A Later Start and a Big Breakfast.
I woke up later than usual at around 08:00, showered, and headed to the buffet on Deck 9. I had a full English, or as close as a cruise ship can manage. Sausage links, crispy bacon (which I still think is awful), baked beans, cheese, ham, fried potatoes, and a fried egg, all washed down with tropical fruit juice.
Crossing the Equator (Quietly).
After breakfast, I sat by the pool reading my Kindle until about 11:45. The ship was due to cross the equator around 12:15, so I went up to Deck 10 and found an empty jacuzzi overlooking the wake of the ship. I stayed there as we crossed into the southern hemisphere.
I was disappointed that no announcement was made, no countdown, no “Welcome to the Southern Hemisphere,” nothing. There was a pool party happening on Deck 9, but from the jacuzzi, it all felt strangely anticlimactic.
Lunch and a Relaxed Afternoon.
After we crossed, I sat on a recliner for a while before heading back to the buffet around 13:30. I had a salad with grilled fish, then spent the rest of the afternoon at the aft pool until about 15:30, when I returned to my cabin for a shower before the 16:30 quiz.
Gail, Mal, Dwight, and Tessa joined me for the quiz. As usual, we laughed more than we answered correctly, and I enjoyed a few cocktails while we attempted the questions. After the quiz, we chatted for a while before everyone drifted back to their cabins.
I went to the piano bar, listened to music, had a couple more cocktails, and read my Kindle until dinner. At 19:00, I went to dinner and had seared prawns and ravioli stuffed with ricotta and mint. My main course was pork with roast potatoes and vegetables, and dessert was a Brazilian‑style roulade with dulce de leche.
A Confrontation at the Evening Show.
After dinner, I met Gail, Dwight, and Tessa for the evening show. When I arrived, a woman was sitting at the end of the row, so I moved past her and sat at a table next to her with the others. She immediately complained that I was too close and that she was saving a seat and an extra table.
I told her I was only using my table and she still had her seat and table. She kept arguing, so I offered her my table as well. I then left, and there is a slight chance I wasn’t as polite as I could have been.
I went to the quiet bar at the back of the ship and found Marcus. We had a few cocktails and beers while chatting. I jokingly messaged Ann and Rosa saying I’d been thrown out of the show for fighting. They arrived quickly, wanting the full story.
I explained what happened, minus the imaginary fight, and we were soon joined by Gail and Dwight. They told me that after I left, the woman’s “friend" arrived, only to tell her he was sitting with other people. He walked straight past her and sat elsewhere. She then got up and left the show too.
A Late Night and a Certificate.
One by one, everyone drifted off until only Ann and I remained. We sat drinking until around 01:30 before heading back to our cabins.
When I got back to mine, I found a printed certificate on my bed confirming that I had officially crossed the equator. A nice touch, though it will probably end up forgotten in a drawer once I’m home.
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