Janiqueel has an adventure with a twist.
By the time my Grab offloaded me at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre, I was hungry. A day of final packing, picking up loose ends around the house, and researching the route and Royal Mediterranean cruise details, hadn’t left enough time to gulp down more than a granola fruit bowl. So, once I had met freelance writer, JKJ, checked in, found my cabin on deck six, and thrown … er, placed … my voluminous wardrobe in the closet, I was ready for some nourishment. I found it in the Windjammer Restaurant on deck 11. Sandwiches, fruit, salads – so many choices, so little time! After all, I had a busy afternoon and evening to consider.
Here’s a bullet record of the first evening’s adventures:
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Safety drill for all passengers near the lifeboats on Deck Five;
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Swimming and jacuzzi on Deck 11;
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Dinner at a table for six, some of whom were part of the janiqueel Instagram give-away;
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Movie-based music revue in La Scala theatre;
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Karaoke bar and lounge where janiqueel (yes, that’s me) wowed with renditions in Mandarin and English;
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Dancing on the deck 14 disco bar;
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Medical facility visit on deck 1.
Perhaps that last bullet begs some explanation. I danced. I dropped. My knee just gave way mid-dance floor. On my bottom I found myself.
“Can you walk?”
“Nope.”
“A little bit?”
“Nope.”
With kind help, I made my way to the medical facility on deck one.
The nurse on duty welcomed me and quickly had me on the table. Later a doctor joined the late-night party. She thought an X-ray was in order. They had an X-ray machine! Who knew? On a cruise ship! It showed no broken bones. I was given medication, crutches and a wheelchair ride by a bell boy back to my cabin.
And that was day one!
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Chasing #phuket #sunset before returning to @royalcaribbeansg 🌅🏝 #cruise
I didn’t let a little thing like an unbendable knee stop the fun. I enjoyed every meal, attended a ice skating performance, watched an amazing illusionist, and rolled around the ship in style and grace. I even joined a Beatles quiz in the bar where an older friend helped me identify a good number of the song snippets from the Fab Four. We didn’t win, but I found a quote for my condition – “I Should Have Known Better.”
On the last day, I and a few other impaired passengers assembled at The Tavern where I was assigned my very own crew guide. We sailed past the line-up for immigration and whisked to the Grab curb in a few painless minutes.
This was not the cruise I had expected, but it was a unique (let’s hope) adventure made pleasant by the attentive and helpful crew of the voyager of the Seas. I shall cruise again – under my own power next time!
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Cruising the Straits with Royal Caribbean