Last night, we were entertained by live music from Phil Collins – except it wasn’t Phil Collins, it was a tribute act from a man called Rob Lewis. He was very good, all the same. We discovered Rob had appeared on ‘Stars in Their Eyes’, although it wasn’t mentioned if he won the competition or not.

We retired to our cabin and bed, as had an early start in the morning – our second port – Lisbon, Portugal. The port allowed us to really take in the size of our ship, Ventura – something we hadn’t really been able to until today.

The excursion took us through the Portuguese capital. I wasn’t too impressed with the sights, if I’m honest. There were few historical buildings, due to an earthquake a few hundred years ago, which destroyed the city.

Our coach drove us out of Lisbon, to a nearby town, which had a beautiful beach. We sat in the sun, alongside the sea and sand; taking in the surroundings and enjoying our first real experience of a traditional Mediterranean climate.

We arrived back at our port, along with what looked like every other passenger on the cruise – we had to queue for what seemed like ages while going through security. Reassuringly, the ship is very secure – maybe too much so – some small metal bits on my shorts set the metal detector off!

Our return to Ventura was well timed, as it started to rain. I hear there is a heat wave back home in England. Claire thinks we’ll be returning to find everyone tanned, while we’ll remain pale white.

Very tired, following our morning, we ordered room service – all free! This afternoon has been a much-needed chance to unwind. I think we will venture out later, catch a show and have another early night. Tomorrow’s trip, in Gibraltar, doesn’t start until late morning, so I will have chance to have a lie in – a luxury that I’ve missed since going on Honeymoon!

[Photos from the day]