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no dancing on Sunday nights. There are a number of elderly people on board so there do not seem a
great many to dance.”
On one sea day I try to join every activity going, racing from early morning Fab Abs in the fitness
centre to the volleyball court and poolside ping-pong on to poker in the casino, an art auction and a
talk on emeralds; into the theatre for a game show, the Culinary Arts Centre for a cooking demo, the
digital workshop to discover Windows 10; plus a trivia quiz and a mixology masterclass. Phew. But I
only scratch the surface, and after dinner, at a choice of four restaurants, the evening brings another
smorgasbord of entertainment for every taste, from the BB King Blues Club in one lounge, to
classical piano and violin music in another, and the twice-a-night big show in the plush double-deck
theatre.
Before all that, in my cabin I flick between the news channels. In 1936, it was the death of King
George V, three days before my family sailed, that was the talk of their ship. Britain was officially in
mourning and many of the women aboard wore black until after the funeral. On January 25, my
grandmother wrote, “The BBC news was broadcast at 6pm but the reception was very bad. It was
nearly all royal funeral news. It is remarkable how many women are all in black at dinner for the
king. I suppose the colours will come out after Tuesday next.”
On the day of the funeral, January 28, her ship was docked at Las Palmas in the Canary Islands: “At
12.30pm all the British people assembled to keep two minutes’ silence in memory of King George. It
was rather nice to know that we could do this as being in a foreign country it makes rather a good
impression … at 6.15pm there is a memorial service for the late king on the ship and the evening
