Good grief…..can this be the last full day of the cruise already??? That’s what we had been hearing all day long from so many people. The common thread of thought is the older we get, the faster the time goes. But as we all know, all good things must come to an end…..including this Grand Voyage.
Our day began with finding the gift of another 8 X 10 photo in our mail slot, taken with the Captain and hotel manager, Henk, at the last combined cocktail party two nights ago. We are glad we took them up on the generous offer to have this photo, since we did not have one this whole cruise with the two top officers. Then we were off to breakfast in the dining room to see our two fun waiters. We will miss their excellent service, over-the-top humor, and their very, very hot coffee. Gan will be flying home tomorrow, and although Feri will stay, he may be reassigned to a different area in the dining room or Lido. They made a great team, and we hope to see both of them back next year.
Once again , the weather looked promising very early, but soon deteriorated during breakfast. It became darker, almost like nightfall, and we saw lightning, followed by loud thunder. Then the rain came down like cats and dogs. This occurred off and on all morning, until eventually, the rain ceased and it remained cloudy. One good thing was that the winds had died down, and the seas were fairly smooth. No sun, but at least no one was getting seasick.
There were some enticing sales going on in the shops, so we checked it out. While we were looking at the HAL t-shirt sale, buy 4 and get 1 free, we ran into Kween Karen. She had some good news that some of the world cruise logo clothing that had been sold at full price had also gone on sale. This usually does not happen on the world voyage, but afterwards, on the re-positioning cruise. Clever girl, she said all we needed to do was bring our receipts to the shop rep, and they would apply the difference back to our shipboard account. So we did, and it worked. We had not bought a lot of things, but we did get a small refund without question. Good to know for future cruises. While there, we also research their best watches, just in case we will have more credit to use on the following cruise. Thanks to the gratuities being covered on the Panama Canal cruise, that will be more shipboard money to spend.
We weren’t sure Barb would show up for a dining room lunch (our last one together), but she did. It was a lot more exciting than we expected, because shortly after the Captain’s PM talk, the ship suddenly hit a storm with 80 knot winds. It caused the ship to list severely, without straightening up as it normally does. Without warning, the waiters went running to their serving stations, because plates, trays, glasses and leftover food went flying on the floor. The drawers opened as well as the cabinets, making quite a mess. Little by little, the ship leveled out. It was then that the Captain came on the speakers and explained that everything was OK, and it was just a fluke that we hit that sudden wind. He cautioned everyone to take care moving around the ship, as these things could occur at any time.
(A note to Lisa: we relayed your message to Barb about her homecoming tomorrow. She sends her thanks.)
With all of the rain showers, something began leaking in the Lido, we heard. And with the listing, a lot more damage happened on deck eight. Like we said, this cruise has had a lot of “firsts”. We hoped tipping over like the Poseinden Adventure was not one of them.
By 3pm, everyone that could fit into the Mainstage for the Grand Farewell Finale was treated to a presentation hosted by Hamish. Captain Mercer gave a special address, and said something we have read recently on one of our good night cards…..Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world. – Gustauve Flaubert - Well said. Then Ian gave a rundown of the entire itinerary of the voyage, aided by slides of each port we visited. Finally, a video was made from each department with the crew and staff saying goodbye to everyone. Complimentary drinks of champagne, wine, or juice or soda was included. That always brings them in.
Luggage was being put outside the staterooms all day long. Instead of waiting until this evening, this would give the fellows more time to do this massive job. Many passengers were still hauling luggage, one at a time, to deck three to weigh them on Shiv’s scale. We thought it would be a great idea to have these scales on each passenger deck, making it much easier to weigh them for air travel. The problem today, was trying to get an elevator. In the front section, we only had three working, while in the aft section, only one was working. And every time that one opened, it was already full of people. Needless to say, it was going to be one long day and evening, especially for the crew. Secretly, we are so glad we do not have to pack yet. It should be a lot easier to debark in Seattle, as there will not be this enormous amount of luggage involved for the guests.
Taking our usual chairs across from the Ocean Bar at 5:30pm, we were able to say good bye to many fellow passengers that we probably will not see until next year. Actually for those that are planning on going on next year’s world cruise, it will only be eight months from now. We ended up staying until 7:30pm, since Barb joined us for a while. She prefers the Station Band, but they were not supposed to be playing tonight. As it turned out, they were, but she stayed for the Ocean Quartet. We have enjoyed this group, especially their lead singer, Carrie. She really has a remarkable voice.
Dinner was bitter-sweet, of course, since it was our final time for the five of us to be together. This has been the most fun and easy table we have ever had, with some of the best friends ever. Keeping it all in the family, so to speak. We have had many guests, as well, and also had room for hosts on gala evenings. Having the best waiters also added to our experience. Never expecting to have Slam for the third year in a row was a plus. And getting to know Marco (aka Suharto) was a treat. Now we are owners of three drawings, portraits he made of us. Signed and all. He never failed escorting Barb out of the dining room when we were finally done. Even if we were the last to leave the room. Tomorrow night, we move upstairs to a table for two around the railing. Sure will be different……..
Most all of us have seen the performance of the singers and dancers with 1000 Steps. They are really a very talented group, and we hope they will return next year.
As we wrap this up at midnight, the temperature outside is 75 degrees, the stars are out, and we are doing 12 knots. There are only about 60 nautical miles to go to reach Ft. Lauderdale, and the final tally of nautical miles for the world voyage was a bit under 34,000 or 39,100 statute miles.
Stay tuned, as we will continue with the next 18 days, as the Amsterdam sails towards Seattle. Our goodnight card said: I do believe it’s time for another adventure. – Unknown - How true it is.
Bill & Mary Ann
