13. Observations three.

We are now on the second part of a two day sea leg to Buenos Aires. As we head ever northwards, the temperature is rising and we are now comfortably into the mid 20's, the wind is dropping and the sea is becoming calmer.

Having been on board for 10 days now, I think we just about have the measure of the ship. As with all cruise ships and entertainment and facilities, Golden Princess has her good points and bad points.

We have been to see one or other of the shows most evenings. Generally, they are good, but if more cringeworthy, only last about 40 minutes so are not too much to bear. So far we have seen the house song and dance troupe, a Spanish singer, a comedian and a magician and a mixture of some or all of the above. There are a number of musical ensembles on board who cater for just about every taste. The trio who play music for ballroom dances in the Wheelhouse Bar most evenings are excellent, particularly so given that the pianist fell and tore ligaments in his ankle during the first stormy sea day and is hobbling around in a cast and with crutches, whilst (in keeping with our applying names to fellow travellers), Vladimir Putin has a nice sideline in playing percussion.

The main house band is a five piece from somewhere Spanish speaking and although they have a fairly wide repertoire, tend to play a lot in Spanish and Latin styles...great if you like Santana cover versions (which I do).

Regular readers might be asking "how are you doing in the casino?" Well, the answer is we haven't been. This is partly because there is only one roulette table and it is usually crowded with high rollers, and secondly part of the casino is, on most nights, a smoking area. In fact, it is one of the things that I dislike about the ship...one has no option other than to walk through a smokey casino in order to reach the theatre.

We have one very interesting lecturer on board. An ocean scientist by profession and employed by the U.S. Geological Survey, she has spoken with great authority on several marine related topics ranging from Shackleton's expeditions to whaling, from penguins to glaciers and with one regarding cartography yet to come.

We have had no complaints whatsoever regarding the quantity and quality of the food on board. This is the first cruise where we have opted for anytime dining rather than traditional dining at a fixed time. Occasionally we have had rather quiet tablemates, but generally the conversation and company has been pleasant enough although the same topics do tend to arise most evenings. Likewise the service except for one evening when it was particularly poor. Of course everyone can have an off day once in a while. Maybe that is where traditional dining wins over anytime....with traditional you get to know your waiter and they get to know you and you also form a stronger friendship with your dining companions.

This evening we have booked to eat at Sabatini's, one of the two speciality restaurants on board so I will report back in due course. We have also eaten at the Crown Grill, which is the other speciality restaurant but as that was just for a pub style fish and chips lunch, it hardly counts as a gastronomic extravaganza.

Before I close, just time to mention yesterday's nature moment...we sighted a whale spouting and then watched it's fin disappearing into the depths as we were having breakfast.