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Fly from Gatwick to Porto
and board the Scenic Azure
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Monday 13th November 2023
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Although our flight to
Porto was only due to depart at 11:00am, we decided to spend
the night before at the Gatwick Hilton Hotel, so that we could
have a good night's sleep and avoid having to travel to the
airport in the peak morning traffic. Our strategy was partially
successful. We avoided the morning traffic, but we didn't
sleep very well because the double bed had the bounciest mattress
we've ever encountered. The slightest movement caused a trampoline
ripple effect. Mental note for the future... book a room with
twin beds or stay at a hotel with a king size bed and a guarantee
of a proper mattress! |
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We were pleased that
the airport was working efficiently, despite being very
busy. We were soon in the lounge, from where we had a good
view of the runway. We even managed to see our plane coming
in to land. |
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Another
couple of photos of our plane as we waited at the gate. |
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We took off about 30
minutes late because there were so many planes in the queue,
but once we did, we got some really good views. Bournemouth
is in the centre of this photo. |
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Zooming in a bit, and
to the west of Bournemouth, is the inlet to Poole harbour
with Brownsea Island clearly visible. A little further west
are the white cliffs of the Jurassic Coast and a little
further west, the town of Swanage. |
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Coming
in to land at Porto after a very pleasant flight. |
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Porto Airport is modern
and stylish. We were met by a representative from Scenic
and after a short delay while we waited for two of the fourteen
people who were due to be with us, we were on our way to
the ship. |
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Our first
glimpse of the Scenic Azure. |
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The embarkation process
was swift, efficient and very pleasant. We were a teeny
bit disappointed that the "junior suite" that
we had booked was the same size as all the other cabins,
with a slightly longer balcony area that wasn't of much
use. The website pictures were misleading, we thought, but
we weren't going to let it spoil our stay. Everything else
was lovely and it was clear that a lot of thought had gone
into making the most of every centimetre of space. The way
that the cupboard doors worked by being pulled backwards
or forwards before sliding over one another, was one example
of this. |
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The free minibar (topped
up twice a day!) didn't go unnoticed. |
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Taken
from our cabin, looking towards the south bank of the Douro. |
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After meeting our butler,
Alexandra, and then unpacking, it was almost time for the
cruise briefing and safety demonstation in the lounge. We
met our cruise director, Filipe as well as other members
of the team. Afterwards we went into the main dining room
for a lovely dinner which was followed by a Fado performance,
back in the lounge. |
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Before
going to bed we took these photos of the beautful city, which we
hoped to see more of in the morning. |
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