Trevor & Jonathans Cruise & Trip to the Far East and Australia 2016

Day 34 - Sunday June 12th 2016 - Ovation of the Seas - Singapore

So the bad news is that we woke up with Trevor’s stomach still bad. We didn’t fancy paying the $50 charge for breakfast at the hotel especially when we were actually not that hungry so instead we opted for a coffee (still ridiculously expensive) in the hotel lobby, packed up our room and checked out.

As nice as the Marina Bay Sands is, to be honest we won’t be back. The hotel is fantastic, a really icon for the twentieth century but the service is really lacking and the price of everything including the stay is actually not that great value for money. We have no problem with expensive, as long as expensive delivers something unique and memorable but outside of the pool the hotel really did not and in fact we had two less than pleasing experiences there, that’s life though you live and learn and if we are ever back in Singapore we will be somewhere else.

One good thing was that the hotel being on the bay was just around the

corner from the Cruise Centre and in fact we could see Ovation from our room balcony this morning when we first got up. We made the short journey, handed all the bags in and made our way through the terminal. Royal Caribbean really wanted to check that all our visas and paperwork was in order for our visit to China, which we hope it is. We had to wait around an hour to get on the boat but we were lucky that we were one of the first groups on board so by the time we made it up to the windjammer for a quick lunch stop it was really empty (now you don’t often get that).

Lunch over we went down to deck four to see the internet man, we could not connect for some reason despite having paid in advance for on board Wi-Fi, he soon sorted us out though and that’s was us back online for the next 12 days on board. Next stop was the Spa, no, not for a massage or anything like that but we both needed those haircuts and we had not managed to find anywhere to get them done in Singapore (well we found one place but they were fully booked) and like Singapore is, it was cheaper to get it cut on board and that’s really saying something.

Haircuts complete we sorted out our stuff in the room, got it all hanging up and organised as best we could. It really did feel a bit like a homecoming being back on the ship. We know where everything is, where to go, what the routines are the only bad things is that it takes away the excitement of discovering it all for the first time from you and what you normally do the first few hours of being on board……explore!

With Trevor’s tummy still being bad we were taking it easy but we did manage another ship ritual, which was a welcome on board drink at the pool bar. Whilst gazing across the pool, daydreaming really we watched as a young Chinese girl got out of the pool, had a wee on the side then just got back in the pool again. We were shocked and immediately reported it to the pool bar staff, amazingly they did not seem that worried but tried to attract the attention of the pool attendant. That was not working so instead we walked over to him and reported what we had very clearly seen, again they didn’t seem that worried….um, hope that the chlorine does its job!!

By now Trev had had enough, his resolve failing we retreated to the room and he needed to lay down for a bit, that was robbed from him as well as as soon as he got to the bed they announced that lifeboat drill would be taking place in half and hour….no afternoon get better Trev nap, not just yet anyway.

We duly went down to our muster station on the fourth floor for about forty minutes whilst the ship went through all the evacuation procedures. For some reason they left the background music playing and this made it really difficult to hear, god knows what the many Chinese on board made of the whole thig as there was no announcement in Mandarin for them. Drill over and now it was time for Trev’s nap, his hope I get better sleep it off. The room next door was being really noisy with kids running around inside so sleeping was not looking like a good option right now, its early in the day though and many people had not received their luggage yet (we had) so you can’t blame them, everyone has to go through that sort your things out moment. Whilst Trev slept I caught up on the last few days’ blogs and got the iPad out again, just as well that I downloaded the next season of Homeland (if you have not watched it, do, it’s absolutely gripping) as I watched another one.

Trev woke up feeling a little bit better but still not right but had managed to get dressed and we made our way down to the 4th floor so that I could at least grab something to eat (pizza slices anyone?). Trev ummmed and arrgghhhed for a while but settled on a cookie, hardly a healthy diet or substantial but that was about all he could stomach although his alcohol belly seemed to still be in fine working order as we then went down to the Schooner bar (all the staff have changed) and we had a couple of drinks each before going back to the room.

It was a sleepless night for Trev again and it was clear that we we were going to have to address his stomach with a visit to the doctor in the morning, that will have consequences but needs must and all that.