Couldn’t believe it was two weeks ago that we had joined the Borealis in Southampton. In one sense, the time seemed to have passed in the blink of an eye, but on the other hand we felt as if we had been on the Borealis for ever.
Anyway, I got up at 8.00am as usual, and went out onto the balcony where the weather was pleasantly warm and the sun was shining. I was getting ready when Trevor returned from his walk-a-mile-with-a-smile, and we both went up to The View for our breakfast as usual.
Wandering around on the sunny aft decks, we had the feeling of total contentment, where the day stretches out before you and you can do what you want, when you want (or not, as the case may be).
Back in 7063, we had a look at the Daily Times and saw that there was the inevitable carpet bowls on at 9.30am in the Ocean Bar. It’s always good for a laugh, so we went down there and found all of the ‘regulars’ there. It’s nothing like ‘real’ bowls, mainly because none of the balls are particularly consistent, and the width of the playing surface isn’t really enough to let you allow for the bias on the balls. The game is much more about luck than skill, and Trevor and I were knocked out straight away.
We had the Oceans Cocktail Party to look forward to at 11.15am in the Neptune Lounge. This is Fred Olsen’s loyalty club, and you get one point for every night spent on an FOCL ship. There are five tiers, from Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond, and Trevor and I are currently in the Gold tier. We will have 242 nights after this cruise, which means that after our next Fred cruise (on Balmoral, in July this year), we will have 252 nights and will go up to the Platinum tier. I always like to dress a little more smartly for the cocktail party, so I wanted to be back in our cabin by 10.45 to allow me time to change and smarten up.
However, there was a game of Baggo at 10.30am; Trevor and I imagined we would be knocked our early so would still have time to get ready for the Oceans. As it happened, we reached the final and lost by a whisker, but it did mean that we had to be ready in record time! 😊
I dressed in a pair of black trousers, and a green and blue sequinned top which matched the green and blue sequinned Irregular Choice shoes I’d brought with me. Wearing one of my wigs meant it only took seconds for my hair to go from a complete mess to chic and groomed. Thus attired, we made our way to the Neptune Lounge where there was already a long queue; it seemed that the vast majority of passengers on the ship were Oceans members, and indeed Fred Olsen Cruise Lines has more repeat passengers than any other cruise line.
A string trio on the stage played a tasteful selection of classical music and the front of the stage was dominated by some fantastic ice and vegetable carvings. Waiting staff flitted about with their trays of prosecco, sherry, gin and tonic and wine, while others carried trays of canapés. Captain Rommel Pineda appeared on stage and did a little speech, and thanked everybody for coming back to FO. He was followed by the Future Cruises staff who gave us some numbers; how many Gold, Platinum and Diamond members there were on board and giving out awards to those who had spent the most nights on a Fred ship.
There was then a brief promotion of some of the special offers available if you booked another cruise on board, as the waiting staff continued to come around and top up our glasses and offer us nibbles.
The party finished at noon, but we weren’t particularly hungry and I was still dressed up, so rather than return to 7063, we went up to the Observatory and sat on bar stools and enjoyed a few more cocktails, passing pleasantries with the Indian bar staff. There were not many people in the Observatory; I imagine that the sunshine had tempted most people outside onto the open decks.
Once the Singing for Fun participants started coming into the Observatory, we decided to go back to 7063 and get changed into more casual wear. I wet my hair and scraped it back into a ponytail, then we pottered around for a bit before going to a presentation in the Neptune Lounge about the Panama Canal, which was very interesting indeed. Trevor and I have transited this famous canal once before, in 2007 on the Arcadia¸ but we did it in the other direction, that is, from the Pacific to the Caribbean.
The rest of the day passed in its usual pleasant way, and soon it was time to start getting ready for dinner once again. Sometimes, on a cruise, you can feel as if the entire time just consists of eating and drinking! Those doing the whole 101-night world cruise would really have to keep an eye on their diet and alcohol intake, as well as paying regular visits to the gym, in order not to gain loads of weight. 😊
We spent the rest of the evening the usual way. Quiz (which we didn’t win!) and then along to the Neptune Lounge for some pre-show dancing. The dance floor was packed as usual, and there were plenty of ‘gentleman hosts’ who were there to dance with the single ladies (or, in one case, a single man!). Many other cruise lines don’t seem to bother as much with ballroom dancing any more, but it’s good to see Fred keeping up the old traditions that we know and love. 😊
Tonight’s featured entertainer was a singer called Cara Dudgeon. She trained in musical theatre and has played Sandy in Grease in the West End. She had a very good voice indeed, and we enjoyed her performance a lot.
Afterwards, we went up to the Observatory as usual, where they were having a Motown disco. Usually, the disco doesn’t start until midnight, and several passengers had complained that that was too late, so the entertainment team put on an earlier disco this time. It seemed to work, because the dance floor filled up quickly. I asked them to play Tears of a Clown by Smokey Robinson and I got up to dance enthusiastically, despite the protestations from my left knee! 😊
It was after midnight when we left the Observatory and made our way back to 7063. Going out onto our balcony, we let the warm Caribbean air caress our skin and ruffle our hair for a moment, as we gazed at the wake far below us, churning and foaming in the darkness.
We had another sea day to look forward to tomorrow, and once again we slept very well.