Eclipse July 2012

With just a few days off and “Team Doyle” safely back from the Independence of the Seas with flights from Lisbon and Dublin I even managed a round of golf at Coed Y Mwstwr Golf Club, I do love this course! We had an afternoon down Rest Bay Porthcawl after a lovely Sunday lunch at the Rose And Crown in Nottage also near Porthcawl, but the weather was so wet and windy, we also enjoyed looking around the newly refurbished Garden Centre in Pyle, we bought two hanging baskets in the hope we get some kind of summer quite soon! I was soon back at Cardiff Airport and my flight to Tallinn via Amsterdam, I had a very tight connection and due to the fact the Tallinn flight was delayed I made it and so did my luggage. I met with an old pal and great entertainer Mark Donahue at Amsterdam and we had a good old catch up on the plane to Tallinn. We arrived at Tallinn and my case came off first as it went on the plane last I suppose, I was relieved to see it I tell you. A short taxi ride to the ship and the Eclipse was looking magnificent docked in the Harbour, we were next to the Aida and we just looked so much more modern and luxurious, she really is a beautiful ship and I feel very honored to be working on here. Once in my stateroom and the previous acts luggage at the doorway, that luggage belonged to another good friend of mine and my brother Phill, Taffy Spencer, who I soon bumped into, he’s a great bloke and we enjoyed a bit of lunch together, he does make me laugh. The cruise director is a really nice man called Mike Gibbons who is also a good friend of my brother Phill, I’m looking forward to meeting him as Phill has told me all about him. The show tonight was a brilliant singer called Cheryl Sinclair, what a voice, what an act, I can’t wait to meet her and tell her how much I enjoyed her show. It was an hour back on the clock tonight so I took advantage of that and went to bed, I was so tired as I had been up since 3.30am, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. Good Morning all, we are at sea in the Baltics, it’s a chilly day with scattered clouds, so different from yesterday in Tallinn with lovely hot sunshine. I had a light breakfast and then met up with the cruise director Mike Gibbons, we went for a coffee and just as my brother said, what a lovely man, he clearly thinks allot of Phill as they have worked together before on another cruise line, he gave me a huge plug over the ships PA System and after my show tonight he has his own show then after that we are going for a drink. I have 2 hours now until my band call, sound check and rehearsal so I will catch up with you later. Its great to be back on Celebrity Eclipse! Rehearsal went perfect, they are 100% professional on here and I am so up for tonight. The 7pm went brilliant, when I walked into the theatre at 6.50pm there were about 150 people sitting there and all at the back, but by the time I went on at 7.05pm it was almost full, where did all those people come from, I had the most wonderful time up there tonight, I have my next show in 35mins, I’m really looking forward to it too! I do love this ship and this theatre, its just a brilliant theatre to work, it has 1350 seats and loads of technology to help make your show sound and look amazing, thanks guys. Copenhagen came and went, but I did have a great day, Mike the cruise director invited me off the ship for lunch with his family, we had a great time, just look at the photos. Later on that evening we met up with another good mate Rikki Jay, he’s a really nice man, he gave me the “Feed The Fish’ routine which I did in panto a few years ago, he was joining the Caribbean Princess that day. We all had a few drinks and just sat there at the quayside enjoying the sunshine and crack so to speak, yes it was a lovely day. Today we are at sea and I had a lay in till 11am…ah that was lovely! Its another sunny day here on Celebrity Eclipse in the North Sea, I do hope the weather at home has improved, poor little Sammy, all he wants to do is kick his ball in the garden! What do you think of this photo of Sam with his football, it is fab isn’t it, even if I say so myself! Tonight I have been invited to take part in “Liars Club” it’s a take on the old TV Show “Call My Bluff” to be honest I’m not very good at it, but I will do my best, the word Tittup is a good one to get a few laughs! I’ll soon be home again, we are going to he circus on Saturday as it’s coming to our area, Sam is very excited! The next day I’m driving up to Nottingham to pick my son Tom up and bring him home as his tour of “Birds of a Feather” will have finished, he has done so well, travelling all over the UK on trains and sorting his own hotels out, he was the Technical Assistant Stage Manager (TASM) he has also been booked for panto and he’s going back to Wolver Hampton to the Grand Theatre where he was last year with our dear lovely friends Sam Kane and Linda Lusardi, but this year Tom won’t be with them, which is a real shame as he loves to work with them, Sam Kane has done so much for Tom and he has learn’t an awful lot and it has helped him on his way. I need to go back on my diet, I’m ashamed I let it go, I lost two stone on the Lighter Life Light diet, so I am going back on it asap! My phone just rang and it was the production manager Maddie, she tells me I have to be in front of the immigration officers at 6.30am on Saturday, oh well maybe I could get on an earlier train then! The Liars Club event went w storm, it was a great laugh, I over heard an American guy say “oh my dear Lord, that was a riot” we did have fun! Today is our last day and we are at sea heading for Southampton, I am back on tonight in a variety show with Mark Donahue, Cheryl Sinclair and the cast of the Theatre Company who are amazing by the way! I have really enjoyed being back on Celebrity Eclipse and I look forward to coming back throughout the year, I have also been booked back for next year already…must be ding something right then!