Winding Down, but not Finished Yet!

          Well, it’s almost time to bid this cruise and our new friends good-bye. The ports have all been called on and all that’s left are some Sea Days as we cross the Atlantic Ocean, bound for Fort Lauderdale. As promised, the anticipated backlog of Posts will be completed within a few days. I am in better shape than I thought I would be at this point, only a few behind….. in the meantime, there will be lots of “Contacts Exchanges” going on, last minute get-togethers, and more than enough hugs and good wishes to go around.

                   The topic aboard at this time is a ‘variation on a theme’ of  “Are you going to do this again?

                   Our answer is a qualified maybe. 😊

                   Would we go around the world again? Yes!

                   Would we take the “same” cruise? Probably not. ( Unless they significantly modified the ports of call.)

                   What will we miss?

                   Lots!

                   For four months we did not need to: clean our room, make the bed, clean the bathroom, cook, shop, do dishes, or think about “what to do”.

                   For four months we were totally pampered, we had a myriad of options when it came to entertainment, and there was always someone to talk to somewhere on the ship if we got “lonely”. Even the everyday routine stuff has an element of fun built into it. There is not one thing that we do on board that can be considered a “chore.” We do lots of things on a regular basis, but each one, even though it is part of our “routine”, is for fun.

                   Trivia at 10 AM in the Explorers Lounge. Fun.

                   Walking around the Promenade Deck. Fun.

                   Playing cards on Sea Days. Fun.

                   Going to Horizon Court for breakfast and lunch. Fun.

                   Going to the Dining Room for dinner. Fun.

                   Nightly entertainment after dinner. Lots of fun!

                   And in between all of these fun things we do we can just relax. Sometimes we fall asleep!

                   Yup! 11AM, not time for lunch yet, all of a sudden you find yourself dozing off….. The same can be said for the afternoon.

                   But those are Sea Days. What about Port Days?

                   Well, those can actually be tedious at times depending on the arrangements made for visiting said ports. You have all been along for this voyage, so you are aware of the trials of the Shuttle Boats when needed. You know about waiting (im)patiently for all of the Mobility  Challenged Passengers when we get stuck on a “Best of” Tour. And sometimes, when we run from port, to port, to port, we wish for a Sea Day in between to recuperate. But, as you have witnessed, we have experienced some incredible sights and places! Some are just right out of National Geographic, while others seem to emanate from some exotic old movie.

                   But, while the voyage is designed to facilitate one’s experiencing of different parts of the world, it is definitely not the only aspect of traveling that we found that is important.

                   Just as vital as the Itinerary of the voyage is, is the manifest of fellow passengers that unknowingly signed up to help you experience these ports, even though they never knew that they were going to play that role. We, in turn, never realized that we would be an important piece of traveling memories for the others on this same list.

                   It just naturally turns out that way.

                   So, as our thoughts turn to coming home, getting the motorhome ready for the road, going shopping to fill the larder, getting those doctor appointments taken care of, and settling back into our terrestrial “traveling” routine, we are also feverishly making plans for our next adventures, many of them include our new “Traveling Amigos” that have helped make these last four months seem like it’s only been four weeks!

                   Like they say…..

“Time flies when you’re having fun!”

Now is the time to ask what we won’t miss….

                   The shower.

          It’s smaller than the one in the motorhome!