Gypsy violins accompanied the meal

The previous evening saw our Farewell Dinner on board the M/S Poetry, and the whole crew made an effort to give us a memorable send-off. After 15 days on the ship, we had all made friends and got to know the crew quite well, so it was a warm-hearted and alcoholic affair...

The Farewell Dinner on board
was a sparkling occasion

Over dinner, we were treated to chardash folk music by the "Champagne Strings". The crew put on quite a performance and it was unfortunate that the meal was a little rushed as tonight was also the optional "Budapest by Night" tour. Although we've been to Budapest previously, it's always nice to see the fairy-like appearance of old cities like Budapest at night.

After the tour, everyone gathered in the bar to have farewell drinks with fellow travellers who had become friends over the 15 day cruise. Generous quantities of celebratory toasts were consumed!

Disembarkation

Disembarkation is quite straightforward, apart from the numbers involved! If you haven't got transfers included with your tour, this is no problem, as a reliable selection of taxi drivers (well, ours was) will ferry you to the airport for an agreed and very reasonable price.

Our tour director, Hendrik Jan, efficiently booked taxis for everyone who needed one and arranged the correct time to go. Amazingly, this all seemed to work like clockwork; as far as we know, everybody got off successfully!