Bari

We were efficiently on board by 10 am! And having a bloody Mary by 1030! It is so interesting to witness human form on a cruise ship… I had forgotten how gregarious & loud & ravenous everyone gets! People are filling their plates to the top with burgers and fries and pasta and fruit… Everyone is already drinking their fill from the bar… Cocktails at 11 am… Bring it on! 🍹 🍸

Unexpectedly, we stumbled onto the Broadway Theatre 🎭 where the Muster & Safety demonstration was happening… We forgot all about it! But, let’s face it. If the ship goes down, we go down with the captain… Or, on the captain LOL. 🤩🤣😝

German and I were wandering around to the ship trying to acclimatise and familiarise ourselves with the layout… The first thing related to this: which was the front of the ship, and which was the back of the ship! I felt more dizzy than ever due to the fact I have not cruised for so long (…well, not on a ship 🛳️ anyway).

We were also pleasantly surprised at the clientele on board. It is so different to a South Pacific P&O cruise… Yes, there are still the oldies and the goodies, but there are plenty of hotties 🔥 as well! ✊🏻😝🍹

We found out that the Internet packages now cost $160 for the entire cruise, so I am going to try and leave without the Internet for a while. I think German almost had a coronary when he realised there was no Internet connection on board. If we had bought the package earlier, it would’ve been cheaper, but, hopefully all will be well and we will find a myriad of other activities to occupy our minds… Obviously the drink 🍺 package will help in this. Part of me is hoping that cutting off a bit from the constant Internet chatter might be a good thing… 🚢 📱

We got separate inside cabins, which are not too shabby. No view to the outside world, but they have decorated them with mirrors 🪞 in a way that will alleviate that. Having no light 💡 in the morning could be a great thing as well.

By 5 pm I had already made great 👍🏻 use of my drink package allowance… So, that was money well spent… Apart from constantly drinking waters, I had a piña colada, a cosmopolitan, a Moscow mule and a martini 🍸

Headed to the pools on deck 11 and then into the whirlpool spas with close contact of certain humans who you would never generally share a metre square space with… Oh well, When in Rome… 😎😜😝

The dinner in the Restaurant was much more controlled and enjoyable. than any buffet will ever be. It was great that all the TripADeal people were sat in the same area and were able to bond on a different level.

We went to the show in the Broadway Theatre 🎭 which was called Access all areas: Rock & Roll 🎸
After the magnificent Italian cultural experience of the past week it was something completely different… Not bad, not good, just different… 😝🙃

Day, one of the Cruise done and dusted, and we didn’t even stay up late enough to go to the disco 🕺🏼 because we were pretty much stuffed after the last week of running around… Don’t get me wrong, it has been fantastic, but tiring… Time to recharge ready for the final Italian destination tomorrow and meeting up with Marta in her home town of Venice 💚🤍❤️Read more