Baltic Highlights: It's my birthday!

'Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life' - Jack Kerouac

The first of July dawned bright and clear, a good omen for what was to lie ahead. Not only was it my birthday, but also the first day of my long anticipated holiday! Two weeks of cruising round the Baltic with my best friend; nothing to worry about but where our next glass of wine was coming from or which of our many dresses we were going to wear that night. Bliss!

Just gone 8am, we loaded up my brother's car and headed out to pick up Claire before making our way north. Unlike previous cruises, this time we were sailing from the UK, Newcastle to be exact. Thankfully my oldest brother has friends in the city and was going to make the most of driving us up - a long 7 hour round trip otherwise! We'd originally planned to have the free coach transfer but when the weight limit came in less then we'd have on a plane and I wanted to take a carry on dress cover too it became clear that the coach wasn't going to be a good option. All I can say is thank goodness for having the best family in the world that don't object to playing taxi (when appropriately bribed with the offer of filling the petrol tank).

The drive was unremarkable and by 12:15pm we were unloading the car at the port of Tyne and checking in, with the usual round of questions about health and the awful photos for our ID cards (they were truly hideous on this occasion); down the ramp and the first photo of the cruise: the embarkation photo is a must, even if it is never purchased lol! A quick shuttle ride round the corner - we could honestly have walked the distance but safety prevents you being allowed to - and we were making our way on board to our home for the next two weeks - the Thomson Spirit. This is the 3rd ship of the Thomson fleet we've been on and the sister ship to the very first we travelled on, the Celebration- enabling us to be at home very quickly. No getting lost down corridors or trying to work out if you have to go up two levels and across to get to the deck. Perfect!

After we'd been shown to our room for the next two weeks, deck 4 next to reception and opposite the housekeeping office (anyone think they were keeping an eye on us?!) we were left to settle in, and settle in with style we did too! My parents had arranged for champagne and chocolate covered strawberries to be in the cabin as a surprise for us to kick start my birthday in style - best parents ever!

So having skipped breakfast, drunk nothing but coffee on the way to the ship, we thought it perfectly sensible to indulge in a liquid lunch! Hehe! By the time the first glass had been consumed the suitcases had started to arrive, mine first then Claire's about 20 minutes after. After quickly hanging the dresses and sorting out the safe to leave the valuables behind, we did eventually go in search of a late lunch. As we headed to the lido restaurant (me wearing a HUGE birthday badge courtesy of Claire) the topic of conversation moved to excursions, drinks packages and the chance that any of the staff we'd met previously would be on board.

Once we'd eaten our fill, we topped up the mugs of tea and went for a wonder round the ship: a slow process as the staff kept stopping us to wish me happy birthday (damn that badge). As we finally made it back through the final bar, which was to become our home for every evening on board - High Spirits- we stopped to look at the staff photos, never for a second imagining we'd see a familiar face. Maybe the fates were being kind, or just looking forward to seeing what mischief would arise, but there on the wall as Assistant Cruise Director was Alistair, our old friend from the Celebration! He was part of the show team in 2009 and although we'd stayed vaguely in contact via Facebook we honestly had no idea he was on the Spirit. We looked forward to the reunion.

Tea drunk and unpacking still to do we headed back to the cabin to finish settling in. Just as we'd finished putting away the last of our things the tannoy went to inform us of our safety drill- it's a bore but essential..... don the life jacket, make your way to your lifeboat station, oh and don't turn too fast or you'll probably knock someone over or out! Our drills on the past have always been on the first morning at sea, but this time we hadn't even left dock and the local residents and members of the sailing club all lined up to see us look like idiots. So glad to entertain them for half an hour. Drill done we returned to the cabin, stashed the jackets again and went to find a cup of tea as we sailed away.

Now evenings on board ship basically consist of food, drink, shows, quizzes, music, dancing and more drinking - it's just a matter of what order do you want to do things in. For us, however, the evening always starts with the task of getting ready for the night. Yes, dresses people. 14 glorious nights of donning my lovely dresses that don't get to see anywhere near enough wear at home. But it's not just dresses, it's the hair too and the shoes, jewellery, bag.... The whole lot. Now it may sound like a lot of fuss and energy but Claire and I have it mastered and down to a fine art and, short of curling each others hair (a mammoth task) we can actually be showered, dressed and out in all our glory in under an hour (and as we discovered later in the holiday - in 23 minutes flat)

Dressed for the evening and the giant birthday badge attached to the handbag, we headed to the restaurant for dinner. As we remembered from the previous cruises, the food was nothing less than fabulous with far too much choice and filled with calories! (it's a miracle that the dresses still fit at the end of the holiday!) but by the time we reached dessert it was time for the ultimate round of embarrassment. Claire and my Mum had ordered a birthday cake for me, which in itself was lovely and fine, but they never just deliver it..... oh no, they sing, sing a bit more, make as much noise as possible to attract as much attention as possible and then - when you just about ready for the ship to sink to save you getting any redder in the face, they finally wish you happy birthday and let you have your cake in peace! oh joys...... lol! (Claire - revenge is seriously a dish best served cold!watch your back hun!! ;P)

Dinner finished, we made our way up to the Broadway show lounge for the welcome show, a medley of some of the many songs, dance routines and costumes we would see over the following two weeks in the Broadway. As always, the show team were amazing! I've heard of second rate entertainment teams on other cruise lines but Thomson always have exceptional singers and dancers, who can act to boot. Fabulous. With the show over the ships cruise director, Richard, welcomed us all on board and introduced the show team, along with other members of the entertainment teams - including Alistair, who we spotted within seconds - but as he wasn't wearing his glasses, wasn't so sure it was us he was smiling at! lol!

As we exited the Broadway and headed up to High Spirits, Claire and I were in agreement - Alistair was far more confident than the last time we saw him. He'd also grown up, in all the best possible ways! We took seats in the front circle of the dance floor to listen to ship band; The Beats, and await the welcome aboard cabaret. The wait wasn't a long one as we'd been to the second sitting of the Broadway show and we'd barely settled and got our drinks before it started. We came to discover that one of the perks of Alistairs role as Assistant Cruise director is that he still gets to perform and so he took to the stage and the microphone with other members of the show team, but after the first song, the singers changed places and Alistair was freed up to dance and about 30 seconds later we were on the floor with the opening line from him of  'how long's it been?'........'2009, Red Sea'..... 'Seriously?!'...... 'yeah, long time no see - good to see you again!' ........ 'You too!'

We spent the next half hour dancing and chatting on and off as Alistair popped back to sing every so often, it was great - like we'd honestly only said goodbye a few months before. As the cabaret drew to a close we were parched and boiling and decided to make our way out on to deck for a nightcap and a cool down. The show team had vanished and we had assumed Alistair had gone with them too but a couple of minutes after we'd sat down he reappeared and asked if he could join us. Keen for a chance to talk at a normal level that didn't involve straining the voices we happily agreed, it was to become the cruise ritual. As we began to chat, Alistair admitted he'd already clocked us on the passanger manifesto and had indeed been trying to spot us at the welcome show. We talked about the Celebration, the old show team and the band and who we were still in touch with and when the waitress came to take our drinks order, he insisted on buying the round in honour of my birthday.

It was then, about 12:30 am, some 17 hours after we'd 'officially' started our holiday back in Birmingham that I finally felt like we were away - that work, home and all the stress that was there could stay there for the next 14 days. It was the pefect end to what had been a lovely day and the perfect beginning to an epic holiday and a renewed friendship.

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