Who remembers tuning in to MTV in the late 80s to check out Richard Wilkins?

The hair, the clothes, the eye makeup? It was enough to make any teen swoon - and feel rather envious of his spunky get-up. Now I know Dickie is much more than MTV, but I suppose impressions you make as a kid stick with you.

As I was being driven to the event, I gushed to my husband, "You know, Richard Wilkins is going to be MCing the night."

Unfazed by my impending excitement, the hub replied: "You should ask him what type of eyeliner he wears."

Rolling my eyes, I maturely stuck my tongue out at him.

Sorry for scaring you Stevie

A few hours later, having completed the Ovation ship tour, it was now time to mingle and drink and eat and accidentally bump into the Today team. (Today was broadcasting live the next day from Ovation). And by bump, I mean excitedly yell in Steve Jacobs face while he was mid-chew, mispronounce Natalia Cooper's name and Facebook Livestream her lovely dress and then meet the only other person in the room who had had an actual conversation with Prince - Richard Wilkins. 
 

This is my mid-cackle face

Now by this stage I had already consumed two cocktails and a glass of Veuve Clicquot - on an empty stomach.  Buoyed by the spirits, I sidled up to Mr Wilkins and introduced myself.

The conversation went something like this: 

"Hi, I'm Honey, are you enjoying your night?"

"Yes, it's great!"
 
"So, I met Prince earlier this year. Twice. Over two nights... " (voice cracking)
"Wow! You know I have written a chapter in my book about him. I'll send you my book. Email me, I'm easy to find."

(Slipping my business card into Mr Wilkins' jacket pocket)

"My email address is on my card."

(Awkward silence)

(Clearing throat) "So, do you want to know the very last thing I said to Prince?"

"Yes, what did you say?" (he seemed genuinely interested)

"I told him to come back soon to Australia. He said, 'I promise'. I said, I'd hold him to that... (genuine tears start welling). I can't talk about it without crying..."

"I might cry too, and my make up will run."

(At this point, my husband's voice booms in my head. 'Ask him, ask him')

"So what type of mascara do you wear Richard?"

Good one Honey. It was funny at the time.



Now, this party was super-swish, I mean it was showcasing Supercruising after all. Held in the 270° lounge, there were free-flowing colourful cocktails, food and even massages on offer. Beautiful people, media types, travel agents and crew filled the room. The 270° is kind of a theatre room - and there's also a cafe - showcasing 270° views - hence the name. The glass lined, floor-to-ceiling walls give a spectacular view, and the AV features are incredible. With the press of a few buttons, curtains cover the windows and guests are treated to a 3D extravaganza. Pretty impressive!

As you all know by now, I love my food, but I was too busy gas-bagging to try much. However, there was a huge spread with samples from a few of the different eateries, including sushi and Jamie Oliver nosh. Man, I wanna try ALL the food!
 










After taking a few more selfies, including one with Tim from I Love Cruising a visit to the Powder Room was in order.

This is Tim

There was a crazy line of people waiting to touch up their lipstick at the one amenity at the party venue, so I wandered off to find another one. As we were just visitors, we weren't supposed to walk around the Ovation willy-nilly, but somehow this green-haired goblin made herself inconspicuous enough to find another bathroom.

I know some of you aren't interested, but I must tell you the bathrooms are really lovely. Modern, roomy and have great lighting for selfies. However, there is a weird thing that caught me off guard - The Flush. Try as I may, I couldn't get the damn thing to flush. I pressed the button - repeatedly, but the familiar woosh alluded me. Exasperated, I swung the cubicle door open, and magically THE LOO FLUSHED ITSELF.  Now I know what Royal Caribbean mean by "The most technologically advanced ship" - self-flushing toilets. Genius.

Back to the party, and it was time for the super talented Dami Im to perform. You can see my Livestream here. What an incredible voice!

And, while I'm writing about the entertainment, I must give my fabulous friend Harris Meitanis from A.P.E, who produced the media launch, a massive shoutout.  I caught up with him the next day and congratulated him for producing such a successful event.

What role did A.P.E play in the launch? We produced the entire media launch encompassing everything that you saw last night (our AV department supplemented the ship’s in-house AV). We booked and facilitated and managed all talent as well as all the design and running of the event. We even produced the giftbags with all points of delegation coming through our wonderful clients at RCI. It was an incredible experience and one that we look forward to hopefully doing again in the near future for this amazing company.

What were the challenges for your team to pull this off on Australia's biggest cruise ship? Obviously, loading in equipment, staff, personnel and talent was an arduous yet necessary process given the location, the legalities surrounding the vessel and the rain! Additionally, given protocols on the ship between their necessary security checks and daily activities that are set in stone meant that we had to work around a very busy venue which we are not used to with normal event spaces. This time we had 30mins before guests and only just enough time to soundcheck and rehearse all talent in pockets earlier in the day.

What was your impression of Ovation? What a simply incredible feat of engineering. It was like being in Pitt Street Mall yet floating. It was hard to comprehend to be honest. I’ve had similar experiences in the past working with Princess and P&O Cruises, but RCI is a completely different level, especially Ovation. She is literally the most gorgeous ship that I have ever stepped on. We were all blown away.

Before I knew it, it was time to bade this magnificent ship good night.  I must admit, I was floating on Cloud Nine as I made my way home in the drizzle, trying to digest all that I had seen. One thing I am certain of though, it would take me DAYS, maybe weeks to appreciate all that Ovation offers. Hopefully, I'll cruise on her in the near future.

P.S Richard Wilkins, I haven't found your email address, but I'd still like an autographed copy of your book. Thanks xxx