As promised, the layout of the ship is pretty much the same as that on the Ruby, but with a few subtle differences. Apparently, it's smaller! you wouldn't think that with the layout of some of the rooms, but its true. Also, their outdoor swimming pool is bigger and better. Ours is a bit like going for a dip in one of those old tin baths you see in westerns, in the middle of Derby City Centre on a busy Saturday morning. Their Dining Room doesn't feel as plush or as big as ours, and the decor makes it feel a bit cafeteria-like. In the Ballroom, we decided, all three of us, to see if we could cadge a dance with one of the enemy. John chickened out a little bit and just had a dance with Anne, but then Anne managed to get a dance with one of their 'Gentleman Hosts' (thanks to the intervention of John). I went walkabout, and could only manage to get myself a dance by begging one of the girls on the door (out of the sight of John) to have a dance with me, on the understanding that it was just for a bet, and that a colleague of mine (john would be out there photographing us). The illusion was slightly spoilt by John not being able to get the camera to work, and me having to politely excuse myself from the person I was dancing with in order to sort the camera out - got the photos though!!!

Finally, we had a drink in their equivalent of The Preview Bar, which was okay, with a good embience, but really, not a patch on ours! I'm almost sure that Passengers sailing on the Rose have been onto the Ruby and said the same kind of things, but hey; that's the way it goes folks.

It's nice to have had a look on The Rose - if nothing else, it prepares you for if, by some bizarre set of circumstances, I'm asked to go and do workshops on there (I checked; and they currently don't have any art instructor on board for this trip!).