Hello from Newcastle! Sort of. Actually, not at all.
This is another one of those ports where the city is listed on the itinerary but you're not exactly docking there. Newcastle is nine miles away but with the free shuttle it should be easy to access, right? Nope, not for me. Today's shuttle didn't drop off in the city but instead dropped off at the train station where you could then take the train into the city. A little more complicated but doable. Except...as I've seen before on this trip, mobility scooters aren't allowed on the trains. So no Newcastle for me.
When we first arrived in port I went on Deck 15 to take a picture of what I thought was Newcastle. So pretty. Nah, it was just the river we came up to get to the dock.
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| Not even close to Newcastle |
Once I got my bearings on where things were I found out Newcastle was out here somewhere, nine miles past the ship and the containers and the industrial area. Not nearly as picturesque.
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| Somewhere out there |
Not sure why here at the Port of Tyne they consider themselves the UK's best port of call, but they do.
There wasn't a lot to do in the area. I went to the outlet mall but found it wasn't much different than those back in the US with so many stores closed up.
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| Still can see the ship from the mall |
I wandered through a park.
Watched a bumblebee working in the butterfly bush.
Found trash on the ground with a message for me.
Tried to follow bike trails.
Followed a different path and somehow found my way back to the ship.
Worked my way around the marina until I really made it back to the ship.
Not the most exciting of days for the last port of call on this cruise but at least I did go out and about. We have a sea day tomorrow and then we'll be in Southampton on Wednesday for yet another turnaround day. See you then!
Edit: Big restaurant news for the ship…As of Wednesday, Bayou Cafe will be no more. I recently heard from a waiter it’s going to be turned into the Crown Grill and by the notice I received tonight it looks like the change is on its way.
