I have been away in Almere at our brand new simulator centre doing a course to refresh my knowledge on ship stability. What an amazing place it is. The new simulators really are like life itself.
I have returned to the shipyard in Venice and have been catching up with progress over the past days.The public rooms are coming along nicely. This morning the first of the new teak decking sections was being laid. This is 7 deck aft. You may recall that I visited the factory where all this was being prepared and here it is.
The other big change I have seen is the amount of panelling going up around the ship and also the progress in the Main Dining Room.
The new Tihany designs are taking shape. The structure to hold the new panels and decor is being installed. My click and snap photos do not do them justice. Its going to be amazing.
Areas of the ship are being painted with final coats. This is deck 5 aft in front of the aft pool. The pool is tented in because the special pool coating is being applied and it must be kept dry until it has cured. It also happens to be the hottest place on the ship. I spent 5 minutes in that tent and gently poached myself.
The hoops and loops are wires masked up for the paint process. The wires eventually will be for lighting, speakers and such like.
I will leave you with a photo of myself sitting on what will become the main stage checking out where to stand in the Grand Salon to speak to the guests. Just getting prepared is all! The next day and a half will be spent travelling to Hamburg to test all the electronic navigational wizardry that will be installed on the bridge at the manufacturers premises. This checks that all is well before its put in place.
