Cruise Ports

Hey everyone back with my last cruise blog. This blog is about the ports we visited while on the TUI Discovery ship.  I have always wanted to visit Italy and it did not disappoint.

Elba (Italy)

We had to get tender boats from the ship to travel it Elba it was only a short distance.This little island has 150 beaches and we didn't manage to visit one ha ha. We took a stroll around the island looked in the little shops which were a bit pricey. The island had some beautiful blooms of flowers and the best mojito (non alcoholic) I ever tasted we sat there and watched the world go by.

The next stop was Marina di Carrara (Italy)

A little town characterized by the unique apuan alps that protect the town from the cold winds.
We came across this lovely little bakery.   That had nutella cupcakes :O

We took a trip to the town of Carrrara by bus sadly most of the shops shut from 1 o clock till around 4ish. We did take a look in the local museum and window shopped.

Next was San Remo (Italy)

This was my favorite part of Italy it was much more lively then the other two spots we had been.Lots of shops,Restaurants and loads of dogs the dogs were all allowed in the shops which was cool. we went for pizza and ice cream it was amazing defiantly one of the best pizza's I ever had.

France (Toulon)
 I wasn't expecting much from this port but it surprised me and was my favorite of all the places we visited. We walked off the boat to the marina short walk to the shopping center with lots of different shops something for everyone. We checked TripAdvisor and seen there was a market no far from the shopping center. It was mostly fruit and veg but the colorful foods and atmosphere was great with lots of boutique shops all around to browse in.We did the usual and stopped for pizza and ice cream on the marina. It really was beautiful.

Love the colors and charterer of this place.

Kinder Beuno Ice cream :)

The last stop was Ibiza 

I pictured it to be a lot different but we were in the town center about 45 minutes away from San Antonio where the party is at We were only here for the day time. Again a few shops but nothing much to be honest I wouldn't be rushing back there.

And that is it everyone  hope you enjoyed this little blog as I said France and San Remo were my favorite. It was great to get to see all these places in such a short time another bonus of cruising ;)

    

Cruise (What I wore)

A Cruise is the perfect time to get out those show stoppers at the back of the wardrobe everyone dresses very formal in the evenings.

The first night I wore this Navy long sleeve from Boohoo great Christmas dress paired with some glitter heels  paired with nude heels from Penney's

Buy it here  http://www.boohoo.com/new-to-clearance/clara-lace-back-cut-out-detail-bodycon-dress/invt/dzz92251

 

The second night I wore this red number I love it so comfy and a bargain for €24 great dress to wear to a wedding aswell.

Buy it here http://www.boohoo.com/boohoo-petite-dresses/petite-nisha-sweetheart-off-the-shoulder-dress/invt/pzz96210



Next up I took a break from the heels and slipped on these cute sparkly gold flats I purchased in Penneys on sale with a sequin skirt and emerald green top.

I got this next one in a little boutique in Italy it had a low cut back and fringe detailing.

 This next two piece I got on Ebay perfect for strolling around Italy 

But it here http://www.ebay.ie/itm/351663243969?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&var=620642208137&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

The last night  I got the skirt from Love Lisa's in cork and top from Penny's 

Bikini from Penny's its on sale at the moment shades are Penny's aswell.

Thomson Cruise Food

Hey everyone hope you all enjoyed the first blog this blog I am going to explain about the food on board. There are 7 restaurants on board

The Glass House 
This was a classy place with a indoor pool, jacuzzi with a glass ceiling during the day they served healthy juices and light bites in the evening they had a tapas style menu with pizza flat breads. They also had another menu for a small charge.




























The Islands
This was a buffet style restaurant we ate here everyday the food was amazing so much selection. The breakfast had everything from sausages,bacon,pancakes,pastries,fruit juices,coffee,tea's




Lunch had loads of salad options and healthy options.

 

The offered afternoon tea from 3-5pm who doesn't love afternoon tea they had different selection everyday defiantly my favorite meal of the day. They had red velvet cakes,chocolate cupcakes,scones plain ,chocolate, raisins with whipped cream ,clotted cream, strawberry jam,raspberry,blackberry,brownies,sandwiches,rolls,

Dinner had live carving every evening  from veal,beef,suckling pig,chicken.everything from spring rolls,mash,veg,soup, They had a kids corner with pizza,chips,burgers,hot dogs,mash,spaghetti,jelly&cream.



The Snack Shake 
This was a grab &go style restaurant with funky colors which had burgers,chips,hot dog,salads,sandwiches,wrap,cookies,fruit.

47
The was a elegant restaurant. We ate here the first night on the boat.



Kora La

Asian style restaurant which needed a reservation and there was a service charge.We started with fried shrimp which was the chef special I never had it before really enjoyed it. The main we had beef panang which was accompanied with boiled rice,prawn crackers,Nan bread and poppadoms with sweet chilli,chutney,mint yogurt.

  
The Gallery 47
Italian restaurant we never got the chance to eat here but heard it was lovely.

Surf&Turf
Again this place needed a reservation and had a service charge we couldn't get a booking for here sadly.

The art work on board was amazing attention to detail was unreal I looked forward to the different art everyday.

 

The food was best food I ever had. Highly recommend the buffet it was my favorite place to dine.

Thomson Cruise

Hi everyone just back from a fantastic cruise with Thomson cruise if you follow me on snapchat you would of seen my snaps all week of the boat but if not I am going to fill you all in now. I am going to start with the ship itself. We stayed for 7 nights on the TUI Discovery. We booked with Falcon travel in cork. The flight flew from Cork to Palma de mallorca Spain then got a coach to the ship.

There are 11 decks on the ship it is Thomson's biggest ship at the moment.

The Room
We booked an inside plus cabin ob the 7th floor which worked out very handy as everything was either two floors above or below us. The room was small but very clean it was cleaned twice a day,In the morning the cleaners would come in and dress your bed and put decorative pillows on it refresh your towels and spruce up the room. In the evening they would deliver the cruise news which would inform you of your next port and entertainment for the following day/night. they would get the bed ready for bedtime and leave little chocolates on our pillows.I love little touches like this they make all the difference again they would supply fresh towels.

The Restaurants 
The ship has 7 restaurants on board which I will go into more detail on my food blog live tomorrow with lots of pictures that will make your mouth water ;)

The Entertainment 
I was very impressed with the standard of entertainment it was brilliant there was something for everyone it was different every night

The Broadway Lounge 
This was the main entertainment area there were two live shows every night from musicals,comedy, a mentalist. The entertainment team were absolutely brilliant the singing and dancing was nothing short of 5 stars I could tell they all had a passion for what they were doing. One of the nights they done a TUI Discovery got talent. This was a show put together of the staff working on the ship from cleaners to chefs my favorite act had to be Spice boyz an act made up of chefs on board they danced amazingly to all different music from different countries it was amazing and so funny.





The Venue 
This is were most of the game shows were held.Justin the host was hilarious he was so witty and gave us all a good laugh.

The Live Room
This was a colorful bar with a small casino area and a piano it also had a virtual band which was really cool it also hosted live music from the  Protege which were a reggae style band we really enjoyed there performances a talent bunch of guys.

The Atrium Bar
This bar was a chilled out place to relax and enjoy some cabarets and dancing.

Outdoor Movies  
I loved this there was a big screen above the pool which had a different movie every night with popcorn and hot chocolate available. they showed Grease which is one of my all time favorites all the movies were kid friendly.

The Pools
There was two pools one outdoor and one indoor. The indoor one was located in the glass house with a Jacuzzi it was a classy place which had adult only times.It had a glass ceiling you could still catch some rays without overheating. They served up  healthy juices and light bites daily during the night they offered a tapas style menu. The outdoor pool had two Jacuzzi's  lots of sunbeds available and a bar nearby.



The Gym
We worked out 5 out of the 7 days. The gym had everything from cardio machines with an amazing view of the ocean to free weights,machines and a stretching area at the back of the gym there was an adult only veranda which had waiter service for drinks and a lovely waitress named Hazel.



  Bar Eleven 
This was kind of nightclub setting with a dj and dance floor with some colorful lighting yet it was very snazzy it offered all types of music to get everyone out dancing the night away.



The Coffee Port
Offered hot beverages,cakes and ice cream this was not part of the all inclusive package there was a charge for food and drinks here it also had a little library and some games available.

As most of you know I don't drink I found the ship had a great range of non alcoholic cocktails and if something you wanted wasn't on the menu the bartenders would kindly make whatever you fancied.I also thought it was great the ship offered an AA meeting in the coffee port once a week for members as holidays can be a very hard time for people who don't drink.

The Broadway Street Shops
Few shops offering perfume,jewelry,handbags,sweets


Pro's 

• Its like being in a five star hotel and waking up in a different country everyday.
• Staff are very friendly and make you feel welcome they are a credit to the company.
• Lots of food choice.
• Entertainment was excellent.
• Rooms were comfortable and clean.
• Once in a lifetime experience.
• Beautiful views. 

Cons

• Wifi was £8 for 1 hour they had other packages available but I felt there should have been a wifi zone where you could check emails etc.
• Laundry service was quite expensive as pictured below just make sure to bring enough clothes
• All Inclusive - We went for all inclusive package food and drink there was a small for some drinks they would have a * next to them to notify you for example cans would be 95p but if you choose a fountain soda it would be free. Two of the upstairs restaurants also had a service charge of £19 per person.
• I felt they should of had a little mini mart on board.

Overall I would highly recommend the TUI Discovery cruise. We really enjoyed every minute of it. it really is an amazing experience. I cant wait to book the next one.

Tomorrow I will have a food blog live stay tuned for mouth watering pictures :)

Cookies

Peanut butter and white chocolate chip cookies


Ingredients
Oats -100 grams
Baking powder
Salt
Almond milk
Buff bake white chocolate peanut butter
White chocolate chips


Method
Blend oats and baking powder and salt.
Add to a bowl mix 2 heaped tablespoons of peanut butter in and drop of almond milk then chocolate chips and mix till a dough forms.
Form cookies with your hands and flatten
Line tray with baking paper and put cookies and bake for 15 minutes.

Caramel Slice

Carmel slice recipe
Oats - 100grams
Coconut oil - two tablespoons
Sweet Freedom fruit syrup - a good squeeze
Coconut desiccated
Dates
Almond milk
Sea salt
Dark chocolate

Method
1.Blend oats till flour consistency.
2.Melt coconut oil and fruit syrup.
3.Put oats and coconut in bowl and stir. then add coconut oil and fruit syrup mix well.
4. Line tray with baking paper and place oat mix in press down firmly and bake for 15 minutes .
5. Boil water and soak dates for 10 minutes then drain them place into nutri bullet with almond milk and sea salt blend till mixture resembles caramel.
6. Take out base put it in freezer till hard then top with caramel melt dark chocolate and cover.
Perfect with tea or coffee to satisfy any sweet tooth they taste amazing.
Happy baking