Live review with pics, Equinox, Oct 27, TA Barcelona to Ft. Lauderdale.

[cl.klink]

Sala de la Barca is followed by Grand Hall of the Ambassadors (Grand Salón de Los Embajadores), essentially a throne room for the Sultan. Domed ceiling has 8017 inlaid pieces. The stucco walls had paint and precious metals. This is where the Sultan received ambassadors, visitors, heads of state. Detail on walls includes lines from the holy Quran, including 9000 repetitions of "only Allah is victorious." Two big events happened here in 1492. In January, King Boabdil signed surrender as the last Moorish king, ceding the last Moorish holding to the conquering Christians, ending over 700 years of Islamic rule in southern Spain. Later, this room is also where Columbus negotiated a final plea to Queen Isabella to finance his voyage to find a western route to India and China. When he left in August 1492, he described seeing countless Jews on rickety small boats, having been expelled by Isabella.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[cl.klink]

Courtyard of Lions, leaving the Grand Hall. The fountain in the middle has 12 lions. The fountain was a gift to the Sultan from a 14th century Jewish leader to celebrate good relations between the large Jewish community at the time. One theory is that it represents the 12 tribes of Israel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[cl.klink]

Gardens in Alhambra.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Luckynana]

Joel, thank you for the very interesting history lessons along with these outstanding photographs! The port-intensive excursions are exhausting, to say the least, but so worth every bit of it! :D:D

 

Maryann

[cl.klink]

Joel, thank you for the very interesting history lessons along with these outstanding photographs! The port-intensive excursions are exhausting, to say the least, but so worth every bit of it! :D:D

 

Maryann

 

Thanks, Mayann. Agree. I will be turning to more cruise-y stuff soon, as 8 of the next 10 days are sea days. Will discuss my one bag travel concepts, and review as much of the ship as I can.

 

- Joel

[lacemaker]

What a great day you had. I'm going to have to get more information about Alhambra, it looks beautiful, another destination to add to the list. Thank you.

Cherre

[hsmcruise]

Great review , info, and pictures. Appreciate the effort!

[cocker2]

Absolutely brilliant Joel, you saw and learned more with Celebrity than we did on our own. Jan

[hcat]

Brilliant review! Thank you for the spectacular photos and historic commentary,,,hope we get there some day but this is almost as good as being there.

 

We also take ship's excursions esp in Europe or remote ports....to insure the ship will not sail without us...have had positive experiences. On some, like in Valencia, Celeb sent a staff member along, .in addition to our guide. Very helpful!

 

Our present roll call for Nov 8th on Reflection W Caribbean has discussed one suitcase packing...so I will pass along any pointers you are able to share!

 

Hope you enjoy the rest of the trip.

hcat

[cl.klink]

Today is a sea day. Weather has been warm and sunny this whole cruise so far. We are predicted to have a cool front on Sunday when we visit our last port, else supposed to be good weather all the way to Florida. The seas have been calm and this ship is so big, it barely rocks at all. I can hardly tell I’m at sea most of the time unless I look out a window. A dozen or two dolphin just played with us, jumping over and over again alongside the ship, sometimes plopping into the water to make a big splash, else jumping in their smooth and sleek ways, actually keeping pace with the ship, it seemed, when they wanted to. The water is so clear I could easily see them swimming while still in the water.

 

I had an unexpected and moving experience last night. The ship passed through the straights of Gibraltar at 1:00 a.m. I was disappointed that this was going to be at night because I wanted to see everything in the day. I was expecting therefore that this was an opportunity missed. It’s so funny how reality can be so different than expected, though. Actually, even at night, I could see the rock of Gibraltar, because the shoreline lights made it stand out in relief. As my eyes adjusted to the dark, I could actually see a lot more. We seemed so close, I feel almost as if I’ve been there now. And, to my shock and excitement, I could see Africa too! Actually, we sailed closer to Africa than Gibraltar, so much that if someone had been on the spit of land closest to us, we could have waved to each other. I saw cars close enough to recognize shapes as pickups or sedans. So, I’ve now seen a new continent I had never seen before. It was really exciting. I sat on the uppermost deck in the stern and looked to my left to see Africa and to my right to see Europe. I never realized how close they actually are, can see across the straights. It’s truly not far at all. Hard to explain but it was thrilling moment for me. I took some pictures, quality was awful, but wanted to record the moment. I'll try to post later.

 

Had some time to enjoy being on the ship a bit. Ate a thick bar burger and had two beers at the Gastropub. Attended an art auction. Went to a session on iPhone and iPad tricks. Attended lectures on the Canary Islands, our stops for Saturday and Sunday. Attended Jewish religious services. Expect another nice dinner at Blu followed by tonight’s entertainment, a juggler (may or may not go). There is a Halloween dance in the atrium tonight so it’s decked out in Halloween themes and many crew have costumes on. In the sea days next week I’ll spend time reviewing all these kinds of things and the ship more generally and its dining and other venues.

 

I have some corresponding with people at home and a project to work on a bit, else time permitting, and after much teasing, I am going to go over in detail my method of traveling with one bag travel on this (and all) trips, as many of you have asked about. I will give my packing list, describe some techniques, show some pictures, and refer to some websites.

 

So long for the moment

- Joel

 

 

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[whataboutport]

Thanks for the great review Joel! We will be boarding your ship when you get back. Can't wait!

 

I do have a question about the food at the Gastrobar. Did they really raise the prices? I heard the burger is now $12! Do they still have small plates for $3-4?

[cl.klink]

Thanks for the great review Joel! We will be boarding your ship when you get back. Can't wait!

 

I do have a question about the food at the Gastrobar. Did they really raise the prices? I heard the burger is now $12! Do they still have small plates for $3-4?

 

 

Here are the menus from today.

 

 

 

 

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[cocker2]

Very interested in the gastrobar also please Joel.

 

You reminded me of the excitement we felt sailing through the Straits this August in and out of the Med. Thrilling experience and I wish I hadn't waited so long to do it! Jan

[whataboutport]

Omg they totally raised the prices and got rid of mixology Mondays too!

[Turtles06]

 

I had an unexpected and moving experience last night. The ship passed through the straights of Gibraltar at 1:00 a.m. I was disappointed that this was going to be at night because I wanted to see everything in the day. I was expecting therefore that this was an opportunity missed. It’s so funny how reality can be so different than expected, though. Actually, even at night, I could see the rock of Gibraltar, because the shoreline lights made it stand out in relief. As my eyes adjusted to the dark, I could actually see a lot more. We seemed so close, I feel almost as if I’ve been there now. And, to my shock and excitement, I could see Africa too! Actually, we sailed closer to Africa than Gibraltar, so much that if someone had been on the spit of land closest to us, we could have waved to each other. I saw cars close enough to recognize shapes as pickups or sedans. So, I’ve now seen a new continent I had never seen before. It was really exciting. I sat on the uppermost deck in the stern and looked to my left to see Africa and to my right to see Europe. I never realized how close they actually are, can see across the straights. It’s truly not far at all. Hard to explain but it was thrilling moment for me.

 

Thanks for this info. We board the Silhouette tomorrow in Civi. for the TA, and will be sailing through the Strait in about six days. I'm pretty sure it will be at night as well, and am very glad to hear it will be worth being on deck for. I love this sort of thing, and am very interested in seeing the Rock.

 

Thanks for your posts, I hope you continue to have a great time.

[cl.klink]

Cruise packing

 

Ok I'm going to take some time to talk about how I packed for this cruise. I brought one and only one bag, and it was a carry on.

 

I was turned on to one bag travel when I heard a radio show interview of a an engineer who made a web page, one bag dot com, about light travel. It's become very developed and covers the subject very well. I really recommend you read it. I have nothing to improve on it.

 

Having everything with me, in one bag, means I always have access to all my stuff, never have a late or lost bag, can go anywhere anytime without being tethered to large or out of view bags needing to be located, slake through narrow or uneven spaces, use small cabs or other cramped travel options, and go it on foot here and there where need to. As I travel I have all my stuff with me, all the time, even if I have to cancel or reschedule a plane or other travel leg. I get to relax and focus on being on a trip more, with less worry about the getting there.

 

PACKING LIST: The #1 thing to enable one bag travel is to develop and use a well thought out and well tested packing list. By having a list I avoid the worst packing sin: throwing stuff in a bag the night before a trip as I ask "gosh, what will I need this time?" My list is below and in the pics that follow I'll explain a few of the items more. The key is careful thought ahead of time about how to travel lightly, then a lot of trial and error. I aim for light and compact versions of things, stuff that have more than one use, and I look for good alternative ways to get things done.

 

Experience is a good teacher, but with careful thought, even your first trip, you can go fine. I developed my list over the years, kept what worked, discarded what did not. I still often I feel I've still overpacked! The idea is to develop a list that allows you to handle most reasonable eventualities, and think ahead about what you truly do and do not need to pack.

 

With a packing list, another advantage is that you never forget something at home or where you've been traveling because you check off each item on the list. If anything is stollen or lost, you can know it easily, and helps you file a claim. Two years ago we had a house fire and lost all our possessions but my packing list allowed my insurance to replace all the things I'd spent years thinking through (for the most part) and I basically used that (new) stuff to live with for a while while we were in hotels and waiting for a temp house.

 

Some of what I list is a bit pricey, but overall not more than bringing a few bags of stuff. The items I mark with * are weather or season dependent, or otherwise optional depending on the trip.

 

MY BAG: I use the Aeronaut 45 from Tom Bihn (tombihn dot com), makers of a lot of other good travel stuff. It is soft padded, the excellent shoulder strap or backpack straps let me carry it hands free, on airplanes it fits in overhead bins with ease. I find that it holds flatter than other recommended "one bags" and so in a pinch can fit under the airplane seat in front of me. No wheeled bags - too heavy, too big, too much space taken up, and actually slows you down.

 

CLOTHES: Plan on washing and reusing clothes. Use small numbers of items that can be washed and dried quickly and that mix and match easily. Aim for synthetic materials that wic away moisture, so stay dry and next day can rewear or wash quickly. I love the scottevest dot com products, made with lots of pockets to enhance light travel and move around in freedom but carry things in tow.

 

For cold weather, layers works well and I seldom need more than this list. If I will need a heavy coast, I usually wear it. Ear muffs are a key useful item - makes you so much warmer when needed and takes up little space when not. As I travel I wear or carry some items in my list, making a lot of use of a SEV vest on the plane and if functions almost as a carry on itself. At my destination I can use rather than a day bag too. The Ex Officio underwear stay dry, wash quick, dry super fast. Smart wool socks are so good at being able to wic away moisture they can be reworn a few days at a time.

 

ok, enough prelude: here's the list, pics to follow.

 

### Wear

ExOfficio briefs

SmartWool socks

Keene Sandals *

Heavy coat, gloves, etc *

Denim pants

- wallet

- stainless steel nail clipper

- Kippa

- Fitbit

- Eagle Creek security pouch with cash

SCOTTeVEST T shirt

SCOTTeVEST TEC shirt

- ink pen

- iPad stylus

- pocket notepad

SCOTTeVEST vest

- passports

- facial tissues

- keychain with gadgets (screw keys, compass, whistle, thermometer)

- bluetooth earphones, case

- noise isolating ear phones

- iPhone

- iPad (9.7”)

- Kindle Paperwhite

- sunglasses and microfiber cloth

- Sharpie pen

- reading glasses

hat

 

 

### central compartment, free areas

Tom Bihn travel tray

Cannon EOS Rebel T3 *

Macbook Air 11” in sleeve

misc loose papers in file folder

large Tyvek envelope

umbrella

SCOTTeVEST Pack Jacket

inflatable travel pillow

 

 

### Tom Bihn cube backpack

Core pack (for bundle wraping)

- travel sleep sack

- emergency flint

- clothesline

- sink stopper

- tallis, kippa (religious items)

- camera battery charger

2 ExOfficio briefs

2 pair SmartWool socks

SCOTTeVEST travel pants

Cargo pants

2 SCOTTeVEST polo shirts

SCOTTeVEST T shirt

2 long sleeve moisture wic shirts

sports coat *

necktie *

ear muffs

Patagonia Maui lace shoes

utility packing cube

- viscose towel

- parachute cord

- duct tape

- sewing kit with safety pins

- dental floss

- magnets

- Glad garbage bag

- Ziplock bags

- toenail clippers

 

### Toiletries packing cube

deodorant

tooth brush and caddy

tooth powder

shaving oil

new disposable razor

Folding travel mirror – brush

comb

hair clips

contact lenses & saline

eyeglass repair kit

sports tape

Moleskin

wet wipes

eye drops

Benadryl

naproxen

aspirin

melatonin

pseudoephedrine

fexofenadine

Cipro

scopolamine patch

 

 

### Electronics packing cube

3-outlet extension cord

USB plug in

portable battery pack

2 iPhone/iPad cords

USB – universal cord

international outlet converter*

Macbook Air power cord

small portable radio

car USB adapter *

Tom-Tom portable GPS and cable *

Tripod and adapter

Camera SD cards and adapters *

 

 

### Business packing cube

screw pen

laser pen

ink pen cartridges

2 AA lithium batteries

2 AAA lithium batteries

paper clips

rubber bands

business cards

tie cords, twisties

flexible tape measure

1” Post-it notes

thumb drive

glue stick

highlighter pen

 

 

### Personal packing cube

cupped eye shades

airplane adapter for earphone

plastic wine cup

wine stopper

cork screw

Fenix flashlight & dome

2 D rings

2 sporks

lanyard

SmartSleeves

Stain remover pen

 

 

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[cl.klink]

Here I am wearing my ScottEvest and arriving in stateroom wearing or carrying with all my stuff.

 

 

Here is my vest and bag on the bed

 

 

Here is my vest hanging up, still full

 

 

Here's what the vest was carrying

 

 

 

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[cl.klink]

Here's my bag. It's the Tom Bihn Aeronaut 45. There are backstraps that fold away if I don't want to use them on the back. The shoulder strap is usually how I carry it. There is one large central cavity and two linear cavity pockets on each side.

 

 

The right side pocket was holding my personal packing cube, business cube, and liquids (removed from toiletries packing cube):

 

The left side pocket was holding my electronics packing cube, SCOTTeVEST Pack hacket, and inflatable travel pillow. I did not bring umbrella this time but would have had it here too.

 

 

 

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[cl.klink]

The center cavity of the bag pens like a clamshell. My laptop is what you see on top

 

Here are the things that I fit along the perimeter of that center cavity, with the clothes still inside a gray thin backpack in the middle. These items include my laptop, a folder with loose papers, the purple Tom Bihn travel tray cinched open in this photo, black toiletry packing cube bag, camera, shoes, and a utility packing cube bag

 

In the central cavity I have my clothes contained within a Tom Bihn back pack style packing cube. This is tied down to straps of the Aeronaut when I'm traveling. I have my folded blue blazer jacket below my clothe pack.

 

 

 

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[cl.klink]

Here's the clothes backpack bag. Faux is very light weight and thin material. There u a lower pocket I don't use when it's packed.

 

Here us he clothes backpack bag opened up.

 

Here's what was inside. The clothes were wrapped around a "core" seen here too. This bundling packing method reduces wrinkling. My blazer is still on the bed, but as you've seen, was packed separately.

 

 

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[jzad]

Amazing!! Great job!

 

 

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[Guest USC Traveler]

joel,

 

i must congratulate you on one of the best "live from" posts i've ever read. your pictures are fabulous, your commentary is brilliant and your packing is unbelievable! thank you for the history lessons on the ports and sights you visited. i look forward to reading your posts until the ship docks.

 

i'm a first time celebrity cruiser but i won't be sailing for 16 months but i'm looking forward to the equinox and aqua class.

 

again, thank you so much for this post. i'm sailing along right with you. continue to have a safe and enjoyable cruise.

Edited November 1, 2014 by USC Traveler

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Thanks for the tip about the Straits of Gibraltar. We're doing this cruise next year, so following your posts with great interest.

 

[SheriffJoe]

Great live thread and though your packing is commendable your jacket does look like it was packed in a backpack :eek: :p

[cl.klink]

Great live thread and though your packing is commendable your jacket does look like it was packed in a backpack :eek: :p

 

 

Well, after it hung up a few hours, it looked fine ;)

 

 

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