Waterfall on Dusky Sound

Today was a cruise day plus. HAL opened the bow to everyone so that we could watch the scenery. It was cool outside. It started out clear with little wisps of fog hanging in the hills. We cruised around Dusky Sound and took a few photos of the steep hillsides and waterfalls. Once out of the sound the wind really picked up and the ocean was boiling. The captain decided that it was not safe to cruise the Doubtful Sound and Milford Sound. I was disappointed because I have heard a lot about Milford Sound and how spectacular it is. So we hunkered down by reading, sleeping and eating. We both had on sea sick patches. Ann was a bit wobbly so she skipped dinner and the show. The show tonight was Chris Hamilton, a piano showman. I enjoyed it

There is not much to report on a sea day. We saw a lot of ocean but no other ships. It was a windy and rough day. Our stateroom was relatively stable on Deck 4. The Bensons and Matutes on Deck 8 were rolling much more. ​

We had breakfast in the dining room and attended a cooking show called "A Taste of New Zealand". Ann went to a didgeridoo demonstration while I visited the gym for a brief spin on a stationary bike. Other than that, our time was spent by reading, napping and eating. The show tonight was the comedy and vocal impressions of Jonathan Clark. ​

It was really rough last night with lots of rolling, lurching and noise. We were warned that crossing the Tasman Sea could be exciting and it was. ​

We decided to eat breakfast on the Lido Deck at the buffet. We had a light meal because we were invited to a special Mariners lunch at 11:00. Every cruise has events to honor members of the Mariners Society loyalty program. We are two-star Mariners so our reward is a lunch with champagne. Members with more stars get more perks. For example, the Matutes who are five-star members have free laundry and half-price wine packages. ​

After lunch we went to a cooking demonstration in the Culinary Arts Center about making cold soup. I have a couple of recipes that I am going to try. After the cooking show, we stayed in our same chairs while the arts center magically changed its name to the Queen's Lounge. Kelly, the staff naturalist, gave a talk on the wildlife in Australia. ​

We had our vodka and tonics at Happy Hour and joined our shipmates at dinner. Afterwards we went to the Vista Lounge for the evening's show called "All for Love" put on by the ship's cast. We had to leave because of coughing and loud music. It seems that a virus or a bad cold is making its rounds on the ship. There were plenty of places to sterilize our hands with Prell dispensers, but that didn't stop the pesky illness from spreading.