Le Boreal and the 20 Day Passage to France

 So onto Le Boreal as we bid a fond farewell to Miami and the American continent. 

We were greeted at the gangway by the Captain (nice touch) and started our check in. The process was relatively painless and soon we were headed to the restaurant for a quick bite and a drink (before dehydration sets in). After that we were shown to our cabin.

But to Julie's horror it did not have a bath tub - a must on such a lengthy voyage.

So off to speak to the reception. We were told that they will see what they can do. 😊

Le Boreal has capacity for around 246 guests. Our voyage will have around 64. So a lot of cabins available.

Later that afternoon we moved into another cabin. Not only did it have a bath, it also had an adjoining room which is used as a lounge area. Very nice.

The ship is around the same size as the Venture, nicely appointed with the amenities that would be expected for an expedition vessel. It has 2 dining areas, a number of bars (not always open though for this cruise) and several areas for guests to relax or be entertained.

As said earlier, there are not many guests onboard. About 70% being French and the rest made up of Americans, Canadians and 2 Aussies. We are definitely one of the youngest couples onboard. 😱Language is not really a problem as most of the staff have a good grasp of English. All broadcasts are made in French and English however lectures are done in French and some are repeated in English at a different time.

Entertainment is very limited but that was expected on this cruise. We have a couple of duets, a piano player and ship's dancers (although we have yet to see them).

We have met up with a couple from Canada and one from Boston. So that was good.

The weather for the first 4 days was calm and sunny so we got out around the pool to maximise the sun exposure as we knew this won't last. Julie actually went to a water aerobics season on day 3.

As you can see there was no need to rush out and get a sun lounge

Julie did find the water a bit cold - but she still did it.👍

I focussed on the gym and steam room. BUT they decided to resurface the gym floor so moved the equipment to an adjoining room. Only problem was that the ceiling height was lower which meant I couldn't use the walker or cross trainer without bashing my head. So stuck with the bike for 7 days. The weight machine was also locked away for the weak. At least the steam room worked.

I thought the Venture was quiet. This ship is a ghost town. So it's a bit hard to find people to stay up after dinner (9.30). There is light entertainment but no-one is around. There was one afternoon of trivia. We came last (again). Good to know our form from Venture has followed us.

Lots of quiet time so we read, sleep, eat and drink. I actually went up to the outside bar. Just me, the barman and a margarita.

The highlight though is definitely the food. Going to be difficult to keep the weight off.

Day 5 still had sun but the sea state was definitely started to get up. By day 6 things started to change. They closed the restaurant on Deck 6 and moved all meals to the main restaurant on Deck 2. We woke to rougher seas, grey skies and rain. A lot of white caps. The projection is that it will be this (or worse) for the next 3 days.

Not many at lunch.

So - summary to date after 6 days.  The ship is very comfortable, the staff are very good, the amenities are OK, language is not an issue, entertainment is limited, food is terrific and most of the guests are very old 😆

There has been one change to the itinerary. Instead of being 20 days non stop we are going to visit Caen on days 17 and 18 which will be good.

Based on the excitement on the voyage to date, not sure how many blogs will be published. Need something to happen to fill up the page.

14 days to go!