At last, a sea day! I have missed those so much.

When we got back to the cabin last night it was just as we left it except the curtains had closed themselves. There is no nightly turn down service unless you specifically request it, no chocolates on your pillows. No daily programme. No news update. Not even towel creatures which I have come to expect in the Caribbean. It’s just different.

Then there’s the bed. Virgin Voyages mattresses are simply not up to the standard of Cunard mattresses. When I went to sleep last night I was quite expecting to settle down onto the most comfortable mattress ever. It was not to happen. Maybe it’s because the beds are platform beds so they can turn into sofas during the day, but the mattresses are very firm. The pillows are also very firm. However, I was pretty exhausted after the excitement of the day, so I fell asleep despite my misgivings about the bed.

In the morning the curtains did not miraculously open by themselves, so I had to get out of bed and push the switch to get them to open.

There in the distance was a large town with several very tall buildings. Ah ha! That must be Havana. My marine tracking app showed that this was correct. You can’t really see it in the photo – it looked more interesting in real life!

It was a bright sunny day, so we headed off to the Razzle Dazzle restaurant for breakfast before heading to the pool. We were able to get a table for 2 by the window, and although the menu is somewhat limited, we found good things to eat, and it was a great way to start the day. No eggs Benedict however.

Then it was time to hit the pool. Half the ship clearly had the same idea, but we were able to find 2 loungers that were still available, and we settled down for a morning of reading, sunbathing, and swimming. The latter could not happen. Not only is the pool way too small to actually swim in, there were so many people in it that there really wasn’t much space left. Oh well, reading and sunbathing is good enough for me.

There are some weird sculptures on the deck above the pool.

I love riding in the lifts. They have this great aquarium like screen, so you really think you are looking underwater. Which of course you hope you are not. That would be bad.

For lunch, we went to the Dock, which is a restaurant and bar at the back of the ship which serves a selection of mezzes. The food was delicious, there was a young man playing the guitar, and we could sit watching the swirling waters of the wake go by. All rather enjoyable. It was time to see if the “shake for champagne” app really worked!

I shook my phone, and sure enough my screen was suddenly showing hundreds of bubbles. It asked if I wanted champagne. I answered in the affirmative, and received the message, “The champagne is on its way to you”.

Easy as that. We ordered more food, and sure enough in a few minutes our bottle of champagne and 2 glasses arrived, we were all set!

One of our dinner companions from last night stopped by to see us. She was very excited. She had met Giovanni, the captain whose surname still remains a mystery, and he had asked her for her cabin number so he could send her something. She readily gave it out, but was now apprehensive about what she might find in her cabin when she returned. Would this be an invitation to the bridge, or something more sinister? I wanted to give her some grandmotherly advice, but she would not stop talking, gave me a huge hug, and skipped off around the corner. Hopefully we will see her again and we will get an update. As nice as he is, I just could not imagine Captain Hashmi doing this.

Someone had said that the stern of the ship was not attractive. How true that is. Sitting in the Dock you can look up at the rest of the ship. Now if that doesn’t look like a block of flats I don’t know what does!

We took the rest of the champagne back to our cabin so I could continue drinking it while seated in the hammock. This is what life on the ocean wave should be all about.

Dinner tonight was in the Test Kitchen. It reminded me of those cooking shows we love to watch. Simple ingredients are used to create imaginative dishes. Like asparagus sorbet, beetroot foam, corn mousse…..

They do a cocktail or wine pairing to go with the meal. We chose the wine pairing, which ended up involving six full glasses of wine to pair with the 6 courses.

The food was very innovative, and beautifully presented. They did an excellent job, and I was most impressed. I don’t think I will try this at home, but who knew that asparagus sorbet could be so yummy.

No chance to see a show tonight. 6 glasses of wine together with the afternoon’s champagne were all I could manage. That not so comfortable bed was calling.