Round The World In 28 Days

[bex7583]

sorry to hear about your friend. enjoying your trip though

 

[dolphingirl47]

Nice that you were able to get to the port so easily and drop off your luggage.

This was really useful. We would not have been able to get half as much done if we had to go back to the hotel to collect the luggage later.

I don't even know what this means.

Dirham is the currency of the United Arab Emirates. I still had some Dirhams left over from a previous trip and thought they may be useful to have at Abu Dhabi airport. I used some of them, but still had some left in my wallet when we got to Australia.

I know you've mentioned this store before, but I'm not sure I've ever seen one here in the US.

There are loads of them. I have been to a fair few in the US. In California, I have been to a Lush Store in San Francisco, Anaheim Garden Walk, Santa Monica, Fashion Island Mall and Brea Mall. They sell natural bath products that are quite quirky.

I think this is another thing that is lost in Translation...

I was scratching my head what it may have been that was lost in translation. I came to the conclusion that it was most likely topside of beef. I am familiar with the term as this is what we call it here and this was also how in was labelled on the ship. I think in the USA, this cut of beef is called round cut.

I'm sorry that the desserts weren't good.

That is one thing Royal Caribbean is struggling with.

That's odd that there was such a difference in reception on the different decks.

I found out later in the trip that the same was true for Wi-Fi as well.

This would have annoyed me.

I was not particularly impressed with it either. Surely a big part of the reason for having the muster drill in the first place is that it simulates how to get to the muster station when the whole of the ship is heading in the same general direction. I think we were amongst the last people to arrived and despite our detour, we were at the muster station before the alarm was sounded.

I didn't know you could do that!

Yes, that works on DCL as well.

So are these like regular sushi rolls? The kind that they cut up into 8 pieces?

Yes, they were.

That dress is a very nice color for you.

Thanks.

Your dress is very pretty, but you say it fell apart?

Thanks. Yes, it literally came apart at the seems. The fabric was very thin.

sorry to hear about your friend.

Thanks.

enjoying your trip though

I am glad you are enjoying it.

Corinna

 

[franandaj]

Dirham is the currency of the United Arab Emirates. I still had some Dirhams left over from a previous trip and thought they may be useful to have at Abu Dhabi airport. I used some of them, but still had some left in my wallet when we got to Australia.

Ahhh, I had no idea...I was wondering if it was like traveller's cheques or something.

I was scratching my head what it may have been that was lost in translation. I came to the conclusion that it was most likely topside of beef. I am familiar with the term as this is what we call it here and this was also how in was labelled on the ship. I think in the USA, this cut of beef is called round cut.

Well partially the topside of beef, but I figured that out, it was more the part about Graham having "topside of beef, pork and mushroom casserole" and you having "pork and mushroom casserole". I guess mostly the casserole part. In America casserole could be Campbell's Cream of "Blank" soup, meat, and rice or noodles. There are all sorts of other casseroles in America, but mostly they are the kinds of things you bring to a church potluck, or make for a large family when you are trying to stretch the dollar as far as you can. It just struck me as odd that they would have casseroles like I know from the US on a cruise ship. That's why I figured it was lost in translation that in England a casserole may be a little more glamourus than we consider them here in America.

 

[PrincessInOz]

It is just before the Echo Point look out.

That was the one I was thinking it was. We stayed almost directly across from there, in a 2-bedroom self contained unit.

this was the best coffee I ever tasted.

We're coffee snobs over here. It has to be good coffee or your shop won't last long.

corn fritters topped with bacon, avocado and sour cream with a side of hash browns.

Yum.

We soon came across a lovely Victorian arcade.

That's the Strand Arcade.

the Chinese Garden of Friendship.

I had seen this on @PrincessInOz 's trip report and knew straightaway that I wanted to see this if I ever made it to Sydney.

I hope you liked it!

Love this perspective! Great shot.

Too bad they didn't keep him. Ooops! Did I say that?

Nope. He's all yours!

it literally came apart at the seems. The fabric was very thin.

That's a shame.




Looks like a pretty smooth embarkation process.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I was wondering if it was like traveller's cheques or something.

My wallet usually has an assortment of foreign currency in it. At the moment I still have the 50 Dirham note in my wallet as well as a 5 Fijian Dollar note as well as coins from Fiji, New Caledonia and Australia. I nearly need to empty out my wallet.

I guess mostly the casserole part. In America casserole could be Campbell's Cream of "Blank" soup, meat, and rice or noodles. There are all sorts of other casseroles in America, but mostly they are the kinds of things you bring to a church potluck, or make for a large family when you are trying to stretch the dollar as far as you can. It just struck me as odd that they would have casseroles like I know from the US on a cruise ship. That's why I figured it was lost in translation that in England a casserole may be a little more glamourus than we consider them here in America.

The kind of thing you bring to a church potluck pretty much covers it. This consisted of meat, mushrooms, onions and some kind of sauce. They had a different kind of casserole every day as one of the options at the buffet. I actually rather like this kind of thing. For me this is the ultimate comfort food.

Corinna

 

[dolphingirl47]

We stayed almost directly across from there, in a 2-bedroom self contained unit.

Wow, that is a fantastic location.

We're coffee snobs over here.

That kind of snob I can get behind.

It has to be good coffee or your shop won't last long.

I can imagine. The Australian contingent was up in arms about the quality of the coffee on the ship.

I hope you liked it!

We loved it. I think this played a big part in helping us make our minds up about our December trip.

Love this perspective! Great shot.

Thanks.

Corinna

 

[franandaj]

The kind of thing you bring to a church potluck pretty much covers it. This consisted of meat, mushrooms, onions and some kind of sauce. They had a different kind of casserole every day as one of the options at the buffet. I actually rather like this kind of thing. For me this is the ultimate comfort food.

OK, that makes sense. While there are lots of foods we both like, we both have different tastes as well. I wouldn't give a dish like that a second glance, especially at the beginning of the holiday. I want something fancier to eat, but as the novelty of fancier food wears off, then I'm more likely to choose the comfort foods.

 

[kittymamma]

Corinna, all of the photos are wonderful but I particularly like the ones of the Opera House at night....those really are beautiful. Enjoying the report so much !

 

[dolphingirl47]

I wouldn't give a dish like that a second glance, especially at the beginning of the holiday.

It would not normally be my first choice either, but it was quite late by then and the selection was no longer as good as it would probably have been earlier. A lot of what there was at that stage was fish and seafood, which I don't eat.

Enjoying the report so much !

I am glad you are enjoying it.

Corinna

 

[dolphingirl47]

Day 5

We were awake bright and early in the morning at around 6:00 AM. It was too early to get up so we both read for a bit and then got up and ready just before 7:00. We headed up to the Windjammer to get some breakfast. When we stepped out onto the deck 11, we noticed that it was raining. I had not expected this. So we speed walked across the open deck. Unfortunately Explorer of the Seas does have the sea dog outside the Windjammer. I had kind of looked forward to 24 different outfits for the sea dog. They had a beautiful wooden yacht model there instead, but that was not quite the same.

As soon as we walked in, there was a station where a chef cooked pancakes to order. I could not resist this and had a freshly made pancake with whipped cream, strawberry compote and almonds. This was very nice. Graham had a healthier start with fruit, granola and yoghurt. He then followed this with a pastry and scrambled egg, fried egg and bacon. I had a second plate consisting of ham, sausage gravy, hash browns and poached eggs. Most of the food was a little too salty for my taste, but the poached eggs were a nice treat. I had some apple juice to start with, but then I got the idea that as our drinks package included non-alcoholic cocktails, we may as well make use of this. We both ended up having a virgin Pina Colada. That was definitely tastier than the fruit juices on the buffet.











After breakfast, we decided to check out Cafe Promenade. On Navigator, they served decent coffee there. Unfortunately that morning, they had Royal Caribbean roast on tap. I was happy that I had decided to get my cup from the cabin and got a Peach Fanta instead. Fortunately they served Seattle’s Best Coffee for most of the cruise, which was much nicer and the same coffee which they had on Navigator.

When we finished our drinks, we went back to the cabin. Graham had not unpacked yet and I decided to keep him company and read my book for a bit. Once he had unpacked, we got some fresh air around deck 4 and then we went to the Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle. There was quite a long line at registration so I told Graham to go and find us some seats and I would deal with the formalities. That worked out great. The line moved quite swiftly, but by the time I joined Graham, he had already got a fruit punch for himself and a sparkling wine for me. Before I joined Graham, I had one of those “I can’t believe this is happening” moments. During our cruise on Ovation of the Seas in May last year, I met a young guy from Florida at an activity that got cancelled and we had a lovely chat. In November, I bumped into him again as I was heading for the Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle on Navigator of the Seas. Sure enough, as I walked past the bar on this cruise, there he was again. I could not believe that I managed to bump into the same person three cruises running. I did say “hi” and just got a blank look so I left it at this. I suppose he and his family are doing so many cruises and meet so many people that they cannot recall everybody they met.

This Meet and Mingle was different from other such events. There were the usual free drinks and a raffle, but instead of pastries or cookies, they had some rather nice canapés. I got a small plate with a selection for a Graham and me to share and they were rather nice. They were quite seafood heavy and Graham had some salmon and prawn canapés and I had some really nice Brie and raspberry ones. This also turned out to be almost a who is who of senior officers. The hotel director, the loyalty ambassador, the managers of guest services, shore excursions and Next Cruise bookings, the stage manager and even the captain were all present and said a few words. One person was noticeably absent and that was the cruise director. However the activities manager was there. The activities manager on Royal Caribbean is basically the same role that is called the assistant cruise director on other cruise lines. The activities manager on this cruise was called Joe and was from Canada. He had an absolutely wicked sense of humour and was great fun. This already showed at the meet and mingle. One of the raffle prices was a bottle of sparkling wine, which he called Chateau de Gangway and spun a little tale how it was produced right on the ship.

After the formal part was over, I tried to find my progressive trivia team. I had arranged to join a team for progressive trivia via our Facebook group. I had a bit of a job finding the organiser who then proceeded to tell me that there was never any discussion about a progressive trivia team. I knew this to be wrong and recalled some of the conversation we had. She then proceeded to tell me that people no longer wanted to do this. That was fine, but why not say this in the first place. I have to say I was a little disappointed in the turn of events, but this was not about to spoil my day.

People soon started to drift away and Graham and I made tracks as well. We headed briefly back to the cabin as Graham wanted to get his telescope and I wanted my iPad so that I could read. We headed up to solarium as a lot of this is under cover, but has floor to ceiling windows. We settled down for a while. Graham watched the world go by and I read. It was brightening up and Graham wanted to head down to the helipad. I went with him, but it was too windy for my taste.





I decided to head to the Star Lounge to see if I could find myself a team for progressive trivia. It was still quite early, but I was happy to just sit and read. I got myself a strawberry lemonade from the bar and then went to find a seat. Somebody called out to me. She asked me if I was there for progressive trivia. She was hoping to play as well. It turned out that she was part of the team that we thought had been formed via the Facebook group as well. She is from Queensland and from the first minute, we got on like a house on fire. It turned out that we shared many interests. She became a good friend over the course of the cruise. Shortly before progressive trivia started, we were joined by a couple from Ontario, Canada. Joe did progressive trivia and when he arrived, he made an announcement that for progressive trivia, teams of 8 were allowed. Normally the limit is 6. There were 4 people sitting nearby and we asked them if they wanted to join forces. One couple was from Hawaii and one couple was from Munich in Germany. So our team was born. Between us we had quite a nice range of areas of expertise. We also all got on. Meeting every afternoon on sea days soon became one of the highlights of the cruise. We did OK that first afternoon and got 12 out of 15 questions right.

After progressive trivia, I went to find Graham. We quickly took his telescope to our cabin and then we went upstairs to the Windjammer for some food. Graham had fried chicken, German sausage and chips. He then had bread and butter pudding with custard for dessert, which he thought was pretty nice. I had pea and tomato risotto, German sausage, shrimp Pad Thai, beef stir fry and chips. After the experience the previous day, I passed on dessert.





When we had finished lunch, we went down to the Star Lounge. There was a lecture on climate change starting soon. I thought this was a brave decision on Royal Caribbean’s part. We decided that this might be interesting. We found a seat and then I got us both a strawberry lemonade. The lecturer was from Canada, but of British origin. The lecture was very balanced and very interesting. I am glad that we made the effort to go.

We went up to the Viking Crown Lounge next. We had read in the Daily Compass that there were sign ups for a photo competition and this sounded like a bit of fun. So we decided to check this out. We found out that this was more of a photo exhibition than a competition. Everybody signed up could submit one photo. This could be taken around the ship or in port, but had to be taken since getting on the ship. We would have until after we left Honolulu to take the photo. There would then be a session to submit them. The photos would then be printed and put into an exhibition. This sounded worth doing. So we both signed up.

 

[dolphingirl47]

We both felt a little tired so we went to the cabin for a nap. At some stage our stateroom host knocked to return my gowns. I took them in and then went back to sleep. I woke up about an hour before the Captain’s welcome reception was due to start. I had a quick shower and started to get ready. Graham woke up shortly afterwards as well. Once we were both ready, we went down to the Royal Promenade. There was already quite a line for the Captain’s photo. In fact, this was the longest line I have ever seen for a photo opportunity on a Royal Caribbean ship. We got in line and once the Captain got there, it moved fairly swiftly. It was soon our turn and we got our photo.



Normally the sparkling wine runs very liberally during the Captain’s welcome reception, but by the time we had our photo taken, they had run out. I am not sure what happened there. It was pretty crowded. Graham went and found a quiet spot to sit and I went off by myself for some photos. I retrieved Graham when it was time for dinner.







We had My Time Dining again. We were asked if we were OK with sharing. We ended up sitting with a couple from Michigan and a couple from Queensland. They were all very nice and we had some interesting conversation. We both decided to order a glass of wine for dinner and were advised by the assistant server that or drinks package just included beer and soft drinks. This particular package was discontinued last September, but it was honoured for people who had it already booked. The issue was that it was supposed to include wines up to $8 a glass, but at the beginning of the year prices had gone up and now the cheapest wines were $10. I had spotted this and had contacted Royal Caribbean about this before the trip and they reassured me that there would be a selection of wines for us to choose from. Up to this point, we had no issues either. I told our assistant server that wine is included and he went off to check with someone. He came back shortly afterwards with two glasses of White Zinfandel. Dinner was nice. Graham started with the bay scallop gratin and I had chicken consommé with spinach and ricotta gnocchetti. Our server also brought out a prawn cocktail for each couple and Graham had this. For our main course, we both had beef Tenderloin, asparagus, mashed potato and morel mushroom sauce. Graham had strawberry cheesecake for dessert and I chose the chocolate soufflé with espresso sauce. This was actually pretty nice.















After dinner, we made the rounds of the photo opportunities and then we went to the R Bar for a nightcap. This is my favourite hang out spot on the Voyager class ships. I think it was conceived as a champagne bar, but it now serves some rather unusual cocktails as well as wines and beers. It is a great spot for people watching, but is normally pretty quiet. We had a glass of wine each. Graham had another glass of White Zinfandel and I had a glass of chardonnay. Once we had finished this, we went back to our cabin. I took a quick photo of the towel animal our stateroom host had left us, checked out the Daily Compass for the next day and then we got ready for bed. We both read for half an hour before turning the lights out.

 

[tiggrbaby]

So glad you got your trivia sorted out!

Love all the formal shots!

 

[kittymamma]

OK...I'm getting confused about which TR will have the current info concerning the award ceremony. Not sure when the awards ceremony is and which TR site will contain the pertinent info..certainly don't want to miss any of the excitement. Please give us a "heads up".

 

[dolphingirl47]

So glad you got your trivia sorted out!

I was, too.

Love all the formal shots!

Thanks.

OK...I'm getting confused about which TR will have the current info concerning the award ceremony. Not sure when the awards ceremony is and which TR site will contain the pertinent info..certainly don't want to miss any of the excitement. Please give us a "heads up".

I had not really given this any thought. Thematically it best fits on A Tale of a Thousand and One Trips. I am on the train to London now and the awards ceremony is tonight.

Corinna

 

[Pinkocto]

What a lovey and relaxing first sea day. How very odd about the trivia person. Exactly as you said, why not say there was little interest instead of saying it hadn't happened...

Those steak fries at lunch caught my eye

Great picture of the bird flying over the ocean.

Cute towel animal.

Wild about seeing the same guy on three different cruises. Bad manners of him not to say hi back though...


I hope you have a fabulous time at the awards ceremony

 

[dolphingirl47]

Those steak fries at lunch caught my eye

They were rather lovely.

I hope you have a fabulous time at the awards ceremony

I did have a great time.

Corinna

 

[jedijill]

Catching back up.

I loved seeing Sydney through your pictures. I loved the city...my favorite Australian city second only to Melbourne. The ship was in port when I was there last year....I so wanted to climb aboard!

Jill in CO

 

[dolphingirl47]

I loved the city...my favorite Australian city second only to Melbourne.

We both loved Sydney. Melbourne is definitely somewhere I want to visit as well in the not too distant future.

The ship was in port when I was there last year....I so wanted to climb aboard!

How lovely that you saw the Explorer when you were in Sydney. I can imagine that it would be a temptation. I had a ship visit last months where I toured a ship for a few hours and it was hard getting off without actually going anywhere.

Corinna

 

[franandaj]

Sounds like a nice day. Odd about the trivia team, but I'm glad you got that all worked out in the end.

Relaxing on the ship is always a great way to spend the day. Also strange that your server didn't understand how the beverage package worked. You and Graham look great in your pictures and dinner sounded delicious.

 

[dolphingirl47]

Odd about the trivia team, but I'm glad you got that all worked out in the end.

It turned out to be a real blessing. It goes to show that everything in life happens for a reason.

Relaxing on the ship is always a great way to spend the day.

We did plenty of that this cruise.

Also strange that your server didn't understand how the beverage package worked.

It is not as strange as it sounds. This particular drinks package was mainly sold in the UK and the Explorer had not been based in the UK for at least a couple of years. It was also discontinued last September. So there were a lot of crew on board that had never heard about this. All worked out in the end.

You and Graham look great in your pictures

Thanks.

Corinna