#BensCaribbeanAdventure Day 9 Blog
Sunday January 26
I awoke at around 08:00 and since it was a day at sea I decided to pay a visit to the ships’ gym which is located within the Oasis Spa on Deck 16 forward. I managed to do a 1.5 kilometre run on the treadmill in about 11 minutes which was pretty good considering I was half-asleep! After my brief stint in the gym I got ready and headed to find a place to sit by the Beachcomber Pool.
At 11:00 in the atrium there was an event called “Ventura Uncovered”; this was where guests could get a glimpse into the inner-workings of the ship and the chance to speak to some of the crew and officers. It was a really interesting exhibition and I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the ship and just how much food is consumed on a typical two-week cruise. How does this sound…
Over 120,000 Tea Bags, 544kg of Coffee, and 10,000 bottles of Wine.
More than 7200 boxes of a dozen Eggs, 13 tons of Flour, and 18 tons of Potatoes
After spending some time wandering around the different stalls set-up in the atrium, I headed to the Exchange to see the assistant cruise director Dan demonstrate some cool party and magic tricks that I could use on people back at home. The 45 minute event was very entertaining and it was clever to learn how some of the tricks are done. I then went back to the Beachcomber Pool and got myself some lunch from the on-deck Frankie’s BBQ; which was very popular before spending a little bit of time on my laptop.
It was nice and relaxing to just sit around by the pool and listen to the music in the sunshine, I could have quite easily sat there for the entire day. Once I had surfed the net for a bit I walked around the shops on board and had a quick look at the “Guess Bag Blowout” sale which was going on in the atrium. It was jam-packed full of people trying to get a bargain, however you could only purchase four bags per person – which is understandable. The shops on board have a wide variety of both P&O Cruises merchandise and souvenirs to apparel and accessories from a number of brands.
In the late afternoon I went to the Snowball Jackpot Bingo to try and see if lady luck was on my side. Unfortunately it seems that she too is on holiday at the moment so I cut my losses and went back to my cabin to get ready for the black and white evening on board. Although it was quite humid outside it did not feel too uncomfortable in my dinner jacket; the air conditioning actually makes it feel quite cool at times!
I dined in the Saffron Restaurant and was seated on a table for ten; which was very big and at times it was hard to hear what the people opposite me were saying. I have noticed that the “Classic Favourites” menu is no longer offered on Black Tie or Gala nights which is a shame; but I had a word with the Head Waiter and he managed to rustle up a plain grilled Chicken Breast with Potatoes and Vegetables for me which was very good. For dessert I had the Apple Tart and it was delicious!
I didn’t get out of dinner until almost half-past ten so there was no chance if getting a seat in the Arena for the show; so I went to the Fortunes Casino to see if I could win something. When I sailed on the Azura in July I was lucky and won almost £100 on the Roulette Tables. I am pleased to say that although I did not win a lot this time around; I managed to get back 1.5 times what I spent originally. After an hour or so in the casino it was almost midnight so it was time for bed!
Click here to read Day Ten.
