The cruise is over....

Before your last night on the ship-usually by the middle of the cruise,you are asked to pick a time slot when you want to get off. Some people have flights to catch and take an early exit. For us, staying in Ft. Lauderdale for the day, it makes sense to take the last slot which is usually 10 am. Luggage is color coded so it goes off the ship and into the Customs hall as it is needed. By the time we leave there is not much luggage remaining which makes it easier to find. Easy suits us just fine.

We have to quit the room by 8 am so we do and head to the MDR for a leisurely breakfast.

Some photos from that morning in January 2013

Sunrise in Port Everglades, the harbor of Ft. Lauderdale

There was heavy fog when we arrived at 6 a.m but it slowly lifted and added some atmosphere to the photos as it did

 The room stewards have 4 hours minimum to get the cabins ready for the new guests. The ship has 9 hours to take on all the food and supplies it will need for the next cruise. The vacuuming of all the public rooms started in the middle of the night. After breakfast the buffet and MDRs set the tables for lunch as 3,000 hungry new passengers will come aboard to start their week cruising the Eastern Caribbean. It's a long busy day for the crew. It's Turnaround Day.

As we are suite passengers we get to wait with our hand luggage in Club Fusion, where there are refreshments, while most of the passengers duffle by in waves on their way off the ship.

When our time comes there is little luggage left so we quickly find our cases and get in line for Customs/ Immigration control. As I am a British Passport holder and most of the passengers are American we go through a shorter line and are soon in a taxi on our way to our home for the day....

Marriott harbor Beach resort where the adventure began a week before

The warm sea breezes would soon be just a memory as tomorrow we were flying back to snowy Chicago.

Thanks for following along on this, our 4th Princess Cruise!

INTERMISSION

TODAY IS SEPTEMBER 23 2015 AND IN 3 HOURS WE ARE FLYING TO.....

WHERE, AFTER 2 DAYS IN ROME, WE WILL BE JOINING THE EMERALD PRINCESS FOR A CRUISE FROM ROME TO BARCELONA. THIS WILL BE PRINCESS CRUISE # 8.

SO IT WILL BE TWO WEEKS BEFORE I AM BACK ON THE BLOG.

Last night on board

We went to dinner in the Michelangelo Dining Room for the last time and were again served by our requested team of Michael and Natalia.

 For Carol-Kingklip, which is a white fish with a delicate flavor and not a name we are used to in the USA

 Tournados of beef for me. My bottle of Mondavi Oberon red wine was brought to the table and drained of the last drop.

 The last night dinner on Princess ships always features Baked Alaska for dessert

After another great meal we said our goodbyes to our excellent waiters 

Here's a video clip from our last meal. On the ship they have comment cards where you can praise (or complain about?) a member of staff who "Made a Difference" in your enjoyment of the cruise.

I wrote a spoof one and gave it to Natalia, so she is reading it for the first time on camera.

I was always making jokes about how she was drinking my wine as my bottle got lighter each time it came to the table.

After dinner and some sea air on the Promenade deck where we could see other cruise ships lit up on the Horizon as half a dozen were heading home to Ft. Lauderdale we made our way inside to the Princess Theater to see one of our favorite shows-the International Crew Show, where members of the crew from the 50 or more nationalities on board get to entertain us. It is always Standing Room Only as it is so popular. We get there early and grab a seat.

Here's a video clip to give you a sample. This is Maria, who cooks in the Sabatini's kitchen.....

After the show, approaching midnight I went back to the cabin to pack. We had to be out of our cabin at 8a.m. so after packing and leaving my luggage in the hallway for pick-up it was time for bed...zzzzz

Breakfast then a hectic day of relaxing

My first breakfast of the day is usually in the buffet when it opens at 5.30. Then at 9 a.m I meet Carol, the later breakfaster, for breakfast in Sabatini's.

She takes the aft elevator from our deck, Caribe

and I am always waiting for her outside the restaurant. We are welcomed and taken to our favorite seats by the window

I carry 7 pounds of camera equipment around the ship

There is a team of 3 waiters and usually only 6 to 10 people dining at the same time. The first waiter brings drinks-coffee, tea, orange juice, mimosas etc. He is followed by the fresh pastries man-all the baking is done on board and the bakers work shifts around the clock. Then a third will come and take our orders for cooked food. You can eat as much or as little as you like.

A made-to-order omelet with a side order of bacon

Sabatini's has it's own kitchen but if you want something that is not on their menu but is being served from another kitchen-for me that is corned beef hash- they will go fetch it for you. If you want steak and eggs you let them know the day before and they will have it ready for you. Wonderful food and above all a quiet relaxed atmosphere to begin Carol's day.

After breakfast I visit the Duty Free shop in the Piazza for some shopping needs

Here is Passenger Services which is open 24 hours a day to answer questions or attend to any problems customers might have with their cruise. If you want to see how much money you have spent onboard so far you can find out here.

I'll spend part of the day in the Sanctuary and part of it at the Tradewinds Bar, having a beer and enjoying the sun. There I will have a drink with a Canadian couple I met on the first day. It was their first cruise and I was able to help them settle in. We still keep in touch via Facebook.

Sean and Marg from Toronto 

While I was down on deck 7 at the shops I take photos of some rooms which sit empty during the day.

Such as the Crown Grill steakhouse. Dinners here are an extra $25 per person. You can't get steak dinners (with lobster) on land at his quality for such  allow price.

It sits next to the Photo Gallery. As it is the last day there are photos here from each day of the cruise and many people like us will be searching through the glossy 8 X 10s to find themselves. They cost $20 each. The ship has about 6 photographers, all using Nikon, which is the brand they sell in their camera shop. Go-Pro is also sold. If you forget batteries or need more memory cards you'll find them onboard.

Can you spot Carol and I in this picture?

Just kidding- don't strain your eyes or go looking for your magnifying glass. So many happy faces as there are 3,000 passengers onboard.

This is Club Fusion where we go after dinner most nights to listen to the Karaoke singers. This will also be our Disembarkation Lounge tomorrow. We have to be out of our rooms by 8 a.m so they can be cleaned. Christopher our Room Steward has 18 rooms to clean, beds to make, mirrors to shine before Noon when the new passengers will arrive.

A lazy sea day sailing back to Fort Lauderdale. Eat, sleep, drink, watch a movie, play cards, shop, swim, sunbathe, chat with friends. A pleasant way to spend the day whichever you chose.

Afternoon tea was brought to our loungers in the Sanctuary at 3.30. We wouldn't eat again until hors d'ouvres in Skywalkers at 6, then have a long fast until 8 pm in the Michelangelo Dining Room before attending our last show on board.

Last day on the ship

As usual I was up bright and early to pack as much relaxing into the day as possible. While others sleep I take advantage of the barren decks to take photos and ease myself into the day with a few cups of coffee.

A deck steward sets out the sun loungers, which are tied up at night.

It has rained during the night and now the decks have to be mopped dry

I walked the decks taking photos

I couldn't use my zoom lens as the team needed to operate it were still in their bunks

Later tonight I would have to pack my suitcases for disembarkation on Sunday morning

And say farewell to some of the nice ladies I met on the cruise

These were all pieces of art found around the Ruby. Princess go to great lengths to decorate the ship.
I wonder what ever happened to personal style and pride in one's appearance as exemplified in the photos above? Bygone days when people stopped to look in the mirror before appearing in public.
When hair had to be clean and combed and hats adjusted to just the right angle. Suits and ties and clean shoes. Traveling was more of an occasion then I guess. Something special. We are lucky it is so affordable today.

I always have a lot of catch-up photos to take on my last day. Places I didn't get to or forgot to visit, or places that were too full of people moving around to do them justice.

The Princess Theater for example, where we would see the evening song and dance shows or attend port lectures or cooking shows.

 Art everywhere

A 700 seat theater with perfect sight lines from every seat. Waiters deliver drinks to your seat before the show. They are charged to your room.

Another entertainment venue is the Explorers Lounge. This is where they have Game Shows featuring some of the passengers, Stand-Up Comedians, bands and occasional lectures by ship's officers. It is also used for Art Auctions.

 Cool lampshades!

If all the seats are taken in Explorers there is also seating across the aisle, with views to the ocean.

The piano bar, deck 7 in the Piazza, is called Crooners and it's a very popular cocktail venue in the evenings

Again, art that harkens back to a Golden Age of Jazz

Art detail from Crooners

If gambling is your entertainment there's a casino on board. It's only open when the ship is at sea and in International Waters.

There was a BMW Z4 to be won that week in the Casino

Soon it would be time for our last breakfast in Sabatini's......see you there!