Merry Christmas

Greetings all,

Many thanks for all your Christmas messages which have been shared!

Christmas Day ran very smoothly and there was a great atmosphere on board Arcadia. From the time that Santa Claus arriving on Christmas Eve, to the various Church Services, the sunshine, the Officer’s Choir singing three part harmony in the Atrium, the Traditional Christmas Dinner complete with crackers and party hats, it was all going on. This was followed by a Grand performance in The Palladium Theatre by Marti Webb. Marti sang her well known numbers to two packed houses and added a special Christmas melody and everyone joined in.

On Christmas Eve it is traditional for Santa to appear at the top of the funnel; however it was too windy this year so he ‘landed’ by the Aquarius Pool. The passenger choir was singing carols and even though we have no children on board we all believe in Santa! The funny thing about Christmas is that we spend so much time planning, shopping, preparing and then all of a sudden it is here. I love that feeling on Christmas Eve when all the last minutes bits and bobs have been done and we ‘wait’ with expectancy and excitement.

My Christmas day is nonstop on board. I check my messages, host secret Santa for the Purser’s Officers at 0830 along with bucks fizz and bacon rolls, then to the Carol Service, all the time exchanging 'Merry Christmas' greetings with passengers and ship's company!! Then to the Crew Christmas Lunch in the Crew Mess, where it is a tradition for the Officers to serve the crew on this day. Always great fun and chance to share the joy of Christmas with our shipmates. I get invited to a couple of passenger parties so have to make the odd escape and show my face in different places – a bit like ‘upstairs downstairs’. It is a good job I know all the secret staircases and short cuts around Arcadia’s back of house. I did have a turkey lunch in the crew mess to keep me going until dinner!

I phoned home and wished all my family ‘Happy Christmas’. I am envious of them this year as they are enjoying the picture postcard white Christmas. I was the accompanist for the Officer’s Choir, we sand three part harmony in the Atrium at 6.00pm and 8.15pm much to the delight of our passengers. I know they were impressed. We did six carols and it lasted 20 minutes – just enough to fill three decks! We gathered around the grand piano at the top of the Atrium and it felt very much like ‘front room’ entertaining! My thanks to Elaine (Aurorabore) who sent me over a drink on completion of our singing – much need to refresh the vocal chords before going to dinner.

Between first and second sitting Dinner I was on a walkabout in the Restaurants, Galleys and Public areas everyone was enjoying their Christmas. There was a lot of style around – this being a formal night. Dominic and Dolphy our Restaurant Managers added the wow factor by doing a performance of ‘When a Child is born’ to all diners! Dolphy on the piano and Dominic singing. My thanks to them for this personal touch this added to the Christmas Dinner in the Meridian Restaurant. I enjoyed great company on my dinner table and a delicious Christmas Dinner. I choose the traditional prawns, tomato soup and turkey, followed by trifle; I was just too full up for the Christmas pudding – which everyone else was raving about! Then it was a dash to get to the Palladium to hear Marti Webb. I went backstage afterward for a photo shoot in the dressing room. It is a relief really when Christmas day is over – dare I say!! I feel asleep relaxing in the knowledge that our passengers and ship’s company had enjoyed their day and that all had run without incident.

This is our fifth sea day since leaving Madeira. For the first three we were experiencing a 6 metre swell; however it was a lot smoother for Christmas day and today is very calm as we sail towards the Caribbean. I am looking forward to our call at Antigua.

I have lots of photographs to share with you, however I can't get them uploaded today as the Internet is on a go slow with so many people communicating with the outside world. I will post them later!

All good wishes,

James.

'How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given'