We covered the last 622 nautical miles from Haiti to Fort Lauderdale right on time and were docked and ready to get off first thing in the morning. Matt and Emily had a nice breakfast in the dining room and then transferred by bus to the airport for their flight across country. Dan and I had booked a late flight so we could spend a few hours with old friends from our days in Germany. They treated us to a lovely brunch and then we visited until time to head to the airport.

Questionable group decision: to avoid the elevators at all costs. Our staterooms were on the ninth deck, the theater was on four, dinner on three, cafeteria on 14, and we got on and off the ship on two. Going down was a breeze, but it was a long haul getting from two to nine after a long day at play onshore.

Favorite stops
Emily … Grand Cayman
Matt … Labadee
Dan … Cozumel
Schele … Cozumel

Favorite part of the cruise
Emily …dinner and entertainment
Matt … dinner and having a sommelier assigned to our table
Dan … happy hour
Schele … a double date every night (from happy hour through entertainment)

Random fun memory: Dan and I noticed that at cocktails and dinner the first couple of night Matt kicked things off with either a fun or a thought provoking question. Dan decided to surprise Matt and prepare a game. He passed our small papers and we had to answer random questions anonymously and then guess who said what. Matt surprised us all the following night with a game, and I had questions (but no game) the next night. Milton Bradley here we come.

We all agreed that besides not having Murphy and Josie with us, the trip was wonderful! No regrets. Total nautical miles covered: 2,052