Not long after we returned to the cabin Nicole started complaining of a really sore throat which then developed into her feeling achy all over. So we dosed her up with Paracetamol and made the decision she should remain in the cabin for the evening.
I carried on as normal by going to dinner but by the time I had returned at 10:30 Nicole was running quite a high temperature so we carried on giving her the pain relief throughout the night and thankfully things were much improved this morning. The sore throat had gone her temperature was back down but she was still feeling very achy.
Our breakfast waiters sent me back to the cabin with some cloves, honey, hot water with lemon which was gratefully received. We have made the decision to confine Nicole to the cabin until she is feeling much better, it’s just a shame others haven’t adopted the same approach as there are people coughing and spluttering all over the ship. How do you contain something if people cough without covering their mouths or do cough into their hands then touch every conceivable handrail they pass? I just hope it misses me.
In ten years of cruising we have never had any health issues onboard before and Nicole is feeling guilty, I have told her not to be so silly and to concentrate on getting well again.
This morning after my own form of medication I took some more bits up for Nicole and then went to watch Dr Dave and his Beyond the Podium talk on Dolphins which was really interesting. His passion for the sea and the mammal’s that live in it shines through when he talks. It was 45 minutes on a sea day well spent.
On the way back I picked up some Tylenol from the gift shop so Nicole would have something to follow on with when her Paracetamol has been used up.
So as we carry on with our cruise back to Sydney the ship has continued to feel very quiet. This particular leg of our three back to backs was always going to be less intense but at the same time I had not anticipated the ship would feel this deserted. There could be a number of contributing factors involved such as the number of first time cruisers or perhaps the fact that many of those are Aussies and being new to cruising aren’t behaving in the same way as more experienced cruisers generally do? Then it could also be the cough and cold virus which is with us onboard and is maybe a lot more prevalent than we are aware of with many being confined to their cabins? Either way this ship isn’t half as vibrant as it was on the cruise before.
I was sat looking across the dining room last night on deck 3 during second sitting and was really quite shocked to see that over 50% of the places were empty. So many empty tables with an abundance of waiting staff stood around with little or nothing to do. Such a shame.
Talking of the dining room I should really mention our Maître D, he’s quite a remarkable man in many ways. His name is Alex and from Romania, he stands over six foot tall and is a giant of a man but what a character, such a jolly and funny guy. He really is entertainment on his own right but at the same time has the respect of all his staff who he has eating out of the palms of his giant hands. He is easily and without doubt the most approachable, friendly, helpful and efficient Maitre D we have ever had.
So this afternoon I have continued to fetch Nicole bits and pieces along with plenty of hot water with lemon while taking the odd time out sitting on the balcony. She has been up and down all day but I believe she is now over the worst of it. Boring as it be she just needs to sleep it off and keep taking her pain relief.
We have another sea day tomorrow and with a bit of luck she will be OK for Sydney round two.
It’s been windy today with relatively clear skies and sitting on the balcony was a nice treat. Not too many photos today due to the circumstances but hopefully as things improve I will get back to normal.
It’s an Evening Chic night tonight but I don’t think I will be making much of an effort.