Today is our last day aboard Volendam... Tomorrow early, she will dock in Aukland, we will disembark, with too much luggage in tow... We have a car and driver waiting, will tour, go to an airport hotel for the night, then early Wednesday, will start (and end) our journey home.
This morning dawn found us off White Island, an active volcano... The ship spent a full hour and a half passing, turning, and passing again, and again (and yes, again). I have a vision, of a passenger, still in bed, stirring, opening their eyes, seeing the volcano, falling a sleep, awakening later, seeing the volcano again, as we pass again, falling asleep once more, awakening again, and going away with the impression of many islands, each with a volcano... We are now, at 9:30, passing for the 4th or 5th time...
The ship has a very different rhythm on sea days. The rush to go ashore is replaced by a much slower, relaxed sensibility, with time marked not by tour schedules, but instead, by food opportunities, drinks consumed, and announcements, ignored, for art auctions and disembarkation lectures...
The seas are calm, with just enough of a swell to remind you that you are at sea, aboard a ship... People are on deck, some sunning themselves (against medical advice) while others while in the sun, are covered, swaddled... Taking the safe route... There is a slight breeze, which when combined with the ship' motion, is just sufficient to launch a cafe umbrella airborne.
With the end of the cruise come the passenger surveys... And please, groveling even, asking for a good review of the service provided... Apparently, the bar has been set so high that the only possible positive answered is a 9, denoting excellent, and anything else represents failure, and with failure comes longer shore time and un-renewed contracts... This means that most passengers simply mark all 9's... And the line misses the possibility of productive suggestions...
For us there is not an issue... The cruise has been wonderful, the service excellent...
Now sometime after noon, but not quite tea time... We are sitting at the stern pool, in the sun, but well covered. I have had one beer, and am wasting time working yesterday's blog posting (and occasionally this post as well) until I order a second (beer).
At some point we need to pack, fill out our surveys, and plan tomorrow's debarkation plans.
Being our last day aboard, there is a Internet special... 30 minutes for $12.00.... Internet access is precious aboard... Expensive... And very, very slow... I bought 30 minutes this morning, and used 10 of it posting the blog posts from Pictin, Wellington and Napier... I also checked email from home... Brian has finished with Dive school, has loaded out our Florida storage locker and is headed for California... My dentist appointment has been moved... Apparently the cats are well... Presumably the dog misses us, but she never emails.
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