Well, this was technically our last day of vacation. We left Grand Turk and were headed back to Ft. Lauderdale and the real world. The weather was great so it was nice to sleep in and spend the day by the pool. We found a shady spot with a good view and managed to finish our books before lunch.
But, if you ask us what we really remember about the last day, it would definitely be the little visit we got from the coast guard. See, around noon time the captain (and his very thick Italian accent) came across the loud speakers to tell us he had a very important announcement. Someone was going to be air lifted off the boat. The coast guard's ETA was 2:15 and we were instructed to be cooperative with the staff. Grreeeaaaat.
I had a feeling things were about the go haywire so I suggested to Joe that we run and grab lunch ASAP. We did just that and returned to our pool chairs to chow down. Within minutes, the staff started clearing the upper decks (where a lot of pool seating is located). Everyone had to get up, the chairs were packed up, etc. We also began hearing that the other pools were completely evacuated and the places we had just gotten lunch from were closed. Somehow we had managed to select some of the only seats that day that weren't forced to move. Thank goodness!
In the end, of course, the coast guard was even later then expected so our "at sea" day was really interrupted. Most people weren't allowed to return to the pools or chairs until around 3:30. But, the little rescue effort was quite impressive to watch. The helicopter hovered over the ship, while we were still moving, and dropped the basket down to pick up the passenger. It seemed like the blades were so close to hitting the boat. They made it look so easy.
After things go back to normal we spent a little more time by the pool and got cleaned up for our "last supper." After dinner, we enjoyed a show put on by two of the comics we saw previously on the ship. Then, we switched locations for what was listed as a Family Feud style game. We had just planned to go and watch, but the turn out wasn't terrific and we were convinced to become a team. Well, turns out, Joe and I were quite good at it and won 1st place and a bottle of champagne. Woo hoo! Since we had to stay awake and polish off our prize, we went to the final show which was staff member's hidden talents. Finally, it was time to go to sleep.
Day 8 - Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
We awoke to the lovely (ha) sounds the the ship docking in Florida. *sigh* Vacation was coming to a close. We had to pack our suitcases the night before so we hadn't held much behind for getting ready. Needless to say, it didn't take long to head out of our room. At this point, we were both quite sick of seeing food but we managed to find room for one more breakfast buffet.
We signed up for one of the latest times to get off the boat since our flight wasn't until the afternoon. This being, 9:30am. Disembarking and customs were a sintch and it wasn't long before we were in line for a taxi to the airport. The couple in front of us in line offered to share a taxi which was an offer we couldn't refuse. Still, we ended up at the airport four hours before our flight.
And so, that's what we did for the rest of the day: hung out in the airport. At 2:30, we flew back to Baltimore and were glad to survive the windy and shaky landing. 55 degree temperatures welcomed us home.
Overall, I think this trip did improve my opinion of cruises. It was nice to be so well fed and always have a lot of options for things to do at night. The crowds and lines weren't too too bad, although I still prefer vacations where I can be around fewer people and don't have to worry about claiming my chair by the pool/beach/etc. We had a great time! Check it out for yourself:
Eastern Caribbean - Roundtrip Ft. Lauderdale 7 Days
The End!
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