Well, today is Saturday and our final day at sea before the end of the cruise arrives. Honestly, we cannot believe it is over so quickly. Our parents have always said that time goes faster the older you get. Guess what? They were right. So most of the day was for saying goodbye to new and old friends and packing. The worst of it was accomplished yesterday, but that last minute stuff always takes time.
It was still warm with the temperature at 81 degrees and 85% humidity. We had fair winds of 15 mph and it appears they are following. The sea swell was a mere 2 feet, which meant it was far less rocky and much easier to pack. Captain Frank came on with the final noon time talk and agreed that we all have had a wonderful experience. He also mentioned the GWV farewell at 10am, and how proud he was of this crew. Oops….we missed the show because we failed to read the Daily newsletter in time. We are sure it was televised and will be shown on TV later today.
Anyway, Captain Frank said we were doing a speed of 18.5 knots and sailing on the north coast of Cuba on the portside. Working online with reports and photos from Cartagena, we happened to see bits and pieces of land in the distant horizon. The good thing by taking this route, the seas are much calmer. Tomorrow’s weather in Ft. Lauderdale sounded not quite perfect because rain is in the forecast. Our docking has been changed to Berth 19 and the Volendam should be in Port Everglades by 7am. Then the US Border and Immigrations officials will board the ship and conduct the required facial recognition in order to clear us.
We had our last room service lunch surrounded by a lot of luggage. It will go out after dinner tonight.
Dinner was good in the dining room, which came with another parade of the crew members. Always fun to watch, but we sure do miss the Baked Alaska Parade. In memory of those days, a mini Baked Alaska was offered for dessert….without the sparklers…. We each ordered the Westland salad, and a bowl of chicken noodle soup for one of us. It was the last chance to enjoy it. Entrees were the rack of lamb, very good we might add. Dessert was light with Jello. We seems to sleep a lot better without the sugary desserts these days.
We will be staying one night in Ft. Lauderdale, then fly home early Monday morning. So our group will be the last to go off by 9:30am or so.
Stay tuned….we will be back for a wrap-up once the dust settles. It has been a pleasure sharing our adventures with you all!
Bill & Mary Ann
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