8th February 2015

We woke around 6 a.m. but took a leisurely extra 50 minutes to muster the energy to leave the warmth of the covers. The bill for our onboard spending had arrived, pleasantly lower than expected! An excellent start to the day, I’d say.

With most passengers disembarking, breakfast at the Plaza on Deck 14 was packed when we eventually made our way there. We managed to find a table with a friendly couple from Wiltshire and had a lovely chat over our final ship breakfast. I may have betrayed my intentions to eat healthily and indulged in a full English, but it seemed only fitting for our last morning on board!

After breakfast, we gathered our last bits and bobs from the cabin and made our way to the Casino Lounge, our assigned departure lounge. We were due to disembark at 9:30 a.m., but a medical emergency caused an hour’s delay. By the looks of things, one of our fellow passengers might have taken a misstep on the gangway. I passed the time with my book while Sue kept herself amused with a copy of the ‘Daily Mail’ she’d picked up. Nothing like a bit of reading to make a delayed departure feel a tad more refined!

When our turn to disembark finally came, we made quick work of locating our suitcases on the way out. The car was already waiting in the car park next to the ship, so within moments, we had everything stowed away and were on our way home. The journey itself was uneventful, just the way we liked it.

Back at home, Sarah was there, so we enjoyed a coffee and a good old catch-up. Then Jamie appeared, wash bag under his arm, ready to say, “Welcome home, Mum!” After a couple of phone calls about the Rugby Internationals on TV, Jamie kindly gave me a lift to the Angel on his way back home.

As usual, Sue wasted no time reconnecting with the Bosch, while Sarah headed off to work. We won’t be seeing her for another week, as she’s off to Newcastle with Lee for a Spa getaway. Jamie, meanwhile, will be off to Andorra in a couple of weeks with his snowboard to hit the slopes.

As for Sue and me, we opted for a very early night. And let me tell you, it was chilly!