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Yesterday we were told we would be three hours late in arriving at Cape Town, originally scheduled for 1 PM. This morning the captain said the sea/wind conditions had moderated overnight so that we will only be about 1.5 hours late. We have been on 49 ocean and river cruises and this is the first time we have not met our expected arrival time. It is not a big deal for us….we are on vacation.

Today was the big day to trade in our Regent Reward points for free Regent products. Turns out I had accumulated 100 points so not only was I able to get my rain jacket I had enough to claim a golf hat, a key chain and a bookmark. Do I need them? No, but it was the thrill of the hunt!

We chose to spend part of our time before reaching port to repack our suitcases as we will be leaving the ship tomorrow morning.

As soon as we landed we were told we would need to leave the ship and have the local immigration people check our papers, after which we simply reboarded the ship until our scheduled tours left.

We have been in Cape Town before as part of a safari trip and therefore have seen the major attractions in the area. One of the tours offered on this trip was a “Sundowner on Signal Hill”, something we had not experienced so it was an easy choice. We left late in the afternoon and were bused to the tall hill overlooking the city where tables loaded with snacks and bubbly awaited us as we took in the magnificent sights and watched the day gradually turn into the evening. Leaving Signal Hill as the sun worked its way into the sea we drove along the seashore, passing several high end enclaves of homes that rival anything we see here in the USA. In my opinion this tour was one of the best of the trip and was a wonderful farewell to the cruise. For those of you who have never been to Cape Town, it is more than worthy of a visit. It is truly a beautiful city and region.

There was no live show this evening. For those interested the ship offered a viewing of Top Gun-Maverick in the main theater. Since we had seen this movie we passed and simply completed our packing. Because you are requested to put your luggage outside your door by 11PM on the last night of a cruise the challenge is to remember to leave out the clothes you will need in the morning to leave the ship! Some thought and planning is required!

Tomorrow morning we expect to leave the ship around 9AM since our flight does not leave until 6:30 PM I made arrangements for a private tour through www.Travelbylocals.com, an organization we have used in the past, with a plan to be dropped at the airport after the tour.

Steps for the day: 8,889.