And...when I opened the drapes, I saw the SUN! Woot Woot! I opened the door and it was cool, which makes Doug happy because the heat has been getting to him. I put on long jammies and a robe and made coffee and sat on the balcony. Doug was happy it was late enough that he only had to go to the Park Cafe to get pre-breakfast pastries. The last of the trip :( He ran into Steve while he was out, so it took him longer to come back.
So I relaxed on the balcony and caught up on the journal. I am anxious to get out and enjoy the last day, but also just want to sit here since tomorrow will be cold, and rushed.
After coffee and pre-breakfast, we went to the Photo Gallery to collect our pictures (for the last time). It was crowded. And after that we went to the WJ for breakfast. Although I did stop at the pool bar for my morning Vitamin C. JD hooked me right up.
We thought since it was so sunny, that maybe sitting on the pool deck would be an OK thing, with a jacket, in the sun. So Doug went to sit up there while I went to the shops. We still had quite a bit of OBC to spend. I looked around and looked around, and just didn't find anything I really wanted. So I went to the liquor store and bought a few things, and spent some of that OBC, but we still had a lot. I didn't want to spend money just to spend money, so I wasn't sure what we were going to do with it.
So I went out to the pool to meet Doug. The sun is gorgeous. The wind is awful! Doug was talking to Marko from Giovanni's Table, so I went to see JD for a little more Vitamin C.
Marko told us that GT was having 20% off tonight, so $16 per person instead of $20. And that there were plenty of openings. And so....while walking away, I asked Doug what he thought about asking Steve and Renee and the girls if they wanted to join us for dinner at GT tonight. We had enough OBC to cover all of us. He thought that would be a great idea. So on the way back to the room, we saw Renee and asked her. She said she'd talk to the others and let us know.
So then we went to the Schooner bar and I asked Ullston to make a Grand Margarita. How can it be the last day before I learn of this? Patron tequilla, margarita mix and Grand Marnier floating on top. With a salted rim. Yes Please!
Off to the balcony for a little rest. Soon we'd have to pack. But first journaling and picture taking. It's gorgeous on the balcony since the wind is blocked. So much sunshine...it's a glorious last day at sea in the Atlantic Ocean in December!! OK, and maybe a little bit of a nap.
We decided to see if Maria and Carissa were in their room (which was down the hall on the other side of the ship from us) and see if they wanted to see our room/balcony too since they were already in bed when their parents came the night before. And they did! We're all not wanting to pack yet. So we stole them for a while.
So we talked with the girls for a while. And then decided that we just needed to get to packing. But first....another Grand Margarita...that will make packing easier, right? So off to the Schooner bar to ask Ullston for just one more.
Then we set to piling and organizing and getting all of the stuff ready to pack. Steve & the others came to the room while we were in the middle of this to accept our dinner invitation :) And of course we had to sit on the balcony and talk for a while. Anything to procrastinate having to pack, which meant having to accept the trip was almost over.
After a while the alcohol was starting to go to my head. I needed some water and food and I needed it now. It was 1 or so at this point. So off to the WJ. We started to eat inside, but it was SO HOT and I was getting queasy, so we went out to the seating area on the deck. Heatwave was playing, which made no sense. They were schedule for a 4 hour block. It was windy and not a soul was on the pool deck. But whatever. We enjoyed listening to them while we ate, and Doug enjoyed talking with them while they took a break.
And while we were out, why not hit up Ben & Jerry's once more, right? So we did. We took it to the Schooner Bar to eat. And then I got a coffee from Cafe Lattitudes. And then back to the room to finish packing :(
I was really starting to feel rotten, so I got a cold cloth (we have those now!) and laid down and rested while Doug kept packing. And then I napped. And then one last bubble bath! Without alcohol HA!
So we finished up as much packing as possible after our naps and put the luggage out in the hallway. It's such a sad, sad sight. We got ready for dinner (8 pm reservation) and headed to the MDR to let Peter know we wouldn't be at dinner tonight, and to hand out extra tips to our waitstaff, Kicki & Boniface, and Peter and Saby. They really made our dining experience wonderful. We also went to the Schooner bar to talk with Alex and give her a little something. And we had about 90 minutes to wait until it was time for dinner, so we just stayed in the Schooner bar.
Joe and Sally came in and we talked with them until they went to dinner. I can't believe this is the only picture we have of Joe, and not one of Sally. But this just shows how much fun he was anyway.
As they were leaving, Paula and Brian came in. It was about time for classic rock trivia, and they were playing, so we played along until Renee and family joined us for dinner. It wasn't over, and I have no idea if Paula won. Paula, if you are reading this, did you win?
So we walk into Giovanni's Table and notice the restaurant is mostly empty. And it is empty by the time we are half way through dinner. It was like a private dining experience! It was SO lovely. And since Giovanni's Table serves family style, and we had 6 people, we sampled almost the entire menu. We had 6 of the 8 appetizers. Steve and Renee had soup. We had all of the pasta. Three of us ordered veal and 3 ordered the filet mignon. It was the best dinner I've had in a long time. I ate way, way, way, way too much. But Oh My Deliciousness! (I am stealing some of the pictures from Renee's family). There was just SO MUCH FOOD! But I had to try it all. I don't think I sampled the Caesar salad. But everything else...yum. The risotto! The blue cheese gnocchi! The filet with Gorgonzola sauce! The tiramisu soaked in all kinds of yummy liquors! I prefer this restaurant over Chops. The steak was better, even. And dessert.....I want to bring the kids here next year....a couple of times.
We stayed until after ten just talking and laughing. The girls headed up to bed and the 4 of us went to the Schooner bar for one last night listening to Grahame, and 2 more Grand Margaritas (Must learn to make this at home!).
About 12:30 we headed back to the cabin to call it a day. We made plans to meet the D family for breakfast in the MDR, which is the WAY TO GO on the last day. SO much less insane than the WJ.
It was a truly lovely last day at sea. This cruise didn't have the most exciting ports (in our opinion) or the best weather, but we had the BEST time. We met some GREAT people and really relaxed, which was the goal after the craziness my work has been this fall and planning Isaac's wedding.
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