Scenic Cruising down the Italian Coast

It's Thursday, our first full day at sea, and it's going to be a scenic one. I'm up at 6am, and as I wander to the balcony, I'm presented with a spectacular sight. Right off the starboard side of the ship, the volcanic island of Stromboli is sliding by. I wake up the Mrs. Z, and we sit and take it all in.

At 9:30, we head up to the open deck above the bridge. We'll be transiting the Strait of Messina, and our port lecturer, Joe May, will be narrating our transit. The Strait is only a mile and a half wide at its' narrowest point, so it should be beautiful scenic cruising.

We're not disappointed. The seas are calm and the sky is blue as we pick up our pilot and glide between Calabria and Messina.

What a great day! We even spot a pod of porpoises cavorting near the ship.

Off to the spa. The Lotus Pool is deserted, and the current machine is working, so we spend a lot of time swimming. We utilize the thermal suite, then head to lunch.

TIP: A lot of people wonder about the Caribe deck balconies (half shade/half open) which I've already described. Another thing to note is the Dolphin deck balconies, below us. These are mini-suites, but the balcony is smaller than on Caribe, and fully exposed to both the sun and the eyes of those above.

Today, we choose Prego Pizzaria, where I overindulge in two slices. Then, our ritual cappuccino in the International Cafe. As we're sitting, sipping our coffee, a server comes around with fresh warm cookies, right out of the oven. Mmmmmmmm.

Tonight is formal night, so we head back to the room to dress. We head down to dinner, but I'm feeling a bit out of sorts, and nothing on the dining room menu seems to appeal to me. We head to the Horizon Court instead, but nothing seems to whet my appetite there either. Hmmm. DW enjoys some dinner at the buffet, and then we head back the room, where I make an early night of it. When we arrive at our cabin, our stateroom attendant has left a sheet of paper for us....it's a health advisory, reminding us to wash our hands and use the sanitizers.

Tomorrow.......doooooooom.