We were up early again today (once again, that's always the case when we have no place to go and all day to get there), and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in the dining room. We shared a small bottle of champagne (we're trying to get through the alcohol that remains in this cabin, an endeavor that will leave us not sobering up until we're on the plane going home) which was quite nice with my splurge of French toast, deep fried and completely unhealthy.
After breakfast, we spent just a bit of time sitting poolside in the sun. Captain Nick had warned us that we were sailing through a weather front, and the seas have been a bit bouncy, but even more noticeable is the cooler temperature, especially after the heat of yesterday. It was a perfect day to sit in the sun.
Unfortunately, we were people on a mission, and our first task was to get through the paperwork we've accumulated, especially making certain that we had all the statements from our visits to the Medical Center and the corresponding on board spending statements that we'll need for reimbursement from our travel insurance, plus taxi receipts and dental receipts. Filing those claims is going to keep me busy for a long time, I'm afraid. Once that was in place, we next moved to the pile of other receipts that have accumulated in the tiny space between the safe and the side of the cubby into which it's installed. It was then that we became aware of just how many visits to Publix and CVS that we made, and how many cash advances we'd gotten through the casino. G always feels compelled (or is it entitled?) to gamble a bit when he gets cash advances that way. I think it would be ultimately less expensive to use the usurious ATM on the ship.
All other vital scraps of paper got filed in our two 'cordian folders (nod to JT), which will weight our carry ons down to the point where they're unsafe to put in the overhead compartments on the plane. I had to be tough...Christmas cards: trash. Birthday cards: trash. Princess Patters: trash (except for the ones from the Christmas and New Years cruises). Luckily, Johnathon's cart was still in the hallway, because we emptied our cabin's trash can time and time again.
We broke for lunch in the dining room (splurge: baba au Rhum for dessert. Divine; it tastes just like those Tortuga Rum Cakes), and then stopped by the final art auction just to see how much the navigational map of the cruise was auctioned off for. This is a large map that charts our cruise and is signed by all the officers on the bridge. It is posted just outside the buffet during the cruise and then auctioned off at the end of the cruise, with the proceeds going to maritime charities. This cruise went low: $200. A few cruises ago it went for $1500.
We had just enough time to get to a navigational bridge lecture in Club Fusion by none other than our dinner companion of a couple of cruises ago, 3rd officer Aaron Krueger. We had to leave quickly at the end to get to our final wine tasting of the winter. Sommelier Thai will never be bettered, I'm convinced. We've learned so much from him and enjoyed his wine tastings all winter long.
No time to rest then...we zipped back to the cabin with just enough time for G to shower and dress in his tuxedo for tonight's formal night. Before dinner he had a 4:30pm veterans get together in the Wheelhouse Bar. As soon as he left the cabin, it was my turn to get ready, and I had just enough time to stop by the florist's table for a surprise we had ordered for Sutti and Somphong. On our last formal night of the cruise, we were giving them each a red carnation boutonnière, and delivered them when the dining room opened at 5:30pm. The boutonnières were just another way of saying "thank you" to them for their wonderful service all winter long.
We will miss them so much!
Following dinner (lobster for me), the evening was a blur or entertainment options. G did me the favor of sitting through the 7:15pm performance of production show Disco: Blame it on the Boogie (sadly, not his favorite, but it's kind of grown on me a bit).
Immediately afterwards, we made our way to the Explorers Lounge for the 8:00pm show of mentalist Joshua Seth. His mentalist shows are really amazing, and tonight he even got me up on stage. He asked if anyone had ever been to a psychic, and another lady and I raised our hands, so he asked us to come up. He asked me to think of the name of someone who had passed away that I was especially close to, and I thought of my grandma. I wrote her name on a piece of paper which I folded twice and he ripped into pieces. And he then guessed that she was a woman (right) whose name started with an M (check) and then guessed her name.
How does he do that? I'm still pondering it...
Next up: listening to band Sol Provider in Club Fusion. We have never enjoyed a band the way we do them, and, honestly, whereas last year there might have been six people in Club Fusion listening to a band and dancing, with Sol Provider Club Fusion is always comfortably full. They are that good. We'll miss them too.
And, finally, we went up to the Adagio Lounge to listen to the Emerald Princess orchestra playing jazz. One jazz set and a key lime pie martini later, it's bedtime. We didn't get any more packing done tonight, but we did have so much fun!
Photo 1: the day started with champagne at breakfast...
Photo 2: and ended with a key lime pie martini
Photo 3: and in between we laughed about ordering flowers for Valentines Day (in the March 5th Patter)
Photo 4: and ate baba au Rhum for lunch dessert
Photo 5: and surprised Suttipong and Somphong with boutonnières on formal night
It was a wonderful last sea day of the winter!