Back to the real world ... almost!

This will be our last blog from the ship, and we're actually writing from within sight of San Diego, although we can't go ashore ... we, and everyone else on the Carnival Spirit, will travel to Mexico overnight, then "debark" (isn't that a ghastly Americanism? We still say "disembark", to ourselves!) in a town called Ensenada. From there all 2200 passengers (no, that must be 2199 - see below) then get onto buses and travel to ... wait for it ... San Diego! You see, we're all bound by a US law called the Jones Act, which says that every Jones, Smith, Brown, Obama ??, and Windolf must visit at least one overseas port on every cruise - and as we've sailed from Hawaii, the 49th state, we have to go to Mexico. The reason that we diverted via San Diego today is because one passenger had a heart attack, so we sailed to San Diego, watched her carted off to hospital, then continued on to Mexico.

We have loved our time on this ship - very different from our cruise on the Carnival Splendor last year, partly because the ship is smaller, but also because the passengers have changed three times. The special thing, for the two of us, is the way that we have been "adopted" by the staff and crew - they count us as part of the team, and we've been constantly bombarded with wine, chocolates, fruit - last night all our favourite dining room staff gave us a beautiful hand made card, full of messages, and a photo frame they had bought for us - please can we take them back to Oz with us?

After we leave the ship tomorrow (we refuse to type THAT word again!) we collect a hire car and drive around Southern California for 5 days, visiting 3 lots of friends, near San Diego and near San Luis Obispo. Then we'll catch a train next Wednesday (Thursday Aussie time) to travel to Pennsylvania, via Chicago.

We'll be in touch after our 'land legs' get back in training.