What a beautiful morning cruising along side the Southern Spanish coast! We're on the starboard side of the ship and it's such a beautiful coastline. The sun is shining and the seas are once again very calm.

Due to the winds and rough seas yesterday, we're running behind schedule and aren't scheduled to arrive in Malaga until closer to noon now. We were in Malaga in June with Joanna and Tony and didn't have anything special planned for today. It is a beautiful area for those who haven't been here before. Tom and I actually spent a week in Marbella in a condo about 12 years ago so this area of the world holds special memories for us. We're going to take a leisurely stroll, have a nice Spanish lunch, and look for a pair of shoes for Tom. We'll be in Malaga until 7:00pm then tonight we'll cruise through the Strait of Gibralter.

Saturday night we're having something very fun planned here on the Voyager..."Jimbo's Truck Stop Diner". We're actually eating homestyle cooking in the Crew Mess on Deck 3. This should be lots of fun.

Last night we ate in Latitudes where the current theme is "Dancing on the Moon". As always, they've done a magnificent job of transforming Latitudes....this time into the Moon!! There is moon dust all over the floor (sand) and you need to put on "moon booties" before entering. We all wear those glow in the dark necklace type things (our breathing apparatus). It's quite dark inside but has glow in the dark thingies throughout. On the wall is a huge mural of the earth (remember we're on the moon looking down). It was all so clever! We ate dinner with Maurice (med4bike)and his wife Amira, Jamie and Dana, and 2 of the Peter Grey dancers, Clare and Dimitri. Unfortunatley, it was too dark to get photos inside but I took this one outside. We still had our glow in the dark thingies around our neck. (sorry it came kind of fuzzy)
L to R Jamie, Dana, Tom, Me Amira, Maurice)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/dancingonthemoon-1.jpg

We're beginning to receive paperwork requesting info on our return flight, how many bags we'll have for the luggage transfer company, etc. a very sad reminder that this fabulous trip will be ending in less than 2 weeks. Since I hate to think of that...I'm going to go eat my breakfast on the balcony and enjoy the spectacular Costa Del Sol coastline and warm sunshine!

Marcie
 

Well, we sure had some excitement here on the Voyager yesterday. We were scheduled to leave Funchal at 5:00 but a lady was AWOL. Her name was paged over and over…nothing! Fifteen minutes after we were suppose to sail we saw her husband disembark with about 6 or 7 large suitcases. Within a minute or so we were “let go” and pulled away as those of us on our balconies waived good bye to the poor downtrodden husband standing there with all his luggage on the dock. Apparently the woman had been on a tour of Funchal earlier in the day and then went shopping that afternoon. We were about a mile or so off the coast when the boat stopped. Capt. Dag came on the PA system and said the woman had finally arrived back to the dock and the pilot boat was going to bring her and her husband out to rejoin the Voyager. We watched the entire thing (even had others come to our cabin since we had such a birdseye view). She got off the pilot boat first and crawled up the rope ladder, followed by her husband, and then they reloaded the luggage and her shopping bags. It was a lady I don’t know who had just boarded in Rome for 1 segment. She and her husband were young and healthy enough to climb the rope ladder…I wonder what would have happened if it had been an elderly couple?? I was surprised to see how much luggage they had for one segment…Kind of makes us look good! Can you imagine if she hadn’t returned just in the knick of time as we now crossing the Atlantic on our way to Bermuda. Her husband seemed to be handling it much better than Tom would have!!

Funchal is such a nice town! I know LeeAnne and her Mom will have such a good time there…pretty and very clean. We had glorious weather, just perfect!! Between watching the AWOL lady, I took this nice photo as we sailed away.

Today was the first Voyager Texas Hold ‘Em tournament upstairs in La Veranda. There were 9 players (including 1 woman) and my girl friend was the dealer. Each player bought in for $50 and received $700 worth of chips. When Tom arrived it was a scream! He was all dressed in black wearing Paul’s beautiful rhinestone tie with a big cigar! He definitely looked like Gambler Diamond Jim Brady. As luck would have it, he won the tournament and $400 prize money. This was NOT something sponsored by Radisson, just a bunch of friends who decided to have a game. Radisson was great about helping set up the table and providing snacks and drinks. I had planned to go in the Constellation Theater and watch “The Aviator” but had more fun watching them play cards.

Tonight is our Ya Ya and Yo Yo dinner with the Crew Mess Hall. This should be lots of fun! I’ll report back soon all about it.

Beautiful Funchal, Portugal:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Funchal-1.jpg

The First Voyager Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Funchal-2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Funchal-3.jpg

Well….I’m taking your advice and enjoying every minute of what remains!! Yesterday was such a glorious day in Malaga. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect! We spent the afternoon strolling, shopping, I got my nails done and Tom got a hair cut (even at Euro prices it was a fraction of what the spa charges), we even had Paella (as good as it was, it wasn’t nearly as good as what we’ve had here on the Voyager). It was really a great day!

Last night we had a great dinner with Paul and Hans….2 of my very favorite people on the ship! After dinner we went to the show featuring all 10 of the Peter Grey Singers & Dancers. It was such a good show! These 10 are the very best of the PG performers we’ve ever seen! After dinner, we hit the Voyager Lounge with what turned into one of the most fun nights we’ve had. We’ve had many fun nights in the VL but last night ranked right up there as one of the best! April 13 was Hans’ birthday so at midnight we really started to party with Hans being the “man of the hour” as we celebrated his special day! Last night was one of the nights we turned back the clock so an hour later we celebrated the beginning of Hans’ birthday all over again! Any excuse to continue partying! It was fun because lots of the Staff and Officers joined in the fun with us! Christian is on board until tomorrow (Funchal) and he was having such a good time too! Dana, our Cruise Hostess, is such fun too! She is an EXCELLENT dancer (a former professional dancer in Las Vegas). Of course Christian is also a GREAT dancer! It’s always nice to see the staff having a good time too….they sure deserve it! Oh I’d love to take so many of them home with us!

Tonight we’re invited to a birthday dinner for Hans (table of 10 I believe). Hans is such a sweet guy….. though I’m not sure how many nights of celebrating his birthday my poor body can handle! Friday night we’re having a Ya Ya Sister’s table. This will be fun! (The guys’ are having their own “Yo Yo” table as well. )

There are so many things I’ll miss when this wonderful trip ends but what I will miss the most will be the PEOPLE! We really have become like a family in so many ways. I have only met a handful of the people who boarded in Rome. In a way I kind of feel sorry for them because they’ve missed so much up until now….kind of like arriving at a dinner party when all the guests are just finishing up their dessert! I’m sure they’re having a great time too, I just haven’t met many of them yet.

Audrey Grant, author and world reknown bridge expert is now onboard and our instructor….I’m sure enjoying learning from the best! I continue my busy sea day schedule. My token count must be close to 80 by now with a few recent Trivia wins. I even had a Bingo win a couple of days ago. This afternoon I’m playing in the 3 Card Poker Tournament (I won the Roulette tournament last week).

I have taken so many pictures of ruins, monuments, statues, bridges etc., from now on I’m trying to take more people pictures around the ship. I took people photos last night. Unfortunately the colored lights in the Voyager Lounge cause havoc with my flash so many of my pictures come out with funny psychedelic lights running down peoples’s faces etc. Oh well, since you couldn’t be at Hans’ birthday party, I’ll bring the party to you and go ahead and post some photos. Some of the staff will likely be recognized by many of you and Joanna, Olivia and Doug will likely recognize some of the passengers as well.

We’re enjoying a sunny sea day today and will arrive in Funchal, Portugal tomorrow.

Beautiful Malaga Day:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/voyager-01.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/voyager1-02.jpg

Various photos taken Last night:

Felimo, the sweetest bartender ever:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/voyager-11.jpg

Steph (the Food and Beverage Manager) is the greatest:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/voyager-10.jpg

Hans the birthday boy!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/voyager-15.jpg

Patrick the Dining Room Manager
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/voyager-12.jpg

Christian, Joan, Lynn
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/voyager-23.jpg

It was also Mike’s birthday:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/voyager1-16.jpg

Sweet Lisa:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/voyager1-14.jpg

Christian, Dana and Elda all had a good time:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/voyager1-24.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/voyager1-03.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/voyager-06.jpg

Misc. shots:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/voyager-17.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/voyager1-18.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/voyager1-19.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/voyager-21.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/voyager-20.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/voyager-07.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/voyager-09.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/voyager-13.jpg

--------------------
Marcie
 

Well, today is our last sea day and likely my last post from the Voyager. Unfortunately, all good things must come to and end and this fabulous cruise is no exception.

The past few days have been filled with lots of parties and activities. Last night there was a special end of cruise party in the constellation theater for all the full World Cruisers. They had various songs (some more like skits) by crew and the professional entertainers on board. They read passages turned in by passengers (Jamie had sent a request to the passengers asking for some of the most memorable experiences during the past 3 months). Many of these were hilarious, some were almost tear jerkers and ALL brought back such fond memories. They also had a video (all done in fast motion) that was so cute entitled something like “A Day in the life of a Voyager Passenger”. It included many of the guests doing funny things like running back and forth pushing elevator buttons (they’re not synchronized to all light up if just one is pushed), guests playing charades, trivia, bingo, pool volleyball, just lots of funny everyday scenes around the Voyager. Everyone loved it. There was also a video of all the “out takes” from Jamie’s daily TV passages program where he announces the day’s events and interviews the guest lecturers, entertainment…what a hoot! Anyway, the party went for a couple of hours but like this entire cruise, we felt we could have stayed longer craving more.

Today was the White Elephant sale with all the money raised going to the crew fund (a VERY good cause). Passengers were asked to donate items they purchased along the way but were less enthralled with them now, items they no longer needed or wanted, whatever! Some of the items were so funny! A pair of man’s pajamas, slippers still in the package from our first night at the St. Regis hotel, a table top Christmas tree (I have a feeling that was Paul’s), trashy junky souvenirs, Egyptian head dresses….you name it! Eventually they got to some nice things donated by Radisson and Capt. Dag that went for bigger bucks like breakfast tomorrow at the Officer’s table in La Veranda, the aft Radisson Seven Seas Flag that has been on our ship during this entire cruise (what a keep sake), even commemorative Seven Seas china plates. I believe the item auctioned off for the highest price was Capt. Dag’s casual white shirt with the stripes on the shoulders with his name tag still in place. I think that went for $350. Anyway, it was a lot of fun and the $$ sure goes to a GREAT CAUSE. Jamie is fantastic at MC'ing this type of thing with his quick wit and sense of humor!

Tonight is formal night(wish they hadn't done that so close to disembarking). We’re having dinner with Lars (Hotel Director), Paul and Hans. This will be a great time with some of the nicest people. Tomorrow night at 6:30 many of us are meeting in the Voyager Lounge for what is sure to turn into a “crying” party. We are eating dinner with 2 other couples that we met the first night at the St. Regis and have remained a close 4some ever since. I’m in the process of trying to work out something fun for tomorrow’s farewell dinner….a progressive dinner. There will be about 4 tables of our closest friends onboard. After each course, each couple will change tables and go to a nearby table for the next course. This way by the end of the evening we will all have been able to spend time with each other. I’m waiting for a phone call from Patrick (the restaurant manager) to work out the logistics of it all and find out if it’s doable. Two of the head waiters told me this morning that it sounded OK to them. We’ll see.

Most people’s bags are packed and IPS has already picked many of them up during the past couple of days. Having the luggage shipped to their homes is such a HUGE perk for the full world cruisers. It sure will make our lives easy not lugging 9 large bags home. We have 7 bags fully packed now and the last 2 will be easy….just trying to figure out what we need during these last 2 days.

Today is Tom’s last Hold ‘Em game and my last day of trivia and bingo as we’ll be in Nassau tomorrow morning just after my last bridge lesson. Betty’s husband Al (aka. Mr. Betty) plays poker with the gang too.

I’m hoping we’ll make our 10:30 flight Saturday morning. We were originally scheduled on AA for day morning. We were originally scheduled on AA for an 11:00 non-stop to LAX and low and behold AA moved the time up a half hour! Oh well, it is what it is and there are later flights that require a change of planes.

I’m so glad that you all have enjoyed my travel postings….The realization that this entire Dream is ending just hardly seems real yet. I postings….The realization that this entire Dream is ending just hardly seems real yet. I am looking forward to hugging Jill and my 5 furry kids, seeing my sister and brother, and our May 1st brunch! I just hope the first time we go out to dinner we don’t walk out on the check!! As I’ve said so many times before, if there is EVER a way to do such a cruise, DO IT. You’ll never regret it! Do as we did and travel on the SKI plan (spending our kid’s inheritance). It’s hard to remember back to the St. Regis Hotel at the Grand Gala kick off party….we didn’t know a soul! We’ve since met so many great people (passengers & crew) and seen the best cities around the world. These are memories that are priceless!
--------------------
Marcie