The Pause That Refreshes!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

We gained an hour last night and we still slept in.  This cruising business is exhausting.  We are currently six hours earlier than Omaha so we have a few more hours to gain before we reach Ft. Lauderdale.

The mood on the ship is starting to change as people realize that tomorrow is our last port and then we are headed home – except those who are “piggy-backing” this with another cruise.  They gave us luggage straps to make sure we can smash our items into our suitcases and still get them closed.  The Fed Ex tags were delivered to the cabin and we will be shipping four bags back to Omaha.  We don’t know the status of our carry-on situation yet.  I’d say all in all we brought the right clothes and the right number of personal items to get us through a 62 day cruise.  We are happy to report that all the extra medicine for those “just in case” moments have not been touched.  Maybe it is like carrying an umbrella – if you have it, you don’t need it. 

                                

Barney went to hear the new lecturer on board.  He is a lawyer and seems to have a good sense of humor.  I didn’t do a thing but read and it was great. 

                                

We took advantage of the Italian night at the Lido and enjoyed ourselves.  The Indonesian staff really treats us well because Deden is a family name from their country.  They have taken to calling us Ipu and Baba which seems to be a sign of respect.  Beats the heck out of some things we have been called. 

We are looking forward to tomorrow’s port of Funchal, Madiera, Portugal.  We loved it last time and are planning on getting the most out of our short time there.  We understand that they are in financial trouble so we will try to help their economy while spending our remaining Euros.

Sail out is scheduled for 2 pm and will be celebrated with a big party on the Lido deck.  From then on, it is sea day after sea day until we reach Ft. Lauderdale on the 13th.