Mediterranean Cruise with Children Review – Legend of the Seas 7 Night W. Med

[Travel R]

An exceptionally informative read, I can see why it's taking a while to write, ver in depth, I take my hat off to you ..

 

Thank you.

 

I did not know how I was going to approach this review when I had first thought about it. I thought I scribble a page or two of information, then call it a day. Once I began writing, the words starting flowing forth and I wanted to get all the information out on paper (post). I am hoping that somewhere in what I am writing, someone is getting something out of it that can benefit their own cruising experience. In the alternative, maybe I can bring a little bit of my European cruise vacation to someone who has never been on one, and may not be able to do so in the near future.

 

This is really taking me much longer than I had ever imagined. There is a thread going on elsewhere about what people want to see in reviews. A number of them expressed their dissatisfaction with reviews that were either too long, or those that took weeks to complete. I am obviously guilty of both -- however, that is the way I am approaching it and unless I can lock myself in my room for a few days straight, it will be a bit more time until I can finally complete this dissertation.

 

Subconsciously I may be taking so long to complete this review because as I write it I am continuously reminded of my wonderful experiences, and the longer I can draw out the review, the longer I can remain on this vacation -- if not physically, at least virtually.

 

I do not apoligize for writing such a long review, but I do appreciate everyone's patience while I do so.

Edited July 27, 2013 by Travel R

[Travel R]

Here’s a short post – it does not really go with the review of Day 2, and does not really go with Day 3, so I am including the following as its own stand-alone post.

 

On a Royal Caribbean cruise ship miles from land, one of the scariest words you do not want to hear is “Bravo” - and especially not at 1:30 in the morning. This means that there is, or there may be, some type of serious incident or fire onboard the ship.

 

After a long day and not falling asleep until around 12:30 AM, there is not much that can get me up. At around 1:30 in the morning, they made an announcement on the PA crying out “Bravo, Bravo, Bravo!!!! Deck 11. Mid-ship.” They repeated this same thing twice. I was still half (actually three quarters) asleep after the announcement and my wife (who is a light sleeper) tapped me on the side and asked me what that was. Being a Cruise Critic reader, I knew that it usually meant that there was a fire. I was still mostly asleep at that point and had to ask her if it actually just happened, or was it a dream? After she confirmed it, I took a quick look outside my balcony (to see if the ship was still moving at a decent clip), then went to the door (feeling it first) and opened it to see if anyone was out in the hallway – but found it deserted. I stayed awake for another half hour, and even took a stroll down towards the Centrum area, but did not see much activity, so went back to my room.

 

We finally went back to sleep, but still stayed semi-alert in case of another announcement – and there was none. But just in case, we knew where our clothing and the clothing of our children were in case we needed them quickly, as well as made sure the flashlight I brought along was on the desk and could be quickly accessed.

 

The next morning the captain made an announcement over the PA explaining what had happened – a small speaker in the lounge caught fire, but was quickly extinguished.

 

Thank goodness it was not any worse than that, but it is one of those things that I will always remember from this cruise.

Edited July 27, 2013 by Travel R

[Travel R]

Early Excursion

 

We had partaken upon this Mediterranean retreat, and specifically the western portion, because of the desire of my DD to visit France. On this day, she is getting her wish and we embarked upon an adventure beginning in Marseilles which brought us to the port city of Cassis located a number of miles further away.

 

Even after the unpleasantries of being awaken in the middle of the night, I still awoke in the early morning dawn. The air looked fresh and I was becoming wrestles in my quarters, I decided it was about time for me to undertake my morning jog around the deck. I clothed myself in my running attire, but also armed myself with my trusty camera, just in case. At a little before the hour of six, not many a man, beast, nor woman was to be found. A few members of the crew were busy cleaning, but all would smile or supply a friendly nod each time I would circumvent the ship. As was habit, I would stop off at the Park Café area and procure some delectables for early morning consumption by those that I shared my cabin.

 

[Note: I only ran/walked one mile. I kept looking out at the sunrise and the sights (and taking some pictures), so I did more walking than jogging. For those of you that do run and want to keep track of your distance, each lap is one quarter of a mile in length (4 laps = 1 mile). Depending on the morning they would either have some music playing on the Lido Deck speakers and on one morning was showing one of the cruise talks, and if early enough nothing was playing. I usually took my iPod, so I was able to listen to what I liked.]

 

The day’s activities were to begin earlier than usual. Our preference for breaking our fast in the MDR was not to come to pass that morning and we were obliged to eat our morning meal in Le Windjammer. The establishment was not as teeming with passengers in comparison to the midday meal, and the selection was more pleasing to our palette. I made use of the eggs-to-order option, and made a choice based on the nationality of my location - a cheese omelette. Sadly, the omelet did not meet to my satisfaction. I found it to be too greasy, but luckily there were a number of other choices that more than made up for this failing.

 

[Note: We were to meet at the theater at 8 am. We got there a few minutes before 8, sat down in our section with the other passengers going on the same excursion, and waited. From what we had heard, it took our ship a little extra time to clear with the port authorities. We did not get called to leave until almost 8:45 and did not get on the bus until almost 9:00.]

 

Seaside Travel and Cassis

 

The motor coach covered the distance between Marseilles and the port city of Cassis via a highway that hugged the coastline. The views of the deep blue ocean, harrowing cliffs, mystical islands, and other assorted sites were just magnificent. These sights lived up to the hype about the beauty of the French sea side.

 

[Note: If possible, get seats towards the front of the bus for better pictures. If with a part of 3 or four, I would suggest getting your seats side-by-side, so that when something worth seeing appears on the left or the right, you do not have to be constrained to your side of the bus and can more easily lean over towards the seats of the other members of your party.

 

Also note: My daughters liked some of this ride and the sights (more my DD13 than my DD8 whom fell asleep half way through the ride.]

 

Before entering the town of Cassis itself, we had to transfer from the bus to a small locomotive type of transport that would bring us to our final destination. The mini-train, as it was referred to, was a blast and did make a hit with my children. Cassis, I must say is a beautiful little port town. The simple architecture of the stores and shops around the port itself, the many boats floating in the inner harbor, the ocean to the right and the colossal cliffs of Cap Canaille hanging to our left was breathtaking. The sights were worth the trip, but after a quick stroll around the small town and a few photographs, we were left with very little to do. We had arrived at an hour prior to opening of many of the shops and restaurants. Although a few were luckily engaged in business, or began to open their doors soon before we left, there were many retailers that were still closed by the time we left at noon. Although it may be nice to spend a weekend in a sleepy little French seaside town, when you only have limited time, every minute counts.

 

We did discover a small bistro (with only outdoor seating) that sells crepes (another must have by my DD13 while in France). We ordered a crepe of the chocolate filled variety along with a pizza. We were all in agreement that the crepes were very good, but the pizza did not hold a candle to the one they had shared in Roma. We were told to convene at the steps where our journey into Cassis began by a quarter of twelve. We rendezvoused at that that time close to a spot where a German film crew was taping a scene from a TV series. We watched for a few moments, then walked back to the mini-train then onward to the busses and back to the ship. The driver avoided the slower scenic oceanview highway and opted for a much quicker road back to Marseilles. Almost every one of the bus passengers, including myself, fell asleep during the passage back to the ship.

 

A "few" Notes:

 

[Note 1: You may have noticed that I did not mention the tour guide. It was on purpose. She was not very good. Besides having a very thick nasal French accent, she was not very informative and only provided a few decent facts during the entire tour. She would continuously repeat the same information over and over again. For instance, she repeated that Cassis is known for its white wine at least a half dozen times. My family, especially my kids, really did not care much for the tour guide.

 

Note 2: The tour was supposed to include a bus trip to the top of hill above Cassis (Cap Canaille) for some nice views, but due to very high winds, the government closed the high-lying areas along the coast. It did allow us more time in Cassis, but since a lot of places were not open, it did not matter much. Because of the winds, my DD13 was cold, and although my DW told her to take a jacket, she did not and wore shorts. We luckily found one place that had some type of long pants that was open (the only place that sold clothing that was open in town – besides a few touristy t-shirts), and although they were (still are) ugly, we bought them for her. Although for me, the cool breeze of the winds felt nice.

 

Note 3: When we arrived, all my girls needed to go use the restrooms. There is a public restroom located on the South end of the port. I only mention this because they are very interesting in that they are self-cleaning, so the whole bathroom is continuously wet.

 

Note 4: As in Genoa, we were given the option to stop off in Marseilles, and be able to use the shuttle service back to the ship for free later on (as long as we retained our #’d excursion stickers). We were once again tired, and went back to the ship (as did most people).

 

Note 5: I had originally chosen this excursion because I felt that this seemed to be the best way to receive some French culture – in a small French town. The scenic views from the highway and atop the cliffs would have been nice. The train ride was also something I believed my DD8 would enjoy (which she did). However, overall - I am not sure if this was the most kid-friendly option available in this port – if you are bringing young teens/pre-teens I would suggest either a different RCI tour or try to find a private tour that would better meet the needs of your family.

 

Note 6: Although the tour guide was lousy, we did not get to the top of the cliffs, we spent time searching for long pants for my daughter, and most of the stores/restaurants were closes, we still enjoyed being together as a family.]

 

[Photographs to Follow]

 

Up next . . . . The rest of Day 3 (Relaxing, First Formal Night, and a Good Show) – With Teen Lounge and MTD reviews also very close at hand.

 

Edited July 27, 2013 by Travel R

[Travel R]

Pictures from our day in France (Marseilles and Cassis)

 

Unfortunately most of the pictres of the coastline are taken from the bus behind glass windows.

 

Sun rising over France (taken from top deck during my early morning walk/run):

 

 

 

I had to take another picture of it:

 

 

Picture of the Legend of the Seas as we were leaving on our excursion to Cassis:

 

 

Notre Dame de la Garde- It sits atop a mountain overlooking the port in Marseilles:

 

Who remembers the Count of Monte Cristo? This is the Château d'If, the jail on the island that he was imprissoned.

 

 

The scenic coastline highway:

 

Edited July 27, 2013 by Travel R

[Travel R]

Cap Canaille Cliff rising high above the port town of Cassis below:

 

The sleepy town of Cassis:

 

 

Chateau de Cassis - it overlooks the port town from up on the hill (I believe it is now a hotel):

 

 

A street going up the hill in Cassis:

 

 

Center square of Cassis:

 

 

Cassis is known for their white wine:

 

[Travel R]

Port of Cassis (with lighthouse):

 

 

A view of the Cassis shops & restaurants:

 

 

Filming of a German TV series (not sure which one - I wonder if it was the same one that NHDisneyLover also saw being filmed on their Legend Cruise?):

 

 

 

Signs, signs, everywhere there's signs:

 

 

Castellane Fountain in Marseilles:

 

 

A random street in Marseilles, France:

 

[nessz79]

After we ate, I went out on the balcony with my daughter (it was my DWs time to sleep) on my lap. It was beginning to get a little dark, but there were plenty of clouds in the sky. We played the time honored game of using our imagination to tell the other what shapes we can make out of the cloud formation. I have to tell you, that was one of the best times on this cruise – it was a great bonding moment between myself and my DD8. Yes, we could have done this back at home on our back porch, but all of the powers of the cosmos seemed to line up during that one hour but the time and place was just perfect. Eventually she became tired, and I brought her back into the room to fall asleep.

 

Aw, I love these kinds of moments!

[Travel R]

Windjammer for Lunch

Upon returning from the tour of the French Oceanside, we made our way to the Windjammer once again for another midday meal. The choices were somewhat varied as usual, but a few seemed repetitive from prior days (not that the food was not fresh, but the same dishes were once amongst our selections). One of the highlights of the lunchtime meal was the Thai Vegetable Fritters with Sweet Curry Sauce. I had not seen this displayed before, so I decided to try it (I will admit, it is one of the benefits of buffet dining). The fritters were tasty and had a wonderful texture and the curry sauce actually had a little bite to it (as mentioned a few times previously, I thought that many of the dishes were prepared on the bland side to be more palatable by the masses. One of my criticisms, however, is that the standout dishes were not the ones that they repeated.

Afternoon Activities

After lunch, my DD8 went to the Ocean Adventure and my DD13 found her friends and spent the afternoon with them. My DW went to the pool for a few hours, while I relaxed back on my balcony with a good book and my iPod. Back in 1996, when took my first cruise, I started reading an adventure series that a friend had lent to me. The name of the book was the “Eye of the World” by Robert Jordan. The series was on its sixth book when I began. This year, in 2013, the fourteenth and final book of the series was released and that is what I read on this cruise. I had begun and completed reading this series while in international waters (begun in the Caribbean), but to show how times have changed, this time around it was read on a Kindle, while back then it was a hard copy. But I digress . . . . I spend time during that afternoon in the shade of my balcony and the cool sea breeze reading and listening to music. Once again, the Cruise Compass did not list any ship activities that were of interest to me. I’ll list the afternoon choices (from 2:30 to 5:00) and what I tho

ught of them [and also a way to give you an idea of what was offered]:

2:30 – Line Dance Class, Poolside à Not something that was up my alley. I do enjoy dancing with my DW when at affairs, but line dancing is just not my thing.

3:00 – Ship Tour and First Time Cruisers Club à Not a first timer, so it did not apply (although I wonder if they took the anywhere cool on the tour (galley, behind stage, bridge, etc.)?

3:00 – Presentation of the Activities Score Sheet à If you partook in enough of the ship’s activities you could win a prize. This would not apply to me.

3:00 – Guitar Melodies with “Manoelito,” Centrum à I do not categorize musical acts in any of the ship’s venues as an activity. I am not much of a people watcher on cruise ships as well, besides the first floor of the Centrum is usually busy and there may not be a place to sit and truly relax. So, this is something that also did not interest me. RCI is trying to highlight the 360 lounge on the upcoming Quantum – it seems to me to be a larger version of the Centrum – and maybe worth a look for me, but not really a place that I can foresee as being relaxing during the day – but maybe a nice place to hang with friends and other passengers in the evening.

3:05 – Poolside Music with the “Dynamic Duo” à I always associate Calypso & Reggae music with cruises (especially being to the Caribbean a few times). I would sit at the poolside (usually in the shade when my DW was in the sun), with a good book and listen to the live bands. The music is lively, yet tame enough to sit back and enjoy. There is nothing wrong with pop music, especially when you are in the mood to shake what you got on the dance floor, but it does not set the right mood for me (my DW would disagree with me) for chillaxing (chilling + relaxing) out by the pool. Once again, listening to music is not an activity.

3:45 – Seminar: Go Smile Teeth Whitening – with free samples à I really do not want to go and sit through an infomercial while on vacation. I do not like when RCI refers to a sales pitch as a “seminar.” And there were a few of these seminars throughout our itinerary.

3:45 – Adult Nintendo Wii – Open Play, Schooner Bar à This was something I was actually interested in doing. I am not sure if many people took part in it, or if the demographics were mostly the under 30 crown, but for someone like me that grew up with Atari, I still have the video game bug firmly infused in my genes. But, my DW came back from the pool and we decided to relax a little bit – watching TV and taking advantage of the children partaking in their own fun and games.

4:00 – Table Tennis competition – It seemed like an okay thing, but not really of interest to me at this time.

4:30 – Axe Dance Class – Another dance class, not very interested.

4:30 – Fab Abs, Fitness Center – I did my run/walk in the morning, I walked around on my excursions, I was not interested in an abs workout.

At about 5:00, we started gathering the girls and began to get ready for dinner. There was a trivia game at 5:00, but as mentioned, it was too late, the Gilmore Golf challenge, at 5:30 would also have interfered with us getting ready, and the family scavenger hunt may have been fun, but at 6:15 with 6:30 dining reservations (like most families with younger kids), it just did not work out for us. Did the Cruise Director really think about the timing of this – or is scheduling even her responsibility?

Cruise Director

Since I mentioned the cruise director (CD), I guess that this would be a good time to comment upon her. I know this is a hot topic amongst some CC members, so I will try to be gentle. Our cruise director was Mercedes Lafuente. I cannot remember any of the cruise directors on any of my past cruises even days after the vacation was over. However, I am sure I will remember Mercedes. It seemed like she was everywhere on the cruise ship. Every time I turned on the TV, she was there, any time we were at any performance, she was there, even one morning at 6 AM, she was up on the big movie screen. Part of the reason she is memorable is maybe because she is not the normal male CD and that she always appeared with the activities director Tio (SP?) – and the contrast of size was amusing (she is taller than average and he is shorter than average) – nor did their seem to be any real chemistry between the two. She was not that bad looking as well – not beautiful, but she put herself together well. However, I thought that she was nothing spectacular as a public speaker or MC for any of these events. I just did not like the way she presented herself – especially when she tried to be funny. She did her job, and seemed very, very enthusiastic about it, but her voice was not music to my ears. I do not think the CD had ever really impacted my cruise at all, but as presenters go, she did seem to be the most active. She took her leave of the Legend of the Seas at the end of our cruise, so this review is probably not pertinent (to those soon sailing) unless she reappears again on a later itinerary.

Formal Night

And a hushed silence overtakes the readers of this blog at this juncture. One of the most hotly debated issue is now on my plate, and knowing how literarily verbose I can be on simple matters, one might be wondering what expletives or compliments might flow from my fingers onto the keyboard in regards to this matter. My opinion of formal night, however, is well known amongst those very few that spar amongst each other on the formal attire threads. We joust with our lances of verbiage and neither side has yet been declared a winner. I will not use up the space on this post to discuss such matters – however, I shall dedicate a unaccompanied post focusing on the big four: Tipping, Smoking, Alcohol Smuggling, and the Dress Code.

We all took our showers and gussied up for diner – my family looked stunning in their dresses and gowns, and I even donned a suit and tie for the occasion. We were not alone, since a vast majority of the other passengers also dressed up to further supplement the sophistication to the dining setting. For this occasion my beautiful wife and I took two overflowing glasses of wine to the MDR with us to help celebrate the evening.

There were a few new faces amongst the passengers around our table, and we did take the opportunity to get to know many of them. There was one lovely couple from Singapore that sat directly next to us and we spoke almost throughout the entire meal. They were taken by my DD8. When they asked her what she wanted to see the following day in Barcelona, her response was to purchase a fan (the stunning fans that would accompany the flamenco dancers in their dazzling costumes). The young couple told her that if they saw one, they would purchase one for her. On the penultimate evening of the cruise, they dropped it off at the teen lounge with my DD13. We never got a opportunity to properly thank them – if they are reading this – THANK YOU!!!! She loved it! As I have point out on a few occasions already, we have met some wonderful people on this cruise.

As I have done so far on each day of the review, I shall once again provide a brief synopsis of the dishes we had dined on for the evening’s meal.

Appetizer: Scallops. The French have many exceptional culinary dishes, and escargot is one that cries out as being one of their staples (at least to the minds of many Americans). However, escargot being on the menu daily, I decided to choose one of my favorite mollusks, sea scallops. The dish was prepared very like escargot, including the same delicious butter sauce and even served in the same dishes.

Soup: Banana Rum Soup. One word – “Superb.” I could have easily consumed an entire pot of this liquid ambrosia. If there was one recipe I would desire from any of the dishes I had partook during this cruise, this would be it. Once again, superb!!!

Main Course #1: Shrimp Ravioli. This completed a perfect culinary trifecta. The raviolis themselves were cooked well so that they and their fillings simply dissolved into your mouth. If only this dish were larger, I would have been in heaven.

Main Course #2: Roasted Duck. Unfortunately, my ideal repast had come to an end, and with the dish I had thought would be the dish that would most likely appease my palate. Duck is not an easy item to prepare. When cooked right, it is moist and succulent. When it is not pampered and watched during the entire process, or not served quickly after heating, the poultry can dry out quickly. You can probably see what I am alluding to – upon my platter was a piece of dry duck. Taste-wise, it was not bad, it was just a letdown after my three previous selections.

Dessert: Unknown. I did not take note of whatever dessert I ordered for dessert on this evening. However, the conversation with the tables around us must have been enough, and we did run out to make sure to see the aerial show in the Centrum.So for this evening, I will say that the conversation was the perfect sweet topping to an almost perfect meal (darn that duck).

The Evening’s Entertainment

On this evening we experienced the worst weather of our cruise. The wind that had barred us from going to the top of the Cassis cliffs earlier in the day was unrelenting and continued to affect us, even upon our ocean voyage. Directly after dinner, we walked to the Centrum to see the first of three aerial shows that were to be held high above the Centrum’s floor. We decided to watch the show upon a perch on the seventh deck (where we had our stateroom). This, as it turned out was a great place to view the entertainment – but it was not to be on this evening. Deck seven is where the entertainers would set up and stage the equipment for the upcoming show. We watched as one of the performers got onto a giant chandelier, but after trying a few moves, stepped back onto the landing. A few minutes later, to our disappointment, they cancelled the show. Strangely enough, they did not make any announcements to declare as such, the performers and technical crew, just walked away.

Fortunately, the entertainment was not finished for the evening, and we walked to the That’s Entertainment Theater for the big evening’s performance. The theater was nicely decorated and more importantly, the seats were very comfortable. This evening’s featured performance was by “Soul Sensation.” They are a Motown/doo-wop group that performed hits from the past. The group was very entertaining and it got me singing, clapping, and stamping my feet. My parents listened to a lot of this music, so I was very familiar with all of the songs, and had even seen many of the original entertainers perform these hits live (during revival concerts). It was a very enjoyable hour, although my DD8 fell asleep (even with all the noise) about half way through the show.

We then retired back to our room, and placed my daughter down on her bed. My DW also made herself ready for sleep as I took my customary place out on the balcony to relax and listen to music on the balcony. Even with the tumbling motion of the ship caused by the torrent of the waves, I still took pleasure in being on the balcony. As sometime around 12:30 in the morning, my DD13 came back from the teen lounge and we partook in our midnight snack (that kept moving further and further from midnight). The pool in the Solarium was closed due to the ruthlessness of its own waves [i will post a picture of what it looked like]. Another quick note as to the food in the Park Café – the Egg Salad sandwich (also pre-packaged) was also a huge disappointment with the same soggy bread as the Chicken Salad. I did try the lobster bisque, which was fairly tasty, but it was very watery (and really needed to be much thicker).

Up Next . . . . Teen Lounge and MDR Review - and a few more pictures.

[Travel R]

Looking down at the bottom of the centrum awaiting the sky show (from Deck 7):

 

 

One of the aerial acrobats testing the equipment before the show. Due to the rocking of the ship, they determined it to be unsafe and had to cancel. This was also taken from Deck 7.

 

 

Photograph of one of the performers awaiting the news as to whether the show will go on (or not):

 

 

The That's Entertainment Theater:

 

 

They closed up the pool in the Solarium due to the waves inside the pool (taken at about 1:00 AM):

 

Edited July 28, 2013 by Travel R

[Travel R]

As mentioned earlier, my DD8 is fairly outgoing, my DD13, on the other hand, is on the shy side. I worried about a number of things that relate to my teenage daughter prior to the cruise. Some of these items included: (1) will there be any other kids that spoke English; (2) will there be any kids my daughter’s age; (3) will she be able to meet and become friendly with any other kids on our cruise; and (4) if she does not meet anyone to hang out with, how are we going to be able to occupy the afternoons and evenings for our teenage daughter once we came back from port? There is also fifth worry, I know that it is one that is in the back of every parent’s mind (especially those that have daughters) – (5) will she be okay by herself on a cruise ship and will anyone try to harm her.

I am going to happily state that there was absolutely no need to worry about any of these things. (1) Although there were a few teens that spoke languages other than English, many either spoke English as their first language (although many with funny British and Australian accents) or had a great grasp of the English language and were able to communicate effectively. (2) There were around 100 teens on this cruise (kids between 12 and 17), although a number of them did not frequent the teen area, a few dozen did attend regularly. (3) She became very friendly with a number of kids (from the US and around the world) beginning with the first night she went to the lounge (for the Teen Meet and Greet). She still “speaks” to some of them via Instagram, “Kick,” and via Skype. (4) I never had to worry about what to do with her, in fact we had the opposite issue, since wanted to spend every afternoon and evening with her new cruise-friends instead of with her really awesome and cool parents and younger sister. (5) A cruise ship is, in many ways, like a small city, so it is only natural to worry. As such, we as parents worry, but she survived the cruise without any issues.

On the first afternoon we had arrived on the ship, my daughters accompanied my DW to the pool and they made friends with an 11 year old Italian Girl (see review of first day for more details). She did not see many other kids her age, and was expecting the worst. That night, after dinner, we went up to deck 10 to bring DD8 to Ocean Adventure, there was a line to get in, so I walked with my DD13 next door (well, the elevator banks are technically in-between) to the Optix Lounge. She was very hesitant to walk in, but she did so anyway a few feet in front of me, she walked to the entryway, took a quick look, and within seconds, turned around. A moment afterwards someone from the room called out – “Hi, come on in.” She turned back around (and my face, if she was looking read “you better turn around and go in there.”) and went in. I quickly retreated back to meet my DW. After we had signed DD8 into the OA, I took a quick peek inside the teen room and saw my DD talking to some other girls – all, we hoped, was okay.

A little later that evening (maybe 9:30 – 10:00), I snuck upstairs to spy on my DD. I was able to quickly take a look inside without her seeing me, and she was talking to a large group of girls. Now that I knew she was okay, I went back to my room, sat out on the deck and worried about what time she would return. By 11:00 my DW (who also stayed up), came to me and wanted me to go up again. I said, we have to trust her, and we waited another half hour, until she entered the room with a wide grin upon her face. She met some nice kids, and had a great time (and could not wait to meet up with them the following evening). My DD13 and I went to the Park Café to pick up a midnight snack, which became our daddy-daughter ritual each evening when she returned.

She met up with the other kids in her group (they referred to their individual groups as “families” – a little cliquish, I know, but she said it was not an exclusive/inclusive thing and all the teens her age would hang out together regardless of their family). When I asked her what she did each night, she would mostly say they hung out on the chairs and talked. However, they did participate in a few activities (there is a small Teen Compass (the size of a large postcard) listed each night. She said that she did participate in a bunch of them (she had to explain how she would come back with prizes and medallions). She enjoyed the scavenger hunts and dodge ball the most (including a boy vs. girl dodge ball tournament). They did have other activities for the teens, such as bingo, contests, dodge ball, etc. There was even one evening when the arcade was free.

When I asked my daughter if there was anything she would like to tell other teens about the teen lounge that have never cruised (or cruised on RCI before), she said that they should go to the meet and greet on the first night, not to overdress, and that after the “scheduled” activities are over, the kids can suggest their own activities. One activity they supposedly liked to suggest was dodge ball. If you are wondering about how they can play ball in that room, she said that they put up special nets that protect things from being damaged and the chairs also become a blockade as well.

She made some good friends on the cruise (both girls and boys (I have to get used to that)). These other kids are from all parts of the globe such as Australia and Norway, and some as close as Florida, Kentucky, and California. As mentioned before, she still speaks to them (although the time differential does not make it easy for some of them). One thing that was very cute was that on the second formal night, all the kids in her group decided to eat dinner together in the MDR (one of the other parents arranged a table), and all 8 or nine of them got dressed up and enjoyed dinner together (my DD13 even invited our DD8 to eat with them, and she accepted – My DD is smart, since she knew that by doing so, we would more likely allow her to eat with the other kids instead of with us).

There are two things that I must prep parents on before going on a cruise with their teen (especially young teens):

(1) They will meet friends and will most likely want to spend time with these strangers they just met instead of their parents that have raised and looked after them for 13+ years. Even though it is a “family vacation” – let them have fun. Make sure you have your family bonding time during excursions, meals, or pre/post cruise. Just always remember, they love us, but they also want to have some fun and hanging out with us (to them) may seem like a drag; and

(2) They will stay out later – and I mean much later than you may have ever let them stay out on their own before. My DD13 has been out at school functions which are usually over by no later than 10:00; hung out late at a friend’s house (with parents in the house); and attended sleepovers (once again, with a parent being present). The first night she came to the cabin at 11:30 and we were very nervous. Some nights she was out until almost 1 AM. We trusted her, gave her some independence, and as parents, had to suck it up. Note, however, there were some rules that we gave her. For instance, she is never to drink from a glass that she has left unattended (or took her eye off of), she is to stay somewhere on Deck 9 or 10 (especially after 11:00). If she is to go anywhere else (e.g., an activity elsewhere on the ship, to another girl’s room, etc., she is to call us (leave a message if we are not there) or to come back to the room and leave us a note (we leave a pen and yellow sticky notes by the mirror). Lastly, she is to use her common sense, if she does not want to do something, or those she is with want to do something stupid, to just walk away.

I also want to make note that there is a teen staff person in the room in the evening at all times until 1:00 AM. The room is open during the morning and afternoon, but there is no supervision. There is a 1 AM curfew for all teens under 18 on the ship (although we probably violated that by a few minutes during our midnight snack runs).

I hope this information helps anyone thinking about taking their teen on a cruise (Mediterranean or otherwise), or if they have cruised before and want to try out RCI.

For your enjoyment, below are pictures of the optix teen lounge from four angles (sorry, the picture of the arcade did not come out very well):

The one thing I am missing from this review are copies of the Teen Compass -- I will try to get them scanned and posted as soon as I can.

Next Up . . . . . . My-Time-Dining (MTD) Review, followed by Our Day of Relaxation in Palma.

[AussieVisi2r]

Thanks.

[cruise pup]

I just watched "Gigi Goes to Rome" and when she was there the area around the fountain was almost empty

 

The movie is called "Gidget Goes to Rome." Gigi stayed in Paris.;) It's a fun movie. I liked the cinematography and was glad they included the Villa d'Este fountains which are actually outside Rome, in Tivoli. Great photos, by the way. I haven't finished looking at them but what I've seen so far are spectacular. Thanks for sharing.

Edited July 29, 2013 by cruise pup

[cruise pup]

Pictures from our day in France (Marseilles and Cassis)

 

Notre Dame de la Garde- It sits atop a mountain overlooking the port in Marseilles:

 

If you want a "companion" film to enjoy Marseille's location, try the film "Fanny" with Leslie Caron, Charles Boyer & Maurice Chevalier. The titles are shown over a spectacular aerial view of the old port. There's also a very poignant scene where Leslie goes up to the basilica to pray. The soundtrack is beautiful. They took the songs from the Broadway musical and adapted them to instrumentals. It's one of the only Broadway musicals that was adapted to the screen without the songs.

 

By the way, I'm guessing you didn't have time to visit the basilica. There are bullet holes in the wall. The ****s held the basilica as a strategic lookout point so the Resistance shot at it.

Edited July 29, 2013 by cruise pup

[cruise pup]

Signs, signs, everywhere there's signs:

 

 

Ooh, lookie, someone spelled Marseilles wrong!;)

[Travel R]

The movie is called "Gidget Goes to Rome." Gigi stayed in Paris.;) It's a fun movie. I liked the cinematography and was glad they included the Villa d'Este fountains which are actually outside Rome, in Tivoli. Great photos, by the way. I haven't finished looking at them but what I've seen so far are spectacular. Thanks for sharing.

 

 

I stand corrected -- thanks!! For some reason I must have had Gigi on my mind.

 

 

What is interesting is that when I saw the Villa d'Este fountains, I said to myself "how did I miss those"? I had to Google them to discover that, as you stated, they are not within the city.

 

I'll also try to check out "Fanny" if I ever come accross it (or if ever featured TMC) - thanks for the suggestion. I have never seen the movie, but looks like there there are some great actors in that film.

 

 

Thank you for reading and glad you are enjoying my ramblings.

Edited July 29, 2013 by Travel R

[cruise pup]

I stand corrected -- thanks!! For some reason I must have had Gigi on my mind.

 

 

What is interesting is that when I saw the Villa d'Este fountains, I said to myself "how did I miss those"? I had to Google them to discover that, as you stated, they are not within the city.

 

I'll also try to check out "Fanny" if I ever come accross it (or if ever featured TMC) - thanks for the suggestion. I have never seen the movie, but looks like there there are some great actors in that film.

 

 

Thank you for reading and glad you are enjoying my ramblings.

 

The thanks are all to you for your invaluable report. "Fanny" by the way, started as a series of 3 French plays back in the early 1930's and each one was made into a film. They are called Marius, Fanny and Cesar after 3 of the 4 main characters. They are wonderful (in French with subtitles). Then Harold Rome turned the stories into a Broadway musical back in the 50's. This was Florence Henderson's (Brady Bunch) breakout role. And like I said, it was made into a film without the songs (directed by Joshua Logan) with Leslie Caron.

[Travel R]

This was our first time using the My Time Dining (MTD) option. When I first booked this cruise, I had chosen the traditional dining (early seating (6:30). However, after reading several threads on how great the MTD option was, I decided that I would try it. The service seemed like it had many options – choosing the time you wanted to dine each evening (even if at a different time) and the ability to change your dining time, or even show up early, even if you are scheduled for a later time slot. Although I knew that we were going to have our meals on the earlier end of the spectrum, there were some nights where I would want to schedule our dinner later in the evening (such as in Barcelona).

I had already prepaid my tips which you need to do to be eligible for MTD. However, since I had already done so and since I was already set up for early traditional dining, I had to call RCI customer support to be able to access the system (when I first went online it would not allow me to select MTD). The RCI support was very helpful, they transferred me to the correct department, and in a few minutes they put me into the system and ten minutes later I went back online and was able to enter my preferences into the system.

The online system allows the user to select a different dining time for each evening (every 15 minutes from 6 pm until 7 pm, and from 8 pm until 8:45 pm). It also allows you to choose your preferred size of your table. Due to my family, my times to dine varied on almost every evening – 6:00 or 6:15 on most nights, with 6:45 on the formal evenings (to allow more time to get dressed) and 8:15 on the day in Barcelona (in case we got back late from port). Everything seemed perfect.

When we arrived for embarkment there was a person from the wait staff that asked me about my dining times. I said I knew I was eating at 6:00 that evening (I had the printout to prove it), but he said that the earliest anyone could eat in the Main Dining Room (MDR) as 6:30. I then gave them my room number and they looked it up at the computer screen. They had me listed with the MTD option, but I was booked for 6:30 for every evening. Well, so much for taking the time to choose my desired dining times in advance. Because I did not want to deal with it at that time, I said I would talk to the wait staff when I went to eat (at 6:30) that evening.

When we arrived at the MDR (traditional dining is on Deck 4 and MTD is on Deck 5), I started speaking to the person that was assigning the tables. But because a large line was developing behind us, he said “I’ll come over and we can work it out later.” He then gave one of the waiters a slip of paper with our table # on it. [Which, as explained in an earlier post, he wrote Table #111 instead of #11 on the other side of the dining room – which we sat at or near the remainder of the week.] Well, the person never came over to my table to discuss it. I talked it over with my DW, and we decided that since 6:30 was the earliest we could sit, and most of the seating times I selected were within 15 minutes of it, to just forget about it and show up at 6:30 every evening. It also wound up that on the evening after Barcelona, we returned back from the ship earlier than expected, and still made the 6:30 dinning time.

As for being seated at a larger table, that was not in the cards either for us. Our family of four sat at a table of four. Although I know other passengers prefer private dinners onboard, we actually enjoy larger tables with other passengers. I was thinking about asking for a large table, but we happened to have lucked out with an excellent wait-team the second night, in a section with only smaller tables, and we chose the known quantity of service over the unknown. It should also be noted that most of the tables on Deck 5 MDR (MTD) were 4 and 6 top, but the Deck 4 tables (traditional dining) had a much greater number of the 10 top variety. If I would have just stuck with the 6:30 traditional dining I originally selected, I would have eaten at the same time I did with the MTD, and would have more probably had a larger table.

In regard to eating at a larger table, for one meal my DDs did not eat with us, and because it was just the two of us we asked if we could be moved to a large table for that evening. They were able to accommodate us (2 is much easier than 4), and we sat with a bunch of other very nice passengers for the evening with decent service as well.

A few other side notes: From my observation, the pax in the Deck 4 dining room were more dressier on formal night, and on the second formal night, the waiters in that room did their little parade, which there was none on Deck 5. Whenever I had to leave the MDR to go back to our cabin for something, etc., there was always a line to get into the MTD room – it was not very long, but unless you get there at 6:30 – 6:45, there might be a wait. I am also not really sure if the service is much faster. Although the waiter does take your order as soon as you are seated, they still server each course to all of the tables under their responsibility at the same time (at least for the earliest slot that we ate).

In hindsight, maybe if I looked at the Compasses from this itinerary posted by ILuvCruising2, I may have noticed that dining in the MDR did begin at 6:30. However, the website did provide options beginning at 6:00 (and it is possible to change from one itinerary to the next). I was also disappointed that they did not provide us with a bigger table (but I was able to have very nice conversations with people from other tables around us).

Would I try MTD again? I am not sure, but I am leaning towards no at this time. I had a wonderful dining experience, but this may not be exactly my preference for the time being. This option might be more suited for those that want a much more varied schedule and a later dining experience. It may also be more suitable for those that prefer more private dining and could more easily placed at a smaller table. There are different dining options for the multitude of varied preferences, and everyone can choose what is best for themselves and their families.

 

As for our kids - it really did not matter, since the time was early. The girls were done with their meals and desserts by 8:00 at which time my DD13 would take my DD8 back to the room to change, then take her to the OA while on the way to meet her friends in the teen lounge.

 

Up Next . . . . Barcelona

Edited July 29, 2013 by Travel R

[Travel R]

As mentioned earlier, my DD8 is fairly outgoing, my DD13, on the other hand, is on the shy side. I worried about a number of things that relate to my teenage daughter prior to the cruise. Some of these items included: (1) will there be any other kids that spoke English; (2) will there be any kids my daughter’s age; (3) will she be able to meet and become friendly with any other kids on our cruise; and (4) if she does not meet anyone to hang out with, how are we going to be able to occupy the afternoons and evenings for our teenage daughter once we came back from port? There is also fifth worry, I know that it is one that is in the back of every parent’s mind (especially those that have daughters) – (5) will she be okay by herself on a cruise ship and will anyone try to harm her.

 

I am going to happily state that there was absolutely no need to worry about any of these things. (1) Although there were a few teens that spoke languages other than English, many either spoke English as their first language (although many with funny British and Australian accents) or had a great grasp of the English language and were able to communicate effectively. (2) There were around 100 teens on this cruise (kids between 12 and 17), although a number of them did not frequent the teen area, a few dozen did attend regularly. (3) She became very friendly with a number of kids (from the US and around the world) beginning with the first night she went to the lounge (for the Teen Meet and Greet). She still “speaks” to some of them via Instagram, “Kick,” and via Skype. (4) I never had to worry about what to do with her, in fact we had the opposite issue, since wanted to spend every afternoon and evening with her new cruise-friends instead of with her really awesome and cool parents and younger sister. (5) A cruise ship is, in many ways, like a small city, so it is only natural to worry. As such, we as parents worry, but she survived the cruise without any issues.

 

On the first afternoon we had arrived on the ship, my daughters accompanied my DW to the pool and they made friends with an 11 year old Italian Girl (see review of first day for more details). She did not see many other kids her age, and was expecting the worst. That night, after dinner, we went up to deck 10 to bring DD8 to Ocean Adventure, there was a line to get in, so I walked with my DD13 next door (well, the elevator banks are technically in-between) to the Optix Lounge. She was very hesitant to walk in, but she did so anyway a few feet in front of me, she walked to the entryway, took a quick look, and within seconds, turned around. A moment afterwards someone from the room called out – “Hi, come on in.” She turned back around (and my face, if she was looking read “you better turn around and go in there.”) and went in. I quickly retreated back to meet my DW. After we had signed DD8 into the OA, I took a quick peek inside the teen room and saw my DD talking to some other girls – all, we hoped, was okay.

 

A little later that evening (maybe 9:30 – 10:00), I snuck upstairs to spy on my DD. I was able to quickly take a look inside without her seeing me, and she was talking to a large group of girls. Now that I knew she was okay, I went back to my room, sat out on the deck and worried about what time she would return. By 11:00 my DW (who also stayed up), came to me and wanted me to go up again. I said, we have to trust her, and we waited another half hour, until she entered the room with a wide grin upon her face. She met some nice kids, and had a great time (and could not wait to meet up with them the following evening). My DD13 and I went to the Park Café to pick up a midnight snack, which became our daddy-daughter ritual each evening when she returned.

 

She met up with the other kids in her group (they referred to their individual groups as “families” – a little cliquish, I know, but she said it was not an exclusive/inclusive thing and all the teens her age would hang out together regardless of their family). When I asked her what she did each night, she would mostly say they hung out on the chairs and talked. However, they did participate in a few activities (there is a small Teen Compass (the size of a large postcard) listed each night. She said that she did participate in a bunch of them (she had to explain how she would come back with prizes and medallions). She enjoyed the scavenger hunts and dodge ball the most (including a boy vs. girl dodge ball tournament). They did have other activities for the teens, such as bingo, contests, dodge ball, etc. There was even one evening when the arcade was free.

 

When I asked my daughter if there was anything she would like to tell other teens about the teen lounge that have never cruised (or cruised on RCI before), she said that they should go to the meet and greet on the first night, not to overdress, and that after the “scheduled” activities are over, the kids can suggest their own activities. One activity they supposedly liked to suggest was dodge ball. If you are wondering about how they can play ball in that room, she said that they put up special nets that protect things from being damaged and the chairs also become a blockade as well.

 

She made some good friends on the cruise (both girls and boys (I have to get used to that)). These other kids are from all parts of the globe such as Australia and Norway, and some as close as Florida, Kentucky, and California. As mentioned before, she still speaks to them (although the time differential does not make it easy for some of them). One thing that was very cute was that on the second formal night, all the kids in her group decided to eat dinner together in the MDR (one of the other parents arranged a table), and all 8 or nine of them got dressed up and enjoyed dinner together (my DD13 even invited our DD8 to eat with them, and she accepted – My DD is smart, since she knew that by doing so, we would more likely allow her to eat with the other kids instead of with us).

 

There are two things that I must prep parents on before going on a cruise with their teen (especially young teens):

 

(1) They will meet friends and will most likely want to spend time with these strangers they just met instead of their parents that have raised and looked after them for 13+ years. Even though it is a “family vacation” – let them have fun. Make sure you have your family bonding time during excursions, meals, or pre/post cruise. Just always remember, they love us, but they also want to have some fun and hanging out with us (to them) may seem like a drag; and

 

(2) They will stay out later – and I mean much later than you may have ever let them stay out on their own before. My DD13 has been out at school functions which are usually over by no later than 10:00; hung out late at a friend’s house (with parents in the house); and attended sleepovers (once again, with a parent being present). The first night she came to the cabin at 11:30 and we were very nervous. Some nights she was out until almost 1 AM. We trusted her, gave her some independence, and as parents, had to suck it up. Note, however, there were some rules that we gave her. For instance, she is never to drink from a glass that she has left unattended (or took her eye off of), she is to stay somewhere on Deck 9 or 10 (especially after 11:00). If she is to go anywhere else (e.g., an activity elsewhere on the ship, to another girl’s room, etc., she is to call us (leave a message if we are not there) or to come back to the room and leave us a note (we leave a pen and yellow sticky notes by the mirror). Lastly, she is to use her common sense, if she does not want to do something, or those she is with want to do something stupid, to just walk away.

 

I also want to make note that there is a teen staff person in the room in the evening at all times until 1:00 AM. The room is open during the morning and afternoon, but there is no supervision. There is a 1 AM curfew for all teens under 18 on the ship (although we probably violated that by a few minutes during our midnight snack runs).

 

I hope this information helps anyone thinking about taking their teen on a cruise (Mediterranean or otherwise), or if they have cruised before and want to try out RCI.

 

A quick addendum regarding the teen club review (after talking to my DD13 this afternoon)– Because of the number of teenson this cruise they condensed the two age groups, so all the kids from 12 to 17(16) were grouped together. She said that there was only one 15 year old and one 16 year old and the majority of kids were 13 and 14. Since most of the kids were so close in age, they all participated in the activities and hung out together (even with the 15 & 16 year old).

Edited July 30, 2013 by Travel R

[cruise pup]

The thanks are all to you for your invaluable report. "Fanny" by the way, started as a series of 3 French plays back in the early 1930's and each one was made into a film. They are called Marius, Fanny and Cesar after 3 of the 4 main characters. They are wonderful (in French with subtitles). Then Harold Rome turned the stories into a Broadway musical back in the 50's. This was Florence Henderson's (Brady Bunch) breakout role. And like I said, it was made into a film without the songs (directed by Joshua Logan) with Leslie Caron.

 

Found the opening titles on YouTube so you don't need to bother watching the entire film if you don't want to:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUKwL8_1cmg

 

Okay, that's it. I've bothered you about this way too much. But I hope you enjoy.

[xxHadleyxx]

On every single one of our Med cruise the 12-17 year olds have been put together in one group! We never sail in July or August--perhaps then there are enough teens to split, but certainly not in May, June, September or October in the Med :)

 

Oh, and in case anyone is trying to place him, the activities director is Gio, short for Giovani. Before the Legend, he was on the Navigator with Simona. RCI seems to like pairing him with really tall ladies for some reason.

 

Sorry about the weather on formal night--it seems that inevitably the ship will be at its rockiest when all the ladies are in heels :eek:

[Travel R]

Found the opening titles on YouTube so you don't need to bother watching the entire film if you don't want to:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUKwL8_1cmg

 

Okay, that's it. I've bothered you about this way too much. But I hope you enjoy.

 

Thanks for the link. I watched it - some great scenes of the old port. Now that I have seen the first few minutes, I will make a point of watching the rest of the movie.

 

I am sure other readers appreciate the link as well - it provides some visual perspective as to what the old port looked like a few decades ago, compared to what it looks like today.

[Travel R]

On every single one of our Med cruise the 12-17 year olds have been put together in one group! We never sail in July or August--perhaps then there are enough teens to split, but certainly not in May, June, September or October in the Med :)

 

Oh, and in case anyone is trying to place him, the activities director is Gio, short for Giovani. Before the Legend, he was on the Navigator with Simona. RCI seems to like pairing him with really tall ladies for some reason.

 

Sorry about the weather on formal night--it seems that inevitably the ship will be at its rockiest when all the ladies are in heels :eek:

 

July/August has got to be too hot to travel in the Med. We had been in a few of the southern cities of Spain (Cadiz, Malaga, Granada, etc.) in September, and it was pretty hot then [forcast for Rome this week is in the mid to upper 90s]. Regardless of the weather, I can seem more teens sailing at that time because more are off from school, We literally left on the last day of school for the girls. (UK I believe starts their summer holiday off mid-July).

 

Thanks for the correction, it is Gio, not Tio (as I had written above) -- he seems to have a great personality and good sense of humor, however, his role was mostly to translate what Mercedes said into Italian. I think he would look short next to most women. Although North Americans made up over 40% of the ship, the next largest contingent was Italians with almost 400 passengers, followed by Germans with almost 300 passengers followed closely by Spaniards with almost as many.

 

The rough waters have never really affected us on any of our cruises. On one of our earlier cruises, the MDR was mostly empty because of the rocking of the boat one night, and on our previous cruise fron NY to Bermuda, we sailed right through a hurricane (24 foot waves & 110+ MPH winds -- we arrived the same time as a Princess ship, and the winds tore off half the canopy from the top of that ship). But it did not hinder our vacations on either of those vacations. However, the Motown group that night had a bit of trouble trying to synchronize their choreography due to the motion of the ship.

[Travel R]

A Beautiful and Relaxing Late Morning

 

The seas were fairly calm on the fourth day of our seafaring adventure following the tempest of the previous evening. Although the ship was scheduled to dock late in the morn, I still arose upon early dawns light for my morning activities, that is, my mile long run/walk upon the deck, followed by a quick stopover to the Park Café during my return. This bonus time provided me with ample opportunity to take a shower that was a little longer than usual and subsequently lounged about on the balcony to watch the sun rise over the Catalonian sky. As you may have suspected after reading a few of my posts, the setting for our breakfast would be the main dining room for a nice leisurely breakfast with our fellow Legend of the Seas seafarers.

 

[Notes: Breakfast again was an omelet accompanied by the granola concoction off the breakfast bar (lovin’ that option). There as a waiter in the MDR every morning that would call my DD8 Princess, and every morning she would play shy and try to hide herself from him. It was a nice start to the morning meal for us and my daughter.

 

For this day’s excursion, I selected the City of Barcelona tour (BR01) through RCI. I know that all three of my excursions this week were through RCI instead of through private companies. However, after performing research, I believed that these worked best for my family. As I had mentioned at the beginning of my review, there was going to have to be some compromise when touring these cities. The greatest compromise came in Barcelona. The tours that included all of the Gaudi architecture (where you go inside) would have consisted of too much walking inside structures my children may or may not have enjoyed. I also avoided the Picasso museum because the kids had already told us that they did not want to see any art. Luckily we live close to NYC with access to many world-renowned art collections, and we have been able to take them to these museums many times, so I know they are not lacking in artistic culture – and I have seen many of Picasso’s other great works in other museums (Guernica, at the National Museum in Madrid, being my favorite), so it was okay that I did not go to the museum (this time).

Also note, if you are budgeting any of the RCI excursions, at 13 years old my daughter was considered an adult for all of the tours and she was charged as such.]

 

Although the tour in Genoa was a good idea, in hindsight, I should have done it myself. The tour in Marseilles that took us to Cassis sounded like a great idea, but in application, it was not what I had hoped for. However, I did strike gold with the tour and doing some of the city ourselves afterwards as you shall see . . . ]

 

 

A Tour of Barcelona

 

We gathered at the assigned meeting place, which was once again the theater until the designated number for our group was called. We made our way onto our luxury means of transportation for the day, another motor coach. As traversed to our first destination within the city of Barcelona, the tour guide began to speak. In contrast to the guides of the prior two excursions, this guide had a lot to say about the city and its history and in much greater depth. She not only discussed the various structures and monuments we were going to be visiting later in the day, but illuminated us about the architecture and historical significance of the sites that we were passing by on the streets of this Spanish metropolis.

 

It was necessary for us to first ascend to more lofty heights in order to arrive at our first destination, the Mirador del Alcalde atop Montjuic Hill. The views from this park provided us with a complete panoramic view of not only the city but also the full breadth of the port and ocean before us – including a unique birds-eye peek at our mighty ocean vessel, the Legend of the Seas. The atop the hill itself is very pretty, and if I lived in Barcelona, I could easily see my family enjoying a picnic during a pleasant fall day. On this mount were also situated a few buildings of some import, including the Olympic stadium which we had also passed along the way.

 

[Note: There are also porta-potties, a little food shack, and a bunch of vendors selling different items to the tourists.]

 

During the next stage of our journey we drove down Pthe assieg de Gracia, a beautiful boulevard that includes some of Gaudi signature buildings, amongst other marvelous architecture and facades adorned with beautiful iron-wrought decorations. Our guide then brought us to Gaudi’s grand (unfinished) masterpiece the Sagrada Familia. I have traversed throughout North America, and Europe, and I have never seen such a unique structure as this church – especially not on a such a colossal scale. I will provide a few photographs, but those cannot really do justice to just being there and gazing upon this magnificent work of art yourself. Unfortunately, this excursion did not include admittance into the viscera of the structure, but it is a reason why I have already convince myself to undoubtedly return to Barcelona in or after 2027, when its construction has been projected to have been completed.

 

[Note: After walking half-way around the building, the guide took us to a large souvenir shop to use the restrooms. I wonder if she gets some type of kickback, but we did wind up purchasing a few items from that shop. The girls though the architecture was “cool,” but I do not think that either of them were impressed with it.]

 

The excursion was still not over yet, there was still much more to accomplish. Our group proceeded back to the awaiting bus which brought us to our next stop within the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona. This area included some of the older architecture of the city, some dating back to the thirteenth century. As we walked down the cobblestone streets, the guide provided us with information and history of the buildings and its past inhabitants. She then led us to the Gothic Cathedral, which can be celebrated for its own rich history and architectural beauty even in the shadows of the Sagrada Familia. We were then allotted some time to wander around the area freely, which we spent sitting on a shaded bench enjoying street performers and people watching while we rested and bided our time.

 

The bus was then going to bring us back to the ship, but as had been the custom on all the previous excursions, all those that have taken any RCI excursion that day would receive complimentary bus shuttle service. On this occasion, my family was ready to hop off at the shuttle area and visit additional attractions on our own.

 

[Note: The bus dropped us off by the Columbus Monument, in the vicinity of where the RCI shuttle is located. The Columbus monument is at the southern end of Las Ramblas (which was where we wanted to go) and is probably about a 15-20 minute walk from where the ship was docked. The free shuttle worked out very nice for us (I did not know about it prior to the trip – nor do I think that many of the other passengers know about it either) so we did not have to take a bus or find a cab to get us back to the ship when we were through for the day.]

 

Las Ramblas On Our Own

 

My family departed the bus and began our solo adventure for the day. Although nothing as exciting as a tale by Hoffman, it was still an enjoyable afternoon spent on foreign soil with just the four of us. The hours were spent mostly strolling up and down the avenue looking at people, browsing a gazillion tourist traps (I mean souvenir shops), and taking in a little nourishment.

 

The one thing my DD8 wanted from this entire trip was a hand fan from Spain. We told her that Barcelona would be the perfect place for her to do so. She loves to dance, and saw the beautifully costumed flamenco dancers perform not long before we undertook this vacation. This was the catalyst for her simple desire, and we wanted to make it come true. We searched through many a store before she finally found the perfect fan and bought it for her. A child’s smile is worth more than gold.

 

[Note: Not only did she get the one we bought her, but as I had mentioned earlier, the couple we had dined next to had also purchased one for her as well. [One again, thank you!!!] I had one happy child by the end of the cruise. Then a week later my DW and I went to a beautiful outdoor wedding, and they handed out fans to the guests – and guess what, she got another one (although decorated with Chinese artistry).]

 

The Best Pizza – Italy, France, or Spain?

 

I had performed research on dining establishments at which to eat while in the area of Las Ramblas. However, I had forgotten to take the paper with me, so we had to become adventurous and take a chance on a random restaurant on the strip. Most of the prices were somewhat similar, and many offered “three tapas” with your selection of a main dishe. However, we saw what the tapas looked like, and all three tapas combined would probably not equal the size of a single appetizer in most restaurants (even in Europe) [the tapas were pure tourist rip-offs]. We settled, mostly because we were with our kids, on a random pizzeria. My DW and DDs had pizza, but I had paella (I had chicken because I did not trust to purchase seafood from a foreign restaurant I had not performed any research on). The paella was not bad (and although I usually do not display pictures of the food I eat, I will break that personal rule once here and show the paella. The pizza, on the other hand, was just okay.)

 

Now that we have tried pizza in three different countries, the question has to be asked. Between Italy, France, and Spain, which has the best pizza? The answer was unanimous between the four of us – the best pizza, hands down, is found in Brooklyn. Although to be true to the question, out of the three, Italy had the best, with Spain second, and France taking up the rear.

 

The day in Barcelona was really nice and my whole family agrees it was also the best paid excursion of the three. The excursion provided us with an opportunity to see all the major attractions that Barcelona has to offer, and also provided us with ample opportunity to conduct some exploring on our own. The kids enjoyed the city (my DD13 more than the DD8), but they both enjoyed Las Ramblas. One of the highlights of the avenue (at the south end) was the human statues. In NYC there are a few of these actors trying to make money off of the tourists, usually dressed up like the Statue of Liberty. However, there were at least two dozen different “statues” dressed up as almost anything from John Lennon to the Devil, and Marie Antoinette to the creature from Alien. All you need to do is throw a few Euros into the pot and they would come alive and perform.

 

We walked back to the shuttle and got back to the ship about 5 o’clockish to rest a little bit, take very quick showers and be able to make dinner at 6:30 (although we probably got their closer to 6:45).

 

Up Next . . . . . Dinner and A Show

[Travel R]

Another ship sailing under the Spanish Sunrise:

 

 

 

 

Sunrise over Spanish Waters (taken in the early AM on the way to Barcelona):

 

 

 

Sagrada Familia (taken from our balcony) & Columbus Monument to the right [A cabin on the starboard side worked out well for us]:

 

 

The Legend of the Seas seen from up high:

 

 

 

 

Panoramic View of Barcelona (taken from Montjuic Hill):

 

 

 

Fountains atop Montjuic Hill (Barcelona):

 

 

 

[if you were wondering, I finally figured out how to use the fonts on photobucket, and at this point I had also figured out how to use the panoramic option on my new camera.]

[Travel R]

Sardana Dance Statues (Montjuic Hill, Barcelona):

 

 

I cannot recall the name of this house, but I took a picture of the building and waterfalls while driving past it on the bus:

 

 

One of the window facades of a Gaudi building on the Passieg de Gracia:

 

Sagrada Familia:

 

 

 

A closer view of the Sagrada Familia: