As with yesterday, we certainly indulged in taking things very easily on our final day aboard this ridiculous ship. I am so glad we elected to upgrade our cabin to have a balcony, as it was so wonderful to be able to enjoy views of the sea from our room. While we lounged about, we happened to notice a single, solitary dolphin swimming about. And it wasn’t before long that we saw another and another until there must’ve been at least 30 or so dolphins all happily swimming about. It was so special and beautiful to see, and I’ve never heard Matt gasp so much in one moment as we marveled at these incredible creatures as they performed a show for us, several of them jumping high out of the air performing elegant loops before diving back into the sea. Truly, it was so, so special to witness such a beautiful sight.
As this was our last chance, we made our way to the spa where we spent a long, long time indulging in everything the spa had to offer: all its heated chambers, all the showers with their whimsical settings, the hydrotherapy pool, the heated and tiled lounge chairs, all the while hydrating with crisp, cool cucumber water. Of all the things we splurged on, I’m so happy we decided to spend the extra $200 per person to have unlimited access to the spa. It was always so rejuvenating, and the rest of the day made me feel like I was walking on a cloud, my whole body abuzz with contentment.
We meandered about the ship for a bit (grabbing a sandwich at the International Cafe, walking past the Princess Live theatre where a live auction featured an actual auctioneer rapidly calling out numbers while filing in the gaps with more rapid vocalizations), before lounging outside by the main pool on the sky deck, plenty of space available on account of the somewhat blustery, grey weather. That said, for us Midwesterners, the weather felt absolutely glorious, while others who were used to sunnier and warmer climes tucked themselves away inside, opening up an otherwise usually very busy space.
Much of the rest of the afternoon continued at a very lackadaisical pace, stopping by the Marketplace buffet for a late lunch. And while stopping by the buffet off peak hours allowed for less foot traffic, the food seemed a little lackluster and bland because of the off-hours, reinforcing my opinion that the buffet is handy in a pinch, but isn’t anything to write home about. So, honestly, only go to the buffet if you just really just… I don’t know… only go if… um… I just… I don’t know… I honestly can’t think of a reason to go to the buffet…
We decided to go back to our cabin—stopping by the Seaview Bar on the way for some more cocktails—to, sadly, start packing up to expedite our disembarkation the next morning. While it was terribly sad to get ready to leave, we both felt ready to go home. Seven days on a ship—while absolutely wonderful and amazing—seemed to be just the right amount of time; we were ready to return to land somewhat more permanently. As we packed, we listened to some jazz and ordered some more cocktails using room service, a “bourbon and blood” and a brandy alexander, both of us remarking that we should have used room service so much more than we did.
We made one final appearance at the LGBT meetup at the Take Five lounge where some of the conversations centered on our cats and other animals, and afterwards we headed to the Skagway Dining Hall (we actually had reservations at the Ketchikan Hall—or “Kellikam” Hall, as Matt and I liked to call it, as Ketchikan reminded us of the Klingon world, kellikam, a unit of measure—but didn’t realize our reservation mistake until we were sat down at Skagway) to enjoy one final meal, dressed to impress and everything. It was really very lovely to spend one last romantic dinner on board, finishing off with dessert wines and all.
Later at the Wakeview Bar, as Matt and I were enjoying some rose and beers, we met up with Mike and Sonny and made our way to the piazza to observe a massive dance party to celebrate the final night at sea, a live band blaring catchy tunes, countless passengers strutting their stuff about the floor. We next made our way to the Princess Live Theatre where passengers were bravely bearing their vocal chords over karaoke to a rambunctious audience, and it occurred to the four of us that we were standing in the very spot where we first met each other, and we admired the circular synchronicity of it all.
Before we knew it, we were back in our cabin, lying in bed, and we fell asleep to an episode of Love Boat featuring both Betty White and Rue McClanahan, their ship stopping in Puerto Vallarta. I reminisced to myself about all of our journeys and the amazing times we had, while also feeling melancholy at the thought that when we’d wake up the next morning already docked, our ship arriving back in LA while we’d be sleeping.
But what times, what adventures, what memories!