When we went to breakfast in the dining room today, it felt like evening instead of morning. The skies were so dark and thick with black clouds, it actually made the room dark. Obviously, we were heading into a bad storm. While we were eating, we noticed what looked like flashes from cameras. But no, it turned out to be lightning, followed by thunder……loud enough to hear it inside the dining room. Rain fell swiftly and heavily, doing a great job cleaning the windows. Then as fast as it had arrived, it stopped, and the sun began to peek through the clouds. Perhaps it would be an OK day after all.
Walking the outside deck, we found the workers preparing the railings by wrapping them with plastic, and later, foam padding. The pile of plywood was being readied to cover the teak decking, just as we figured. But first, there was an On The Deck For a Cause 5K non-competitive walk. This is an event that happens on every cruise, no matter the length, to raise funds for six international cancer organizations. Passengers were invited to sign up at the front desk a few days ago. Whether or not you walked, you would receive a free t-shirt and wristband. The music was blasting when we went out early at 9:30am. The good news was that the rain had stopped, and the decks had dried out enough for a safe event.
All of us had been invited to put out the luggage all day long, not just after dinner. This would give the crew a chance to haul the suitcases and boxes without too much stress. And with the amount of stuff going off, this would be a massive job. Decks six and seven would have a problem with their unlimited luggage blocking the hallways had they waited to put stuff out later. So we had been ready with our things for two days now, and were happy to have it gone. The next time we see our five pieces of luggage should be in the terminal in Ft. Lauderdale. And going off last, we will have no trouble locating it all. At least that is the plan.
With having to save enough clothing and supplies to spend the next couple of weeks of Florida time and a 17 day cruise, we seemed to have a bit more that would not fit into the suitcase. We really do not like wearing jeans to dinner, so we kept out the usual smart casual clothes for the final evening. After all, it is a special day, called Koningsdag or King’s Day, a holiday in the Netherlands. It is a celebration of the birth of King Willem-Alexander, and a holiday to wear something orange. Also known as “orange madness”. We did notice that orange jackets were being handed to the waiters last night after dinner. So we will do the best we can to join in the party. And, by the way, we did purchase an expandable HAL bag in the shop to stash the final things that will not fit. Reminder to self: Bring less next time.
It was a happy, but sad time sharing our last sea day lunch with Barb in the dining room. It has been most enjoyable having this time to spend together. We had soup, pot stickers, salad, and one stew, which was really good for a change from the usual sandwiches. With few exceptions, lunch in here has been outstanding, as is the service from the best waiters Made and Gan. Hopefully, they will not be re-assigned on the Panama cruise, because they are super.
All library books and DVD’s needed to be returned today. We had intended to pick up some movies or TV series on DVD, but we never did. Don’t even know if the DVD player works in our room. For most of this cruise, few of the TV movies were reruns.
The Crew Farewell Grand Finale took place in the Queen’s Lounge at 3pm. People must have arrived very early, because when we went to deck five, all of the seats were taken, with standing room only. All of the guests had drinks of either free sparkling wine, mimosas, or orange juice, or like us, nothing, since we just finished lunch with lots of ice tea. The farewell began with pre-taped videos of interviews with Orlando and Gerald B, then Hamish spoke about the appreciation of the crew. We do think they should have thought to also mention appreciation for the passengers as well. If it were not for us, there would be no crew, right? Of course, they got standing ovations.
But nothing like the applause and standing ovation Barbara Haenni got after giving her excellent re-cap of this year’s itinerary. Her photos of all of our ports were perfect, and her comments short and sweet. We will all miss her next year, as she will be retiring in October after completing a season in Alaska on the Volendam. As a special tribute, she was handed roses from Julie, the Human Resources Officer, and Jonathon, the Master of the Vessel. The final standing ovation was heartfelt by all.
Captain Mercer blamed a touch of too much sparkling wine, but we did see a hint of a tear in his eyes, and a wavering of his voice as he gave her a parting hug. During his speech, he mentioned that he has been the Captain now since 2012….a total of seven grand world voyages now. He intends to add one more to that number with next year’s grand voyage. Again, much applause.
The show was ended with an amusing video of the crew members in each department dancing and singing their daily jobs. The best shot had to be of the hotel director, Henk, sitting in his bathtub full of bubble bath, wearing a shower cap. With only a 2 second frame, he pulled the shower curtain quickly, drawing a huge laugh from the audience. That’s Henk, always serious, but mostly funny. We had been expecting to see both Henk and Christel riding their bicycle for two down the hallways, but they must have thought it had been over-done by now. Maybe next year…..
Taking our favorite chairs in the atrium across from the Ocean Bar during the second happy hour, we watched a lot of activity happening compared to most sea days. Deck four was very busy with visitors to the front desk. Like us, they were getting more tags, or breaking large bills to smaller denominations, or questioning charges on their accounts. The shops on deck five had constant customers, especially the liquor shop, where bag after bag of duty-free booze orders waited to be picked up. The Ocean Bar was the most crowded we have ever seen it. This was the final evening that folks could meet to share a toast and say goodbye. Lots of hugging going on with old and new friends alike.
This time tomorrow and Sunday, we have heard that the ship will be full of workers that will be on this ship for the 12 day dry docking. The last number we heard was 1400 workers. We also heard that about half of the crew will be completing their contracts, and will head home in Ft. Lauderdale. This info has come to us by head waiters, who always seem to know the numbers. If only we could be flies on the wall to see the destruction and re-construction. Bet it is quite a feat when it happens.
Around 6:30pm, while we were doing the Sudoku puzzle, Captain Mercer came on the ship’s speakers with an announcement. It seems that a waterspout had formed very near the ship. A most natural occurrence, it was unusual to see one so close. While everyone went to the windows on the starboard side, we spotted three more spouts forming in the distance. The sea water was circling into the air under these spouts. Rather exciting.
Dinnertime found all nine of us present. Even though it was a casual evening, the menu format was Gala. Only one of us at the table ordered the 24 ounce ribeye steak, but to be shared. It was huge, as promised, but nowhere near the quality of the Pinnacle cuts of meat. It tasted fine, but the flavor and texture was just OK. The Oriental noodles with spicy shrimp looked good, but it had oyster sauce, and one of us could not eat that. The dessert of apple pie with ice cream was perfect. And the last dessert we might have for a while. Goodbyes were shared by all, except for Barb, who being Rocket Dog, does not like goodbyes. So she rocketed out of the room with a quick “bye”. Several photos were taken, and we bid our waiters goodbye, thanking them for their excellent service.
There was a show in the lounge tonight….a variety performance featuring Suzanne Godfrey and Tango Cervilla. Doubt they had a big crowd, because most people still had luggage to deal with. They had until 12 midnight to put it all out in the hall.
For the first time ever, we did not have to put our bags out after dinner, since we had done it late this afternoon. All that is left are the hand carrys, and the new expandable tote, that filled up with quite a bit of extra things.
Tomorrow breakfast will be served in both the Lido and the dining room. The Lido will open at 6am, while the dining room opens at 6:30am. We hope to be settled at the hotel in the afternoon, and will be writing as soon as we can.
The quote for this evening was pretty accurate: “I do believe it is time for another adventure”. –Unknown-
Stay tuned…..
Bill & Mary Ann
