On Deck for a Cause was held at 10am, with another 5K non-competitive walk on the lower promenade deck. They raise money for six international cancer organizations, and the walkers get a complimentary t-shirt for their donation. If it wasn't so cold outside, they may have had a bigger turnout. Of course, we think this was the third walk since we boarded in Seattle back in September. Many folks had already been there and done that. We did enjoy the music that was played during the walk, which lasted until 11:30am. They tend to play tunes from the 60's and 70's, which we remember well.
The hallways were full of guests lugging their stuffed suitcases down to deck three. There is a scale outside the Head Housekeeper's office, so many people took advantage of it. It would be nice if these scales were on each passenger deck, saving the people from using the elevators. One fellow jokingly told us that he wished he could flush his extra stuff down the toilet. At least we think he was joking….. We always bring our handheld digital luggage scale, which works well if the ship is not moving a whole lot. You need to take an average of several readings, since the scale varies at least a pound over or under.
We forgot to mention that we went to the final farewell champagne show in the Queens Lounge yesterday. Always sad to say goodbye, but the new video that is shown with the crew and staff is hysterically funny. The first time we saw it on the world cruise this year, we really had a good laugh. This clip was a mix of the original, and definitely shots from this particular cruise. Ended on a really high note. There is no more disembarkation talk…..just documents sent to your room a couple of days ago. Directions were given for putting our luggage out before midnight this evening, what we need to pack and what we need to keep in hand carrys, and the ID and keyroom card we will need to check out. The customs form was included in the envelope. Disembarkation times were listed according to the colored luggage tags. If all goes well with getting cleared with the local officials, disembarking will begin at 8am. That usually never happens that early, but there is always a first time.
Packing did not take too long, as we had brought the minimum of stuff this trip. Finally got the clothes down to a small amount. With complimentary laundry and a one to two day turn-around, we never ran out of anything. Sure love that perk. Just a reminder, it really helped having brought pre-spotter with us, as the laundry has not always gotten some spots out. Modern detergents used here are not quite as strong as what we use at home. Fruit extracts are used in the dry cleaning machines….not toxic, but not as good either.
We took the time to secure our table for the 2017 world cruise while we are still onboard. Philip, the dining room manager, gladly took our request for us and all of our tablemates. He even put it in writing, and delivered it to our room within an hour or so. He even secured it for the 2018 world cruise, since we have that deposited on record too.
At 2pm, we watched a room movie, The Legend of Tarzan. It was pretty entertaining, and not at all what we had expected. Far better than trying to walk the decks that were getting sprayed with sea mist and stronger than ever winds. Everyone we know to expect on the outside deck was not there, probably packing like everyone else. Except for Jack and Shirley who are staying on, going back to Hawaii for two more times. Hope the seas are going to be better for their sailing.
There was a guest talent show at 2pm. Missed it to watch the movie, so maybe it will be televised later. Or maybe not.
Last minute sales included Merabella Luxury gemstones at up to 50% off. Key words: up to. The casino was busy with folks trying to get their losses back. Good luck………..Clearance sales at the shops, also "up to" 75% off. The busiest corner belonged to Luciana, who was taking last minute future cruise deposits at the $100 per person deposit. You cannot go wrong doing this as the deposit is good for up to 4 years, when it is refundable. Extra shipboard credit makes it worth it.
Lastly, the spa special included a 20-20-20 combo for $99. Twenty minutes each of scalp, shoulder, and neck massage, hot stone massage, mini facial, lime and ginger exfoliation, or foot and ankle massage. After packing all day, that might be a bit of heaven, don't you agree?
The final show in the Queens Lounge was held at 7:15pm. It featured Darlene and the HAL Cats, their last concert. Somehow, we managed to miss their performances, but heard they were a whole lot of fun.
At dinnertime, we heard all about the passenger talent show. According to Sylvia, it was brilliant…..spoken by a true Brit. In her opinion. some of the acts were quite good, especially the singers. We know for a fact that some of the fellows had plenty of practice at the late night karaoke sessions in the Crows Nest. Meaning to go up there sometime during this cruise, we never seemed to make it.
Dinner was great as always. Six of us showed up to share the final evening together and re-live the special islands we visited on this trip. Funny thing about tonight, it has been the roughest, rock and rolling day we have had in 53 days. Guess we can consider that a good thing. Sure made it difficult for the waiters to serve us, being much more careful than any other day. The dining room seemed to be much less full as well. With the disembarkation tomorrow, many folks called it an early evening.
Hopefully, we will cross paths with this lovely group again in the future, as it was a delight getting to know them. Wishing them all a safe trip home to Alabama and England, we called it a night ourselves.
Luggage lined the hallway as we made our way slowly to our room. Did not appear that any of the suitcases had been moved yet, so we guess the fellows will start later and be done by midnight.
Looking forward to a rock and rolling sleep….a real feeling that we are at sea and on a ship. Should be in San Diego before 7am. At this point at 11pm, we are 110 nautical miles from San Diego, and have traveled a total of 13,510 nautical miles for this entire cruise. And we have done it entirely in the mighty Pacific Ocean.
It's has been our pleasure sharing another trip with you all. And we will be back soon…………
Bill & Mary Ann
