Bye-Bye Durban…

…Hello four days of 5-star floating luxury!

Geri and Dan dropped us off at the harbour just before nine, where we got our luggage booked in (I forgot to take my bottle of wine out, so was forced to unpack it, only to be told, “seeing that it is a small one, you can take it.” 

We sat in the N-Shed waiting for our boarding call, which came after two hours.  Here are some pics of us, patiently waiting our turn.

Passport control was an absolute breeze and soon we were onboard what was to be our luxurious home for the next four nights.  I was escorted to my cabin and quickly trotted upstairs to the pool deck, where the party was already hopping.  We set sail just after 14:30 and soon everyone was enjoying the entertainment.

From there it was off to the Captain’s Gala Cocktail (I am waiting for Aunty Carol to scan the photos that the professional photographers on board took as I don’t have a single one).  Not one of the family joined me at the event, which meant I had a front row seat, where I met a mother and daughter named Charlotte and Madelein.  They had in actual fact been on the cruise the weekend before, enjoyed it so much, that they just stayed on!  The Master of the Vessel Commandante Ciro Pinto selected Madelein to join him on stage for a dance and Yours Truly was selected by the Chief Engineer Guiseppe Balzano.  It was enjoyable despite that fact that I was more than a head taller than him in my killer silver heels.

Once that was over, I headed of to the restuarant for dinner.  The food was amazing.  I had a shrimp started, butterfish for main, and the most sublime coffee and chocolate gateau for dessert. Our waiter tried to tempt me with a second helping of dessert, and while I was seriously tempted, I passed.  My dinner companions were Coen and Johanna Marais, their daughter Yolanda and an elderly gentleman, Ken Cornish.  I have got details for all of them, and will definitely keep in touch. 

From there I went to the cabaret show entitled Destination Nowhere.  It was fabulous! 

After that there was even more entertainment in store.  The election of the ship’s celebrity Miss Sinfonia.  Aunty Carol and Uncle Barry opted to give it a miss because they thought it would be all young girls.  How terribly wrong they were…

The entertainment team (fondly called the Dream Team) selected a number of random ladies from the audience, of all ages, sizes and colours (including Mom and I) and proceeded to introduce them to Miss Sinfonia 2010 – a very busty babe called Petronella.

 

All the contestants had to do what Petronella did and then the finalists were selected.

I didn’t make it through to the finals, but Mom did – and then the hysterical fun started!  The Dream Team selected random blokes from the audience and the finalists had to pop balloons against the poor blokes. 

First chest-to-chest, then “happy place” to “happy place”, then the bloke on a chair and the finalist facing away from him, and then on the chair again, this time facing him.  When it came to the facing away from him, Petronella naughtily moved the balloon and Mom, wanting to burst it as quickly as possible, leapt onto the poor guy!  I’m sure she deballed him in the process.  I was hysterical with laughter.  I have never known my mom to do something so “out there” – she is quite stated.

The winner was selected by an applause-o-meter.  I was stunned at the roaring applause Mom received, winning her the title of Miss Sinfonia 2011.  She won a bottle of lovely champagne, a backpack, a blanket, a T-shirt and a real satin banner.



But…there was more in store for the ship’s newest beauty queen, a show by the resident hot-bods called the Shippendale…

After all that excitement, Miss Sinfonia 2011 and Dad headed off to their cabin.  I wasn’t at all tired, so I popped in at the disco, but it was still dead quiet, so I headed down to the Manhattan Lounge where I had a cocktail, listened to some music and eventually trotted off to bed.

What a fabulous first day!