At Sea

We spent most of the day sailing up the coast of New Zealand. It was a lovely sunny day, with light winds, and very calm seas.

I went to the Pursers Office to change our left over Australian and New Zealand cash into US Dollars, and was pleased to find that the amount can be credited to our on board account. This is good as it is always depressing when you have to leave the ship, but it is also distressing when you see what you have to pay for your on board spending at the end of the segment. All those drinks in the bars, wine in the restaurant, trips to the spa and shop sure do add up!

I chatted to Klaus, the executive chef, about the current fad of “deconstructing” dishes that work very well as they are. The example he gave was a deconstructed Pavlova, and I mentioned the deconstructed ratatouille Brian had been served recently. We agreed that some things are best left alone. I then read Roscoe’s post on Cruise Critic about being served a deconstructed rocky road ice cream last night.

During our last segment one of the windows in the Winter Garden shattered during the storm. We had expected that they would replace it in Sydney, but they must have thought it was safe enough to wait until the refit or something, as nothing was done about it. The swell increased this evening, and the ship started bouncing along. All of a sudden the glass pieces started falling out, leaving a huge gaping hole. They were quick to put up something to cover the window. I think they really now need to replace the window now.

We had another Black and White formal night tonight, and I am pleased to say that everyone I saw was appropriately dressed. The average age of passengers has decreased significantly since Southampton, but standards have been maintained. Dinner was delicious again. We celebrated Rita’s birthday with her. She seemed to have been celebrating all day so far, but was very touched by our efforts. She had been sent a card signed by the Commodore, and was given a birthday cake at afternoon tea. I didn’t think they still did that.

After dinner it was martini time, so off we went to the Commodore Club for a chocolate affair, and to listen to Carlo on the piano. This is always the perfect way to end the day, especially on formal nights when everyone looks so elegant. The room itself is wonderful during the day, but at night it takes on a whole new, more sophisticated feel. I think it is even better than the Commodore Club on QM2.