A day at sea provided a much needed break from shore activities. Kay was up early, dressed, and headed for the pool deck to “reserve “ a couple of lounges in the shade. She had had two cups of coffee and was eating breakfast on the aft deck where I joined her after filling an insulated cup with strong coffee, followed by a lite breakfast of mueslis and dried fruit. The warm breeze was refreshing—nothing like having coffee and breakfast outside.

Changing into swimsuits and armed with beach towels, we found the two prime “reserved” chaise lounges in a shaded area close to poolside filled with Pacific breezes. Reading and soaking in the hot tub filled our morning before a lite lunch, and then, nap time!

We joined a couple from Dallas, Don and Marianne, for dinner and visiting about trips, birds, butterflies, etc. The featured show tonight was Carole’s Kings, good but not up to their performance earlier in the week. Interestingly, each of the three young men had performed on Broadway. After dinner, we joined a crowded lounge for drinks and listening to Leo Jostol, a very talented singer and guitar player. He does everything from oldie goldies to jazz, and has attracted quite a following on this cruise.

We have met some very interesting people this past week. Americans are definitely in the minority, and there are few young people and even fewer children—the average age is reportedly 64 years. The largest segment of the cruise population is comprised of Asians, followed by Canadians, the US, UK, other Europeans, and Aussies.  The vast majority of passengers have beverage packages and can really consume the alcohol; we don’t hold a candle. One must be patient as there are lots of lines, sauntering in the food and beverage lines, stopping and talking in doorways, aisles, and stair landings, abruptly stopping in the dining areas, etc. Kay makes sure the filter between my brain and mouth is in place before coming into contact with people! And, it’s quite loud and noisy—old people can’t hear.