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Published: January 7th 2018
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Today is our last day of cruising – commonly known as “packing day”. It is unquestionably the saddest day of the vacation. That being said we did what we could to still enjoy the day.
We got up about 7:30 and went down to the Symphony Dining Room for a final ‘formal breakfast” Janet had Eggs Benedict one more time, much to the surprise of another lady at our table who had been waiting the whole cruise for it to appear on the menu. Janet explained you could always order it, even if it is not listed. The lady was happy to learn that, but sad that she didn’t learn until after the last opportunity. David had the ham & cheese omelet again.
Janet went to the knitters meeting and David went around taking few more photos before starting packing the suitcases. It is always a challenge to make sure you can get everything packed that needs to be “checked luggage” at the airport, but also still have any essential things tomorrow morning, and find a place to for all the leftover dirty clothes tonight. And of course each bag has to stay within the 50 pound constraint. We
always find a way, but it’s still a chore each cruise.
So we more or less had a quiet morning and then met the Demings for lunch at the Trident Grill. These are our first burgers or hot dogs except at the on-shore buffet at Princess Cays. Naturally the further north we have gone the cooler it has gotten, but today it was only about 70 degrees and a 30 knot wind. Fortunately our tablemates had found a sheltered table out of the wind, so it was fine. But it was still warm enough to enjoy bowls of ice cream afterwards. Meanwhile there were still a lot of kids playing in the pool, even in the rain – getting every minute of fun that they can on their vacation. The showers persisted all afternoon and the wind continued to blow, and eventually even the kids quit playing in the pool.
Back in the cabin after lunch, we did a little more to get ready for leaving tomorrow. We charged both cell phones for when we get back to the USA. Then we settled down for a quiet hour in the cabin, tweaking the suitcases, watching TV and reading.
At 2:40 (24 hours before boarding) we got on-line with Southwest Airlines and got our boarding pass numbers (will have to print them when we get to the airport). Luckily we are both preapproved by TSA again. Yeah! We went to the photo gallery chose one of the pictures of us, with the map of the cruise itinerary. Janet got a final Salted Caramel Strata coffee using the last punch on her coffee card – next cruise she will need to buy another one. David had one remaining Dos Equis beers, so he finished that. Altogether it was a constructive but restful afternoon.
At 5:00 we went down to the Club-6 appetizer reception for Elites. This evening was the Shrimp Fountain again – too bad we cannot bring a plastic bag of them back for Tessa because she really likes them. Janet was torn between a Cherry Blossom Garden and a Mojito (she chose the latter) and David had a Boulevardier (a bourbon-based drink). Then we went on to the dining room for our “last supper” on the ship.
The last night of the cruise is always a special meal in the dining room. Tonight we had the
Great American Dinner, where all the dishes are from the USA. Janet had the All American Meatloaf as her entrée and the rest of us had the New York Strip Steak. For dessert they always have the Assistant Waiters parade around the dining room for the Parade of Baked Alaska. We haven’t become very attached to our dining staff this cruise, but it was a fun parade anyway. They also have Deep Dish Apple Pie which is always delicious. This evening we both had the pie but David also had Baked Alaska too. Then we sat around and continued to chat until the waiters made it apparent that they had to set up for the next seating. So we said goodbye to the Demings and we each went back to our cabins to do the final packing. Janet watched one more movie that she had wanted to see and David watched a little of the NFL Football on the other TV in the cabin.
We get an extra hour of sleep tonight as we return to Eastern Standard Time. It seems strange they would change the clocks the morning of our arrival in port instead of the previous night at sea, but we’re not driving the ship. In any case we can always use a little more rest before rejoining the real world.
Tomorrow we are supposed to report to the Vista Lounge by 8:25, after having collected our hand luggage and gone to breakfast. Then we plan to disembark, collect our large suitcases in the cruise terminal, get a taxi and head for the airport. Our flight does not leave until 1:40, so we have a plan – let’s just hope it works smoothly.
We have had a very enjoyable vacation. Obviously the weather was much nicer than we would have had at home, but the enjoyment of traveling with friends made the trip double-fun. Goodbye from the Caribbean.
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Janel
non-member comment
Thanks for sharing
I always love hearing about your time on vacation. In 2019, we're planning a whole family cruise in Caribbean from Houston to Cozumel, Cayman Islands and Jamaica. Leaving Jan 5 for 7 days. Hope you can join us. All the little kids will be there as well as all us big kids. More details to come soon.