It was wonderfully convenient going to bed in Gran Canaria and waking up in Fuerteventura! Having experienced the vast buffet on our first morning, we were generous with our time allowance for breakfast on Day 2. Timing it well, we disembarked from the ship at Puerto del Rosario on the islands of Fuerteventura no more than a few minutes later than planned… and almost an hour before we were scheduled to pick up our hire car, conveniently located right on the quayside.

Minor flutters when the car hire kiosk was still closed when we got there. Always one for immediate action, Chris approached the neighbouring car hire kiosk to rent us another car. We’d no sooner started the paperwork when the attendant from original car hire company arrived and we were hooked up with our booked vehicle.

Jumping into our Hyundai i20, we were off on our adventure. We had done our homework, lending from all of the excursions offered by the cruise line to create our own highlights tour route. Thus, we were off to the North of the island to the sand dunes of Correlejo.

The landscape was not at all what we expected. Everything in the Canaries being named Palmas this-and-that conjures images of tropical paradise. Yet, the view on either side of the highway was barren with sand-coloured mounds. The ground was so rocky and granular that it looked like instant coffee that had been poured from the heavens.

Soon enough the horizon started to soften as we approached Correlejo, famed for its beautiful beaches and the dunes in the surrounding Parque (nature reserve). Spotting a tour bus, we reckoned that it must be a recommended photo stop so we pulled over and wandered around the soft sand dunes on the sea side and the gravelly arid desert on the other side of the road.

Now at the northern tip of Fuerteventura with our mission accomplished, it was time for an about-turn to traverse the island through the central route that promised dramatic landscapes and quaint little villages.

We were treated to both sooner than expected, when 10km later we were in La Oliva, self-described “village steeped in history”. We visited the traditional Mercado (market) and sampled banana wine (dreadful) before putting a nose in at the 17th century La Candelaria church, to light a candle in the name of our fathers. The landscape was indeed dramatic and the handful of palmtree-lined streets marked this pinhead of a town as a veritable oasis in the middle of the desert.

Back on the road, we passed the Montana de Tindaya landmark and (not for the first time) wished we had Google to shed light on why this sole koppie was mentioned as a place of interest on many of the excursions. For now it would have to remain a mystery, as would the ongoing debate about what the good people of Fuerteventura do for a living on this meticulously-kept remote little landmass.

The next village, Betancuria, proudly announced itself with a signboard saying it was bestowed the honour of being one of the prettiest villages in Spain. It was also clearly the busiest village on the island with loads of tourists busses and so many cars that the public lot was full, prompting us to move on without stopping.

The drive to the next town was a hair-raising sequence of tight twists and turns on very narrow road cutting across and through the mountains. While we enjoyed spectacular vistaramas, Chris white-knuckled us past a couple of busses and more than a couple of irresponsible and inconsiderate drivers cutting it very fine as they approached us from the opposite direction.

We were deposited in pretty little Pajara, which was exactly what you’d expect of a village described as having a “laid-back sleepy atmosphere” on an island that wasn’t exactly pumping. Lucky us, there was a market in the church square so we could have a wander around while admiring the Aztec-inspired church that was the central draw card. Mother was under the impression that Canaries was famed for basket-making… and there there was not a basket to be had at the craft market; the search would have to continue.

Last stop on the road trip was Antigua, with its famous cheese farm and museum. We made short work of a self-guided tour around the shop, having decided that getting an education on the process of cheese-making (goat or otherwise) was not for us.

With a short hop on open roads to close the loop, we deposited the car back at the rental agency, ensured the mothers were safely re-embarked, and Chris and I took the opportunity for a bit of an explore of the beachfront bit of Puerto del Rosario, where our cruise ship had docked in Fuerteventura.

Clearly a seaside vacation destination, there were many holiday apartments lining the promenade locations with restaurants and shops at street level. We entered the big shiny mall to see what Canarian retail looked like – and were delighted by how many sneaker shops there were! We could have spent all day (and a fortune) there under different circumstances.

After a flit past McDonalds for some free WiFi to download offline Google maps, what we’d missed in civilisation and do a quick Duolingo lesson, we headed back to the ship, fancying ourselves a sundowner beer to close the busy day.

Who should we see there? The mothers. Who had discovered that there was High Tea served on Deck 11 at 4pm! We got the lowdown from their reccie of the cake selection. Although that wasn’t our cup of tea for the moment, we found space for a slice of pizza from the 24 hour cafe that had been calling our names since we boarded.

Barely finished sundowners, it was time to suit up for dinner. Tracksuit, that is.

Tucked into our usual booth we recounted the day’s adventures and all we had seen and done, somehow managing to squeeze in another 3 course meal along the way. We had to chivvy a little since with a Day at Sea (and thus a later start) to follow, we had pre-decided to do the Quiz and the show at the Theatre after dinner.

Scuttling out of our booth with mere minutes to spare, we expertly navigated to the lounge where the Quiz was to be held and found ourselves seats around a low table that would allow for discrete consultation on tricky questions. It was very exciting that we were tied with 3 other teams… and then Chris swept the title with an ace on the sudden death question, winning himself an MSC-branded running hat.

On a bit of a high, we made our way to the theatre where we were treated to spectacle called Voyage, with song-and-dance themed routines from London, Paris and Rome. Fantastic!