Day 8 at Sea, Our Final Formal Night

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Another sea day and really think I was getting the hang of the waves and the delicious slow life. That being said, once again I ventured up for breakfast by myself, as the husband slept away. After breakfast I decided I was on a cruise and I was going to do the whole swimming and sun baking thing that everyone seemed to enjoy so much. I ventured on up to the top deck and passed over my sea pass to score my towels. I was asked how many towels I would like … didn’t realize it was a trick question, and took one. It was only later I realized, to do the whole deck thing like a pro you are supposed to take about four towels! Two are supposed to lay across your chair, and the other two just there for show.

Finding a chair that was available was a whole other matter. There were very few around the pool areas, and eventually I settled on the quieter adult area, where there was one by the windows that was vacant. Now I did have the intention of going into the pool, but the whole getting wet thing, was just a huge hindrance to me. It just didn’t seem a real appealing thing. Also the leaving your worldly possessions on a chair with no one to guard them just didn’t sit well and I clearly didn’t accept nearly enough towels to make finding any possessions hard enough. It was a kind of source of amusement through the cruise reading the little notice board they had set up near the service desks. You had a variety of messages pasted up from chess groupies to meet to the lost items list. Who knew that by just walking along the deck chairs you could get all your Christmas shopping done at once! There were several cameras that were taken as well as a kindle and other items. I guess that also made me think twice about leaving my beloved telephone and sea pass unguarded. They almost need to have little lockers near the pool so that when you want to go in for a dip, your items will be safe. I guess on the same thing, it was also very sad that people would potentially steal things. Just shows that potentially dodgy people are everywhere.

I did the laying on the lounge chair for maybe twenty minutes. I probably should have gone and bought a cocktail or something fancy like to sip away on. I tried as hard as I could, even adjusting the chair a few times, but I didn’t get the whole just laying there thing. Maybe it was the lack of traffic going past to watch? I am a total sun queen back and home and constantly will just lay out the backyard on a towel worshipping the sun. Possibly it was due to the fact that I was in such an enclosed area that it just didn’t do it for me. Either way, I got bored very quickly and ended up returning my towel and wandering off to see if I could discover where the husband was that I hadn’t seen much of so far that day.

It was quite funny, I kept bumping into Ed & Roberta and they must have thought I was a little lost girl that day. I wandered aimlessly looking for my husband. It wasn’t til just after lunch that we did manage to bump into each other. Apparently I hadn’t kept a rematch mini golf date, that I hadn’t realized I had agreed to, and that’s where he was all day. Hmmmm ok.

In the afternoon, they had a Grease Movie Skate session. I thought it might be fun to go and try ice skating. However on entering seeing all the ice skating people from the day before making you sign the waivers and then distributing the shoes, I just froze over. There was no way I wanted to go on the ice again. Wasn’t game to tell my husband that was the reason why the complete change of heart. Instead we just sat down and watched the end of the Grease movie, which was pretty funny and so timeless. It was actually also pretty funny watching the skaters and don’t think I would necessarily want to skate with an audience watching me.

I had another hair appointment to attend after this, as it was another formal night. We did inform Kevin and Julie that tonight was Lobster night. They had no idea about it, and had to be shown the menu, so the plan was we would all enter the dining room together to be able to sit down and enjoy the meal as a group. I left Robert to go off and play some game with the other man and headed for another torture session at the Spa.

Now it was a low day for me, and I was feeling so miserable. I had been emailing my children on facebook using the dodgy internet service onboard via my phone, and they just weren’t responding. I didn’t know what was going on back home, and I didn’t like it. I was getting a bit homesick and teary, so the hairdresser I hoped would be just what I needed to pick myself up. Unfortunately I don’t think that hairdresser was having another good day. I let her decide the best way of putting my hair up, and for a speed record, I swear this girl would take out the cake each and every time. In less than 15 minutes, my hair had been glued down or up rather with the help of 40 something bobby pins. I walked out $70 something dollars the poorer for the experience and went back to my room and just burst into tears. I guess I wouldn’t be feeling like a princess any time this cruise. It was quite heart breaking and all. There is nothing I enjoy more than having people play around with my hair, and the way she pulled and tugged at it was just painful. I just wanted to jump straight into a shower and wash it all away, and just straighten my hair myself. I found where my husband was, and I was reassured that my hair didn’t look too bad, so I might as well just keep it in like that. It was just bad that I paid so much and feel so done over by it all.

It was a case of just try and smile and make the best of it. My dress was dreamy that night, so I had to try and perk myself up. Our company was fantastic over the meal. Our plan worked and we were able to sit with Kevin and Julie at a table that I think ended up holding 8. Now I was a touch naughty during the meal. After multiple discussions with our new friends, I knew they were a touch uncertain as to if cruising was for them or not. We joked about how avid other cruisers were and it was almost a game to see who had the most cruises pre-booked that they haven’t been on yet. At our dining table there were a couple of ladies that we were to spend time with in Penang for the day, and I knew they were avid cruisers. So I played around with it a bit. They of coursed asked how I was enjoying the cruise, and by this time in the cruise, I actually was. It took a while to get used to, but I definitely would love to experience it again. So I did the throw question to Kevin, asking if he has booked a further cruise yet. Oh well talk about him wanting to kill me, he sweetly replied back, that they would when I had. I had to laugh, as I had pre-booked a cruise in February with my daughter so happily told him, it would be wonderful to see him in the Caribbean. That was it, the mention of him going down to the Caribbean was enough to pick up the ears of the others at the table and he listened to this big enthusiastic talk about all the things he would have to do and the cruise ship he would have to go on, when he went there. I just sat back and laughed. He did still talk to me after that, but it was entertaining watching him dodge all the questions, and in the end he just played along beautifully.

As for the meal, yes, this was what you got on board for! Lobster night. Now the sad thing was on the menu there were actually two things finally that I really wanted to try. Most nights it was just a meh type of menu but tonight they had their seafood platter, which included a lobster tail and prawns or shrimps, whatever they call them, or Thai crusted chicken. Now I’m a complete Thai girl. Give me Thai green curry from breakfast lunch and tea, and I will be a happy girl. That being said, we were on a cruise, so I had to go for the Platter. I really wasn’t disappointed. Robert ordered the Thai chicken and it was really nice as well. The two men decided that getting just a lobster tail on a plate would be a good thing to try. They hadn’t realized you can get additional of whatever you wanted just by asking until this time. The request was put in, and two full plates were brought out for them. I think it surprised them, but they weren’t just going to put a lobster on a plate for them. I don’t think either minded either. The desert I chose was a sampler plate. That way you get three different desserts on the one plate. Also the best thing about it was that finally they had someone in the kitchen that understood how to make cheesecake! Tonight was the height of the food served on the ship.

After our meal we made our way over to the Headliner Show, which was titled “Livewire”. It was an Irish or Celtic couple who played the violin and joked around. Now the jokes were fairly lame, but their music was ok. It was a nice way to finish off the day. At 10:30pm that night the big band were going to go and play on the Dance floor that they put down over the ice, however I went off to bed like a good little early rising girl that I was.

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