It used to be that we'd be like everyone else on the last day and try to get in all the activities we missed earlier in the week. With so many people on board, we left it to them this time. So that meant that the Zip Lining and the Flow Rider had fair line-ups all day long, and extra yelling and music for the surfing competition in the afternoon.
Instead, we wandered around the ship one more time and took the photos we had missed before for the blog and our cruise memories DVD. Here are a couple of them:
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| Pool lounge area for Suite guests |
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| The Rising Tide Bar on its way up |
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| The view from one of the glass elevators |
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| The Viking Crown Lounge |
We finally remembered to take a picture of one thing that we first saw when we sailed on Splendour of the Seas 15 years ago -
Yes, they put the plate in the floor in every elevator to remind guests of what day it is. They also have super-sized wall-mounted interactive directories all over the ship. If you know how to use a smart phone the concept is much the same: you can find anything, anywhere on board. It even lets you enter your stateroom number and will tell you how to get there from where you are! Does that tell you anything about the size of the ship??
After taking an hour or so around noon to do our packing, we headed back to Rita's Cantina for a last Mexican lunch. Our final dinner was not until 8:00 so we had enough time to laze about on the terrace (couldn't call that a verandah or a balcony!) for a bit and then watch the last sunset for this cruise.
The last dinner was at 150 Central Park. This is the most exclusive restaurant on the ship, and is called 150 because, as the waiter pointed out, it is exactly in the middle of the ship, 150 metres from the bow and 150 metres from the stern. He added, as an aside, that it is also 150 metres from the Crew Bar, but not in a straight line!! The meal here is also a 6 course set menu but it changes half way through the week so guests could go there twice and have something different both times. A wine pairing is also available at an additional charge.
The décor is plush and the wait staff are all in suits. We actually felt underdressed for this dinner, but the manager told us that they relax the dress code on the last day, realizing that most people would already have packed before coming for dinner. Still, jeans and shorts were a definite no-no in this spot.
This was the first restaurant we've ever been in that had a salt-tasting! Along with the bread basket, they provide a selection of different kinds of salt of various colours, textures and tastes.
So that, of course, sets you up for the rest of the meal. Those of us who watch Iron Chef America on a regular basis felt as though we were at the judging table. The waiter explained each dish in detail; all the elements and how they were prepared, and what kinds of flavours we should expect when we ate it. The only thing they didn't give us was scorecard!
After dinner it was back to the suite. Although there were any number of bars on the ship we could go to, none really appealed, so we finished up our last packing and put the bags out.
Guests in the loft suites could use the Concierge Lounge to wait for their disembarkation group call, so we had a bit of continental breakfast and were off the ship at about 9:30 this morning. Considering there were about 6,200 passengers on board, and we were near the end of the list, the process went very well and we were standing outside the terminal waiting for the Avis shuttle only 45 minutes after we left the lounge. That included clearing US Immigration. Too bad the Avis shuttle didn't get the message that we were waiting! We ended up taking a cab to the hotel instead.
So here we are, installed in our hotel room, with a lovely view of the port, the channel and the ocean, and all the way up the Intracoastal Waterway.
We finally got in touch with Werner Fuchs and went out for a quick drink with him to the New River area near Las Olas Blvd.
Now it's coming up on 5:00 and we're waiting to see Allure go back out to sea from our balcony (this one definitely isn't the size of our terrace). As we write, we're watching her leave the pier...and here are a couple of photos.
So you can get an idea of where our suite was, follow along...The loft suites are all the two-level rooms on the top deck. Ours was directly under the left hand radar dome behind the logo. Our table and the two easy chairs are in front of the blank wall, and to the left of that are the windows and the two lounge chairs. It looks even bigger from this angle than it was when we were out on it!
And here Allure of the Seas is leaving again on her next trip. Bon voyage! Oh, and for some perspective, that apartment building that she looks like she is about to hit?? It is 16 stories tall!! THAT'S how big Allure is!!!
We have a reservation at the 15th Street Fisheries for dinner tonight, since Larry's only been there once before. Our flight home goes at 2:45 tomorrow afternoon.
Hope everyone enjoyed following along with us. See you when we get home!
