27.08.14/XNUMX/XNUMX Palma de Mallorca / Spain
Farewell, a spontaneous change of route and a swipe through AIDA
The morning is all about parting. The 3 big ones have to return to Germany to start their training or studies. After a last extensive breakfast together in the market restaurant (WITH salmon !!!) we bring you to the shuttle bus in front of the ship at 12:00. An emotional farewell is rather embarrassing for the big boys, but the female members of the clan have one or two tears in the corner of their eyes.
Around 2600 passengers leave the ship with you, the suitcases are already nicely lined up in the terminal. I think we are the only ones who do the rounds twice, at least the reception called us a few days ago to ask if that was really true. Right but. Something decadent? Maybe, but at that time there was no 14-day tour for us and so we do 2x 10 days. And I think none of the destinations of the last week we have already visited exhaustively ...
So we have the good feeling that it's not over yet and that we can go back on board. Our main task for the next few hours is to check the newcomers and see what kind of trip this will be.
In addition, we play a few hard rounds of skip-bo with the little ones and watch the people curiously explore the ship. Then we want to treat ourselves to a lunch break on the balcony. We get to know our new balcony neighbors right away. Anyone who has ever had an AIDA balcony knows that moving the sun loungers is associated with some noise. Obviously people are adjusting their chairs on all the balconies, but that seems to be too much for some after a stressful journey, because an elderly lady a few balconies further yells in a smoky voice through the area that it has to be enough with the pusher . Yes, on a vacation like this your nerves can be on edge. At the same time, our new neighbors are heavy smokers and the smoke moves over our balcony and through the open balcony door into our cabin. Uh How do we suddenly miss our quiet, inconspicuous neighbors of the last 10 days ...
Incidentally, I am of the opinion - no, not that Carthage should be destroyed, even if I have repeated this at least as often - that, as on other ships, smoking should be restricted to a few areas and should be banned from the balconies. Every smoker should like to have the right to his or her addiction, but every non-smoker also has the right to a smoke-free work / vacation place. So.
I am torn from these thoughts by a knock when room service brings us a bottle of Freixenet with champagne glasses and a tablecloth as a thank you from AIDA for the double trip. Well, I'm very happy and we enjoy a nice large glass of sparkling wine on our balcony at 33 ° C. A little tip for everyone who wants to learn from travel reports: When enjoying sparkling wine with a little more turns, please always pay attention to the effect of the alcohol in high heat on an empty stomach and starting to dehydrate. I just say: happiness is followed by headache. Hicks.
So after a fun afternoon we celebrate an extensive dinner in the market restaurant. It's pretty full this time, well, for many it's the first meal after arriving and the newcomers don't yet know when to keep the restaurant free for us. In the meantime, the big ones have reported that they have landed safely in Hamburg. Afterwards we enjoy a long round of “The crazy labyrinth” - fits our brain constitution - with the children.
Shortly before the rescue exercise, the captain announced that it was decided today that we have to change the route. The reason is that a young German was shot in Tunis under unexplained circumstances and the Foreign Office issued a warning. And AIDA is always concerned about our safety in close coordination with the authorities.
Well, I can only say again: Too late! Anyone who has followed my travel reports could read 8 days ago what I think of the vague safety information about Tunis. We also experienced last year on the AIDAdiva that we were one of the first tours that spontaneously stopped calling Cairo, but Ashdod - at a time when we had already said weeks before that nobody in Cairo would get us off board. And the fact that rocket parts fell on the AIDA in Ashdod a few weeks ago was not entirely unexpected. It is always very difficult to reconcile travelers' desires for exotic destinations with all security concerns. But I personally think it's important that the AIDA pendulum swings more quickly towards safety. So, that too had to be said.
As tragic as the occasion is, so practical for us. We have already been to La Goulette / Tunis three times, but we have never been to Sardinia, our alternative destination. And we look forward to it.
At 21pm there is the mandatory rescue exercise. This time we are not complete, in two cabins the men are missing, their wives are there, but have no idea where their men are. Well, that's going well for the ...
Then the usual welcome party starts this time with an announcement, namely that the exit will be delayed by half an hour, this time because a medical emergency still has to be brought off board. This is also tragic: the journey has not even started yet, someone has made a difficult journey and has to be taken to the hospital. Well, better now in port than tomorrow on the high seas. Get well soon!
The greeting is nicely done again, the entertainment manager has also disembarked and is replaced by Celina Wortmann, who also makes your job very personable. The welcome show "Soulman" with the singers and dancers is fun again. Yes, we will experience a lot again now, but it is worth it.
The first stage goes to Cagliari / Sardinia.
Continue reading: 11. Ship day - sea day
