A sea day equals a sleep-late morning for Dan and me. We rolled out about 10:00 with the unpleasant task of cramming our dirty clothes and numerous purchases into suitcases that were full when we arrived. The superstar of first-world problems!

Hettie, Cleone, and I have a cruise tradition of getting together for a ladies-only lunch, so that was the highlight of the daylight hours. Our guys ended up doing the same, but at our insistence lunched at a different restaurant. We all enjoyed an encore performance by Phillip Browne in the early afternoon and then the diehards among us met for tea one last time before cocktails where our seating master, Walter, surprised us with a little ditty he made up on the spot.

Here we sit a little brokenhearted.
Came to cruise and only feel we stared.

Tomorrow we go our own way,
Only to cruise another day.

Walter’s final seating arrangement had a hair theme. We were told to sit in the place most closely associated with the clue on the card. These were the clues: Comb Over (Ronnie), Curly Locks (Hettie), Blondie (Walter), Refuses to Go Gray (Cleone), Salt and Pepper (Dan), and Silver (me).

Dinner, as usual, did not disappoint! On the way out we thanked the fun wait staff for taking such good care of us.

Dan shared a poem he had composed for the occasion.

We are six friends sailing the high seas.
We are known as the cruise buddies if you please.

Schele, Cleone, and Hettie are get-along gals,
So it’s easy to see why they are pals.

Walter, Dan, and Ronnie are Army men, all three.
They served all over the world and retired honorably.

Celebrity ships are the way to go.
With all the amenities it’s hard to say no.

Our ports of call are loads of fun.
And the days are best when we find the sun.

We meet at 4:30 for cocktails before dinner.
And one thing’s for sure…the wine is a winner.

We hit the show almost every night.
And we have our favorite seats where the view is just right.

Alas … it’s a farewell dinner and early debarkation.
But no worries, soon we’ll all cruise to the Alaskan nation.

What are the odds we’d have two poets in our midsts?

Vox Fortura, four classically trained crossover opera singers, were a wonderful way to end the entertainment part of the cruise. We hustled back to our rooms the minute they were done performing in order to put our bags out by the 10 pm deadline.

How did 12 days pass so fast? We are not quite ready to head home.