We noticed that our room stewardess was nowhere in sight this morning. Normally, she is close by, watching and listening for the stateroom doors to open and close. That way, she and her assistant can get inside and tidy up when you're gone to breakfast. We did ask Moh, our assistant, where she was, and he said in the infirmary. Never did we have clue she was feeling ill, at least not that bad to go off duty. So we never had a chance to thank her for her good job. We did, however, leave her a card at the front desk, doing just that. They promised that the head housekeeper would see that she got it. We also handed a card to Moh, who was so pleased, he asked if he could give us a hug. Now that's a first. And a good indication that we did not over-load him with extra work. We always try to keep our place as neat as we can.
One thing we miss here is the ability to watch re-runs of the visiting lecturers. Today's subject of gardens and gardeners would have been right up our alley. Later in the day, another good lecture by Mr. Tartaglino was all about Vancouver and its early beginnings by who else, but George Vancouver. Unless we have missed something, we do not have these talks on our room TV. We're afraid that this interactive TV has turned us into what some might consider couch potatoes. But then, it was something to do while packing most of the day.
Is packing to go home anyone's favorite activity? Certainly, it is not ours. Although our purchases were few, we did buy a small rolled piece of luggage to take some of the overflow. At least it helped to keep the other three bags lighter. Actually, we should not complain, because from some Canadian friends we have traveled with, they told us they have to itemize everything in each suitcase. Not sure if that applies to all cruises, but it sure did on the Grand Voyage.
We had made reservations for a 12:30pm lunch in the Pinnacle Grill, but since we slept later this morning, our breakfast was later than usual. So we cancelled them, and as it turned out, we never did eat a real lunch. There was still one bottle of sparkling wine left in our refrigerator, so we cracked that open, and enjoyed it after the packing job was completed. The "champagne" and some Maui onion potato chips would hold us over until dinnertime. Oh yeah, we had some crunchy Snickers candies left, and that became dessert.
Glad we took our long walk this morning, because the rain began, and never let up. It sure did not feel like 57 degrees, but not warm enough to spend much time on our veranda.
At 7:30pm, there was a drawing in the shops onboard. For every $50 spent there, we had been given tickets to fill out. The prize was a collection of HAL souvenirs and rum cakes. The problem with that is where are you going to put it all to bring it home? Although we attended, we did not win. But then, we were glad we did not. Wonder if you could pass on their $300 collection and swap it for something smaller……like jewelry for instance? While waiting for the drawing, we watched the folks milling around, looking at the 75% off items. Most of them were from the Alaska season. The one thing we did notice was that the O (Oprah) collection in the corner was empty of shoppers. For the life of us, we cannot understand what the attraction is to these items. But then, we are not "name" shoppers, with the exception of Tommy Bahama or Hard Rock Café items. We feel that you get quality with their line of clothing.
For our last time this cruise, we enjoyed a prime rib dinner….every bit as good as it was the last time we ordered it. Our head waiter, a young fellow from the Netherlands, came over to say goodbye and chat for a while. He was followed by Luis, the DR Manager, who was checking once again to see how we liked the cruise. Such a fuss, but it was nice to be able to thank him for the excellent service.
Not sure we mentioned it, but had been gifted a bottle of wine by the hotel director and Captain. Since we passed on the beverages the last two nights, we felt it polite to accept drinks of our choice tonight. So our wine stewardess ordered what we preferred (no wine), and they were delivered promptly. Making it doubles, by the way. She came back offering us another one, or an after dinner drink, but we said no thanks.
Around 8:45pm, while we were almost done with our meal, the chefs paraded past us and down the staircases to the lower deck. They got a huge applause from all that were still there. This replaces the Baked Alaska Parade they used to have several years ago. Remember the lights dimming, the music starting, and the sparklers flashing on top of the Baked Alaska dessert? Oh, the good old days………they are gone forever, but never forgotten. What you won't see are the napkins spinning overhead, because the new group of passengers probably never saw this before.
There was no Log of the Cruise waiting for us in our room tonight. These are a thing of the past. Why, we do not know. At least we knew what time breakfast would be served tomorrow morning, as it was printed in the log. Oh, that's right. It is on your smart phone, or on the TV now.
The luggage had to put out in the hallway before midnight, so we made that deadline quite easily. Tomorrow will be busy, and we will need to be up bright and early to go to breakfast at 6:30am.
We intend to follow up with some comments, as we always do. So stay tuned, and give us a couple of days. Thanks for coming along on this 24 day journey!
Bill & Mary Ann
