There’s plenty to do on board Voyager. After breakfast at Le Veranda on Deck 11 (sophisticated, waiter-assisted buffet) we queued for a short time in the Horizon Lounge on Deck 5 to fill out New Zealand immigration papers – much more civilised doing it on board, and in advance of our first scheduled landfall, Timaru. Every morning there’s a choice of activities such as stretch classes, cardio, bridge, maj jongg, and various lectures – I attended a fascinating talk by Ken Levine, one of the talented scriptwriting duo (with David Isaacs) responsible for MASH, Cheers and other world-famous TV shows. He was extremely entertaining and it was a pleasure to find out more about his action-packed and very prolific career in broadcasting.

A Turkish-themed lunch was served at the Pool Grill – fresh and delicious. Voyager has 7 restaurants and cafes: Compass Rose, the main dining room; Le Veranda Buffet; reservation-only Prime 7 and Signatures; Coffee Connection; Pool Grill; and Horizon Lounge for afternoon tea. Bars include the Pool Bar, Horizon Lounge, Observation Lounge, Voyager Lounge and (my favourite) the Connoisseur Club, where friendly smokers (and even the occasional non-smokers) congregate.

After dinner at Compass Rose with two ladies from San Antonio, Texas, we went to the Constellation Theatre to see Syd Heylen, an Australian comedian (and sometime juggler). He was very funny and it occurred to us afterwards that not one F-word had passed his lips, which just goes to show that swearing is not essential for good stand-up.