During our walk this morning, we found that the remaining narrow ceiling panels had been removed from the lower promenade deck. Most of the perforated metal strips were so rusted that they were fallen down in pieces anyway. The pipes and drains on the opposite side have been repaired or replaced, and the insulated pipes have been heavily painted white. It looks 100% better, and by keeping it open, fixing leaks should be a breeze now. In fact, there should be no more leaks for a long time.
Kainoa talked about the history of the hula at 10am, followed by Charlie U continuing his talk about Charles Darwin. Hard to cover such a fascinating subject in a couple of days, but he kept it interesting.
We spent probably the last day at the aft pool, literally holding on to our lounges as the wind whipped around us. Occasionally, the pool water drifted over our heads, and for a while, it felt good. Only the serious outdoor folks were out there today. One gal we know from Southern California mentioned she might have to tie herself down with bungee cords. She certainly has the towels secured with those cute clips from a famous bed and bath store. In order to get our suitcases down in weight before we left home, our clips had to be left behind.
At 3pm, there was the traditional Indonesian Crew Show in the Queens Lounge. We had to squeeze in the back door on deck five to see some of it. Lots of crew members had snuck in there to watch their buddies on the stage. Just about everyone was in there, which is nice for the crew. They really put a lot of work into this performance, practicing on their own free time. Normally, they use the free time to sleep in between shifts. So we all appreciated their effort.
We ordered room service Caesar salads and a chicken sandwich to share. Our order was complete and very good. Since it was so cloudy and threatening rain, we stayed inside to watch a movie, The Duel. Once again, it was a western and at times, brutal. Glad we did not live back in those pioneer days. Took a hearty breed of folks to survive.
Our travel group met in the Piano Bar at 7pm for a farewell party, hosted by Tom M. Since there were only about 20 of us, we fit comfortably in the smaller venue. This was nice for a change, as we are always in the Explorer's Lounge on the world cruise. Hard to visit with so many guests. Tonight, a very nice single lady from southern California asked to join us. During our conversation, we discovered we had things in common, such as our previous travel agency that no longer exists. We had drinks of our choice, and trays of never-ending appetizers of caviar, shrimps, quiche, and pate.
Dinner followed and we ordered one fish and chips, and one Asian chicken meal. They had run out of the Asian noodles, and substituted linguine instead. It worked fine. As always, we all go silent when the sweet treats arrive. We get lost in the sugar rush. Obviously, we are going to miss this too, as we do not do dessert at home.
There was a variety show tonight: Bettine Clemen, the flautist, and Garry and Janine Carson, the Vegas magic and comedy act. Trying to stay up for it.
Back at our room, we had received our disembarkation package with one customs form and luggage tags. We have the option of getting off from 8am to 9:20am, or whenever we get cleared from the local authorities. That should not be a problem, since most everyone is disembarking tomorrow, as this is the end of the Tales of the South Pacific. There are a few folks continuing on back to Hawaii, and some will stay on through the world cruise.
Anyway, guess it is time to start the packing…………
Bill & Mary Ann
No sunset tonight
Rain may be on the forecast
Dramatic skies
Will have to look for the super moon tonight
Will be hiding up there
Ominous
Slight tinge of the sunset
That was it
Cocktail party in the Piano Bar
Cheers once again
Tom M with guests
Tom giving his farewell talk……eat good, think thin!
