laurieal

They were having a Silent Party in the Boardwalk. I’ve never seen it held there, so I went to check it out. I can’t say it was very well attended, but those who were there seemed to have a nice time. I left when I got the notification that my reservation for the ice show was approaching. I had to cross the ship to get there, which I did on the Promenade. I took a small detour for a slice of pizza.

My pictures don’t do I justice and I don’t have a YouTube account to upload a video. It’s like the wake is angry.

After the Broadway Cabaret, I returned to my stateroom for some pre-dinner refreshing. One I emerged, all refreshed, I decided to take care of some business around the Promenade. The Shock Waves were back from their day off and were performing. First, I stopped at the Shore Excursions desk to inquire about a wheelchair accessible shuttle in Valencia. They confirmed that there will be one, so I purchased a round-trip for $25 USD. Then, I went to Guest Services to inquire about a wheelchair-accessible airport transfer in Barcelona. They said they had a vehicle with a lift, so I purchased one ticket for the 8:45 transfer for $30 USD. Feeling pleased with all the business I had taken care of, I went to the Schooner Bar hoping to find a seat. From up there, I had a good view of the Rising Tide Bar. Unfortunately, it looks like they only have bistro tables and those aren’t as fun. So. Schooner Bar. As a party of one who brings her own chair everything, I was feeling optimistic, but the place was packed. Luckily, the couple I’ve been running into since yesterday were there and they included me in their party. I had one of my favourites drinks from their new menu, the Irish Peach. If you enjoy that artificial peach taste, I think you’ll like this one. The Captain made an announcement to say there is a medical emergency and we are rushing to the Azores at full speed. We should be there around 7am. I can tell from the wake that we are absolutely flying. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a wake like that. Really hoping all goes well for everyone involved.

I forgot to mention earlier, but they were having another officers vs passengers volleyball game in the sports pool. It’s definitely more cloudy today and the pools aren’t as busy. It was mostly kids swimming while I was up there. I was excited for the Broadway Cabaret in the theatre featuring the singers from Cats. I loved it! There are some very talented people in that cast and it bodes well for Cats later in the cruise. I only wish bar service would stop once the show starts, because it’s pretty loud. I also wish people wouldn’t film while their flashlight is on and I wish no one would argue about where to sit during Suddenly Seymour. I know Cats is not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you get the opportunity to see that cast elsewhere, take it! They’re good!

Yes and as far as I can remember it’s always been the case on the eastbound transatlantic that’s I’ve donne (all RCI). My mother was on MSC a couple of weeks ago and they did it during the night. I quite like it during the day. I need to take it into account when I’m planning my meals, but I like feeling like I get a “normal” night of sleep. I imagine it must be better for the crew, too, to do it during the day. Bit strange to be ahead with Odyssey considering our detours to Bermuda. Hopefully we didn’t do any speeding 😳

It’s a good thing I went to Sorrento’s before I saw any of your pizza pics. Now tell me about those tentacles 🐙

I think I mentioned that I had booked my Giovanni dinner for night 1 when it was on sale for International Pizza Day. Well, I had also purchased a lunch because it was only 20$ CAD. That lunch was today. The restaurant was almost completely empty at 12:00 when I arrived, head bowed down in shame from my Game of Thrones trivia loss. By the time I left around 13:15 it had filled up quite a bit. I wanted to try all new things, so I started with a half portion of the Tagliatelle Carbonara. I enjoyed it a lot. The pancetta was salty, but the rest of the dish balanced it well. I don’t think I could choose which one I liked more between that and the risotto from the other night. Then, I had to try the filet. I’ve been reading on this boards that the filet at Giovanni’s is better than the one at Chops and my waiter said exactly the same thing. I’ve seen pictures of that filet drowning in sauce, so my recommendation would be to get the sauce on the side. I liked that I was able to control the sauce quantity. It was a very good filet and cooked just like I want it: barely. I’m not always in a “big lump of beef” mood, but I would definitely get this again. For dessert, I had the Tiramisu. It was excellent and I could definitely taste the booze. I couldn’t finish, but it wasn’t the Tiramisu’s fault. My waiter was amazing. First, when I asked him to recommend a red wine, he asked some questions about what I like and didn’t just grab the first bottle. Then, he kept refilling my glass because “you’re not driving, are you?” I am, indeed, driving. I’m always driving. But the ship is going into dry dock soon so I figure it’s fine if I run into a few walls. He ended up charging me only one of my Diamond vouchers, but I think it should have been at least three. He will definitely get a mention in the survey. Speaking of which, absolutely no one has mentioned the survey so far. Should I expect it closer to the cruise end or have they calmed down on mentioning the survey? It’s now almost 14:00, which means it’s almost 15:00 since we are losing another hour. There is a show I want to see at 16:00, so in the meantime I am back at my usual spot at the Lime & Coconut. It’s usually my blended cocktail spot, but today it’s my sobering up spot.

My day started in Central Park again. I didn’t want to eat breakfast, because I had lunch plans, but I had coffee because that doesn’t count and a doughnut because it had been ages since I had eaten one. And by ages I mean I didn’t have one yesterday. It’s cloudy today, but still a wonderful day to be kind of outside enjoying Central Park I was joined by the couple I met yesterday and we chatted until it was time for me to go to Spotlight Karaoke and see if my Game of Thrones knowledge could win me a highlighter. I joined someone I know from a previous cruise and our team did really well, but not well enough. We were one point away from the winners. Pretty sure the winning team included the hypnotist from last night and that somehow he could steal the answers straight from our brains. I call shenanigans.

Day 7 Compass

I thought I had spotted a plant for sure because I saw one of the volunteers before the show carrying what looked like a ship phone. In end the she didn’t even get picked to do the show, so I’m not sure if she was there in case he didn’t have enough « good » volunteers? Or maybe not a plant at all. What is real? Am I a plant? 👀

Very curious to see what a $29 popsicle looks like. Those boozy floats look very fun.

I didn’t really vibe with the activities for today. The only thing I had added to my calendar was the show in the theatre: hypnotist Marc Savard. I’m not into hypnotists. I’m also not into ventriloquists and I enjoyed that show a lot, so I decided to go see the hypnotist. The theatre felt full and there many people who went up on stage to volunteer (more people than chairs, actually). The first part of the show was him doing some hypnotism stuff and picking the « best » volunteers. In the end, I think he ended up with a dozen people. I liked some parts of the show. I thought it was pretty funny that he made someone dance or that someone was suddenly convinced that they were named something silly. But it made me uncomfortable that he made a lady be super repulsed by him. Even if it wasn’t real, her reaction felt real and her distress at his touch made me want to go up there and make him stop. I was also uncomfortable when one of the participants freaked out when he thought he was forced to confront what seemed to be a pretty serious fear or phobia. Again, the distress felt too real. I know one of the participants (if anyone saw the show, his name is E-I-E-I-O). Now I really want to run into him again to ask him how it felt when he was up there. I have many questions…

I’m so sorry you had to cancel your trip on the Oasis. I really love the Solarium; it’s particularly beautiful in the evening when the lighting is all pretty 😍 It’s been around 19/20 Celsius for the last few days. In the shade when it’s windy it gets chilly, even for me, but I was comfortable all day today in the sun with a light jacket. I know everyone always says that, but it’s true: bring layers. I’d be interested in knowing what you plan on doing in Madrid. I have plans to visit for the first time in the fall and I’ll start actively planning when I come back from this trip.

I think I am literally the only passenger in the Solarium outside the Bistro right now. It’s incredibly windy, but if you can make it to the middle without blowing away it’s so worth it. I’m enjoying a chocolate martini in the upper level as I watch the sky turning dark. It’s peaceful and so beautiful up here. Please don’t tell anyone.

Dinner this evening was at the Solarium Bistro. The last time I had gone for dinner there was back in 2016 on the Harmony transatlantic. So, yeah, it had been a while. Back then, you picked up appetizers from the buffet and you ordered your entrée from a waiter. Now, unless you want one of the premium entrées with an up charge, everything is from the buffet. I started with some cheese and some cheesy bread. That would make a great title for my autobiography. The cheese that is red-ish was the spiciest spicy I have ever eaten. I loved it! I wish they had that in the Windjammer. Then, I had some meat and a Seafood Ceviche. They were ok. No complaints, but also nothing remarquable. For my main, I had the snapper. It was pretty good and I enjoyed the couscous enough to grab an extra plate. For dessert, I think I may have picked up some of the no sugar added cookies. They tasted like fake sugar and made me a bit sad. I also had some Baklava, which I loved. Would I go back to the Solarium Bistro for dinner? Sure. Would I rush to make a reservation there? No. Did I like it better when your ordered your entrées separately? Yes. Am I wondering how I’m going to get out of this questions/answers bit? Oh yes. It was a good dinner, but nothing really stood out other than the spicy cheese and the Baklava. I don’t think those two things are enough to keep me coming back. Also, full disclaimer, Mediterranean food is not my favourite, so that could 100% impact my judgement. Should you give the Solarium Bistro a try? Why not, it’s free. (Oh no, not that bit again. Send help)

Once it seemed like all the whales had left, I returned to my stateroom for a shower and a pre-dinner rest. I wanted to have a cocktail in a new place, so I went to the pub. It was almost completely empty when I got there around 18:00. I had an Old Fashioned, which isn’t one of my usual fruity cruise concoction, but I had my reason. Bear with me. (Anyone else likes it when people write « bare with me »? Even as I get older, I never not find it funny. It’s like an invitation to start a naked party) In Epcot, there is a place where you can try Coca Cola products from around the world. One of the most famous ones is the Beverly from Italy. I had never tried it, but my friends said it was a rite of passage so we went there together. Almost everyone hates Beverly. They like it at first, but then it turns on them and becomes bitter and then the grimaces come. I was fully expecting to hate it. Except it wasn’t bad. In fact, I thought it would make a nice cocktail, something like an Old Fashioned. So I’ve had an Old Fashion on my mind since my last Epcot Day and when I saw it on the menu I knew I had to get it. When I left for dinner, the pub was quite full.

The first couple to tell me about the coffee said that if they asked for a small coffee or latté or cappuccino their card wasn’t swiped. If they ordered something fancier then they scanned their card.

I’m sorry I missed your post! I also got a note in my cabin on the Anthem, so I assumed the lack of note meant a lack of specialty coffee voucher. Next time I’m on a TA I’ll be sure to ask from the start. Someone saw you wishing you had a map and they have provided the biggest map I’ve ever seen on a cruise ship. I think you may be an influencer now!

I feel like the ads on Cruise Critic are trying to send me a message… 👀

I spent the whole afternoon reading outside. What? I told you it wasn’t going to be exciting! At one point, a couple approached me and asked if they could ask me some questions about cruising and accessibility. Their daughter has a friend who was in a car accident a couple of years ago and they are considering a cruise vacation. I was happy to answer. I always am, so if you ever seen me and you’re in a similar situation and you have questions, never hesitate to come and ask! When spinal cord injuries are concerned, there are no too weird questions. At one point, we heard the call… It was like Alaska all over again with everyone seeing the whales except me, but I saw them! And then we saw what we thought were dolphins? They looked like dolphins and swam like dolphins, but they were so small! I realize that I’m on a huge cruise ship all the way up on deck 16, but the ocean feels so close that it’s like my brain cannot comprehend that dolphins would look this small.

How nice of them, wanting to share their books ❤️ There weren’t many books in the library, but if they redirect everyone to a shelf on deck 11 perhaps that’s why.

Hi! I’m still in my reading spot, but I have had some food and drinks. I asked for a Kraken Colada, but I think this could be a Kraken Lava Flow? Not sure, but it was excellent either way. Eventually I made a quick detour by the Windjammer and got some cheese, meat and bread. It was a nice little snack. And because I had had some “lunch”, I figured I needed dessert so I had a Lava Flow.

Is everyone aware of the secret Diamond specialty coffee thing? Is it always loaded on our SeaPass, or only for sailings where the Crown Lounge coffee machine is overwhelmed?

Good morning! Now that I know about the secret coffee loaded onto the Diamond and above SeaPass cards, I skipped the Crown Lounge entirely this morning and headed to the Park Café instead. (Thanks again to the people who told me about this yesterday, one of which could be reading this thread 👋) I got some fruit, a small burrito and an iced latté. The burrito was very nice and I liked that is was small. I think it’s made with the same chili from El Loco Fresh. Either way, I enjoyed it. I stayed for a while in Central Park reading my book and enjoying my coffee. It was a bit chilly in the shade, so I have now moved to my usual spot on deck 16 where I plan on doing absolutely nothing interesting for a while. See you when I order a drink or have some food, I guess! 😂

Day 6 Compass