Evening on-board
At 7.30 pm we all went to the Art Gallery to meet the manager, to hear about his upcoming talks and to have a couple of glasses of fizz. Then it was time for dinner. We had booked to be on Freedom dining rather than on set dining in the main dining room. Our first experience of Freedom dining was an example of the ones to come. We were given a buzzer and told that we would have as much as a 40 minute wait for a table.
We had asked for any size of table rather than just wait for a table for four. While we waited we went up to Winners bar to have another drink. I had a pint of one of the speciality beers – Hop Head.
After a 35 minute wait our buzzer finally went off and we went back down to the Ligurian for dinner. I started with a chicken Caesar salad (no anchovies), a lamb steak and then a melted chocolate cake. The anchovies may have gone from the salad but their flavour remained. My lamb steak in my opinion was a Barnsley chop but it was still excellent.
(My memory about menu items from this cruise has not been aided by receiving all the restaurant menus after the cruise. It seems that this P&O tradition did not apply automatically on Freedom dining)
We were in plenty of time to see Oceana’s Headliners perform their 88 Notes show.
The ship was now somewhere in the Gulf and we went to bed for the first time being lulled to sleep by the ship’s gentle rocking movements.
From the Cruise Log
Friday 22 March – Dubai, UAE
Temperature 30°C
Wind Light Airs
Weather Mostly Cloudy
With the remainder of our Guests arriving on board today after the long flights from the UK and other destinations Oceana commenced her preparations for departure. All Guests and other Guests were exercised in a General Emergency muster as required by international law.
Standby Below was rung at 16:44 with all engines and thrusters taken and tested in Bridge control and all formalities completed with immigration. Oceana let go her lines at 16:49 commencing the overnight passage to Abu Dhabi.
The Pilot disembarked via the port side Pilot door down the ladder onto the’Pilot boat. The shell door was then closed and made secure for sea and the Bridge ringing off ‘Full Away on Passage’ shortly after.
Day 6 Our day in Abu Dhabi