6. Initial observations.

Golden Princess is noticeably smaller than her sister ship the Emerald Princess which we were aboard earlier in the year. However, all the usual Princess public rooms are present and the overall layout is very familiar. We are still working our way around the various amenities but perhaps the highlight thus far is the Star Wars themed Skywalkers lounge, a futuristic looking bar/observation lounge by day and nightclub after sundown. It is situated high up at the very stern of the ship and affords 360 degree panoramic views.

This trip is the first one where we have opted for anytime dining as opposed to fixed seating traditional dining. For our first evening we were seated with a couple from Tennessee and a couple from California, all were pleasant enough. I am a little apprehensive that we will end up having the same evening conversations a dozen or so times, but we can always make reservations for a table for two or at the speciality restaurants during the voyage.

In terms of demographics, the passenger manifest is also very different to what we have experienced previously. All age groups are well represented from toddlers to teens and from honeymooners to shufflers and the average age must be 45-55. I would also estimate that perhaps a third of our fellow travellers are Spanish speaking, but whether they are South American or Mexican/Spanish/Hispanic, remains to be seen. What is clear though is that many of them are families taking their children on a break over the Christmas holidays.

Other everyday things are also different here in the Southern Hemisphere. The water really does go down the plug hole the "other way". The night sky is also unusual , for example, the familiar shape of Orion appears upside down!

Throughout the day, there has been a 3-5 metre swell running and so (in nautical terms), there has been some movement of the ship, but this is expected to lessen tomorrow.