Day 13 - Fri - 11/14/2025 - Southampton - Turnaround Day

 Our alarm went off at 7:30am and we were already berthed at the Ocean terminal and guests were already departing.  By the time that we reached the LIDO World Marketplace buffet, it was not too crowded.  We finished our breakfast and returned to the stateroom to pack our things for the day.  We told our room steward to not be concerned about making our room up as she had many rooms to refresh for the new guests.  


We met Gary and JoAnn down in the very crowded Piazza where we learned that they would not be able to go with us as they had to deal with an important issue before starting the crossing.  So we said our goodbyes and headed off of the ship.  I secured (or thought I did) an UBER to drive us to Winchester.  I was in communication with the driver and was at the exact pickup spot.  I saw his car arrive and he texted me that he was in Lane 3.  By the time I reached his location, he drove away and another UBER was assigned to me.  So we waited for another 10 minutes and a second UBER arrived and we got into his car and we were off.  Mohammed was Somalian, but had lived in Southampton for many years.  We had great conversation during the half an hour drive up to Winchester.  He had already driven a family to Stonehenge and back before picking us up.  


From our drop off point, we walked to the Cathedral and found the entrance.  The fee was 14£ per person and the ticket is good for a year!  It included a guided tour if one wanted it, and we elected to take the tour.  Our guide provided many fascinating behind the scenes tidbits about the Cathedral and its history.  That tour took just over an hour and we then toured the small museum and examined bibles in Latin dating to the 1400's and hand written on calfskin.  






After touring the Cathedral, we walked about ten minutes over to the Great Hall which is the only remaining structure that was part of the original Westminster Castle.  Here the ticket was good for a year as well.  This hall was used for trials and other civic events and now is the home of the very large King Arthur and knights of the round table table top which is now hanging like a medallion on the wall.  The irony of it is that it doesn't have King Arthur's picture on it.  Rather King Henry VIII had his painted over it.  It weighs about a ton.  This facility also has a small museum and gift shop.


After leaving the Greal Hall it was then that we realized that we had a problem.  Our cell phones would not connect to the internet and we couldn't find any public WIFI.  Without a signal,we couldn't order an UBER.  Our backup option was to find the train station and trains ran every 1/2 hour.  But we had no Google Maps connection.  And it wa nearing 2pm and we had to be back on the ship by 3:30pm.  


We saw a sign for Tourist Information office and tried to find it.  Along the way, we found a Bubble Tea shop and inquired if there was a public WIFI signal available anywhere and explained our situation.  He said we could use his WIFI and gave us the password.  I was able to order an UBER that was literally 350 feet away.  Angela had ordered a bubble tea and our driver waited for that to be delivered.  And soon we were off for Southampton.  Ahmed was our driver and his car was a Mercedes E300 (very luxurious).  We had great conversation with him and we were back at the Ocean terminal by 2:40pm.  It turned out he was from Southampton and this gave him a fare back home.


The terminal area was quite empty as most passengers had already boarded.  We whisked through the security screening (much like an airport screening) and scanned back on to the very crowded and noisy Piazza.  Along the way we met an other couple that's on our Travel With Alan group.  They were from the Federal Way area but now live in Ocean Shores.  


We ate a late lunch and chatted with a couple from Texas before returning to the room to drop off our things and begin the drying out of some of them.  Angela skipped dinner, but I enjoyed some shrimp, calamari, mussels, and some beef ramen soup.  Another couple from our group were there and we chatted a bunch with them.  They were from Whiterock, BC and have a place at Lake Whatcom.  


I went to the Showtime performance by Anna and Oliver, which gives an acrobatic performance of the creation story.  It was very well done.  Angela went to early karaoke and then was going to the later acrobatic show at 9:30 and then more kareoke.  I returned to the room to write and watch YT videos.






Tomorrow we'll be in Portland and we'll walk the city area.  It's supposed to be very historical.  We'll see.




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