Final Sea Day, Spain to France

May 1, 2024 - Word for today is Packing! Since we are in ports the next few days, we want to make sure we are largely ready for our 4 AM disembarkation time on Monday morning. We did both sleep in, and then enjoyed a great brunch that the chefs prepared,. It was mostly lunch foods but omelets, cakes and breads where available too and it was all great. We then went back to our room, full of energy and began packing and at times clothes were all over the place, but by 1:30 PM we had our 3 big bags packed and just kept out clothes we will need for the next 5 days. We then went down to deck 1 and met Julie, Rick, Diane and Steve for our last game of Hearts together. We had a lot of laughs. They along with Debbie, Steve, Norma and Larry, who are also from the Mid-West, are all new friends and we agreed to stay in touch, especially regarding future travel plans.

At 4:00 PM we attended the last “A to Z” sea day cocktails group that started in the beginning of the trip. We have not been attending them lately but, decided we would support Julie for this last sea day, but just had a glass of wine instead of the Tiramisu Martini that was the cocktail for the day. We were able to take our final pictures with the bar staff and thank them for all the have done for us on this trip, excellent service, laughs and hearing about their families back home. We will not soon forget Chris, Cahya, Mark, Ken and of course Mary Ann — and their families.

As has been our custom between 5:30-7:00 PM, usually 8-10 of us meet in the Explorers Lounge before dinner and share what we experienced on our tours that day or on sea days just share our own stories. We have created a special bond with these 4 couples and we have shared so much with them.

Because this was our last sea day and for the rest of the trip we will be in a port each day later into the evenings, Viking decided to have our Farewell Party tonight. The evening started with the Viking Band, the Vocalists and Cruise Directors all performing songs. The Captain then came on and thanked us for coming on this journey and gave us some statistics on how far we have all traveled based on where we joined this World Cruise. For those of us who joined in Fort Lauderdale in December we have traveled over 35,500 nautical miles, have visited 6 continents, 24 countries and 52 ports. Verity, Our Cruise Director then gave us numbers on how much food and drink we consumed during the trip, we all had lots of laugh. Mukesh our General Manager also thanked us all for being here on board and sticking with the World Cruise through the Itinerary changes. Then staff from every department started coming down the aisles and went on stage and the band played “Celebration”, it was so special and we were all able to show our appreciation for how special they have all made this voyage for us. It was a great night and as we left the Star Theater the staff were all lined up on either side and clapping, for us and their were so many happy smiling faces and many tears and hugs too. It was an extraordinary evening for all of us guests and staff alike and we all felt like one big family.

We have felt Mom with us almost everyday on this trip, but especially today. It is so hard to believe she is gone for 15 years but we were so blessed to have her on this earth for the years we did, and we know she remains with us in spirit. We think she and Dad, along with Aunt Nora, worked their magic from above in ordering up some incredibly good weather for us and for connecting us with people onboard and people & places ashore that have made this an incredible adventure.

Cherbourg, France

A Coruna, Spain