My phone rang as I was getting ready to go down for the early dinner seating in Britannia dining room. It was the Captain’s secretary inviting me to join the Captain's table for dinner at 8:30. Another new experience.  I thanked  her for the invitation and said I would be there.

A dilemma ensued. I had skipped lunch with the expectation of early dinner and I was famished. I decided to go to dinner anyway and just have an appetizer to quell the hunger pangs.

The Captain’s table is a round table seating 10, located centrally on the lower level of the Britannia restaurant. I was seated next to a charming Danish couple from Copenhagen, and a pleasant young officer from the HR department. Lots of interesting conversation.

Our meal was accompanied by a white and a red wine selection. Mindful of the dancing that was to come later at the Black and White BalI, I was careful to sip rather than drink!

Our dinner finished shortly after the time that the late evening show was to start. It featured two men singing a range of music from opera to contemporary musicals. I hate coming in late to shows but my table companion gallantly offered to escort me. We actually found seats on one side  of the lower level, close enough that one could observe the breath control of the performers. 

After the show, I moseyed back to the Queen’s Room and found my Aussie and Kiwi friends from the Queen Elizabeth. The music by the Queen’s Room orchestra  under the musical direction of Andrew Hillier was more varied than that on the Queen Elizabeth, and was great to listen to as well as dance to.

They played till midnight.