Day 112 – April 26 – At Sea
Today is the second to last sea day of the cruise. We will have one more day tomorrow and then arrive in Fort Lauderdale early on the 28th.
Coffee Chat
Today is the final Coffee Chat of the cruise and the special guest was Hamish, our Cruise Director, himself. Mark, the Event Director, conducted the interview. Hamish has been working on ships for over 10 years and Holland America is his fourth cruise line. Hamish previously worked for Carnival, NCL and Bahama Cruise lines before landing with Holland America. His first cruise with Holland America was an Alaska Cruise and he is looking forward to visiting the Amazon River on a future cruise.
There is one question that had to be asked based on Mark’s recent appearance on Coffee Chat: does pineapple belong on pizza? Hamish replied in the affirmative much to the dismay of Mark who maintains that pineapple has no place on a pizza.
Hamish at the final Coffee Chat
Mark and Hamish
Filipino Crew Show
The Filipino Crew Show was this afternoon at 3 PM in the Queen’s Lounge. I didn’t feel like going an hour early to get a seat as we were starting to get into packing mode and wanted to stay focused on that. We were able to see a replay on TV and the show was outstanding.
Ben Sack Dinner
Our final dinner guest of the cruise was the artist in residence, Ben Sack. Several of us at Table 303 attended his drawing classes which were offered daily on sea days during the cruise. We have all come to know him during other times and found him to be quite friendly and a joy to be around. During dinner, he sketched our group on the back of one of the menus and a copy of is available here. Judy and Peggy both knitted shawls designed by Joji Locatelli and showed them off tonight. You can find the pattern HERE
Peggy and Judy modeling their Starting Point Shawls
Judy, Ben and Judy
Table 303 penultimate dinner
Grand Farewell Party
The big event for tonight was the Grand Farewell Party held in the Queen’s Lounge at 9:30 PM. The group Savannah Jack would perform for an hour and a half. The seating in the center of the Lounge was cleared to allow room for dancing.
Coming straight from dinner, we arrived around 10 PM. By then the party was in full swing with the lower floor packed with enthusiastic revelers. Savannah Jack invited all the earlier performers who were still on the ship to come to the stage and sing a song. We caught the end of Maria Lyn’s brilliant performance of Whitney Houston’s hit “I Will Always Love You” . As the party continued, we enjoyed performances from Paul, HAL cast singer, who belted out Garth Brook’s Hit “Friends in Low Places”. He was followed by Claire, from the HAL Cast, who sang the Journey hit “Don’t Stop Believing”. She knew most of the words but hummed a few and was prompted on other lyrics by Savannah Jack’s lead singer Don Gatlin.
Don Gatlin
Paul
Scheduled for 90 minutes, Savannah Jack played for over two hours, and the crowd was as enthusiastic at the end as they were at the beginning with very few people leaving. Several members of the ship’s crew commented that this was one of the best parties they’ve experienced on any World Cruise. While Savannah Jack may not be a household name, they put on a tremendous show that encourages crowd involvement with tremendous energy. If you are ready for a good time don’t miss Savannah Jack if they are playing in your area. Here is a video of some of the highlights.