Day 7 - Atlantic Ocean

The last day of a cruise is always bittersweet.  This is especially true on seven day cruises I feel.  You are just getting into your routines and enjoying you new friends and then it’s over.  

We started our day with some room service coffee before heading up to Marketplace for our usual breakfast.  The seas were still choppy so I decided to skip the gym today and walked inside. I ended my walk in the casino and spent some time there.  My daughter called me from college and I had a nice conversation with her.  I returned to the cabin to see the dreaded luggage mat on my mother’s bed which a signal that it is time to pack up your stuff.  

At 11am, there was a special magic and mentalism show with Joe Turner.  Joe really was a great addition to this cruise.  He was only required to perform his close up shows but he also did a memory lecture, hosted karaoke, and did this show.  If you get lucky enough to to be on a cruise with him, don’t miss his show.  This morning show was very fun and entertaining.  

A leisurely sea day is a perfect time to have a lovely lunch in Waterside.  We both enjoyed a lovely lunch.  I had the trio of bruschetta, seafood gumbo, followed by vegetarian lentil tacos.  My mom had the spare rib, bruschetta, and chef salad.  We really enjoyed all these dishes.  It was a perfect last lunch on board.  

We spent the rest of our on board credit in the shop.  I bought a hat and cocktail glasses for my husband.  They were all on sale.  I got a great deal on the hat because it said Crystal Serenity instead of Symphony but for five dollars I couldn’t pass that up.  My mom got a hat for my dad but his had the correct ship.  

I visited the future sales consultant to check for availability for a winter cruise in the Bahamas.  It was all booked in the veranda categories but they said they would keep trying.  I went for a little walk around before needing to get ready for dinner.  The pool deck was still all packed away. It looked so sad.  I went back to the cabin to pack and change for dinner.

Tonight, we had pre dinner drinks in the Avenue Saloon.  My mom had the bartender prepare a favorite drink not on the menu.  I shared the recipe with them since they had all the ingredients.  I decided on another Negroni.  Tonight’s canapés were prosciutto and melon, and corn crab cake.  We had a very lovely chat with a lady who sat next to us and before we knew it, it was time for dinner in Waterside.  

Since they did not have lobster on the second night, we requested them to prepare lobster for us on the last night.  There were some great choices this evening.  We both started with the escargot which were absolutely delicious.  My mom had a simple house salad while I had the vegetable salad nicoise.  We both followed our salads with carrot ginger soup.  Then, it was lobster time.  The lobster was cooked perfectly and tasted great.  It was prepared with a risotto and asparagus.  For dessert, my mom had the sugar free sour cream cheesecake while I sampled the “Ile Flotante” which is a soft meringue, raspberry sherbet, and mango passion fruit compote.  Both desserts were enjoyed by us.  We said our goodbyes to the delightful Hanna who gave us wonderful service at each dinner in Waterside.  

Wanting to digest our dinner, we took a little stroll around the ship.  I showed my mom where the Vintage Room is and we looked around.  We listened to some music in Starlite Club from The Crystal Quartet for a few songs before walking to Galaxy Lounge for the Symphony Farewell Variety Show that featured the violinist, singers, Steve Stevens as well as the Crystal Ensemble and Showband.  It was another enjoyable show and my mom said she really enjoyed all the entertainment she saw this week.  
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My mom wanted to finish up packing so she went back to the cabin.  I decided to had to the Avenue for one final cocktail.  I had a Woodford Reserve Manhattan and sat with some wonderful people who made the cruise so much fun.  Charlie James was playing piano and we all had so much fun chatting.  I knew I had to go back to get my suitcase out and try to get some rest for our early wake up for one last breakfast.  It was after midnight when we all decided to return to our cabins.  It was such a fantastic group and meeting people is one of the best parts of cruising. I finished up the packing and put my suitcase outside the door before one last slumber in my cozy bed.