Above is our World Cruise 2006 route map, minus the Western Hemisphere and the first Panama Canal segment. We completed this cruise in spring of 2006. To explain, this trip journal was created in real-time on AOL Journals, which they shut down November 1, 2008, so this is a re-creation. Thanks for your patience. The blog reads from last post to first unless you use the Archive to the right and go to the beginning, then you can read through from first post to last post in chronological order by using the Newer posts link at the bottom of each entry to page forward. Entries with photos will usually have a link to them at both the top and bottom of the entry, so you can decide whether you want to view photos before or after reading the entry. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Loose ends

We have been home now for 35 days! Time flies when you are catching up. We are settled back in and enjoying being home. This post is to tie up some loose ends.

 

Debbie’s health continues to improve. She did get that chest x-ray that the Doctor onboard Voyager recommended. It did not show anything. She had some blood tests and everything was OK except for high cholesterol. (Well, she is blaming that on the chocolate croissants and getting it retested in 3 months!) She continued to cough though, so she is finishing up 2 weeks on Advair and the cough has improved. The Doctor here said that he thought she probably had the flu and not just some garden variety cold out there in the world and that she waited too long to get treatment and that when she finally got it that she did not get strong enough or long enough antibiotics. Add to that the new environmental irritants everyday coupled with the ship’s air and the busy schedule and that he just thought it would take a long time to get WELL again. So, she is pacing herself and waiting out a full recovery. She got a couple of Yoga DVDs to ease herself back into an exercise routine. (Thanks to both Bebi and Jacquie for having yoga as a regular class in the aerobics room onboard Voyager. It has been a lifesaver.) So, still not back to aerobics but she is working herself back to fitness.

 

The Doctor’s bills; we had 3 bills totaling $818. Clay’s employer-sponsored HMO policy states in large bold letters that we are not covered outside the USA. But, Debbie went ahead and submitted a claim for the 3 bills. To our surprise, when she checked the insurer’s website 2 weeks later, it showed that the claim had been paid. It showed that a check had been paid to Clay for $758. We are waiting for that check to arrive, and then we will submit the remaining $60 to our travel insurer. But, we are very pleased that our HMO honored this claim. If the travel insurance policy does not cover the remaining $60 we will survive that, too.

 

The other unresolved issue from the cruise was the IPS shipped luggage. (Our deepest debt ofgratitude to Peggy, xrvlcruiser, for supporting and helping us through this. Many thanks.) If you read the whole journal, then you know that we shipped 5 bags/268 pounds from our home on 12/19/2005. RSSC includes 270 pounds of shipped luggage per cabin in the WC fare. Since we had already paid for it, we used it before the cruise. There were a lot of problems. The ship was late leaving Ft. Lauderdale on 12/27/2005 because the WCers shipped luggage had not arrived. When we finally got our late luggage, it had been pilfered. We were up past midnight that night, going through each bag with our spreadsheet inventory and documenting our losses. We submitted the marked up spreadsheet printout to Ursula Whelan, Voyager’s Guest Relations Manager, and requested that she follow up with IPS. During the 4 months, Ursula told us that IPS had cut a check and mailed it to our house. Also, during the 4 months we had a voicemail from Ursula giving us an email address to contact IPS with our credit card number. We did not understand why they needed it, but we emailed and asked what they wanted. We never received a reply. When we got home and sorted through 4 months of mail, there was no check. About 2 weeks ago, we got a check from IPS for $230 for our lost possessions. Then last week, we got a phone call from IPS wanting our credit card number to pay for the 132 pounds that we shipped overweight. What?!? Supposedly, the vendor reported that we shipped an even 400 pounds. So, we went another round. Today we received an email that the invoice has been changed to 268 pounds and that we can consider this chapter of our lives closed. We hope. We have been assured that IPS’ problems in Florida have been resolved and that all is running smoothly now. We hope. We are not likely to ever ship our luggage again though, so good luck to those who do.

 

We are still holding a placeholder onboard booking for our next cruise. Debbie’s Mom wants to go with us around South America in January/February 2008. RSSC’s Mariner has done this cruise for the past several years and will do it again in 2007. So, we are keeping our fingers crossed that RSSC will repeat that itinerary in 2008. Ngaire has been notified and we will just wait to hear that she is holding cabins for us. It will not be that long. With Debbie’s Mom coming along, we will only have Clay’s family to do a journal like this for next time and so the jury is out if we will do it again. It is a lot of work. But, we did hear from a lot of people while we were out in the world that really enjoyed our efforts, so we will see. Thanks to everyone who emailed us with kind comments. Thanks also to everyone who approached us onboard Voyager with kind comments. This is our final entry.

 

Day 121 - Friday April 28 Disembarkation

Disembarkation photos
position at 6:30am: FLL where the trip started 4 months and 1 day ago
temperature: 72F, partly cloudy
distance since FLL: 39,114 miles
This morning we found that we were docked at pier 25 in Port Everglades, exactly where we left from 4 months ago. In front of us was HAL's Maasdam and behind us was Costa Magica.
Clay was up early for his last walk on deck. There were no other passengers walking this morning. It was about 6:10am when he returned to the cabin to wake Debbie. After a quick shower, Clay gathered the customs information on our purchases and proceeded to the the Constellation Theater about 6:35am. There were about 25 passengers standing in a line ahead of him, and there were 5 or 6 customs agents sitting at a long table interviewing people and preparing their duty bills. The line moved exceptionally slowly. Only about 10 people had cleared when Debbie showed up around 7:15am looking for Clay. It turns out the early people in the line were the heavy shoppers who had detailed lists and were trying to get every deduction, and this was what was causing the long delays. (The customs agents had about a foot thick book with all the rules, so there was a lot of looking things up!) But, after these initial people got processed, the line started moving much quicker. So, by 7:30am, Clay had made it to an agent, and was quickly processed as we just took the flat 3% fee above the standard deduction of $800 pp. After this interview line, we then waited in another line to actually pay the bill. There was only one agent to handwrite receipts and take the cash or check only. By the time we left around 7:50am, this second line was longer than the first line.
We then walked directly to Compass Rose, which had opened at 7:00am, for our last breakfast. There were chocolate croissants! So, Debbie splurged, having one chocolate croissant, a bowl of raspberries and her double order of Swedish pancakes, no lingonberries with black cherry jam. Clay had an order of blueberry pancakes and an order of toast. As part of the USDA cover, Clay's syrup was served in little jelly-type jars instead of the usual pitcher. The butter on the table was packaged in foil and in no ice instead of the usual butter patties on ice.
It was about 8:25am when we got back to the cabin to collect our 8 pieces of hand-carry luggage and say goodbye to Mishiel for the last time. We hope that Mishiel either gets some rest during the next 7 sea days or gets some medical attention. For the last 4 days or so, she had the respiratory infection that had plagued Voyager and she was sliding downhill fast. She seemed to be barely able to breathe or move and could barely speak. She looked just awful and Debbie especially knows what she was going through and that pushing through was not going to work. So, our best wishes are with Mishiel and that she gets what she needs to recover doing the long return stretch to Funchal. We were out of our cabin by the requested 8:30am time. We then waited through a couple of elevator cycles (as the they were full), and finally took separate elevators down to deck 5 to sit outside the Horizon Lounge until we could disembark. Just after we settled in for the wait, the Blackberry rang. It was Debbie's mother saying she was just outside the port gate waiting to show her passport to pick us up. We told her to find a waiting spot as they were just about to start calling the color groups, but we were in about the 8th group so it would be a while. At 9:30am, people started disembarking. At around 10:30am, they called the group ahead of us, so we stared our trek with our 8 pieces of hand-carry luggage to the Main Atrium. As we only had 4 hands between us, this was quite a sight. (Not to mention that 2 of the pieces were our much-admired collapsible luggage hampers with all the last loose piece and oversized bits like Clay's cane spilling out the tops. We looked like vagabond homeless people, and that might have been just about the most appropriate look we could have affected. But with all the people with their streamlined regulation airline carryons, we looked pretty eccentric. At least we did not leave with 8-24 big cardboard boxes though like some people did!) We took the back elevator down to deck 4, walked through Compass Rose (nodding goodbye to Patrick as we went through) and had just dropped our bags on a chair by the Voyager Lounge when we saw them start to disembark our color, so we walked immediately to the gangway to leave. Jamie, Dionne and Mark Conroy were by the gangway saying goodbye to the passengers. Just as we got to Mark Conroy, out of nowhere, Ricardo (Debbie's favorite sommelier!) came up and took 3 of our bags, making our exit much easier. And when we got through the check-out line, another sommelier relieved Debbie of everything except the backpack she had on. It was a long way through the terminal to where we could collect our other 12 bags. We were really thankful for the crew help in handling the hand-carry bags we had. We quickly rounded up a porter (went to the front area to catch one as they re-entered the building), and he somehow balanced all 12 bags onto a single UPS-type cart. The pile was about 8 feet high as he rolled it out. Getting though immigration was a snap. They saw the pink customs receipt sticking out of Clay's shirt pocket and just waved us through. We did not even break stride. Our porter stacked our bags on the curb as Debbie called her mother. In about 5 minutes, we had filled a van (and it was literally full). We were on our way about 10:50am. So, once we were called, things happened very quickly. There were more sad goodbyes this morning, but in general the mood was more one of anticipation than of regret by this time.
There was a wonderful sunset last night off the beach of Bonita Springs, but there we were without our keycards! More importantly with no camera.
We were late to bed with catching up with family and late to rise and slow to get going. We have decided that we will drive back on Sunday instead of Monday so that means we need to get the lead out of our butts to get some repacking done and spend time with Grandparents, etc and hit the road. Today Debbie celebrated the return of stuffed French Toast to her life! All the ingredients could be found in Margie's kitchen. (See photo. For anyone at RSSC reading this, this is what the desired dish looks like!) Stuffed French Toast for those that may have missed it. Take 2 pieces of the sliced bread you have available. Thin is preferable to thick sliced. Spread a thin layer of cream cheese (any kind) on the bread. Stick the 2 slices together. Use your regular French Toast coating (for us eggs, milk, vanilla, cinammon or however you want it to your taste) Melt butter in a skillet, or spray a frying pan with Pam, whatever; slick up a cooking surface and fry the French Toast to your desired doneness. Some people don't want it browned or crisped, we do. French toast without a crispy outer is a failure to us. It should be warm through the center and crisped outside. If you can make a grilled cheese sandwich and if you can make French Toast, you should be able to to do this.
So, we will spend another day here with Debbie's family and then Margie will drive us back home to Raleigh in her van and spend a few days. Clay is back to work on Tuesday. So, busy days ahead getting caught up and settled in. We do not intend to continue posting here as we return to our daily lives. Sorry, for those that will miss it. On some level, so will we! Bob needs some rest. We have had a mostly wonderful experience doing this for the past year or so and now we need to get back to normal for while. Never fear that if and when we venture back out into the wider world we will probably do another trip journal like this one. Thanks to everyone who contacted us with the positive feedback and we are glad you enjoyed it and hope that your withdrawal from this strange space will be as easy and painless as we hope our own will be. Farewell.
Disembarkation photos

Day 120 - Thursday April 27 - Ft Lauderdale a day early

Last Sea Day photos
position at 6:30am: N29.58.40 latitude W69.02.42 longitude
(380 miles from FLL)
temperature: 77F, partly cloudy
distance since FLL: 39,114 miles
This post was uploaded yesterday, but evidently it did not 'take'. So, we are uploading it a day late. Sorry.



Rick Friia

We would like to dedicate this journal to the memory of Rick Friia, Debbie’s Dad. He encouraged us to do this from the very earliest preliminary discussions. As he weakened from ALS, he encouraged us in even stronger terms. Rick wanted us to do this, and to never miss another opportunity to do anything we dreamed while we are able. This World Cruise was something positive and wonderful that we could all safely talk about and look forward to even as Rick’s condition worsened. He made sure that we understood from the very beginning that no matter what happened to him that he wanted to know that we would go on and have this adventure. We reassured him every day that we would go and we would have a wonderful adventure. He knew that we were working on this journal and that we would share our experiences and he was pleased. When he died on December 23, 2005, going on was one of the hardest things Debbie has ever had to do, but a promise is a promise and she keeps hers. She hopes that she would have made Rick proud of her and made him laugh and made him cry. She hopes it was anything close to the experience that he wished for us. Rick died almost 4 months ago and we have been out here seeing all the world in that time. There will still be some adjustments to understand after we are grounded back in our real lives. Those adjustments we won’t document here and few people will share them with us. We will go on with the simple adventures of our everyday lives and they will pass as common and undocumented days. Today is one month since the date of Rick's birthday, March 27th. He would have been 72 years old. We miss him now and we will probably miss him even more, later. We thank Rick for wishing for these four months for us, and when we revisit these memories, we will think of him in the future. There is no way to be thankful enough for such a generous Dad. Thanks, Rick.
We will end this cruise the same way we began it with tears. It was not all tears, but it did begin and end that way.
Today is our last sea day. The seas are still pretty calm and that is a good thing. Looking at channel 3 on TV this morning we are slipping between the islands of the Bahamas to reach Ft. Lauderdale. Clay thought we should go above the Bahamas to get to Port Everglades and hopes this means another surprise port stop. Debbie thinks they already returned our passports and we aren't going anywhere until we get off in Ft. Lauderdale. Clay checked his GPS and says we are just more than 300 miles from Ft. Lauderdale and is getting excited about a surprise visit to the Bahamas. Debbie is still sure they won't let us off here until it is for good. We'll see.
Clay was up early and had a good deck walk. There was a 60-70 km/h crosswind and it was about 72F degrees. There was a good-sized crowd up there with him walking. Debbie got up between 6 and 6:30am so Clay could come right back in the cabin when he finished his walk.
We were up in LaVeranda right after its 7:30am opening. There were not many people up there for breakfast this morning. We saw someone new this morning on Deck 7 and again at the table next to us. He was wearing an RSSC name badge and his title was USPH Consultant. He was bending ears up there about how things have to be done to pass inspections in Ft. Lauderdale tomorrow. All the waitstaff is pretty edgy in anticipation of this, so it must be a pretty big deal for them. Wouldn't it just be easier (not to mention safer) to always do things according to these rules and regulations instead of this frantic scramble now? Anyway, we wish them luck and hope they continue their streak of high scores. There were no chocolate croissants today, so Debbie may have had her last one without marking the occasion because it seems unlikely that they will have them on disembarkation/embarkation day. When they only served them every 4th, or so, sea day we doubt we will see them again with everything else going on tomorrow. So, Debbie had a bowl of oatmeal with a banana and then just to be safe went up and got a small bowl of raspberries to finish off. Clay had Rice Krispies and a banana. There were not many people in LaVeranda, but those that were there all had long faces about thinking this was the last breakfast. (We do really expect to have breakfast in the morning tomorrow!)
At 9am, Capt. Dag only told us about where we are sailing and how good the weather is. There were no Vords of Visdom for us today, only to finish packing and enjoy our last sea day. We probably forgot to report that at his Farewell speech he told us that we had only had 5 days of rain during the World Cruise. That really is remarkable. We have been really, incredibly lucky with the weather over the last 4 months. We appreciate it! Also, he announced last night that of the 8 or so people who he had had to put off the ship due to medical problems that he had kept up with them and they were all doing well.
We finally saw the return of flying fish today. Hurray! We were getting lonely out here in the big ocean. Still no dolphins or the fabled spring migration of humpback whales though.
The white elephant auction is at 10:30am and we will probably go. We did go and it lasted until noon and they did not even get everything auctioned. Jamie was hilarious. He raised a lot of money for the Crew Welfare Fund. The highest bid was shared by 2 items. The lyre flag that had sailed on Voyager all cruise and that Jamie carried out in the Atlantic when he waterskiied went for $1500. There was a crew's T-shirt that said Voyager World Cruise front and back and was designed by a crew member for the crew that a woman bought for $1100. She then redonated it and it sold again for the runner-up bidder for only $400 the second time around. So, that T-shirt also brought $1500 into the Crew Fund. There were lots of other one-of-a-kind items. The bottle of Talisman wine from the captain of the Talisman that we met in the Indian Ocean and a DVD of the meeting of the ships and Kenny Smiles wet landing. A bottle of wine from Chateau Dvergastein with Dag's picture on the label from a case given to him for his 50th birthday. A shirt of Capt. Dag's with epaulets and name tag was the 2nd highest item at $1250. The best deal of the auction was 2 Jim Thompson polo shirts from Bangkok that when for $20 each. We did not buy anything because frankly where would we put anything else and we really should have been in the cabin packing instead. There were probably fewer than 100 people that showed up for the auction. But, it was a lot of fun and we laughed almost the whole time.
We listened to our last 8-bells announcement from Freddie in the Atrium and then went into Compass Rose for our last lunch. We got a window on the starboard side, so we could see Grand Abaco Island of the Bahamas in the distance. (That is as close as Clay will get to the Bahamas. Sorry, Clay!) Clay had a chicken salad sandwich and Debbie had a grilled ham & cheese. These were the 2 featured sandwiches from the center of the menu. Clay started with poisson cru chinoise and Debbie started with chilled cream of peach soup. We both had ice cream for dessert. Time to head back up and finish off the packing! As we started up the stairs in the Main Atrium, we heard someone calling out. We turned and it was Ricardo, our favorite sommelier. Debbie is really going to miss Ricardo. All she has asked Clay for is to have a sommelier when we get home. ;) She only wants to take Ricardo home! She can do without all the others! Ricardo told us he hates to do goodbyes, but he gave us goodbye hugs. We hate to say goodbye, too. We will really miss Ricardo.
It is 3:15pm and we have packed everything that we are not wearing today or tomorrow and our minimal bathroom supplies. Whew! Easier to just stay home! ;) Debbie can wait for the sweat to dry and then she can go to one last afternoon of exercise classes. We sent 12 bags to be carried off the ship for us and we will carry another 12 briefcase/camera bag sized bags. Think we brought too much? Think we bought too much? Both, probably. Margie, you can panic now. Hope you got a row of seats out of the van!
We sailed past some Bahamas islands on the port side this afternoon. We could white sandy beaches and a cruise ship anchored offshore. We could not read the name, but it was white with a dark funnel and a brightly multi-colored forward part.
So, we did not get an unscheduled stop in the Bahamas. Debbie went to Total Body Toning and Stretch and Relax in the afternoon. These were Jacquie's last 2 classes of the World Cruise. So, another sad goodbye. Thanks Jacquie and Debbie will miss you, too.
As we were dressing to go eat, Capt. Dag came on the loudspeakers in our cabins. He apologized for the intrusion but wanted to put to rest any rumors. (What rumors?) He said that due to a medical emergency that we were picking up a pilot this evening at 9pm and docking in Port Everglades at 10pm. This is only to send a passenger with a medical emergency to a shoreside hospital ASAP. The ship will not clear for disembarkation before the scheduled time tomorrow morning. They expect that to be between 9:30am and noon. We are to present ourselves to customs officials on deck 4 in the Constellation Theater between 6:30am and 8:30am. Capt. Dag turned the microphone over to Jamie and he announced that the White Elephant Auction this morning had made $9,500 for the Crew Welfare Fund and that since Safaga another $10,000 had been donated. So, over the last segment and a half the Crew Welfare Fund had received almost $20,000.
The last supper. We went to Compass Rose. It was Country Club Casual. Debbie had steak. Clay had steak. We had ice cream. We were out of there. Amazingly, we were seated at a table we had never sat at before in 4 months.
We saw our last sunset at sea. Tonight there was another cruise ship in front of it!
Today was our last full day aboard Voyager for this World Cruise. It has been an absolutely amazing experience. The world is both larger and smaller than you might imagine. It is mostly water though, so this is probably the best way to go all the way around it on the surface in one go. We can recommend RSSC Voyager’s World Cruise, if anyone has a desire for a luxury endurance cruise around the planet. Traveling west is easier than traveling east. The time changes are more favorable and less stressful to the system. We recommend traveling west if you go.
About 9pm, we slowed to pick up a pilot. At about 10pm, we are maneuvering to dock in Port Everglades. It looks like we will have covered approximately 39,880 miles since we left FLL on Dec. 27, 2005. What a trip! It did end early on sort of a sad note. It was one of the early morning walkers who was removed by Broward County Fire and Rescue as soon as we docked. Leaving the ship in an ambulance is not how anyone would want to do things.
We will probably post again sometime next week when things settle down.
Last Sea Day photos

Our RSSC Hall of Fame

Our RSSC Hall of Fame photos

Here are a few of the people who have gone out of their way to make our cruise a real pleasure. Of course, there are many others as well, but these are the ones whose pictures we have. It goes without saying here that there are some obvious omissions here. For example, Captain Dag and Cruise Director Extraordinaire Jamie Logan. But, we have posted their pictures previously and clearly this experience would not have been the same without them.

Day 119 - Wednesday April 26 At Sea Day 1

Sea Day photos
position at 6:30am: N29.58.40 latitude W69.02.42 longitude
(730 miles from FLL)
temperature: 67F, partly cloudy
distance since FLL: 39,114 miles
It was a quiet night last night with smooth sailing. It continues to be pretty smooth sailing this morning. We will be very happy to finish off the cruise this way if we are lucky enough for this to continue to Ft. Lauderdale. So, the chocolate ship shaped like Voyager! The top lifted off like a lid. Inside, not full of people as you might have suspected, but full of ooey-gooey white and dark chocolate mousse. Half & half. Did Clay get a picture of the chocolate ship with the top off? NO. He was posting last night's journal entry and captioning pictures. Debbie told him to look and he said in a minute. Well, in a minute pig-girl had snarfed up all the mousse and was licking her fingers! So, you will just have to take our words for it and use your imagination to visualize it.
Clay was up early and had perfect deck walking conditions this morning. So, last night's time change brought us back to our home time zone. This will be great not having to make any time adjustments to getting back home. Debbie was up early as well to finish off putting away last night's laundry. Today packing will be more or less completed except for what we need to finish these last 2 days onboard.
Today they are returning our passports to us, time for us to move along! For 2 hours this afternoon, they are gathering donations for the white elephant auction that will take place the next morning. The money raised by this is for the crew welfare fund. Jamie says that in the past year every crew member has received a refrigerator and a DVD player in their cabin from this fund. It is also used for the crew's emergency aid and transportation, etc. Of course, straight cash donations are always welcome. Tonight is our final Formal night and is the Captain's Farewell Cocktail Party and Farewell Meal.
We had breakfast in LaVeranda. It was a bit strange today. They are getting ready for their big inspections in Ft. Lauderdale, and they were literally turning things upside down. All the plates and bowls were stacked upside down and they do not stack as securely that way, so every single person approached and had a hesitation. Debbie had Smacks and peanut butter toast. Clay had his usual eggs. We did not get to check the littlest Spanish girl's teeth this morning. Yesterday, she had a right front tooth that was wobblying and did not look like it could make it to the end of the cruise. She left too soon after we arrived today and we did not get to check. She appears to have all of her other teeth and this may be the first tooth that she will lose. How exciting is that for her? Clay is sure that she is not the first to lose teeth on board here.
Clay walked by Gudrun's office this morning and thought she looked all alone in there. So, we used some of our free Internet time on the laptop in front of Horizon Lounge while we were waiting for our cabin to be ready to look for a 'placeholder' cruise to book onboard before we leave. Don't get excited. We are not cruising anywhere, anytime soon. The furthest out cruise available for booking now is Voyager November 11, 2007, 8 nights, from Funchal to Ft. Lauderdale. We would really like to cruise around South America before our yellow fever vaccines expire in 2010. Mariner has done this cruise for a couple of years and will do it in January 2007, but it is not known yet if it will go again in 2008 or 2009. So, we are holding an onboard booking while we wait to find out. We can hold this until July without penalties to see what the distant future cruise schedules hold.
We went to the last of Bill Miller's talks on cruising in the morning. He had a good crowd and gave a good talk despite some technical difficulties at the end that made him compete with Freddie, the voice from the bridge, at 12 noon. We collected our passports right before the talk began, and ate lunch in Compass Rose immediately following the talk. Clay had a hamburger and Debbie had chicken scallopini Princesses. We both had peanut butter ice cream. Yum! After lunch, it was time for more packing. Debbie has all but the last couple of bags packed now. She had thought to go to afternoon classes today. But after wrestling with clothes and luggage most of the day she was tired and sweaty already and decided to take a nap instead before showering and dressing up for the last Formal evening.
Debbie was out like a light and Clay had to wake her up to get showered and changed at 5:30pm. Capt. Dag's farewell cocktail party was at 6pm. Capt. Dag gave Debbie kisses. We forgot to take Bob! Sorry Bob. Clay did not get kisses either. This was kind of a sad night. They showed pictures of Navigator and Voyager meeting at sea. They showed the video of the day that the families of the crew got to come aboard in Manila. There were some songs by Amapola and one by Chris Riggins. They handed out the top 3 awards for the 'Day in the life of a Voyager' photo contest. Third price and first prize were won by the mother of the Spanish family and second prize was won by long-time repeater RSSC cruiser Carol from San Francisco. Capt. Dag spoke and so did Jamie. Capt. Dag said we had travel over 30,000 nautical miles since Los Angeles. (Since Ft. Lauderdale we have traveled even more and our figures above are in land miles.) Then there was a song by one of the Filipino crew, George, then a group of the Filipino crew sang the Salute Song (see photos) and members from every department poured onto the stage and the dance floor in front from the top and bottom of the theater. There were a lot of people up there, but clearly not all of the staff and crew because dinner was already being served at the time.
People are still laughing and talking about the Freddie, the navigator, voice from the bridge spoof from Monday night. We wish we had recorded it because it was just the most hilarious thing all cruise.
After Capt. Dag's farewell cocktail party, it was time for the Farewell Dinner. (See the menu in photos.) We had more courses tonight than we have had in months but since it is the last time we will be doing it... Tonight is the final performance of the PGT group this voyage. (Tomorrow night is the big screen cinema in the conference room of Syriana. The Constellation Theater will either be dark or is booked for something private.) All DVDs must be returned before 4pm tomorrow to avoid incurring charges. Tomorrow morning is the 'white elephant auction.' We kept everything that we bought, except for a few magnets that we gave to Sabine, our morning LaVeranda waitress who is obsessively collecting magnets from around the world, so we contributed some. Tomorrow afternoon is the last chance to redeem Dag's Dollars. (We are keeping ours as rare collectibles!) Passages has a congratulations to Mr. Chuck Walker for setting a new world cruise record for prize winnings of 492 tokens at last count.
Sea Day photos

Day 118 - Tuesday April 25 Bermuda

Bermuda photos
position at 6:30am: N32 17.40 latitude W64 46.42 longitude
(just off Bermuda)
temperature: 66F, cloudy
distance since FLL: 38,786 miles
It was a little windy on deck this morning, but it was still a pleasant time to walk. For the last few morning, the moon has been a upper shaped cresent with the morning star close by. It looks similar to the Turkish flag. We are just off the coast of Bermuda, it is just discernible in the distance. We are scheduled to be docked at 9am and all aboard at 3:30pm. It will be far too short a final shore day. Tonight is our final time change and we will be back in our home time zone. That seems a little weird at last. One week from today Clay will be back in the office and back to work.
The restaurants are opening at their usual times today for breakfast so we will probably return to LaVeranda and Debbie will keep her fingers crossed for chocolate croissants to be back today. Debbie had 2 chocolate croissants and a bowl of raspberries. Clay had lox and a roll and melon.
We docked a little early. It is 8:55am now. We sailed into the harbor past the Dockyards and in front of Hamilton, where Capt. Dag made his signature spin and sidled into the dock on the starboard side for a quick nose-out getaway this afternoon. We have a view across the harbor. Celebrity's Zenith was already docked alongside Front Street when we arrived in Hamilton. There was a ship, not a freighter, but not a cruise ship, docked at the Royal Naval Dockyards as we came into and out of the harbor. Since Jean-Michel Cousteau disembarked here in Hamilton, we were supposing that it is his ship. It looked like it might have a small orange submarine on top, so whose else would it be. You can make out the name on one photo is Cable Innovator, no idea whose ship this is.
About 9:15am Jamie announced that we were clear to leave the ship and we went. We are docked at the No. 1 Passenger Terminal on Front Street in Hamilton. We picked up all the maps we needed at the Chamber of Commerce desk in the Terminal building. These were the Bermuda handy reference map and the Public Transport Bermuda Bus Schedules Map. We went straight out and to the Visitor's Center and Ferry Terminal to get bus tokens. The buses will accept US currency but only in coins and the bus ride to St. George from Hamilton is $4.50 in cash or $4 in tokens. The Visitor's Center it turns out only sells passes ($12 for a day pass on buses and ferries, a good deal if we had more than 6 hours here). To get tokens you have to go to the Ferry Terminal or the Bus Terminal. Since we were at the Ferry Terminal building we walked in and got our tokens. $4 pp one way Hamilton to St. George and return tokens for each, so $16 for 4 brass tokens. We walked the 2 blocks or so uphill to the bus terminal. Bus 11 leaves every 15 minutes and that is the one we caught out. The alternate routes leave every hour and we caught Bus 3 back to Hamilton. St. George is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the first capital of Bermuda on the East End of the islands. The rides are scenic and worthwhile. Both routes stopped at the airport and went by the Swizzle Inn. Bus 3 on the way back also went by the Crystal Caves. Bus 11 went by the Aquarium, Zoo & Museum. The bus map also has a "do it yourself sightseeing tour by bus and ferry" for Monday - Saturday. For $12 they have it laid out for you to take buses and ferries and spend from 10am to 3:45pm going from Hamilton by bus to the Dockyard with a Maritime Museum visit and lunch and shopping time near Watford Bridge and returning to Hamilton via ferry. This would make a nice day. We did the walking tour from Frommer's Bermuda 2005 for St. George. We did it in reverse because the bus apparently only really makes one stop in St. George at the St. George's Liquor Store nears Somer's Wharf. So, we started there and went backwards and then took the short walk back for a quick lunch at the Carriage House Restaurant on Water St. We had a quick, light lunch in order to catch one of the hourly buses. Clay had the famous Bermuda Fish Chowder with Rum and Sherry Peppers and really liked it. He also had an Amstel beer. Bob didn't get any. Debbie had the Bermuda onion soup - French style and loved it. We shared an order of Bermuda Onion Rings. Delicious and not at all oniony. We did not enter any of the museums and only entered the Unfinished Cathedral and St. Peter's Church and graveyard. We got off Bus 3 at the east end of Hamilton and walked up the hill to Fort Hamilton. We did not see much of it but it looks interesting with underground tunnels. Then we walked into the Bermuda Cathedral and on back to Front St. and the ship. We wandered a few close streets and did some very last minute shopping. OUr final purchase of 4 months around the world was a pink Bermuda house cookie jar. Debbie will have to carry it off alone because it will NOT fit inany of our luggage. We were back on board about 3pm and we sailed right on time at 4pm. We watched from Deck 12 until about 5pm. We followed the same channel out that we took in this morning. It must be the only safe route in and out.
Bermuda is a pretty set of islands. Love the white, sculptural looking rooftops! We liked it here. So this ends our last port day. The next time we see land we will be back in the USA. In an hour there is a "Stop the Packing Party." The Pilot boat just picked up the pilot and left us. It is Country Club Casual tonight. Tomorrow night is Formal and the next night is Country Club Casual. The dress codes for our last 3 dinners.
We did make it to the "Stop Your Packing Party" thrown by Barbara Clutz. It was decorated with clothes hanging between decks 4 and 5 in the atrium. Jamie sort of MCed things, and there were some songs performed by some of the PGT singers. It was a nice get together.
We ate a quick dinner in LaVeranda this evening. Debbie had her usual filet mignon and Clay ate the pasta. Clay wanted to eat swordfish Sicilian style, but when he ordered it from the menu, the waiter said that swordfish was not being offerred tonight. The fish of the evening was Mahi Mahi, and hence Clay decided to get the pasta. We skipped dessert, and that was a good thing as when we got back to the room, there was some surprise candy left for us. When we were in LaVerdanda, Debbie had spottefd a whole fleet of ship-shaped chocolates laid out on the closed side of LaVeranda, but these chocolates were not on the dessert buffet. Debbie was worried we were missing out on something, and lo and behold, the craved chocolate ship was waiting for us in our cabin.
Debbie decided since we have only 2 more nights onboard, and since we are gaining an hour tonight, she should wash clothes for the last time. Her goal is to pack mainly clean clothes to return home, and not pack many dirty clothes. Whew! Can't believe we are almost home!
We cannot believe that we forgot to tell about our favorite, and the most hilarious, part of last night's Farewell Party. The Freddie the Navigator spoof. Jamie started talking and was interrupted by the bing-bong of the loudspeaker coming on. This was followed by about a dozen bells (vs. the 8 for Noon) and Freddie speaking somewhat incoherently. It was just a gas. It was definitely Freddie, but spoofing on his noon announcement.. this is your disembodied voice from the fridge...the however many bells I just rang are an old maritime tradition for something,,, the depth of the water in this part of the ocean is deep, over your head, definitely over my head... here is some more nautical information that you probably don't really care about... It was so funny that Debbie had a coughing fit she was laughing so hard. We really love Freddie and we do CARE about his nautical information, we always note here in the journal what Freddie and Capt. Dag have to say about the state of the seas and wave height, size of swells, direction of the wind and how hard it is blowing, etc. We CARE! And we keep a record of it here in practically realtime. If we ever miss an announcement for some reason, we feel lost or like we've forgotten something because we don't KNOW what all the conditions are from the TV channel 3 and we only have our own observations to compare to past conditions that we have 'official' information on.
Bermuda photos

Day 117 - Monday April 24 at sea - day 5

Sea Day 5 photos
position at 7:15am: N31 04.40 latitude W57 47.40 longitude
(410 miles SE of Bermuda, our next port)
temperature: 64F, cloudy, only a slight head wind (~ 20km/h)
distance since FLL: 38,355 miles
It was another rocky night though the seas seemed a little calmer. It was 63F on deck this morning with very little breeze which made for a pleasant walk for Clay. We also gained an hour overnight so there was a good early crowd on deck.
Debbie slept in only a little this morning and was up before Clay came back to the cabin. The seas are much calmer than yesterday. There are still some pretty good swells but not accompanied by big choppy waves too. So, still some rocking but not all the really rough ride of the last couple of days. Tomorrow will be a shore day in any event, hurray!
For 2 days now, Voyager Today has been playing the spoof video of the preparations for Capt. Dag's 50th birthday party from Australia. It is really funny. The other people on the ship who have not been on all along must wonder what has been going on here.
So, we went to Compass Rose at 8am this morning because Debbie had a craving for Swedish Pancakes. After breakfast, Clay left Debbie sitting in her favorite cabin-waiting spot in the hall in front of Horizon Lounge and he went up to get the laptop and a book for Debbie. He was gone a while. When he returned, he told Debbie that Mishiel was not to our cabin yet. He apologized for taking so long, but said he had to listen to a voicemail on our phone. Debbie told him that she did not even realize you could do that and how did he know how. Clay said he just picked it up and it prompted him. Then, Clay just sat mute. Debbie waited and then said, Well, what was the voicemail. Clay burst his poker face and blurted out with a big grin, Oh it was Capt. Dag! Last night, Capt. Dag invited Clay back to the bridge for the meeting with the Navigator. Since the meeting is taking place on our port side and we have our balcony there, Clay was considering not going to the bridge even though Debbie told him he had to go. Well, this morning the Captain's voicemail said, Mr. Burch if you would like to go back up the smokestack to take pictures of the meeting with the Navigator be on the bridge at 10:30am to get your gloves and coveralls. Clay is very happy that the seas have calmed down because of course he wants to go back up the smokestack! Guess this definitely means that we will not stay on our own balcony for the meeting of the ships. More later on this.
Today is also the Galley Brunch Buffet in Compass Rose. We will go into the Galley and serve ourselves from a buffet line and then go sit in CR to eat. Later this evening is the World Cruisers' Farewell Show in the Constellation Theater, so we don't have much down time today. It will be an eventful sea day. Tomorrow evening from 6 to 7pm everyone is invited to fellow guest, Barbara Clutz' 'Stop your Packing Party' in the Main Atrium. We'll soon need that day in Bermuda for rest!
It is 10:18am. We made another left turn earlier this morning and were going even further south for a while. Then in the last 30 minutes, or so, we made another turn and are heading north. Now we have dropped speed to about 7 knots. We don't see any sign of Navigator but we must be in the area of our appointed meeting, just waiting for her to show up. The winds have dropped even further to under 10kn/h but the swells are still big. Capt. Dag hopes to do something special like lower small boats for the 2 Captains to meet between the ships for a handshake, but he said in his 9am Vords that it will depend on the swells. We'll see. Oh, here comes Navigator right towards our balcony. Gotta go! So, we met up with Navigator a little earlier than expected. Good thing Clay went to the bridge early, but the other invited guest for the smokestack turned out to be the lecturer, Bill Miller. He was in the Constellation Theater giving his talk. When he finally arrived at the bridge, he was dressed in his dandy clothes and did not want to put on a jumpsuit over them. He sent his photographer up instead. So, the funnel climb was the Safety Officer, Clay and a professional photographer. Once again, Clay experiences his photographic equipment inadequacy! Clay found the second time not to be as good as the first. We were in the middle of the ocean and there wasn't as much to see. But, it was still exciting to meet Navigator. They had their little boat out long before Capt. Dag got ours out. They took Jean-Michel Cousteau over to Navigator and he spoke over their loudspeaker for a while. We never did get anything over the Deck 12 loudspeakers on our ship. It did sound like they were playing music over our lower public deck speakers sometimes though. Like the song Voyager played when Jamie waterskied around the back of Voyager and between the 2 ships and back! You don't see that everyday. Later we saw Jamie and told him he looked cold out there. He said the water was fine and that Dana told him the same thing. Debbie told him it must have been the fear we were seeing then. Jamie allowed that he was a little worried, about that fin he felt brushing him, but mostly thinking "don't fall, don't fall, don't fall." He did a great job and those were some big swells. Jamie waterskied in the Bermuda Triangle. Not many men are foolhardy, or brave enough, to earn those bragging rights, congratulations to Jamie on his extraordinary performance and Dag for some excellent small boat driving to keep Jamie upright. Those 2 make quite a team. There was another passenger who was invited into the small boat with Capt. Dag. We don't know the names of this couple, but they have been on for the World Cruise and his wife is the one that asked Clay about the roulottes yesterday and the man had stopped Clay in Olympia, Greece and asked him how he got to go up the funnel. Clay asked the man at the Galley Brunch how he liked his boat ride and he replied that it was great. Clay was glad Capt. Dag did not ask him to do that one and was happy to climb the funnel ladder again.
The 2 ships separated on schedule about 11:45am and it was sad to see Navigator head off to where we had just come from, but good that we were heading on towards Bermuda. Debbie wound up watching from the Deck 12 port railing and Peggy came and joined her. Peggy told Debbie that she was ready to go home. Debbie was glad to hear that even the die-hard repeaters get ready to go home! Thanks Peggy for making Debbie feel like she is not such a complete freak. At lunch, Capt. Dag came by and told Clay this was the second time that he invited the ship's photographer to go up the funnel to take pictures and the second time he had not come. Capt. Dag hoped that Clay got some good pictures and hoped that Clay would get copies to him again. (Clay hoped so too and of course will get pictures to Capt. Dag and to Jamie.) Clay said yes, he would. Capt. Dag told Clay he would make him an official ship's photographer. After Capt. Dag left the table we both blurted to each other that Clay was going to need much better equipment for that title. Too funny.
Freddie did not make his 8 bells announcement today. We missed him. We were eager to hear him report the size of the swells today. But, Freddie was silent today, so we cannot report on the size, but they are pretty good sized.
So, the Galley Brunch Buffet. This was fun. It was pretty much the special buffet they have served several times on the Pool Deck. A roast suckling pig, cold seafood, sausages and kraut, beef goulash and spatzle, salads, breads, a pasta station and desserts. This time it was served from the galley. We went in through Compass Rose on the port side aft and went through the buffet line in the galley and turned the corner and came out back in Compass Rose on the starboard side. The waiters were there waiting to take our plates and take us to tables. Ricardo still met us to offer us our Coke and Coral Beer. Ricardo reminded Clay that in 5 days he would not be able to drink all the Corals onboard and not to worry about trying, that Ricardo would finish them off for him. Good man, Clay will leave the responsibility to you. So, we enjoyed the galley buffet and Bob finally got remembered and got into the galley. (Bob was forgotten by Clay and still did not get up the funnel!)
The seas have calmed a lot as we near Bermuda. We do still have some big swells but no wind or chop, so it is not too bad. We need to start getting dressed for Informal tonight and our early start this evening. Pre-show cocktails are at 5pm in Constellation Theater and the Farewell Show starts at 5:30pm. We are looking forward to this. We have been to a few of Capt. Dag's farewell's on the other segments and there is no consistency to them. It is something a little different each time we went. We'll report about it later.
The Farewell Show lasted about an hour. It was great fun. They started with video footage from each of the segments. Then, they dimmed the lights and started the live performances. The PGT singers and dancers performed, the Voyager Quintet performed, the 2 duos aboard performed a couple of songs each: Peter & Libby and Lyn & Brian. Jamie had asked passengers to submit a written few lines about their favorite memories of the cruise and those we were read onstage by segments by Jamie & Dana, Jeff & Jacquie, Dionne & Lisa and Roger & Gudrun. Roger & Dionne sang a song. Amapola sang a couple of songs. Frankie played guitar and his daughter belly danced. They played a video about the children that have been onboard. They all spoofed at playing the part of a staff or crew member onboard Voyager, from flower arranger to Hotel Director, to Dining Room Manager, to Nurse, to Navigator, etc. They were a gas, very amusing the things that kids pick up. If we've forgotten anyone or anything, we apologize but it is not like they gave a program to which we can refer back and we didn't take notes in a darken theater. But, the big finale was Captain Dag in a white silk brocade tuxedo jacket and Jamie in a red and black silk brocade tuxedo jacket singing songs that Jamie had changed the lyrics to. Capt. Dag should not quit his day job! But, what a good sport! Loved it! They sang one song and then they brought up and introduced all the staff and entertainers and they all sang another song, but only Dag and Jamie had microphones. It was a lot of fun and Jamie joked about how they would give/sell us a DVD in the next few days with video highlights from the WC. We would need more than one disc if we were doing this! We hope he meant a DVD set, but it looked like he had a plastic box for just one disc. We look forward to that.
We ate a quick two course dinner and called it a day. Debbie had steak and cake, her all time favorite meal. Clay had salmon and sabayon. There is no time change tonight! We picked up a DVD of "After the Sunset" the other day and hope to view it tonight.
Sea Day 5 photos

Day 116 - Sunday April 23 at sea - day 4

Sea Day 4 photos
position at 7:15am: N32 27.27 latitude W49 20.55 longitude
(890 miles E of Bermuda, our next port)
temperature: 66F, Cloudy
distance since FLL: 37,849 miles
It was a rocky night. On deck this morning it was breezy (60-80 km/h headwinds) but moderate, about 65F. A squall came up and cleared the deck as Clay finished his third mile. The head wind is cutting into our speed as we are only making about 16+ knots instead of the 19 knots that we started out doing. We have about 900 miles to Bermuda and just at 2 days to cover them. We will probably have to pick up the speed a little to be on time.
Today is our last Sunday onboard Voyager for this World Cruise. Next week this time we will either be on the drive back home, or packing the van in preparation to head back home. Home. We have basically been turtles for the last 4 months and home has been wherever our luggage is, mostly Voyager, but sometimes a hotel room. But, those are not our real homes, home is where you plant your roots. Voyager has been a wonderful temporary home, but we suppose that we are land mammals and home has to have earth around it for us to feel really rooted and at home. We do love the variety and adventure of traveling and we do pretty well at it and enjoy it, but there really is no place like our home.
We have our winding down events going onboard these days (beyond all the suitcases and boxes moving around!). Tonight at 6:45pm, we have our turn at the International dinner in the crew quarters on deck 3. Tomorrow night we have a "Farewell Show" and cocktails in the Constellation Theater beginning at 5pm.
About 7:30am, the ship started slowing down. At 7:40, we were going only 10 knots, but by 7:50 we were back at the 16+ knots speeds. We still have a significant head wind, about 60+ km/h. In Capt. Dag's Vords of Visdom, he said that the wind was Force 5 on the Buford scale and was no longer southerly by westerly and now instead of a crosswind, a headwind. He said that he hoped by afternoon we would be in better weather and smoother seas. He still expects to be in Hamilton, Bermuda on time Tuesday morning.
We had our last Sunday breakfast in Compass Rose. Debbie had raspberries and Eggs Benedict. Clay had 2 eggs over easy and sausages. We both declined the champagne. We rushed Mishiel out of the cabin by 9am this morning because Debbie has missed seeing the movie "The Producers" everytime it has been shown. Today she made it a priority so we were parked in front of the TV while Mishiel finished in the bathroom. Debbie loved the remake of The Producers but she also really loved the original, so no surprises.
Clay did not watch the whole movie. He went to Bill Miller's 3rd lecture on the last Atlantic liners from the 1950s to 1960s period. It was good. He is a very informative and entertaining speaker. As Clay was leaving the talk, a woman stopped him on the stairs in the Main Atrium and said, You would be Clay. He would be. She asked him what roulottes are and showed him a printout of our journal from Papeete. He told her those are the trucks that come out at night on the dock area to cook and serve food. Clay forgot to tell her that if she checks the pictures for that day's entry that there is probably a captioned picture showing one or more of them.
Freddie came on at noon to announce that we are still in rough seas with 3 to 4 meter swells, westerly wind Force 6 on the Buford scale and cloudy skies with intermittent rain. He is still predicting excellent weather in Bermuda with a low of 64F and a high of 72F and party cloudy skies.
In other news, there was a Photo Contest yesterday. Anyway, we did not participate but it was a photo an hour 8am to midnight. They have to be unposed digital photos that would represent real life onboard Voyager taken in public areas or behind the scenes. They are to submitted by 5pm today in Club.com. They are supposed be judged by the Senior Officers and the winners of best picture of the hour posted in the Main Atrium in a few days. Then the best 3 overall pictures will be judged by votes and the winners announced in a public ceremony. Token update: some of you may remember that some months ago Voyager ran out of tokens. They begged people to exchange them for 'token certificates' but they still did not have enough tokens to distribute so 'Dag Dollars' were produced and handed out instead of tokens. So according to the Passages today Dag Dollars will be expiring in a few days. "Token Redemption Only for this world cruise, you have additional options available for Token redemption prize gifts. In association with our On-Board Boutique, 1 Token has the value of $1.00 towards any boutique item of clothing, hats or bags - full payment by tokens is required. Visit the Boutique anytime to check out their selection of Clothing, Hats or Bags, but redeem your chosen gift items only during the token redemption today from 3:30pm to 5pm. REGARDING 'DAG'S DOLLARS' Your Dag's dollars are not redeembable on other ships in the Regent fleet. They were produced and used during this world cruise only. Be sure to exchange your Dag's Dollars, or ask for a token certificate, which will be valid on any future Regent cruise."
So, it is lunchtime. They are having a paella and jumbo prawns lunch up on the Pool Deck. We will go down to Compass Rose again. Debbie had a small bowl of pasta as an appetizer and chicken with rice pilaf entree and a scoop of cinammon ice cream. Clay had a salad, golden-fried John Dory and pishachio and cinnamon ice creams. Don Collins, the Assistant Food & Beverage Manager, that spilled the beans on Clay's Coral surprise, stopped by our table at lunch and noted that Clay was still drinking the Coral. (Ricardo would like Clay to lay off and probably Don as well since they have both had some of it and agree that it is an excellent beer and would like some left over for the crew!) Don said that he had been ordered to keep looking for local beers by Laurens, but that try as he might he has been unable to find a mid-Atlantic brew. Clay laughingly told him that was surprising, that with all the demand you would have thought there would be a ship out here somewhere brewing and selling local beer. Debbie told Don that's OK you tried, keep up the good work. It is pretty funny. Now Clay is wondering if there is a local beer brewed in Bermuda...
Well, Debbie did not try for any exercise classes today. She figured if it was too rough for yoga yesterday morning that it is too rough today. If classes were substituted for something that could safely be done, Debbie still wasn't really up for it. So, it is "International Attire" and we are supposed to wear unique costumes we might have bought along the way. Debbie has laundered and ironed our longyis from Myanmar. Don't know how much more "unique" we will get unless we add our Madeira hats. We have heard some good comments about the dinner last night from people in the first group. So, we are looking forward to it.
Back from the International dinner in the crew mess. Capt. Dag's gravlax was the biggest hit followed by the Italian's 2 pasta station according to Capt. Dag. No, really. But, there was far too much food. Sausages, curries, foie gras, Chicago hot dogs, more fish, breads, cheeses, desserts. It was all too much. It was a fun evening. We sat with Paul, who was on last year's WC and who came aboard recently and whom Debbie had been introduced to earlier by Peggy (xrvlcruiser) but Clay had not met him yet. And with Peter, from The Netherlands but lives in Portugal, and who lives on deck 7 in the aft and who we had spoken with a few times but never had a meal together. Lars served Bob an Aquavit from a bottle encased in ice. We learned from Patrick, who had a bowl of pasta at our table, that tomorrow they are serving a brunch from the galley. A new chef recently arrived from Mariner was at the dinner, we did not get his name but Paul and Peter knew him. Capt. Dag told us that tomorrow we will meet Navigator at sea (we had met Mariner earlier in this cruise). We had wondered what was up with the course. As we sat at lunch in Compass Rose today, the ship suddenly made a left turn and the ship leaned over some. We continued to travel further south after the turn according to GPS and we couldn't figure out the sudden course change in the middle of the ocean. It turns out that it was to put us on a course to intersect with the Navigator en route to Funchal! They are just full of surprises. Patrick said they pull out all the stops in the last days because they can see on our faces that we are burned out and ready to go home! Everyone we have talked to is ready to go home. Four months is a long time. Capt. Dag told Debbie that he thought it was too long. That he had been aboard almost 5 months and he was ready to leave after 4. She told him, yeah and you are being paid to be here. He clapped her on the shoulder for that with his big hands. He had told us a story earlier about another ship's captain he knew with the biggest hands he had ever seen. That guy must have had some freakishly big hands for Capt. Dag to think they were big because his hands look enormous to Debbie. So, anyway. We met some new people and saw some new crew/staff and the Safety Officer's wive and baby. Enjoyed all the costumes everyone had on tonight. Some people had no costumes because they had already packed them. We would have had the same problem but they did give us the invitations a few days earlier so we kept out the longyis. We were not the only ones in longyis we are happy to say. Clay was the only one with an Arab camel stick though. (He got that in Dubai.) So, after most people had left Jamie invited everyone into the crew disco and we took that as our cue to exit and headed back to the cabin. It is still pretty rough and we are waiting to enter that fabled Bermuda high. It was a rough ride down on deck 3 even, though as Patrick pointed out the water was not coming over the portholes. He said that gets to him even but that we weren't there this evening. We have been really lucky that we only had rough seas in the obvious places and no rough seas in a lot of other obvious places. It was rough crossing the Pacific, no surprises and then it was really calm in the Tasman Sea and Bass Straits, big happy surprise. It was very rough in the Great Australian Bight and here now, no surprises. But, it was very calm seas for a couple days out here in the mid-Atlantic which was a pleasant surprise while it lasted. We have had really good weather for most of this 4 months when you think about how few times it has even rained. We consider ourselves very lucky.
Sea Day 4 photos

Day 115 - Saturday April 22 at sea - day 3

Sea Day 3 photos
position at 7:15am: N32 29.57 latitude W40 48.55 longitude
(1400 miles E of Bermuda, our next port)
temperature: 66F, Cloudy
distance since FLL: 37,351 miles
This is our last Saturday onboard Voyager for this World Cruise. By this time next week we will have spent our first night back on land. We will have had to fend for ourselves for a few meals already and make some really big, almost limitless, decisions about what and where to eat. (No pressure, Margie!)
Today is Debbie's brother Matt's birthday. Happy B-day, Matt!
The Atlantic was a little rougher last night, but still much better than what it might be. The room cracked a little. It was pleasant and crowded on deck this morning as Clay walked. The 66F temperature and the time change last night brought out all the regulars for their early morning walks. The sun was up before 6am this morning, and that is the first time that has happened since we left the Med. Debbie was up early this morning because Clay warned her 3 times last night as we went to bed that he needed to be at Roger's Tour Talk on Bermuda at 9am. So, when Clay returned to the room, she was up and ready. Clay forgot he had insisted she get up early and then claimed he was only joking. (3 times? It wasn't funny the first time!) We will have an early breakfast in LaVeranda today. Debbie got 2 chocolate croissants and a bowl of raspberries so it was a good start for her even with all the rolling. Clay had cereal and then a peanut butter & banana sandwich. Sabine had peanut butter at the ready for Debbie, so Clay took it instead. Debbie had a few tastes of the peanut butter and it was really good today. Captain Dag said in his Vords of Visdom that there is a huge high pressure system over Bermuda and that we will have excellent weather. In the meantime, we just have some strong crosswinds that are making things a little unpleasant right now but that it will pass. OK, keeping our fingers crossed. Last night at the SSS party, Capt. Dag promised that one, the ship will not fall over when we reach the end of the world out here and two, that no matter what happens from here on out that he is sure we will arrive in Hamilton, Bermuda on time. As we were killing time this morning waiting for our cabin to be ready, Lars came by to ask how his picture turned out. Clay showed him that it is a perfectly charming photo. Lars is holding Bob by his little feet. Debbie told Lars that Bob looks good and Lars just cracked up. He asked if it was on the Internet yet. (Debbie knew that Lars was on to us weeks ago, when he kept asking about Bob!) Not yet! Wwe have a few more pictures at least to take and that will still only be a fraction of the people working onboard, so we will apologize in advance to anyone we leave out and who might feel spurned. Sorry! It is not our intention to hurt feelings.
Debbie met Lou Harris in the hall this morning and he asked her to come to his lecture at 10am. It is about Richard Nixon. Sadly, though Debbie did not tell Lou Harris this, she plans to attend Jacquie's Fusion Fitness class about that time and will not attend his lecture or Bill Miller's 2nd lecture. Clay may go to Bill Miller's lecture on "The Queens" at 11am. He is at Roger's Bermuda talk right now.
Debbie did some more packing and then dressed and headed out to Fusion Fitness at 10:15am. Jacquie cancelled the class because the seas had gotten too rough and she decided it would be unsafe. Well, it is getting rougher. Debbie is hoping it is one of those situations where it has to get a little worse before it gets a lot better. So, she got to go back and do even a little more packing. We have 4 suitcases packed up now. We need some cardboard to stabilize some fragile items and then we will have a 5th suitcase packed up pretty quickly. Most everything else will have to wait until the end because it is electronics, clothes or bathroom stuff that we are using everyday.
Freddie said in his noon announcement that we are in rough seas with 5-meter swells and Force 6 winds on the Buford scale from the south and all of this is good conditions for the mid-North Atlantic sailing. He reiterated that about the Bermuda high pressure and that the weather there would be excellent for our visit. UMM, OK, but we are watching the waves and swells grow higher through the day and the barometric pressure drop through the day. So, what we are wondering is this - is their data correct up there - are they telling us what they want us to think instead of what is really happening - when are those smooth seas returning??? We know we were lucky for a couple of days and should shut up, but we will shut up when our cabin doesn't sound like a popcorn popper in a hurricane!
Tonight is the first of the 2 World Cruisers' dinners in the crew quarters and LaVeranda is closed for 2 nights so the crew can eat up there instead. While we expect this to be fun, it seems unfair that we are displacing not only the crew, but also the other passengers onboard are down to only room service or Compass Rose if they did not already have reservations in either Latitudes or Signatures for these 2 nights. At lunch today there is a lobster BBQ on the Pool Deck. These are usually pretty elaborate seafood extravaganzas. Since Debbie does not eat seafood, not sure where we will eat lunch today. Clay wants Debbie to do some more packing today, he is still worried. Guess more packing is on the agenda for today. More later. So, given the rough seas we decided not to head higher. We went down to Compass Rose. Debbie had chilled cream of raspberry soup and Ricardo asked her if he could bring her a straw for her milkshake. It was good and yeah a bendy straw would have made it even better! Clay had skirt steak quesadilla appetizer and it was larger than some entree portions. Clay can have all the quesadillas he wants when he gets home! Another happy thought about something missed and soon to be back in our lives. We both had sandwiches. Debbie had roast beef and cheese and Clay had tuna salad. Clay had ice cream for dessert and Debbie had low-carb American Fudge Cake, it was very fudgy, yum, and it had a raspberry on top. Debbie won't be getting that at home. Boo-hoo.
Debbie had planned to return to the aerobics room for Total Body Toning, which Jacquie assured her would take place this afternoon. But, it is getting really rough and Debbie struggled to get back to the cabin after lunch. So, she plans to nap it off and see what conditions are like later. The Spanish brothers had finished the 3-D puzzle and were preparing to destroy it when we came by after lunch. Clay got a last picture of it completed and just before the boys wrecked it. They were working on a new flat puzzle already. Clay woke Debbie at the time she requested but told her she should stay in bed and not try to go to class. She is desperate for exercise right now and she hates to be told what to do, so she got up and tried to tough it out. Took extra meclizine and some Maalox, but never got as far as getting workout clothes on before just sitting and crying. Clay told her it would be over soon, like that is supposed to help. We'll lay on the bed and watch the Batman Begins DVD and see if that helps. In the meantime, we'll close the sheers so we can't see the waves dripping off our balcony railings. More later.
So, the movie was OK, but the rough seas suck. Clay saw a brief rainbow off the balcony as the sun made a brief reappearance today just in time for it to set. Debbie did dress and go down to Compass Rose for dinner. But, we only had an entree and dessert tonight and back to the cabin. We made a quick stop outdoors to check on the sunset. There were too many clouds too low on the horizon but we saw a bright streak of light. We don't know if it was a meteor or if some space craft is making a re-entry now. But, that is what it looked like, not a jet. It is the middle of the ocean. So, we got another DVD after dinner and will try to watch it before Debbie knocks herself out with Dramamine. We hope that we enter that big Bermuda high pressure some time soon, like tomorrow.
Sea Day 3 photos

Day 114 - Friday April 21 at sea - day 2

Sea Day 2 photos
position at 7:15am: N32 35.21 latitude W22 12.55 longitude
(1919 miles E of Bermuda, our next port)
temperature: 66F, Cloudy
distance since FLL: 36,822 miles
Today is our last Friday onboard Voyager for this World Cruise. We will disembark next Friday and that will be the end. Sometimes it seemed that this day would never come, but here it is. Less than one week to go. Debbie has not started packing yet. She is afraid that once she starts she will have to finish or else be trapped in the cabin and we will not even be able to go to the bathroom. We heard from Ewald and Suzy yesterday that we need to wean our addicted readers off this journal. We're not sure how that will work. We told them we planned to just stop making daily entries before May 1. They were appalled. But, we may well just stop, exactly like the cruise just stops, so brace yourselves.
We are still enjoying fairly calm seas. Just a slight rolling swell, nothing to throw us around or anything, so we can't complain. Debbie slept in again. Clay took a morning walk up top. It was a fairly warm 65F and very pleasant with maybe a half dozen people up walking early. Since we were running late again, thanks to sleepy-headed Debbie, we had another breakfast in Compass Rose. Clay had 2 eggs over easy with lamb chops and Debbie had a bowl of raspberries with a double order of Swedish pancakes because there were no chocolate croissants again. (Oh, we forgot to thank Ewald doubly yesterday for persuading us to attend the morning Ocean Liners lecture with Bill Miller because there were 2 chocolate croissants sitting in the cookie/pastry case in Coffee Corner and Debbie got a bonus choc. croissant for attending! Thanks again, Ewald!) At breakfast we saw our across-the-hall neighbor and avid journal reader, Bill, come in with his wife. We had not met her so we went over and met Mary Ann, who told us that she felt like we had been her houseguests every morning for the last 3 months or so. She said that their routine so far all this year, had been to turn on the computer first thing in the morning and find out where Voyager was and what was happening onboard in anticipation of their boarding in Rome. We are happy that you have enjoyed it! Clay did not have his camera but Mary Ann and Bill would like to have their pictures posted and we will try to round them up and get one taken and posted. After all, we know where they live.
We tore the cabin apart this morning under pressure from all the people who have started moving packed suitcases out in the hall for IPS and all the clothing racks, hangers, cardboard boxes, small chests of drawers... So, Clay was getting panicky and on Debbie's nerves so everything that has been stuffed under the bed and behind the couch is out now. Debbie is sorting and labeling it as gifts to be packed together or apart. Debbie was hoping to go to beginner's belly dancing class before Jacquie's afternoon lineup but now this mess has to be cleaned up before we leave the cabin for dinner. We'll see.
We have started taking photos of our crew/staff hall of fame. Favorite waitstaff, etc. We will try to post those photos either as they are taken, or all on one day. Don't know yet. For cohesiveness, all on one day would be good but that would mean an orderliness that Clay may not be able pull off. We'll have to see about that, too.
Jamie remembered and delivered today our Suez Canal Transit Certificate this morning! Hurray! Now our trip is complete and we have the documentation to prove it.
We went upstairs for lunch today. There was a curry buffet on the Pool Deck and fish & chips in LaVeranda. So, Debbie went out and filled her plate and then met Clay inside to eat. We liked everything. Clay had pistachio pudding and Debbie had cinnamon cheesecake for desserts. Gotta go get some more organizing and packing done, or else...
So, we did manage to get everything stowed back away so Debbie could go to exercise classes. Not like she hadn't already busted a sweat moving everything in the cabin twice! So, Debbie learned that she will never belly dance and the pressure is off to attend anymore of those classes. She did 2 hours later with Jacquie, Pilates Mat and Strengthen and Stretch Yoga-Style. Anyway, Debbie thinks she is just about finished with packing until it is actually time to go. Clay thinks otherwise. Geez!
Tonight was Formal. We dressed up and went to the last of the SSS cocktail parties for the World Cruise. Capt. Dag joked that nearly everyone in the room was Gold or higher in the new tier scheme. He was afraid that most were Platinum Board Members and he was worried about the suggestions for tier benefits. He was wondering how they were going to give people all their perks on a 7-day cruise. According to the EVP at the Town Hall Meeting, RSSC is emphasizing longer cruises now, so perhaps their is nothing for Capt. Dag to worry about. We ate at Compass Rose after that. Clay had salad and steak and Debbie had soup and steak. Clay had ice cream and Debbie had apple tart.
When we got back to the cabin we had more bed presents tonight. We got a silk tie and a silk scarf. Capt. Dag had on a tie like this the other day that he said was a new corporate log. We looked. We even spread that scarf out and walked around it looking from all angles and we never did see a script R. Anyway, they were very nice in shades of gray and with labels that say "SEVEN SEAS VOYAGER WORID CRUIBE 2006". That is about all that happened today.
We move the clocks back another hour tonight. If we keep on like this, this week will be the longest week ever. RSSC must have really planned ahead, they knew would be dragging our feet about not wanting to leave now and so they are giving us a lot of bonus hours this last week.
Sea Day 2 photos

Day 113 - Thursday April 20 at sea - day 1

Sea Day photos
position at 7:15am: N32 35.21 latitude W22 12.55 longitude
(2463 miles E of Bermuda, our next port)
temperature: 62F, mostly sunny
distance since FLL: 35,955 miles
So, the Atlantic was kind to us last night and we had relatively smooth sailing. Debbie did go to the PGT dancers' show, Poetry in Motion and she enjoyed it. It was very lightly attended. There is the smallest passenger load to date aboard and maybe it was because people had just too full a day in Madeira. Also, it was the 2nd time this show was performed so maybe a lot of people had already seen it. It was a very well done and an energetic, all-dance performance and Debbie was glad for the 2nd chance to get to see it.
Clay had an early morning walk and enjoyed it. It was calm and cool and there were a lot more walkers this morning. Debbie slept in so we had a late breakfast at Compass Rose. Here was the first big surprise of the day. As we were being walked to our table, Debbie turned to Clay and said, Is that Jason in a gray coat and tie! It was! Debbie went up to him and gave him her congratulations on his new suit of clothes and new Head Waiter responsibilities. Jason was just beaming. What good news. Jason is a really excellent waiter and he deserves this. Hopefully, as a Head Waiter even more Voyager passengers will benefit from his strong skills. Jason told us that he was replacing Marcel. We don't remember if we mentioned this before but we did see Marcel heading home with his luggage in Funchal. We wished him a safe trip home and told him it was a pleasure to meet him and that we would miss him. It is amazing how you miss people that you have seen everyday. There have been a few staff and crew changes over the past 4 months and it is amazing that we really do notice many of them. Oner, one of our favorite wine stewards, seems to have left the ship (unless he has just been moved to Signatures!) and we would really miss him, but our favorite wine steward, Ricardo, is back in Compass Rose so we are not too bereft over the loss of Oner. Debbie said last night that she will really miss having Ricardo bring the wine to dinner every night when we get home. (Clay really took umbrage because while Debbie cooks all week, Clay is responsible for cleanup and weekend mornings' cooking AND wine service every weeknight!) So, again congratulations to Jason on the promotion and good luck, you deserve this. At breakfast, Debbie asked if they had chocolate croissants before ordering since it was day 2 since they last served them (and according to the 'official schedule of chocolate croissants' that the waitstaff quotes they should have been available). No chocolate croissants. So, she ordered raspberries to start and a double order of Swedish pancakes. Clay had a blueberry muffin and blueberry pancakes.
We wandered from place to place this morning waiting for our cabin to be ready for us. We seem to have gotten out of our usual place in the rotation this segment and it is later and later before we can get back in. So, we happened to be cooling our jets staring into space in the library when we had our second surprise of the morning. A couple had ridden past in the elevator and since Debbie was just sitting staring into space and they passed by in it, she smiled and nodded to the man whose eye met hers. A few minutes later, the man and a woman approached us as we sat in the library and asked if we were Debbie and Clay. Guilty! This was Ewald and Suzy from Boca Raton. Ewald had been reading this journal since the beginning as they would be joining the last segment and had never been on Voyager. He wanted to know more about the ship. We are glad we could help make them feel like they knew the ship and crew as well as we do after months of living this trip vicariously. Sometimes the things we do have unexpected consequences and it makes us feels good to know that sometimes those unexpected consquences are happy and beneficial. So, check the pictures. (Suzy looks better in real life than a snapshot can show!) We had two great surprises in one morning. On a day that should have been a slow sea day, too. This is great. (Debbie did remember later that she had exchanged an email or 2 with Ewald early on about his boarding in Rome and is sorry for not remembering this when we talked this morning.) Ewald strongly encouraged us to go to the 10am lecture by Bill Miller on Atlantic Ocean Liners. We have not attended many lectures on board and the most recent one was disastrously bad, so we did not enthusiastically promise to attend, but Ewald stayed on us and in the end we reconsidered and did go. It was a really excellent lecture. Bill Miller is really passionate about his subject and was very informative as well as entertaining. He said he will give 3 or 4 more lectures and we will make it a point to try to attend them personally. So, thanks Ewald! Great recommendation and weare glad we got off our lazy butts and went to the Constellation Theater!
The rest of the morning however we lazed. Debbie napped in the cabin and Clay on the balcony. We got up when Freddie rang 8 bells from the bridge to let us know it was time to go eat again. This is a habit that we really need to break! There was a sandwich bar on the Pool Deck today so it was easy to make the decision to return to Compass Rose. Ricardo met Clay with a Coral beer. Clay said that he guessed someone was going to have to drink all this beer in the next week and that he would have to step up. OK. There is a popcorn movie in the Conference Room at 1:30pm that Debbie really would like to see, The Chronicles on Narnia. We did not get a chance to see it in the theaters before we boarded last December. But, it is 2 hours and 20 minutes long and that would interfere with Debbie's plan to return to exercise classes this afternoon. Tough choice. Debbie does not think she is up for aerobics yet as she is still too easily winded, but is ready to try to get back to exercise. We'll see.
Debbie is still waiting for her Suez Canal Transit Certificate. She is getting worried that Jamie forgot about it again. Time is getting short and she thinks a Post-It on his door might be in order. Clay thinks not. Debbie does not want to wait too long and NOT get one. We need that Certificate for symmetry with the Panama Canal one. And, we waited a lot longer to get through the Suez Canal that we did the Panama Canal. So, we'll see on this too.
This afternoon Debbie went back to exercise classes. There were 3 back-to-back classes. Upper body tighten and tone, lower body tighten and tone and stretch and relax. It was good. But, Debbie was exhausted after. This is sad, there was an 82 year old woman in all 3 classes with her 2 daughters and Debbie did not have as much energy after class as that woman did.
Tonight is Informal. They are still serving the Tuscan menu in LaVeranda at night. While this menu sounds really good like the Pasta e Basta one did, it was really bad the night we went up. There is a new chef in LaVeranda since the Pasta e Basta menu and we really had some not so good pasta dishes there last time. So, we are loathe to return until the menu changes and may return to Compass Rose. As unbelievable as it may seem, we think last night was the first night on this segment that we had eaten in dinner Compass Rose (with the exception of Easter with Jamie & Dana). We had heard comments recently about Compass Rose seeming deserted at night and last night we experienced it. It was very empty and quiet compared to past segments. How strange. We'll see how it feels there tonight. Well, back from dinner and it was pretty quiet in there. We noticed our waiter hanging around us a lot with too little to do. Clay had salad, sorbet and a veal trio of sweetbreads, chop and shank ragout. The main course was not as big as it sounds. Debbie had a pasta appetizer, sorbet and filet mignon. For dessert Clay had spumoni and Debbie had more sorbet. Clay wanted to hurry upstair to see the sunset. The sun was about 1 hour or more from setting when we got up there. Debbie tried to tell him it was still light last night at 9:15pm when she went to the show. It was pretty cloudy out so there may not be much of a sunset tonight anyway. Debbie had thoughts of trying to stay up for the popcorn movie being replayed at 9:15pm, but decided to get some more rest instead.
Sea Day photos

Day 112 - Wednesday April 19 Funchal, Madeira

Funchal photos
position at 7:15am: N35 04.33 latitude W9 00.47 longitude
(Funchal, Madeira, Spain)
temperature: 62F, mostly sunny
distance since FLL: 35,955 miles
Forgot to say that yesterday Debbie had her favorite Voyager breakfast of 2 chocolate croissants and a bowl of raspberries. So, today no chocolate croissants. Today Clay had Rice Krispies. Debbie had Smacks and we both had peanut butter toast. It was just that kind of day. We arrived here about 6am and just sat offshore and waited for either a pilot of a dock spot or something. We did dock right on time but not before. It was still dark at 8am when we were docking. We docked on the starboard side, but that side just had a view of the ocean and the pier. We had a view of the city of Funchal.
So, we have been here before. The last time we were here we went out in the countryside for a drive up mountains and along coastlines and to the 2nd highest sea cliff in the world and also did the Mercado and a Madeira wine tasting. So, today we thought we would just do the small, silly touristy things. We took the RSSC shuttle bus (which was not appreciated by the taxi drivers on the dock) to the bottom station of the cable car line to Monte. The first shuttle left at 8:30am and we were on it. Our guide book info said the cable cars ran from dawn to dusk. Not quite. The cable cars did not start until 9:30am and we did not notice when they stop. So, we walked about 5 minutes over to the Mercado dos Lavradores and used the ATM in front and then strolled through the shops. We got some bolo de mel (honey cake) and some candy. We tasted some strange fruits. We took lots of pictures and walked through all the markets there including the big fish market. Clay saw some local beer called Coral but Debbie told him that she did not want to have to carry that all day and to wait and buy it on the way back to the ship. As it turned out, we did not see any beer for sale on the way back and Clay was thinking that he missed his opportunity and Debbie had carried that cake and candy anyway...
We were back to the cable station around 10am. We went up in a car to ourselves. They say the ride lasts 9 minutes and goes to an altitude of 1600 ft. It seemed like a lot longer! It was very scenic. They took a picture of us before the doors closed, unfortunately Bob was already on the seat back facing forward and did not get into the picture. They sold it to us plus a DVD on Madeira for 10 Euros when we reached the top. How can you resist? The cable car ride itself for one-way was 9.50 Euros pp. Then we walked around on the narrow stone streets for a while on our way to the Nossa Senhora do Monte church. Charles I of Austria, the last of the Hapsburgs emporers was exiled and died here and is entombed in this church. The church was built in 1818 replacing a 15th century church that was destroyed by an earthquake. The church was surrounded by stone paths with the most amazing gardens. We wandered for quite a while before going down to the sledge line. Sledges or toboggans are big wicker seats on wooden runners that 2 people can sit in and are steered by 2 men with ropes running/riding behind to steer and brake. The sledges take you about half way back down the mountain. It is a 2km downhill thrill ride. Debbie screamed the whole way down. The man on the back right did not like it. He kept telling her, no problem, don't worry, its ok. That just made it worse. She would scream, oh that's always the last thing anyone says before you die. The problem may have been that the sledge was unbalanced because Clay weighs a lot more than Debbie and his side kept veering to the downhill side. We kept thinking it would either tip over on a curve since we were going sideways or that it would turn all the way around and we would be going backwards and die. We survived. It was an adrenal rush though. There was a little boy from the ship 2 sledges behind us and he said it wasn't scary at all. There you go. Everything is a matter of perspective. (The cost for 2 people in one sledge was 25 Euros.) When we got out of the sledge there was a man there to see us a photo of us in the sledge at the top as we were just taking off. Debbie had seen the guy there and waved at him thinking he was just one of the tourists standing around. Their photo was also 10 Euros and we bought it. These 2 pictures are the only ones taken of us by professional photographers in which we do not have our eyes shut! There were some shopping stalls set up at the end of the sledge run. Debbie had always regretted not buying a cotton sweater the last time she was here and she found a shell and cardigan set there and we bought it. There was a line of taxis there but we thought the walk would be scenic and all downhill, so we declined and walked. It was very scenic and straight downhill. If our calves were aching from walking down the hills in Ronda, we will be paralyzed later tonight or tomorrow morning. We got all the way down to the Cathedral just in time to be turned away after we stepped inside. They close for the mid-day. So, we walked on down through some pedestrian areas and on back to the ship. Just before the dock entrance, there are some stone stairs and we went up. This was the Forte Sao Jose dating from 1419. It was very tiny and covered with lizards. Eek! We made a small donation and climbed the stairs all the way to the top and just took in the waterfront views. The water was an amazing color of blue. Then we headed back to the ship hoping for a quick sandwich before our Farewell Soiree. We rode the elevator when we got back on the ship and Don Collins was at the control panel. He pushed 7 for us like he knew where we lived. He had a big grin on his face when the doors opened and he saw us there. He usually greets us by name but this time we just got the grin and the 7 pushed. The other people on the elevator got out and his grin got bigger. The doors opened again and just before Don stepped out, he turned around and said, I hope you're thirsty. Clay said he was and had missed getting one and really needed a beer. Don laughed as the door closed. Hmmm... So, we hurried on to the cabin and guess what? A six-pack of Coral beer cans in a big bucket of ice! YEAH!!! Thank yous to Laurens and Don. Clay took a cold beer up to lunch.
Our tickets said to be on the pier at 1:50pm. So, Debbie changed from the sweater that proved to be too warm this afternoon and into a blouse and we went up to the Pool Deck to get a quick sandwich. Clay went back by the cabin to take another beer for the bus ride. It turned out the bus ride was only about 5 minutes long. It took longer to load the bus! The letter inviting us to the Farewell Soiree states that it will be cocktails and canapes. It was pretty specific. They served a full 3 course meal and no one could eat it! Everyone had eaten lunch earlier and then when we arrived to drinks and tapas-like snacks. We all sat at our table and ate all the snacks while they kept pouring wine. We were told that the live entertainment of Madeirean folk music and dancing would begin at 3pm. Well, that was about the time they cleared our appetizer plates and started bringing out shrimp, followed by a fried fish course. Then some kind of stewed goat meat or pork. It was tough and we thought it tasted like cabrito, but another woman swore it was pork. We don't think so though. Then chicken skewers, then beef skewers. At this point we were just waving them off so we don't know what else they brought out. By this time half of the tables had already left to stroll the gardens or to return to the ship after an hour of drinking and snacks. The last thing they brought out while we stayed at the table was a big tray of fruits. We had some before we left. Clay had a few pieces of the beef skewer and said it was the best thing they had served, but few people had any. We went out to see the gardens before catching a bus back and they had tables covered with huge steel pans of those skewers and were still grilling them. There were fewer than 50 people still inside the tent. It was an enormous amount of food and no one had been told that they were serving a full meal so we all came full and the food was just wasted. You could tell the servers wondered what was wrong with us that we would come and sit at these dining tables in this huge elegant white tent and then refuse their food. We can only hope that someone explains the miscommunication to them and they don't just think we were rude or afraid to eat their cooking or something. It was unfortunate. It would have been a very nice and filling meal if we had known. As it happened it was just confusing and uncomfortable for us as well as for them. Too bad. The gardens which were highly touted were probably the least impressive we have seen in Funchal so it was just as well that the whole thing really took place in an enclosed tent.
We came back to the dock about 4:30pm. We were quite possibly drunk. Debbie blew kisses to Laurens as he tried to hide. We profusely thanked him. Then we went walking down the pier to the dockside shops looking for some of those funny Madeirean hats that the performers were wearing. On the way, we saw Don sitting in a bar with about a half-gallon tankard of beer in front of him. It looked like a small pitcher of beer but it was an individual serving. He laughed and pointed at us when we came by. Debbie thanked him too. He asked if Clay liked it. Clay said he did like and Don was surprised that he had a chance to try it. We told him that he took one to lunch and took one on the bus. Don said that well he liked Coral too and he had to come down and taste it after the big delivery to Clay. Debbie cracked up and pointed to the giant mug and asked, Taste it?! Don laughed and said yeah well. We bought our hats and some T-shirts and some more candy to spend all our Euros. Then we had our pictures taken in the silly hats in front of the ship and in front of the town.
Clay sat on the balcony and drank a couple of more beers while we waited to sail. We think that Madeira may be one of the most beautiful places on the planet. It is so full of flowers and fruit. There is not a couple of square feet open anywhere that is not gardened. We saw Calla lilies growing wild in a raving below the cable car. People have bananas growing in their backyards. It is just an amazing and scenic place. We love Madeira.
In other news, we were leaving the ship as Capt. Dag was and thinking he was just going ashore for the day as we were, Debbie asked him what he was doing today. It turns out that the Code Blue yesterday to the Constellation Theater was a woman who had fallen and broken her hip. Capt. Dag was going out to see her off the ship to the hospital. There was an ambulance waiting out on the dock. He was sad about it, of course, it was sad news. That is a bad injury and she will have to be treated either here or somewhere else that she gets by some means other than a 5-day sailing across the Atlantic. That is too bad. As we walked back to the ship in the early afternoon, another ambulance came down to the pier with lights flashing and by the time we came back down from the small fort we had climbed it was leaving still with lights flashing. We don't know what else happened or if the ambulance was going to another ship on the pier.
We met another of our journal readers on the aft stairs this morning. He said he has been reading the blog since day one and that he was going to look for us when he got onboard. He said he left his cabin this morning and saw our names on the door and realized he was directly across the hall. These encounters are just too funny. Hi Bill.
It is Country Club Casual tonight. Good. We went down to Compass Rose because Debbie wanted to try the lasagna again. Fortunately, it was the good lasagna she like the first time they had it and not the Tex-Mex filling in lasagna noodles again. We each only had one course because we were stuffed and frankly, a little drunk. Debbie wants to stay up tonight to see the PGT show, Poetry in Motion. This will be the second time they have performed it and the first time there were raves in gym the next morning, so Debbie wants to see this one. We have another half-hour to go before the show starts. It is still daylight out! We move the clocks back another hour tonight and again tomorrow night. Still moving back is better than moving forward! Thus begins the long 5 day sail across the Atlantic. We will keep our fingers crossed that it does not get any rougher than it is right now. (And calmer would be an even better wish!) It will soon be time to get pack and go. It has been a long time and it will be hard to pack and leave and we will miss being here, but we will be glad to get back home and to everything else that we love everyday.
Funchal photos