Travels And Tribulations: May 10,2024

We finally got the luggage tags and debarkation info this morning. Our luggage number is 12, we meet in dining room on deck 4 and off at 8. Catch a shuttle to the airport for our 12:50 flight to NY.

Well, it is Friday! I was up about 6. He had a bath and we got dressed. I will bathe after we return from off ship and have had lunch, a nap and packed. Before we left the room our room steward brought a huge thank you basket from the entertainment director. It was stuffed with all types of Royal Caribbean things. Very nice. Some more souvenirs. That was a very nice surprise. They have been really nice all way around.

At breakfast I had my usual breakfast and he had oatmeal. I did take a chocolate donut from the buffet to take to the room so I will have a bite of something before we get off the ship. We will have no time for breakfast. We walked up on deck 12 to see what the weather was like and see were we parked. Not close enough to walk so we will take the 5 euro shuttle. We could see a large old fort up on top of the large hill just in side the town we later realized we had toured it. There is an elevator from the street to the top of the mountain for touring the fort. But we found out later it is closed today.

We returned to the room and gathered up our stuff for departing. We headed to deck 4 because we could not hear the captain when he said what deck we were to go to get off. It was actually one so we walked down 3 flights. Elevator manners by the guests were missing this morning. One elevator stopped and they closed the doors so we couldn’t get on. RUDE!

We made it through security and outside and it was chaos. People everywhere and nobody seemed to know what they were doing. The kiosk for the shuttle tickets was a little tiny thing hidden and hard to get to. Finally managed to buy our tickets and headed to the shuttle. The first one filled quickly and we headed to the second one. I got a very narrow seat and another lady got up to give Dad her seat. A very old lady came over and squeezed into my seat that was a little wider and pushed me almost out of it. I rode that way to the end. She kept saying “You can slide back” I am not sure where I was supposed to slide back to. Some people were standing but I refused to stand. I would have fallen if I had stood up.

When we got out to the city, we finally remembered that we had been here. It is not as nice as Malaga but we enjoyed our stroll and did a little shopping. We had some gelato that was more expensive and not as good as yesterday. We thought about getting some pizza but decided to get some on board. I had walked too much and was not moving real fast. We stayed about 2 hours out. We caught the shuttle back and were back on board at a little after 12.

He took our purchases and went up to the room to get my coke cup while I waited for him in the pizza cafe. We both had 2 pieces of pepperoni pizza. Then up to the room for a nap. We napped about an hour. We got up and busied ourselves with trying to fit everything into the suitcases plus planning on what we will need in the morning and how we will get that stuff into the bags at the airport. I always bring a small fold up suitcase to carry off the morning things. Our bags weigh about 45 pounds each. They are stuffed. WE both decided that we are paring down what we bring next time. I brought 3 sweaters and never wore any of them on the ship. I brought a jacket that I never wore either. I could have done with 3 evening shirts instead of 6. We will do better next time.

After packing I took my shower, washed my hair and put on the clothes I will wear off tomorrow and all day on the plane trips. He changed into his clothes for tomorrow too. Then we headed off to supper. I had a shrimp cocktail, steak (medium rare, it was very tender and good) and a peach trifle that had peaches in it but tasted nothing like peaches. There was supposed to be a layer of cake in it at the bottom but that was nonexistent. We had an enjoyable evening with our tablemates and wished them well on their travels. One couple is staying Barcelona for a few days and then taking a cruise to Iceland. The other couple is staying 3 or 4 days then flying back to their home in Florida.

After walking outside to feel the nice cool air and watch some ships off the side going in the other direction, I went to get a coke and we headed to the room. We are now resting in the room. We need to set our suitcases outside the door and then go to bed. We will have an early alarm since we need to get to the dining room on deck 4 probably around 7:30 unless the Captain Frank gets us to land early and we will get off earlier. Who knows!

It will be along day tomorrow. Be back in Augusta about 11:30 if everything is on time.

Love you all, Mom, Granny and Bonnie (and pictures to follow)

First of all, hearty congratulations to our granddaughter, Rachel Marie Ashmen, who graduated from AU today with a bachelor’s degree in (I hope I’m remembering this correct) kinesiology (sorry if Pappy’s memory completely failed). But I got this part right: she graduated magna cum laude!! Now it’s on for a Masters Degree in Nursing and then a Doctorate in Nursing. Again, congratulations!

Speaking of graduations, our granddaughter, Maggie Rose Eastman, will graduate on May 24 from Lakeside High School. Slow down kids. Pappy can hardly keep up. But great job, Maggie!

For this trip, we did not buy any Euros because we had a good quantity leftover from November, so when we were ashore it was like free, found money. To that end – and I weighed them as we were packing – we bought 10 pounds of souvenirs. You read that right. Every time we cruise we say that Bonnie and I have enough stuff, and you who live in the Augusta area have enough stuff, and we are cutting back, and we don’t. Fun times.

For the last two days staff all over the ship have been reminding us to be sure to do our after cruise surveys, giving all of the staff 10s. Well, since I am hired by the ship, we don’t get a survey, but frequently I write letters of recommendation to the supervisors of kids who have been especially outstanding. Today it was 2 waiters and 2 assistant waiters. You remember we told you that after the 2^nd night we had to change tables, hence the 4 wait-staff members. Great people. Hard working. And it was a pleasure to give 3 of them an atta-boy and one an atta-girl. I addressed an envelope to the dining room supervisor and went down to guest services, asking the name of the staff person in charge to give him or her that note. After a struggle, I got a name, and then I was told, unceremoniously, to drop it in the box at the end of the counter. I hope they pay more attention than a box with a slot in the top suggests.

Well, as John Denver sang, kind of, “All our bags are packed, we’re ready to go.” You folks in Augusta will get the traditional “home again, home again, jiggety jig” when we are back at 233, and Jennifer and Amy please park the Silver Bullet where we can easily find it. To you other blog readers, I’ll send you an email Sunday.

Keep us in your prayers as we head your way.

Love, Dad/Pappy/David

TTFN