Wednesday, November 27th....

Day 5 and we woke more relaxed than we've been for ages. Marilyn had ordered breakfast through room service so we took it slowly. It's now 11 o'clock and I'm having coffee in the Promenade cafe while Marilyn is catching up on her sleep. My job is to wake her at 12 for lunch, in between peeling grapes and buying her champagne.

We're in Tauranga and there's almost no one left on board. Even those who don't pay for shore excursions have walked down the gangway for a wander in town. It's nice not to have to deal with the inevitable crowds that come with over 3000 passengers. And some of the passengers are so big. It's unfair to criticise but the cause of slimness is not helped by the offerings in the buffet. Yesterday, among all the healthier options, you could still get hamburgers, ribs, fried chicken and pizza, the four American food groups.

The food, of course is fantastic. Of course, you can overeat if you want to but if you have discipline or a dedicated wife, you can eat very well. And we do.

This promenade on the ship is a very nice feature. It puts all the shops together to maximise the selling potential but also has good cafes, a pub, music and so on. I've attached a few photos of this area.