Activities - and Even More Activities Onboard

[00:00:00] Travel First, my name is Alex First, joining me a guy who's spent 19 days, I was going to say years.

[00:00:07] I wanted to dispatch him for 19 years, it didn't work. Chris Coleman, 19 days at sea. He's back on dry land.

[00:00:13] Hang on, there's a photo in the background. Is that a torpedo or a ship? My golly, it's long.

[00:00:20] That is the ovation of the seas. That is where I spent 19 days and I took that photo.

[00:00:26] That's not a drone photo. I took that photo when in a little while I'll explain how I took that photo.

[00:00:31] That's incredible. Well actually, I asked you to walk the plank so maybe that was off the side of the ship.

[00:00:38] That's what it looks like. And hang on, I got to ask you those yellow things. I presume they're life boats.

[00:00:45] There are, yes. There's a lot of them. There looks like there's a lot of them.

[00:00:51] I didn't count but there's plenty.

[00:00:54] No, no. You asked where my room was.

[00:00:58] Hang on, I'll just show you.

[00:01:00] I'll get the room in a moment. But the reason behind life boats is that I've just seen Titanic the musical and I should not be shooting.

[00:01:09] I'm sorry. The reality is that one of the lines in this show was that unfortunately, I mean 1517 people died on the Titanic.

[00:01:22] There were 20 life boats and they weren't full and there should have been 54. So there you go.

[00:01:30] There's many more. Those ones there, I'm assuming you can see my little arrow moving around here.

[00:01:36] If not, I apologize.

[00:01:38] I can't.

[00:01:41] Here we go. Now you will. There we go.

[00:01:43] So those ones there, they're quite sizable.

[00:01:46] Yes, and then there are some smaller ones up the back and there's more on the other side of the ship that obviously you can't see.

[00:01:51] My room by the way, if you're wondering, was just above that arrow there.

[00:01:56] Underneath this area.

[00:01:58] Is that the front or back of the ship?

[00:02:01] That's the back of the ship.

[00:02:04] Now I promise, I will show you a bit later on how I took that photo.

[00:02:08] I promise because what we're talking about today is some of the activities on board.

[00:02:13] Now we did touch on this before. So this is sort of part two if you like, which is a brief touch on some of the activities on board.

[00:02:21] And also shuffleboard.

[00:02:26] No, no, for some reason.

[00:02:28] Why am I doing this? Why do I allow myself to be put through this?

[00:02:34] When I think ships, maybe it's traditional, but I think shuttlecock.

[00:02:39] Is that still a thing or have we moved on from there?

[00:02:43] Shuttlecock is badminton.

[00:02:47] You could in theory play badminton on the ship in the indoor activities area.

[00:02:58] On a version of the season is called the sky deck and I talked about the sky deck.

[00:03:02] You may remember I talked about the sky deck on a previous episode because we had some footage of the, what was it?

[00:03:12] The dodging cars that I would love to show you again, but I can't find it.

[00:03:16] So apologies there.

[00:03:18] And now my computer has decided it's not going to let me share anything.

[00:03:21] Just tell me about activities.

[00:03:24] I mean, there's a plentiful supply of activities that that's something that you may.

[00:03:30] There's plenty.

[00:03:31] Now I did mention in a previous edition some of the activities and amongst those activities were the dodging cars.

[00:03:41] And other things that go in the skyplex area include basketball.

[00:03:46] They have indoor soccer tournaments up there and court sports.

[00:03:50] Now they didn't have badminton while I was there, but what they did have, which amazed me was a thing called, I've gone blank on a pickleball.

[00:04:01] Have you heard of pickleball?

[00:04:02] You told us.

[00:04:03] You mentioned that the other day.

[00:04:05] What is pickleball?

[00:04:09] It is sort of, if you can imagine a game like table tennis played on a large court, so not on a table.

[00:04:17] So and it's huge.

[00:04:21] There were people who wound up to play this.

[00:04:23] I'm totally confused.

[00:04:24] It's on a large table or it's not on a table?

[00:04:27] No, no, it's on a large court.

[00:04:30] It's on a court, not as big as a tennis court, but considerably larger than a table.

[00:04:36] But is it outside or inside?

[00:04:39] Well, you can play it.

[00:04:40] That's the thing.

[00:04:41] You can play it outdoors or indoors.

[00:04:43] It is sweeping the US.

[00:04:44] There's a major league pickleball competition in the States and people like Tom Brady are buying into it.

[00:04:49] And LeBron James is buying into it.

[00:04:51] But is all as light as it is with table tennis ball?

[00:04:55] They play it with a ball that's actually probably remarkably similar size to my microphone there.

[00:05:02] But it's hard plastic with holes in it.

[00:05:05] It's very difficult to hit it hard.

[00:05:07] It has to bounce on the first.

[00:05:09] When the server serves, it has to bounce.

[00:05:12] And then when the returner returns, it has to bounce again.

[00:05:14] And then you can start playing volleys and stuff.

[00:05:16] It is going to be huge this game.

[00:05:20] That's all I can say.

[00:05:21] Everyone who invented pickleball.

[00:05:24] I don't know Americans.

[00:05:28] I don't know why it's called pickleball.

[00:05:30] There was there was that.

[00:05:31] Why have we got stuck in this?

[00:05:33] The Jewish International Film Festival is on at the moment.

[00:05:36] And if you go to a cinema that's showing it, they're handing out pickles.

[00:05:40] So I'm thinking maybe there's a thing in it.

[00:05:48] Maybe there's a thing in that.

[00:05:50] I'm going to Google this.

[00:05:52] Pickleball.

[00:05:53] What else?

[00:05:54] Go for your life.

[00:05:56] So there's plenty of physical activities.

[00:05:59] There's also, and I don't know your thoughts on gambling,

[00:06:03] but we do need to mention that one of the things you can do on a cruise ship is actually gamble.

[00:06:07] There are plenty of gambling options.

[00:06:09] And in the casino, you can gamble.

[00:06:12] They also have, and this is the bit that may intrigue you more than anything else.

[00:06:16] They have regular tournaments.

[00:06:18] So you can have a poker tournament.

[00:06:21] Now I am not a very good poker player.

[00:06:23] I'm perfectly willing to admit that.

[00:06:25] I'm not a very good poker player.

[00:06:26] I am more of a blackjack man.

[00:06:28] And behold, blackjack tournaments.

[00:06:30] So you put your money in, it's about $25 depending on the cruise.

[00:06:35] What can you win?

[00:06:36] How much can you win?

[00:06:38] Winner takes all, 500 cash.

[00:06:41] Okay, 500 US cash.

[00:06:43] By the way, Pickleball was first played in 1965 in Washington.

[00:06:51] It's called Bainbridge Island, Washington.

[00:06:54] And it says...

[00:06:56] I told you, Americans.

[00:06:57] Exactly. An indoor and outdoor racket slash paddle sport where two players or four players

[00:07:03] hit a perforated hollow polymer ball over a 36 inch high net using solid faced paddles.

[00:07:10] Opponents on either side of the net hit the ball back and forth until one side

[00:07:14] commits a rule infraction.

[00:07:16] There we go.

[00:07:17] That's the...

[00:07:18] I'm thoroughly underwhelmed, but there you go.

[00:07:21] That's great.

[00:07:22] No, I should be excited.

[00:07:24] Trust me.

[00:07:25] I should be very excited, shouldn't I?

[00:07:26] How many times...

[00:07:27] Trust me, this thing is...

[00:07:28] It's going to be huge.

[00:07:29] They're trying to get into the Olympics.

[00:07:30] No.

[00:07:31] Are you serious?

[00:07:32] Yes, they are trying to get into the Olympics.

[00:07:34] I wish the luck.

[00:07:35] Hang on here.

[00:07:36] Oh well, I'm looking at a paddle by the way.

[00:07:38] The paddle is black.

[00:07:40] The paddle I'm looking at is...

[00:07:42] They're all sorts of colors.

[00:07:44] They're solid.

[00:07:45] They're not like tennis rackets.

[00:07:46] They're solid.

[00:07:47] Similar in size to a tennis racket but solid across the front.

[00:07:50] But there's some pretty high tech stuff around as well.

[00:07:52] I don't know whether it makes much difference when you're hitting a plastic whiffle ball.

[00:07:55] Do you know Association of Pickleball?

[00:08:00] For those of you who want to hear about Crew's Life,

[00:08:02] we will get back to it.

[00:08:03] Association of...

[00:08:04] I promise it's coming by degrees.

[00:08:05] Association of Pickleball Professionals,

[00:08:08] the Professional Picketball Association,

[00:08:10] and the Major League Picketball...

[00:08:13] That's what I said.

[00:08:15] There's Major League Pickleball and like Tom Brady,

[00:08:17] the American footballer, LeBron James,

[00:08:19] the famous basketballer, Kim Kleisters,

[00:08:21] the ex-tennis player, they're all investing in it.

[00:08:24] They're putting money into this thing.

[00:08:25] It is going to be absolutely massive.

[00:08:27] All joking aside, there's Para Pickleball as well.

[00:08:30] Pickleball.

[00:08:31] So, we'll chair Pickleball.

[00:08:33] There you go.

[00:08:34] It's the game for everyone, Ellie.

[00:08:36] It's the game for everyone, Ellie.

[00:08:37] When the hard pickleball paddle strikes the hardball,

[00:08:40] it produces a sharp popping sound.

[00:08:43] The constant sound during play has generated conflict.

[00:08:46] Oh, great!

[00:08:47] Controversy between pickleball...

[00:08:51] Between pickleball court owners

[00:08:54] and other nearby property owners.

[00:08:56] Now, I think this needs investigation.

[00:08:58] You need to go to the United States

[00:09:00] and spend at least a month investigating controversy.

[00:09:03] Did it with pickleball?

[00:09:04] Oh, no, at some stage, I'm going to do more than that.

[00:09:08] I'm going to actually get involved in pickleball in Australia.

[00:09:10] I'm going to go and find it.

[00:09:11] I'm going to go and find it in Australia.

[00:09:13] Sadly, the...

[00:09:15] Rugby League.

[00:09:16] Rugby Union and pickleball.

[00:09:18] Okay.

[00:09:19] Let's move on under other players.

[00:09:21] Let's move on.

[00:09:23] Anyway, I was saying that in the casino,

[00:09:25] there are tournaments, Blackjack Tournament.

[00:09:27] You'll be delighted to know that I entered both Blackjack Tournaments

[00:09:29] and made it through to the final in both of them.

[00:09:31] Does that mean you got money?

[00:09:32] And won precisely.

[00:09:33] No, I won nothing.

[00:09:34] It's winner takes all.

[00:09:35] You've got to have the most at the end.

[00:09:37] I made it through...

[00:09:39] I was the first person out in the final,

[00:09:42] the first one,

[00:09:44] the second tournament,

[00:09:45] I made it through to the last round of cards

[00:09:48] and still won nothing.

[00:09:50] But there you go.

[00:09:51] They also have...

[00:09:52] So they have Blackjack, they have poker.

[00:09:54] They also have tournaments for poker machines, for slots.

[00:09:56] Basically, you hit the button as fast as you can.

[00:09:59] And again, you can win 500 bucks for that.

[00:10:02] If that's the...

[00:10:04] We're not encouraging gambling.

[00:10:05] I'm just talking about it as an activity.

[00:10:07] Seeing we're talking about gambling,

[00:10:09] we're talking in the same day

[00:10:12] that the world's biggest lottery of 2.9 billion

[00:10:16] Australian dollars was drawn.

[00:10:18] I'm not sure what the result is.

[00:10:20] But I think a lot of us...

[00:10:21] It's jackpot it.

[00:10:22] Pardon me?

[00:10:24] It jackpot it.

[00:10:25] Again?

[00:10:26] It didn't go off.

[00:10:27] Oh, wow.

[00:10:28] Gee.

[00:10:29] Yeah.

[00:10:30] Okay.

[00:10:31] Yeah, so it's 1.9 billion US,

[00:10:32] which is 3-something

[00:10:34] with our Pacific Peso not doing well at the moment.

[00:10:37] So there you go.

[00:10:38] Now, can I backtrack now?

[00:10:40] I did promise that I would share

[00:10:42] how I took that wonderful photo

[00:10:44] of the ship from outside the ship.

[00:10:46] Did you do that swinging arm?

[00:10:47] It was not done with a drone.

[00:10:49] Was it?

[00:10:50] I did do that swinging arm,

[00:10:52] which is called the North Star.

[00:10:54] And would you like to see the North Star in action?

[00:10:58] Okay, then let's do this.

[00:10:59] When I do this, here's the North Star.

[00:11:01] Now, this is a time lapse video.

[00:11:03] I'll take you back to the start.

[00:11:04] So this altogether is about eight minutes worth.

[00:11:06] I have sped this up a little bit.

[00:11:08] And it goes out and around

[00:11:11] and then it goes down

[00:11:12] and then it comes back in.

[00:11:13] So it's an electric arm.

[00:11:16] It's an electronic hydraulic.

[00:11:18] It's big.

[00:11:19] When it's at its maximum point,

[00:11:22] you're almost 100 metres above sea level.

[00:11:26] It's 300 feet above sea level.

[00:11:29] So do you book this?

[00:11:31] Is this something that you need to pay for

[00:11:33] or it's part and parcel of the trip or what?

[00:11:36] Now on our trip,

[00:11:38] there was no additional charge for it.

[00:11:40] It was included.

[00:11:41] Let's just draw it again

[00:11:42] while we're still talking.

[00:11:44] In our trip, there was no...

[00:11:45] So at that point there,

[00:11:46] that's 300 feet above sea level there.

[00:11:48] There was no additional charge for it.

[00:11:49] I don't know the process on other cruises

[00:11:53] because there was a facility for them to charge for it.

[00:11:56] But I think it may be

[00:11:59] that you get one complimentary booking

[00:12:00] and then additional ones you have to pay for.

[00:12:02] You're talking about on other...

[00:12:04] Certainly on some cruises...

[00:12:05] You're talking other cruises.

[00:12:06] For this one, you could go for multiple roles around

[00:12:09] in that particular North Star.

[00:12:11] Yes.

[00:12:12] But I mean, was it very popular?

[00:12:14] And I did.

[00:12:15] Was it popular?

[00:12:16] It was very popular.

[00:12:18] You had to book.

[00:12:19] Now having said that on many rides...

[00:12:22] Because capacity is about 14 people on many rides,

[00:12:24] you might be able to get up there

[00:12:25] and there'd be one spot free

[00:12:26] so you could go up and jump in.

[00:12:28] But sometimes it was booked out for hours.

[00:12:30] It is also very much weather dependent.

[00:12:32] I think the safety margin was 25 knots.

[00:12:35] If the wind was above 25 knots,

[00:12:37] then it could not operate.

[00:12:39] Is that something that's common on ships?

[00:12:41] Is that common on ships?

[00:12:43] This North Star equivalent?

[00:12:45] Or is this something unique?

[00:12:47] No, no.

[00:12:48] This is a Royal Caribbean in this class of ship.

[00:12:51] So this is exclusive to Royal Caribbean.

[00:12:53] And the view from up there is magic.

[00:12:55] They also, in some ports,

[00:12:57] not all but in some ports,

[00:12:58] you can actually go on port day.

[00:13:00] You can actually go in and they'll take you up

[00:13:02] for a look around.

[00:13:03] So if you stay on the ship,

[00:13:04] you can have a look around.

[00:13:05] It's the equivalent of a Ferris wheel, really, isn't it?

[00:13:07] I mean, it's like...

[00:13:09] It's that kind of hype here.

[00:13:11] And this was introduced first when?

[00:13:15] I mean, are we talking about relatively recently

[00:13:17] to one of the cruisers or one of the ships?

[00:13:21] It is only available on Royal Caribbean.

[00:13:26] And it is relatively recent.

[00:13:30] The Ovation of the Seas was launched in 2016.

[00:13:35] And I think there were a couple of ships

[00:13:37] in the class prior to that.

[00:13:38] So you're talking less than 10 years old.

[00:13:41] So in the grand scheme of things,

[00:13:42] not a lot of people would have done this as an activity.

[00:13:48] You know what's interesting?

[00:13:49] I really do recommend it.

[00:13:50] If you're not great on heights, it's no fun.

[00:13:52] But if you're great on heights, it's...

[00:13:54] But you know what's interesting?

[00:13:55] I mean, the challenge here is

[00:13:56] they're spending a fortune on new cruise liners, right?

[00:14:00] And it's great.

[00:14:01] I mean, people are obviously loving the experience.

[00:14:04] They're constantly trying to top one another.

[00:14:06] They're trying to do something new.

[00:14:08] And it must be so challenging.

[00:14:11] This is a great idea.

[00:14:12] I really do like it because it gives you a different perspective.

[00:14:16] What more can they add is the sort of question?

[00:14:19] I mean, it's up to the imagination

[00:14:21] and then you've got to get the engineering

[00:14:23] and the safety requirements,

[00:14:25] making sure that it's not going to cost lives, obviously.

[00:14:29] So do you know what the next big thing is?

[00:14:32] I mean, what haven't we seen?

[00:14:35] You may remember when we were talking while I was at sea

[00:14:39] and we were using the VOOM Internet there from onboard Ovation.

[00:14:43] We were on board just through luck.

[00:14:45] There was no planning to this for the launch of it

[00:14:48] for Icon of the Seas, the new class.

[00:14:51] And I think that's the next big thing for all caravansies.

[00:14:54] What else can you do off the...

[00:14:56] That takes people off the ship but still on the ship

[00:14:59] and they're going to set up a walkway

[00:15:01] around the outside of the big...

[00:15:04] If I go back to my photo...

[00:15:06] You remember there was the big crown.

[00:15:08] So the big anchor on the side.

[00:15:10] So you'll walk out and the walkway will then fall away

[00:15:13] and it's part walkway, part zipline.

[00:15:16] It reminds me of what you do on the Gold Coast

[00:15:20] and like Sydney Harbour Bridge and whatever.

[00:15:22] You're cascading yourself around a ship.

[00:15:25] It's interesting because you know

[00:15:28] how lots of the...

[00:15:30] When you go up to various heights

[00:15:32] and you've got a clear panel where you can walk out

[00:15:35] on the side and look down and oh my golly,

[00:15:38] that sort of thing.

[00:15:40] All of these are wow experiences to me

[00:15:42] because I mean who would have thought

[00:15:44] you could do that sort of stuff on a ship?

[00:15:46] It's pretty impressive.

[00:15:48] Look, they are amazingly inventive,

[00:15:52] amazingly creative.

[00:15:54] You might ask one thing.

[00:15:56] Can I ask you this is important.

[00:15:58] You know how...

[00:16:00] You know how to cook food and I suppose what I'm interested in,

[00:16:04] do you have to...

[00:16:06] If you've got a really nice meal,

[00:16:08] do you have to sit down and eat it inside

[00:16:11] or can you literally take it away

[00:16:14] and watch the world go by while you're eating outside

[00:16:17] or you can't do that?

[00:16:20] Depends which restaurant you're at.

[00:16:22] There are a number of factors in that.

[00:16:24] You can ask to take your food back to your room

[00:16:26] and you can go and sit on the balconies

[00:16:28] or alkanies or else or whatever.

[00:16:30] Okay.

[00:16:32] You can, you can.

[00:16:34] You can't do it from every restaurant.

[00:16:36] You can't do it from every food venue

[00:16:38] but there's certainly enough food options

[00:16:40] that you can grab the food and take it out.

[00:16:42] We would quite often after our main menu,

[00:16:44] after our main meal,

[00:16:46] we would quite often take our dessert back to the room

[00:16:48] and have it in the room later

[00:16:50] because little bit full because you know,

[00:16:52] plenty of the food.

[00:16:54] Anything that you couldn't get

[00:16:56] that you really wanted on board.

[00:16:58] I'm really curious.

[00:17:00] Any food or anything?

[00:17:02] That's a really good question.

[00:17:04] Maybe you can ask.

[00:17:06] No, the...

[00:17:08] Well, there's certainly never,

[00:17:10] I certainly never asked,

[00:17:12] there's certainly never got knocked back for anything

[00:17:14] that we asked for but you know,

[00:17:16] if I'd asked for diced elephant or toast

[00:17:18] or something they'd probably say no,

[00:17:20] we haven't got enough bread.

[00:17:22] I'll be practical. I'll give you an example.

[00:17:24] I drink... I'm lactose intolerant.

[00:17:26] Okay?

[00:17:28] So, I...

[00:17:30] Also I don't drink full fat milk.

[00:17:32] I want skinny

[00:17:34] milk

[00:17:36] that is no not lactose.

[00:17:38] Now, I can get that really easily

[00:17:40] and it's very, very popular in supermarkets

[00:17:42] and it literally rushes off the shelf.

[00:17:44] I don't know but when I

[00:17:46] ask for that in a restaurant or whatever,

[00:17:48] often they don't have it.

[00:17:50] They'll have full cream but they won't have skinny.

[00:17:52] That would be a good...

[00:17:54] They had...

[00:17:56] They had low fat milk because I always

[00:17:58] have low fat milk in my coffee and I had

[00:18:00] a lot of specialty coffees

[00:18:02] on board. I'll have

[00:18:04] two or three coffees a day every day

[00:18:06] with low fat milk.

[00:18:08] Whether that's low fat lactose,

[00:18:10] whether they could do the low fat lactose free milk,

[00:18:12] I don't know. That is a question you would ask them.

[00:18:14] No, it's just a curiosity.

[00:18:16] Just a curiosity more than anything else.

[00:18:18] But they did have soy milk,

[00:18:20] oat milk, almond milk,

[00:18:22] all those other...

[00:18:24] One of the things that I'm thinking of, even if you couldn't get it,

[00:18:26] theoretically, if you're going to be

[00:18:28] a passenger on board and you know

[00:18:30] that's an intolerance or something you want,

[00:18:32] I would make a guess

[00:18:34] that you could probably mention that ahead

[00:18:36] of time and they could then get it on board.

[00:18:38] It's not an expensive item

[00:18:40] but I'm just guessing that

[00:18:42] they would presumably cater for something

[00:18:44] like that if you told them.

[00:18:48] The best thing to do would be to ask beforehand,

[00:18:50] but certainly,

[00:18:54] that would be the best thing to do

[00:18:56] would be to ask. But they certainly do go out of their way

[00:18:58] to make sure that they cater for as many dietary

[00:19:00] desires

[00:19:02] as possible.

[00:19:04] I can't answer 100%

[00:19:06] on behalf. Let's move on.

[00:19:08] What else? Let's move on.

[00:19:10] You did ask me the other day

[00:19:12] and I talked about the art

[00:19:14] because when I was doing one of the sessions

[00:19:16] I was sitting next to one of the installations.

[00:19:18] I don't know much about art, Alex,

[00:19:20] but I know what I like

[00:19:22] and so I went around the ship

[00:19:24] and I actually took some pictures of things.

[00:19:26] I'm going to give you my assessment

[00:19:28] as to whether I like what you like

[00:19:30] but let's go for it.

[00:19:32] I have no idea

[00:19:34] what this is called other than that

[00:19:36] I've written down it was a large art installation.

[00:19:38] Nice and colourful.

[00:19:40] So that was nice.

[00:19:42] Yeah, very nice.

[00:19:44] So we'll move across. This is more sort of modern art.

[00:19:46] That's actually stuff

[00:19:48] stuck to

[00:19:50] the wall.

[00:19:52] Impressive.

[00:19:54] And you can buy this stuff.

[00:19:56] Oh my god.

[00:19:58] This is part of their collection.

[00:20:00] This was on board and mounted permanently to the wall.

[00:20:02] This was interesting.

[00:20:04] Those are like oars,

[00:20:06] the ends of oars

[00:20:08] and they move.

[00:20:10] So they all move together

[00:20:12] in sort of rowboat fashion

[00:20:14] playing against one another or not?

[00:20:16] No, they don't touch one another.

[00:20:18] No, it's very clever. They don't touch one another.

[00:20:20] So a lot of thoughts got into that.

[00:20:22] So there's that one. Some of the art is video art.

[00:20:24] And this one,

[00:20:26] these shapes move

[00:20:28] and scroll around

[00:20:30] across four video screens, four very large video screens

[00:20:32] that are joined together.

[00:20:34] Now this is as you walk up the stairs.

[00:20:36] I like this.

[00:20:38] It just caught my eye.

[00:20:40] M-U-S-M

[00:20:42] So, amusement.

[00:20:44] Sorry, hang on. We'll go back.

[00:20:46] Amusement.

[00:20:48] If I zoom in, can I see what it was called?

[00:20:50] I would just me being thick.

[00:20:52] That's good.

[00:20:54] Yeah, no, I was just trying to read

[00:20:56] the actual bit.

[00:20:58] The tag down here.

[00:21:00] But there's not sufficient focus on there.

[00:21:02] Okay.

[00:21:04] One of the things you can do is

[00:21:06] you can use the art

[00:21:08] to remind you of which floor

[00:21:10] you're at on the stairs.

[00:21:12] So, in every

[00:21:14] landing on every stairwell

[00:21:16] on the ship, there are pictures.

[00:21:18] I like this. Sorry that the picture's cruel.

[00:21:20] I should have probably straightened it.

[00:21:22] That was just very sparkly.

[00:21:24] And this was great.

[00:21:26] The pandas were awesome.

[00:21:28] Is that the pandas tummy?

[00:21:30] That's the panda.

[00:21:32] And the back of his head.

[00:21:34] That's, yeah, okay.

[00:21:36] No, that's a very good choice.

[00:21:38] It's Christopher. I'm impressed.

[00:21:40] Good.

[00:21:42] And then this, this is the final one.

[00:21:44] This is not

[00:21:46] the art around the ship. This is towel art.

[00:21:48] I'm not sure if I chose you my final collection of towel art.

[00:21:50] Yes, you did. I asked you what the nappy was behind you

[00:21:52] and you told me it was towel art.

[00:21:54] That is very clever.

[00:21:56] Wow. So this was the full collection.

[00:21:58] We kept all of them as they came through.

[00:22:00] So, we have a lobster.

[00:22:02] We have a chicken.

[00:22:04] What are the eyes made out?

[00:22:06] Oh, man.

[00:22:08] Those little craft eyes that you can buy.

[00:22:10] Our cabinet attendant

[00:22:12] had sheets and sheets and sheets of them.

[00:22:14] So everything could have eyes

[00:22:16] whether it was the mermaid or the horses

[00:22:18] or the hippo.

[00:22:20] You can use this stuff. Do you unravel it and use it as a towel after you've admired it

[00:22:22] or do you just leave it there?

[00:22:24] No, no. Most people

[00:22:26] used them. We decided we would set up

[00:22:28] a miniature on the couch.

[00:22:30] That's brilliant, Chris.

[00:22:32] And that's, of course, surrounded by the birthday cake

[00:22:34] that they gave me as well.

[00:22:36] You had a birthday on board, did you?

[00:22:38] Well, I

[00:22:40] sort of had a birthday on board

[00:22:42] in that my birthday

[00:22:44] was the day we crossed the international

[00:22:46] date line from east to west.

[00:22:48] We missed my birthday.

[00:22:50] Suffice to say,

[00:22:52] they gave me cake the day before

[00:22:54] my birthday should have been.

[00:22:56] They gave me cake the day after

[00:22:58] my birthday would have been.

[00:23:00] And then we went into another restaurant a couple of days later and said,

[00:23:02] oh, we hear you missed your birthday here.

[00:23:04] No, no, no.

[00:23:06] I got birthday cake three times.

[00:23:08] You have come up

[00:23:10] with something brilliant.

[00:23:12] If you want to cruise

[00:23:14] across the international date line in the right direction

[00:23:16] every year

[00:23:18] that means that you're forever young.

[00:23:20] That's my plan.

[00:23:23] I like that idea very much.

[00:23:25] So far, so good.

[00:23:27] This is what eternal youth is all about.

[00:23:29] You have come up with a cracker.

[00:23:31] Mr. Coleman, I'm most impressed.

[00:23:33] Now, any final thoughts?

[00:23:35] What else? Anything more?

[00:23:37] No, no, not this time.

[00:23:39] I've deliberately teased you though

[00:23:41] by not referring to the onboard entertainment.

[00:23:43] And next time we speak Alex

[00:23:45] we're actually going to go

[00:23:47] into

[00:23:49] the theater and music venues

[00:23:51] on board Ovation of the Seats.

[00:23:53] Have we got Hooton

[00:23:55] and Holleran?

[00:23:57] Have we got Weston?

[00:23:59] What sort of give me a bit more tease?

[00:24:01] We've got all sorts of stuff.

[00:24:03] We have a very large theater.

[00:24:05] You may remember, I think it was

[00:24:07] on the very first episode

[00:24:09] from onboard.

[00:24:11] I talked about pixels, the height,

[00:24:13] the height.

[00:24:15] Cabaret show.

[00:24:17] I've got some stills.

[00:24:19] I've got some photos of that to try and capture this thing.

[00:24:21] $28 million worth

[00:24:23] of technology

[00:24:25] to put this show on.

[00:24:27] I've got some photos that hopefully will demonstrate that.

[00:24:29] So, if that doesn't wet your appetite

[00:24:31] plus live theater

[00:24:33] plus live music

[00:24:35] and a heap of other things that I will talk about

[00:24:37] next week.

[00:24:39] I've been so grateful to speak to the official Pickleball commentator

[00:24:41] who's going to do lots of investigation.

[00:24:43] We're going to hear lots more about Pickleball

[00:24:45] whether you like it or not.

[00:24:47] Christopher Coleman, a pleasure

[00:24:49] to talk to you on Travel First.

[00:24:51] You've been listening to Trouble First.

[00:24:53] Available at Apple Podcasts

[00:24:55] Google Podcasts

[00:24:57] Spotify

[00:24:59] iHeartRadio

[00:25:01] or your favorite podcast player.

[00:25:03] You can also stream on demand at Bytes.com