Last (4th) Ship Day

Our last day on the ship and I’m finally hitting my stride. Dave took the morning sunrise shot, but there wasn’t quite enough time to get to abs class, so I got ready and got to stretch class in time to get a mat. The instructor, Abishad from India, seemed a little more engaged, and at one point we were doing a familiar stretch (on our backs, soles of the feet together, knees out to the side) and I glanced over at him and his knees were all the way down to the floor. I have never seen a man with hips flexible enough to do that, so I decided to stay for yoga, a 45 minute extra fee class, and for a change on a ship he actually did a real yoga flow, with a nice balance of challenge and stretch. It was really good. I stayed behind after to run through my mat pilates exercises, then headed back to the cabin to change but they were cleaning it, so I grabbed my sun shirt and went to breakfast. I asked to be seated at a shared table and then asked again when they seated my by myself, and ended up at a 4-top with another woman whose first words were “I don’t understand why I can’t sit alone when there are all these empty tables.” Not an auspicious beginning, but we ended up having a deep conversation about happiness and choices and the ability to be empathetic and it was lovely.

By now it was almost time for HotRhythms dance class, so I boogied over to the Explorer Hotel bar where there was absolutely nobody except me and the instructor. We decided to start class anyway, and the first dance was one we’d done the night before so that was fun. And of course as soon as we started dancing other folks came. We ended up learning two of the dances the cast had led us in last night with 10 or so people, and it was great fun as always although this cast member was not quite as good as explaining as the others I’ve had (Did I mention yesterday that I had to miss Hip Hop with Jesus because it was right during first contact? I feel like it was a once in a lifetime chance).

Afterwards I went back to the cabin and decided to use one of our cups of laundry detergent because I’m having laundry withdrawal and also it means I get to wear my favorite clothes instead of my second favorites for the rest of the trip. The timing messed us up a little for a sit down lunch, because I needed to get the stuff out of the dryer at 12:25 and Dave had a gin tasting at 1, so we ate in the Pantry which was fine.  It’s a nice selection but it is missing two major items: crisps (what we call potato chips) and cheese. Dave had moules frites and I had a small roll up. I had to go back later for some chicken.

After lunch I dealt with the laundry and Dave went off to his gin tasting which turned out to be very fun. Rather than just taste gin, they got 4 mini cocktails, and Dave sat next to a crusty old sea captain who was fun to talk to (old sea captain = a guy with a boat that he hires out when he feels like it, and who also repairs things at the yacht club on a similar basis). I did more ship touring – just seeing if I can get the layout in my head – and relaxing in the cabin. Dave did some sitting on the promenade deck and went to another lecture. He also shared a discovery with me that was quite shocking: there is no free ice cream on the ship, aside from desserts in the dining room. They have an ice cream place but it is yet another of the extra fee items. This is so wrong, it seems like it ought to be a violation of maritime law. How can you call yourself a family vacation destination and charge for the ice cream?

At 4 was the last dance class, a line dance class where we learned two songs. Unlike this morning it was very well attended, and the teacher was good too. One of the songs was Danza Kuduro which is a favorite, and it was a quick learning crowd. Afterwards a woman I’ve danced near several times commented that I seem to catch on quick, which was a big compliment for me. I’d thought about going to exercise class at 5 – it’s an interval class – but I decided I’d rather save my energy for dancing in the explorer hotel at 6. So I went back to the cabin and relaxed some more. We’re heading northeast, and the sun has been shining on our balcony all day, but it’s finally moved (or we’ve turned, not sure) so that it’s comfortable to sit out at our little table, one of my favorite places to blog. I also did a little pre-packing. Even though this cabin is the hugest we’ve ever had, access to the dressing room and drawers is tricky for two people.

A note about lanyards; we had special name badges on lanyards with clips that held our room keys. I’ve always made fun in my head about people who wear them. They are wonderful. I apologize to all the people I have made fun of.

Sadly the music at 6 was a sing-a-long, not dancing, so I went back to the room and showered and we had a nice dinner with Stuart exchanging stories. It didn’t take long to get packed up, and then there’s the sad moment of putting the suitcases outside. We’ve not been giant fans of this ship or P&O, but being at sea is always wonderful, and we’ve had an amazing time.

Next stop: Margaret River!