Day 148: At Sea

I shouldn't have been hungry this morning after all that lovely seafood last night at the Crab Shack, but, of course, that's exactly why I was. I've mentioned that we have let ourselves eat with a bit more abandon in the past few days (the clothes that still fit perfectly well after nearly five months won't suddenly get too tight in the next two days...I hope), and so I splurged this morning with the deep fried French toast (with orange marmalade in lieu of syrup) which went just perfectly with our champagne  mimosas. Tomorrow, I've promised dear waiter Alvin that I will have a pastry for the first time since Christmas stollen. This is truly living large!

We were kept quite busy this morning getting most of our packing done. My numerous sneezes were testament to the fact that, despite our previous best efforts, our things were dusty. We carefully wiped down everything- shoes, caps, knick knacks, walking stick, anything that had sat out for 128 days- before packing it up. We will be returning home as organized- and as dust and sand free-  as we've ever been. And, until Raymond the Great vacuums it all up, there is enough sand in our cabin for a nice beach in one corner. Left alone, and with a few sea shells added, the next occupants would never have to leave the ship to enjoy a day on the beach. 

Lunch in the DaVinci Dining Room was our favorite menu, with fried mozzarella sticks for G and spaghetti aglio, olio and pepperocino for me. It was coupled with our favorite non-brioche rolls, grainy ones liberally sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds, and we ate it all with abandon. We KNOW how much food is in our house (not very much) and are determined to enjoy these last cruising meals. 

We couldn't convince ourselves to attend this afternoon's Grapevine Wine Tasting. We need no more alcoholic beverages, nor any more shooter glasses. We gave our last two away to a friend on Bonaire, and are going home with no Coke tumblers from the soda package nor shooter glasses from wine tastings. Our only exception:  that cute hard plastic cup with lid and twisty straw from G's sole Ultimate Kids Package purchase. We have only one, which, in the past would have been unthinkable, but the twins are 10 now, and past the age where twisty straws hold much appeal. 

Dinner with Darko featured our last big bottle of Korbel. When G promised me champagne for every big project we accomplished around the house last summer, it was a pledge he took seriously. We still have two mini bottles of Korbel left, just perfect for mimosas our final two mornings. Assistant waiter Komang is excited about the prospect that we may pay two visits to Bali next fall, and is already planning what he will show us as our tour guide, as he lives about 15 minutes from the port. That's definitely an added incentive for us to strongly consider a cruise on the Diamond Princess in Asia. 

We next attended our favorite production show I Got the Music, the first time this cast has performed it. It was enthusiastically received, and it's quite interesting how the different singers really do give the the show a different feel. 

The Emerald Princess is rocking and rolling today in a fashion we've not seen since the Christmas winds. The day had been sunny and hot, but around dinner time we cruised through a storm, followed by sun but stronger wind, followed by another storm. I'm hoping our final day tomorrow will be pleasant. 

And, finally, nternet has been very slow and intermittent the last few days, causing me to cut way back on the number of photos I'm uploading. Today I'll feature just two...

These flaky rolls are the BEST with escargot!

Who needs dessert beyond a decaf cappuccino and cookies?