14-night Eastbound Transatlantic Cruise (May 14-28, 2011) Lots of pics! COMPLETED 9/8

[marie714]

If you recall, I said the show wasn't bad...it just didn't fit the context of this cruise.

...

Like I said, this is how *I* felt about this and not everyone will agree. That's fine. People were definitely enjoying themselves! Just not me. It was a cute show but I just couldn't get past how wrong it was for this cruise.

Thanks for the civil response, and I'm sorry if there was any confusion about my intent. My "snippy" response wasn't directed at your comments, I respect your opinion and understand your assessment, even if I don't totally agree.

I was more reacting to the comments from others about it being a "huge disappointment" and even making it a personal attack on the cruise director (from someone who has never even been on a cruise before). That is what I felt was really out of line.

Enough of the controversy, as you put it, I can't wait to see the rest of your report. Thanks again for sharing it all!

 

[KevieKev05]

DAY 13 - May 26th, 2011 - Day at Sea #8 (Part 1)

Well, at 9:30, we woke up feeling a little depressed at the fact the cruise is almost over! Today was our eighth and final sea day and we couldn’t believe it! Day 13 already?! Where has the time gone?!

After laying around and slowly crawling out of bed, we started getting ready at about 10:45. By 11:30, the four of us were on our way downstairs to try and find some food! It was the “in-between” time...not quite breakfast, not quite lunch, and some places offering brunch. We looked at Lumiere’s and it was the brunch menu. We went to Parrot Cay and they were beginning the transition from breakfast buffet to lunch buffet. Buffet with the best of both worlds? Don’t mind if we do! Decision made!

To make our decision ever more AMAZING, they were setting up a SUSHI BAR!

We definitely made a good choice. The sushi bar was POPULAR with everyone dining in there, too! After about 45 minutes in there, we finished and decided to go up to the open deck to play some games. At 1:30, we moved our fun down to Diversions (there was a DVC presentation ending at this time). After two hours (time always flies when we’re playing games!) we were hungry, so we went upstairs to get some food. We grabbed some pizza and then took it to the Promenade Lounge for even MORE game playing! While here, Mom got the non-alcoholic drink of the day: the passion creme freeze!

At 5:30, the Captain came over the loudspeaker and announced that there was a medical emergency! Oh no! He said it was now full speed ahead with plans to be at the port in Barcelona at 11:00pm as opposed to 4:00am! We wondered if this went along with the “Bright star” announcement a few morning ago, and felt terrible for whoever this pertained to!

Shortly after this announcement, it was time for another Captain’s Reception. We knew last time this meant free alcohol, so James and I went to the lobby to scope it out. Sure enough, there were bartenders with trays of alcohol! I got a blue/green drink and James got what turned out to be a very watery Cosmo. Surprisingly, we were carded! The first time this WHOLE cruise...Day 13! We weren’t mad or upset by any means, it was just humorous and interesting that it happened after all this time on the ship, haha.

By the time 6:00 rolled around, we were outside the Walt Disney Theatre waiting to go inside. Tonight’s show was the award winning, “Disney Dreams: An Enchanted Classic.” Such a wonderful show that we ALWAYS enjoy seeing! However, it was just another reminder that the cruise was ending...this show is always one of the last to play on the cruises! At 6:30, Cruise Director Peter came on the stage and talked FOREVER. I guess there were guests leaving the cruise early and wouldn’t be back tomorrow night, so he was saying all the goodbye stuff now. The “Til We Meet Again” character farewell was also happening tonight as a result. Interesting! Anyway, the show FINALLY started, and (believe it or not) I took lots of pictures!

 

[KevieKev05]

DAY 13 - May 26th, 2011 - Day at Sea #8 (Part 2)

 

[KevieKev05]

DAY 13 - May 26th, 2011 - Day at Sea #8 (Part 3)

 

[KevieKev05]

DAY 13 - May 26th, 2011 - Day at Sea #8 (Part 4)

 

[KevieKev05]

DAY 13 - May 26th, 2011 - Day at Sea #8 (Part 5)

The show ended at about 7:35, and then we were on our way back to the room to change for dinner. At 8:00, we head back downstairs and get in line for a formal picture with Mickey. There was quite a line, but thankfully it only took 10 minutes to get through. Then, it was off to Animator’s Palate for dinner. Tonight’s menu? Captain’s Gala!

The doors opened at 8:30, and inside we went!

Mom’s fruit cocktail:

James’ oysters:

My shrimp:

Mom’s garden fresh salad:

I didn’t get a soup or salad, and James got the mushroom soup (sorry no picture...yucky gray liquid).

My fettuccine with parmesan-crusted chicken (yum!):

James’ lobster tail:

Dessert menu:

James and I both got the chocolate lava cake:

Banana creme brulee:

This is how it was nightly:

By 9:45, we were out the door and heading upstairs to change into more comfortable clothes for the character farewell. We had a towel animal and another gift!

I think it is called a “travel valet”? The corners fold up and can be used as a bowl-like thing to store keys, change, etc.

At 9:55, we were heading back downstairs for the farewell. It started 5 minutes late at 10:20. I normally enjoy the character farewell, but for some reason, we found this one lackluster (though not NEAR as lackluster as the travesty of a farewell of the Dream..blech! At least on the Magic/Wonder there are more characters/performers!). I guess I wasn’t thrilled with the characters/performers chosen to represent some of the shows. Whatever though...it’s still fun (and sad at the same time)! Picture time!

 

[KevieKev05]

DAY 13 - May 26th, 2011 - Day at Sea #8 (Part 6)

At 10:45, it ended. Ten minutes later, James and I were in line outside Lumiere’s for the dessert buffet! Another new experience for James, Mom, and Dad! Thankfully we were near the front of the line...the line got REALLY long as we were waiting to get in! The doors opened at 11:15, and we made our way through the buffet quite quickly. But, I still made sure to get pictures!

 

[KevieKev05]

DAY 13 - May 26th, 2011 - Day at Sea #8 (Part 7)

As we were exiting the buffet, we saw lights outside! Looks like we were arriving in Barcelona! So, James and I went up to deck 4 to witness our approach. At about 11:45, we finally docked and within 15 minutes, we were heading back to our room to retire for the evening. It was hard to believe we were already at our final destination of the cruise! Two weeks sure flies by! Tomorrow we would be exploring BARCELONA! Better get a good night’s sleep...

STAY TUNED!

 

[MellieluvsDisney]

Wow, your TR is so wonderful!!!

Thank you for all the great pictures, and it sure looks like you had a great time with your family.

 

[iloverags2]

How terrible about the medical emergency. Hoping all is well with the guest they evacuated.

You definitely made a good decision with eating at Parrot Cay for lunch! Your games sound so much like my family. In fact for several years we used to have a game tournament weekend, lasting from early Friday evening until Sunday afternoon. Breaks only for meals, and no one left the house. Points were given for different games, everyone had the option to sit out a game or two (depending on how many games we played), and it culminated in the top points game of PIT! What a riot it always was!

But, back to your report...

O.M.G.! My favorite! (Well, my favorite from the regular dining room menus...Palo obviously not included!) Fettuccini with parmesan-crusted chicken! Love it!

(And, I must thank you for not posting any pictures of Peter with your fabulous Dreams shots.)

 

[Pinkocto]

Kevin, magnificent as always! I felt I was there for the show! Was it a little different than the one on the Dream? I can't remember you showing us photos of Aladdin before.

That dessert buffet looks AMAZING! I kept thinking I need to ask if you saw a sugar free/NSA area, and you already had pictures, hooray! (I seem to use a lot of exclamation points here on the DISBoards...) Do they just do the dessert buffet on the longer cruises? I can't remember reading about it before, except for Pirate night and I'm not sure if that's the same? Also, that drink your mother got looks delicious.

I can't believe the trip is almost over This has been such a marvelous TR, you truly have the storytelling gift

 

[LindaBabe]

KEV, FABULOUS! Wish you were on OUR trip so you could take the photos (I'd leave my camera at HOME) and write the report. Thanks to your pics, I will definitely keep my eyes open for the sushi bar!

Bright star, as you surmised, is the code for medical emergency.

 

[KevieKev05]

Wow, your TR is so wonderful!!!

Thank you for all the great pictures, and it sure looks like you had a great time with your family.

Thank you! It was truly a trip of a lifetime and we (as a family) enjoyed every single minute together! We're already trying to plan our next family getaway!

How terrible about the medical emergency. Hoping all is well with the guest they evacuated.

You definitely made a good decision with eating at Parrot Cay for lunch! Your games sound so much like my family. In fact for several years we used to have a game tournament weekend, lasting from early Friday evening until Sunday afternoon. Breaks only for meals, and no one left the house. Points were given for different games, everyone had the option to sit out a game or two (depending on how many games we played), and it culminated in the top points game of PIT! What a riot it always was!

But, back to your report...

O.M.G.! My favorite! (Well, my favorite from the regular dining room menus...Palo obviously not included!) Fettuccini with parmesan-crusted chicken! Love it!

(And, I must thank you for not posting any pictures of Peter with your fabulous Dreams shots.)

We definitely felt horrible for the guest with the medical emergency! I hope our early arrival in Barcelona helped them!

That fettuccine and chicken was definitely fabulous!

Kevin, magnificent as always! I felt I was there for the show! Was it a little different than the one on the Dream? I can't remember you showing us photos of Aladdin before.

That dessert buffet looks AMAZING! I kept thinking I need to ask if you saw a sugar free/NSA area, and you already had pictures, hooray! (I seem to use a lot of exclamation points here on the DISBoards...) Do they just do the dessert buffet on the longer cruises? I can't remember reading about it before, except for Pirate night and I'm not sure if that's the same? Also, that drink your mother got looks delicious.

I can't believe the trip is almost over This has been such a marvelous TR, you truly have the storytelling gift

Thank you for your kind words!

"Disney Dreams" (ironically) isn't shown on the Disney Dream. Instead, they have "Disney's Believe." In that show, Aladdin and Jasmine have a tiny segment with the rest of the royal couples.

The dessert buffet was quite a sight! I tried to take as many pictures I could, but trust me...there were hungry eyes behind me so I didn't want to waste too much time in front of them, HAHA! And yes, from what I gather, the dessert buffet is only offered on the longer cruises (7-nights or longer). It is different from the buffet on Pirate night, as well.

KEV, FABULOUS! Wish you were on OUR trip so you could take the photos (I'd leave my camera at HOME) and write the report. Thanks to your pics, I will definitely keep my eyes open for the sushi bar!

Bright star, as you surmised, is the code for medical emergency.

I would LOVE to tag along on your trip!

And thank you about the "Bright star" code. I think I forgot to mention that I did indeed end up asking Marianne about it and she confirmed my guess was correct. Such a tragic situation for that guest!

 

[DMMarla07860]

been following your trip report and love it.

 

[SNOWHITE7]

Loving your trip report. We were on the cruise and seeing all your photos and reading your comments brings it all back for us. The fourteen days really did fly by and with your report coming to end I feel a little like I did when we reached Barcelona and knew we wouldn't on board when the ship sailed again. Your photos are fantastic and much better than mine and I love all the detail you have included. We loved the yacht in Gibraltar and I was hoping you may have had some closer shots from when it docked right next to us. My husband joked that it could belong to the owner of the football (soccer) team we support and when we got home we found out it did! It is called the Eclipse and I believe it is the biggest private yacht in the world.

The smell you described was experienced by a few people we met on the cruise and I think it did come from the dock. They were doing some work next to us. I don't know if you heard but a couple of weeks after we left one of the big fuel cylinders on the dock exploded and several people were hurt, including some passengers on a cruise ship docked there at the time. Glad it didn't happen when we were there.

We were told by the singer from the Promenade Lounge that the medical emergency was a crew member. So glad it didn't happen when we were in the middle of the crossing.

Looking forward to the rest of your report and photos. Thanks so much for sharing them with us.

 

[KevieKev05]

been following your trip report and love it.

Thank you so much!

Loving your trip report. We were on the cruise and seeing all your photos and reading your comments brings it all back for us. The fourteen days really did fly by and with your report coming to end I feel a little like I did when we reached Barcelona and knew we wouldn't on board when the ship sailed again. Your photos are fantastic and much better than mine and I love all the detail you have included. We loved the yacht in Gibraltar and I was hoping you may have had some closer shots from when it docked right next to us. My husband joked that it could belong to the owner of the football (soccer) team we support and when we got home we found out it did! It is called the Eclipse and I believe it is the biggest private yacht in the world.

The smell you described was experienced by a few people we met on the cruise and I think it did come from the dock. They were doing some work next to us. I don't know if you heard but a couple of weeks after we left one of the big fuel cylinders on the dock exploded and several people were hurt, including some passengers on a cruise ship docked there at the time. Glad it didn't happen when we were there.

We were told by the singer from the Promenade Lounge that the medical emergency was a crew member. So glad it didn't happen when we were in the middle of the crossing.

Looking forward to the rest of your report and photos. Thanks so much for sharing them with us.

Thank you for all your compliments!

You know, my Dad and I were staring at the yacht when it was docked next to us for quite some time...and I didn't even take any pictures! This is the closest one I came up with:

And thanks for the info about the smell! Once we returned home I remember reading about the explosion, but didn't put two and two together.

It was a crew member with the medical emergency? Oh no! I can't imagine what it would be like to be in any sort of medical condition while at sea...especially crossing the Atlantic!



I've been frantically writing as it's my hope to have this TR completed by the time the WBTA sails! We shall see...work may get in the way, haha!

 

[KevieKev05]

DAY 14 - May 27th, 2011 - Barcelona, Spain (Part 1)

I woke up at 8:25 which was actually 5 minutes before the alarm was set to go off. Today would be our Barcelona exploration day, as tomorrow, we would be departing in the morning for the long trip home. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves!

At about 8:55, we received our room service call and received our food shortly thereafter.

We all gathered and went downstairs at 9:30 to get off the ship. Within 15 minutes, we were off the ship and on a shuttle heading towards the end of the port. At approximately 10:00, we were dropped off at the World Trade Center and beginning our walk towards Las Ramblas (the big, main street).

The view down Las Ramblas:

After walking for about 10 minutes or so, we had arrived at the first place I wanted to see: La Boqueria!

We then took a stroll through it!

We then found a “Barcelona Bus Turistic” booth and purchased our hop on, hop off bus tickets (23 euro per person). Then, we continued to proceed toward the end of Las Ramblas.

When we got to the end of Las Ramblas, there were protests going on in the square (Placa de Catalunya)! Eeeeks! We went to a bus stop to get on the bus and then we were told by an employee that this bus stop was closed due to the protests. She directed us toward the next stop so that we could get on the bus. So, around the protests we went!

 

[KevieKev05]

DAY 14 - May 27th, 2011 - Barcelona, Spain (Part 2)

When we made it to the next bus stop, there was (naturally) quite a line. So, I decided to go take pictures of the first Gaudi structure I found, “Casa Batllo.”

Then, we made our way back to the bus stop to get on a bus. We wanted to get on a “red line” bus, but since the line was so long, we took a “blue line” bus instead. At the next stop, we got off and got on a “blue line” bus. Once the bus started moving, we went past what I just took pictures of:

At the next stop, we were able to switch to a “blue line” bus quite easily.

We then came across another Gaudi structure, “La Pedrera”:

As you can guess, I just snapped away so here are a bunch of pictures from traveling on the bus:

(You can see the protesting in the distance):

We then came across Gaudi’s “Casa Batllo” for the third time, haha.

 

[KevieKev05]

DAY 14 - May 27th, 2011 - Barcelona, Spain (Part 3)

Gaudi’s “La Pedrera” again.

Approaching Gaudi’s “Sagrada Familia”:

We were going to get off the bus at this point and explore, but holy moly! The line to get into the Sagrada Familia was wrapped allllll around the building and then the line to get back on a bus was incredibly long as well! Better stay put and just snap a bunch of pictures!

 

[KevieKev05]

DAY 14 - May 27th, 2011 - Barcelona, Spain (Part 4)

The bus continued on after briefly stopping at Sagrada Familia and I snapped a picture of this pretty building:

Our next big stop was the stop for Gaudi’s “Parc Guell.” According to the audio, it was about a 10 minute walk away from the bus stop. James and I decided we wanted to get off (it was about 12:30 by now). I believe I forgot to mention that James has been to Barcelona before, so he was familiar with some of the sights. From what he told me, I definitely wanted to see Parc Guell, which is why we got off. Mom and Dad weren’t too keen on walking to see it and decided to stay on the bus. I’m not going to lie, I was slightly concerned separating from them! And so, we parted ways at this point.

James and I began the walk to Parc Guell. It was uphill. And then the park itself was full of hills and stairs, so I’m actually thankful my parents didn’t get off with us! Those poor things wouldn’t have made it, haha! This area was QUITE busy but I was still able to capture a bunch of pictures!

View of the city from the park:

(Can you see the “Sagrada Familia” in this picture?)

The next group of pictures showcases the runway used in the finale of season 7 of “America’s Next Top Model.” Pretty neat!