He says: Today we did what's known in the cruise biz as 'scenic cruising'. This is when the boat slows down to a snail's pace so the passengers can enjoy the sights around them. In our case, it is Australia's Kimberly Coast. This area of Western Australia is full of tiny islands and landscapes that remind me of Arizona.

We saw a couple of whales off the side of the ship, bouncing in the waves. There were also a few dolphin sightings throughout the day. Over the last few days, Shauna and I had scoped out a great spot at the front of the ship to drag our chairs and relax without the noise of the ship's cover band playing The Black Eyed Peas "I've Got A Feeling" on repeat. However, on scenic cruising day our coveted spot was now full of purple haired seniors talking about last night's bingo game, all while taking in the sights.

We've actually met quite a few really nice people on board. My favorite from today was a man from Australia who's turning 78 next week. He had a Walt Disney pencil mustache and was wearing a t-shirt from one of the recent destinations he visited (side note - there are a lot of people on board who help the local economy of port destinations by buying t-shirts, hats, and other paraphernalia with the name of the port. I swear I've seen at least a dozen Broome, Australia turtlenecks in the last 24 hours). We all chatted about the basics (where are we from? Are we enjoying the cruise? Etc.) for a little while. We found out he's about to celebrate his 57th wedding anniversary and he's on his 42nd cruise with the Princess line. My favorite part was when Shauna and I thought the conversation was over, he would walk back over to us every two minutes with a new fact about the cruise or the area we're cruising in. E.g. "do you know that Australia is home to 35% of the world's uranium?" He was like a human wikipedia.

Our days on the ship have been very relaxing. We've had to get used to thinking of this portion of the trip as a "vacation" rather than the amazing race pace that we're used to. Tomorrow is another "sea" day, which means lazing around, but hopefully we'll still drag ourselves to the gym for a workout.

She says: I try to get up for the sunrise every morning and on our way into Broome yesterday, I saw a five foot long sea snake swimming alongside the ship. It was super gross. Two tough Aussie men said that scares them more than anything else. They said one little bite on the ear from that guy and you're a goner. I said I wasn't going to tell Matt, because we still have at least one snorkelling day yet, then as soon as I went back to our cabin, I was so excited, it's how I woke him up, showing him a photo of someone else's photo of the sea snake.

Princess Cruise's motto (which is repeated on the big screen TV on the pool deck, our daily schedules, and our stateroom TV over and over) is "escape completely". With no Internet access, endless hours of relaxation in the sun and nothing to do but read, snooze, eat and workout, we are feeling the escape. My back and neck are getting some good rest. I miss my massages, as the ones on the ship are over $150 for 30 minutes. Hopefully, I'll find one at the next port.

Since even before we boarded the ship, we've been mistaken for crew. We quickly learned that's because we're a good thirty years younger than the next youngest passenger aboard. Other passengers are constantly asking us questions (i.e. "Which way to the bathroom?") and we must look like the laziest, least motivated Princess employees of all time.