Under the Stars

Each generation of cruise ships has bigger and better ‘attractions’. The way the UK market is moving I assume a full sized greyhound racing track is now on the drawing board. The Grand Princess was designed in the 90’s for the American market. At that time, the huge open air cinema screen hanging over the main pool was probably the dog’s dangly bits.

This attraction is called ‘Movies under the Stars’ and I imagine it works well in the Caribbean. In May in the Mediterranean “Movies if you’re Hard Enough” would be a more accurate title. Last night, faced with Bernie Flint at the Theatre (he’s the one who won Opportunity Knocks) we decided that it would be preferable to spend a couple of hours on a wind swept deck.

After the formal dinner we changed into more appropriate clothing and headed for the pool. It’s a good time to get a sun lounger on the Grand Princess and we were soon lying under our complimentary blankets trying to spot stars through the cloud cover.

The story of the film, Happy Bones, was difficult to follow. My ears were freezing but when I covered them with my woolly hat I couldn’t hear the sound. I finally settled for one in and one out and sod the stereo. Julie was the first to crack. After about an hour she bravely whispered “I’m going inside, I might be some time” “Me too”, “Me too”, “Me too”, came the three, almost simultaneous, replies.

Dave C