Final Sea Day

Monday, February 18

I was vaguely aware of the increase in ship movement during the night. A couple of times I heard loud thuds and the constant sound of waves against the hull. Before bed, I had taken an allergy pill (to combat the effects of the smoky smell in the cabin) and also melatonin and I slept well...not getting up until after 7:30 am. Bob woke about the same time and we dressed and went to the Lido for breakfast. (Not once during the cruise did we make it to the dining room for breakfast...maybe next time.)

Bob and I finished eating and went up (or I should say across and up) to the Crow's Nest for the 9 am "Coffee with the Cruise Director". His guest was the assistant cruise director. (Sorry I don't have her name and can't find it in any of the pile of papers I brought home from the cruise 😞.) She was from Colima, Mexico which was one of the places we visited on our last cruise. Interestingly, she has a degree in culinary arts with a specialty in pastries. We hadn't attended any of the activities she hosted during the cruise, but she was very outgoing with a contagious smile. It was interesting to hear what motivates people to work on a cruise ship.

The port talk for Buenos Aires was scheduled for 10 am and by 9:30 most of the theater was filled. Kevin, the EXC guide, did such a nice job of providing useful information in an interesting way. Buenos Aires is his hometown so he was also able to share personal information to the talk.

Following the talk Bob had to hustle to pick up our passports. Since boarding, our passports had been in the possession of the ship but today's When & Where had instructed us to pick them up between 9 am and 11 am at the mid-ship elevator landing on whichever deck our cabin was located. He got there a few minutes before 11. It was fun to look through the passports and see all of the new stamps from this trip.

Bob and Kent went to play a little ping pong and Laurel and I returned to our cabins to begin packing. When we leave the ship in a few days, we will be flying to Iguazu Falls but only taking our carry-on luggage which makes packing interesting. Summer stuff goes in the smaller bags...all of the winter gear goes in the big suitcases which will be stored at a hotel in Buenos Aires. I wasn't sure how I was going to get all of the heavy clothes into one bag so had been eyeing a wheeled travel bag in the gift shop...just in case.

Our room was still smelling of stale smoke and I was still suffering from watery eyes and runny nose as a result. On the way to lunch, Laurel and I stopped by guest services to report the problem. The gal at the desk asked to come to our room to check so we turned around and went back to the cabin with her. She agreed there was a smoke smell and also admitted that others had complained of the same problem. She wasn't sure what was causing the smell, but suspected the ventilation system and the fact that our cabin was right over the gang plank. We had complained earlier in the cruise about the same problem and I think it was probably a port day as well.

She said she would have the room sprayed and put a blower in it. After lunch it was obvious that something had been sprayed to get rid of the smell, but we didn't see any blower. I think they might have also changed the bedding. Whatever they did seemed to take care of the problem, and my allergy symptoms began to improve pretty quickly.

The Lido buffet was much less crowded than usual...most likely because the 2nd Mariner luncheon was being held for the top tier in the loyalty program. We had no problem finding a table in the buffet even at the prime lunch time.

After eating, I changed into my swimsuit and found a lounge chair next to the aft pool. The sky was bright blue without a single cloud. There was just enough wind to keep cool in the sun. I didn't go into the water...I think it would have been a bit chilly. Instead I relaxed and dozed and just enjoyed the feeling of being on vacation!

I walked back through the mid-ship pool and found Bob and Kent. They were wanting to play some more ping pong but both tables were in use. They had come from the library where they finished a jigsaw puzzle that had been in progress.

Bob and I worked more at the packing and then slowly got ready for our final gala night. Tonight's menu featured surf & turf and we were also excited to see sunchoke soup listed. It was a favorite dish from our Panama Canal cruise on the Zaandam.

A gala night also meant we got to see a production show by the talented singers and dancers. The show, Classique, featured many different types of music and dance. I especially loved watching the Irish dance number. We got to the theater even earlier than usual knowing that it would fill up...and it did.

After the show the four of us went up to the Lido to have a cup of tea and then to the Mix bar on deck 5. We listened to the end of the music trivia and then it was time for...Chocolate Surprise! A parade of waiters carrying trays of all sorts of small chocolate goodies walked from one end of deck 5 to the other. There were eight different selections and Kent tried them all!!

The Chocolate Parade!

Our assistant waiter, Zulfin.

One down...seven more to try! 😉

Tomorrow...another new country for us when we visit the port of Montevideo, Uruguay.