Newbcruiser1

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I love this pic. The drink and the stirer with RC emblem set up just right. Centered in the reflection of the setting sun. Perfect! Not sure if it was planned that way, but well done.

Haha persistence paid off! Thank you! It took about 15 tries to get the picture - I couldn't see my phone screen with the sun, and the stirrer kept blowing around due to the wind! But finally - success!

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Because of the number of Crown and Anchor members on this cruise, happy hour has been spread out. Pinnacles are allowed in the Diamond Lounge, diamond plus and above in Olive or Twist in the Viking Crown Lounge, and diamond are in the Star Lounge. So off I went for a diamond drink!

I later found myself at the Promenade Cafe for a snack after my unsubstantial lunch:

Unfortunately we are headed back towards Barcelona for a medical emergency.

More later!

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I took a walk around the ship as we sailed out of Barcelona.

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Embarkation Day!

I started my day with a short walk next door to the food court area of the Arena mall for a delicious chocolate croissant - sorry, no pictures as I devoured it too quickly!

I then took a taxi to the port. The driver did not speak English but somehow with lots of Spanglish on both our parts, he got me to the right place!

The ride was 14 euros, although 4 of those were from a major traffic jam over the bridge to the port. Against my usual embarkation day process, I decided not to rush to the ship. Having been on several Freedom-class ships before, I was not in a hurry to explore, and being a 14 night cruise, I also wasn't in a hurry to start the fun! That turned out to be a wise decision as I did not hit any line ups anywhere throughout the check-in process. I was through security, checked in, and onboard within 20 minutes! I killed a little bit of time on the Promenade until rooms were ready to drop off my carry-on. They were ready right on time at 1pm. Sadly I am sailing in an inside room this time. I don't typically don't sail in regular insides, although I have had Promenade rooms and virtual balcony rooms in the past. I was a little bit surprised to see the lack of any gap around the bed, but have asked my room attendant to shift the bed over to 1 wall tonight so that I can walk around 1 side of the bed.

I then headed up to the Windjammer for a late lunch at 2:30. Strangely, it was still quite busy. Unfortunately lunch was extremely underwhelming. My plate consisted of this sad selection:

But this made it a smidge better!!

The muster drill took place at 4:15, and then it was up to the Cruise Critic meet-up at the Sky Bar! It was completely packed, but we had a great view of the sailaway party going on below:

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Where is the magic fountain?

 

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It is located near Placa Espanya. Is not in the main city centre area (Placa Catalunya) but is easily accessible by foot (30 minutes) or by metro.

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After dinner I went to see the Magic Fountains show! Unfortunately it was a complete madhouse with thousands of people packed in, so I watched from a little bit further away. Nonetheless, it was still beautiful!

I then ended my evening out on a sweet note with gelato from the lower level of the arena mall (baccio and tiramisu, if anyone is wondering!)

That's it for today! Next up - embarkation day tomorrow! Thanks to everyone that is following and stay tuned!

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Lunch consisted of a quick bite of tapas-style dishes. I had the meatballs and patatas bravas au gratin with pesto (essentially cheesy fries with pesto!). Lunch was passable but nothing special.

On my way out, I snapped this picture of Placa Espanya:

Notice the relative lack of people? I found out soon after where they all were. An estimated 450,000 people were in the city centre on Passeig de Gracia (outside of Gaudi's Casa Batllo) near Placa Catalunya protesting Spain's move to take away the Catalonian president's power.

Needless to say I'm happy I opted to stay in this part of town this time around!

Next up - dinner! I asked the executive concierge for a recommendation for tapas and was referred somewhere a 7 minute walk away. Unfortunately when I got there, the menu did not appeal to me. As such, I returned to the hotel and finally fed my sushi craving at the hotel's restaurant, Kurai. I had veggie tempura and a tempura avocado roll with salmon in Japanese mayo on top. Both were delicious, although it was not cheap at 25 euros including a glass of wine!

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Eventually I was notified that my room was ready. Imagine my surprise when I found out that I was upgraded to an executive king suite on the 6th floor with a Plaza view!

The hotel is a winner all around! While there isn't as much in the area as there is around Placa Catalunya, it's perfect for a repeat short visit! It's right near the metro, the train station, the aerobus, and the bull fighting arena-turned-mall. Which also happens to be where I had a late lunch. The entire rooftop consists of restaurant's with patios or open air interiors - very unique! Beware though - if you take the outside elevator up, it costs 1 euro. If you go inside and take the escalators to the top, it's free!

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So where am I staying? This year, I decided to keep it local given that I only have 24 hours maximum here. I toured virtually every part of Barcelona (including Montserrat!) during my longer stay last fall. As such, this year I decided to stay near Placa Espanya so I could see the Magic Fountains. I originally booked the Pestana Arena Barcelona, but switched at the last minute, just 36 hours prior to checking in - due to it's location "off the beaten path". Instead, I booked the Catalonia Barcelona Plaza hotel which is located right in Placa Espanya.

I got to the hotel, and they sent me up to the rooftop bar for a free welcome drink while I waited for my room. The cava was great, but the rooftop pool and terrace were even better:

Check out the view!

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Thanks to everyone who's following along thus far! I will try to fulfill the requests that have been made (menus, sea day activities, etc)!

My flight to Barcelona was one of the bumpiest rides I've ever had! In fact, it reminded me of the motion when I was on the infamous "hurricane cruise" last year on the Anthem of the Seas that hit 200+mph winds! The seatbelt sign was on for hours on end, with even the flight attendants strapped into their seats. The pilot's explanation was that there were multiple jet streams to climb through during our flight which caused the turbulence.

The airline (Air Transat) served a choice of hot sandwich (ham and brie, chicken and pesto, or roasted Mediterranean veggie) with orzo salad, dark chocolate covered acai berries, and a complimentary glass of wine. Unfortunately I was unable to take any pictures because my phone was just about dead and there were no outlets for charging. They also served a second round of beverages and pre-wrapped carrot cake slices prior to landing.

I would rate the flight a 5/10. The service was decent, the included light meals weren't too bad, and the flight was an hour shorter than anticipated. I docked points for turbulence (nothing to do with the pilot's abilities - they seemed to handle it well), and also for the horrible seats which felt like they were all reclined halfway up the back. Lastly, the lack of in-seat TVs and the use of an app for entertainment with no power support for charging devices onboard the aircraft.

Upon landing, I took the Aerobus to get to my hotel (more on that later). If you're at all worried about not being able to lift your suitcase onto the rack (as I was), fear not! Some kind person on those buses usually helps out! The bus cost 5.90 euros and is the best way to get from the airport to the major tourist centers (Placa Espanya, Universitat, and Placa Catalonia. Beware though - with the recent large demonstrations, buses have been intermittently stopping at Placa Espanya and not proceeding to the other areas (like this afternoon/evening today).

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Welcome! This will be a live review from the Freedom of the Seas Transatlantic relocation cruise from Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale, leaving this Sunday, October 22nd! I can't even begin to compete with the in depth live threads by many of the celebrities on Cruise Critic, but I can promise some photos - including food!

First, a little bit about me! I am Jen from Canada and contrary to my screen name, I am no longer a newbie cruiser. This will be my 14th cruise overall, 10th with Royal Caribbean, and 3rd Transatlantic. All of those cruises added up to my lowly Diamond Crown and Anchor status! [emoji6] I am traveling "solo" on this cruise. And by "solo", I mean with about 4000 other cruises, including several cruising buddies that I met on last year's Independence of the Seas Transatlantic from Fort Lauderdale to Southampton!

The cruise will be departing from Barcelona, with stops in Cadiz (Seville), Spain, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and La Palma. Given the current political situation in Barcelona and the several hundreds of earthquakes recently which have triggered volcano alerts in La Palma, I am hoping for smooth travels!

I am currently sitting in the airport waiting to board my flight from Toronto which will arrive tomorrow shortly after noon in Barcelona! More to come when I arrive!

For now, I will leave you with the ship, and the planned journey!

(Hopefully those photos work! I am posting this from the handy CruiseCritic app!).

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EnricM, thanks for all of the information thus far!

Can you please let us know what area of Barcelona all of the demonstrations have been taking place? Still making final decisions re: hotel for the end of next week.

Thanks in advance! :)

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Newbcruiser1,

 

 

 

But they only reimburse the German prices (that price list published by law). So usually over here I pay for 20 min heat, 40 min treatment 56 Euro.

 

 

 

steamboats

That's still quite decent! :)

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Steamboats, that's wonderful that you're able to be reimbursed from the German cruise lines! I think the American lines should take note! :) It would actually probably increase their business if people were able to submit the massage receipts for coverage.

Constable, that's too bad! Did you inquire as to whether they were able to provide a more detailed receipt?

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Xcell - Yes it depends on one's coverage through their employer. Our healthcare in Canada is public so no cost; however, most people have additional insurance either through their employer or paid for out of pocket for prescription drugs, dental, and other extended healthcare services like medical devices, psychologists, naturopaths, massage, eyeglasses, etc. The amounts are typically quite limited - my massage coverage equates to about 2-3 per year.

Ourusualbeach - am already aware of my yearly massage allowance. In order to be reimbursed though, I need a proper receipt showing what the service was, and that the provider was an RMT, etc. That is what I'm trying to find out - whether RCI provides those! :) (And on that note, whether those providing the messages are registered massage therapists!)

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Has anyone been able to get a detailed receipt for an onboard massage (amount paid, RMT's name, etc) for submission to health insurance company for coverage?

Bonus points if you're in Canada and were successfully reimbursed!

Thanks in advance!

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Following along! Can't wait to see some wedding pictures! Congratulations!

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I don't get why they couldn't put a similar pool to what they have on the Anthem! [emoji849]

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Had a guarantee on the Allure and was assigned a connecting room. Turned out the people in the other room were a LOUD family of 4 on their first cruise. I could hear all of their problems including trying to figure out where the kids would sleep (guess they weren't aware of the Pullman bed arrangement when they booked), as well as the kids screaming loudly. I was ready to cry.

Imagine my surprise when after the muster drill, there was a voicemail on my phone saying that they "needed to move me" (with an upgrade) to accommodate the family nextdoor. I was annoyed as I had already unpacked, but couldn't wait to get the heck out of there to a quieter room!

I would never voluntarily book a connecting room! In fact, a future cruise only had connecting rooms left so I opted for an inside room that was non-connecting.

Again - total crapshoot who is in the next room and how loud they are, but you definitely hear more than in a non-connecting!

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I am very late to this thread but am just trying to pick my jaw up off the floor reading about how RCI mismanaged this whole situation.

I was on the Anthem hurricane cruise last year (in fact, you can hear me scream and see me fall in many videos that made the news!), and I was SURE that they would have learned their lesson after that. It's shocking that they once again messed up so badly! Kudos to them for not sailing right into the hurricane this time, but the complete disorganization with planning and lack of notification of those both on the current cruise and those who were scheduled on the next one of a plan - YIKES!

To all those onboard and in the affected areas - stay safe!

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Heck no!

Flying out 2 nights pre-cruise (red-eye) and staying 1 night. But I was able to get the flight for MUCH cheaper than to Santiago, and having been to Barcelona previously, I won't feel guilty spending only 1 night! ;)

Plan is to do South America when I have more time to spend in the embarkation and disembarkation cities (and to visit Iguazu Falls).

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Thank you both!

Yes I booked a refundable rate. I booked when I did because it looks like a VERY popular weekend, and the rates were all sky high with little availability. I am keeping an eye on prices but so far they've only gone up further.

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Thanks for all of the replies! I went ahead and booked a hotel near Placa Espanya and am very excited!

EnricM, I will be on the Freedom of the Seas, leaving from Mill Adossat with the rest of the large ships (same port I left from on the NCL Epic last year).

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Thanks for the reply - I ended up cancelling the cruise and will be doing the fall TA that I had previously booked instead! I will do South America when I have more time to spend! :)

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Wondering the same about the Allure and Freedom!

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