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[Terre]

By this time it was dark, but we could see the boat and men once the ship was as close as it could get to them.  They rowed over to the open door and the crew helped them inside as everyone cheered for them!  I was very happy that they had been rescued, but I was a little apprehensive at the same time because we had no idea if they were pirates, if they had guns, drugs, or what in that little boat.  Nevertheless, I was glad for them and praying for them during the whole thing.  It has to be scary out in the middle of nowhere, with no land anywhere, waiting to be rescued.  We learned that they were Cuban refugees and I can’t imagine how bad it must be to set sail in that little boat and head for the United States, risking your own life for the freedoms that we take for granted every day.  The Captain and crew saved their lives that night; however, I’m afraid they were probably sent back to Cuba.  The Captain made an announcement later that they had been given “fresh clothes, showers, beds, and food, and the Coast Guard was on the way to pick them up.”  I pray that those men will be okay.  It was exciting to watch, chilling, and grateful all at the same time.  We have seen the Coast Guard air lift someone off a ship with a medical emergency and they are amazing, but this was just something that was extraordinary to watch.

 

Now for the “Seven Days is not enough time” part.  It just isn’t…we have gotten used to sailing on 10 and 11 day cruises for the last several years, and seven days is too short.  Still, we had to leave, they made us, we tried to stay on, but they just wouldn’t let us, so to quote Angela, “it’s not goodbye, it’s ciao for now!”  We are booked on the Silhouette in November, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us! It will be our third time on the Silhouette and I love that ship.

 

 

Miscellaneous Stuff:  One event for the concierge class cabin passengers, and I assume for anything above concierge class, that we actually went to was the Welcome Aboard on the Helipad.  That was very nice and I met Benjamin from our Facebook roll call. 

 

Some little tips that may help someone else, maybe even a first time cruiser. 

1.     I take some magnetic hooks and clips to hold the newspapers, our itinerary, all those invitations and important papers you don’t want to lose.  The walls are magnetic and it is a huge help to get them off the desk/vanity and you don’t throw away something important.  I use the heavy duty hooks that hold a lot of weight on the walls for hanging things like my husband’s pants, pool bag, etc.  The walls are not as magnetic as the door and the framing around the bathroom door, but they can hold quite a bit.  A word of caution, though, the magnets are hard to get apart if stuck together and you can get pinched so be careful when trying to get them apart and don’t let any skin get between them.

2.    Don’t forget about the kid’s menu on your X app.  There may be something there you might want for dinner!