Today, we sailed south on the Costa Favolosa towards Rio de Janeiro.
I woke up at about 7 am, and after taking a shower, I made my way to the pool at the back of the ship on deck 9. I got myself a coffee and sat next to the pool to read my Kindle. I wanted to swim, but the pool had been closed. It didn't feel very rough at sea, but it must have been worse than any other day because the water in the pool had large waves. It looked like the areas they have in water parks with large wave machines. The pool had waves racing from one end to the other, and they were being forced out of the pool onto the surrounding deck. I just sat there reading my Kindle for a few hours before getting out of the sun.
I walked down to the Palatino Grand bar for a quiz. I missed the start so I didn't take part, but I stayed to watch when I saw the violin player, she was fantastic. The quiz involved her playing the theme tune for a film on the violin, and the people taking part had to name the film. It was a shame I got there late as I knew every single one.
Today was the last day onboard the ship, and it was a quiet one. I read my Kindle and lazed around until lunchtime, when I went for something to eat. For lunch, I had pumpkin soup as a starter, pork for my main course and strawberry cake for dessert.
This afternoon, I took part in two quizzes with Gail, Ann, and Darrel. We did win a prize, but as we were leaving the ship tomorrow, we gave our prize, two ice creams, to a family with children. At 5 pm, I quickly went to collect my passport from a desk that had been set up in the Moliere bar for guests departing the next day. I went back to the bar where I had left the others and had another drink. Gail, Darrel and Ann left, but Dwight and Tessa arrived for a drink. At around 6 pm, I went to the piano bar for a drink and saw Marcus. He explained that he was celebrating his birthday and being alive today and asked me to join him at 8 pm for a drink with some of the other people he had met on the cruise. I agreed to see him later and went to dinner in the restaurant at 7 pm.
The service at dinner this evening was terrible; everybody had to wait for their dinner or even order it. I did manage to get my spinach soup, but it tasted disgusting, and I couldn't eat it. Likewise, my lamb tagine was terrible. It lacked lamb and wasn't in a tagine, so I sent it back. It soon became apparent why the service was so slow. The dining staff were going to perform a dance and sing to us as it was our last meal. They started their show, and I left, not waiting for my dessert. They should stick to serving and give up performing. If I wanted to see a show, I´d have gone to the theatre, not the restaurant.
Tessa, Dwight, Alan, and Marcus in the piano bar on the Costa Favolosa.I went back to the piano bar and met Marcus. We were soon joined by the German couple I had met previously, my friends Dwight and Tessa, who had also become friends with Marcus and a Brazillian couple. Marcus had bought a few nibbles for us all and several bottles of lovely wine. We sat chatting and toasting to Marcus's good health for an hour or so before Marcus and the Germans left to go to the restaurant for their dinner. Dwight and Tessa left to see a show, and I went back to my cabin. I packed my case and left it outside to be collected by the ship's staff before I went back to the quiet bar.
After Marcus had finished his dinner, he joined me in the piano bar, and we were later joined by Ann, Rosa, Dwight and Gail at different times during the night. We chatted, and all said our goodbyes, not knowing if we would see each other tomorrow when we left the ship. We all eventually left and went back to our cabins.