Sailing the Ocean Blue: The Ship's Log: Day 9

9th May, 2014 - Day 9

 

38º40' N, 16º09' W at noon. At that time, we were 329 nm from Lisbon, which is 381 land miles. Tomorrow, we will enter Portuguese waters around 5:15 AM, pick up our pilot at 6:00, and we should be docked by 6:30. The plan is to have the starboard side closest to the dock. Wind: NNW at about 10-12 knots. Swells are coming in on our port quarter today - still about 10 feet. Currently cloudy and overcast, but there appear to be bluer skies up ahead of us.

 

Today was the last of our eight consecutive days at sea. No lecture today, so instead, we finally went and logged our Walk For Wishes laps, then walked four laps. Saw EM and SM up there; chatted with them a bit. Sat and read (Mom read, I journaled) until it was time for Coffee Chat. This time, it was all the headline entertainers, which was very interesting.

 

Moved clocks an hour forward at noon. Had lunch at Windjammers, then went immediately to the 2:00 PM matinee performance of “Saturday Night Fever: The Musical.” WOW. That was a really great show. The singing, dancing, and especially the set were amazing. After that, Mom took a nap and I went and read my book (I also finally filled in the space for my personal message in the Mother's Day card I brought along) until it was time to get dressed for dinner.

 

Tonight was our last Formal Night, and it was just about perfect. I finally put on that long, blue dress I worked so hard on, and lots of people in our group complimented me and said it was beautiful. I guess they only see the overall effect, not the crooked and mismatched seams.

 

I had a lovely dinner with most of the group (some people went to the specialty restaurants). Even LM liked my dress. After dinner, I got a whole bunch of professional photos taken at several different photo stations, mostly for the fun of it. ST took our picture (mine and Mom's together) with our camera.

 

After that, Mom suggested that we go to the Schooner Bar and listen to piano music. I'm really, really glad we did that. I was happy, relaxed, and still feeling pretty in my dress, and the piano guy on this ship (Luke Yates) is really good. The Schooner Bar is now my favorite place to hang out on R.C. ships. If you go to Mr. Yates' website and send in photos or videos from his performance, you can get a free album if he decides to use them on the site! He said so during the performance.

 

On our way back to our cabin, we found EM at the $1 blackjack table. He convinced us to stay up for the '70s Dance Party on the Promenade, and we were really glad we did. It lasted about 35 minutes, and was a lot of loud, colorful, silly fun. We all danced along with the performers on the overhead stages, and they threw glowstick headbands and T-shirts into the audience. This was such a fun night - I got to wear my pretty dress for about 5 hours while I had a really good dinner, got my picture taken, drank in a really comfortable bar while enjoying really good music, and danced in a big crowd. I loved the whole thing.

 

W4W: Mom and I only did 4 laps together today. I didn't do any on my own.

 

Steps today: 5,500. Total so far: 103,392.

Sailing the Ocean Blue: The Ship's Log: Day 10

10th May, 2014 - Day 10

 

37º21.31' N, 09º33.15' W at 2200 hrs. ship's time: (Editor's note: 38º42'04.4" N, 09º09'39.7" W at noon.)

Course: 5º west of south at 21.4 knots. Apparently, we're in a real hurry to make Cádiz by morning. I didn't hear the noon report today because it was a port day, but in the announcement the captain made after everyone was back on board, he said the plan is to be docked at Cádiz by 0900 hrs. tomorrow morning.

 

We docked in Lisbon this morning. It is on the mouth of a river that opens onto the sea. We all assembled on the dock at 0915 hrs, met up with Lily, our tour guide, and took one of the buses from the cruise company's “Lisbon - See It Yourself!” service into the city center, which is about a 10-15 minute drive from the river. From the bus dropoff, we walked through a few squares to get to the bus stop where we could catch the bus that goes up the hill to the castle. It was Saturday and there were a ton of tourists around, so the first bus that came didn't have enough room for our whole group, so we had to wait 15-20 minutes for the next one.

 

We got to the top of the ill and explored the old castle. The views of the town from up there were amazing. There were peacocks there, and peahens, and we even saw their eggs!

From there, we walked back down the hill, through ancient neighborhoods that have been inhabited since the Middle Ages. Lots of little winding streets and white buildings, all with clotheslines and many with birdcages built into the outside wall, next to the door. Or rather, there's an opening in the wall specifically meant for that, and they all had modern birdcages in them. That was so cool.

 

One of the main sights we stopped to see was the cathedral in Lisbon, where we stumbled upon a wedding in progress. That was really neat. It was all in Portuguese, of course, and the bride and groom got to sit on a bench during the sermon. WA counted seven photographers hovering around them.

 

From there, we walked along the main shopping and café street. Our tour guide recommended that we go to a restaurant on the next street over, which we did, and it was a good decision. I decided to try the codfish, which is one of the local specialties, and it was very salty.

 

We got back on one of the buses that Royal Caribbean had arranged to run between the center of town and the ship. We stood in the very long line to get back on the ship, and made it in time (there were still people getting on after us). I was one of the many people who stood on deck to watch as the ship sailed down the river and out to sea. The weather that day was as warm, beautiful, and perfect as we could possibly have wanted. Now I can say that I have set out from the same river mouth as some of the great ancient explorers, which is really cool.

 

At dinner, we made logistical plans for the next day. I did a little bit of walking after dinner. We sailed into a fogbank out on the open ocean, so I didn't get a chance to observe the moon or stars.

 

W4W: I did 2 laps after dinner; Mom didn't do any.

 

Steps today: 11,715. Total so far: 115,107.

Sailing the Ocean Blue: The Ship's Log: Day 11

11th May, 2014 - Day 11

 

36º32.12' N, 06º17.36' W at noon. This position is at one of the two cruise ship docks (that I saw; there may be more) at the port of Cádiz, Spain. (I wasn't on board at noon, but the ship was docked all day, and I checked our position on channel 40 as soon as I got back on board in the afternoon.)

 

Weather: Clear and warm all day and all night. Downright hot over in Sevilla.

 

For our second port day, we were instructed to disembark as soon as they opened the gangway so that we could get to our bus and hit the road. They opened the gangway at about 9:30, and we were rolling on the road by 9:47. EM congratulated us on a quick and easy transfer from ship to bus. We drove through the city of Cádiz and the picturesque Spanish countryside for about an hour and a half. As planned, we performed the Liturgy of the Word in both Spanish and English while on the bus (minimally; we only read one New Testament reading and the Gospel reading, but we read each one twice, in Spanish and then in English). I did the New Testament reading, and R. read the gospel.

 

Our walking tour of Sevilla was very interesting. We started out walking through the city center; we all stopped at the nearest restroom, which was the one at the Starbucks. Sevilla has a nice city center where there are no cars, just sidewalks, squares, and a light rail. We walked through this vibrant area to get to two of our main attractions: the cathedral and the Royal Palace. The cathedral was the largest one in the Christian world when it was built; it's now the third-largest after the one at the Vatican and St. Paul's in London. We had understood that it was off-limits before 1400 hrs on Sundays due to Mass, but it turned out that the side door to the back section was open, so we got to see that part. Then we went to the palace, which is amazingly beautiful. Our tour guide, Marta, told us a lot about its history. It was busy, and we had to spend a lot of time lifting scooters over thresholds. At one point, CH fell down, then had a brief episode of what appeared to be shock from the fall. We sat with him outside the palace for a bit before moving on.

 

We picked up sandwiches from a little sandwich shop, then walked through the old Santa Cruz neighborhood, and then met our bus, which took us over to the Plaza de España. We ended up having our planned Eucharist there, under the shaded gallery, with guitar music playing from around the corner. (This part, we did all in Spanish.) It was beautiful.

 

What Mom and I loved about Sevilla was how many beautiful parks and public spaces it had. We would have loved to explore it at leisure. Nonetheless, the short time we spent there was well worth it.

 

We got back to the ship a good hour before the all-aboard call time. Upon returning to Cádiz, we discovered that one of the Liberty's sister ships in the Royal Caribbean line, the Adventure of the Seas, was docked directly across from our ship. I spent that hour walking on the walking track, admiring the beautiful views and enjoying the warm sun.

 

I watched the Adventure sail away during the first half-hour of dinner, while we were still docked. I learned from our friends who had stayed in Cádiz that she had arrived in port shortly after our tour bus had left that morning. I also heard that our ship was delayed in her own departure from port because one of the official, cruise-line-sponsored tour groups had been late getting back.

 

I wonder if the captains of the two Royal Caribbean ships socialized at all today. Did one invite the other to have lunch or dinner together aboard one ship or the other? Do people do that in cruise lines? I do not know.

 

Cádiz is on a peninsula, and we drove over a big bridge in our bus going to and from Sevilla. From the bridge, we could see both of the cruise ships when we returned, as well as a set of gigantic cranes that were at least as tall as those ships. I'm not certain, but I suspect that those cranes were probably for building and/or refitting modern ships, and that that industry is still going on in Cádiz today, just as it was in Captain Aubrey's time. That was so cool to discover.

 

After a wonderful dinner, Mom and I decided to go to the photo gallery to look at our pictures. She bought the one that was taken of the two of us together at our last formal-night dinner, and I bought three pictures of myself in my nice blue dress. We sat in Boleros for a bit, then went back to our room. At 2045 hrs., room service delivered the Mother's Day surprise I had arranged earlier: a bottle of champagne and a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries. I gave Mom the box of candy and the card signed by me and my sister that I had brought with me in my suitcase, which she really appreciated.

 

W4W: I walked 4 laps on my own; Mom didn't do any laps onboard.

 

Steps today: 11,038. Total so far: 126,145.

Sailing the Ocean Blue: The Ship's Log: Day 12

12th May, 2014 - Day 12

 

I didn't get around to noting our position at any point today. This was our final sea day, and we were en route between Cádiz and Palma de Mallorca.

 

I need to make an addition to my entry for the 11th. The night of the 11th was the night we sailed through the Strait of Gibraltar. (I'm writing all this well after the fact, on the 14th.) I and many others stayed up late just to watch the passage. We were originally told (through the grapevine) to be on deck between 11 and midnight if we wanted to see the Rock of Gibraltar. I was out there for most of that hour, and while the view of two continents at once was beautiful and majestic, no Rock was apparent. I chanced upon a lady who had an iPhone with functioning, real-time GPS tracking, and it showed me that the Rock was still 20-30 minutes away. It was already 12:20 AM at that point, so I gave up and went to bed. The next day, I learned from my friends that we'd passed it at about 1:10 AM. If I had known that to begin with, I would have set my alarm for 12:45, not 10:45.

 

On Day 12, we could afford to sleep in a bit. I insisted upon taking my last opportunity to log my laps (officially) for Walk For Wishes. They were giving out certificates, and they clearly had enough for everyone who had signed up, so I got one even though I hadn't actually completed the equivalent of a marathon (117 laps), which was the goal. Then we had a late breakfast at Windjammers, and then we met our friends in the conference center for Eskimo Yo-Yo lessons. Even though some of us were good at it and some weren't, we all had a great time. (They're toys that the S.T.s brought with them as gifts for our group.)

 

EM got an invitation for a galley tour, so we all met up for that at 11:50. The galley is pretty neat - stainless steel as far as the eye can see. This is the first time I've seen the galley on a cruise ship. After that, a bunch of us met for lunch in the main dining room, and at 1:30, it was time for our final choir practice of the cruise. We met in the main theater, rather than the lounge were we had been meeting, and found that the dress rehearsal for the main body of the “Dancing with the Stripes” show was still in progress; it had run long. We got to be the first to see most of it, and then the cast brought us up on stage to rehearse the opening number with everyone: choir members in the back, professional singers and dancers in the front. We also worked out how we would get on and off stage: we would all sit together in the front of the theater, to the sides of the stage, and then one of the pros would lead us on stage through the stage doors on either side.

 

After rehearsal, we went back to our conference room for the Eskimo Yo-Yo contest. Everyone got 3 tries to keep their yo-yos going for as many complete revolutions as possible. We all had a lot of fun; I thought the coolest part of the contest was that we kept the conference room door open, and people who were passing by kept looking in, and we would all say, “Hi! Come on in! We're doing Eskimo Yo-Yoing!” Someone always showed them how to do it, and some of them were good at it.

 

We went and sat with EH and SH at the Café Promenade that afternoon, and talked about life, spiritual journeys, and things like that. At 1730, we lined up along the Promenade to watch the DreamWorks character parade, which was very high-energy and fun. At dinner, the S.T.s presented the awards for the Eskimo Yo-Yo contest. Awards were based on number of revolutions, regardless of technique, so I got fourth place even though I needed other people to help me get the yo-yos started. (Sorry, I don't remember who the grand-prize winner was.) Everyone who participated got a souvenir of some kind from Alaska.

 

As we had been told to, we got to the main theater at 2200 to take our seats. Most of our friends from our group were there to watch. We got called on stage and stood on the risers, behind the curtain. When the Activities Director introduced the show, he started by introducing the choir. As planned, the curtain stayed closed until the choir's cue to come in, then parted to reveal the choir. We had to depend on the backing track to stay in time, since it was playing through the speakers at the back of the stage, but they hadn't been able to get the lead singers' mikes patched through back there. We could see stage lights, the dancers, and the audience, barely; there was so much theatrical-fog mist in that theater with bright lights shining through it that it was hard to see anything else. Nonetheless, we sang our hearts out and had a blast doing it. We got a big round of applause at the end. From the anticipation to the last-minute reminders and nervous jokes backstage to the performance, it was the most exciting and memorable experience of the cruise.

 

After performing, we all filed down the stairs at the sides of the stage, returned to our seats, and enjoyed the show, which was really, really good. The dancers all did an amazing job. At the end, as we had discussed earlier, the choir stayed after the show so that we could get back up on stage and get group pictures taken. We were all wearing dark-colored pants and the brightest-colored shirts we had brought; Stephen Millett, our choir director, had told us all to dress like that, since there weren't enough choir robes for almost 50 people. A ton of people came to the front to take pictures of us. Stephen had us sign a sheet of paper with our email addresses if we wanted a copy of our group picture emailed to us. I was one of the many choir members who lined up to say goodbye to Stephen, thank him for the wonderful time we'd had, and get our copies of the sheet music autographed (he had arranged the 4-part harmony we had sung). The performance experience was great, but I especially loved the camaraderie that was fostered among all these strangers traveling together, through their shared love of music.* It was after 2330 as we made our way back to our cabin, but I felt absolutely fantastic. Getting to perform on the big stage was the most unforgettable onboard experience of the cruise.

 

W4W: Mom and I walked 4 laps together on Day 12.

 

Steps today: 10,011. Total so far: 136,156.

 

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* Sound like anyone else we know? ;)

Sailing the Ocean Blue: The Ship's Log: Day 13

13th May, 2014 - Day 13

 

39º33'09'' N, 2º37'46'' E at noon. (Hey, we crossed the Greenwich Meridian!) This was a port day, so the above is the location of the dock we were at on the island of Mallorca, in the city of Palma.

 

Weather: Overcast and a bit cool for most of the day.

 

There are two cruise-ship-sized docks in Mallorca, with a marina in between; we were routed to the one further out, which meant getting our group together and getting our bus driver to meet us where we were was a bit of an adventure. After that, the next step in EM's plan for the day went perfectly: the bus took us into town, where we went to the market to buy produce for our cooking class. That was really cool; it was indoors, but there were lots of little individual stalls that were each their own independent business, with their own cash registers. It was a colorful, interesting place. We got everything we needed and went out to where the bus had dropped us off. There followed some 30 minutes of anxious waiting while EM made phone calls. When the bus got there, it turned out that there had been a miscommunication: the bus driver had understood that he was to come back in an hour, when we had really wanted him back in half an hour. We proceeded with our plans and drove up into the mountains of Mallorca, to a little village called Galilea, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (Editor's note: Actually, the region is.) The bus dropped us off in the main parking lot, and we walked up to Mallorca Cuisine, with our mobility-challenged friends being given a ride in Alex's (the chef and cooking teacher's) van.

 

Mallorca Cuisine is a business that has its cooking classes in a beautiful, dedicated space with a lovely outdoor patio with an amazing view looking down the mountain to the sea. When we got there, we were welcomed by our teachers, Alex and Manuela, and served drinks and tapas. We were guided through the process of making three different paellas: paella mixta with chicken, rabbit, clams, mussels, and prawns; another one with cuttlefish; and a vegetarian paella. We started by cutting up the ingredients, both those provided as part of the class and those we'd bought at the market. I minced garlic and removed the cartilage from one of the cuttlefish. When we were all finished with cutting stuff up, we went inside and started cooking it all over stand-alone gas burners on a long table, in giant, cast-iron skillets. We added ingredients when directed by our instructors, and took turns stirring the pans. People stood around, watched, talked, and took pictures when they weren't stirring; many hands really did make light work, and I thought taking our time to cook a meal together as one big group was just wonderful. In addition to stirring, I got to stir the saffron petals into a cup of cooking wine and add it to one of the paellas. While we waited for the rice to finish cooking, we all stood and watched and listened while our hosts told us about the tradition of cooking paella.

 

Finally, it was time for our slightly late lunch. We all went out and took seats at the tables on the patio. We were served the most delicious gazpacho I have ever tasted, followed by a helping of each of our three paellas: the vegetarian one first, then the one with the cuttlefish, and then the paella mixta. All of them were wonderful on their own; plus, they were accompanied by good wine, good company, and a great view. We ended the meal with a delicious crema catalana.

 

EM had reassured me that he was looking out for us, to make sure we made it back to the ship in time. I tried not to worry about the time, and to enjoy the view, while our bus made its way back down the mountain. We had considered stopping by the cathedral, but our half-hour delay earlier made that impossible. We all made it safely back onto the ship; it so happened that our cabin window had a perfect view of one of the gangways, and I could see that they were still letting guests back aboard at least 15 minutes after the published All-Aboard time. I didn't need to worry as much as I did.

 

We had some time before dinner, and I had done the math and knew I only needed a few hundred more steps to finish the 144,000-Step Challenge, so I went up to the walking track and walked two laps while Mom took a nap. I recorded my steps on the card that EM had distributed at the beginning of the trip and brought it with me to dinner.

 

Everyone who had completed the walking challenge got a certificate for it from EM at dinner that night, which marked the official end of the challenge. It was also the last time I would get a chance to see all my new cruise friends together, so I said my goodbyes to everyone and took pictures with them.

 

I wanted to walk around the ship on Deck 4 while listening to nautical music on my iPod one last time, so I did.* At 2100, my mom and I went to the Schooner Bar for a final, celebratory drink and to listen to the very funny, charming, and talented pianist and singer perform one more time. Then, we went back to the cabin and packed our bags.

 

*Oh - wait. This was when I logged those last two laps on my tally sheet. Before dinner, I walked around and around on Deck 5, waiting to meet up with EM at Guest Relations so we could figure out the logistics of my departure in the morning. That was how I got those last few hundred steps I needed. (Again, writing this well after the fact.)

 

W4W: I walked 2 laps on Deck 4 after dinner, bringing my grand total to 78 laps (of which I walked 8 either before or after dinner on our 3 port days). Mom's grand total was 43 laps. Between the two of us, we walked 121 laps in all, so we walked a marathon (which was 117 laps).

 

Steps today: 8,825. Total:144,981.

Sailing the Ocean Blue: The Ship's Log: Day 14

14th May, 2014 - Day 14

 

41º21'36.2'' N, 2º10'45.2'' E at noon. This was the location of the dock where the Liberty of the Seas docked in Barcelona, to conclude one cruise and begin another.

 

As I had planned with EM the previous day, I got up at 5:20 AM so that I could be in the first group of people who were carrying their own luggage and departing the ship as soon as the gangway was open. As EM had predicted, the first bus to the airport, which had been scheduled for 6:30, didn't actually leave until just after 7, because everyone on it had had to go through passport control and load their luggage onto the truck that followed the buses.

 

The bus took us to the airport terminal, and I retrieved my suitcase and checked in for my flight. It turned out that I could check in for my first two flight legs, but would have to check in for my last one when I got to Detroit. Other than that, I had no problems checking in or getting through security. I found it amusing that, even though there was no published requirement to take your shoes off at security, the Americans in the crowd did it anyway.

 

The Barcelona airport is incredible. After you go through security, you go down an escalator and end up in a full-blown mall. I had breakfast at the McDonald's there, then made my way to my gate. On the way, I was stunned to find an Imaginarium store. The one I remembered from my childhood had closed many years ago, and I hadn't thought they still existed. I told all this to the cashier, in Spanish. I found a catalog on the counter, which I took with me as a souvenir (the cashier said I could).

 

I had at least two hours to hang around the airport, read, and wait for my flight. My first leg was from Barcelona to Amsterdam, where they made me go through passport control and security between gates. I waited at my gate for all of about 5-10 minutes before boarding my long-haul transatlantic flight. I hadn't been on one of those since 2005, and I was delighted with the variety of activities and movies available on the seat-back screen. I took advantage of the 8-hour flight to watch “Back to the Future.”

 

I had no problems getting through immigration and customs in Detroit, but it is the plainest and most boring international arrival facility ever. Also, I found out my suitcase hadn't made that last transfer with me. Nonetheless, I got that third boarding pass and went on to Omaha, where I filed a claim with the Delta baggage office for my delayed bag. (I did get it back; they delivered it to my place the night of the 17th.)

 

This was, without a doubt, the most exciting and spectacular vacation of my adult life. Mom, EM, and I are all in agreement that the cooking class in Mallorca was the highlight of the trip, but it was really special to be able to spend two whole weeks with my mom. I loved the experience of being totally unplugged and disconnected from my everyday life while I was out at sea; I could focus on the activities on the ship and the people with whom I was traveling, and we really were like a family by the end, even though not all of us knew each other at the beginning. Having had a taste of life on the open sea and how uncomplicated and close-knit it can be, I can see why Jack Aubrey and crew love it so much.

 

-Barbara Fett