Friday, April 4, 2014

At Sea – April 3, 2014


We wake and both realize only two more days and we feel like taking advantage of doing nothing cause soon enough we will be waking and heading to work.

It takes me a long time to get moving and when I do I head down to our neighbourhood coffee shop also known as the International Café for my latte and Bernie soon joins me. 

There is another sale in the dining room for three hours but I stay away, I really don’t need anything but it is busy.

The weather is a little cooler today with a strong breeze – temperatures are in the mid teens C, we are no longer in the tropics. 

The ship seemed to have a hum of frantic business as people go about getting their last minute items done and a lot of people are saying goodbye to new friends.  Many are sad to leave but happy to go home.

People are lining up changing their disembarkation luggage tags just to the right of the Purser’s desk that never seemed to be quiet.  We are fine with our time so no need to change. 

Our cabin has not been cleaned so I want to stay away so he can get it done so I search out a quieter spot to read my book that I can’t put down.  I see Explorer’s Lounge is being set up for the art auction at 1:30 so I sit in one of the couches.  There is maybe one other couple in here and after a half hour a group of six come in and where do they sit?  Yup right beside me and chat loudly…. REALLY of all the seats they could of taken they have to sit right beside me. 

OH well off I go to see if I can find Bernie and maybe do lunch.

He is not in the cabin and it is still not cleaned so I head up to the Sun Deck (which is quite busy with those getting a bit more sun).  I walk thru the Horizon Court, around Café Caribe, which is hosting a Dessert Extravaganza and looks lovely but I need to eat lunch first.  I grab a plate and some salad, loved the bean salad and a sandwich.  I sit with the Burns (Jimmy and Lynn) who we have gotten to know really well.  And darn it if an hour doesn’t pass by like a blink.
Oh I should say there is so much sea life out there today.  All you had to do was look out for a bit and you saw turtles, dolphins and lots of whales – LOTS of whales.

When I get back to the cabin Bernie is there.  Apparently he was at Barb and Craigs for drinks and had a nice time. 

I wander into the perfume store and see that they have my lotion that I bought last cruise on sale again.  When I originally bought the first bottle I was told by the store manager Claire that was all they had left.  But today there are five more bottles and I buy two more and I was happy when I got the discount that I got from my first sale as I bought enough to get the 10% discount, plus my elite discount… now that is a deal!  Great service from the shops on board.

And boy where does the afternoon go?  Still lots going on around the ship but we relax in the afternoon.  We discuss packing and agree that for the sanity of our marriage only one of us will pack and the other will leave the cabin while this is happening.  Bernie volunteers and I am okay with that.  I will clean some things up and put aside what I will wear for disembarkation and he can pack all the rest.

Tonight is a formal night and we dress and meet up in Crooners for a drink.  The music is playing and people are dancing and the atmosphere is one of celebration.
UNTIL – the Captain comes on and guess what we are under Red Alert again.  Seems this flu virus has caused the numbers to go up again.  Although I really haven’t seen it around.  Yes there are a lot of people hacking but having heard of many getting ill with Noro.  I have been hearing of a lot of people having stomach aches but many are saying they feel it has more to do with what they ate as it passes quickly.  And I have to say I agree, today I have such a tummy ache and I am thinking it has to do with the yoghurt I had at the IC this morning.  It was very very sour and warm and after a few bites I put it aside.  I think this is what caused my tummy issues a week ago too.  I am curious if they are taking notes on those that are ill and exactly what they had eaten.

We head into the dining room at 7:55 but there is someone at our table!  Apparently the Guissipe sat someone there later and they were still on their dessert.  Hmm so we wander around for ten minutes and head back in and they are just setting up the table now.  So nice to see Mark and Lorelei again. 

We have two more bottles of wine left on our wine package and we decide to get the two tonight. One to start and one to take back to the cabin.  One issue is they are running out of many of the wines we like and won’t get restocked until Los Angeles.  We ask for the one we like Nobilo and Stephen the Head Waiter finds one in Club Fusion so he heads there to get it.  There are no more bottles left so we ask if he can find any Dazante and off he goes again and searches and WOW he finds the last bottle.  Such great service and truly appreciated.  We make sure to tip him tonight to thank him for the great service.

I am not really hungry but Bernie is really hungry as he didn’t eat lunch.  So I try and eat lighter tonight.  I try the Thai Salad Roll and they were very good, the tomato soup again GREAT and reminds me of my own homemade soup.  Bernie ordered a small appetizer of the ravioli with mushroom and he really enjoyed that too.  For our entrée we both got the pumpkin filled crepe served with squash.  Bernie has been raving about this dish for so long that I had to try it.  He loves it, me, not so much I found it way too rich for my taste and didn’t finish it.  Mark was all worried and wanted to get me something else but I was fine and feel well soon enough I will be back to eating a lot less so I may as well get use to it.

For dessert I enjoy a cup of green tea and some orange sorbet which was so good and soothing.  But we need to go as we are having a friend over to the cabin for drinks soon.
In reflection today is a day of anticipation of looking forward to heading home and reflecting on all the adventures we have just experienced.


And I want to say Happy Birthday today to my Mom…. She has been gone for three years now and I know she is watching down and travelling along with me in spirit.  Love you.

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