I woke up around 4.30am to the ship rocking violently and the sound of suitcases sliding along shelves in both directions. Managed to get back to sleep as motion doesn’t bother me, apparently I have good sea legs; when lying down. I was we awoken a second time by an announcement from Captain Bob that sounded inside the cabin, something that doesn’t normally happen unless you are tuned to the info channel on your TV.
A passenger had been taken ill in the early hours and needed to be treated at hospital so Captain Bob had changed course, around 4.30am oddly, in order to land at St Thomas, an American port. We were not scheduled there so we had to anchor out at sea and send the poor traveller ashore in a tender. Half the ship turned out to watch although there was really very little to see.
We had breakfast in the buffet, or the feeding trough as I now call it, due to to it being full of people all the time. It has started stressing me out as folks either linger for far too long at one item, poking it with the serving spoon or constantly getting in your way zig-zagging back and forth against the flow. Not to mention the Purell Police are at the peak of their powers here. You won’t be given a tray until you have been seen to lotion your hands. The dosage is set too high and you end up spending more time rubbing the stuff in than actually getting food. I quickly find that spreading your fingers is the key, you still get enough to clean and sanitise but not so much that the tray is going to just slip out of your hands. They finally had an omelette station running but the queue was long and the chef was making no attempt to take advance orders or cook more than one order at once like we’ve seen everywhere else in the world.
Today is a sea day, valentines day none the less, so there is little for us to do. Most folks are sunbathing or watching a film on the awful, awful sea screen. Went to the adult pool for a swim but it was still closed from the choppy sea relieving it of treated water.
We settled for drinks on the top deck in the sun, which was currently set to fierce. The only entertainment on offer was a talented guy from the kitchen making an ice sculpture.
Contemplated learning shuffleboard.
Contemplated jumping overboard.
Had a virgin cocktail.
Had a dirty cocktail.
Saw some of the olds, particularly patient zero and his hetero life partner. My uncle was suffering sunburn already. He’d sat in the sun the first chance he got with no shirt on and was now savagely pink. Mentioned I might go to the gym area as they are doing prints of your feet so you can see if the way your feet hit the ground is giving you problems with things like posture. This to me, as I have bad posture, seemed like a good use of my time. The Groom had already been and funnily enough, it was another money maker for P&O as a means to sell you rather expensive corrective insoles. Damn, that could have killed off a good hour too.
Never did get in the pool so returned to the room and showered ready for our next couples massage, valentines treat. My sister, L, was left to her own devices and even started chatting to a boy at the on board Costa Coffee (that’s proud to serve Costa Coffee from a machine). Turns out he is a performer in the show that night and told her she should come. Meanwhile, my first experience of having a massage so soon after previously having one had me falling asleep on the table. At least that’s what all the women delighted in telling me. I think I just snorted…
It was the second formal night so put on my second tux jacket. A classic black this time. Looking good and feeling just a little Bruce Wayne/James Bond. We had dinner and then hightailed it to the theatre to catch 4tunes. We got there as it started and sadly it was standing room only. Despite sitting on the stairs it was quite an entertaining show. The chap L had been talking to was one of the four performers and even proclaimed he was the only single one in the group whilst on stage. Afterwards we walked past them greeting people but she bottled talking to him as another lady he clearly knew made a beeline straight for him. She’s not one to compete.
Being it was Valentine’s day me and my wife wanted some time alone to do what married couples do on Valentine’s day; go to bed early and fall straight to sleep!
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Technicalbob 
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