Up early, at 5.00am to be precise then quick breakfast then off to Embra airport. Check-in and security was excellently handled again. In the twice we’ve travelled from Edinburgh, the way you are ushered from entry to embarkation makes Glasgow look like the amateurs they are. Real breakfast after passing security because we hadn’t booked in-flight meals. Flight left on time and was really smooth all the way to Genoa. Check-in there was really slick too with no waiting. Soon we were in our cabin. Just an inside cabin in one of the areas near the ventilation equipment, so a bit noisy, but nothing too bad … so far. Wandered round in our travelling clothes as we waited for our luggage, always a worry when the last time you saw the cases was at Embra check-in. Cases arrived about an hour later. Got changed into holiday togs and felt a lot better. Time to wander round more seriously and try to find our feet and to work out where the sharp end of the ship was (where our cabin was, as it turned out.) and where the blunt end was.
Dinner was in the posher of the two paid-for restaurants and was very nice. I had risotto as a starter then beef pave with potatoes and veg, then meringue with passion fruit to finish. Scamp had melon as starter and a lovely looking veg curry and then the meringue. We were supposed to be at a table for six, but only one other couple were there. English, but we won’t hold that against them!
After dinner we sat and watched the ferries leaving, and after a few tannoy requests for passengers who had gone ashore and not been registered back on board to contact reception (don’t know what happened to them!), we were off. One strange thing, as we were leaving the port, we passed what looked like a floating dry dock with a ship inside it. It looked as if it was being salvaged. I got the strangest feeling that this was the remains of the Costa Concordia, and I was right. Possibly not the thing you want to see when you leave on your cruise. However, we mentally and literally put it behind us.
Had a drink later and retired after a lovely day in the sun. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.