Today is our last day aboard Emerald Kaia and it is a relaxing day at sea as the ship is heading to the port of Piraeus (Athens), Greece. The waters are extremely calm today and we are enjoying a very smooth sailing.

This morning we were treated to a Tuna Ceviche Cooking Demonstration by Executive Chef, Librado Palomares. Chef Li, as he likes to be called, is from the Philippines and has a long history with Scenic/Emerald Cruises. In fact, he has brought out every new Emerald yacht.

The demonstration was very informative on how to mix fresh tuna with lime juice, garlic, ginger, onion, tomato and avocado to make a delicious ceviche. At the conclusion of the demo, guests were offered a ceviche taco to enjoy.

When we returned to our stateroom later this morning, our stateroom attendant, Melvin, had cleaned our room and placed our luggage on the bed for us. It’s a sad reminder that this yacht adventure is coming to an end.

Before lunch today, a few of the journalists took advantage of the opportunity to view one of the ship’s unoccupied Oceanview Staterooms. At 226-248 sq. ft., the room was quite spacious and had two huge windows on one wall. The bathroom and closet looked to be identical to what we had in our balcony stateroom.

For lunch today, La Cucina Restaurant’s buffet is offering some very tasty fried chicken with gravy, Porchetta on the carving board and baked fish. Of course, there is a soup of the day, vegetables, salads, breads and desserts.

Throughout today I was busy interviewing some of the senior staff members of Emerald Kaia. I had the opportunity to visit with Tom XXXXX, VP of Ocean Operations for Scenic and Emerald Cruises, Jeorg Grossman, Hotel Director and Executive Chef Palomares. All three of my interviews will be posted to our YouTube channel, so make sure you are subscribed!

Later this afternoon, guests were invited to the Lounge for the Captain’s Farewell Party. Many of the crew joined the Captain to be recognized by the guests for their hard work.

For dinner this evening, our small group of media folks decided to join together again for a group dinner. I was so full from lunch, all I could handle was a chicken Caesar Salad, which, by the way, was delicious. We enjoyed our final meal together with great food, good wine and abundant conversation.

After dinner, we have to go back to our stateroom to finish packing for the trip home. Tomorrow, Emerald Kaia will dock in Piraeus, Greece, where we will disembark and transfer to the Athens airport for the flight home.

Day 5 - At Sea

Day 3 - 4 - Istanbul, Türkiye