A question of sport … and everything else, as passengers get competitive

Katherine Jenkins may have been top of the bill on this week’s Oriana cruise, but there’s no doubt what was the most popular activity – and the most frequent – outside the privacy of the cabins, at least.
There have been no fewer than 19 quiz competitions. Jeopardised, “Fun” pub quizzes (it’s not fun, this is a serious business), individual quizzes (no conferring), sports quizzes, and quizzes to identify the Bond Girl actresses and other famous faces.
For the dedicated contestant, nothing competes with the late night action of the Syndicate Quiz in the Crichton Room.
There’s no bar to distract attention away from the questions, just discreet waiter service.Teams of up to six write each answer on a separate sheet of paper and a designated runner takes it to the desk. Scores are marked up as each of the 20 rounds is completed and it’s easy for those in contention for the top spot to see who their closest rivals are.
No nobbling is allowed, but there’s no mistaking the muted whoops of glee when a competing team drops a point.
It can be almost midnight before the tense contest is over and the prize (usually a bottle of wine) is awarded.
For those not interested in answering questions, there are plenty of other ways to demonstrate superiority over fellow-passengers. The range of sporting activities is wide and goes beyond the cruise-ship staples of shuffleboard and quoits. It includes bowls, short tennis, cricket, putting and virtual bowling. For the more sedentary, whist drives and bridge compete for attention.
The fun doesn’t stop then, however. They’re a lively lot on Oriana this week, and DJ Dominic has been kept busy until as late as four in the morning – even if most of his audience have been wallflowers rather than disco divas.