Embarkation

Tuesday 22nd November

Introduction
This was a last-minute booking. I had intended to go on a cruise before Christmas but lost sight of the dates because of health issues (mine and a friend's) and by the time I got organised, there was only one cruise I could manage around various appointments. I booked it 4 days before it left. Unfortunately the price was not as good as it had been earlier.

With friends staying during those days, and a visit to the cinema the day I was packing, I did not put enough thought into what I took. I had plenty of evening clothes but I had to keep wearing the same few outfits during the day. In fact I ended up with one skirt but not the top to go with it, so that was a waste of suitcase space. I found that it really did not matter what I wore and a reduced wardrobe did not concern me once I adjusted.

After booking, I found that two friends from previous cruises, Frances and Jenny, would be on board too.

Events of the day

Jonathan and David had offered to drive me to Southampton so we had a leisurely morning. We did not need to leave until 11.30. The drive down was uneventful and took about 70 minutes. They stopped by the cruise terminal and the porter rushed to get my cases. I said goodbye and walked off. I stepped into the building and could not see where to go. When I asked someone I discovered I was in the Arrivals section; I should have walked in the opposite direction!

I must have been on the ship and in my room within 10 minutes. The room seemed small! I think the rooms on Celebrity (my last two cruises) must be bigger, and of course two out of my last three cruises have been in ‘accessible staterooms’ (wheelchair friendly) that are larger than usual. I walked to my balcony and discovered that a huge orange lifeboat was on the deck below, obscuring my view of the sea. I was puzzled as I thought that only happened in the lowest standard of balcony, not the second-highest, to which I had been upgraded (from the third-highest – all that was left when I booked). I checked with the Purser’s desk and with my cruise agent and they all said that this is correct. It surprised me. I assume it is the midship location that makes this room desirable.

My main suitcase arrived almost immediately and my carry-on suitcase was not much later. I decided to have lunch before unpacking. I tried to contact Jenny to meet with her for lunch but we did not find each other until we had finished eating. It turns out we were sitting very close by but I was reading a book and she had her back turned to me and did not see me before sitting down. (The same sort of thing happened later in the ballroom, when she found a seat while I was up dancing and we did not see each other at first. Not a pattern we want to continue!)

The first afternoon is a bit tiring with unpacking and the muster drill. Jenny and I also had to visit the dining room to find our dinner seating. The only availability was for second seating but we put our name down on a list to change to first seating. (Confirmation of a change came through the next day.)

I was not prepared to wait until 8.30 to eat, so I went to the Lido buffet for dinner, while Jenny decided to try out our late table. I chatted to a couple of friendly people at an adjoining table.

The evening dancing session started at 7.45 and ended at 8.30. I arrived at 7.30 to save seats near the front. On some cruises the Dance Hosts don’t ask anyone from the back rows. Frances and Jenny joined me later. One of the Dance Hosts started dancing with me almost straight away. This is such a change from other cruises where some Hosts do as little as possible.

There are four Hosts. Australian Dennis is a reasonable dancer and tells me he is trying out steps with me that he’s never danced before, as he has confidence that I can follow him. That’s good to hear as my private dance lessons for the past few years have focused on me following my teacher’s lead. (I later discovered that this was part of the patter that he used with many of the ladies!) Laconic Louis does very basic steps and seems to follow a pattern of the same couple of figures repeated over and over. He did not know his limitations and was prepared to try anything; during the cruise he would get up and attempt complicated sequence dancers with a partner who did not know the steps either, just trying to copy the people on either side of him. German Joachim has good posture but does not keep to strict tempo with his steps but suddenly rushes one. Dashing David dances gently and basically, no effort, never breaking into a sweat, while chatting and smiling down into the lady’s eyes the whole time. I don't know how he steers around the floor as he never seems to be looking. He is a delight. He told me he is an Introvert and being a Host has taught him how to chat to people instead of locking himself away in his room.

I managed a Viennese Waltz with Dennis but decided not to do it regularly as it is a very tiring dance and we did not dance brilliantly together. It was hard work as his rotation could have been better.

During the interval I stayed in the ballroom reading rather than going to the show. My brain needed to relax. The 9.15 session was quite crowded at first but people left early, tired from the journey. Frances left at 10 while Jenny and I stayed until 11.