Day 4 of this trip means our last full day on vacation! We had another sea day today as we cruised back to Galveston from Cozumel yesterday. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't quite as nice today, with overcast skies and some rain drizzles, but nothing too bad at all and plenty of indoor activities for us to enjoy!
We once again started our day with breakfast in the Windjammer, preferring it to breakfast in the Main Dining Room. I enjoyed a nice variety of food, especially enjoying the avocado toast and yogurt parfait.
After breakfast, we headed up to the Sports Deck once again, learning that the door was just really hard to open so it likely wasn't actually closed the first time we had tried earlier in the trip. This area was definitely not popular this early in the morning, with everything empty as could be. The Sports Deck includes the rock climbing wall, basketball court, Perfect Storm waterslides, the Flow Rider and the Sky Pad. While I really wanted to try the Sky Pad this trip, it wasn't open until the afternoon and we didn't make it back up to try it out.
Before long it was time for another trivia event and we headed back to Schooner Bar for ABC Trivia. The host was once again wonderful and we had a great time. We also enjoyed the Grand Finale Art Auction in the Star Lounge this morning, which was a bit odd because due to the simulation cruise, they weren't actually allowed to sell any art! However, we still had a great time checking out the beautiful artwork and letting the amazing Park West team brush off their auction skills.
Has anyone following along felt like we are just always eating? Me too. We were back in the Windjammer for lunch in no time. We wanted to keep it light today but a lot of the options were fried so it was a bit tough. However, they always have a salad area and a healthy options area that includes veggies and grilled chicken. We ate smaller portions however because we wanted to save room for the Chef's Table later this evening. We were hoping to have some time by the pool, but the weather just didn't cooperate so we enjoyed our stateroom for a bit after lunch.
We finally fit it in our schedule to see the ice spectacular, Freeze Frame, which was a vaccinated only showing today. It was a journey through the decades with some very talented ice performers. We enjoyed the show quite a bit.
As if we didn't already hit enough highlights today, the night was just beginning. We got ready and headed down to Boleros to check in for our Chef's Table reservation this evening. As of now, this experience is reserved for vaccinated guests only, as you share the table with other traveling companions. Chef's Table is $85 per person and is a five course meal with wine pairings. While it is the most expensive specialty dining option, it is the only one that comes with wine and we found it to be a great value for the quality of food, wine and service we received.
I can't begin to say enough good things about our Chef's Table experience, from the welcome cocktail through to dessert, everything was really just incredible. Our dining group very quickly broke the ice and had a wonderful time together (every pair had a travel agent in it, so we very easily found something to bond over) I don't eat shellfish and the chef was so accommodating to my dietary preferences, even separately explaining my dishes to me! The wines paired so beautifully with each course and were great selections. The highlights for me were the roasted tomato soup course, the filet mignon, and "the world" dessert. If you are interested in learning more about the Chef's Table, keep an eye on the blog for a full review in the future.
After our three hour meal, we headed to the Royal Theater for the last headliner of the cruise, another comedian. We definitely had some laughs and enjoyed the show. The lower level was reserved for vaccinated guests while the second level was available for everyone. Finally, we wrapped up our cruise dancing the night away in Studio B for the Totally 80s Party! The Cruise Director and team were a ton of fun leading the party with their dance moves and keeping the energy up. We were worn out by the end and thoroughly enjoyed our last day at sea.
The next morning, we packed up our stateroom and got ready to say farewell to the Independence of the Seas. We headed down to breakfast around 7:30 with no issues and were able to enjoy one last meal in the Windjammer. We headed back to our stateroom and awaited our group to be called for carry-off (we took our own luggage off the ship.) Our group was called right around the estimated time of 8:30am and we were off the ship by 8:45am and to our car just before 9am.
Overall we had a great trip and would gladly sail the Independence of the Seas again.
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