At sea returning to San Diego

Sadly the trip is rapidly coming to an end but we have two days at sea to enjoy the ocean, do a bit more reading and mentally prepare for the cold and snow and our return to work.
Ed did  a 5km walk on deck to raise funds for the cure for breast cancer and spotted a lot of whales as he was doing his circuits of the promenade deck. Whales were very evident on both sea days and provided a lot of excitement for the ships passengers. It is great to see that these great mammals appear to be making a  comeback from near extinction. There she blows!!!
As we progressed toward the North the air temperature became noticeably cooler and on our second sea day we woke to the sound of fog horns - very spooky knowing the ship is traveling at 20 knots towards a white wall. This is where you must trust your captain and his ability to navigate through the fog.

 Days at sea very soon become the same and you quickly lose track of what day it is. Although it doesn't really matter if you know or not, the ship's crew kindly change the mats in each elevator to reflect the day of the week.

State rooms with windows on public decks are mirrored for privacy. This feature presented a great photo opportunity. Can you figure how Ed got this shot?

The dining room entrance - 5 star dining three times per day with opportunities in several other places to have almost constant access to snacks, sandwiches, pizza, fruit and ice cream. Coffee and tea were available 24 hours per day. We were very spoiled and it is very easy to over indulge if you are not careful. 

 The library was well stocked with a great selection of fiction, non-fiction and reference books. This was also the quiet area with very plush seating and it provided a great place to relax.

 Fresh flowers were placed all around the ship and orchids were on every dining table - a very nice touch.

 A view from the promenade deck as we approached our port of entry into Panama.

 Our cabin staff were very attentive to our needs and kept our room in perfect order and well supplied with essentials. Their daily gift to us was a towel animal - very amazing what they could fashion from towels - we had elephants, lobsters, sting rays and many other animals and birds, certainly a different one each day.

Christine would occasionally guard the ship while Ed was ashore exploring. I know the captain was very grateful for her caring.  Is she looking for a permanent assignment in the security department?