Nicole721

Nearby was the Loggia del Lanzi, an outdoor gallery featuring Renaissance-era sculptures, including my favorite, Cellini’s Persus with the Head of Medusa. Walking through the gallery is free of charge and no reservations are needed.

 

 

 

After the Palazzo Vecchio and the Loggia del Lanzi, we walked back towards the Arno River to see the Ponte Vecchio, considered by some to be the most beautiful bridge in the world. I’m more partial to the Golden Gate Bridge, but the Ponte Vecchio, with it’s colorful windows and stone archways, is such a beautiful site. One of these days, we might make it across the bridge, but this time, we just settled for admiring it from the banks of the river.

 

 

 

The forecast for the day called for heavy rain, and we felt a few drops as we were leaving Piazza del Santa Croce, but after that, though the skies were dark and cloudy, not a single drop fell until we were leaving later in the afternoon. Incredibly fortuitous, too, because our plans for the day by and large involved wandering around outside. We could have booked tickets to the Uffizi Gallery or one of the many other museums, but whenever I’m in Florence, I just want to be in the presence of those larger than life monuments, and to feel that heavy set wonder.

 

 

We started the way we do every time we have free time in Florence: we pick a street, any street, and just start walking. The street we chose led us to the Piazza della Signoria and the Palazzo Vecchio, where a replica of Michelangelo’s David stands in the same place the original once stood. The square, though crowded in the traditional sense, was less so than we’ve seen it in the past, and if the weather was good for nothing else, it kept the crowds manageable for the day.

 

 

 

The drive to Florence from Livorno takes about an hour and a half, depending on traffic. Isadora gave highlights, directions and tips and I took a nap because bus motion makes me sleepy. When I woke up, we were crossing the Arno River, where the bus shortly thereafter would drop us off and Isadora led us on the short walk to the Piazza del Santa Croce, which would be the main site closest to our meeting point.

 

 

 

 

We were set free to explore on our own around 10:30 AM, and given a meeting time of 4:15 PM, giving us just under six hours to do whatever we wanted. We collectively had three priorities as a family: handbag shopping, photo snapping and pasta. And somehow, six hours didn’t feel like enough. Florence is a rabbit hole to my own proverbial wonderland. I hop in, my world shifts in a haze of people, art and the smell of tannin leather and I come out on the other side feeling like no time has passed at all.

 

 

 

Day 7: Livorno, Italy

 

There’s this scene in Eat, Pray, Love that has always resonated with me.

 

I used to have this appetite for food, for my life, and now it’s just gone. I want to go some place where I can marvel at something. Language. Gelato. Spaghetti. Something.

 

And then she books a flight to Florence and begins to rediscover the vigor for life she had been missing.

 

Every time I’m in Florence, it’s this big, all-encompassing sensation of wonder that resonates from the top of my head to the tips of my toes, dropping my jaw to the ground and my eyes towards the sky. Florence reminds me of how small I am, and how big and vastly beautiful the rest of the world is outside of my little Windy City bubble.

 

Livorno was the first port of call on our itinerary, a gateway to not only Florence, but nearby Pisa, Cinque Terre and the region of Tuscany. We’d been twice prior. The first time, we did a guided tour of Florence. The second time, we did a combo Florence and Pisa On Your Own tour. And this time? Just Florence. Because no matter how many times we’ve visited or how many hours we have on each visit, it’s never been enough. I’m not sure it ever could be.

 

 

Our tour was scheduled to meet in the Liquid Lounge at 7:40 AM, which meant an ungodly 6:00 AM wake up call (vacation what?!). On port days when the Lido Marketplace can get oppressively crowded, the Horizon also has a lesser known breakfast spot: Ocean Plaza. We picked up on it on the Vista and were pleased to find it on the Horizon, as well. The options may not be as expansive, but it covers all of the staples (eggs, meats, potatoes, baked goods, hot and cold cereals, yogurts and fruits) with none of the lines.

 

 

We booked our Florence On Your Own tour directly through the ship. We probably could have made our way into Florence by ourselves, but after our experience of doing Stockholm on our own the year before (losing out on time because our train was running so late, missing our intended train back because we couldn’t figure out how to get through the automated ticketing gates…as much as we travel, we definitely aren’t immune to those moments!), we just felt a little safer doing it through the ship. Our tickets noted a 7:40 AM departure time from the Liquid Lounge and we headed over around 7:20 AM, only to find a line that wrapped from the Liquid Lounge all the way back to the casino on Deck 4, and to be told that we were too early to enter the line. They did finally let us enter the line around 7:30 AM, and it moved quickly as we were handed our stickers and guided to the inside of the lounge to wait for our tour number to be called. We were escorted down the stairs from Deck 4 to Deck 0, scanned out and directed to meet our bus outside the terminal.

 

 

 

At the Port of Livorno, there are a handful of stalls inside the terminal building offering tours, car rentals and driver services, but not any shops. Just outside of there is where most tours will meet, and we quickly found our bus and waited for the rest of our group to follow suit. Our transfer to Florence was on a large, comfortable motor coach that was immaculately clean and even had a Nespresso machine onboard (which we didn’t get to use but still found it funny enough to note!). And we waited. And we waited. Our guide, Isadora, would function less of a guide and more of a host guiding us through our transfer and making sure we knew when we needed to meet back and where. Isadora made an announcement that 10 people were missing from the counts the ship had given her and the ship had not cleared us to depart as a result, and we ended up delayed by about a half hour as a result. I’m not sure where the other eight people were (or if they existed or cancelled), but two of them were sent onto the wrong tour bus by the Carnival Shore Excursions team and, well, needless to say, there were a few angry people on the bus that were upset that they were delayed. It’s unfortunate but not really a ton you can do about it, you know? Get me to the duomo!

 

We grabbed a cup of tea in the Lido Marketplace before heading back to the room to change before we had to grab seats for a Playlist Production Show of Amor Cubano, a show we’ve seen more times than we can count at this point. This Playlist Cast that launched the Horizon is so talented, so locked in with each other, it was like watching a master class on how to execute a show we’ve already seen so many times. We recognized many of them from the Vista, a few from other ships we’ve sailed on, but props to them – they were truly fantastic.

 

 

 

 

I was ready to pass out and crawl into bed after the show. Between not feeling the best and the motion of the waves rolling beneath us, I was exhausted even though I was fully rested. Mom and Stephanie wanted to look at some of the shops, though, and we discovered that there were MORE shops on deck 4 that we hadn’t realized in our walk throughs, including an Inaugural Pop Up Shop that only has inaugural themed merchandise. Stephanie and I contemplated some inaugural sweatshirts, but decided we’d wait to see how much money we blew through in Florence before buying more stuff we didn’t need.

 

 

 

Our tour had an early meeting time the following AM, so we meticulously chose our outfits, laid out our shoes and packed our bags. We’d dock in Livorno bright and early, and even though the forecast said rain, I was so beyond ready to marvel at my old pal, Il Duomo.

 

Fingerling Potatoes

 

Spaghetti

 

Melanzane

 

Crostada di Mele con Crema al Caramello

 

Agrumi | Torta al Miele e Polenta | Sorbetto di Limone

 

Biscotti al Cioccolato con Sale Marino | Caffe Gelato

We all have different opinions on Carnival’s alternative dining options. Ji Ji is, hands down, my favorite. I love them all, but if I had to choose a meal at just one, it’d probably be Ji Ji. Stephanie – her favorite rotates amongst the three of them depending on where she’s dined the most recently and how wow’ed she was, but Mom’s favorite is now and has been for years, Cucina del Capitano. And much like the steakhouse, it had recently undergone a makeover, with a revamped menu that removed a lot of old favorites, including the spaghetti carbonara, the bistec alla griglia, the tiramisu and the cannoli. What’s an Italian restaurant without tiramisu?

We arrived right on time for our 6:30 PM reservation and were seated immediately at a high top near the kitchen, as the restaurant was at capacity for the slot. I can’t speak any higher of the service we received. The servers were not only efficient, but so friendly, and that was a trend we saw throughout. I’m not sure if they chose the best of the best to launch this ship, or if it was excitement for a new contract on a new ship, but I’ve never seen a crew in such high spirits and so consistently friendly.

 

 

And while we weren’t sure how we’d feel about the new menus (RIP, bread board and whipped ricotta), everything we ordered not only tasted good, but was plated beautifully. It was like they took Cucina del Capitano, made it more authentic, upped the quality and the presentation and best of all, kept the prices the same. Oh, and the biscotti I had for dessert? To. Die. For.

 

New Bread Plank

 

Antipasti

 

Il Capitano’s Signature Arancini

 

House-Made Burrata

 

Il Capitano’s Favorite Insalata di Rucola

 

Pasta Patate e Provola di Rosaria

 

Costina di Manzo con Porcini

 

Pollo Parmigiana della Cucina

Later on, we left our napping cocoon for a Q&A with John Heald, former cruise director and current Carnival Brand Ambassador slash social media superstar (in the cruising world, anyways!). And much like you’d expect with anything John was present for, it was full of double entendres, self-effacing humor and some dry, harsh truths.

 

 

The session ran a little over, so we ducked out for tea time. Tea time is one of my favorite Carnival sea day traditions, but the experience is consistently, well, inconsistent. Sometimes, the service is top notch, and others, you can barely get a server to bring you a pot of water. This time fell a little in between, but to be fair, it was the first tea service onboard. The servers were incredibly friendly (and generous with the macarons!) and they brought back the live music with a string duo playing classical tunes live in the dining room, but it was so packed and busy that while we were lucky enough to get consistent attention from the staff, others could barely get a tea bag or hot water. They’ll get there. I believe in them.

 

 

 

After tea time, we headed back to the room to start getting ready for our first formal night (where a plate of goodies was waiting for us on the desk). That second bathroom really came in handy when we were all trying to get our makeup done! One person at the desk, one in the bathroom, one on the couch/table. While we were primping, we checked the dining menus on the FunHub app and since nothing looked incredible or new, we made a reservation for Cucina del Capitano instead and headed off to the lobby for a round of obligatory atrium pics in our formal wear.

 

After breakfast, we headed to the first Fun Aboard Fun Ashore presentation by CD Mike, which covered the first three ports on our itinerary: Livorno, Civitavecchia and Naples. We’d already been to all three of those ports twice each so we’re fairly well-versed in the port details, but we wanted to hear if there were any other details or recommendations since we hadn’t booked our tours yet for Livorno or Civitavecchia. And while we ultimately booked the tours we originally planned on, I was glad we held off – some of the sold out tours were available again on board, as well as a few tours that hadn’t been available for presale, so we had more options open to us by not booking ahead of time.

 

 

After the presentation, we popped back to the room to discover that it was being serviced, so we wandered around, catching the tail end of the cooking demo in the lobby. I don’t know what they were cooking, but it smelled so good!

 

 

We ultimately ended up back upstairs at the Lido Marketplace to make some tea because, well, it was cold and I wasn’t feeling great and tea is supposed to be good for both of those things. I’ve always found the Lido Marketplace to be a good sitting place, even when it’s not a meal time. Maybe not if I’m craving quiet, but it’s nice to be around other people, people watch, talk, mingle, drink tea (…spill tea…). And though we weren’t hungry for lunch, we took a gander at the offerings to find that they were pretty different from the ones we’d recently sailed with. More of the options in the Lido Marketplace were Americana comfort food – think fried cheese curds, chicken wings, spinach artichoke dip and a top your own loaded home fries station. Oh, and the cakes weren’t a one-day thing. It seems that onboard the Horizon, the Sweet Spot is a cake station during lunch only, with no less than five options. I wasn’t hungry for lunch, but I did steal a bite of a green tea checkerboard cake and it was just as good as it looked.

 

 

 

Once we were confident Marlin had enough time to service our cabin, we headed downstairs to nap, shower and start our laundry. After 12 hours of flying, three days in Barcelona and two on the ship, we wanted to knock some laundry out early instead of letting it pile up. We weren’t the only ones with that idea, it seemed – the Laundromat was packed.

Day 6: Sea Day

 

We have a formula for sea days that works well for us.

 

We wake up, we grab breakfast (or coffee), we lay out at the pool, we brunch, we shower, we play trivia, we do tea, we nap, we get ready for dinner, we see a show, we go to the bar or the shops and we go to bed.

 

It’s a formula that’s worked well for us, leaving us enough time to laze around and relax but still experience different parts of the ship and its entertainment. When we sailed to the Baltics last year, it kind of broke our formula a little only because it was warm-ish (just not enough to lay out on a deck chair or swim!), but we only had a sea day or two anyways with our port-heavy itinerary.

 

We knew going into this cruise that for, at least, the first half of it, swimming and sunning would be out. The forecast never creeped above a high of 65 degrees and hovered in the 60-61 degree range as we inched closer. So instead of packing swimsuits and cover ups and maxi dresses, I was packing sweats and loungewear. And instead of planning for where to grab a deck chair, we we were planning how long we could sleep in, when we could schedule naps and when the best time to snag a laundry machine could be.

 

 

Riveting, I know. But as much as I like to run to the top of rooftops and proclaim myself Miss Adventure, Miss I’ll-Sleep-When-I’m-Dead-Or-On-The-Flight-Home, in order to be my best self for the best parts of this cruise, I needed rest. My body was clearly telling me I needed to slow things down – I slept through just about all of our bus rides on our Three Countries One Day tour and it took two days for my ears to pop afterwards.

 

Three of my favorite ports were ahead of me the following three days in Florence, Rome and Naples. Following that was stops in five new ports – Croatia, Corfu, Malta, Sicily and Sardinia. I decided I’d rather slow it down on the first sea day than go hard, feel worse and miss something I was looking forward to so much.

 

Mother Nature seemed to agree with my choice – when I woke up and looked out the window, the seas were choppy, the skies were gray and the weather didn’t show any temp higher than 58 degrees.

 

 

We grabbed a quick breakfast up on the Lido deck, where I was finally reunited with the long lost love of my life, the arepas from the Blue Iguana Cantina. Since many of you are new and might be reading my cruise journal for the first time, lets get acquainted: my name is Nicole, I’m a Cancer/Leo cusper (and live up to just about every stereotype of it) and the breakfast arepas from the Blue Iguana Cantina are my mother effing jam. Like if I were on death row and the warden was preparing my final meal, they’d be on the menu. Most people don’t know they exist (or what they are) and I’m here to tell you that they are missing out. It’s like smooth, melty cheese in between two sweet corn cakes. 100% delish (especially with some salsa verde on the side for dipping). And I haven’t had arepas since…New Year’s cruise of 2017? On the Sunshine, I think? Because we did the Baltics on NCL and they don’t have arepas and neither the Paradise nor the Splendor have a Blue Iguana Cantina, so it must have been January 2017 – 15 months. And maybe it was the new ship thing or the 15 months thing, but the arepas never tasted better than they did on our first sea day morning here.

 

((Did I really just write 223 words about arepas? Whoooooooboy))

 

10 hours ago, pghsteelerfan said:

So happy to see you're doing another review, I'll definitely be along for this journey!  I've heard of Andorra but never knew much about it or the location (as the saying goes, you learn something every day), but from your pictures it looks VERY pretty.  Thank you for taking time to share another cruise and beautiful pictures with us.

 

Andorra was STUNNING! Definitely a destination if you love skiing (or if you just love snow) 🙂 Thanks for reading along with me!

 

9 hours ago, zabnee said:

Hullo, and welcome back Nicole and family!

 

So glad to see your review.  I really did try and read it through the blog, but I kept forgetting!  So, I'm really glad to get to read it here!

 

Hi back! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂

 

6 hours ago, mkcurran said:

Yay! Nicole is back!

 

You know I can't stay away for long 🙂

On 1/14/2019 at 9:34 PM, SenatorsFan said:

Hi there Nicole! How nice to see you back and with a Horizon review. My DH & I sailed on Horizon in Oct. and had the best time. We loved the ship, the steakhouse, Ji Ji and our wonderful room steward. Looking forward to more.

Heather

 

I'm so happy you had a wonderful cruise, Heather! The Horizon is up there with some of my fave ships 🙂

 

On 1/14/2019 at 10:10 PM, watermelonqueen99 said:

Following! Love your reviews!

 

Yay!! Thank you!!

 

On 1/14/2019 at 11:23 PM, MzShae said:

Hi, Nicole. I read about this cruise on your blog, but I'm enjoying this too! Thanks!

 

I'm so glad you're enjoying it (again) 🙂

 

11 hours ago, samiam0403 said:

Following! Thanks for the fantastic review! I sailed on Horizon in November, and fell in LOVE with her and her crew. Thoroughly enjoying reading along and reminiscing. 

 

Thanks so much! The Horizon is definitely towards the top of my fave Carnival ships! Wonderful ship, amazing crew!

The show ran long, which meant it ran into my big evening activity: a screening of Pitch Perfect 3 at the Dive In Movies. We were up there for the good parts, but we didn’t last long – it was just too cold, even with the blankets. And if we really wanted to watch PP3, it was available on On Demand for, like, four bucks, from the comfort of our beds.

 

 

After another cup of hot tea, we called it a night from there. The next day would bring a sea day and since we weren’t expecting pool weather, it meant a day of trivia, napping and doing nothing of consequence, which just happen to be the three things I do best anyways.

 

Later on, we headed down to the Liquid Lounge for the Welcome Onboard show, which featured CD Mike (whose parents were in the audience for his first performance onboard!) and a performance by the Playlist Cast, many of whom were familiar faces from prior sailings. The ship was starting to rock and Stephanie and I both gave each other a look – the rocking of the ship reminded us of the earthquakes we experienced on our visit to Mexico City the month prior!

 

 

 

 

After dinner, we did what we do best and just kind of wandered to see what we could find. We found the new shops on deck 5 (Victoria’s Secret was an interesting one, but I was most impressed by the selection at the cosmetics store), we grabbed tea up at the Lido Marketplace and just kind of walked around to ease off the heavy meal.

 

 

 

 

Our meal at the steakhouse was a standout in an already wonderful day. The staff was so excited to have everyone dining with them, it was the first night so we were offered a free bottle of wine, we had the opportunity to try the new steakhouse menus that had been making their way onto Carnival’s ships AND the steakhouse opened up to the piano bar, which meant we were treated to live music (and people randomly walking through the steakhouse as they left the piano bar, perhaps not understanding where they were exiting through and where they should have exited).

 

 

 

And back to the new menus, I know they’ve been a polarizing topic, but we LOVED everything we tried. We’re very much creatures of habit, and we almost always ordered the same things every time we dined at the steakhouse, so even though I didn’t have the option to order Beef Carpaccio and Stephanie didn’t have a Beefsteak Tomato Salad to enjoy, we all agreed that the replacement options, as well as the experience, was much more elevated and enjoyable than the options they replaced. Except for, maybe, the bread. It’s hard to live up to those fluffy brioche rolls (especially when the replacement option is a pencil thin pretzel roll or a small, round salted croissant).

 

Bread and Butters

 

Amuse Bouche

 

Risotto

 

Stuffed Mushroom Caps

 

Heritage Berkshire Pork Belly

 

Young Lettuce

 

Classic Caesar Salad

 

Baked Onion Soup

 

Dover Sole

 

Broiled Prime New York Strip Loin Steak

 

A-5 Wagyu

 

Sautéed Medley of Fresh Mushrooms

 

Yukon Gold Mash with Wasabi Horseradish

 

Oh, and can we talk about the Art at the Table thing? Stephanie really wanted to try it, but everyone at the table needs to order it to receive it, and we were all intrigued seeing tables around us order it, so we bit the bullet and it was one of the greatest desserts and one of the most incredible dining experiences we’ve ever had.

 

I ran off to take some more pictures around Deck 5 while Mom and Stephanie checked in at the steakhouse to see if they could move up our 9:00 PM reservation (the only thing they had left when we tried to make one for the first evening a week before we left!) and while the hostess initially told them no, she quickly changed her mind and found us a 5:30 PM opening.

 

With dinner taken care of, we headed back to the room. Stephanie took a nap. I put a ship tour up on the blog. We could have been out, sure, but we had almost two weeks to get to know this ship ahead of us, and a little self care is always a good thing, especially when you’re traveling and can tend to wear yourself down in the name of not missing out.

 

Our luggage was delivered just before 2:00 PM and we took turns unpacking. Though the room was bigger, we felt slightly short on usable storage. And to be clear, we are chronic overpackers and we had a ton of stuff, but this was also a room for four and we felt a little squeezed on storage space as a party of three. The closet space was fine and mostly functional, but we definitely could have used more shelves or drawers on the vanity.

 

The safety briefing was scheduled for 4:30 PM, but didn’t really start until 4:45 PM, as the crew seemed to have issues with their systems and equipment and CD Mike was intermittently pulled away from the PA. We didn’t really expect much else – it was their first time doing this together as a crew, and first time on this ship, and we were just grateful to be comfortably seated in the Meridian dining room instead of standing out on a crowded deck. Even when one crew member told us we were dismissed and another at the door screamed at everyone making their way out that they were not dismissed. We were on vacation and in far too good of a mood to be affected by someone else’s bad one.

 

With the safety briefing running long, we tried to catch some (or any) of sailaway before our dinner reservation, but only mustered a few pictures and a couple of minutes of the deck party. We missed the sail out from Barcelona, but we’d done it twice before and once you’ve done it once…you know the adage.

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped in at Guy’s Pig and Anchor for a little lunch that expanded our nutritional intake beyond complex carbohydrates. Guy’s Pig and Anchor had taken the place of the Red Frog Pub and Brewery onboard the Horizon, which was one of our favorite spots for live music on some of the other Carnival ships, but I really liked what they did with the space. There’s a nice little stage for musicians, plenty of indoor and outdoor seating and if you like beer, well, they’re brewing it onboard. I don’t like beer, so it’s not my thing, but Stephanie does and she tells me that’s a big deal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fueled on sugar, we set out to explore any part of the ship we could get to. And we didn’t get to anywhere close to all of them, but we tried to hit as many as we could, strolling from the pools to the Waterworks, Serenity to the Piano Bar and as many places we could in between. It’d been awhile since I was on a ship with an Ocean Plaza or a lanai, and I’d forgotten how much I enjoy those parts of the ship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Freed from our backpacks, we set out to explore this beautiful new ship! We started at the Lido Marketplace, where they had the most delicious looking cakes out on display. I don’t know if it was an inaugural thing or something new that they’re testing, but that funfetti cheesecake? Holy cannoli, that was tasty!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our home for the next 13 days was cabin 1390, an Oceanview cabin on the Riviera deck. We’d never stayed on Deck 1 before, largely because we generally prefer views higher up and decks that are closer to the action so we can take the stairs more, but this cruise was free, and they could have put us in a closet in the back of Deck 0 and we would have been elated.

 

 

We’ve stayed in plenty of Oceanview cabins on Carnival ships before, and this one felt the most spacious. The window was deeper set, I had a good two and a half feet between my bed and the window and the edge of the bed and the opposite wall where the television was. We had two bathrooms – a standard one (which also, somehow, felt larger) and a mini bathroom with a small bathtub/shower combo and a sink. Our pins, drink vouchers and some of our pre-ordered bar items were already set out on the desk and our room steward, Marlin, was quick to come introduce himself and hand us a questionnaire to note if we wanted our room serviced once a day or twice a day, as well as if we wanted extra towels, pillows or if we wanted robes. While I’m sure Carnival will see some significant money come in off of decreased labor, I appreciated having a say in the matter. After all, if we wanted our room serviced twice a day (as we did), nothing had changed. And with less cabins to service (on the assumption that not everyone will want full service twice a day), we were hopeful we’d also see our rooms serviced earlier.

 

 

 

We quickly zapped through security (where we carried through a bottle of cava to enjoy onboard) and made our way upstairs to the check in area, where our boarding passes were scanned, our S&S pictures were lifted from our passports and we had to electronically consent to the health questionnaire. We probably arrived around 10:15 AM, and the Priority seating section was nearly full. Beyond the Priority section, there was a separate Diamond lounge, a general seating area, a café, an outdoor terrace with seating, a liquor store and a souvenir shop. In other words, there was plenty to keep us entertained while we waited to board.

 

 

 

The boarding process was a little messy, likely due to inexperience with the ship. Diamonds were led in separately and privately from their lounge and when they called for Platinum cruisers, it was like when you’re standing at the gate to board a flight and everyone rushes in after first class even though half of them are in boarding group 7. To their credit, the staff was checking documents for everyone and sending back anyone who didn’t have Priority flagged on their docs, but they had their work cut out for them because there was a very big crowd of very excited cruisers.

 

We skipped the photo stop because, well, we never look our best after a morning of packing, schlepping luggage and generally bickering over what we’re going to do first. We walked through those glass tunnels and we could hear the celebration before we could see it. Everyone in the atrium lobby was dancing to live music. The crew were just as excited to have us onboard and see the ship as we were to see it, and their jubilance was absolutely contagious.

 

 

On any cruise, we stop first at our cabin to drop off our carry-on’s (and now to get our S&S cards, since they stopped handing them out at check-in). As we were walking down the hallway, we couldn’t help but note that the ship already *felt* different. The hallways were wider. A small detail, but one that already helped the ship feel more spacious.

 

 

We had a ton of luggage and Stephanie had read online that there was a strike or some issue with the cab drivers that could make getting a taxi difficult, so Mom called the front desk of the hotel the evening before to let them know when we’d be departing and what we’d need. And I really have to give the staff at Hotel Casa Fuster props, not just for getting us a taxi big enough to fit all of our luggage (and having the hotel van on standby just in case they couldn’t hail one for us), but for their friendliness, willingness to go to any length to ensure we had a good stay and for their beyond luxurious accommodations. I’ve stayed in a lot of nice hotels, and Hotel Casa Fuster was up there with the best of them.

 

The taxi ride from our hotel in Eixample on the Passeig de Grácia took less than 15 minutes and cost us €25 (including the additional surcharges for our luggage, the port tax and a tip), far less than what we would have paid using private transportation. We’ve used taxi’s on just about every trip to Barcelona and have always found them to be clean, efficient and safe.

 

 

Stephanie and I have played our own version of Lovebug for years -- you know, that game where whomever spots the VW Beatle first yells LOVEBUG and slaps the person next to them? We do that, but we shout WHALE TALE as we try to be the first to spot the ship. I don’t know how or why or when we started it, but it’s our little thing. And with two other ships in port, the Horizon was a little hidden away in the back, at Terminal E. But Stephanie and I agreed to a no slapsies truce so we could have our fingers on our camera shutters.

 

 

The taxi driver dropped us off right in front of the terminal, where a porter quickly came by to offer his services in checking our luggage into the luggage drop for us (which we took him up on, because that was another line and we were so ready to get on this ship!) and we took a quick ship pic before making our way into the Priority line.

 

 

Day 5: Embarkation in Barcelona

 

When we were planning this trip, the most exciting thing for me wasn’t the ports we’d be visiting or the things we’d see or all the things we could buy.

 

((But, real talk, those things were exciting. The excitement over the places we’d go, the things we’d buy and getting to share my love of travel and cruising with more people were all sources of major anticipation!))

 

The most exciting thing for me was that this would be our first inaugural cruise -- that we’d be amongst the first to explore the ship, to discover its nooks and crannies and figure out what set it aside from all of our other Carnival cruises. That we’d get to be the first to sleep in our beds, eat off our plates or break in a new blanket at the Dive In Movies. We’d get to experience the ship before anyone else could experience it for us and step onboard with no idea of what we were getting.

 

I honestly don’t know what we’ll do now that the anticipation for this one is over. I guess we’ll have to plan another.

 

We woke up around 7:00 AM to bright blue skies in Barcelona. I was still feeling stuffy from our voyage up to the mountains, so Stephanie and Mom left the hotel in search of breakfast while I got a little more sleep and started packing up.

 

 

Buenas Migas (that coffee shop down the street we kept coming back to) opened an hour later on Monday’s, so Stephanie and Mom resorted to their next mainstay: McDonald’s. It wasn’t Euro-chic, but we had thirteen days ahead of us for real European breakfasts, and the more time they spent looking for a quick breakfast, the less time we’d spend on the ship. #priorities.

10 hours ago, BALCONETTE said:

Yay, Nicole is back!!  Great start to the review!

 

Woooo! Thanks for following along! 🙂

 

7 hours ago, tobishea said:

Loving this review so far!  We just moved back from Europe after living there 4 years.  We took the 4th voyage of the Vista leaving Barcelona.  And I agree with you, out all the places we visited (and we traveled a lot!)  Barcelona was one of my top 5 places to see.  I miss Europe so much.  Can't wait to read the whole review!

 

Thank you so much! Europe for four years?! What a DREAM!

 

6 hours ago, pirate4me2 said:

I love your reviews, I am so glad to see a new one from you. Welcome back to CC!

 

Thank you!!! I'm so glad you like it!!!