A County Fair at Sea

We are sailing for our last day in The Red Sea. The water is a beautiful deep blue- although the name "red" comes from something like red tide that often appears- and a glassy, sparkely calm. We have had 4 wonderful days reading, writing, watching movies, and playing Trivia with a great group of people.

Here is our favorite place- the Dining Room with our favorite server- Gabriella in the corner. She is from Bulgaria and slowly teaching us a few words in Bulgarian. This ship has open seating but we always ask to sit in her area if possible. We do like the open seating-which means we can eat when we choose and with a group or alone according to our wishes. There are also two speciality restaurants- a Grill with wonderful steaks and seafood, an Italian Restaurant with great pasta, and a buffet called "Tapas on the Terrace." There is also a grill on the poolside for lunch. Everything is excellent.

This ship does so many creative and fun things for the passengers that involve the staff in the fun activities. Yesterday was Officers Challenge Day. Officers participated in golf putting, crazy golf, shuffleboard and a cooking demonstration. A team from the officers even played Trivia yesterday...and lost.

Today we are having a County Fair around the pool area. Every department on the ship has a booth for folks to play. There is a fortune teller, fishing in the hot tub, a tub of ice called Fear Factor where you have to bob in ice for fruit, guess how many quarters are in a box, and even the ship's General Manager in charge of all hotel and food services was sitting being a target for sponges. We had fun playing a game sponsored by the Spa where Jim put signs for various muscles on me. We were in competition with another couple...and we lost. BUT we had fun. Jim and I both played Bat the Rat which was quite a challenge. I tried my hand at hot tub fishing. There was a boat building competition a couple days ago so the Captain is judging the competition and in charge of the boat race in the pool. Lots of laughter and great examples of creative gaming for not much money...all you need is a staff of hundreds to pull it off. Sure do recommend Oceania Cruises.