There is probably only one thing worse than having large numbers of Italians on a cruise ship and that is having large numbers of talians on a cruise ship with large number of kids (unfortunately for us the school holidays!) Being an Australian though comes with some advantage. As a race we are pretty ingenious and not afraid to call a spade a spade so it is usually with a degree of calmness that I approach the scrimmage line that signifies that you are about to enter the food buffet area where people like to pretend that they are fighting for the last food left on the planet !
To survive the scrimmmage i have learnt to use fellow passengers as shields following close enough behind so that any conflict will be their problem not mine. Failing that I find deploying elbows AFL style to take out any space interlooers to be fairly effective or if feeling a bit more diplomatic i simply remind the predominantly Italian and Germans passengers (under my breath) of their limited success in WW2 !
This cruise is a little different to those that we've taken previously in that we spend 4 days at sea meaning that finding activities other than fighting over food is essential to remaining sane !. The gym has predictably become our no. 1 destination as we try vainly to limit the damage of excessive food and alcohol . Situated at the front of the ship the gym has full length glass windows providing for great views while one sweats away in the sauna like conditions !
The nightly entertainment shows also help to occupy some time with the beautiful 1, 500 seat auditorioum hosting high class acrobats, reasonable dancers and according to Monika world class Opera singers !
While at sea you can try out the casinio and slot machines if bored, the cigar room if inclined or maybe the library or the card rooms for a bit of piece and quiet The sports bar has satellite tv and a 6 euro a game billiard table while, for the younger at heart there is a mini bowling alley and a small 4d cinema - yep the ones with moving and squirting seats etc.!
There are heaps of bars and lounges and a half dozen shops supposedly duty free or you can simply settle for the standard cruise fare by heading to the pool area for a swim or spa if you don't mind someone sitting on you lap on the busy days!
Not surprisingly most head for the open air deck top to catch the early rays of Spring. For us though we often search out the quieter levels where you have half a chance of scoring a waiter / waitress !. If all else fails though we can simply retreat to our cabins balcony where we can just relax and keep one eye open for any Somali pirates !
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