At sea en route to Melbourne

The Chef
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We had a leisurely start to the day. Jack had ordered room service breakfast which came soon after 8, but he was very impressed with the quantity supplied, so he joined us all for the buffet breakfast. The food was good: Peter found the omelette bar where they create your perfect omelette to order.

After breakfast, David went back to bed, Jack went off to "The Loft" which is where the teenagers have their own activities. Peter, Tim & Sarah went on a tour of the kitchens and then to a cooking demonstration by the head chef. This was fun as it was like a cooking show on TV, but with the smell and samples to taste. They had the chef in front of us, but big screens to either side with close-ups of what he was doing.

David the Chocoholic
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After lunch, we sat around, watching the sea birds skim over the waves. We saw a pod of dolphins but they only appeared for a few seconds. We played chess on a large chessboard beside one of the pools, then played some shuffleboard and ping pong. Jack has become very independent so we only see him every now & then, but the other two (once David had woken up) stayed reasonably close.

In the afternoon, David, Tim & Sarah went to a "mixology" class where we were taught how to mix three different cocktails. Then we decided that food would be a good idea, so we had an early dinner. Tonight was formal night but as we hadn't brought black tie, we skipped the formal restaurants and ate at the buffet. As the proud possessor of a dinner jacket, David was complaining bitterly that I hadn't allowed him to bring it so he could have gone formal.

After dinner, the boys went swimming and then we retreated to our state rooms to watch a DVD and have an early night. Jack decided to go back to the Loft and Peter & David squished into our bed since they wanted to watch the movie too.

During the day, the ship had cruised south along the east coast, then turned south-west and finally west into Bass Strait. Here we got in the Roaring Forties and the wind and the swell increased. With a ship this size, you couldn't really feel the motion but looking out the windows, we could see the swell and the spray coming past. Having been out of sight of land for most of the day, we could finally make out some land on the starboard bow.

After the movie, David decided his chocolate levels were getting a bit low, so he ordered chocolate cake on room service. Then we sent him to get Jack since we wanted him back before we went to sleep. Once Jack found out about the cake, of course he had to order some too!