THE FINAL SEA DAY

I awoke this morning before Veronica and I am sure everyone is shocked. I dressed and went outside but it felt too cold and windy to walk.

I decided instead to write at the Bistro with some coffee. Veronica met me there for some light breakfast when she woke up. She went to Silk after breakfast to read. I returned to the cabin to find our suitcases lying across the bed. I can take a hint so I started the task of packing. I packed until it was time for trivia.

We had our weakest score of the cruise only 5/15. Yikes! I think we have “cruise brain” setting in so maybe it’s a good thing those suitcases magically appeared today.
We followed our routine of having lunch after trivia. I made a salad in the Marketplace and Veronica felt one last cheeseburger from the grill was in order. We ate in the lounge area of Silk. We both really enjoyed this area and during lunch it is the most peaceful.

I returned to the cabin to finish packing. Veronica helped for a bit but then went to back to Silk to read, listen to music and have one last visit with her two friends, Ben & Jerry.
At 3:15, it was time to buy our final Bingo cards. The progressive jackpot was $1700 and we were excited. Unfortunately, we did not win anything at Bingo.

With Bingo over, I decided to return to the cabin to dress. Veronica decided to go out for a bit. I decided to go to the casino for a little bit before dinner since I was all done my packing. I ran into Tom and Ed who were on their way to the Avenue Saloon so I told them I’d likely see them there.

After a very uneventful time in the casino, I went to Avenue Saloon to find Veronica sitting with Tom and Ed. I joined them and told Priscilla I’d have the usual one last time. Allan came in with his tray of canapés. I was introduced to him the first day as “Mr. Chow” when Chris was onboard with us for lunch. He promised Chris he would look out for us. He’s a true delight with a constant cheerful smile. Veronica and I posed for a picture with him. We were having a very nice chat together and the gentlemen asked us if we would like to join them for dinner. We replied yes but we have to sit in Viktor’s station. They were agreeable to this arrangement.
Arriving at Waterside with two gentlemen definitely through Slavko for a momentary loop. He quickly ran off to make an arrangement for our seating. The team at Waterside is top notch.

Of course, as is Viktor’s superstition of the cruise, it was busy when we arrived. He offered his recommendations and to his complete shock, I took all of them this evening. I chose the shrimp and grits, butternut squash soup and the cod.

Veronica was similar except she picked the duck with caramelized orange sauce. Ed and Tom chose very similar to us except Ed started with the beets which made me laugh because usually I am the one who does my own thing. Viktor didn’t miss a beat to notice his selections. It was a lovely dinner filled with great conversation. I enjoyed hearing about their various travels. It was time for dessert which was Ile flotante, a meringue with passion fruit, sorbet and mango. Ed was different and tried the Mint Chocolate Truffle. I ordered a cognac with Tom as I think we both were not wanting the cruise to be over. Veronica and I bid our farewells to Viktor. Hopefully, we will see him someday again. It was a nice leisurely dinner and we closed down Waterside the last night.

We strolled up the steps and ran into Julie and her family. Tom was still working on the mutiny of staying on board. We conversed outside Facets which is the jewelry store and I jokingly suggested a heist maybe the Lowry 7. That could help us fund that world cruise. We bid good night to our new friends and went off to Starlite for some dancing.

We had a few dances with the Ambassadors until midnight. Then, DJ Danya was playing some tunes and there were some younger kids we danced with. We had to stop by Avenue Saloon for one last visit with Priscilla. We snapped a few photos and gave our goodbyes. I really hope to see her on a future cruise as well.
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It was back up to the cabin where we crawled into bed around 1:30am.