the guy with medical issues. We stood there for a bit and watched the spectacle. We go back in to get a drink and because I felt a bit uncomfortable watching it like it was a show given that I was the “show” 2 ½ years ago in Australia when I broke my nose and was kicked of the ship. Then we went back out to the deck and found the guy being wheeled to the ambulance in a wheelchair while I assume the person to be his wife stands by the ambulance with all their luggage. This brought on a conversation between Blaise and me about our similar experience in Brisbane, Australia. What a mess that day was! (Side note - if you have never heard the story, you can read about it in our blog from October of 2016.)
We chose not to get off the boat that evening because we were told all the shops were closed and the only thing open were restaurants. Well, we just ate, so that was not helpful.
The next day (Wednesday, April 3) we had booked an excursion through the cruise line (mainly because I did not have the time to do adequate research about Agadir) for a highlights tour of the city.
Agadir was completely destroyed in an earthquake in 1960, including the kasbah that overlooked the city. And no, I have not yet stopped singing “Rock the Kasbah” from 80’s music fame.
We visited the remains of said kasbah and I think we pretty much rocked it. It was on top of a very dry mountain speckled with low brush. The views were spectacular of the crescent-shaped beach.
Agadir has been virtually rebuilt, however, they cannot rebuild the kasbah until the passage of at least 100 years as it was a burial ground and Islam prevents rebuilding on such ground for 100 years.
It was a drab overcast day. It looked like rain would fall at any moment. Our guide told us it had not rained there in months so they were hoping for rain. And it did - it sprinkled on us while were driving around in the big bus.
The tour group was big and several people with the group had ambulatory issues. This made the day drag on a bit too much for Blaise and me.
In addition to the visit to the kasbah, we also visited a Berber museum. The berbers were originally nomadic people who have lived in this part of the world for thousands of years. There are still a great many berbers in the area. It was interesting to see how they lived.
Our last visit was to a souk (an outdoor market) This market was much cleaner and less cramped than the market we experienced in Salvador on our not-so-photographic tour. Our guide had us (probably 30-40 of us) wander around following him for a while before giving us our own time to shop. Having no local currency, we merely browsed.
Back on the boat, we had a lovely dinner as the seas tossed us back and forth. It was the worst time on the boat as far as rockiness of the ocean we had on this cruise. It was bad enough, they had barf bags hanging on the stair railings on every deck by the elevators. We have never seen that before.
At dinner Blaise had his standard French onion soup and a fish and scallops. I had fried mozzarella balls, Ceasar salad and fettuccine alfredo. I opted for no dessert because I didn’t see anything that sounded good to me. So we went upstairs to the buffet to see what they had for dessert. I didn’t like much there either, so I got some gelato with chocolate sauce. So much for the diet.
Before the boat took off for Casablanca, the Captain’s announcement told us the guy who got off the boat the night before, although he is doing OK, needs long term care and would not rejoin the ship. He also told us another guest had to leave the ship for medical reasons. I hope they are OK.
Casablanca, Morocco
We arrived in Casablanca around 8:30 this morning. Today we had a walking tour of the city through the cruise ship.
On a side note, we have talked about doing more research before upcoming cruises so we can do our own private tours, allowing us to do what we want at our own pace.
As we were waiting in the cabaret lounge with many other passengers for our cruise ship excursion to start, Blaise pointed out that “Professor Penrose” was there also. Then someone hollers out “Meg!” I look up and there she is, responding to the person calling out “Meg.” Wanna guess what Prof. Penrose’s first name is? What are the odds? The HR Director on the boat retired from American Airlines and now works for Azamara. I had seen “Prof. Penrose” with her a couple time during the cruise, which further supported my thought that this was indeed who I thought it was given that AA’s headquarters is Fort Worth. It is still doubtful I will say anything to her. She should have the opportunity to enjoy her vacation without my bothering her.
Meanwhile, we continue to see “Bosch” around the ship.
Our walking tour today involved a stroll down their main drag (which is now the street their new tram travels down) from the United Nations Square about a mile. The early to mid 20th century art deco architecture created by the French, when Morocco was a French colony, was on display in what they call a live outdoor art deco museum.
From there we hopped on the small coach to the French Medina (means city) of Casablanca where we strolled through an outdoor market area including a fish market and olive market. Oh, the olives! I have never seen so many olives. We learned there are not different kinds of olive trees that grow the different kinds of olives. The olives we eat are in various stages of ripeness with green being the least ripe and black being the most ripe.
We visited a Moroccan music museum where we got to look at a some beautiful historic Moroccan musical instruments, sip some delicious Moroccan hot tea (green tea with mint), taste some Moroccan and French pastries and sweets, and hear some beautiful Moroccan Allousse (sp.) and Berber music. The love of the music of the amateur musicians was infectious. It was lovely.
After a walk from their Administrative Square back to the United Nations Square, we did a bit of shopping when I bought a couple of postcards for my nieces and some Argan oil for myself. So you know, Argan oil in Morocco is much cheaper than what I buy at home.
The End
The end of our vacation is almost here. Today upon return to our cabin we received our debarkation instructions and luggage tags. Ugh! It has been a wonderful time and I hate to see it end. But if a vacation didn’t end, they are nothing special and something you don’t really get excited about.
While my diet has gone out the window in recent days, I will note neither Blaise nor I have taken the elevators the entirety of our time on this ship.
We will see y’all soon!
Friday Morning Update
The rough seas continue. Last night, the Captain, for the second time on this cruise used the intercom in all rooms, including the cabins. He explained to us the seas were going to be particularly rough once we left port and got out to see. He had altered the course some to hug the coast once we reached the European coastline of Portugal.
Again, after dinner the barf bags were hanging on the ends of the stair railings on each floor outside the elevators. While the sea is the roughest we have seen on this cruise and possibly ever, I find it comforting which probably makes no sense to those prone to sea sickness.
This morning at breakfast, there were very few people, which is not the norm. Granted we were about 30 minutes later than usual, but it was unusually slow. Either people are waking up later today or they can’t stomach food at this point.
We ate as we usually do at breakfast and our stomachs seem fine, despite the barf bag sitting behind our stateroom number as we left our room.
No Deck 5 lounging today - too windy, cold, and wet. The spray of the waves is even hitting our balcony on Deck 7. So today we sit in the “Living Room” at the front of the ship on Deck 10. If you have ever been on Celebrity ships, this is equivalent to their Sky Lounge only a bit quieter and their chaise lounges at the very front of the boat are more comfy.
Later today, we will back and prepare to leave the boat. While I will miss our vacation time, I will be glad to see friends and family again.
He Said . . .
Well I’m laying in bed after dinner and attempting to recall everything that’s happened during our time at sea and our ports in Morocco but let me give it a try…
Sea days are normally quite laid back with a considerable amount of time given to catching up on all the reading we haven’t done since our last cruise and this trip is no exception. I’m still reading Oracle and Ami is knee deep in some 600+ page book that she tells me is too “descriptive” so she finds herself skipping some of the reading; I wondered why read it if you’re going to skip info but I certainly get it, some of these authors get sooooo carried away with the adjectives that it becomes monotonous. She’s at 70% complete and I admire her commitment to finishing it up; especially since she brought it last year and never cracked it open.
So the excitement for our sea days began as we were within 24 hours of Agadir, the captain came over the intercom and told us that we had a medical emergency and needed to get a guest to the hospital “as soon as possible” and we were going to speed up to maximum speed and get there 12 hours early, that’s 8pm vs 8am the next day!! So we proverbially “floored” it. Fortunately the seas were quite calm and we were doing 18 to 19 knots, that’s really moving on the water considering the size of the ship. My thought was of the financial implications and I wondered if the cruise line was going to present a bill for the additional fuel to the poor sick guy. I’m sure they got one from medical but hopefully not for the fuel as well. About 9pm we were cleared by customs and the paramedics made their way on board and brought the guy down the gangway and began loading him into the ambulance. There was of course a ton of people all gawking at him over the railing and I hearkened back to our own misadventure of getting thrown off the ship a few years ago; if you haven’t ever read that blog it’s worth the 30 minutes you’re going to have to give up to see what a crazy adventure that was, but we did get Tim-Tams out of it so it was ALMOST a net-net win - NOT!!! The following day the captain told us that not only did this guy have to stay in the hospital and wouldn’t be returning; additionally overnight someone else got sick and had to go to the hospital as well. I thought wow I hope we get all of our traveling done before we end up in their states.
So Agadir, we took an excursion to hit the highlights and I was summarily hugely disappointed with where and what we did. First they took us to the kasbah up on the hilltop, hopefully AJ put out a couple of pics, it’s a beautiful view. The downside is the the kasbah was destroyed during an earthquake in 1960 and there are only a very few ruins left of it, although the locals are all up there selling pictures with, as well as rides on, camels; snake pictures too!! I AM DEATHLY AFRAID OF ALL SNAKES; I’m color blind I can’t tell poisonous from non-poison so I have to assume they are all deadly. Anyway, this guy with a snake around his neck really had me moving the other direction and he kept heading toward us. I was not having it!!! Secondarily, I don’t believe in riding animals traditionally wild animals, camels, elephants, water buffalo, all out from my perspective. Then it was off to a municipal museum with everything written in Arabic, Berber and French, too bad I couldn’t get more out of it. Great jewelry but I didn’t get any reference points beyond that. After that we went to the souk (market), it was huge (not Canton huge) but this one is everyday and not just once a month!! It was enlightening and I really enjoyed seeing how the locals shopped, both for food as well as goods. That portion of the excursion I really enjoyed, the rest was a non-starter from my perspective and Ami and I decided that from here on out we should just look for private tours for two that we secure outside the cruise lines going forward.
Our last stop before we get booted off the boat, Casablanca …
I was looking so forward to this stop. I really started looking at this cruise and taking a chance on Azamara, just so I could go to Casablanca. I wasn’t disappointed, we took a walking tour excursion having something to do with some bizarre named musical museum called - I think it’s called Andelouse (sp?) Moroccan music. We saw a huge amount of architecture, one of the King’s palaces and the French Medina (city). In comparison to the walking photography tour we took this guy really knew his stuff. He knew all about the architecture, build dates, as well the architects that built all of these buildings while Morocco was under French rule from 1912 to 1957; they did a lot of building before allowing them their independence and walking away. I enjoyed it immensely; even the music which for me was to be the worst part of the excursion, it wasn’t at all. Really was well done and I appreciated how well he knew the material of the excursion, it was a pleasant change from what we had been subjected to on this cruise.
So tomorrow we get to Lisbon and get ready to get thrown off the boat and return to the real world; I’m personally torn because I love the time with Ami learning as well as observing new cultures and potentially expanding ones world views but I also miss things at home too. Not sure why but I miss our norm; the new house I need to get back to, Brandon and our weekend breakfast locale to name just a few. I can’t wait to get back to Sumatran coffee and the internet (without having to find a wifi).
All that said I booked this trip with Casablanca being the reason, when it was over Casablanca was playing second fiddle to Rio. I would go back there in a minute, if I don’t ever get back to Casablanca and Morocco I won’t mind, it didn’t warrant a return from my perspective; Rio we’ll be back!!!
It is expected to take 2 days to get home with an overnight in MIA before we return via Austin the following day. I sure hope we aren’t in the middle section, I thought we had an A/B to ourselves, I hope that’s the case, at least to Philly, the rest I’m indifferent to, fingers crossed. Not sure if this is the last post for this cruise or not, if so we’ll provide the last leg when we see everyone at home, if we have a layover or something bizarre occurs we’ll put out a final entry, in either case be well - health is happiness!! Until then….
