Sunday, Day 92 , Apr 8 - to 5pm, Cape Town, South Africa

For over 100 years the British colonial Mount Nelson Hotel has been a beloved landmark of the Mother City. The hotel is set amidst nine acres of splendid, park-like gardens on a historic site at the foot of Table Mountain; the very heart of Old Cape Town. Opened on March 6, 1899, the Mount Nelson Hotel was the brainchild of shipping magnate Sir Donald Currie. The hotel was designed to emulate the finest in London, which was then the leading capital of refined hostelry. The reviews that followed the grand opening of the Mount Nelson claimed that the hotel surpassed all expectations, and exceeded comparisons with its British rivals. This is still the case! It is one of the grandest hotels at which we have ever stayed. We stayed here for a few days in 2015 and the afternoon tea was part of the package at the hotel. It was fabulous and we are excited to enjoy the treat again.

It is Sunday again so that means caviar and champagne! We skip that and have a light breakfast since we know we have lots of great food ahead of us today. We thought about getting out, taking a taxi and getting a head start on the trip to Mount Nelson, but give it a pass. The tour is leaving 50 minutes earlier than the original plan because South African immigration wants to do a face to face meeting and have it done by 4PM instead of the 5:30PM all aboard time. All the ship’s tours start times have been moved earlier to accommodate this. Everyone has to be back at the ship by 3:45PM latest as immigration is closing down at 4PM! What a pain, especially since all aboard isn't until 5:30PM in a city that has so many neat things to do and see. 

We depart for the High Tea at Mount Nelson at 12:10PM. It is a three hour tour. Seven couples do the tour starting with a drive through Kloofnek and Camps Bay, and skirting the Atlantic coastline through the residential areas of Clifton, Bantry Bay, Seapoint and Green Point. Even though we did this in the other direction on the HOHO yesterday, it is a beautiful drive and another perfect day weather wise so it is definitely worth doing it again.
Small dry dock in Waterfront area

Coastal highway

Dark spot in upper right is a hang glider off Table Mt

 Beach front landing pad

We get to the hotel a few minutes after 1PM and are told we have 1½ hours at the hotel. We are shown to reserved tables in the hotel's beautiful lobby that are all set for the perfect tea. We sit at a table set for six. The staff brings us two pots of Mount Nelson’s special blend tea and two pots of Earl Grey Blue along with two-tiered trays of tea sandwiches and other savories.  Later we receive a basket of hot scones along with clotted cream and strawberry jam. If we still have room there are two large serving tables loaded with beautiful dessert offerings! It is an absolutely fabulous tea!

Mount Nelson Hotel also has two wonderful gift shops that attract the ladies and the guide has a hard time getting us all back on the bus. We have a short drive back to the ship, passing by some of the important parts of the city, and arriving for the face to face at 3:30PM.

Parliament buildings

 More of the great architecture

Most of us have VAT forms to be processed which seems like a crazy exercise! We have to go through immigration, get a VAT form and get an exit stamp in our passports, then go back to the entrance and get a copy of our passport page with both the entrance and exit stamp then meet with the VAT man with the filled out form, all the copies of our passport, the receipts and the items on which we are claiming a tax refund. All this is spread out on the counter, matched up and checked very carefully before the form is given an approval stamp and collected. Then we go through security again and board the ship. We do get all this accomplished and are on the ship by 4PM.

Jamie holds his Sunday church service at 4:15PM and at 5PM he starts the muster drill. We are scheduled to sail at 6PM, but the Captain tells us at the end of the drill that it will be after 7:15PM before we sail There are contractors still on board doing some kind of repair. Jamie had planed a sail away party on deck 10 with drinks and canapes from 6 to 7PM and tells us it is still a go but will be a sunset party instead. We do have another beautiful sunset
We go to dinner at 6:30PM. 

Back in the room Carolyn works on the blog and Dick copies pictures and plays on the computer until 9:30PM when Carolyn goes to the show "Tuxedo" put on by the Regent dancers. Dick goes to bed. The show is one of the production numbers they do each segment and Carolyn wants to see it. This is her next to last chance.

She meets a friend and they sit and talk after the show until past midnight. The ship has really begun to move and Dick is long gone by the time Carolyn gets in for the night.

We have had a great time in Cape Town!