The weather forecasts prove to be accurate today.  After a very bumpy, rocking and rolling night, we arrive in the bay around Cannes with gale force and hurricane force winds. We are supposed to be tendering at 7am – and we have our strategy all worked out to try to get off the damn ship before the tours – but all for naught.  Around 6:45am we notice we are sailing away from Cannes – not toward it.  Shortly thereafter the captain makes an announcement – and you know it is bad news if the captain talks.  He never talks except his noon report, he only makes ship wide announcements when he has bad news or itinerary changes, which is exactly what he tells us now.  Due to hurricane force winds (close to 100 mph), he is cancelling Cannes and we’ll have a last day at sea to end our cruise. 

Oh well, not unexpected.  And frankly not a big loss.  While we had wanted to go back to the Isle de Sant Marguerite to hike the whole island, we’d prefer not to have to worry about winds and rough seas and getting stuck somewhere on our last day on the Dawn.

So we end up just reading, writing, packing – we are completely packed by 2pm – and saying goodbye to all our sweet guys who have taken care of us over the last 31 days.  We are going to miss them so much. Lonnie, the best bartender at our pool bar haunt tells us he will always remember us.  Kadek, our 2^nd son from Bali who is connecting us with his wife and brother when we are in Bali in a couple of months (as well as offering us his car to use while we are there – so sweet – but uh, no, thank you!) who has been our waiter since day 1 lunch and who we adore like an actual son.  Ambert, our adorable cabin steward, who started out with us after our 1^st steward had to move to a lower deck because it was too much for him, and who is considered a “junior” but should be a full fledged “stateroom attendant” because he is that good, told us he didn’t want us to leave and that he would miss us. 

Seriously, it is normally hard for us to leave ships, but these guys – and so many more, Red, Raul, Nathaniel, Darryl – have me almost in tears.  The passengers may not be what we like – too much woo hoo I’m on a cruise, party hardy. (As well as unprepared – as in our next door cabin neighbor who asks us what there is to do in Naples and then wants to know if the tower of Pisa is walkable from Livorno.) The ship’s activities are definitely not up our alley – too much the same, same as it has been for the past 30 years.  But the staff?  Some of the best on the seas.

Ok, I’m getting teary eyed just writing this….so enough.  Excellent cruise(s), wonderful staff, and now, the adventure will continue in a completely different way, more than likely, aboard the Holland America Oosterdam.