One last day at sea

For one final day, we got to soak in the ambiance of the ship and relax before the last real day of our vacation tomorrow. I planned to sleep in, but Sarah had other designs. She booked a seaweed wrap and hot stone massage for 08:00. Not the time I would have chosen, but she came back relaxed and refreshed, and I was up and showered by the time she did. The day consisted of a number of smaller events:

• The ship held its one and only "fancy" brunch, which seemed to consist entirely of transplanting the foods served in the buffet for breakfast and lunch to nicer serving stations (think fruit carvings, etc.) in the main dining room.
• We competed in a number of different trivia sessions, none of which we won. Dustin did, however, give Sarah a medal which he had promised on Monday night in order to get her to dance, as well as free t-shirts, presumably so we would stop badgering him. I'll let you in on something...it didn't work.
• Gazing into the ocean from our balcony, we noticed that the water was quite likely the calmest ocean we have ever seen.
• A long session occured where we scribbled on brochures with future cruise itineraries trying to decide whether we were interested in booking another cruise, as they provide substantial incentives for booking your next cruise while onboard.

After the various activities of the day, we headed back to the room and got dressed for the ship's second and final formal night. Carol and Denise (who we are set to do our Naples excursion with) invited us, along with Nick, Fontaine, Danny, and Athena, to their balcony for a bottle of champagne before dinner. This was our opportunity to see "how the other side lives" on the cruise ship, as they were booked into a Celebrity Suite (the 3rd largest stateroom on the ship). The stateroom is as large as two regular staterooms with a separate bedroom and living room, large bathroom, and a balcony about five times the size of a regular balcony. Quite an impressive room, but not one I think I would ever book, even if I could afford it. We chatted for a bit, then left for dinner.

When we first got on board, we booked dinner for this night in Murano, the most highly regarded of the three specialty restaurants on the ship. We found out the next day that Nick and Fontaine had booked Murano for the same night, so the four of us had dinner together. The French cuisine was unique and inspired. The goat cheese soufflé in particular (which I had eaten on a previous cruise) was outstanding. I also had a very good lamb entree and Sarah had a steak entree. Sarah had some type of crepe dessert which was impressively prepared tableside. While the food was very good, both of us agreed that it was our least favorite of the three speciality restaurants.


I know that this was a short post, but the day really didn't consist of a large amount of events, just fun and relaxation. Tomorrow, for one final time, will be an action packed post from Sarah describing our trip to Naples and nearby areas.