Hi there,

Thanks to all of you who’ve taken the time to send me a message this week in response to my first post. I’ll do my best to either reply to you, or address your comments/requests in my posts as I go along.

Well our Mediterranean cruise is under way and the weather and sea conditions are holding out so far. There’s blue sky in every direction. Aaahhh, what a treat!

The Captain hosted a ‘Welcome on board’ cocktail party last night, inviting everybody to join him with a drink to toast the start of Azura’s lovely Mediterranean cruise.

Formal nights at the beginning of the cruise are always fascinating for me because everybody really dresses to impress. It’s a real celebration of finally arriving on the ship and officially starting a lovely, relaxing holiday.

It’s so nice to see gentlemen looking polished, preened and very smart in their tuxedoes and it’s really fun to watch the ladies (we’re all guilty of what I’m about to say!.......) swishing around in their finest dresses and weighing up all of the other dresses in the room!
This is obviously a female trait. We spend hours getting ready, styling our hair and glossing our lips etc, just to walk through a room full of other women waiting to judge our every move! It’s hilarious really isn’t it, because we just accept that that’s how it is?! If men turn up to a party in the same suit they congratulate each other on having fabulous taste. If women turn up in the same dress, it’s the end of the world and we spend all night worrying that ‘she’ looks better than ‘me’. Hehe
Still we don’t get the opportunity to dress up much anymore do we? Cruising I think is our last grasp on really being able to go all out and wear our absolute finery.
And we love it don’t we?

I took advantage of being in my ball gown last night, and went for dinner at Atul Kochhar‘s restaurant. Sindhu is a beautiful room with exquisite decoration and a lovely warm atmosphere - and the food is absolutely wonderful. For those of you who haven’t managed to see Azura yet, here’s a little taster of what to expect from this ‘select dining’ restaurant.

A nominal fee is charged for the ‘select dining’ restaurants onboard, but they are worth every penny. The service is impeccable, the ambience is exquisite, and it’s got lovely views out to sea. If you’ve got a cruise planned on Azura this year, then do try to visit the variety of restaurants onboard just to experience the sheer quality that’s offered.

Anyway, we’ve got an exciting day planned on Azura today. Our Art Director, Daniel, has announced a big event. We are going to see the unveiling of Rolf Harris’ 80th birthday art collection (never been seen elsewhere), so not only are we looking forward to seeing what’s on display, but it’s lovely to know that we have the privilege of seeing something that nobody else has seen.

In response to some of your comments:

It’s lovely to read that so many of you like to follow the Blog and join our journeys around the world.

Those of you who used to work onboard and are now based ashore: I completely understand why you’d want to keep in touch with what’s going on. Working on a ship is addictive. The lifestyle is something that you either love or hate, and you know within the first cruise whether it’s the life for you. I personally love it. I only planned to work at sea for 6 months as a break from my TV career, but I keep being offered new itineraries and contracts in the sunshine. How can anybody refuse ‘just one more contract’? Three years later, I’m still here, and as long as I can still visit new parts of the world, I guess I’ll stick around a little longer....

What a treat to read that somebody who’s 12 is already looking at a career on a cruise ship. There are lots of jobs that you can do at sea. We have engineers, entertainment teams, sales people, hairdressers, administrators, chefs, singers, youth teams, lecturers, waiters, butlers, housekeeping, massage therapists, a librarian, a florist etc etc. Anything you could possibly want to specialise in, you’ll be able to do on a cruise ship. Work hard at school, get as many qualifications as you can and start as high up the tree as you possibly can. That way, you’ll have the most fun when you start working onboard.

Neil – you’re right. We are due to call in Corfu on Monday 17th May and I am more than happy to give you some information. It’s a fabulous island and if you’re a budding photographer, you’re going to be totally spoilt. Watch this space and I’ll get some information posted for you.

Aurorabore – (love this name! Haha) – unfortunately I’m not going to be on Aurora for Christmas. 2010 is due to be my first Christmas at home for 3 years so I’m really excited to be spending some time with my family. Mind you, our schedules are always subject to change at any minute, so let’s wait and see...

Well, that’s it for me for today. I’ve got a live presentation to do this morning so I’m off to the theatre.

Have a fabulous day, whatever you have planned, and I’ll update you with more Azura excitement in the next couple of days...
Jo