Caribbean cruise 2008, part 4

Sea days are times to sit back, relax, and take it easy. There is no rush to get up and get off the ship. These are days you sleep in. But you can also get up early enough to catch the sunrise. Here's a pic I took that caught the sunrise:

I go to the gym on sea days. There's not enough time to think about the gym when you're in port.

On our last day at sea we awoke to a rocking boat. When I questioned why I was told that we were experiencing the backside of Ike. The hurricane was about to hit Texas and was over 200 miles away, but the high powered winds were still able to hit us and make the morning and early afternoon ride a little rough. It calmed down around mid-afternoon. Then we got ready for our second formal night. First was the past guest party. Earlier in the week we went to the Captain's cocktail party. Below are pics from both nights.

Us with the ship's Captain (Captain's cocktail party)

Past guest party (2nd formal night)

We had some really nice people at our dinner table each night. Here we are all dressed up on the second formal night in the Golden Restaurant:

Our final stop was in the Bahama's at Freeport. I was very concerned to see how the island looked since there have been so many hurricanes passing over and around the Bahama's lately. Much to my surprise it looked fine! Apparently Freeport has been spared from the direct hits of hurricanes this year.

We walked around the shopping area for awhile...

Then headed to the beach!

After staying at the beach for a couple hours we went back to the shops for some last minute shopping. Connie took a minute to relax next to a nice fountain:

We went back to the ship for one last dinner in the Golden Dining Room. Just like the 6 previous nights the food was excellent! After dinner we were off to our usual hang-out; On the Green sports bar. We turned in a little early since we knew tomorrow would be a little hectic during disembarkation.

And just like that; the cruise is over! This is a very depressing time, but you get through it knowing there WILL be a next time!