Great Stirrup Cay (just kidding)

We had great plans to be one of the very first folks off the boat for today's stop -- the Norwegian Cruise Line's very own island, the Great Stirrup Cay. Room service was delivered to the room bright and early at 7:30 ship time (6:30 eastern). We slammed down the coffee, Caty wolfed down a croissant or two, we packed our bags, and headed straight for the tender line to catch a ride to shore. We made it onto the tender, and spent a good 20m waiting for it to be filled to capacity... before we were informed that the winds had picked up too strong for us to be able to safely disembark/re-embark and that we needed to return to the ship.

Plans shot, we mentally prepared ourselves to spend another day on the ship instead of on a private island as originally planned.

We took advantage of the confusion to rush the gym while few folks were at it (as we have a lot of food/drink to burn off). Following a good session, Laura took a nap while Caty and I enjoyed some screen time, and then we had fancy lunch at the ship's tapas restaurant. Laura had scallops and then red shrimp, while I had blue crab over toast and then lamb skewers wrapped in bacon in an onion sauce. Caty didn't join us, and instead hit the buffet for more pasta.

The rest of the day was spent soaking on the sun deck, in the hot tub, and at other leisure points around the ship. We were determined to make the most of the 75° weather given that we know it's below 0° at home...

As has become a routine, once cocktail time arrived we met our good friends (the bartenders) at the Haven cocktail lounge before dinner for an aperitif or two. At dinner, we each had a selection of our favorites. While we didn't match the gluttony levels of some of our fellow guests this past week, I'll definitely be cutting back on red meat in January...

Tomorrow, we arrive back at port at a reasonable hour. Our bags are packed, so we'll have an easy morning of coffee and breakfast before we disembark and catch a shuttle to the airport. We're thankful to have spent the past week enjoying the warm temperatures, good food, and some lazy days... but are ready to go back home and spend Christmas day with our pups.Okumaya devam et