galfromkazoo

Stockholm was by far the best port we ever sailed from. Easy Uber ride and quick to get on ship. Sailing through all the islands was beautiful. Favorite US port, Port Canaveral. Easy in and out. We always rent a car and arrive a couple of days early so that helps with the trip from Orlando.

We did self assist last Saturday at Ft. Lauderdale. Estimated time was 8:15. When I turned on the tv at 7:50 to watch for our group to be called it already had been. We quickly walked off and were in a cab before 8:30. My guess is our group was called around 7:30.

We got off Adventure on Saturday. Booked cruise rather late and only MTD was available. Much prefer early dining but what can you do. Made reservations for every night at 6:45 except only 7:30 available on formal nights. Hoped to go to dining room as soon as we got on ship to see if we could switch. This has worked for us before but not this time. Ok. 6:45. First night line was huge but we were toward the front. We were seated before 7:00 and there was no one in either line when we left less than an hour later. Service was great. Everyone in the reservation line was seated rather quickly and then they went to those without reservations. The rest of the week we checked in and they told us to go ahead to the same table. We were always seated by 6:50. Everyone around us was at the same table or section as well, even a couple that was always in the no reservation line. Service was great and we were in and out in less than an hour every night. We were told to come at 6:45 the two nights we had 7:30 reservations. Worked out great. The food was not good some nights but the service could not have been better. MTD is not always a problem. People should not worry in advance. It may work out well just like it did for us.

We usually use private transfers but being unfamiliar with Barcelona and a few other reasons, we used the Royal Caribbean transfer from the port to the airport after our cruise last May. It was fine. It did not take long for the bus to fill up and we were on our way. It was a good choice. There were a lot of taxi’s and with the long taxi line, the bus was probably just as quick.

Packing cubes help keep many of the wrinkles out. Then I just hang what we are going to wear in the bathroom when we shower and the wrinkles are gone quickly.

The answer to most COVID questions changes all of the time so I am not sure my May experience out of Barcelona is still helpful but for some reason the check-in person thought my booster was too long ago (I had two boosters) and they made me go to a separate area for additional testing. I was finally able to talk to someone as I was entering the testing area and they agreed I was fine and they did not understand why they sent me to the testing area. But they did tell me after they decided I was ok that if my booster was more than 9 months ago I would have to have had a test before boarding. I had already tested on Friday for a Sunday departure.

We were on the Wonder in May. Best cruise ever. But……if I had it to do over again I would have stayed on the ship in Marseilles and Palma. The ship is so big with so much to do and see that one sea day was not enough. I thought about sailing on the Wonder again when it returns to the US but it is so much more expensive and I am sure will be much more crowded so I think I would be disappointed. We booked this cruise for the itinerary and the Wonder swap ended up being an amazing surprise. I thought it did not make much sense to go all the way to Europe to stay on the ship but I really regret not spending more time on board.

I have been in many connecting staterooms and never had any noise issues. On our last cruise on the Wonder, I thought the connecting stateroom was empty until one night they were on their balcony at the same time we were.

I know circumstances change all of the time but in late May, we did not have to wear a mask on Delta from Detroit to Paris but we did have to wear a mask on Air France from Paris to Barcelona. Same for the flight back. Air France required masks for Barcelona to Paris but no mask required on Air France from Paris to Detroit. We were told it was because of the Spain requirement, not an airline requirement. In Spain mask required on public transportation, including tour buses. Air France handed out masks as you boarded if you were not already wearing one.

We were on the Wonder in May and the four of us used the ship WiFi to take our eMed tests. We did it at different times throughout the day on the sea day, Saturday, prior to flying back to the US on Sunday. None of us had any problems with the test. It was quick and easy and we experienced no WiFi problems. Our results were emailed very quickly. I sat at the desk and propped my phone on the back of the desk/wall which worked perfectly for the 15 minutes that you had to wait. I wasted way too much time worrying about the test. Watching a UTube video in advance was very helpful.

If you are flying home the same day you disembark I really think the eMed the day before is your best bet. You can’t check in for your flight until you have your test results. There were long lines for check-in at the airport and I heard that the testing was not going too quickly ever. We were flying home same day so we did eMed on the ship with no problem with the WiFi at all. There were 4 of us. If you have a day or two, there are a lot of testing sites. Just check google maps for the one closest to your hotel. That is what we did for our test to board the ship.

We got home yesterday from two days in Barcelona followed by 7 days on Wonder. I debated going due to the issues mentioned above. But then it dawned on me that many things could happen that could delay our return home. A broken leg, heart attack, even the flu and feeling too crummy to fly. Why am I worrying about getting COVID on the ship but not all the other things that could happen. Any time I travel I need to be prepared for something to go wrong. It happens to people all of the time. At least with COVID the cruise line would provide some assistance. If I broke my leg pre-cruise, I would be on my own to deal with it, even with travel insurance. We had a great time and I am so glad I went instead of staying home worrying about “what if’s”.