Breakfast was even more crowded this morning, with some people we have yet to see on this cruise. They have probably been customers in the Lido all this time, so it is possible they have never seen us either. There are many folks that we know, but seldom see, because they have early dining. Their whole day is on a different pattern than ours.
We sat for some time with friends during breakfast that we probably will not see until next year's world cruise. Never seems to be enough time to do this. Saying goodbyes to our surrounding AM tablemates was bittersweet as well. Tomorrow, most folks will be catching a quick bite in the Lido, because they will be debarking for their early flights home. Even our waiters will be assigned different jobs tomorrow, and more than likely will be re-assigned to different area in the dining room. All good things must come to an end, we're afraid.
The two guests speakers gave lectures today….one about Darwin and Fitzroy, a clash of beliefs, and the other about the Vikings. Not sure how well-attended the talks were with all the packing happening. Even in the early morning, the guests were putting their luggage outside their rooms on all decks. The room stewards were ready, however, and began removing them a few at a time. This would continue all day, so we bet by tonight, most all of it will be done. Seeing all of this, we are glad we have another two weeks before we have to tackle it.
It was so nice outside, we went to the aft deck for an hour of sun. From here on out, we will have to start using the sunscreen again, as the rays are stronger and the weather hotter. We met up with Barb after noontime for our final lunch of this cruise. As long as this nice weather holds up, we will probably not be going to the dining room for lunch. Relaxing by the pool will be better for a couple of weeks now. Actually skipping lunch would even be better for us also. We do have to admit that the lunch menu has been quite nice, sometimes even better than the dinner menu. And we couldn't ask for better company.
After our PM walk, we watched a good movie titled Boat Building, or something close to that. A good "people" story, and not violent or off-color. Much better than a really inappropriate movie that was shown on TV yesterday. Someone that programed this into the system was way off the mark here.
We sort of knew that our British buddies, Shirley and Jack, might be sitting in their favorite spot on the promenade deck for the last afternoon on the ship. They have been on since last September, but will be flying back to England tomorrow. They will be back on this ship on next year's grand Asia cruise, as well as doing some shorter cruises during the summer. By the time they are on the 2018 world cruise, they will be in the President's Club.
Before the first dinner started, we caught up with more friends Marilyn and Harry in our "shared" living room, deck five atrium, across from the Ocean Bar. We all could hear the last of the applause for the talent show performers and the HAL chorale. Our sweet friend came out of the lounge at the end and reported how much she enjoyed the show. Better than most she said. Once again, it was time to say goodbye, as the song goes.
Some of the sales today included photos and DVD's from the segments of this cruise. Parts and pieces of these videos have been running non-stop on our TV for several days now. We have seen many bottles of alcohol being sold from the ship's duty free shop today. Even the clothing section of the other shop was busy with customers, as people must have money to spend.
Dinner should have been the best tonight, since a ribeye steak was offered, as well as some other international favorites. However, it was not so good….over-cooked and tough. There is really only one place to get that tasty morsel and that is in the Pinnacle Grill. We have truly enjoyed meeting our new tablemates, and hope to see them again on another Grand Voyage.
Tomorrow, we move upstairs on deck five and fixed seating. Some really good friends will be boarding tomorrow, so we will not feel all alone for long. We did hear that 43 of us will be staying on to either San Francisco, Vancouver, or Seattle.
By the time we reach Ft. Lauderdale in the early morning, we will have sailed a bit short of 31,000 nautical miles or 35,650 statute miles, according to Captain Jonathon.
So stay tuned, and we will be back for two more weeks…..
Bill & Mary Ann
