As the main
presenter for the on line and Opera TV cruise show Doris Visits I get to cruise
a lot, but I was keenly looking forward to Strictly Come Dancing at sea. I
normally work at every port stop filming from the moment the ship docks until the
moment it leaves, and I try and see every entertainment act so I thought this
might be a busy cruise for me. I had no idea just how busy and exhausting, I
have never been on a cruise with so much on offer! If you have never cruised tale a look at the ten minute blow by blow of ports, ship and what was on. It is an education. B718 in the Med. Actually as this blog is content heavy you might want to read it then come back to the links.
Day one, a
Sunday the Britannia left Southampton and quite a few of the three and a half
thousand passengers were finding their way round the ship for the first time.
The tone of the cruise was set as we found costumes from Strictly, soon to be
known as SCD on mannequins around the ship. SCD is now very organised on board,
so if you are worried that such an event filled cruise might be battle to see
things I cannot stress enough that is not. Britannia holds 3600 passengers and
the Headliners Theatre holds 950. Each special SCD act performs four times and
they are ticketed to ensure that everyone gets to see the show and I think
almost always when they want. Now it is down to you, the passenger to plan how
you will get round the event filled day and find time to eat! With choir, other
entertainers and port stops the list of events looked daunting.
Monday 26th
morning it started early with the opportunity to book private lessons with Janette
Manrara and Aljaz Skorjanec in the Atrium where passengers were also encouraged
to book to compete for the final grand passenger dance off. There was a SCD
help desk set up in the Atrium. At 2pm there was a Master Class with Janette
Manrara and Aljaz Skorjanec in the Crystal Ballroom, this was busy but people
were in good spirits. then at 4pm Janette and Aljaz were in the packed 950 seat
Headliners theatre. The charming couple were introduced by Tracy Clegg and
Aljaz told the story of how the last question two years ago on the same cruise
was ‘when are you going to propose?’ He said he went straight to the on board
jewellers and bought the ring, he told how he proposed and they then revealed
their wedding plans which are to take place just a couple of weeks after they
disembark the ship. Three weddings, London, Cuba and Slovinia. They also
announced that they have both been confirmed back on this year’s Strictly with
three new female dancers and a new female judge. We were off to a great start Black Tie
evening I was spoilt with an early treat at Michelin star chef Atul Koochar’s
Sindhu Restaurant.
10am on
Tuesday 27th there was the first of a hosted wardrobe tour of the
SCD costumes on board and at midday Janette ran a Master Class in the Crystal
room. Later in the Limelight Janette and Aljaz ran a dance class for youths in
the more private area of the Limelight Club. Everything worked like a well
oiled machine with Eric Lanlard doing both a Master Cookery Class in the
morning and an Audience with in the headliners in the afternoon. Because some
of the events are ticketed, there was a Strictly help desk established in the
Atrium from 9am to 10.45 daily. I was spoilt with an early treat at Michelin
star chef Atul Koochar’s Sindhu Restaurant.
Wednesday 28th June the costume tours
repeated but there was the additional live fashion show at 4pm from the
resident ship’s show cast. Jeanette and Aljaz did a meet and greet session,
signing and having photographs with guests at midday. Film director Stuart St
paul revealed the secrets to filming on location and spilt the beans on how
little of Angels and Demons was shot in Rome. (that is a fun way to see Rome, see the blog) (He also reveals the best way to shoot the Trevi Fountains in the Rome blog)
The black
tie evening was quite special and very full so we eat early. I had the lobster
main course and the two of us shared the suggested wine so we were off to a
great start. Jeanette and Aljax did the forst of ther evening shows and we were
there. This was a ticketed event, not because there was a cost, but because
everyone wanted to see them and it was the perfect way to ensure everyone did.
There were two shows that night in the headliners, 8.30 and 10.30, then two
more to follow tomorrow. That meant four chances to see the show. The
Headliners theatre is bigget than most West End shows, it has an LED back wall
for effects and backdrops but that was not used. The whole stage was a dance
area and they performed. It was a joy to watch such master talent close up and
personal and I have not seen such great dancing since Patrick Swayze danced
with his wife at the Oscars. Two other dance couples danced with them twice,
and they were the specialist dance instructors on board for the tweo weeks.
They were also magnificent dancers, but, the sheer excellence of the our stars
was obvious. The show was funny and engaging and mixed clips with antidotes as
well as dances including the Russian Tango, the American Smooth and a Jive. The
‘Evening With’ event at the headliners felt like a longer very full show and
one can see why they need to eat because the energy they must use twice a night
plus their day time training as well as dance classes must burn huge amounts of
calories. Opposite them in the live lounge at the other end of the ship KaiMcKenzie was Michael Bublé, a tribute act even Michael says is the best. We
left the theatre having been spoilt with a great show and managed to find seats
to watch another hugely talented individual.
Thursday 29th
June was our first stop in Alicante and I was off filming one of our usual
films for Doris Visits. In the evening were the next two shows for Jeanette and
Aljax to ensure the hole ship had seen them, we went to see the very funny
comedian Tucker, who we have seen before but had new material and even the ones
we had heard before made us laugh out loud.
Friday we
were in Barcelona. Jeanette and Aljaz left the ship and Karen and Kevin Clifton
got on. Eric and Ern, the Eric Morceombe and Ernie Wise tribute who we also
play golf with back home in The Stage Association, the next small world
phenomenon happened. Another of the golfers partners was on board to sing. This
was a real treat because we have heard about her for a long time as one of the
top female West End stars but had never seen her, Jenna Lee-James. She had just
finished playing the lead in Mamma Mia and had previously been in We Will Risk
you for nearly six years so she sung everything from Streisand to Freddie
Mercury and we were in the presence of greatness once again.
Saturday 1st
July. A cruise ship does make the world a small place because although it was
too windy for the Britannia to pull into Cannes, plans were made for us to
detour to Corsica. Having missed Cannes film director and Cannes veteran was on
board to explain the Cannes Film Festival and what goes on there. In the
evening Tucker held a late night comedy session. The entertainment kept coming day and night and it was exhausting reporting on all of them. Tucker was a treat.
Sunday was
La Spezia and we took the train Pisa and filmed the leaning tower, cathedral
and town for Doris Visits. On the way back we did a short film on La Spezia for the many who like to see the local town and never venture further. Back on board was an audience with Karen and Kevin.
Monday 3rd
we arrived in Civitavecchia and we travelled into Rome where I presented and
Angles and Demons film made for Doris Visits. Kevin and Karen performed the
first two of there show in the evening. Or there was a cookery club dinner at
the chefs table in the Cookery Club on deck 17. Bucks Fizz star Cheryl Baker started
her four nights in the Limelight.
Tue 4th
July Black Tie - Peter Andre performed the first of his four shows and in the
live lounge was Rieta Austin one of the Strictly singers performing her show.
Film and action director Stuart St Paul was in the Headliners theatre in the
afternoon talking of his years of Pop Videos where he co choreographed pop
videos like Wild Boys with Strictly’s Arlene Philips and Elton John Videos with
Strictly’s Bruno adding the action, the fire and the sumasulting gymnasts into
the routines.
Wed 5th
July we stopped at Catagena, a regular stop but I had not been there since a
very early Britannia cruise and noted that since then they have hidden the
entrance to the amphi theatre that was accidently found in 1980. Now you have
to accidently find it again, though the best views of it are still from above
it, the castle and the park.
Peter Andre
did the last two of his four shows and Jayne Middleton was in the Live Lounge
as Annie Lennox.
Thur 6th
saw Craig Revel Horwood start the first of his four shows in the headliners and
soul legend Jimmy James played in the Live Lounge. Darren Day started his run
in the Limelight.
Friday 7th
was a black tie night, and Strictly’s Natalie Lowe hosted a chat session at
midaday then judged the passenger dance finals with Craig and Executive
producer Richard Curwen. Lven Johnson played the live lounge as Winey Houston
but we saw Dareen Day in the Limelight perform an incredible show.
Saturday 8th,
the last sea day saw things wind down with Exec Producer Richard Curwen talk
about whe behind the scenes, Natalie Lowe did a signing session and then the
ships company of in house entertainers did the second of the strictly fashion
shows. Director Stuart St Paul did his final talk about directing on Petra and
the Wadi Rum as an introduction to the Arcadias 99 day circumnavigation next
year. That night I had dinner in the Sindhu, feeling totally spoilt and
exhausted and needing a holiday to get over the busiest and most entertainment
cruise I have ever been on. Even Richard Curwen said it was the biggest
Strictly Cruise show ever and that talks were on going for next year to be even
bigger. It is a good job I am boarding the Azura for the Fjords in two weeks
time as I need a break? Click the picture or here to get to the ten minute fast cut film of the blow by blow cruise.
Doris Visits is a cruise travel Channel now with over 200 films up and many informative blogs. If you would have told me when we were shooting the 60 episodes of the web series Shades Of Bad, that it would turn into this I would have laughed. Now I look at the next twelve months in the diary, having already cruised three times in 2017, and there are with more cruises. I am looking forward to the two round Greece next year. Please share and flow us at www.DorisVisits.com
Note from the editor, she never even mentioned the stop in Gibraltar !
