This morning we got up at 6.30am, finished packing our suitcases and got ready to go downstairs to meet our group. I was a bit nervous that they might weigh our bags, but they never did. We hopped onto a shuttle bus at 8.00am that would take us to the port. Our tour manager, Ross told us a little bit about Greece, including the economic crisis that has been all over the media. I've heard a lot about it, but didn't realise that their pension has been cut by 50% and their wages by 30%. You've got to feel sorry for the Greeks and wonder how people are surviving. We were told that it's near impossible to own your own property and that is why families often live together on different levels of a house. The grandparents traditionally live on the bottom floor and thinking about it now I suppose that's so they don't have to climb any stairs. When we arrived at the port we took our bags off the shuttle. We had to put our suitcases on the conveyer belt outside, then walk into the building to have our photo taken and to go through a security check. Once we were through the security check the professional photographers quickly snapped our photo together. You can purchase them on board, but it's just against a plain blue background so think we will save our money. Our budget is starting to get a bit tighter as we come to the end of our trip so I'm just being a bit careful with what I buy. Our rooms weren't ready straight away so we were asked to assemble in the Can Can Lounge on level 5. Our tour manager very quickly ran through the optionals and provided little information, no written descriptions. Most of the optionals are at least €50 so we decided we would just pick one that we really wanted to do. We choose Santorini. The optional includes a visit to Oia Village which has cobble-stone streets and the beautiful white washed houses with blue shutters. This is the main reason I booked this tour so didn't want to miss out on this optional. We arrive at Santorini in the afternoon and are only given just over four hours there so I want to make the most of it. We were rushed to make a decision as he wanted to know exactly what we were doing then and there, even though other cruise passengers had until 4.00pm to decide so were kind of put on the spot. After filling out the necessary forms we were allowed to go to our rooms. Finding your room is like finding your way through a maze. Luckily for us we spotted a crew member carrying my suitcase to our room so were able to follow him. I wasn't too keen on leaving my suitcase initially, but they both arrived to our room as promised. We also had to hand over our passports prior to boarding. I wasn't too happy about this either, but from what I understand it's too ensure that you pay your bill on the boat. You are given a plastic, eftpos style card when you board. This can be used to put cash onto or you can link it to your credit card, as they don't accept either of these forms of payment on board. We decided to just use one and loaded €100 on it for both of us. All our meals are included, but drinks aren't. This is something we didn't realise. There has been a lot that we've had to find out as it happens, especially compared to our other tour that was so well organised. Our cabins are comfortable. We have a single bed each, desk and a small bathroom with a shower and toilet. At 10.45am there was a life boat drill. We had to put our life jackets on and meet up on the seventh level, outside. Our life boat is number 14. A lady put us into lines and then we were given a demonstration of how to correctly put on a life jacket. It took awhile as all of the instructions are given in three or four different languages. Once we had settled in we went for a walk around the ship. There are a couple of duty free shops, different restaurants and bars, as well as two small swimming pools surrounded by sun loungers. The swimming pools and sun loungers are all located on the top level. For lunch we walked up two levels to the forth floor for lunch. There are a couple of different restaurants on the boat where you can eat. We choose the buffet for lunch. I had a salad and a bread roll, then a huge plate of dessert. All of the tables seat six people so we were seated with people we didn't know. They were an Indian family with two young girls. They were really friendly and said that they now live in Kenya. We were talking about the optionals and they said that they were taking a bus transfer to Tsambika Beach in Rhodes on Wednesday. They told us that it is apparently ranked as one of the ten best beaches in the world. We decided that we might do this as well. There must be some reason it's so popular. It was reasonably cheap and we have a whole day at Rhodes to relax on the beach. After lunch we had a siesta. We have slotted into the Greek lifestyle of eating lots and then having a nap quite easily. When we woke up we went up to reception and booked our bus transfer for Rhodes. The ship docked at the port in Mykonos at 6.00pm. We caught a shuttle bus from the port into the centre of town. We wandered through the meandering streets, most of which don't have names, past the white washed buildings to the windmills. We tried to take some nice photos, but it was so windy that my hair kept blowing everywhere so we gave up. There are lots of cats in the town. I'm unsure if they're strays or if they belong to the shop owners. It's hard to tell, but they're all really friendly. Paul and I patted some of them. We bought a couple of postcards and then headed back to the cruise ship. You really only get a few hours on each island and it was a bit disappointing that we didn't arrive at Mykonos until early evening. I got a bit upset tonight. I think I'm just really home sick. I miss my family and my pets. I really miss NZ food too. I miss not having to live out of a suitcase and being able to sleep in my own bed. I would love to be able to cuddle up in my bed, under my duvet with Buttons and watch a movie. I even miss teaching and my kids, though not the paper work. I know I'm so close to going home, but it still feels like it's so far away.