1,000+ MILES FROM ANYWHERE –

CASINO ROYALE NIGHT &

OUR FAVORITE ENTERTAINMENT! (2 of 2)

This was the second Formal Night of the Cruise. The theme was Casino Royale, based on the James Bond movie (the second Daniel Craig one, not the 1969 farce). As on the previous Formal Night, most of the people in the Dining Room had dressed for the occasion. Many of the men were in Tuxedos, the rest in suits. No kilt this time, John wore what I’ve always called his “James Bond” Tuxedo with a dapper vest and a tie with cards and dice. I wore a black sequin top and earrings with a playing card motif. The Dining Room was decorated for the occasion with red and black napkins and playing cards on the tables and around the room. There was even a special, colorful Casino Royale menu. The Casino Royale activities began in the Casino at 9:15 PM, after the first show on the World Stage, which happened to be our very favorite entertainers (more about them below). The Casino area, the Rolling Stone Lounge and the surrounding areas were decorated with playing cards and a red and black balloon arch. There were gaming lessons, free slots, fun table games and a chance to play poker with some of the ship’s officers. There were prizes given throughout the evening. Lots of people were having fun but not our thing. After a quick pass-through for John to take some pictures, we retreated to the quiet of the 10th deck Crow’s Nest to watch the sunset – we are heading South, and it’s now almost 8:30 PM for sunset.

Our favorite entertainment played on the World Stage, the Classical Music Trio Alex, Ashley and Alice (Violin, Cello and Piano). They usually play in the smaller Explorer’s Lounge venue which seats about 60 people. It’s used for many things during the day but was designed for musical performance with a special suspended wooden ceiling over the stage area. They play three shows a day, six days a week with a different classical program each night. They’re great - we haven’t missed a night of their 6:30 PM performance. It’s perfect after dinner music for us. Their World Stage program was called “Classical Trio Presents: Plugged In”. They started with the theme music from the James Bond movies – a perfect choice for the night. Then they played Aaron Copeland, some Beetles, a little Broadway, French Jazz and ended with an Edith Piaf medley. They were fun and very well received. The music was quite different from what they usually play but they were great!