(click on pictures to enlarge)
Part 5
Thursday 6th December
This morning I woke early enough to watch the ship’s naming ceremony in Miami repeated on the cabin television, when Mr Richard Fain (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Royal Caribbean International) introduced it. He mentioned that there are 42 ships in the group fleet, including CELEBRITY REFLECTION. There were 4 Godmothers and together they named the ship as the Champagne hit the side of the funnel.
Outside it was 72F at 7.34 a.m., we were doing 8 knots, with the wind at 10 knots from the NW, with sunset at 5.20 tonight. After breakfast we did a free short Galley Tour in groups, following an introduction in the Restaurant.
We next met in the Café al Bracio for late afternoon coffee/tea and cakes.
By this time there was torrential rain outside and no visibility, our speed had slowed, and water was swirling back and forth on the deck outside the Café with the movement of the ship. Soon after this there was an announcement from the Captain about the weather conditions and our port of call at Nassau. He told us that he had asked the Port Pilot to come on board and discuss the situation and it had been decided that the weather was too bad to get into Nassau, so we would continue our journey to Cococay. We were also told that there were 4 cruise ships already in Nassau and they were unable to get out. He added that, to avoid disappointment, all the drinks at the bars would be free of charge between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. We could hear the cheers throughout the Atrium, and soon after this the bar stewards starting coming round with trays of Champagne and other drinks to try and avoid the crush at the bars!
A little while later another announcement was made that the Bars would continue to be free from 6 to 6.30, and goodwill spread even further around the ship (judging by the noise volume in the Atrium).
Tonight we have dinner booked for 8 p.m. in the Qsine Restaurant which promises to be fun for the 3 of us, so free Champagne and a posh frock was an excellent start to the evening as far as I was concerned. Qsine promised a culinary journey that delivers elements of surprise and delight, and it was! It seemed like a theatrical production and it was huge fun, starting with choosing food from a menu on an iPad. Each course was delivered to the table with great drama and panache, and we could admire each presentation as it arrived. Taking photographs was a bit of a distraction…
The evening Show was again very enjoyable, with live music and dancing from many London shows.
Ships seen: on the horizon at 7.45 a.m. Majesty of the Seas, going in the opposite direction, Norwegian Sun at Great Stirrup Cay and Independence of the Seas at Cococay, both in the distance. I understand that Little Norway 1 and 2, the tenders off Norway, are still at Great Stirrup Cay. We must include the brave Pilot boat from Nassau
To be continued….
