Sea Day - The Fear of Ice - Day 7 of cruise

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Now today was going to be a fun day at sea. We had organized an amazing Golf-off for about 10:30 or 11am in the morning against a British couple we had been having a ball with. It seemed by this point in the cruise the people you would hang around starting to be the same and I have to admit, it was always a laugh a minute when we were with this couple.

It was a case of killing time between waking and the actual Golf, so as usual we seemed to gravitate to the little café on the promenade deck for some goodies to eat. I guess eating becomes part of a way to pass time on these ships, and no wonder people put on weight from cruising. Now considering I hadn’t played mini golf since I was in High School I think, we ran up early to get in a round first, so I could assess the lay of the turf. Its horribly hot and there is little shelter from the sun on these boats when you are on the top deck … I guess that’s the fun with cruising, working on your late life melanomas. The actual mini golf course was the dodgiest I’ve even been on. I mean I think I could possibly knock up a better and more interesting course in my back yard using a set of cups and my garden hose! I had always thought the fun of the mini golf was the obstacles you had to get around. Our main obstacles were that there were none, and the carpet was pulling up in some areas. Each set hole had no real outline except I guess the area you were supposed to stick to, had a different colour grass from the rest of the deck? Anyway we got in a round and discovered I was going to be hopeless so I guess I would be the handicap for the team.

It was when we got to the end we noticed our Golfing competitors were climbing up the wall with fear … actually I guess that should be climbing up the wall of fear, as they had nothing to fear playing us. Julie was having a whirl at the climbing wall, so we wandered up and watched her go. Looked like fun, but I am such a baby with the heat, I just couldn’t be bothered even attempting it. Completely lame and all! What a total couch potato I’d become over the however many days were had been out at sea. Hopefully the trip with my daughter will bring out the competitive nature in me, and I’ll do these death defying feats to keep up with her?

It was established that we would play the game individually. I really had no idea how they worked out the scoring of the game. I guess it didn’t matter, because I would have lost anyway, but this way it didn’t look like I was completely hopeless. In the end I think it was just a case of who ever won the last whole won overall? I don’t know, it wasn’t a battle for sheep stations or anything. It was actually a really fun game with a lot of laughter. In the end I have no idea who won, but I just know it wasn’t me. I apparently annoyed everyone for the fact I would take my one handed swings at the ball, with my camera attached on my left hip, baby style. I guess it was my security blanket. Holding it like that, meant I didn’t have to try and it then wouldn’t bother me if I lost. Would hate to have my competitive nature come out, and try and take the game as though it were for sheep stations. I think everyone decided that day was the day for mini golf as the course was full and some of our shots, would over shoot the mark, and the players in front of us were in danger of being sconed by the ball at times.

After lunch we had the ice show to go and watch. It was to be at 3pm, but I wanted to get half decent seats so we wandered in at 2:30pm with what seemed like half of the crowd that were also thinking the same thing. Initially we choose some seats off to the left of the arena. Robert pointed out that there were some empty seats two rows back from the front right looking directly onto the ice. There were a couple of production guys sitting on the top of the chairs on the front row, so initially our view was totally blocked so we hoped that they would sit on down by the time the show started. I think someone asked them if they wouldn’t mind sitting down, which they did, so yeh for us we had good seats. I was joking with my husband over a group of ladies who I believe were the same ones from the Burj al Arab incident arguing with staff over getting into the Gold Class seating that were just for priority guests. I guess they thought their cards were just as valuable and should be allowed to sit in those seats regardless of how hard the attendant tried to explain otherwise to them.

I did love the set and the lighting. It was just gorgeous. When it started, a couple of times the skaters had a mini spill over in the same section at the front right of the area. There was so much going on. I did note that a big chair thing was pushed over into our corner and I didn’t think much of it, until I suddenly looked up and there was a hand and one of the skaters asking me to come with him. I quickly shook my head saying no, and he insisted, come now. I think it was at this point some swearing happened, and I had to protect my camera at all costs, so threw it into my husband lap, who didn’t like receiving it. He then noticed I was being dragged out onto the ice and caught on quickly. Talk about wanting to die. Out of everyone in the world to choose, they had to pick me. I am not the type of girl that enjoys being the centre of attention, so I was just dying out there. I didn’t want to look up at all, and could feel my left leg in particular shaking away. I kept being given instructions by the skaters and the first was to just “smile, relax and enjoy the show”. I did try, but it wasn’t working! Apparently the smiling thing happened, but that always does when I’m nervous.

I don’t know how long I was out on the ice but it really seemed like forever. I mean there are times when a minute or two seems like forever, but this was in the maybe fifteen minute forever variety. Way too long! I was flung around the stage, and at one stage they told me to keep my hands and legs in tight. I just thought great, I’m so gonna die! The one thing I did notice being out on the ice was how much the ship was rocking in waves. I guess that was why people were missing their jumps. You just didn’t notice the waves in the stands but on the ice, it was a whole other game. Speaking of games, one of the first pieces of the ice show was having one of the skating dancing around because I had broken his heart or he was declaring his undying love for me. I really didn’t like this. Maybe if I had quite a bit of alcohol onboard or some type of happy drug I may have enjoyed it, but all I could do was sit there thinking, this was the main show I was dying to see the entire trip and the highlight for all the cruises I have read about and there I was missing all the action because seriously on the ice you couldn’t actually tell what was going on. It probably sounds really ungrateful and the horrible thing is, I’m sure so many other people would have loved to have been chosen, so it made me feel worse about it all. I just wanted to be back in my seat.

There was this whole wheel spinning thing where I didn’t understand what was going on. Apparently I had to stand and spin the wheel. Actually I was apparently supposed to join in with the ice skaters dance and do the same moves that they did. Now I’m completely uncoordinated and don’t go to gym classes because I can’t keep up with whatever they want me to do, so thought it was horribly unfair they were expecting me to dance. I made a very feeble attempt to do it, then just gave up. I was again asked to spin the wheel, which I thought was totally unfair (little did I realize til later that the wheel had an arrow, and unfortunately it kept landing one me – just my luck). I was finally going to be going back. One of the skaters told me it was nearly all over. Thank heavens for small mercies. I was then instructed that I had to milk it with all my worth and it was my one chance to shine in the spot light and I had to do my best queen impersonation and wave to the crowd as I made my exit. Oh I could wave if it meant getting me off the ice, which I did oh so gratefully! All the time knowing that my husband would be killing himself laughing at me. I saw him use the camera against me, getting photos for the kids. It took ages before I was able to calm down enough to enjoy the end of the show. The shaking just wouldn’t stop, and my heart was racing way too much.

It was while sitting back in my seat that my husband asked if I knew I was going to be picked. I seriously had no idea until I had a hand in my face and lost my colour! He said its probably because of what I was wearing, and I fit into the show. Well that just served me right. That little cardigan I bought was going to be burnt and as soon as the show was finished I was going to race upstairs to change my outfit so no one would recognize me. Now the funny and very typical thing was as we were exiting the show, standing in the doorway was Robert, Ed and Jeff all beaming at me. Oh shoot me now! They were all highly amused by it and thought it was wonderful. I tried to convince them otherwise, so I guess at least the audience couldn’t see how much it was killing me.

As we then tried to make our way off to the room a couple came up and asked if I was the one organizing the tour in Kuala Lumpur in a few days time. I said I was, and they mentioned they were on my list. I asked them what their names were, and it just didn’t ring a bell. I then asked what their tag on the cruise critic website, and it just scared me further. I didn’t have anyone on my list that matched their names, but couldn’t be certain until I had re-checked my list. Talk about then freaking out. Especially after re-checking my list. I couldn’t work out who they were, and just had the horrible thought that possibly I had mistakenly said yes to someone that was going to be very disappointed in a few days time, when I tell them that actually I don’t know who they were and they weren’t counted in my numbers after all!

It was a case of changing my jacket and then zipping on the bottom of my pants before re-venturing outside of my room. It did help and made me feel like no one might recognize me now. It was funny, at the start of the ice show, Gordon our cruise director, came out and introduced the show to us all (he was a very visual man, always being seen around the boat, and would always appear at the start of shows). He then did his sell up of the Headliner Show which would be on tonight. It was Sigmund Groven playing his Harmonica. Now I had to laugh at this, and the audience also did as well. He made fun of the fact that it sounded like a really lame act but did really well talking up the show. It did sound like it would be something you would want to go and watch, from how Gordon talked about it. Now that all being said and done, I still didn’t go. I told you I had turned into a right little lump on the boat. I guess was an early riser most mornings so it meant I would head off to bed earlier. Also at a starting time of 10:30pm would be the Love and Marriage show, which I had heard lots about. Was way too late for me, but I took comfort knowing they would replay it in the morning, so happily went off to bed.

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Photos

One of the artists I adored
Fabio Napoleoni's work. Definitely look up this artist

Mini Golf
We so had the chance to cheat - the boys weren't even watching!