Waking up this morning was very exciting. Not only did we have an extra hours sleep, but we were finally experiencing some rough seas. I sat on the windowsill watching the waves just below our window. When the weather is like this it is tempting to ask to stay in this cabin rather than move to our next cabin on deck 6 where we will be far away from the water.

We managed to get a table by the window in the Lido for breakfast, and then headed straight for the Commodore Club so we could watch the ocean go by. We discovered that there is a power outlet near to the table just right of center at the front of the Commodore Club. We have been searching the ship for good places to sit where we can recharge our computers while we are working, and not only is this about the best spot on the whole ship, there is an outlet too. The only issue is that the plug is a US one, and the power cord Brian bought in Southampton for his computer is a UK one, and as we don’t have a UK to US adaptor with us, having the plug there is pointless for him, but great for me J.

I checked emails and was very excited to see one from our travel agent Sue. Could this be an upgrade? No it wasn’t, but it was a good email anyway, and gave me the opportunity to get back to her and let her know what a wonderful time we are having.

Although the ship is pitching a bit, it is not enough for any waves to hit the windows at the Commodore Club (see QE video from 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79YKK88HER4 ), and there is only the occasional wave that breaks above the bow, but it is always interesting to watch an angry sea, and be thankful we are in such a stable large ship and not bobbing around in a little sail boat. I do admire our sailing friends!

I love the way on Cunard ships that when the weather gets rough instead of retreating to their cabins, the passengers head to the Commodore Club to maximize the effect of the stormy seas. Looking at the people reserving their seats with their books, it makes me feel this is the equivalent of people reserving the loungers by the pool. This is serious business!

I wasn’t too sure that I liked the piped music in the lounges, but they are now playing Tapestry, so here I am in the Commodore Club sipping my Coke, watching the waves, and listening to Carol King. It’s hard to believe how anyone can get to be so lucky.

After lunch I stopped by the Pursers’ desk to make sure all was OK with our stay overnight off the ship between Port Canaveral and Fort Lauderdale. They reassured me that this was fine. Then I went to the tour desk to book tickets to the concert at the Manaus Opera House. Apparently we cannot book these as we are on a different booking number after Fort Lauderdale, which is quite frustrating. Then I went to the talk on blogging. I learned that you have to keep your sentences short because people have short attention spans. I will try to do better. In future.

Brian was having a nap so I decided to go to the Chart Room to start on my cross-stitch tablecloth. Juliana, the world voyage concierge was there and let me know that all was well getting off overnight in Port Canaveral. I must say that so far I am very impressed with the service we have received on the ship. She also let me know that we could book the Manaus concert through our Voyage Personaliser, and promptly went online to do this for us.

Juliana is currently trying to sort out the problem that 3 passengers on board do not have their visas for Brazil. At the moment it looks like they will have to leave the ship in Barbados and join again in Monte Video if the ship’s staff is unable to work miracles with the Brazilian consulate in Miami to issue the visas for them on Monday. I suppose another option would be to leave the ship in Miami, hope that they can get appointments to get their visas in the next few days, and then join us in Manaus. What ever happens this must be so stressful for those passengers. I do feel bad for them, having had issues myself getting my visa, and am still very grateful to my wonderful brother in law in California who was able to pick my passport up from the Brazilian Embassy in Los Angeles.

Tonight’s theme is Victoriana, and I was pleased that I had been able to find the perfect dress for the occasion. Getting dressed was quite the challenge as the ship was now pitching and rolling quite fiercely in the Force 10 gale. When the waves hit our cabin window it was like looking into a front-loading washing machine. We met up with friends for a pre-dinner drink in the Chart Room and then headed to the World Club party. There are apparently 1104 World Club members of Gold and higher status on board. Luckily it wasn’t as crowded as the Welcome on Board party, but the Queen’s Room was still full. The couple who had the most days on Cunard were a Lord and Lady something, who had a ridiculously high number of days. Good for them! During the party the ship lurched several times, sending the glasses on the side tables crashing to the floor.

Despite the ship’s motion, the dining room was as full as ever for dinner. We are on deck 2 and definitely felt the effect of the pitching, but everything stayed on the table and didn’t end up on our laps luckily. The show was the 4 Tunes. They are quite good, and do a very acceptable version of Bohemian Rhapsody which I really enjoyed. Back in the cabin the water was still splashing over our window, and we had quite a noisy night.