Splendor Repositioning 11/1/14 San Juan to Miami

[NCTribeFan]

Monday, 11/3, Martinique

 

Second consecutive new-to-me port. There was lots of grumbling on the groups pages about Carnival taking so long to set up excursions. Well, this is not a normal port for them. And the locals speak a different language. I imagine getting it all arranged was a big undertaking. Also lots of grumbling about people contacting excursions operators themselves and getting no response. If you write in English and the people speak French, there's a good chance you won't get a response!

 

Anyway, I again wanted to see the island, so when Carnival put up some excursions, we decided to take the tour to St. Pierre. Now, when I booked it, there was no mention of a visit to a rum distillery, but the description in the excursion booklet in the cabin had that included. They must've added it after I'd booked.

 

We had breakfast and proceeded down to the pier. Soon, we were being led to our Big Buses. This is one of the reasons I dislike ship excursions. You send way too much time being herded on and off buses and waiting for stragglers. Our bus was almost full when two couples got on and there were no seats together. Oh no! Quelle horreur!! You spend all your time together every single day and you can't sit apart for 20-30 minutes at a time while riding from one spot to another? I just don't get it. So we wait another 30 minutes while people are being shuffled around to accommodate the glued-at-the-hip couples. We finally set off and crawled through the Fort de France morning traffic.

 

I had been in the window seat, but looking out, I was seeing the reflection of everything zooming past and it was making me sick. Of course, all my seasick meds were in the cabin. I hadn't even remembered to take my ginger root that morning. Uh oh. Not good.

 

Our first stop was the Balata church. Gal in the seat in front of us got stuck in a bathroom stall and had to be rescued. Sounds like something that would happen to me!

 

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Next up, Distillerie Depaz. What a beautiful setting! It's pretty much in the shadow of Mt. Pelee and has beautiful gardens.

 

 

 

We continued on into St. Pierre and the little museum that details the 1902 eruption and destruction of the city. We were given a few minutes to hang out outside and I bought a coke from a vendor for $3 (I had no euros (one reason to take a ship tour)). It was the best luke-warm Coke ever. My stomach was fine after downing that.

 

We then walked en masse up to the ruins of a theater and the jail, where the lone survivor had been incarcerated.

 

 

 

We had some fairly unobstructed views of the mountain. Our tour guide said there was usually more clouds. Beautiful, but deadly!

[NCTribeFan]

It started to rain just as we were getting off the bus and by the time we were under the little vendor tenting, it really started pouring. Our timing was perfect. There was a vendor selling pearl jewelry. I decided that I'd come back out with my black pearl ring DD had gotten me for Christmas a couple of years ago and see if I could match it to a bracelet or earrings. The rain was over soon so we headed back to the ship.

 

We had some lunch (absolutely no idea where we ate or what we ate (I don't "do" the regular buffet, so it would've been a deli sandwich, hot dog or cheeseburger)), and headed back out. And, the vendor was gone! Oh well. That's some money I didn't really need to spend anyway, right?

 

We walked a little ways into town. I tried standing outside the McDonald's to see if I could connect to their wi-fi, but wasn't having any luck. We wandered around down to the waterfront park area, but didn't feel really comfortable so just headed back to the ship.

 

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I love how this photo turned out!

 

 

 

 

 

Forgot to mention that we had confirmation from the MDR that we would be at table 510 for the rest of the cruise. I think this was the evening that we had the menu for the 8th day (meaning, it wasn't one that you get on 7-night sailings). I had a really good tilapia.

 

Have no idea what we did after dinner, if anything. At some point, I went to the casino and got my $25 casino cash. Woot! Except she couldn't find me on the list. I had looked at my account on the tv and noticed that several letters of my last name were missing and only had underlines where the letters should be! I went to the service desk and the lovely young lady said it should be taken care of and that she'd never seen that before.

[picomullet]

Wasn't Everyone on this cruise "Special?" ;)

[NCTribeFan]

I think we were a Very Special bunch of Special Cruisers. :p

[NCTribeFan]

Tuesday, 11/1, Grenada

 

New-to-me port #3! We rushed through breakfast and hurried down to the port and through the terminal where the mob that was going with JnJ Tours gathered for Angela & Co to get us headed to our many mini-vans. Havng had motion-sickness issues the previous day on a much larger bus, I'd hope to be able to sit up front. Doesn't seem to matter how early I get to the tour, I never get a front seat. But I sat not too far back and met Tracy, who's company I thoroughly enjoyed. Cruise buddy sat behind. See! People traveling together can sit separately and maybe even make new friends!!

 

Our first stop was at a nutmeg factory where we had a brief tour and were heavily petitioned by the vendors outside to purchase various spices and trinkets. The economy is hurting there and the factory workers only work part time for about $15/day. Can that be right? I swear that's what we were told. Yet cruisers begrudge the locals trying to make a few dollars. Even the less affluent of us are wealthy in comparison, but that doesn't stop people from griping about people trying to sell their wares. Just say, "no, thank you" and move on. It isn't that difficult really.

 

I think we went somewhere else (by now, it was all becoming that blur I mentioned earlier). We got out, used the facilities, and sat and had a refreshing drink. I was SO HAPPY when I saw the Lime Shandy!

 

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Then on to Annabelle Falls.

 

 

Wish I could get these silly tourists to stop getting in my nature photos!

 

 

Lots of lizards (chameleons?) of various sizes hanging out in the gardens by the falls.

 

We were supposed to go to yet another rum distillery, but we voted unanimously to just go back to the ship. We kept passing other vans in our group and noticed that everyone on those vans had a beverage in their hands. What about us? Turns out the drinks van was following behind and never caught up to use (we were the first two vans). We made our drive stop and flag him down so we could have a drink (I had a local beer - Stag). It was a pretty island but not the best tour. More on that later.

 

 

Back on the ship, it was time for my deli sandwich. I ran into Tracy and watched her order and decided I would modify my usual turkey & swiss on roll as she had and ask for a slice of cheddar, too. Really wanted a Thirsty Frog, but you can't get them on the open decks. Wonder why not? I got them at the aft bar (outside by the Serenity Deck) on Pride.

 

Went up to sit in the shade on Serenity Deck, port side. Buddy decided she'd go back to the cabin for a nap. I found myself nodding off. Repeatedly. And I almost never fall asleep sitting up. I'm sure I was drooling on myself while my beer was getting warm.

 

Again, no idea what we did later. We'd stop in the Robusto lounge before dinner and listen to whomever was playing there. I was happy that there was a latin-music trio again, but they weren't nearly as good as the one on Conquest last year. That group was excellent!

 

I probably would've gone to the show that night, but, honestly, after the pre-cruise sightseeing in San Juan, then three days of touring in the hot sun, and consuming alcohol, I just can't stay up. Yes, I'm getting old. But, I've also been on ships that had an earlier show so late diners could go before dinner, and the early diners went to the show that was going on while we were eating. Having the show start at 10:30 just didn't work for me.

[NCTribeFan]

Obviously, since we sailed on 11/1, I typed an incorrect date for Grenada. We were there on 11/4.

[NCTribeFan]

Wednesday, 11/5, Dominica

 

Yes! Dominica! My favorite island (so far). I'd first visited Dominica in May 2009 on my Victory cruise (RT from San Juan; a port every day - St Thomas, Dominica, Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua, St Kitts). That time, we toured with Levi Baron (Bumpiing Tours) and went to Titou Gorge, Trafalgar Falls, and Morne Bruce. Those who wanted to snorkel continued on to Champagne Reef, but we didn't choose that option. It was a fantastic day. I loved it there. It was so much less developed/commercialized than many of the islands we visited on that cruise. But soon after, Carnival dropped Dominica from it's regularly-scheduled itineraries. I was crushed.

 

So, when I saw the Conquest repo last November that included Dominica, I knew I had to go. I highly recommended Levi and his tours, and we filled many vans that day. Champagne Reef was the first stop, but it was rough, I'm not a swimmer, and I'd hurt my back just before flying to San Juan.

 

Anyway, THIS time, I decided I wanted to see more of the beautiful island. But, if you've never been there, I really recommend what he calls his "3 waters" tour - Champagne Reef, Titou Gorge, Trafalgar Falls - it's fantastic. If you've seen the 2nd Pirates of the Caribbean movie, you've seen Titou Gorge. Truly, it's the best excursion I've ever done.

 

So, we decided to take the tour that goes to Emerald Pool and the Kalinago Village.

 

Having been so rushed the previous morning, we decided to put out the breakfast card so we could use it's arrival as a wake-up call and could eat as we were getting ready to head out.

 

It arrived right on time. Unfortunately despite my every effort to make it clear exactly what we wanted and how many items of each, they didn't bring friend's coffee! I had ordered two hot teas (because one small cup is never enough), so had to give one to her, because no one addicted to caffeine needs to be out and about all day without something to get them going! I know I have nasty headaches if I don't have at least some caffeine in the morning. Yes, I'm an addict and I love my hot tea (very strong, with milk and sugar, which is how I've always had it so don't blame my ex, the Englishman).

 

Levi has such a crowd for his tours that he's moved down the street (between the two hotels) to meet up. I went up and said "Hello, Levi! Remember me?" His response was, "Of course, Joan. I'm sorry you decided not to go swimming with us this year." Levi's great. I'd been lucky enough to have him as driver on my other two tours.

 

So, he called our one van and off we went. Yes, we ended up in the back of the van! At least there were only two of us, and I could stick my long legs out in front where the jumpseat would be if needed (it wasn't, thankfully); and I'd take my 1/2 meclizine and ginger, so I was good to go.

 

This time, we had a tour guide, Rosalind. She was very good and had the driver slow down/stop several times to point out views and vegetation. Dominica really is beautiful. And the roads are much improved over what they were like in 2009. But, yes, it's mountainous. The roads wind and climb. I lived in the NC mountains for years, so I'm used to it (I miss driving in the mountains). The flatlanders seemed surprised.

 

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We first went to Emerald Pool. I was expecting Rosalind to say, "be back here at whatever time" but she actually went with us. Several people stayed back, and there were just three of us who went down to the falls and pool, then back up and around the trail. There were steps and it was fairly steep in places, but nothing this technically-almost-old-enough-to-retire not-particularly-fit woman couldn't handle. I've been told exercise is really good for the body. It seems many Americans have never heard that rumor!

 

 

 

It was fairly overcast when we arrived and the color of the pool wasn't terribly emerald. It's located inland, NE of Roseau.

 

Back at the van, it was time for my first Kubuli. As Dominica is my favorite island, Kubuli is my favorite island beer. It's just clean, light and refreshing. The name comes from the original Kalinago name for the island - Wai'tukubuli - which means "tall is her body." Seems fitting for me.

 

Empty already?

 

Then off to the eastern side of the island and the Carib Territory. The views were gorgeous. It reminded me of Maui, where it seemed that every time you round a curve, the vistas are even more beautiful than the ones before.

 

 

[cruisexlife]

Love the photos! Thanks for the review !! :D

[NCTribeFan]

On our way to the Kalinago Village, Rosalind pointed out that we were within the Carib Territory and that the living conditions were not as good as they are in other parts of the island. I bet I could live in a cinder-block house as long as I had a clean running water (something we all take for granted), electricity, and a way to keep the insects/wildlife out of the house. Seriously. I could.

 

Once at the Village, we were given a few minutes to use the facilities (yes, flushing toilets!), and were introduced to our guide. I'm afraid I didn't get her name. She was quite young. We first went into the building that had displays on the walls (I neglected to take photos), then she led us down the path and around the Village. Now, this is a replica of what the villages were like in the past. This isn't like the village we visited in Panama where Embera people travel in dugout canoes and live in thatched huts.

 

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There were some vendors over to the right side. I bought DD a pair of earrings. Must remember where I put them!

 

But it was still very interesting. And some women still wash clothing in the river and dry them on the rocks in the sun. I could learn to do that, too!

 

Back at the center, we had another beverage and then sat around. And sat and sat some more. I think Rosalind was waiting for someone to say they were ready to go. She was being too polite! Must tell people, OK! Get on the bus already!

 

This is now my desktop photo at work.

 

 

 

Dominos! My kind of sport!

 

Dominica Panorama

[NCTribeFan]

Once again, I have no idea what we did after we returned to the ship other than sat around, showered, dressed for dinner, drank wine, stuffed ourselves, wandered a little and then went to bed.

 

At some point one evening, we went to the Lido deck to check out whatever was going to be on the big screen. Whatever it was didn't start when we thought it was going to start (again, after all the touring, eating and drinking, I just can't stay up until midnight for a movie to begin!).

 

And at some point, one day, we had a caasar salad from the pizza bar to hold us over until dinner. It was quite good.

 

OK, these are just random thoughts. I should save them all until the end. I write reviews and then for days (maybe weeks), I keep remembering little things that I'd meant to mention and forgot.

[tallyho8]

Thank you for all the wonderful photos of Dominica. This was the worst stop for us on our cruise because we did not get to see the island.

 

We booked an early morning tour with Carnival to see the City Highlights till 10 AM then we were going to take a countryside tour.

 

Well, the Carnival excursion was hours late starting and we didn't get back until about 3 PM and then it was too late to see the countryside. :mad:

 

I can't wait till the next time I go to Dominica but I sure won't take a Carnival excursion.

[Froufie]

Hi Joan welcome home sounds like a fun time

 

really enjoying your review and pictures I actually had an accident on board the epic and broke my right shoulder so I'm home for a while and reading reviews to keep myself out of trouble!!

 

Looking forward to more...

[NCTribeFan]

Thank you for all the wonderful photos of Dominica. This was the worst stop for us on our cruise because we did not get to see the island.

 

We booked an early morning tour with Carnival to see the City Highlights till 10 AM then we were going to take a countryside tour.

 

Well, the Carnival excursion was hours late starting and we didn't get back until about 3 PM and then it was too late to see the countryside. :mad:

 

I can't wait till the next time I go to Dominica but I sure won't take a Carnival excursion.

 

I'm so sorry you didn't get to see more of the island. I do dislike ship excursions. And if you want to see Dominica on a Carnival cruise, you may have to wait a long time. I'm still upset with them for dropping them from regular itineraries. Just another reason why I'll be moving on to other lines once/if I get my Milestone cruise.

 

Hi Joan welcome home sounds like a fun time

 

really enjoying your review and pictures I actually had an accident on board the epic and broke my right shoulder so I'm home for a while and reading reviews to keep myself out of trouble!!

 

Looking forward to more...

 

Oh Froufie! How awful! Maybe that was some Carnival Karma sent out to you for sailing Epic. You should've come with us.

 

I'm still looking for someone to share my 1A PH on the Bermuda cruise next October. Just as long as they don't snore! ;)

 

I may try to wrap this thing up tonight. I mean, I've only been home for a week now. And, no, I still have done all my laundry. What's the rush? I'll just take the warm-weather clothes and re-pack them (so they'll just get wrinkled this far in advance of traveling).

 

But there's just sea day, Grand Turk, sea day, disembark, and summaries to cover. That should only take me another week to plow through. :p

[pghsteelerfan]

I'm sitting here enjoying reviews here on CC when I need to start working on the housework. I sure wish this house could clean itself. :D Laundry, oh I definitely remember "Mt. Washmore" every time we get back from a vacation. Six huge loads sorted in piles in our living room then the washing, folding, ironing (what needs it) and putting away. That is the worst part of a cruise, or any vacation, for me.

 

I just wanted to let you know that in addition to the other Splendor repositioning cruise reviews, I'm also following yours. I just now got caught up with the latest you've added and want to let you know how much I am enjoying it and I love your pictures, just beautiful.

 

When I first heard about the Splendor repositioning cruise, I really wanted to go on it because of the itinerary, but we just could not make it work this year. We've done the Southern out of San Juan twice now, once in 1992 (first cruise) and the second time was May 2013 and I think it is one of the best. On our first cruise we had stops in Dominica and Martinique. I only had a film camera then, so not many pictures but I do remember both being very pretty and would LOVE to return and seeing your pictures (love the ones you got of Mt. Pele) really makes me want to get back, and soon. So nice to see that there are others with an open mind about Martinique. We actually enjoyed being there the last time and didn't have any issues with the people at all. It's all a matter of how you treat them. Hopefully some interest will be "sparked" for some of the less traveled to islands so they can eventually be added to some of the itineraries. I'd love to see another Carnival ship based out of San Juan doing a different southern itinerary in addition to the current itinerary...or have one ship alternating out of San Juan between two itineraries.

 

Thank you so much for sharing your review, pictures and your experience of the Splendor repositioning and I'm certainly looking forward to the rest.

[092306]

Enjoying your review and pictures! Thanks for posting!

[NCTribeFan]

Thursday, 11/6, First Sea Day

 

I'll tell you what. I was ready for a day off. I love the ports (it's really why I sail), but I was looking forward to doing very little.

 

Except there were all sorts of things to do. First, get up and get my usual omelette. We'd started eating breakfast upstairs, away from so much noise and activity.

 

Then I headed up to Serenity, where many/most of the loungers were saved. Sigh. I was all the way forward. Although it was slightly overcast, I figured I'd fry if I stayed out very long. And then the sun came out for real. As much as I crave sunshine in my old age, I just cannot sit out there and bake. Or fry. So I went to the other side where Cruise Buddy was sitting in a chair, reading.

 

Our slot pull was scheduled for 10:30, so I headed down to the casino, gave Marilyn my $20 and was given my ticket with my pull number. We did a little better than last year, but didn't come out ahead.

 

Went to brunch and it took forever! Yes, I had the same thing I had on both sea days in May on Pride (huevos ranceros and the cheesecake). Wasn't as good, though. Got a mimosa with my drink coupon, which was good!

 

Our semi-official Meet & Greet was at 1 in the El Morocco lounge. The Roll Call (and that "other" group) was so huge that I ended up not meeting anyone other than van-mate's cabin mate and a couple of other people.

 

The drink servers (this was a cash bar party) were supposed to be there, but none had arrived by 1:35, so I walked down to the casino bar and got us a couple of glasses of wine. Lots of people participated in the gift exchange (I didn't). Those of us who had been in the slot pull got our winnings from Marilyn.

 

Then came the marriage proposal! Almost forgot about that! Then, the door prizes were given out. I think about 95% of the people there got a door prize. Not me! I never win anything. Makes me wonder just what it is that made me think I needed to book this Premium Casino cruise on Freedom.

 

It was the second elegant night. Food was slow - again.

 

I guess this was the night we went to the show to hear Consuela Ivy. She was quite good.

 

And, I forgot to mention that Wednesday was the VIFP party. We sat near the back, got plenty of wine, skipped the food (we'd had a late lunch after our wonderful excursion). After dinner, we stopped in the Robusto lounge to see/hear the show band and whomever the gal was that sang. She was good, but not as good as Consuela Ivy!

 

I'd love to finish this, but it's my birthday, so more later!

[KroozFoolz]

Happy Birthday, Joan!

[babsee101]

Yes, I said I had work to do, didn't I? :p

 

It actually overlooked the restaurant. Let's see if I can find it. Room 919. It was just around the corner from the elevators. You turn left and there's a door you go through; down a little hallway and there are two rooms back there. I requested a quiet location and it was great.

 

I didn't post the pics of the bathroom, but it was pretty great, too. Has the "rain" shower head from the ceiling but also a handheld thing. Enclosed in a glass wall open at one end by the sink.

 

The bathrobes in the room were also great. About 5x softer than Carnival's.

 

I got the room for about $135 on Hotwire and paid an additional $25 for the location and two bed request, plus the taxes and resort fees. Still, it was under $200, which is a good price for the resort hotels in Condado.

 

There are three pools - the one just off the lobby with the cafe nearby; another closer to the beach, and a third overlooking the beach. All are small (I didn't get in them).

 

Two hot tubs up above the one off the lobby, too.

 

I walked through the casino but didn't stop and play. I probably should've. I didn't have much luck in my limited playing time on the ship.

 

I liked it more than the Marriott. I definitely would stay there again if I want that area.

 

Thanks so much for the info! I am really looking forward to our post cruise stay at La Concha!

[Lovetwocruz2009]

Thank you for the review and great photos.

[Shake-n-Bake]

I'd love to finish this, but it's my birthday, so more later!

Happy Belated Birthday Joan!

[NCTribeFan]

Thanks everyone.

 

I really need to wrap this up, don't I?

 

But I'm still trying to finalize things for the Freedom sailing. Still having problems getting people on the roll call to join excursions. Not a problem I've had in the past. One would think it wouldn't be THAT difficult to get SIX whole people to do a taxi tour in Aruba. Sigh.

 

Anyway, I really will try to wrap it all up very soon.

[LUVMYGSDOG]

I am enjoying your review and pictures. Happy Late Birthday! Hope it was a good one.

 

 

 

Kim

[NCTribeFan]

Thanks, Kim. It was uneventful (which is how I like them, unless I'm on a ship at the time)!

[NCTribeFan]

Friday, 11/7, Grand Turk

 

Last port already?

 

We slept in since we had no plans. I don't know how many times I've been to Grand Turk (something like 8 or 10 or 12 times), but I do know that it's been a port on my previous three cruises. The first four times I was there, I did the Horseback Ride and Swim through Carnival. If you've never done it, I highly recommend it. The water portion is great fun! I prefer the excursion here at GT than at HMC (which I had to try just for comparison's sake).

 

We were going to eat breakfast outside by the aft pool but they were doing maintenance on it (all day). I'm sure there were people who were upset and had planned to camp out there and bake all day (pssst, big, free pool at Margaritaville if you must have one!). We left because they were refinishing the benches and there were fumes.

 

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The past several stops here, I've just headed through the Duty Free shop and turned right, going down to the loungers away from Margaritaville. In May, I was disappointed to discover that the helicopter tours (new since I'd been there last) seemed to be located just behind the scrub bushes and my nice, relatively-quiet area was no longer quiet.

 

But we had breakfast, put on our swimsuits and coverups and headed there anyway. This time, it seemed the choppers were going around from a different direction. Maybe beach-goers had complained. We dragged a couple of loungers under the semi-shade of a palm and sat and read for a while. It was very nice.

 

 

We went back to the ship for lunch, then back into the port area to wander around. I wanted Cruise Buddy to see the pool there at Margaritaville. I'm not one to hang around anywhere that crowded, but it is a nice pool. I can see why people like it there. It's just not my thing.

 

Then we went hunting for wi-fi. Saw some people outside one shop and I could connect but couldn't open any websites. So we walked down to Froots, which was, as usual, swarming with crew members. I typically don't like to use the wi-fi unless I make a purchase, but all I wanted to do was quickly check to see if there had been anything urgent happen that needed to be addressed. So I just stood by the door, baking, and quickly posted a FB update.

 

Back on the ship, we got our beverages and sat out on Deck 3 in a couple of loungers. I noticed some people standing and peering straight down from the rail. Not pier runners, though!

 

 

A manatee! I never see sea creatures, so I was pretty excited. Someone fairly official was on the dock and talking to someone on the ship. He said it was young and had probably gotten separated from it's mother and blown off course by a recent storm. Poor thing! It was working it's way down the ship, nibbling stuff off the hull. I was worried that the thrusters would slam it into the pier, but it turned and headed back toward the bow. The guy on the pier was keeping a close watch on it. Hope it finds it's mommy!

 

We had some very smooth sailing

 

 

After dinner, we stopped in the sports bar and talked to Shake-n-Bake for a bit. Buddy went to bed, but I had to go to the movie although I didn't plan to really watch it. Many, many years ago, there was a band I knew in Cleveland and one of their songs is on the soundtrack. I knew these guys way back when I was in my teens.

 

So I head up there and pretty much every chair was taken on both levels, but I did find one at a table up on Deck 10. Very early into the movie the song came on. I must say, it rather gave me a chill to hear it. What a great power pop song! It was very cool.

 

Went back to the sports bar. I think we all thought the Cavs game was going to be on, but it never appeared. Gave up and went to bed. At least we gained our Fall Back hour overnight!

[NCTribeFan]

Saturday, 11/8, 2nd Sea Day

 

Sad. So sad. How can this be ending already? You wait 11 months, watching the countdown clock slowly ticking down from triple digits to (finally) double digits to (must pack!) single digits to (blink) IT'S OVER. Time to go home! :(

 

No idea what we actually did. Sea day brunch (went earlier so got seated without waiting but the service was HORRIBLE!!!) and the food wasn't that great, sat on Serenity Deck and read and had a drink, went to afternoon tea, packed, sat around, who knows what else.

 

Vroom had been scheduled for Friday night but was cancelled. Instead, they put on the show at 5, so we decided to go. About 10 minutes into it, I realized I'd seen it in May on Pride. Same male singer; don't know if it was the same female or not. My feelings were the same as they were in May - decent show (I personally just don't understand all the hatred for the shows that don't have a live band; it's about the singing and dancing, not the backup music, imho). I enjoyed it but feel the song selection and order or performance seems a bit random.

 

Last dinner in the MDR, and I knew it was cappuccino pie night. You guys can keep your WCMC. If I'm going to have something sweet, I much prefer desserts like Bitter-n-Blanc and cappuccino pie.

 

Went to the sports bar and Shake-n-Bake and I went up to the aft Lido deck at 10 for the informal Say Goodbye get together. I hadn't met many of the group and didn't see anyone I knew. Instead of introducing myself (yes, I'm an introvert), I just headed back to the bar.

 

On my way through the casino, I ran into the Canadians who I'd sailed with way back in December 2007. That was my first cruise after discovering Cruise Critic and we were on the Roll Call and had a great excursion in St Thomas together. They just happened to have one of the aft wrap cabins on Empress, which I'd been dying to see, so they invited me to have a look.

 

The cabin was smaller than I expected but, oh, that balcony! We'd had a full moon just a night or two earlier, so it was very bright. We could see two other cruise ships behind (and I'd seen two off to our portside when up on Lido earlier). It was pretty spectacular back there. I don't imagine I'll ever have one of those cabins, so it was nice to get to visit one!

 

Since our cabin was just down the hall, and I had to get my cases out for pickup, I headed back and took care of that (making sure I did have clothing for the next day). I woke up at some point during the night worrying that I hadn't left any shoes out (I had).

 

 

Maybe this is why I didn't sleep well - those silly sax players were out in the hall all night!