Evening on Oceana
We do not seem able to time our meals in Oceana’s Freedom Dining and our wait this evening was over 40 minutes. Once at the table I stuck with prawn cocktails again followed by potato soup and a Tandoori lamb chop for my main. This was this was not a great meal and I left most of it. Still hungry I had two deserts of rum and raisin ice cream plus a rhubarb sundae.
Graffiti Classics
We were in the theatre at 10 pm waiting for the show to start at 10.30. The performers were Graffiti Classics. Their performance was one of the best that we’d ever seen on P&O. Their show was is hard to describe. The members of the group were a double bass player and a trio of violinists.
They were all clearly accomplished musicians who played classics plus modern songs while dancing, telling jokes and generally making fun of themselves and the music.
Memorably when a member of the audience left, their leader on the double base asked for the house lights to come on, went off the stage and persuaded the whole row left by the passenger to move to the front of the theatre. He then moved audience members that were standing at the back to take their place and finally he drank the poor unfortunate’s beer.
We all waited for his return with baited breath and he duly was very confused at the new faces where had been sitting. Only when the house lights came up and the music paused did he find his companions sitting at the front.
All in all a splendid performance to finish our day.
From the Cruise Log
Saturday 6 April Dubrovnik, Croatia
Temperature 19°C
Wind South Force 3
Weather Partly Cloudy, Dry
Stand by below (or SBB – our term for having our engines ready for manoeuvring) was be rung at 06:30 and the local Pilot embarked at 06:47. With all pre-arrival checks completed, Oceana made her way up the “Rijeka Dubrovacka” before entering the harbour area, swinging bow to port and arriving ‘starboardside-to’ on berth number 10. By 08:02 the Crew of Oceana had safely rigged two ship’s gangways and clearance granted allowing eager Guests to get ashore for the day.
On departure the local Pilot boarded at 17:23 and SBB rung shortly afterwards once all Crew and Guests were back on board. The Deputy Captain thrusted Oceana laterally off the berth then came ahead on the engines making way down the river, clearing the harbour approaches and set courses into the northern Adriatic towards the next port call in Hvar.