Day Five: At Sea

Our last full day of the cruise was another relaxing day at sea. The previous night we had our second formal night and it was once again fun to get a bit dressed up and enjoy a lovely meal. On the menu was lobster and giant prawns and it was delicious! The traditional "lit" baked Alaska was served on the last night on board. Looks more impressive than it tastes!On the last morning aboard, the ship was offering a cooking demonstration followed by a tour of the ship's galley so we took advantage of that fun show. The way they prepare and crank out meals for so many people is pretty amazing. The only culinary bomb for me was the French Cuisine night when I ordered frog legs. I thought, why not be adventurous...now's the time to try something new. I couldn't get past the fact that there were two frogs on my plate. They looked like, well, frogs, and I found it quite disturbing. I did try it and didn't care for it but I'm sure the mental anguish I was experiencing prevented me from even remotely enjoying the taste. I just couldn't bring myself to dig into the little guys.

On the final day on board, we were excited to soak in as much sunshine as we possibly could so in spite of it being a bit windy on deck but we managed to find a cozy spot on the back of the ship that was quiet and warm. Each afternoon they were offering afternoon tea so I took that in. There wasn't much for entertainment on the last night so we played cards, messed around on the penny slots in the casino and packed our bags as we readied ourselves to go home.

Other highlights of the week included a late night fiesta on the pool deck. The evening was beautiful and warm with the full moon shining brightly over the deck. The buffet was delightfully decorated with fruit and ice carvings and lovely food presentations. We also enjoyed another comedian on board, Carlos Oscar, who again, was very family friendly and hilarious. He had all of us rolling in the aisles as he highlighted and made fun of every day events in our lives. The singers and dancers on board were as good as I've seen on a cruise ship and it was just nice to have some fun things to do in the evening.
I really enjoyed this whole experience. The waiters at meal time, the wide range of activities on board, the chance to sunbathe, the opportunities to take in fun entertainment and spend time together with my parents added up to a winning vacation. I wouldn't take a cruise for every vacation but once every couple of years it provides a relaxing, easy, fun opportunity to see some new places and enjoy being pampered and taken care by a crew of wonderful people. And it's a great way for us to enjoy time with my folks who do find cruising among their favorite ways to take a vacation.