Weather - Overcast with showers in the morning, expected to clear late morning. Temp 13-23C
We apparently experienced quite rough seas overnight. Not that we noticed (must have been that nightcap). When we awoke it was quite calm as we were just entering Milford Sound. The scenery is just beautiful as we are cruising really close to land with hundreds of waterfalls on both sides of the ship, not to mention the snow capped peaks. The rain stayed away long enough for us to pop out on the balcony and take lots ago photos, so when it started to drizzle we headed to the dining room for breakfast. We sat at a window table & were able to see everything whilst we ate. The ship has just left the first sound so briefly back at sea before entering the next (Doubtful) sound. The only thing missing at present is the sunshine ..... but if it doesn't clear we will have another opportunity when we head back down this way on our land tour in approx 3 weeks.
We are currently up on Deck 17 in Skywalkers Lounge Nightclub (used for general seating/viewing during the day). As well as fantastic views from inside, it also has a great outside observation deck which is a little cool at present, so we have our cameras, books etc in a great location near the outside door where we can pop outside quickly when photo opportunities arise. Now just waiting for that elusive sunshine to arrive.
Well the sunshine did not arrive, so we headed back to our stateroom balcony and took some more photos before the drizzle began again. We then decided to have lunch ..... And yes, as we were eating, the sun came out and we could see the amazing views from the dining room. As luck would have it, by the time we returned to our stateroom and grabbed our cameras, the sun had gone and it was freezing cold outside. However, as the saying goes ..... "All good things come to those who wait" .... as we came into Dusky Sounds and the sun came out! We have taken lots of photos from our balcony with the TV tuned to the camera channel which has live commentary of the area we are in. After a long time on the balcony, with jackets on, the time has come to open a bottle of warming red to get the circulation flowing. No more wine for Mike though, he just called me outside to say there were seals on the rocks ...... On close inspection they were actually sea weed! Although it has been a little cold and wet at times, the balcony has been wonderful. As soon as we spot something photogenic we can just grab our cameras and walk outside. Much easier than getting properly dressed & heading to an outside deck.
Tonight is our second formal night & Captains cocktail party, so will need a little extra time to turn the mutton into lamb! Not that we go over the top, but Mike wears a suit & tie and I wear a long skirt & dressy top. I even try to glam up the hair & makeup. If you don't want to participate in formal nights all you need to do is just dress casual & go to the buffet or one of the informal dining venues.
Once again we went to the 7pm show in the Princess Theatre. Tonight was a different song and dance production from the princess singers and dancers. Very entertaining and better than expected. The shows on this cruise are definitely better quality than those on previous cruises. So far they have all been different on the 8 nights we have been onboard. We then went to dinner at The Savoy again (this has become our favourite restaurant) and had a seafood extravaganza. Firstly was salmon & crawfish tails, then a seafood chowder, followed by tandoori prawns .... one word .... YUM! We also had a nice bottle of Riesling. Then off to the Crooners Bar again to watch & listen to Dan Hodge sing songs from famous musicals. We left around 11pm and would you believe it is still daylight? The sun was shining until around 10.15pm.
We are getting to Dunedin at 9am tomorrow (Saturday) morning so I want to have my 3 days worth of blogs all ready to post when we find some free Internet service. I also intend purchasing a NZ SIM so I can use my iPhone.
I have added some random photos, mostly of the Milford & Dusky Sounds but not in what order they will appear.
More in a day or so.
Addit: Remember the section where I said Mike had thought he saw seals? Well time to eat humble pie! He just downloaded the pics onto his IPad ....... and sure enough ..... lots of seals on the rocks. Maybe it should be me banned from more wine :)
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