A quiet final sea day with quizzes, cocktails, rough seas, and a farewell evening with friends as we sailed toward Rio de Janeiro.
A Rough Morning by the Pool.
I woke up around 07:00, showered, and headed to the aft pool on Deck 9. I grabbed a coffee and settled down with my Kindle. I’d hoped for a swim, but the pool was closed, the sea was rough enough to turn it into a wave machine. Water surged from one end to the other and spilled onto the deck. I stayed there reading for a few hours before escaping the sun.
A Missed Quiz and a Brilliant Violinist.
I walked down to the Palatino Grand Bar for the 11:00 quiz but arrived too late to join in. I stayed anyway because the violinist running the quiz was fantastic. She played film theme tunes, and contestants had to guess the movie. I knew every single one, typical that I missed it.
A Quiet Afternoon.
Being the last full day onboard, the ship felt calmer. I read my Kindle until lunchtime, when I had pumpkin soup, pork, and strawberry cake.
In the afternoon, I joined Gail, Ann, and Darrel for two quizzes. We won a prize, two ice creams, but gave them to a family with children since we were disembarking the next day.
At 17:00, I collected my passport from a desk set up in the Moliere Bar, then returned for another drink. Gail, Darrel, and Ann left, but Dwight and Tessa arrived for a chat.
Marcus’s Birthday Invitation.
Around 18:00, I went to the piano bar and found Marcus. He told me he was celebrating his birthday, or more accurately, celebrating being alive, and invited me to join him at 20:00 for drinks with some of the people he’d met on the cruise. I agreed, then headed to dinner at 19:00.
A Disappointing Final Dinner.
Dinner service was chaotic. Everyone waited ages to order or receive food. I eventually got my spinach soup, but it was awful. My lamb tagine was even worse, barely any lamb and nothing resembling a tagine, so I sent it back. It soon became clear why service was slow: the dining staff were preparing to perform a song and dance routine for the final night. As soon as they started, I left. If I wanted a show, I’d have gone to the theatre, not the restaurant.
Celebrating Marcus’s Birthday.
I returned to the piano bar and met Marcus. We were joined by the German couple I’d met earlier, Dwight and Tessa, and a Brazilian couple. Marcus had bought snacks and several bottles of wine. We toasted his birthday and good health for an hour or so before everyone drifted off to dinner or shows.
I went back to my cabin, packed my suitcase, and left it outside the door for collection before heading to the quiet bar.
Final Goodbyes.
After dinner, Marcus joined me again in the piano bar. Throughout the evening, Ann, Rosa, Dwight, and Gail all appeared at different times. We chatted, laughed, and said our goodbyes, unsure whether we’d see each other again before disembarking in Rio.
Eventually, we all headed back to our cabins for the last night onboard.
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