As our lunch was finishing and the dining room was quieting down, our favorite waiter in The Restaurant, Stephan, really opened up and had a nice conversation with us.  The Maître de has previously noted that there was one Turkish waiter, Tyfun, and he came over to give my wife a bit of practice speaking Turkish.  While it was great that we had these more personal experiences I wish they had started earlier in the cruise.

Upon returning to our suite we found our bags cleaned and displayed on luggage racks.  I like this better than a vinyl mat placed on my bed.  Why? Because it allowed me to take a nap (yes, I took two naps on this cruise!) without taking everything off my bed.  After my nap, it was time to pack.  Yogesh, our butler, offered to pack us and, while I understand that some would love to have the drudgery taken care of by others, I don’t think anyone should be fussing with my dirty laundry, so I happily handle the 15 minute task.

After cocktails it was time for pre-dinner drinks (we skipped the Captain’s Farewell) and one last dinner in Le Champagne, a cigar with “the cigar crew” and bed for a planned, but not attained, good night’s sleep. 

We were up early, Yogesh brought us our final coffee, tea and croissants, and off the ship by 7:10 a.m. to board the complimentary scenic train ride to the Anchorage Airport.  As we cleared Immigration before boarding the cruise in Vancouver, our luggage went straight from the ship to a holding room at the airport so the usual post cruise hassle claiming your bags was avoided.  That is a very nice touch.

Our train was not the fanciest affair (Silversea does not own private cars as to the larger cruise lines), but it gave us a 3.5 hour scenic ride in sufficient comfort and with our amusing Alaska Railroad guide, Winnie, adding some nice color.  Some of the views were spectacular.