Day 3 – Monday, May 14^th

It’s all about the Greek islands on board the Splendor of the Seas at the moment!

Today was the stop at Corfu – which Entertainment Today’s Mark Lloyd was extremely excited about, having wondered what the island was like ever since reading Gerard Durrell’s renowned book My Family and Other Animals, which is set on the island.

We arrived early, at about 7am, and Mark was up bright and bushy-tailed to head ashore at 8am.

Corfu is a small but spectacular island, dotted with gems of historical, architectural and natural beauty.

The only small disappointment for the passengers disembarking was the weather – which had undergone one of those Mediterranean transformations from bright sunshine and clear skies, to menacing clouds and sporadic spots of rain.

But, with spirits unbowed, Mr Lloyd headed out on the Royal Caribbean-organised tour, with the helpful local guide Georgia.

His full tour with Georgia will be playing out on Dubai Eye next week – but here’s a sneak preview:

Meanwhile back on board, where I spent the morning trying to get an internet connection – to no avail – and coming to terms with the fact that I was uncontactable either via phone or email (quite refreshing once you get used to it) I took the opportunity to have a wander round the ship.

In addition to the various F&B outlets, the pool and the indoor pool area, The Solarium (venue to the previous night’s toga-clad conga lines), there are a whole host of other amenities to enjoy on board.

Firstly, there is the spa and fitness centre. This includes not only a gym and eight treatment rooms – including a couple’s room – but also a hair salon, where you can pop in and get your roots retouched or your nails done.

I was tempted to take advantage, ahead of the evening’s formal welcome reception and dinner; but at $120 for a mani-pedi and $109 for a half-head of highlights, this is not the cheapest of options.

After you’ve been all virtuous and worked off last night’s dinner at one of the gym’s daily fitness classes – which range from yoga to abs session to boot camp – it’s the perfect time to be a bit naughty, and splash the cash in the ship’s mini-mall.

Here, you can find several duty free outlets selling clothes, jewellery, perfume, luxury chocolates and other goodies – always thronging with eager-looking ladies, their worried looking husbands trailing behind.

If all the shopping tires you out, it’s rather nice to hit the onboard café Latte-tudes, which has a library built into the corner.

Grab a book from the shelves lining the walls, order a piping hot cappuccino and curl up in one of the squishy armchairs for a relaxing hour or so.

That afternoon, when Mark was back from his Corfu adventure, we got a few more interviews under our belt – chatting to the ship’s sound and production manager Vasil Hristov; musical director Jerzy Mucha; executive chef Michael Luik; and F&B manager Carl Luxford.

After that, it was time to scurry back to our rooms for a swift smarten up – ahead of the formal welcome reception by the Captain and his team in the atrium.

(I was rather disappointed to find they won’t provide irons to guests, although there is an onboard laundry and pressing service, for a fee. I headed out hoping the ambient evening lighting would hide the creases in my dress instead.)

The reception turned out to be a lavish affair, with guests in their finest frocks and tuxes lining the balconies, looking down over the seven-storey atrium and watching the band below.

The big spectacle was when the chandelier – specifically built for performance, when the vessel underwent it’s recent remodel – descended from ceiling to floor, carrying three performers decked out in jeweled ballgowns.

They then proceeded to pour bubbly for thes guests, while still perched on the chandelier. It was a spectacular display – although we’ve been promised the next atrium show, which will involve silk trapeze artists, will be even more breathtaking!

After that, there was a welcome speech from Captain Vidos, who then introduced his management team – while a steady stream of passengers went up for a picture with the Captain, including Mark and myself.

After a delicious dinner – where I sampled snails for the first time, submerged in lashings of garlic butter – it was time for bed, in preparation for the next day’s trip to Santorini.

Apparently, the cable car from the port closes in bad weather – and the wind has definitely picked up this evening.

According to the crew, the only other way up the hillside to the town, aside from walking of course, is by donkey; so stay tuned for some entertaining pictures from that trip.

For now, αντίο!

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