Force 7/8 today, too windy to be able to use the Promenade deck, so no mile walk today, I did my washing instead. Not too bad in the Individual Quiz, but didn't win. We're now being trounced in the Battle of the Sexes. One round was all about celebrities and we lost that! The ship is now fully staffed, as the Indian crew that should have joined in Southampton finally boarded yesterday. This meant that Cafe Bordeaux finally opened, so we had lunch there. I h...

Up at 8 today, we had already docked. Breakfast then a mile walk. Countryside tour and cheese and wine tasting at 9.45. We drove through Ponta Delgada and into the countryside. Very green and lots of cows everywhere. The Azores apparently provide over 35% of Portugal's dairy produce. We stopped off in Sete Cidades to look at a small church, St. Nicholas. The Christmas decorations were still up, as indeed they were all over the island. One of the decoration...

Much more sea movement overnight. Walked a mile after breakfast. Only scored 13/20 in Individual Quiz, and it was Geography today!! The men clawed back 2 points in the Battle of the Sexes, it should have been evens, but she disallowed a shouted answer. The weather is getting cooler again and the deck quoits competition was really cold again. I went back to my cabin half way through and grabbed my coat. It will be so nice to play in the Caribbean. I made ...

Fairly good nights sleep. Weather still cool. Walked a mile after breakfast. Came second in individual quiz, one better than yesterday! The shop has introduced the 2013 World Cruise gear today. I bought a t-shirt and mug. Then off to the Battle of the Sexes day two. The men are now losing by three points. After lunch I took part in the deck quoits competition. I lost in the first round, but Yvonne was in the winning team. The weather was freezing cold ...

Today was our first full day at sea. I slept quite well last night. There is a definite movement of the ship, which is noticeable almost all the time, even in bed. It's not unpleasant. The ship is travelling quite slowly, about 15 knots per hour. After breakfast I walked a mile around the Promenade deck, it was really cool and quite damp. During the morning I came third in the individual quiz (on the Royals) and joined in the Battle of the Sexes quiz, honours ...