27th May

The Port talk today was for Mumbai, as we will probably not get off the ship in this port we decided to give it a miss, if we change our mind we will be able to see it on our cabin TV. We have done tours on previous cruises so we will just relax for the day. Not going to the Port talk means we have more time for breakfast so we went to the dining room. Eggs Benedict were not on the menu but it was nice to be served at your table. We like Eggs Benedict but they only have them on the menu now and again. We spent some of the morning reading the books we have on our iPads and also I have been trying to download the game Candy Crush but I am having problems, I think it may be due to the slowness of the system. I will wait until Singapore when I should be able to find a hot spot somewhere which will be faster. I think I can hear some of our family saying, you will become addicted to it. The buffet lunch today was International but we had so much breakfast we settled for a small amount of salad before headed to the Vista for dancing. Today he put on a Square Dance which he did mainly in one big circle not squares but it was a bit of fun. Immediately afterwards was, “Dancing with the Stripes” the ship’s version of Dancing with the Stars or Strictly Come Dancing. A dancer from the ballet was paired with a crew member to dance a dance they had put together themselves. There were 5 couples and we all voted so that 3 could be selected for the final. 5 more couples will dance tomorrow, with 3 more selected for the final. It was all a lot of fun and they had put a lot of work into their routines, we look forward to the next session.

As I write this Betty and Bev are at the Runway At Sea Fashion Show, Ian and I hopped out. I believe the clothes are being modelled by passengers but I will report on it later. Betty says the fashion parade was OK with both Lady’s and Men’s clothes but she managed to resist buying anything.

Showtime tonight was “Country Jam” with the singers and dancers in the Vista Lounge. Once more the show only went for about 45mins but it was nonstop with music we love. Sometime tomorrow we will cross the Equator. As is the custom at sea if you have never crossed it by sea you are called a Pollywog. If you have already crossed by sea you are a Shellback. Tonight at 8.45pm there was a ceremony for the nautical rite of passage. It all took place on decks 12 & 14 around the pool. Those Pollywogs who were game conga lined around the deck finishing up in an area where they were showered with all sort of substances like chocolate, eggs, spaghetti  etc. King Neptune has now granted us permission to cross into the northern hemisphere . It is not uncommon on these occasions for the Captain to be thrown in the pool but tonight we have been passing through quite a lot of fishing boats so he decided not to leave the bridge so they threw the Customer Services Director in instead. Our evening was finished with a walk around the deck which was delightful on such a warm night.