This morning we embarked on our Ultimate Ship Tour. The tour is only offered to about a dozen passengers at a time and is only run when the sea conditions are suitable.
The tour takes about 3 hours and covers several areas that are definitely off limits to passengers . On our tour we saw the galley, mooring area, laundry, print room, photo room, food storerooms, food fridges, backstage of the theatre, the medical centre and the bridge.

 Highlights included having a sneak peek at tonight’s dinner being prepared down in the galley and spending about 20 minutes with the captain on the bridge – he showed us the radar/anti collision system and explained how the bridge is managed.
 
Some of the things we learnt included that each of our two anchors weigh 12 tonnes (and that’s without the huge chains), that the medical centre is able to deal with most/if not all medical emergencies (such as heart attack/stoke) and that we all eat way too much as such the ship will be restocked with more food in several upcoming ports (such as Singapore, Mumbai and Dubai)
As part of the tour we also got a bit of a goody bag – we got a fluffy bathrobe, kitchen apron, our own
stationary, photos from the tour and a photo frame. I think the whole experience was well worth the cost . 
The rest of the day was business as usual. I napped (it wasn’t a planned nap, it just happened) and mum went to choir practice. Since we had missed Zumba and trivia due to the ship tour we were at a bit of a loose end and decided to attend the white glove afternoon tea service (like we need more to eat!). Afternoon tea was relatively quiet as most of the passengers had gone to see ‘Dancing with Stripes’ which is a little like Dancing with the Stars except the stars are ship staff.
Tonight was another of the formal nights, followed by the ships ‘crossing the equator ceremony’ where
Pollywogs (people who haven’t crossed the equator by ship) are judged by King Neptune. Because we are on the late dinner sitting missed most of the ceremony, so I’m not sure what happened. However when we arrived there were a lot of people covered in chocolate sauce and other food stuffs. I can only assume that there was some kind of humiliation act involved in whole process. Everyone who
was involved in the ceremony looked to be having a good time, however one ship goer did have such a happy ending to their night.
We aren't sure what happened but one of the passengers had some kind of an accident just after the ceremony. Various medical staff were called and the person was tended to. It didn’t look as at one point in time there was a group of people with towels surrounding the person and a spinal board and neck brace appeared. Hopefully the person will be ok and will be able to continue their holiday.
Fun fact:The Crossing the Line ceremony is an initiation rite in various navies. The tradition is thought to
have originated as a test for seasoned sailors to ensure their ability to handle long rough seas.