Dancing, Art and Chocolate

Tuesday 11^th December

This was set to be such a busy day that I actually set my alarm for 10.00 – and was up and showered before then!

We started at 11.30 with a Waltz class (part 2). This was earlier than usual. I spent a lot of my time trying to haul one of the beginners around. He could not turn 180 degrees in three steps. By the end, we had a good approximation of what we were meant to be doing.

As soon as the class ended it was a scramble for seats in the ballroom as Anna was doing a live performance of her artwork at 12.30 and we all wanted to be in the front row. We hauled our own seats into place as we refused to take our hands off a seat in case anyone else got it. There were a few little squabbles! Anna appeared in a ballgown covered in sequins for the interview, and then proceeded to do a charcoal sketch wearing it! Lily, a member of the entertainment staff, was posed for Anna to sketch. (Unfortunately the easel kept collapsing so the gallery manager had to hold it up!)

I was puzzled as the sketch looked nothing like the shape of Lily’s shoulders. Anna invited Trevor to come up and add a few lines anywhere he wished, and one of the women did likewise. Anna kept working, and then to our amazement turned the canvas upside down and all became clear! What fantastic showmanship, to draw it upside down!

 I had time for a quick lunch with Trevor, who by today was obviously suffering from a respiratory infection and could hardly breathe in. Hopefully he went off to rest. A lot of people have become ill on this cruise with either The Cold or The Throat.

Next on the programme at 2pm was Strictly Cunard. We had 6 couples competing. Four of them, including Chris, danced with Woody. Another couple had only just learnt the rumba on this ship. How brave of them to compete. I thought they captured the intimacy of the dance well. Another couple did the jive. I thought they were the best but the prize went to a woman dancing with Woody. Voting was by the audience. A certain number of slips had been handed out and those people got to vote. While the slips were collected we had a stunning rumba from Nadiya and Volodomyr. The only annoying part was the three judges, who seemed to spend the time talking about themselves or our wonderful ship, rather than talking about the contestants.

At 3pm the Soundwaves Choir was singing in the lobby (and up one of the grand staircases). They had been rehearsing for 45 minutes each day and did a great job.

I left after 20 minutes as afternoon tea at 3.30 was a chocolate fantasia. Even arriving 5-10 minutes early I had trouble finding a seat, and when I left at 4.00 there was a long queue of people waiting to get in. The chefs had done a fantastic job of preparing chocolate creations and a couple of ice sculptures.

Then it was time to head back to the Gallery to see the full range of Anna’s pictures, including the one from earlier in the day that she had finished off. It’s now for sale in the Gallery for around £2,000.

What a packed few hours! I was glad to get back to my room to regroup and catch up on my diary and photos. In addition to this there had been several reminders over the day that Queen Victoria was celebrating her sixth birthday. There was even a cake in the lobby. When we dock at Southampton, Camilla will be coming onboard as part of the celebration, seeing she named the ship. I have heard that she wants to see the gingerbread village that the chefs normally put out for Christmas Eve. They have had to race around to get it ready 10 days early! They will then take it to pieces again ready to put out at the correct time.

I heard from someone that the Captain had told her that it was fortunate we did not manage to get to Rhodes. We would not have got out, as the weather conditions there had still not improved. Christmas in Rhodes, anyone?

Dinner was meant to be a birthday celebration for the ship. All that meant was a specially printed menu!

I went to the show, a spectacular of Victorian songs and dances. Unfortunately this meant that I was not in the ballroom to save seats for everyone. Chris left the show before the interminable announcements but could only find 2 seats together. Seeing I was rather weary I decided not to dance. I did a few odds and ends to fill in time until Nadiya and Volodomyr danced, and then had an early night.