This morning I was very tired and it was difficult to get out of bed, probably due to the lost hour and the fact that the mornings are getting darker the further north we go. So it was about 9.40am before I got out of my pit, and got washed and dressed. We then decided to go and get some exercise, so we went up and did five laps (equivalent to one mile) round the promenade deck in the crisp air.
Then it was back to our cabin to get our Fred Olsen loyalty cards, as the Oceans Club party was due to take place in the Neptune Lounge at 11.15am.
The Oceans Club is for repeating Fred Olsen passengers, and is graded Blue, Silver and Gold. Blue is for those who have done up to 30 nights, Silver for 31-100 nights, and Gold for those who have done over 100 nights, We are currently Silver members and after this cruise we will have done 96 nights on Fred Olsen ships, so we only have to do another five to become Gold members. 🙂
We enjoyed some canapés washed down with some sparkling wine, and listened to a speech from the Captain as well as watching a presentation showing the future FOCL cruises. Then it was time to go to lunch. 🙂
Afterwards we went back up on deck to do another five laps, and we noticed it was quite a lot colder, and there was a strong wind blowing at the port side bow.
Coming back into the warmth of the Boudicca we had a post-luncheon nap, then I took a long, hot shower and washed my hair. It took quite a lot of conditioner to detangle the back-combing from my up-do last night. Eventually I had it all nice and smooth, and finished by blowdrying and using my straighteners.
The day passes surprisingly quickly when you’re not doing anything in particular, and at 4.15pm we went along to the Neptune Lounge to listen to a classical piano recital Maiko Mori, a Japanese pianist who we had seen on the Adonia last year. She did four piano pieces, by composers Beethoven, Debussy, Greig and Liszt. It was pleasant and relaxing sitting there listening to some lovely, well-known tunes.
We then decided to get some more exercise, so I could clock the recommended daily minimum of 10,000 steps. But it was too cold and windy up on deck, so we decided just to walk up and down the length of the ship in the corridors. We did get some funny looks off people who saw us marching up and down, seemingly without aim. But once my activity monitor said we’d done the 10,000, we were able to go back to our cabin and start getting ready for dinner.
After our delicious meal we went along to the Neptune Lounge to get good seats for the show. We spent some time watching the dancing couples (we don’t join in because we don’t know how to do ballroom dancing), then it was time for tonight’s show, which was billed as a comedy magician.
The magician, Steve Price, was truly excellent. His tricks and illusions were very well done, and were all new to us. He also performed a non-stop funny patter and got people out of the audience to help him. We enjoyed his show very much and are looking forward to seeing him again later in the cruise.
We finished the evening off by going along to the Lido Lounge and doing the quiz. We were joined by another couple, Malcolm and Margaret. Margaret was one of the people who had helped the magician with one of his tricks, and she brought along the souvenir he’d given her; an empty Coca Cola bottle with a 10p piece in it. But the 10p was bigger than the neck of the bottle, and the bottle hadn’t been broken. So how the magician got it in there is a complete mystery.
We scored 17/20 in the quiz, and had to take a tie-breaker with three other teams. We didn’t win. 🙁
We sat and chatted for a while, then Malcolm and Margaret wished us goodnight and returned to their cabin.
Trevor and I sat for a bit longer and had some more drinks, then a couple of the dance hosts, Derek and Joan, came to join us. They both complimented me on the Gothic evening dress I’d worn last night, and we spent some time in conversation with them before going to bed well after 1.00am.
Tomorrow we were due to reach terra firma, in the shape of Ålesund, Norway.