Our last day at sea before a run of 3 shore days was supposed to be a celebration of crossing the equator. A ceremony was planned around lunchtime with the pollywogs meeting King Neptune, but the drizzle turned into a thunderstorm and the ceremony was postponed until the day after Langkawi.
A relaxing day (for a change – well it was Saturday).
Alana’s dance class was the Rumba and once again, we learned a new move, with a different exit from the Aida.
At long last, we managed a visit to the grill bar with Joanne and Garry, Ros and Arnold. Paula had the kebab (without the wrap – and very tasty it was too) whilst I sampled the burger and a few chips. Although the rain had eased, we sat out on deck 12, alongside the two table tennis tables. When the others wandered off, we had a quick hit.
2012 Cruisers – Apparently, if you enter the ship’s table tennis tournament, you are supposed to use the ship’s bats, so no need to bring your own. Our usual experiences of supplied bats and tables is that they are second rate and you are lucky if you can even find a ball. The equipment on board is excellent, though we did hear of a 76 year old granny who wiped the floor with the opposition - but was using her own bat...
Somehow the coffee card (15 coffees) has crept up to $35 but if you use the coupon supplied, you get a smart free thermal coffee mug with the Princess logo. Still good value and the real coffees are not too bad.
Even with several repeat questions at trivia, we still only managed a miserable 12 points.
At 5pm, the dreaded Captain’s announcement. It appears that the faulty generator/engine will not be fixed before we reach Dover, so alterations to the itinerary were necessary. The most drastic was cutting out Abu Dhabi altogether and arriving and leaving Dubai a day early... For those due to fly into Dubai to join the ship, if they cannot change flights and were arriving on the day of departure, they are going to be in deep doo-doo. As we expect to join the ship in Dubai next year, we are well prepared.
Most ports have been adjusted with changes to arrival and departure times. Oman has been substituted with Salalah and Casablanca/Marrakesh with Gibraltar.
The logistics of all the changes must be a nightmare but what happens at Dover??? Will Philip be able to join in Amsterdam??? Will we be able to join in Fort Lauderdale - or Dover! The company compensation is a rather miserable $200 for those going to Dover and beyond.
The evening meal was the usual fun affair and when Maurizio made his rounds, we said that we were rating the wait staff – and all held up cards saying 10/10. We then rated Maurizio and whilst Garry filmed, we also rated Maurizio 10/10 – he was quite overcome so he sat down and took Garry’s seat – and champagne. It may sound a little juvenile to some, but we are blessed with a great table group who at least know how to laugh.
The ‘late show’ was one of those marriage games, where the men disappear for the ladies to answer questions and vice versa. A little bit rude maybe and a salutary lesson to not volunteer for that... An early start for Singapore’s 7am arrival so many were expecting to get up and watch the sail in. Although warm, the weather not so good, with rain expected.
A lady was so excited about passing the equator that she was parked on the deck an hour early. Three hours later, she complained to the front desk that the Captain must have given them wrong information as she hadn’t seen it...
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