25th June Leaving the worst till last

 

Now I have to admit this is the place I knew least about on our entire trip and there is a very good reason for that; there was hardly anything to know. I suspect it’s been added onto the itinerary as it’s a day sail away from Malta and that as none of the other cruise lines want to come here, P&O must have struck some sort of a deal. Did that sound harsh?

But Taranto has been the least favourite destination for both of us, despite the much cooler temperatures (only 27 degrees) and even a few spots of rain! Divided into the old and new parts of town linked by a bridge, the next part was pleasant enough to stroll around without every feeling compelled to take out my camera to capture an image. As for the old part well I am not really sure what there was to see, I mean when you’ve wandered down one narrow Italian back alley with serious renovation issues, you’ve wandered down enough.

We didn’t even go up on deck for the sail away because let’s be honest there’s nothing very photogenic / memorable about departing from an active container port! I’m just glad that it came at the end of the trip.

Our penultimate meal in the Oriental restaurant was another dress up night and turned out to be one of the best three course complete meals that we have had. Then it was a gentle stroll to the other end of the ship for our nightly trip to the theatre this time to watch a vibrant and energetic show featuring music from new musicals, some of which we recognised, some we didn’t. 

And then the evening was rounded off with a night cap of a glass of port in the Blue Bar which just about saw us use up the £150 on ship credit each that we started the cruise with.

Some of the cruises that are being offered for 2025 and even 2026 come with the enticement of up to £620 on board spending credit. We worked out that the only way we would manage to come anywhere near that level of spending, and it is almost free money, would have been to have eaten in the speciality dining places every single night and then washed it all down with endless glasses of spirits. 

Quite whether we would have been in a fit state to do anything after doign that is another question. But if P&O are listening we are willing to give it a try.