| I went to the Diamond Club and met our host, Hyun Shim from South Korea, who liked to be known as JJ. She is a wonderful, friendly, funny lady. Our departure was 8pm and thankfully the wind had died down so it was better than when we arrived. We left slightly earlier than planned. Straight to dinner afterwards then an early night. One advantage of being under the theatre was you could generally tell if the show would be any good by the rehearsals. Plus it was Tracey Shields who performs as Celine Dion, who had been on other cruises and I didn't bother with either. In the rehearsals I heard, she wasn't even singing Celine Dion songs! Course, I couldn't go to sleep until she's belted up which is a drawback of being below the theatre. |
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| The following morning after another bumpy night was Esperance in the south of Western Australia, the first of two tender ports. It was so windy, I wondered if it was going to be like Guernsey and we buggered off. I was on the Esperance Town Tour, which was due to meet at 9.15am, and were taken to the tender ten minutes later. It was so rough a Japanese lady got off saying she'd had enough. The tender trip took about twenty minutes and we went to the bus. Our first stop was Mermaid Leather, where they make things from fish skins. We saw a ten minute video of old news reports about how wonderful they are then had about twenty minutes to shop! I bought my dad a bookmark, since it's useful - and cheap. This was followed by the Section Glass Gallery, which was merely a place selling expensive jewellery or large plates the woman made from glass. You could buy a cup of tea or coffee and cake for about $6 but we were here far too long so I returned to the bus. Next was a photo stop at the Pink Lake, which is no longer pink. Some time at Twilight Beach, which was lovely and there was an ice cream van which many of us queued at. He ran out of run and raisin, saying he hadn't been told there was a cruise ship in, so I had chocolate. We stopped again briefly by another beach and finally went to the Rotary Lookout, built from money raised by the local Rotary Club before returning to the tender dock. On my tour were four visually impaired ladies travelling together and it amazed me how selfish people were by hogging the front seats. Granted they hadn't informed Royal Caribbean of their sight issues, but whatever happened to decency from people? Even after the bus driver moved people so they could sit there, it was still a free for all after each stop meaning they had to go further up the bus. Two of them sat with me at one point. One lady who was Spanish, claimed not to speak much English so couldn't understand the request to shift her backside, yet was talking to people at the stops fluently. In the end, the ladies didn't get off after Twilight Beach to make sure they kept their seats behind the driver. After some photos, I joined the queue to board the tender. The disorganisation with just one tender between long intervals reminded me of Vision in Cabo San Lucas exactly five years prior. There appeared to be just three running, with two by the ship. When ours arrived, they had trouble tying the thing up, never mind getting people on and off. I hoped it wouldn't be so bad when we did it again. |
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| The vast majority went straight to the Windjammer, including me, since it was close to closing and you always knew when a tender returned because you could feel the impact as it whacked the side. I sat with a couple of ladies from my tour, one was originally from Liverpool but emigrated to Australia forty years before and lived in Adelaide so she and her friend were planning to do some washing during our call. Up in the Diamond Club, two American men were trying to outdo each other with cruises, internet and even coffee but the 71 year old with the Greek immigrant father and loudest mouth won by practically monopolising the conversation with his heritage stories. We had a silent, 7pm sailaway as we upped anchor and headed off. A quick drink in the Quill & Compass, chatting to a New Zealand couple from my tour then dinner where Ann was bossing again and Carol moaned while they ignored me as they tried outdoing each other yet again. Royal Caribbean really need to put singles together or add more of them to the table. The show was Piano Man, using songs from Elton John, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder and a few others. Bed afterwards. |
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| The 25th was our first of two consecutive sea days as we headed towards Adelaide. It had been another rough night and we also lost ninety minutes as we sailed eastwards. It was a gorgeous but lazy day as I rested my knee, which I'd fallen on back on the 4th but not got checked in case they said I couldn't go. I went to Diamond Club as usual and loved the fast internet. Someone sat behind me while I got everything done in under an hour, complained to who he was with how slow it was. No idea what he's using but this is fabulous internet and I'm able to do things P&O and Cunard won't! I skipped the Captain's booze up later. Dinner was the usual oneupmanship while ignoring me. They'd all appear straight after as many free drinks as they could get at Diamond Club. The senior head waiter, Kahraman Sahin, who would usually take my pre-order, had said there shouldn't be a problem having the potato curry without bell peppers and they cooked it without. That's Indy and Radiance so I'd have to mention it on Vision, who won't let me. Even now, four years since I discovered they began adding them, they STILL don't include it on the menu. Why can't chefs grasp the fact many don't like them and stop putting them in things that shouldn't have any? Even in the Windjammer, they garnished everything with them - argh!!!!!!!!! If I just didn't like them, I could just remove them but it's more difficult with an allergy. When I started cruising with Royal Caribbean, this was never a problem but in the past couple of years they're everywhere, even hidden like on Indy. Meanwhile, retired teacher Ann said she'd added up the nationalities as the cruise director Bobby had read them out and it didn't come to 2500 but 2000. When I pointed out she didn't account for solo occupancy, she still insisted it didn't come to 2500, only 2000, and makes no difference and they all insisted the ship wasn't full rather than admit she could possibly have made a mistake. The ship's average for double occupancy is 2112 and several nationalities of passengers had just one person. Then there was me, who they knew was solo so someone cannot add up. She never said what she taught or what age group but if it was maths her pupils are doomed to thickyhood! The show was Beatle Magic, which was billed as Australia's premier tribute act. If they were the best, I dread to think what the worst were like! At least they had a left-handed Paul McCartney, unlike the two I'd seen in Europe. But despite mostly having the same set list as the rest, it appeared they were miming and not even playing the instruments. The 'Ringo' was the best of the lot, really trying. Karen, who I'd met the first day, was there, and we went to the Quill & Compass to listen to American Joe Dougherty afterwards. Then we said our goodbyes and I went to bed. |
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