Newbcruiser1

Unfortunately it was only a partial sunset due to the clouds!

It was the second formal night (of 3). Luckily the menu was great!

I started with the calamari:

And the gazpacho (which was delicious!!!):

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You have had a nice variety of adult beverages, are they all included in the diamond coupons loaded on the seapass?

The mudslide was not part of the diamond coupons. Frozen drinks are NOT included but I had a nice bartender that tossed my margarita in the blender for me since I prefer frozen. That was a 1-off occurrence though! :)

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After the tour, I grabbed a mocha frappuccino from the Promenade Cafe, and then met a friend for the Master Sea Chef competition. Thank you to my fellow CC members who told me I should go! It was fun! There were 8 officers participating - everyone from the captain and staff captain, to the chief engineer and bar manager. They each had to make 3 plates with a collection of obscure ingredients, in 15 minutes. The judges included the hotel director and 2 passengers who had to taste each dish. The captain already got kicked off today. There will be several more competitions over the next few days, with 2 officers eliminated per day.

It was then off to lunch in the MDR with a fellow CC member. I started with the salad bar, then realized they had a massive bowl of shrimp over on the buffet table, so I added some with cocktail sauce:

I then hit the pasta station. Unfortunately it took forever, because there was only 1 chef and 1 hot plate. They should really double up to keep the hungry people moving along!

Next I went to change and hit the pool. I got a great front row seat in the shade once again. I read for a while, went for a dip in the pool, then in the hot tub, and enjoyed a mudslide.

I later picked up a margarita and headed out to the helipad to watch the sunset. It was THE perfect end to my pre-dinner day!

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After breakfast I lounged poolside for about half an hour. I watched the aqua aerobics in the "wave pool" (looked exhausting with the waves!), and the beginning of the morning dance aerobics class. Unfortunately they did not play high energy music in the background which to me, is part of the enjoyment of dance fitness classes like Zumba and whatnot.

I then headed down to Studio B for my backstage tour (diamond perk). Unfortunately there was not much to see backstage other than a small room on either side with costumes and skates. It is incredible that the 10 skaters and other crew can fit in there at a time for costume changes and whatnot! We also learned many interesting facts about Studio B and the ice/shows. Fun fact - the medical crew are on-call for emergencies during the ice shows, and even know which tricks the skaters perform and what time! This was mentioned specifically in reference to the tricks where the male skater holds the female by her skates and swings her around with her head coming dangerously close to the ice on each turn. Fortunately the ice manager said she has never seen any incidents with that; however, she did once witness her ice captain do a backflip and land wrong and smashed his face on the railing. That was the only time the show has been cancelled altogether in her time onboard the ships.

They were setting up for Master Sea Chef while we were on the stage talking to the ice manager.

The costumes:

Encouraging messages from past to future ice teams, and signatures on the wall in the dressing rooms:

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Today is day 9, and day 2 of 7 sea days as we cross the Atlantic! As you can see, the cruise compass was once again jam-packed with activities!

I woke up bright and early at 8:23 - or so I thought when I looked at the phone! The time changed back another hour last night, and I made sure to change my watch before bed. I set my wake-up call for 8:20am. For whatever reason, it hadn't rung when I got up at 8:23! Nonetheless, I got up and dressed and ready for the day. I then looked at my watch and it said 7:56. Wait... whaaaaat?! Did I turn it back an extra hour by accident in my juggling of 3 watches? I went back to look at the phone and it now said 7:56! Uh oh! Turned out they hadn't changed the time on the phones until the morning while I was getting dressed, so I inadvertently got up earlier than planned!

So off I went to the MDR for breakfast - this time on deck 5, where it's a la carte. I ordered the smoked salmon plate with a bagel, and the fruit. Unfortunately there were no capers with the smoked salmon but it was otherwise great!

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I started with the gravlox which was delicious although tiny:

Then had a shrimp cocktail (which I later realized wasn't on the menu as it usually is - possibly just an accidental omission).

For my main course, I ordered the kids chicken fingers and fries. Imagine my surprise when none of my American tablemates knew what I was talking about when I asked for Plum sauce!!! Neither did my waiter but he did find me some delicious sweet chili sauce!

Dessert was the banana caramel mousse. It was kind of gelatinous and weird, so I ended up ordering a coffee ice cream.

It was Caribbean night around the ship so all of the crew were dressed in Hawaiian or floral shirts. They also did some music and dancing in the MDR on the staircase. For the last song, my favourite, Danza Kuduro, they had the guests join them for the dance. That was THE most lively thing I've seen on this ship... and on any ship's MDR! The stairs were packed, the balconies all the way around were packed, and people were having a blast!

After dinner was the Love and Marriage gameshow. Unlike most cruises, the couple's seemingly had no idea what they were signing up for, there were no recent newlyweds, and they clearly did not rehearse their answers. It was somewhat dry and awkward to watch!

I then wandered around the ship for a bit before turning in for the night - frustrated at the lack of internet all day! [emoji849]

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I went to the 7:00 ice show - FreedomIce.com. As is typical for RCI, the skaters were fantastic, although the costumes, music, and plot made me wonder what the creators of the show were smoking! Lol!

Dinner last night was in the MDR. Unfortunately the menu left something to be desired, so I asked for the kid's menu!

Every night we get several cheese plates at the table which one of my tablemates requested early on in the cruise.

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There was a special menu which was fabulous!

I had the lentil soup:

The chateaubriand was amazing - best meal on the ship so far!

And the dessert which was a chocolate liqueur tart and a mini creme brûlée!

After lunch I changed into my swimsuit and lounged poolside before taking a dip. I was lucky enough to get a front row seat in the shade when I arrived!

I later enjoyed a free diamond margarita from the pool bar!

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The internet wasn't working all day but here it is now! Not sure how long it will last but let's see how far I can get!

Yesterday was day 8, and the first of 7 sea days crossing the Atlantic!

I slept in until around 10am, and went outside to find somewhat gloomy skies but calm seas!

I enjoyed an iced chai latte and a cookie for breakfast on the Promenade deck.

The cruise line arranged for a cruise critic lunch yesterday in collaboration with some cruise critic members. It took place on deck 5 of the main dining room, away from the regular lunch on deck 3. They had tables on one side for those booked on next year's Symphony TA (myself included), and the remainder of CC members on the other side.

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My apologies - I have been unable to post anything from today as the internet has been painfully spotty and slow all day! :( I will post as soon as it's back up and running, but I expect it may not work well until the end of the week as we get closer to satellites!

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Can't wait to hear about the 80s party.

 

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Not much to report - it was almost empty! See post 159 for a picture!

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Can you tell me who the Captain is and do you know if he is getting off soon?

The captain is Espen Been. See below for details. Sorry, I don't know how long he's been on or when he's due to leave.

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I stopped in at the 80's party but it was nearly empty so I didn't stay.

Then I sat in Boleros for a while.

When I got back to this room, this smart puppy was writing me a note!

It seems that we will now have 6 time changes back in a row! I can't wait!

My room is super cold suddenly, as are parts of the ship, so I cranked up the thermostat and headed out to warmer ground and grabbed a cup of tea from the Promenade cafe. Will head back soon and hope it has warmed up a little!

That's all for tonight! Coming up tomorrow, the first of 7 days at sea! As per the captain, "word on the street is that we'll have rain on Tuesday and Wednesday". So I will try to make the most of the 80 degree and sunny weather tomorrow. There is a Cruise Critic lunch tomorrow which was organized by the ship and tweaked by some roll call members. There will be a separate section for those who have booked the Symphony Transatlantic next fall, so I will be sitting in that section!

Stay tuned to find out just what people do on 7 sea days in a row! [emoji6]

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Yup as Timetogetnauti said, it turns out the 2 passengers did show up in a police car to much applause and made it back onboard before we left.

So the top tier event was surprisingly empty considering there are approximately 2400 platinum and above cruisers here! Their loss! They did a fantastic ice show for us (a combination of high energy figure skating and ice dancing), the "Royal Swedes" band was there, and of course the usual captain, cruise director, etc. There are only around 500 first time on RCI cruisers onboard, and 800ish diamond members. There are 91 pinnacles. I didn't get the remainder of the numbers but clearly there are a lot of experienced RCI cruisers here!

Dinner in the main dining room tonight was good!

Breaded shrimp (tiny portion!):

Cream of Vidalia onion soup:

Chicken piccata:

Strawberry Napoleon (delicious!!!):

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I sat and relaxed poolside for a bit, but it got WAY too hot and there wasn't much shade, so I relocated to the solarium! It was the perfect place to watch people running down the pier towards the ship 20 minutes after the all-aboard time!

We left a bit late, and the captain's announcement said something about waiting for 2 people and packing their belongings. But some loud guy piped up complaining about the 2 people so I missed whether he said THEY were packing up the people's belongings to leave on the pier for them, or if the people were leaving and were packing their own belongings.

Nonetheless I didn't see anyone disembark and I didn't see any luggage on the pier. But soon enough, we were off and doing a 360 degree turn while backing up to get out of the port!

I headed down to grab a drink from the diamond lounge. I tried a whisky sour on the advice of a cruise friend! This created quite the uproar at the bar, as the bartender asked the other bartender to make it (apparently he makes them better!), and my fellow passengers were shocked that I was ordering it for myself!

Unfortunately - I hated it! I'm still staring at the remaining 2/3rds which I don't plan on drinking!

The Crown and Anchor Top Tier event is tonight. It seems they are only doing 1, and I am estimating that 75% of passengers onboard are Emerald and above... so that should be interesting! Probably an overcrowded cattle call! [emoji38]Also tonight, dinner in the MDR and the 80's party in Studio B.

I will be back later with an update!

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Good to hear you survived your volcano experience. We've cruised several times on RCCL and the one common,disappointing thing st breakfast has been the lack of crispy bacon. How has it been on this trip?

I'm not sure how they're cooking the bacon, but it's coming out with several strips stuck side by side. Although there has been a good mix of crispy bacon amongst the soggy pieces - easy to retrieve from the buffet severs! [emoji3]

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I went to the Windjammer for lunch.

And took a walk around the ship:

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The hike back to the bus was exhausting in the heat! We could have used the wine then! Haha!

Next stop - a pottery maker. We watched two men make ceramic bowls following over 100 different patterns, all of which they know without following anything.

The flowers on the grounds were beautiful, as were the views!

We arrived back at the port after 1pm.

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Note the hazy sky again due to the dust/sand from the Sahara!

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The next stop (and main attraction of the day!) was San Antonio Volcano! Yes, THAT volcano that's been all over the news! It last erupted in 1971, and according to some scientists, is due to erupt again any time now. We were able to walk halfway around the crater. The tour description was on point with the disclaimer that you must be able to walk 3/4 of a mile on uneven ground. Unfortunately a few on our bus did not heed those warnings and were forced to stay on the bus. There was also a small visitor's centre there. It was really neat looking into the crater which is now filled with trees! Also, check out the size of the people walking along the rim for a reference of size!

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My tour today was once again booked through RCI and was the "Volcano and Wine" tour. The meeting time was 7:30am in the theatre.

We first drove to a winery high up in the mountains. It took well over an hour to get there, mostly on switchback roads! Wine tasting at 9:30am was interesting! Haha!

Look at all of the temperature control switches!

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Hello from day 7 onboard the Freedom of the Seas! Today we are in La Palma, our last port stop before the next 7 sea days!

We once again arrived before sunrise - at 7:00am!

I decided to try the main dining room' buffet for breakfast today, and I'm so glad I did!!! It was nearly empty (hard to know if that was due to the time of 6:45 or if it's typically half empty). They had a nice spread with fruit, smoked salmon, pastries, croissants, cheese, meats, thick French toast, pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, frittata, and an omelette station.

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Jen, I have a question about Diamond perks, since they seem to vary from ship to ship. During happy hours, can you get your drinks in the specialty restaurants, Windjammer or MDR? This is an ongoing thread, and nobody as yet has given info re: Freedom. Thanks.

This seems to vary by ship and even by sailing. I am unsure on this sailing whether the drinks can be used in the dining venues because I have late seating which is after happy hour ends. Having said that, my waiter has brought me a diamond Diet Coke each night when I arrive. I haven't asked for refills or for wine or anything like that. I simply pick up my drink on my way to dinner and drink it with dinner! :) I have even picked up a Baileys and left it in my fridge for after dinner as well! Haha!

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Update! A fellow cruise passenger found a can of "laca" (Spanish for hairspray!) for me in Tenerife!

And I did easily find the mall today in Gran Canaria and they had it as well!

Thanks for all of your help!

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I finished with the walnut tart which was delicious!

My tablemates had the drunken kahlua cake and enjoyed it!

I am now sitting in Bolero's watching the action and enjoying the music! Because there are a lot of Spanish people on this cruise, Bolero's has been hopping every night!

Coming up tomorrow: Day 7 (uh oh! Halfway already!!!!) in La Palma! Yes, THAT La Palma that has had several clusters of hundreds of earthquakes over the last few weeks, with subsequent volcano alerts and fears of a resultant tsunami! And what will I be doing in La Palma? You guessed it! A Volcano tour! Of THAT volcano! And no, Royal Caribbean and the tour operator have not cancelled it. So I will go with the happy thought that scientists are REALLY good at predicting precisely when a volcano will erupt, and that now is not that time! [emoji6]Actually the answer I got from the shore excursions desk was "If you see lava - RUN!!!". Good advice! [emoji38]

Stay tuned for more tomorrow!

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