Sydney, Australia

It’s always nice to have a change in things by having an overnight in a port. An opportunity to go to sleep in one place and wake up still in the same place. It doesn’t happen very much on the world cruise, so it is a bit of a novelty. Megan and I took great delight in sleep in this morning. I woke up early. but was able to go back to sleep. We finally woke up and started our day around 9:00am. By 9:30 we were ready to leave the cabin and start our day. We grabbed breakfast at the Lido this morning and then off the ship we went. No immigration inspection this morning as we were all cleared yesterday. We hopped on the shuttle again and headed to the shopping district where we shoppe din 2020. It is actually multiple blocks of multiple storied buildings filled with every shop imaginable. Megan and I each got a new dress from a locally made company, Megan continued her tradition of getting a cool new pair of sneakers while in Sydney (she’s two for two), I got new UGGs (a tradition for me now too), and I bought my granddaughter a pair of adorable UGGs as well. Megan found some more Dr. Pepper in flavors we had not seen or tried before, vanilla float, cream soda, cherry and dark berry. She’s excited to try them. We also ventured into a Mc Donalds and shared an Angus burger, Megan got a strawberry milkshake and we tried a Hokey Pokey Mc Flurry. Sometimes you just need something that taste like home. LOL!! It was a hot and humid day so around 2pm we decided it was time to head home. Back on the ship we cooled down, got all our goodies put away from the last couple of days. and fought every desire I had to lie down and take a nap. We had dinner at 5:00pm and then went up to the aft deck for a sail away party. We have to make sure we leave at low tide because the ship can barely fit under the bridge and only under the perfect circumstances. This was a breathtaking experience leaving Sydney. Going under the bridge, sailing through the harbor and past the Opera House. We got to see a group of climbers on the top of the bridge and we cheered up and they cheered back down as we sailed right under them It was all an opportunity not to be missed when it is here to be had. It did not disappoint. There are more photos in the phone than I care to admit, but I have no regrets for having the memories to look back on forever. We shared our evening on the deck mingling with a lot of the crew and our friends Freddy and Bob. It was a wonderful way to end our time here in Sydney. The sun, the breeze blowing, I pray I never forget this exact moment in time. I am blessed to be able to immortalize it in this blog for you and for me to have it to look back on in the future. Thank you for coming along on my adventures with me. Enjoy the photos from today.

Sydney Australia

I was up far sooner then I wanted to be. Excited about todays adventure and I was up at 2:30am this morning. I got up and read for about thirty minutes until I felt like I could back to sleep. The alarm went off at 5:30 am. Last night they announced we should be going past the opera house and under the bridge around 6:00am. I stepped outside after my alarm went off and right outside stood the opera house. The timing couldn’t have been any better. I got into my workout clothes and headed to the gym for the 6:00am opening. Then it was home to wake up Megan for our day. We sent out our laundry and then headed to the Lido for a quick breakfast. Then we had to be in the Main stage theater by 9:15am to meet our excursion and to wait for our turn to disembark and go through immigration. We were ready to go climb a bridge this morning. Last December I tackled some fear of heights by doing the ropes course at the Great Wolf Lodge in Manteca. But today was a MUCH higher climb. We got off the ship and first had to go through a one on one or face to face immigration inspection. Once we got through that (took about 30 minutes) we hopped on our tour bus and over the Bridge Climb Sydney. There were nine brave souls that climbed the bridge from the cruise ship. It was a fantastic lifetime experience that I am so glad to have done. But before we were allowed to climb, and before we got all geared up, every climber had to submit to a breathalyzer. Enjoy the photo of Megan submitting her first ever breathalyzer test. We slinked through tunnels under the bridge, climbed ladders up and eventually hit the steps that climbed up the arch and up to the peak of bridge. The view was overwhelmingly breath taking. As we approached the top we got some fabulous photos and then the storm clouds moved in. We got rained on a little. Then as we descended the lightening warnings were announced and all the tours behind us were turned around before reaching the summit due to the lightening risk. We were fortunate to have been able to fully complete our climb and then safely descend “back to earth”. I am so proud of myself and Megan for tackling this challenge. The peak of the bridge was 440 feet high. There are 6 million rivets in the bridge that were each pounded individually with a hammer, it took 8 years to build the bridge and 16 men died during that time. There were 1332 steps involved in the climb. After the climb we headed back to the ship and changed into our dresses because tonight was also Opera House night. We put on our digs, dolled up ourselves, put on our heels and headed back down to get off the ship. Only much to our dismay, the skies had opened and the rain was dumping. We stood at the gang way for a bit to try and decide what to do. Megan ran back to the room and grabbed our rain coats and changed from her heels into tennis shoes and I took my shoes off all together. We ran from the ship into the terminal through a small river of water to the other side. We hopped on the shuttle that took us from the White Bay Cruise Terminal to the Circular Quay Cruise terminal which is closer to the Opera House. By the time we got there the rain had luckily stopped. We had a long walk to the Restaurant Hubert where we had dinner reservations. We had a fabulous meal at this french estabishmetn, Duck Liver Pate, Chicken Fricassee, their lobster special and Potatoes with a Miso Beurre blanc sauce. It was one of the best meals I have had this trip. After dinner we walked to the Sydney Opera house. Not counting the bridge walk, because they made us take off our watches and everything else to prevent anything from falling to the cars below, we walked over 10 miles today. We got to enjoy a beautiful performance of the opera, Don Giovanni. We were blessed to see Carmen here in 2020 and I feel doubly blessed to have been able to see a second performance here. We took the excursion shuttle back to the ship. It was almost midnight when we got back to the ship. I think it took us about five minutes to go from head on the pillow to sleep. No alarms set for tomorrow. We’re sleeping in as late as we can and have zero plans for tomorrow. Tonight we stay here in Sydney and tomorrow is a free day. I am sure some shopping will ensue at some point. Enjoy the wonderful photos we took throughout the day.

Sea Day

Yes, that alarm did off way too early this morning. I actually woke up at 5:30am like normal, only it was now 4:30 am thanks to the time change. So I decided to get alit more sleep and slept in till 7:30am. Guess my body wanted the extra rest. No breakfast this morning because today is the actual day for the brunch. So I went and got a cup of tea for me and a danish for Megan and we had a lazy morning. We tidied up a little around “the house”, Megan did some homework, and then we got ready to go to Project Linus. There are four other young ladies on the ship with us ranging in ages from about 8-15. They are a sibling group and are traveling with their parents. We haven’t had much opportunity to spend time with them but last night at the show one of them came and sat with us and learned a little about crocheting. I also believe a couple of them have been at Catan in the afternoon and Megan is getting a chance to know them slowly as well. So the young lady, Addy. came to Project Linus this morning and she and Megan spend some more time together learning how to crochet. Afterwards they went up the crow’s nest to play Mexican train. Ginny and I enjoyed our cat time, as I like to call it, in the window crocheting and talking away the morning. Brunch reservations were for 11:30 and Megan appears with Addy and her sister Leah to join us for brunch. As most tables are set for four, I let Megan and the girls go and have their brung together and Ginny and I went and had brunch on our own at a different table. It was a mother lovely brunch. Wonderful food, tiny food, make me feel like a giant food. It doesn’t take much to make me happy does it? LOL!!! After brunch Megan headed home for tutoring with Bonita and I headed home to work on some paperwork and notes. We have two crew members who have become friends and they are both getting off the ship in a couple of days. So we wrote them both notecards of thanks and appreciation. At 3:00 we had a farewell at the Effy store to Carlene. She’s the amazing lady that ran the fashion show earlier in the cruise. Then Megan and I went to the crows nest for three rounds of Yahtzee. Megan beat me 2 games to 1. Then it was time for dinner in the Main dinning room. After dinner we decided to go see the show. That two nights on a row for us!! We have a guest group currently on the ship call Cantare. Four men that sang multiple genes of music and harmonized beautifully. It was a nice ending to the evening. Then we headed home to get ready for tomorrows arrival in Sydney. There are a lot of documents and paperwork we have to take with us when we disembark tomorrow. Need to make sure we don’t forget anything. Tomorrow I will wake up early to see the ship come into Sydney harbor. Can’t wait to see the opera house again. Photos to come all!!

Sea Day

It’s another beautiful sea day off the coast of Australia. Our morning routine was the same as always. Gym time for mommy. Extra sleep for Megan. Then we went to the Pinnacle Grill for breakfast. We headed off to Project Linus after and I worked on my blanket and Megan had a chance to spend some time with Raquel who is learning to crochet from Megan and in return she is helping teach Megan Spanish. It’s so great to watch the two of them working together. After Linus Megan had tutoring and I had a spa appointment. I went and soaked for thirty minutes to get my muscles nice and relaxed and then I had a massage. The gentle rocking of the ship during my session almost put me to sleep. And that never happens when I am getting a massage. After my massage I didn’t want to do anything. So I relaxed and Megan went to play Catan. We had a chill afternoon as we had a late dinner tonight. We met Gail and Marty at their table at 6:30pm instead of our normal 5:00pm seating. We had another wonderful dinner and then headed to the Main stage for their performance. I have to say I am pretty proud of myself. The show didn’t start till 9:30pm, WAY later then I am usually up and I fear that alarm will go off way too early tomorrow. The show was put on by the crew team of singers and dancers and it was a tribute to Elton John. It was a very good performance and I really enjoyed it. But it is VERY late and I anticipated being asleep shortly after my head hits that pillow. Tonight we set the clocks back another hour as well. Those silly time changes. Sweet dreams!!

Sea Day

It’s nice to have a day to relax on the ship after having had four days of excursions and ports. We also set our clocks back an hour last night so I was up before the sun this morning. I was at the gym in line with the crowd waiting for the doors to open at 6:00am. I wonder if I can stay this disciplined when I get back home? Hmmmm…. We skipped breakfast this morning cause I mistakenly thought there was a Brunch today. After we went to Project Linus we realized brunch isn’t for a couple more days so Megan and I went and had lunch. It was nice having her skip Mahjong this morning and to get to spend a little extra time with her. After lunch Megan went home to meet Bonita for tutoring and I went to my first hair appointment here on the ship. I had a color appointment with Nena and she did a wonderful job washing that gray right out of my hair. The scalp massage that was included with the service was wonderful. With the swell gently rocking the ship I almost fell asleep during my appointment. I am very happy with how it came out and I feel ready to take on the world that we are traveling!! LOL!! Yesterday they had a special event in the Lido at 3:00pm. It was called “Let Them Eat Cake”. I strategically, or not so strategically, missed the event because of my hair appointment. But thanks to fellow passenger Chris there are some great photos below. The chef told me at lunch time that they had prepared 22 cakes, croquembouche, pastries, and eclairs galore. It looked like it was a yummy event and the passengers I heard talking about it tonight all said it was a lot of fun. We had a hosted dinner event this evening at the Caneletto restaurant which is the specialty Italian restaurant on the ship. Dinner was generously hosted by our travel company Cruise Specialists. I was told there are 271 passengers on this ship compliments of Cruise Specialists. They had to host five dinners to accommodate all their guests. Another wonderful perk of working with this fantastic company. We sat next a lovely couple and had great dinner conversation. Then it was home to relax, enjoy my wine glow, and get my blog all typed up for you all. Megan went out and played cards with Gail, Marty and Lynn and I will be asleep before she even gets home. Let the gentle rocking of the ship put me to sleep so I can rest through the night. Hugs for across the sea!!

Wellington, New Zealand

Today is one of those days that I feel like I am going to have way too much to write and this may be longer than intended, but I won’t leave anything out. We were up at 6:30am this morning so we could grab breakfast in the Lido before heading to meet our excursion group at 8:15am this morning. It is a little chillier this morning so we grabbed sweatshirts. We were off the ship quickly and onto out shuttle bus by 8:30am. Today we went to the Shenandoah Historic Pauatahanui Estate. I am going to attach a couple of typewritten descriptions of where we went today cause I can not give it enough honor and justice in what I am going to write. This home was originally part of a 1250 acre property that was farmed and cultivated. It was the home to an indigenous village of Maori and the sight of many battles for dominance on this area of New Zealand. Wanted for its viewpoint of the harbor and rich soil. Eventually a home was constructed here. In the 1940’s when New Zealand was in danger of being attack by the Japanese, the US government under president Roosevelt, sent an infantry of 1500 soldiers to New Zealand to help protect it from being seized. This land was the sight of the camp and trying facility for these 1500 young soldiers most of them barely 17 years old. 80% of the soldiers that were sent here went and fought at Guadalcanal and held the Japanese at bay gave their lives doing so. This land was eventually given back to the family who owned it. When the military left they left almost everything behind as the were heading overseas. Instead of taking their vehicles, like motorcycles, trucks, tanks and jeeps they buried them all in the valley of two mountains on the family’s property. But they knew they were there and shortly after they military left the New Zealanders dug them all up and learned how to work on, repairs and service the machinery that they didn’t no have access to before. The family has been using the land to raise cattle and sheep and are now in the process of returning the land back to it’s original condition so it can be preserved for future generations. It is a living museum both in the artifacts they have and continue to discover and in the barns where these items are on display for visitors to see. This is not a place that is open to the public so it is a very limited number of lucky people that have the opportunity to be blessed by visiting this beautiful place. Simon is the profiteer and part of the family that owns the land. His love and passion for his homestead kept us captivated as he told story after story passed down from his grandparents and great grandparents. We didn’t want to leave. I want to sit down with him and spend the entire day with him. Their garden are beautiful. The love they have for the land, its history and its bounty is evident in the passion he speaks about everything they do there. They make the cheese and salami we ate. They baked the blueberry bread and ginger cookies that were served to us with our tea. It was like being invited into someone’s home and having them open up their photo albums and share their rich history with us. I have many photos below of the museum which now also houses many Harley Davidson motorcycles, the gardens, their Highland cows, and a beautiful german shepherd puppy name Semper Fi. We were told over and over today thank you for being here and sharing this place with them, that we are now considered family in their Maori and New Zealand culture, and a blessing of hospitality was given to us. I left there feeling like I had been “home”, I recommend if you are ever looking for something to do away from the city, on a path less traveled this would be an amazing place to spend your day. Now as we returned to the ship and the reality of our world, we decided it wasn’t time to get back on the ship so we hopped on the shuttle and headed into town. Such a contrast to the place we had spent our entire morning. Megan and I did manage to find a shopping area built inside a 1901 building that used to house a bank and its offices. It was restored in the late 1990’s. The vault is still in the basement of the shopping center. It had a lovely cafe where I had my first coffee in weeks (decaf), Megan had a peach tea and we shared a delightful sausage rolls pastry. While we were in the shopping center looking around and eating, it rained outside and we were oblivious to it until we stepped back outside and noticed everything was wet, but the rain had subsided. Great timing. We found a grocery store and Megan found the bakery and enjoyed a HUGE pastry call a Melting Moment cookie. We walked a round a bit before heading back to the shuttle and then right back onto the ship. It was a wonderful day. So much history told with such enthusiasm and pride. So a couple of days ago I told you Ed Sheeran was in New Zealand performing. Ironically this morning we woke up and looked out our window right at the Sky Stadium where he performed. We had a lovely dinner tonight at the Main dining room tonight and received our daily report from the captain. There is a cold front approaching us with gale force winds. We will be traveling through the Cook Straits and are expecting swells of between 9 and 12 feet. Our first sea looks to the be the worst and then we will cross the Tasman Sea on our way to our next port of Sydney, Australia. We are scheduled to arrive there in three days. We set our clocks back another hour tonight, making us technically 18 hours ahead of our California friends and family (but it will still be easier for them to just minus four). I am tired after a long fulfilling day. Tummy is full, my heart is bursting with gratitude and joy, and the gentle (or not so gentle) rocking will lull me to sleep. Wishing you all precious dreams and a restful evenings sleep.

Gisborne, New Zealand

It’s was an early start day for us today. We were up with the sun and getting ready to go and meet the excursion group at 7:45am. Megan and I went on a bike tour today! We grabbed a quick breakfast in the Lido and then headed to the Main stage to meet our tour group and grab the tender off the ship. It was a smooth ride over to the pier and right at the end of pier we met our tour company The Gisborne Cycle Tour Company. We were all fitted with helmets, day glow green vests and our bikes and we were off on our adventure. Gisborne is such a beautiful area. It is the most easternly city in to the world. It is known as the the city “First to see the Sun”. As the sun rises first here before anywhere else in the world. We rode around the beach area and enjoyed what a day in the life is like here. It is Saturday so there are families just out and enjoying life. As was the same at our other New Zealand ports, there has been so much rain this entire summer. But today the sun was shining and you could tell everyone was so happy just to be enjoying a day outside in the beautiful weather. We rode our bikes around the Gisborne area and saw several local monuments, statues, and historical sites. We learned about the rich history of the Maori people who are indigenous to this area. There is over 50% Maori population here, the largest percentage in all of New Zealand. Spending the day here I can see why they would have chosen this area. After our fantastic bike tour we went to a restaurant right by the pier for drink and a snack. I had a delicious apple cider and Megan had a ginger beer. The young boy who waited on us must have been a family member of the owners and couldn’t have been more than 11 or 12 years old. It was weird ordering an alcoholic beverage from such a young man. We got to sit with Peter from the bike company and had a delightful conversation with him. After we returned our bikes, Megan and I walked into town a bit and found a local grocery store. We needed some crackers to go with the cheeses we picked up yesterday and Megan had a Cadbury ice cream bar. At this point of the day the sun was high, the temperature was rising and it was humid. So we decided it was best to head back to the ship. Since we were already dressed appropriately when we got back on the ship Megan suggested we go to the gym. She was excited to be able to try out the equipment without the intimidation of there being any passengers in there. We spent about an hour in there and got a good workout in. Then Megan decided she wanted to go play volleyball. I was pooped at this point so I opted to hit the showers. Before you knew it, it was time to head to the main dining room for dinner. After dinner this evening we had a cocktail party with some of the other guests, officers, and the captain. It was a really nice evening and we stayed and talk until almost 9:00pm. I think that is one of the latest evenings I have been up since we started our cruise. I am exhausted from our long day of fun, sun and fellowship. My heart is full with all the human connections and interactions I had today. I do live a relatively recluse life back at home. Maybe need to make some changes when I get back. But first, rest. Tomorrow is another port day and another adventure awaits us. Enjoy all the photos we took today!

Tauranga, New Zealand

I can not believe it has been a month that we have been on the ship already. Where does the time go? This morning we woke up in our second port on the northern part of New Zealand. I hit the gym early and got back to the cabin to get Megan up for breakfast. We didn’t have to meet our EXC tour group until 9:45 so we were able to take it slow this morning. Today we booked what we like to call a “foodie” day. Our excursion took us to multiple stops where we got to sample local food. Our tour guide Catherine was fantastic. She seems to know something personal about every place we ate and every person who had crafted the food we were eating. We heard about a 95 year old woman who makes the chutney we tasted and the and the couple who started the company called the Cheese Barn who teach mentally and physically handicapped youth their trade so they have a life skill. The stories we heard today we all so educational and heart warming. I will share with you some of the yummy things we ate today. We started at a coffee shop that is one of 13 coffee roasting shop in Tauranga, they REALLY love the coffee. The couple also have a knack for creating unique and delicious flavors of ice cream that I thought tasted more like gourmet gelato. We had a delicious New Zealand styled pastry as well. Enjoy that photo!! Our second stop was to Good Food Market where a table was set up so we could sample two types of local hot sauces, chutney, local cheese, sweet potato crisps, and Manuka honey. Megan and I purchased some tea, cheese, bagged crisps and two types of locally made Kombucha. Next, we went to a Meat pie shop where we all got to sample a minced meat pie and a custard pastry. They were both amazing and we learned about the art of making meat pies and the history of them here in New Zealand. Then, we went to an avocado orchard and actually met the man who grows the avocados. He told us all about how he grafts the avocado tree to other stronger local trees so that he can harvest sooner and the trees are so much larger. I can’t believe how many avocados one of his trees produce. He was so proud of his hard work and the land he is cultivating. His dog was a hoot and no matter how many times we threw that stick he always came back for more! While we were there in addition to avocados we got to try local Worcestershire, chocolate, pear vanilla chutney, and citrus marmalade. Lastly, we drove to one of the few beachside restaurants in the area. It had lovely view and fabulous food. Megan had the fish and crisp (chips; aka fries) and I had the seafood chowder that I am going to dream about until I make it or have it again. It was one of the best things I have eaten this entire trip. Yes, it was that good. If you are ever in the area make sure you stop by Maketu Beachside Cafe and Restaurant. I personally spoke to and gave my compliments to the chef!! There is also an adorable white cat out back that Megan got to pet for a good ten minutes. We got back to the ship shortly after 3:30pm and had a chance to unpack, unwind, get our laundry ready and get ready for dinner. Although, after eating all day I have to admit I wasn’t terribly hungry. But there was Peruvian Chicken on the menu and I can not miss that one. I also forgot to tell you last night was pear crisp and tonight it was rhubarb. I apologize for keeping you in suspense on that one. Also, a quick side story. Elton John was supposed to perform in Auckland this past Friday and our Uber driver had met a lovely lady from the states that had traveled half way around the world for his concert. Sadly, due to all the rain and flooding the concert was canceled. But the night we were there Ed Sheeran was in town and he performed. Oh how I wish our all aboard wasn’t at 5:30pm! Alright our tummies are full and I am glad that tomorrow’s excursion will help us to burn off today’s feeding frenzy. We are in for the evening. Megan is working on some homework, I am going to crochet and get ready for tomorrow’s adventures. We had rain forecast the last two ports and the weather God’s have blessed us with none. Hoping that luck continues as we travel along. Temperatures have also dropped considerably as we have traveled along this week. We are wearing jeans off the ship now instead of shorts it was about 70 degrees today. We really have only needed our sweatshirts when on the air conditioned buses. Today really reminded me of home. The beach, the weather, the salt air, and the crashing waves. Made me a little homesick, but I wouldn’t trade this opportunity for anything. I will be home in due time. Love and Hugs from across the world.

Auckland, New Zealand

Happy Groundhog Day from Auckland! It’s a little groundhog Day-ee for us as we went to visit the Auckland War Museum that we got to visit in 2020. We slept in a little this morning. The alarm went off at 7:30am and when we awoke we were already in port. A shout of to my friends on the 2023 World Cruise facebook page for the beautiful photo taken of the city lights very early this morning. The pilot boarded our ship at 4:30am to bring us in as we had to be settled in before the ferry pier next to us started their daily runs. We went to the lido for a light breakfast and then headed off on our adventure for the day. I had previously purchased a membership to the museum and made a reservation to see their special exhibit on Stonehenge. A quick Uber ride to the museum and that’s where we spent our entire day. When we were here previously, we only had about an hour and a half in the museum and today we spent 6 hours and still didn’t see it all. It was a super educational experience and Megan took lots of notes in her journal. There are several photos to share and I hope you enjoy seeing a small part of all the wonderful things we saw and learned today about the Maori, New Zealand culture and history. We Ubered back to the pier and were able to find postcards and stamps and a few more cans of Dr. Pepper for Megan. We also picked up some gifts and souvenirs as well. The shopping was plentiful for sure. We saw a couple from the ship coming back from the grocery store and they were pulling a collapsible wagon filled with their treasures for the day. They said they were shopping for a few passengers and it was an ingenious way to get around and not have to carry everything. By the time we got back on the ship we had time for a quick call home to Valerie and Mom and then it was time to get ready for dinner. We walked around a little after dinner and ran into Freddy and Bob and had a chance to talk and catch up with them. We also stopped by the spa to talk to Raquel. She works on the ship and is from Mexico and is fluent in Spanish. She agreed to meet Megan on the next sea day so they could crochet and work on Megan’s Spanish at the same time. A win win for both of them, I think. We are wrapping up our evening at home. I’m finishing my blog and thinking about what we need to get ready for our next adventure tomorrow in Tauranga, New Zealand. But you’ll have to wait to hear about it till them. Sweet dreams and good health to you all from about 6,400 miles away.

Top to Bottom Left to Right: The view at the wee early morning, the gift shop when you don’t want anything great (P.S. we found wonderful things at this shop but the name made us laugh), T Rex exhibit remind us of Night at the Museum, Egyptian Mummy and description plate, A historic Maori canoe, A touching area of the museum was dedicated to New Zealanders that had fought and died in several wars, and Cheese snacks from Indonesia and a Kiwi Lemonade because when in New Zealand….(they’re nicknamed Kiwi’s).

Sea Day

It was another wonderful day at sea. Filled with fabulous conversations and some extra personal time. Started my morning in the gym. Valerie was feeling 100% so she stayed home from school back in CA. But it gave me an opportunity to get to speak to her and catch up. She and I went through the mail that had been received back at home and got it all sorted. Then I headed back to the cabin to wake up Megan. We headed off to breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill. Next, I went to project Linus and Megan went off to Mahjong. I am happy to announce I have finished my fourth blanket and began my fifth today. I had a few compliments on the pattern I had used so Iw as able to get the Neptune lounge to print up a few copies of the pattern and I will bring it on our next sea day. Megan and I met back at the cabin and I got a jump start on my new blanket while she did her Math tutoring. I also had a chance to send some emails out and then head to the photo gallery and pick up the USB with all our photos to date on them (pictures to come as I still need to download them into my computer). Megan went off to Catan time at 3:00pm and I took advantage of some me time. A bubble bath and a self manicure rounded out my afternoon. We were off to dinner at 5:00pm in the main dining room. Tonight’s crisp was banana again and we were so happy. A great way for the ship to use up those less the pretty bananas and a delicious treat for us! After Regy brought us our desserts he came back to the table super excited to tell me that tonight’s ice cream flavor was Rocky Road. He remembered that mom’s favorite flavor was Rocky Road from the 2020 WC so we let him bring us a scoop and we ate it in mom’s honor!! What a memory he has. I was ready for bed by 7:00pm and Megan went out to play games with Gail and Marty till her 10:00pm curfew. Another wonderful sea day. Sometime it sounds monotonous typing the “we did the same thing again posts” but it is amazing sometimes how quickly a day goes by. Cause whenever you walk through the ship you always run into someone you know and more time then not a conversation ensues. Sometimes it can take me an hour just to run out to get a cup of tea depending on who I see along the way. It is so nice to be living in this little floating city where your friends are in the cabin “just down the hall”. Tomorrow we are going to wake up in Auckland, New Zealand. Sweet dreams to you all!!