Mega Trip Report Part 4 (PHOTOS ADDED)

[cassie_KY]

Last Day at Sea

Friday was our last day at sea. We had had a wonderful time doing our excursions the past two days that we were looking forward to enjoying the ship.

A disembarkation speech was going to be given that morning and we ambled our way down to listen to it. We arrived early and watched the end of the Bingo game. We had not played a single game during the cruise, but immensely enjoyed watching others as the games were nearly cut throat!

The disembarkation talk was short. It described how luggage must be placed outside the staterooms and the bags will be grouped together. Disembarkation would be staggered to help eliminate a mad rush off the ship. We had to declare anything we purchased and if the total was above $800, we would have to pay taxes. Basic, but good to know before the day itself.

We ran into a couple we had met on the first night of the cruise and the invited us to have lunch with them. John had brought his mother with him who was 82 years old. He was also traveling with his fiancé who had brought her father who was also 82 years old. We chatted about the different cruises they had been on (this was the third one they had taken in a year) and some of our favorite vacations. All the while, we sat in front of a picture window overlooking the ocean. Lunch consisted of antipasta salad (with calamari) as a starter and a seafood chef salad for me while Nathan had a chilled orange soup and rainbow trout. We both had apple Hollander (a poached apple cake with honey and ice cream) for dessert. The food was wonderful, but we enjoyed the company even more.

After lunch, we went to the room and packed our bags as we would be getting back to the room late. We changed into our dinner clothes and headed out for our Galley tour. With 1,500 people on board, the kitchen had to be something else. We were not disappointed. While the tour was a little short, we were able to see the prep areas and just how food was managed for two large dining rooms. I was snapping photos and several of the kitchen workers posed for me to take their picture. Have I mentioned how much I liked the staff?

Another highlight of the trip (for me at least!) was the towel animal class. Here, you learned how to make different towel animals. It may have sounded silly, but a large crowd came out. With a little help from our neighbors, we all learned how to make a dog and an elephant. No way was I going to let these guys go! We proudly carried them back to the room and placed our elephants next to Suphola’s creations. My window ledge was getting quite full!

We headed back upstairs for our last dinner of the evening. We were greeted by our host wearing a wig and goofy glasses. We were in for a treat that night! Dinner was a crab cake and veal for me while Nathan had the shrimp ****tail and spare ribs. We both had to have the chocolate melting cake for dessert again. Our wait staff sang for us again and wished us goodbye. In hindsight, we both would have liked to have had more dinners in the main dining room,, but our week was so packed, it was hard to do!

As soon as dinner was finished, we headed back to the room to change clothes and hurried to the evening show. Tonight was a program called “Xtreme Country.’ I lost count of the songs, costume and set changes. I was too busy clapping my hands and singing along! The performances are really that good folks!

For our final night, we headed outside and watched the water under a full moon. With the ship being sent overseas, we knew this would be the last night we would get to spend on The Holiday.

At 10:30, we headed into Doc Holiday’s lounge (they have stools at the bar that are old roping saddles) for the “Adult Comedy.” This was the same comedian as the other night and her name is Kim Harrison. She was awesome. We kept looking at each other thinking, “Did she really say that?” Nathan was not amused that I memorized some of the songs.

After the show, we headed back to the room to find my final towel animal- a very cute turtle. When I opened the door, one of the neighbors saw my collection and called their family over to see. It turns out that no one else I talked to had been allowed to keep their towel animals all week. Suphola rocks!

Saturday- Departure Day

We got up early and enjoyed our last breakfast on the ship. We had already made port at Mobile and it was soon time for people to begin departure. We were in group 18 of 20, so we did not leave until 9:30AM. After snapping a few goodbye pictures, we headed back to the room and grabbed out carry on bag. We wished Suphola a good journey and headed downstairs.

It did not take any time to get off the boat or to find our luggage. Ten minutes later, we had cleared customs and were walking to the Prius. With a final look, we packed our car and left the parking garage. It was a vacation of a lifetime and if they would have allowed it, we would have jumped back on the ship and left again!

Here are some final thoughts:

Cassie and Nathan’s Top Ten Suggestions For Cruising:

1. Read about your cruise. You can find Trip Reports for all the cruises and destinations. That way, you will have a better idea of what to expect.

2.Book your excursions before you go. These can be pre-purchased and you can get them at a cheaper rate than purchasing on the ship. Also, the most sought-after excursions will sell out before the day of departure.

3. Go ahead and spring for a passport book. While the passport card will allow you to go to Mexico and Canada , it does not cover travel by air. If something should happen to you while you are abroad, you will not be able to be airlifted out.

4. Even if you don’t think Formal Night is your thing and you don’t like dressing up, go ahead and take some clothes. It was fun to dress up and get our pictures taken.

5. If you drink pop/soda, purchase a pop card as glasses of pop were nearly $2.00 each. My Fountain Card was $30.00 and I had unlimited refills for the duration of the cruise and got a really nice Souvenir cup as well.

6. Go to the entertainment in the evenings. The shows are really good and not to be missed.

7. Go watch Bingo. Even if you don’t play, it is hilarious to watch others and cheer for them when they win.

8. Be nice to the staff. They work really hard and will do their best to take care of all your wishes (I got extra towel animals. Only person on our deck!)

9. Even though you can go 24 hours a day, get some sleep. The beds are ultra comfy and you will need it if you do many excursions.

10. Take Dramamine as a precaution before getting on the ship and the first day just to make sure you don’t get seasick.

Thanks for reading! Pictures will be posted soon. Next report will be the USS Alabama.

[cassie_KY]

Here are the pictures of our last days at sea.

Last Day at Sea and Disembarkation