The last night of every cruise is always bittersweet for me. No matter how many times we’ve done this, it still thrills me to walk down the corridor to our cabin, see all the suitcases set out to be picked up and delivered to the terminal tomorrow morning in Sydney, and know that we don’t have to do that yet. On the other hand, it’s hard to say goodbye to friends we’ve made and even some crew members and officers who are going home, and also to realize that our number of remaining cruises is counting down. Transitions are hard for me, but you already knew that, didn’t you?
Of course, it helps that tomorrow we’ll get to enjoy another turnaround day in one of our favorite cities in the world. Actually, it helps a lot. Frankly, this whole season has been a dream for us. There is nothing we don’t like about what we’re doing, and that’s a rather wonderful position to find ourselves in.
It was nice to wake up this morning and realize that there was nothing we had to do today. The film festival morning movie was scheduled at a time that didn’t work for me, so that wasn’t on the agenda. I’ve already seen the afternoon movie, Amazing Grace, so my afternoon was free. It wasn’t a formal night and there were no parties we needed to attend. It was a very restful feeling. I spent my morning finishing my annual read of the book Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher. It’s as cozy as a cup of hot cocoa in front of the fireplace.
I met G in the DaVinci Dining Room for lunch, and the busy-ness of the Piazza area of the ship had me running back to the cabin as soon as we were done eating. Actually, we first stopped by the new Good Spirits bar next to the International Cafe to see what that was about. There was a TV showing a drinks-related show that no one seemed to be listening to, and a bartender with a microphone behind the bar who wasn’t saying anything. We left just as confused as we were when we arrived. We’ll try again another day.
Day 8 lunch menu, page 1
Day 8 lunch menu, page 2
How providential was it that Season 3 of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was released on Prime just as I finished watching Season 3 of The Crown on Netflix? I settled in and watched the first episode before I started feeling guilty about my lack of ambition today and changed into a swimsuit to work out in the Terrace Pool. It has been nearly as warm as bath water for the past few days. We were dressed for the evening and attended The Voice of the Ocean in the Princess Theater at 4pm. Guest entertainerPatrick McMahon was one of the judges, and his ebullience was infectious. It was a fun time.
I got wild with my dinner choice tonight. Instead of salmon and broccoli, I had shrimp and broccoli. The art of living dangerously. ;-)
Day 8 dinner menu, page 1
Day 8 dinner menu, page 2
Day 8 dessert menu
Our entertainment choices tonight were the mentalist in Explorers Lounge or comedian Mark Palmer in the Princess Theater, so we listened to party band The Sound in the Piazza and then Irish band Full Tilt in the Wheelhouse. Live music always saves us when the shows don’t exactly appeal.
The weather for tomorrow in Sydney looks cooler with a chance of morning showers. I have yet another coastal walk in mind, but G is rather non-committal at this point. We’re leaving the alarm turned off, and will see how we feel in the morning.
Day 8 Princess Patter, page 1
Day 8 Princess Patter, page 2
Day 8 Princess Patter, page 3
Day 8 Princess Patter, page 4