Got up at 7.30am and went out onto our balcony, where the weather was warm and sultry and the sun was already quite hot. Today would be our last full day at sea before reaching our first port of call tomorrow.

As today was Hallowe'en, which is celebrated much more in the USA than it is at home, many passengers had adorned the doors of their cabins with paper decorations depicting ghosts, black cats, witches and pumpkins. Before leaving home I'd assembled a great "Grim Reaper" costume consisting of skull mask, long black velvet hooded cloak and big scythe.

However, when we were reading the Celebrity Cruises "FAQs" and what-to-bring-on-your-voyage bumf on their web site, we came across a notice saying that there was a code of conduct in the interests of all passengers and, as such, strictly no fancy dress. Its exact words say:

NOVELTY CLOTHING

We don't want to dampen your spirit, but for the comfort and enjoyment of all guests, please leave any costumes, fancy dress, garments with potentially offensive language, and other novelty clothing at home. We reserve the right to deny embarkation to persons dressed inappropriately and to ask them to change if on board.

We thought this was a very strange thing to stipulate, particularly as some cruise lines encourage dressing up, and we've enjoyed some great themed parties in the past, such as 1920s themed parties, masquerade balls, British nights, nautical evenings and tropical nights to name but a few. In light of this rule, then, I left my Grim Reaper costume behind.

At 9.30am we adjourned to the Sky Lounge to meet Kendal, Janet, Frank and Norm for the Brain Waker Trivia quiz, which we won once again, getting another wrist band to add to our collection! We joked that the other teams would think it was a fix or something!

After the quiz we returned to 8166 where Trevor spent some time reading and relaxing on the balcony while I caught up with some of this blog.

We then went back out on deck where the weather was fantastic, hot and sunny just as we'd anticipated, with a tantalising sea breeze. It was after 11.00am now, so time for a freezing cold beer.

Back inside we wandered through the arcade and looked to see what "bargains" they had in the shops. There was a $10 event where a selection of items were all reduced to ten bucks each, things like scarves, purses, bags, costume jewellery etc. I spotted some nice little charms featuring Swarovski crystals which were half-price; one of them was a ship's wheel and the other was a small medallion proclaiming "Live..Love..Cruise". I couldn't resist them and bought them, hanging them onto my bracelet straight away.

At lunchtime we grabbed ourselves a light meal of cold meats and salad and sat out at the stern to eat them, each washing our lunch down with a cold bottle of Samuel Adams beer. Then we went and sat on bar stools by the pool bar; I was tempted to change into my cossie and got for a dip, but the pool was quite crowded and we enjoyed the people watching instead, especially as one couple kept getting up and dancing to the Latin music that was playing in the background.

Thus we passed the time so pleasantly in the way I'll never tire of; sitting on the decks, looking at the blue Pacific Ocean, feeling the sea breeze ruffling our hair and just feeling so privileged to be here and so glad to be alive.

At quarter past two we did the usual, and made our way to the Sky Lounge to take part in the Music trivia quiz. Once again our team won!

The music quiz was followed by the ballroom dance class and this time it featured the cha cha cha. Trevor and I were quick onto the dance floor, right at the front where we had a good view of the instructors. The dance class lasted for 30 minutes and was very lively, with lots of practice and lots of dancing, so we worked up a good thirst and got a drink each to last us through the next quiz, the Progressive Trivia, at 3.30pm.

When the quiz host put the leader board of all the teams taking part in the Progressive Trivia so far, we saw that "It's Only A Game" was in the lead. Yay!

After the quiz we went along to the small cinema/lecture theatre on Deck 4 to listen to a presentation about Lord Horatio Nelson, England's most famous admiral, and the various battles he participated in leading up to the Battle of Trafalgar. I had to leave about 10 minutes before the end of the hour-long lecture to get washed and changed and ready for dinner at 5.45pm.

As we made our way to the restaurant, I was most surprised to see that, contrary to what was published on the Celebrity web site (see above) regarding fancy dress, many people we, in fact, dressed in Hallowe'en costumes, some of them quite elaborate. I could have brought my Grim Reaper costume after all!

Instead, I just wore a black and red patterned dress and nude-coloured high-heel sling backs, and looked with envy at those in their fantastic costumes.

When we came out of the dining room we passed by the Guest Relations desk, and I determined to ask them for their definition of "fancy dress", seeing as they said one thing on their web site but practised another. Most of the people on the guest relations desk were surprised at my question, and weren't aware of any notices on the web site advising not to bring fancy dress. Eventually one of them apologised for the "misunderstanding" and said they'd send a bottle of prosecco to our cabin as a goodwill gesture. So all was not lost.

The show tonight was certainly something different; he was billed a Randy Cabral who "brings a highly interactive brand of comedy that is fast paced, funny and flexible". We would have called him a "juggler" but perhaps that alone wouldn't have done him justice, because he was absolutely brilliant, very dexterous, funny and highly entertaining. We'd certainly never seen anything like him on any other cruise.

After the show we went along to watch the Hallowe'en Costume Parade (in which I could have taken part!) but the place was crowded and nowhere could I get a good vantage point. We therefore went to the casino bar and got a drink to take back to our stateroom to drink on the balcony.

It was lovely out on the balcony; the air was warm and sultry and the sounds of the sea, washing along the side of the Celebrity Eclipse, were hypnotic. We sat outside for about half an hour then got washed and ready for bed, and settled down for the night.

Tomorrow we were due to reach Hilo, in the "Big Island" of Hawai'I, and we slept well.