Well, we never thought we would be able to say it was a chilly day, but when we went outside on this fine, sunny morning, we were chilled in no time. Even though we are sailing in a northwesterly direction off of the coast of Baja California, we must have picked up a different current that carries cooler waters. Gone are the balmy days and nights with high humidity that makes us hot and sticky. That part, we will miss somewhat. Where we live, we can still get hot days, but the evenings usually cool off for comfortable nights.
Not a whole lot was happening today, except the regular activities that keep most folks busy during the day. Since all of our luggage will go out in the hall before midnight, we had to finish up the last of the packing. We had decided a long time ago that we would not take anything but our hand carrys on the plane. So it was necessary to separate the liquids and sharp items to be stashed in the Fed Ex bags. Most all of the toiletries we had originally brought with us are gone. It has taken several of these long trips and many lists to get it close to correct.
Hoping to get some fresh air and sun, we went to the aft deck for a short time. Short, because it was windy and cool. If you wanted to stay on the lounges, you needed to use many towels under you. The wind blew right through the mesh, so it did not work for long. The few folks that were out there with swimsuits on were in denial for sure. We went back to the room, and watched a good movie, about a little boy who mysteriously appeared to a childless couple with some strange qualities.
At 3pm, there was another Indonesian Crew Show held in the Queens Lounge. We don't think anyone missed it. And it was just as good as the one they performed on the world cruise. Nice to see the pride in their culture from these gals and guys we have come to know so well. Of course, a special drink, a Rasa Sayang, was served in a souvenier glass for $9.75 during the performance.
Our cruise director, Gene, gave a disembarkation farewell reception in the Queens Lounge at 7pm for those of us who are headed home tomorrow. Even though we did not go, we suspect it was like all other disembark talks we have attended in the past. Basically, he tells you all the same things that the detailed letter sent to us says......only with some humor mixed in for good measure. The most important thing is that everyone needs to attend the Border Protection Inspection beginning at 7am. All the non-US citizens will be seen on the ship, while the US citizens will be checked in the cruise terminal. Once that is done, if everyone co-operates, then disembarkation should begin by 9:30am. A few years ago, some passengers did not respond to the urgent calls to see the officials, thus delaying the departure of guests who had early flights. Very frustrating when you are waiting to leave. It has been mentioned that there should be a fine for not responding as required, but so far, it has not happened. We simply hope that the message for this inspection has been delivered so everyone can understand the importance.
Dinnertime was good as usual. Some of our favorite items were on the menu, as well as roasted chicken. Noticing that another entree had tempura onion rings, we added a plate of those to our order. The best part of dinner, however, was the apple strudel with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. Bet we will be thinking about this dessert tomorrow when we are at home with no dessert. Darn......
The Dancing with the Stars at Sea had their finale tonight at 9:30pm. Six finalists were competing for the one spot that may or may not earn them a free cruise if chosen the winner. It is a fleet-wide contest, so the competition probably gets extreme at that point. We could have gone to see the show, but we knew we had those heavy pieces of luggage to haul out of the room. We did not want to wait too long, because there may not be a lot of room outside to leave it. Our neighbors on both sides of us are also leaving, so space may be limited.
The Cruise Log was waiting for us on our bed tonight. It stated that the total distance we have traveled since leaving Ft. Lauderdale will be 5203 statute miles when we land in San Diego tomorrow. Added to the 40,000 plus miles we have already traveled, well, it's a long, long ways. And will surely give us plenty to talk about for the remainder of this year......at least until our next adventure.
Thanks for following along with us. It has been a pleasure, and when we get home and somewhat settled, we will give our final thoughts about this world cruise. So stay tuned, and adios for now.
