Cruise - Day 23 - 25 Sep

Another day at sea as we cruise our way from South Australia to Victoria. We seem to have been pretty much hugging the coast as we have seen land from time to time and also noted that our mobile phone reception has been dropping in and out all day.

Unfortunately the waves have whipped up somewhat and the swell has set us rockin' and rollin' again. While this has not worried me in the least, Gaz took to his bed again this morning after an abortive attempt to go to breakfast – he didn't even make it into the restaurant before he was officially goooone and heading back to the cabin. Things had settled enough by afternoon tea time for him to claim his waffle and cream at the buffet and he also went to dinner, so all is good now.

While Gaz was resting up I was dispatched to bingo to, and I quote, “Win the jackpot”. As I reported upon my return there was good news and bad news. The bad news was that I didn't win and the good news was that the jackpot didn't go off, so it will carry over to our next (and last) sea day on Thursday and should be about $6000! I promise I did my best folks – I had my little pink dabber flying over those game cards – but alas, no luck. As the jackpot has risen, many more punters are now playing with 3 different people (obvious novices), calling “bingo” prematurely. As a punishment for this, these miscreants are made to don a bright yellow wig and do the “chicken dance”. As you can see folks, Bingo is a very mature and cultural pastime! The crowd depicted below is about 4 times the size it was 2 weeks ago.

Immediately after bingo, the Dawn Princess Choir, made up solely of passengers, performed a medley of Broadway songs to a packed audience. They have been practising tirelessly since we departed Sydney and certainly did very well, enjoying a standing ovation for their efforts. They definitely got the toes tapping and I particularly admired the in synch swaying until I realised they were really just trying to keep their feet on the rolling ship. At one point I feared they might all fall over like dominoes, yet they managed to maintain their footing as well as their composure.

This afternoon was taken up with the excitement of the AFL Grand Final which was beamed live directly to the TV in our cabin. By half time I was feeling somewhat despondent as St Kilda fell behind, so I adjourned to the gym to watch the rest of the game from the comfort of my favourite treadmill. By three quarter time (some 45 minutes later...gee it takes a long time to play aussie rules!), I took pity on the other gym patrons who were starting to look startled at my exclamations as St Kilda staged their comeback, so I returned to the cabin to watch the final stanza with Gaz who had returned from afternoon tea. What excitement! What suspense! What tension! And in the end...no winner! What an anti-climax!

So after an early dinner, we settled ourselves back in the cabin to watch another epic encounter – this time the NRL clash between the Dragons and the magnificent Tigers. (You may notice that even though these games are broadcast in public areas of the ship on large screens, I choose to spare other passengers the unique opportunity of watching and listening to Gary watch any sporting encounter...it's safer that way.) So, back to the game. What excitement! What suspense! What tension! And in the end...the wrong winner!

Ah well, bring on season 2011.

I should mention that there has been an outbreak of gastroenteritis on board and the captain has ordered all sorts of additional hygiene measures to ensure it doesn't spread. All food at the buffet is now served to us by waiters – we are not allowed to touch pretty much anything. If it goes much further I envisage the crew will be spoon feeding us shortly. But seriously, I'm sure it is worthwhile and most prudent in the circumstances. For your information, the anti-bacterial gel only kills bacteria (as its name suggests), while soap and water not only eliminates bacteria but any viral nasties as well. It is suggested that we wash our hands with soap and water for 20 seconds as often as possible after venturing in public areas of the ship. Additionally, and this is the important piece of information, 20 seconds is best timed by singing “Happy Birthday”...twice. Gaz has been quite inventive with the lyrics and must have the cleanest hands this side of...well...the Southern Ocean.

So we are in Melbourne tomorrow – I imagine it could be a somewhat sombre atmosphere after today's AFL debacle. Then it's on to Tassie. More later...