AIDA Southeast Asia 2014 · Page 4

Day 4 / 28 degrees

Finally a lie-in. At 10 a.m. we were woken by the captain's announcements and could still make the late breakfast.

At breakfast the theatre manager (Oliver Utecht) and the photo manager (Dominic Huber) joined us, and we had a super nice chat with the two of them.

Then we went to the pool deck to relax. What we noticed on the Aura was that you could still get free loungers even later in the day. Crew members checked and prevented people from reserving them.

Dear AIDA crew, thank you very much for this positive approach. Many guests will thank you for it.

The weather was very humid and oppressive. We got a little cooling from the wind and a short, warm shower. The day was very relaxing and this time didn't end in our second home, but at the party on the pool deck.

The AIDA show ensemble put on a great show, still at 27 degrees.

Day 5 / 28 degrees

Pitti's birthday and one hour less sleep. As we were now sailing through the Strait of Malacca and passing close to Singapore, we also crossed into a new time zone: +1 hour, making it +7 hours compared with Germany.

We had breakfast in the Rossini restaurant. Anja and Matthias had invited us on Petra's special day, and it was a real highlight. The food is freshly prepared to order and served at the table. Of course the waiters knew about the birthday and came with a birthday cake.

One piece as dessert, and we were completely full. When we got back to our cabin, the next little birthday surprise was waiting: a present from the club director, a nicely decorated room and a birthday card.

After a lovely morning on the sun deck, we went to the market restaurant at 12 noon, where the next surprise was waiting for Petra: Sabine and Hajo had ordered a birthday cake for her, which was presented personally by the restaurant manager.

It was a very cake-filled day, so the afternoon was all about relaxing on the pool deck. Well, almost – there was also 60 minutes of indoor cycling, which was a must for me.

In the evening, after the AIDA Bar and our by now traditional cocktails, we watched our first theatre show. Our laughter muscles were put to the test by the comedian Thorsten Bär. His show "Death Ride to Honolulu" is a real scream. We laughed throughout the 60-minute performance – a super show.