Bye Guys! This will be my last seamail from the Mariner as we disembark tomorrow in Ft. Lauderdale. It’s been such a fantastic trip with an itinerary I’d love to repeat again someday.

The past few days have been hectic with lots of farewell activities. Night before last we had a Los Marineros surprise Cocktail party and dinner. We met in the Constellation Theater for cocktails with NO IDEA where we would be going for dinner. After taking a large group picture of all of us on stage, they broke us up into smaller groups and we were led to Deck 6 where we ate dinner on the lifeboat deck. There was one very long (almost 200 ft.) table that seemed to never end. The dinner was all with a nautical theme and so clever! All the Los Marineros events have been outstanding. Tonight we have a farewell cocktail party for the Los Marineros with a slide show as I understand. There aren’t enough words to tell you what a fantastic job the entire Mariner staff has done to make our trip the BEST ever!

When we were in Guatemala day before yesterday 13 of us rented a boat with a driver and went over to a small island called Livingston. It was so hot so we stopped in a little restaurant for a beer and 2 local ladies approached us “You want hair braids?” My friend Joan and I said sure. We figured what the heck, never done it before. It’s been fun and I love not having to worry about what to do with my hair each night. Not sure how long I’ll keep them in but at least until I get home to CA.

Last night we had a nice dinner with Christian. He confirmed what we already knew that the beloved Harp logo is going bye-bye. The change over to Regent will be ongoing over the next approx. 18 months. The Navigator is going to be the first ship to begin an overhaul, followed by the Mariner, then the Voyager. Speaking of the Voyager, Brian Townsend who is now our assistant CD has been promoted to Voyager CD for late April to September. He’ll be replacing Jamie after the WC. All of you cruising in the Med this summer will have the opportunity to meet him. I haven’t gotten to know him very well, just a brief hello here and there. What I do know about him is he’s a terrific dancer and he has a magnificent voice. He’s done some solos that were mesmerizing.

I almost made it through the entire 62 days without catching what always seems to go around on these long cruises….ya know, the kind of “kennel cough” stuff. Day before yesterday I felt it coming on and now I have it full blown. The stuffy head, achy body and cough. I’m trying my best not to let it keep me from enjoying my last day. The last thing I feel like doing is packing but can’t put this off any longer so this afternoon (before our final Texas Hold’em game) we’re going to throw everything in suitcases. We’re fully prepared to pay overweight, no way around this with such tight airline restrictions now.

Adios! The next time you hear from me will be from CA. It sure has been a fun time and I’ve loved being able to share it with YOU!