Last Sea day before New York (with photos)

 Monday, November 27, 2023

Always up before time should really count!  But there's a great moon and no competition for the internet. Today we'll have to have everything packed and our suitcases out in the hall before we leave for dinner.  We have another 8:45 reservation but tonight it is at Le Bistro.  In the meantime, we have one more day to pretend that the real world doesn't exist!!

At night you see the ocean in black and white.

There’s no particular reason to rush to breakfast, but we head to O’Sheehans anyway and settle in for the thirty minute wait.  When we are shown to our table is it for six, so we ask if two friends can join us.  It’s okay so we invite Fay and Warren, one of the Canadian couples we’ve made friends with.

The ship is running low on everything, so the hot chocolate was made with water.  Adding cream only makes it worse.  All the cold orders are served first, so it’s quite a while before those are finished and our hot meals can be served.  It’s a strange system.  They are also out of pastries, but they do have mini croissants, so Nick and I get something, at least, to munch on. I think everyone is ready to go home.

There’s nothing that needs to be done, or appeals, until one o’clock when Nick and Christine finish up their trivial competition. We go back up to the room to finish packing and I think I need some ginger ale after that. Also there is a sale at noon, so we check that out.  There’s nothing there of interest except a lovely gold and opal bracelet.  And it’s only about forty-five hundred dollars!! 

Ginger and I go looking for a bar and a place to sit. We do a lot of wandering and final find a table near the atrium where the competition will take place.  And there’s a nice barman who gives me my drink and doesn’t even ask for my card!

Just before one we spot Christine and a few minutes later we see Nick across the atrium.  And our third member shows up, too.  We’ve long ago lost the fourth person and Ginger and I have been acting as fill-ins, sort of!  Today’s topic is Sports and Christine spent the entire morning studying trivia sites!  There are twenty questions in each round and after exchanging answer sheets with another team we have 18 correct! 

It’s the last day of the competition and the scores are tallied right away.  We come in fourth out of at least twenty teams!  The best of the losers, as Christine says. Nick is hungry so we go back to O’Sheehans since they are the only 24 hour restaurant. Nick tries to get Caesars but the close bar is out of Clamato juice.  We keep the beeper and he goes in search of a better-provisioned bar. Meanwhile the beeper goes off and we are shown to a table.

Nick comes back with our drinks, mine is a virgin Caesar, and has trouble finding us.  But he does and we order.  I get the chicken-salad sandwich again.  We know the menu by heart and it’s the least likely to upset my tummy.  There’s a soccer game on the TVs and Nick stays to finish the game while Ginger and I go back upstairs.

There's a movie trivia game going on;  but the audience has to name the movie
title from performances that appear to have been prepared in about ten minutes with
limited props and costumes.  Hilarious!!!

Pan-seared bay scallops with cauliflower velouté and truffle oil

Mushroom soup.  The mushrooms were in the bowl and the soup was poured over them!

Goat cheese croquettes, beets, Granny Smith apples, arugula, and rosemary infused honey (Ginger's)

Sautéed Dover sole with lemon-butter sauce, croutons, chateau potatoes

Envice salad with roquefort cheese and toasted walnuts (Nick's)

And all the silver domes were raised at once to reveal our entrees!

Chestnut Bavarian cream with citrus filling and sablés crunch (Christine's)

Strawberries with diplomat cream and pistachio-almond sponge cake (Ginger's)

And my Marquise au Chocolat - 70% dark chocolate, rice crunch, and Chambered raspberry sauce!

I climb into bed and catch another nap until about 5:30.  We are to meet Christine at 8:15 for a drink before out 8:45 reservations at Le Bistro. We spend the time on our devices and discussing the plan for disembarking in the morning.  I think we’re supposed to get off the ship at 7:15!! Oh joy!  But we’re scheduled to pass the Statue of Liberty at 4:20, so I guess I’ll be up anyway!!