Awoke at 5.30am and had a look outside the window to see that we’d arrived in port, with a tug alongside getting itself sorted. That was interesting in itself, but in the background you could see the lights of Icon of the Seas. Even from over a mile away you could tell it was huge.
When we woke up properly a bit later, it was moored right next to us and, sure enough, we were completely dwarfed by it. Absolutely massive.
It was Gareth’s birthday today, and at breakfast we gave him his present — a book about Suede — which he seemed genuinely pleased with.
We then left the boat and headed out towards Bobby’s Marina. Chaos on the quay: six ships all close together, people milling around everywhere or queueing for tours and excursions. So many people — more than we’d encountered at any point so far. Anyway, we made our way through it and headed for the marina, along with quite a few others who had clearly organised their own trips like us.
We got a bit worried when we couldn’t immediately find anyone, but then the catamaran came into view and the owners of Random Winds, Jacky and Amy, came ashore, rounded us all up, got us to sign our lives away, and then we boarded. We met Captain Scott, had the safety briefing, drinks were handed out, and then we were off.
After about an hour we stopped just offshore near a beach. I was straight over the side from the highest point, which felt great. Tash followed, but Nikki and Gaz didn’t — in fact Gaz didn’t get in the water at all at this stop. Tash, Nik and others grabbed noodles to help them float and happily drifted around with rum punch cocktails. Good for them.
I tried snorkelling but the sand had been churned up so visibility was rubbish. Gave up on that and decided to wait for the next stop.
There wasn’t much the crew could do about the weather, so we stayed put, kept jumping in, and then had lunch which Scott cooked on the barbie — he’s Australian, of course!!
There was a nice mix of people on board, mostly American, but we didn’t hold that against them!! Chatted to a few and, as the drinks flowed, it all became more friendly and relaxed.
After a while we headed back out. Tash and Nik sat right at the front with their legs dangling over the edge. It was quite rough heading into the wind, but fun all the same.
And the drinks flowed…
The second stop was meant to offer better snorkelling. It still wasn’t great, but I swam over and saw some fish and the sunken helicopter, which was interesting enough. More interesting, though, was the Tarzan swing they’d set up. We were given a demo and I was straight up for the first go — a very different experience to just jumping in. Loads of people had a go and I must have done it about five times in the end.
Sadly, it was soon time to return to port. I was feeling a bit pissed by now, and Tash had somehow broken a woman’s expensive-looking glasses. Who the culprit was went unnoticed, but the woman was NOT happy!!
Jacky and the team thanked everyone at the end and then announced a winner of “Best Tarzan Swinger”… and said my name. I mock-bowed, but then she added that I’d won a T-shirt, which was a lovely bonus and a genuine surprise.
We headed back towards the ship, but not before Tash had her photo taken with a local policeman who was clearly amused by us (or her). We then detoured to Grumpy’s Bar to get on the internet, had a couple of drinks, and caught up with friends and family. All was well.
Back on the ship, grabbed some food and collapsed for an hour’s sleep before meeting the others downstairs at the Italian restaurant. Got a drink while waiting for the buzzer, but it wasn’t long.
Nice food as always. Some bloke nearby was complaining about something — possibly the atmosphere — all a bit odd. In response, us and a table of women created plenty of noise and took the piss. The waiters enjoyed it and started making shapes out of napkins. Puerile and childish, but still funny.
After dinner we headed back to the Live Lounge and stayed there for the rest of the night, enjoying the entertainment or watching things unfold in the casino. Gaz played roulette but didn’t end up a winner from what I could see.
Nik wasn’t feeling great, so they headed off to bed around 11.00pm. We stayed until midnight. A bloke was dancing on his own to Baggy Trousers, so I went over and joined him in solidarity. His family and friends found it highly amusing.
We eventually called it a night as Tash was struggling a bit and got emotional about her mum. Back in the room she stood out on the balcony — probably not the best idea — but it was fine. We watched the stars for a bit and then went to bed.
Another long and tiring day, but I think we made it a birthday — and a day — to remember.
Chuffed with my T-shirt.
End of Day Summary
A full-on, boozy, sun-soaked day that mixed proper fun with a few emotional moments. From towering cruise ships and a brilliant catamaran trip to Tarzan swings, birthday celebrations, and late-night dancing, it felt chaotic, ridiculous, and memorable in exactly the right way — the kind of day you’ll still be laughing about years from now.
