Days 119-120 - Sea Day and Le Harve, France

Weather
Rainy sea day, Partly sunny, low 60's in France

Map

What we did
We spent our final sea day leaning into all the things we love most about days at sea. The morning began with a friendly round of Mahjong, where both Tom and Amy each managed a win. From there we headed to the last brunch of the voyage, which, as always, was exceptional. Amy made a quick stop at the crafts corner to drop off some extra yarn and admire Pam’s beautiful creations before we moved on to the next part of the day.

In the afternoon, we joined Dean and Julie in their cabin for games. A lively match of cribbage ended with each team claiming a victory, followed by a few rounds of Azul where Tom and Amy took turns finishing last. It has been such a joy playing games with Dean and Julie throughout the trip that we have already ordered Azul Stained Glass to enjoy at home.

After dinner, we made our way to the Star Theater early, knowing it would fill quickly for the farewell show. Cornelia, the cruise director, served as host for the evening that blended heartfelt moments with lighthearted fun. The program featured video highlights of both crew and passengers, musical performances by Cornelia and her assistant Tara, and some surprisingly polished acts by members of the crew. At times, Cornelia’s remarks were deeply moving, and there were plenty of teary eyes in the audience. This world cruise has far exceeded anything we imagined, and the crew consistently went above and beyond to make every day feel special.

There were also plenty of laughs. At one point, the ship’s managers shared some remarkable statistics, including the pressing of 300 bed sheets daily, the consumption of 32,674 bottles of wine, 2,500 kilos of tenderloin, and 2,000 kilos of lobster, with still two days remaining. By the end of the evening, many crew members had gathered on stage as passengers rose in repeated standing ovations to express their gratitude for the care and effort that made this once in a lifetime journey so unforgettable.

The following day, we arrived in Le Havre, France, and chose to skip the organized excursions. The weather was gray and a bit dreary, but we took the complimentary shuttle into town for a look around. Le Havre feels distinctly modern, having been rebuilt after heavy bombing during World War II. Since it was Sunday, many shops were closed, but we arrived in time to wander through the Central Market, where stalls overflowed with fresh produce, meats, vibrant flowers, and a variety of clothing and jewelry.

Our timing was good as we ducked into a restaurant and shared a charcuterie board along with a glass of wine. Along the way, we ran into our friend Gary several times, clearly enjoying his own culinary tour of France, sampling crepes and savoring a croissant.