Sailing North. Feb 23

Had breakfast outside this morning.  Roland came to tell me that the chef didn’t have the right ingredients to make the foie gras dish Tom requested for dinner tonight.  We found an alternative of cold foie gras which I knew Tom would like.  Poor Roland must have dreaded having to tell me they couldn’t fulfill Tom’s request.  I’m glad we found an alternative.  Worked out for a final time then team trivia.  Since we were the Cosmos we all wore pink/red and had the bar make us a version of a cosmo for the costume contest.  Others were more creative but it didn’t matter in the end since we won the cruise team trivia competition!!  First prize was another Seabourn backpack.  This one is more of a city pack.  Plus we all received Seabourn hats as participation prizes.  Spent a chunk of time this afternoon packing and revisiting areas of the ship.  Late afternoon cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at Officer on Deck.  We sat with Bernhardt and Lisa Anne as well as Tom and Anita (and his twin brother/wife), all from our plane flight to Torres del Paine.  A very convivial time.  Dinner was the Indian buffet in the Colonnade with special foie gras appetizer.  The Indian food was some of the best we had on the ship which tended toward big center of the plate protein.  A final sunset and visit to the Observation Bar and we went back to our cabin to get our luggage packed up and outside our door.

·        Last day on the ship.  I do some packing and am sweating and feel queasy from motion.  Run into Rose (and Bob) and she confesses to same.  They join me for lunch.

·        Pre-lunch I do laundry.  But clothes are not quite dry by 12 (lunch starts 1230) so I watch intro to MJP’s trivia teams.  MJP is team leader.  I take photos

·        Bob& Rose apparently did not have same good experience at Four Seasons -- they need to wait until 4 to check in and are given suite as apology.

·        Roland has to give MJP bad news no foie gras.  Turns out a mis-understanding which MJP helps resolve for me.  There’s agreement on next steps  and they order 2 portions for us.  As a prelude to Indian food dinner!  And, after dinner, I see Elena from Seabourn Square who gets me a chocolate shake.  When I thank Jean Pierre Maitre D from Praetoria later he tells me Elena asked him for permission to go off the floor and make it.  From our perspective she just said yes and went off and did it.  I could get used to this (especially the on demand chocolate shakes).

·        During some MJP packing I wander ship taking Ricoh pix.  Some amount of motion sickness

·        At dinner we really feel recognized.  Later occurs to me that I spoke to Roland more than anyone other than MJP during cruise.  And that possibly he kept talking to me to make sure his staff knew.

·        Before dinner party on deck.  MJP’s suggests I bring out beers for others to try!  Roland stops by and I take him back to hallway so I can be heard and thank him.

·        Earlier I go find Nic at 420 (who jumps when he sees me) so I can thank him too.

·        We talk to Ice Captain Bob who MJP has gotten to know. He says that dockings are 6-7am so that Captain can supervise (his wake up time).  He has 4x the experience of anyone else.  And that behavior of staff running was ethnically influenced.

·        Leave luggage out.  Wonder if it will roll down hallway.  We’ve got more than most