Teeara

Wednesday, November 9, 2022 - At sea in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean This morning we woke up to a lot more clouds as we draw nearer to Tropical Storm Nicole. The ocean is relatively smooth (once the ship slowed down). It's been very nice during the day when we go slow. Not much rocking with partly cloudy skies so far. Not so today. Today has been cloudy with the occasional downpour. We didn't have anything on our agenda for today. There wasn't anything in the Compass that we were really interested in doing which is fine for us. We both are readers and love to just sit and read with a cup of tea in a comfy chair and some quiet music. We're still on the search for the comfy chairs and quiet music here on Wonder. After we had our Windjammer breakfast we decided to give the Solarium a shot. Maybe they had some comfy loungers that looked out over the ocean that we could sit in and read our books. Well, it looks like they do, but they were already taken by the time we got there (no great surprise since it was already past 9:00, but no big whup). We aren't normally lounger people and this was a last minute decision. We were able to find two loungers that did look out directly onto the ocean with no one in front of us which was nice. They aren't the most comfortable, but they suited our purpose. We sat on the starboard side (the side opposite the filtered sun) which also made us happy). We watched as some dark clouds started approaching and all of a sudden a squall hit us. I sure was glad Wonder's Solarium is entirely enclosed! I felt bad for the people who I knew were sitting outside on the pool deck watching "Sing 2" though. I noticed a lot of them weren't in bathing suits, but regular clothes since it's still on the coolish side today. We stayed a little longer until another couple sat next to us and the woman started coughing up a storm. Yeah, no thank you. Mask on let's go. We went down to the Royal Promenade looking for a place to sit. We tried the Schooner Bar but it was full. All the seats around Cafe Promenade, Sorrentos, the pub and the big silver ten gallon hat were full. We slipped into the Karaoke bar and found some seats there. It was a bit dim, but it would do. I went out to go get us some tea when I noticed some chairs and table had opened up behind Starbucks. I quickly grabbed Pam and our stuff and we snagged those spots. Much better lighting AND the chairs were much more comfortable. So if you're looking for a comfy place to sit and read, the chairs behind Starbucks are very nice (the benches not so much). Anyway, we're sitting there and we noticed that the staff were starting to bring out the pirate ships. It looks like we were just in time for the Anchor's Aweigh Parade! Woo hoo! I thought we had missed it. The cruise director Mike came over the speakers to say it was 15 minutes until the parade and for people to choose a side to stand on. Not much longer and the music began. It was a cute parade although I wasn't sure where it was coming from as I was shooting video for it. Pam would call out to me when things would appear behind me. I wish I had watched it before so I had an idea where to look. But I loved the costumes and watching the crew members participate. You could tell those who had been doing this for some time and those who were new and still learning the moves. It was a right jolly fun parade. Afterwards it was time for lunch so up to the Windjammer we went in search of a light lunch. We have dinner tonight in Giovanni's at 5:30, so we didn't want to have anything too heavy. I opted for a salad and some desserts. Pam had a salad and a hot dog. Then it was back to our cabin. Today was another opportunity for the Wash and Fold Laundry Special for $34.99. This will be our last one before we head home in a few days. I'm not a fan of the paper bag, but at least it's bigger than the plastic bag they gave us on Navigator back in 2017. I sure hope it doesn't rip! We spent the rest of the afternoon reading and watching the sky darken with clouds. At some point it did rain, but I was so engrossed in my book I missed it ;o) Then it was time to get ready for out dinner at Giovanni's. I should've been paying attention to the weather because it was indeed raining when we got to Central Park and there were no umbrellas, so we had to walk quickly to the restaurant. Thankfully it wasn't too far and it wasn't raining too hard at that point. We were seated next to the pizza oven (Pam was closest) so we were warm. They had the sliding door open to outside and we certainly didn't want to be anywhere near there with it raining outside. We both decided on the Caesar Salad for our appetizer. Pam ordered a Margherita pizza and I ordered a Primavera pizza without the peppers. We both enjoyed the garlic knots they served at the beginning. Those were a hit. We also ordered a glass of Chateau St. Michelle Rose. We love pretty much anything from Chateau St. Michelle and usually have a couple of different varieties at home. The pizzas arrived quickly and were very nice. Pam loves a thin crust and Giovanni's has a pleasant texture and flavor to it. The pizza oven gave it a nice crunch with no burn. After almost finishing our pizzas we were given a shot of Limoncello (which we discovered we aren't fans of after buying a bottle at home). But the Tiramisu and cappuccino were delicioso! When it was time to leave we discovered that it was now pouring outside. Oh dear! The hostess went to the back and found us a big umbrella and we were able to make to the elevator banks without getting drenched which made a great ending to a great dinner. Then back to the cabin for a quiet evening once again.

Since the request was made for the rest of my posts and now that CC isn't having issues, I have access to a fully functioning computer with no internet issues and all the kinks seem to have been worked out, I'll post the rest of the cruise now. My apologies for the delay. Although I thought the internet was very good for the voyage, the CC issue was very bad for me and I also had a lot of trouble with my Kindle getting the journal entries to copy and paste properly. So, without further ado... Tuesday, November 8, 2022 - At sea in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean Poor Pam woke up with morning with a migraine. It wasn't a bad one, but it was enough to make her miserable. She couldn't go back to the cabin since Lystra and Eko were still cleaning it so we went down the hallway to the Suite Sun Deck to see if it was warm enough to sit outside for a few minutes while they finished. Oh my. It was deliciously warm outside for a change and a soft breeze was blowing, but not so much as to make a person need a sweater or hat to stay warm. And no one was in our favorite beach bed! So we claimed it and Pam promptly sat back, closed her eyes and napped as I read my book. I'm in the middle of "The Mayflower: The Families, the Voyage and the Founding of America" by Rebecca Fraser. It has been a very easy read (the kind you want to have on a long voyage like this). After about 45 minutes I went to check on the room and it was clear so I sent Pam back to the room for her full nap. She was curled up in a rather uncomfortable fashion on the beach bed and I didn't want her to end of with a pinched nerve in her neck to add to her woes. I remained behind to read my book for the next couple of hours until the wind shifted and it got colder outside. It was lunch time anyway so at the cabin I found Pam awake and ready for some lunch. The worst of the migraine was over. We decided to go check out El Loco Fresh. We've never been there before. We got there right as the noontime rush was about to begin. We were able to snag one of the last available tables that didn't have high chairs (I hate those things). I had a chicken taco and a cheese quesadilla. Pam had a chicken taco and a beef burrito. They weren't bad, but since they were premade they were a bit on the cold side and, well, not very fresh since they weren't piping hot. Also, if you don't like black beans, don't get the premade burritos. They come inside them. I also got a bowl of chips and queso. The queso was really nice and I appreciated that it wasn't spicy. After lunch we returned to the cabin for more reading before getting ready for dinner at Coastal Kitchen. They were repeating the first night's menu when I had the Moroccan Spiced Chicken Breast that was so yummy. I was definitely having that for supper again! Pam had it this time as well. Arvin served us more of our "Whisky Gingers" which is his way of serving us our ginger ales. Pam noticed that they were practicing on the high wire at the AquaTheater at the beginning part of our dinner. I was at the wrong angle to see much of it, but it looked like a couple of people were doing it. One of the things I've found interesting as we've moved westward is that every night as we gain our hour, we've lost daylight. So when we were in Barcelona, it was still bright outside at 5:30 when we had dinner. Now when we sit down for dinner at 5:30 it's dark outside. Just a little thing that I've noticed that I find "fascinating". So tonight at 8:30 we had our Hot Stone Massages in the Vitality Spa. They were 75 minutes long and were very nice. I really liked that the ship wasn't rolling around too much during the massage. Sure would've been embarrassing to roll off the table with no clothes on ;o) We really like the Hot Stone Massages. They feel so nice and they aren't so hot that they burn you. The masseuse always checks to make sure that they are comfortable enough for you. After our massages we returned to the cabin to watch a little bit of TV before our showers and then bedtime. Once again we gain another hour tonight which will be nice.

I'm not surprised at all. Pam started with a migraine on Friday 11/11 that turned into the head cold on 11/12 and was full blown miserable when we disembarked the ship on Sunday 11/13. She had GI issues (not the Joe kind) and tested positive on Tuesday 11/15 whereas I started feeling sick on Tuesday and tested negative. I had the worse cough of the two of us, but thankfully my Benzonatate worked and cut the coughing down so it only lasted a few days (sleeping on my wedge pillow since last Monday has also helped). We re-tested yesterday (11/20) and Pam is still positive and now I'm positive. Pam is back to sneezing and draining today and I'm hoping she's not having a rebound case of it. Ugh. I hate being sick.

Sorry about that! I hope to have a wrap up in a day or two. We are among the many who came home and were immediately struck with the head cold that turned into Covid. I have to say that today (Monday 11/21) is the first day I've felt human since we arrived home on Monday 11/14. The head cold just sucked the life out of you once the coughing began and the not much sleeping, too. I did finish my journal entries. I just need to copy them over to here.

Our first time to Nassau was after Frances. All the palm trees had lost their fronds. They looked so sad with no “hair”. We had 2 extra days at sea due to Jeanne’s meandering ways. Captain took us to Labadee even though it wasn’t on our itinerary so we weren’t just going in circles for those 2 extra days.

Agreed. We get a lot more motion up on Deck 18 😉😁 not that I’m complaining. For me Mariner during Hurricane Jeanne in 2004 was the worst. Everyone was holding onto the handrails, you couldn’t walk straight and wearing high heels was to risk a broken ankle. Alaska in May 2008 was bad one night, too. That one sent a lot of us to bed early. I’d like to try the Abyss. Won’t do any water slides though. Tried the Solarium today. That was nice until someone sat next to me who was hacking up a lung. Yeah, um, no thank you. So we left. Glad we did since we were able to catch the parade. That was fun.

Sea shots:

Palma de Mallorca Gibralfaro Fortess and Alacazaba Castle The shuttle bus drop off point: The Pompidou: Turn right at the big lighthouse to get back to the ship: We had quite a spectacular send off tonight. This was not Photoshopped. The colors in the sky were incredible. We had dozens of bird surrounding the ship prior to departure. I had no idea the bird was in this shot. I was focused on the boat. This has to be one of my all time favorite shots I’ve ever taken.

Hey! Try the seating behind Starbucks and in front of the Karaoke place. We were there this morning for the Anchor’s Aweigh parade and the chairs (not the benches) were very comfortable for reading.

Stay safe everyone.

Keep an eye on Port Canaveral. I saw this on their FB page.

Monday, November 7, 2022 - At sea in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean Last night we were a rockin' and a rollin' here at sea. I slept pretty well considering as did Pam which made me happy after her day of migraine yesterday. She felt much better today. We went down to the Main Dining Room for breakfast this morning for a change. We sat next to the window, but on the way to it I whacked my upper left arm against a corner and it still hurts. "So what did you get on your vacation, Theresa?" "Oh, I got this bruise on my forearm from moving luggage and I got that one from banging into a wall...." Yeah, that would be me. ;o) So we had nothing fancy for breakfast. Blueberry pancakes for Pam and bacon and eggs for me. We had a rather leisurely day planned today. We had the continuation of two seminars in the Royal Theater this morning. The first was "Searching for Life in the Universe (2/2)" with Jose J. Lopez Moreno and the second was "Smart Phone Applications to Dramatically Improve Your Photographs" with Alan M. Feldman. Both were once again very informative and interesting, although once again we froze in the Royal Theater. Seriously, why do they have to keep it so freaking cold in there? Afterwards we stopped off at Cafe Promenade to pick up some sandwiches to then drop off at our cabin before heading back down to the Suite Lounge to pick up our tea. It's just easier to get it there since it's a shorter distance to carry a hot cup of water and also it's now the only place on the ship that carries my new favorite tea bags. Then we went back to our cabin for our light lunch at the table. Pam was talking about possibly taking a little nap and I wanted to read my Mayflower book, so I just took it and went down to the Suite Lounge. It's quiet down there with soft music and there were a few couples finishing lunch and just a handful of people there. I read for a few hours and when I was ready to go upstairs around 3:00 I discovered that I was the only person there. I love the ambiance of the Suite Lounge, but the seating leaves much to be desired. The sofas and chairs are not designed for lingering or for long term reading of books, that's for sure. I need a high back and a foot rest, neither of which can be found in the Suite Lounge (or in most locations here onboard the ship). Since tonight was "Dress to Impress" night, we put on our black "flowy" chiffon pants and sparkly shirts for our dinner at Coastal Kitchen. I had requested Arvin again. I had been hearing from others who had been in Coastal Kitchen before that they never knew who their servers were going to be because they changed all the time. But after our first meal with Arvin I simply asked every time we were seated if we could be seated with him and they always have put us with him. We've developed a lovely relationship with him. So tonight Pam and I both had the Creamy Artichoke Soup as our appetizer. Pam had the Pappardelle with Veal Ragout, Roasted Garlic and Parmesan as her entree and I had the Grilled Rib Eye with Artichoke and Potato Gratin. They gave me a Ratatouille, but it had peppers in it and I'm allergic to peppers so Arvin quickly brought be a plate full of roasted veggies instead. I had more than enough food. The Grilled Rib Eye was bigger than my hand and if I was at home I would've asked for a doggy bag for sure. We skipped dessert since we were both full from our dinners. We went for a stroll through Decks 5 (the Royal Promenade) and 4 (the Casino) and then just went back up to our cabin in the hopes that our cabin had been readied for bed which it had. Pam turned on the TV and we watched the end of "Think Like a Dog" with Kunal Nayyar from "The Big Bang Theory" and then Pam started watching the 2019 remake of "Midway". I took my shower and now I'm working on this journal entry and getting ready for bed. Tonight's my night on the sofa.

Check please! 😱

Cartagena The two turkeys we bought Gotta love palm trees Bummer the crane spoils the shot We noticed the design on the grate as we walked. Me Pam Getting closer About to turn right Almost there Some terrycloth friends

Yeah, yours was way worse. Today is much calmer than yesterday. I’m up on Deck 18 so we were swaying pretty nicely. The video was this morning from Deck 4. Seas were more choppy than we’ve been having.

Cartagena Roman Theater

It hasn’t been smooth for the last 2.5 days. IMG_1089.MOV

You think Wonder was getting ready for the 70s Disco Party tonight here in the middle of the Atlantic? I hope she hangs back a bit and let’s go of Nicole’s skirts. Nicole knocked my phone over on the table in the MDR this morning. A little less rock and roll please!

Cartagena Roman Theater Museum

I should’ve been posting these all along but forgot to take pictures every morning. So today we were in Cartagena and we were able to simply walk off the ship which is exactly what we did. Beautiful sunrise this morning “El Zulo” is a statue memorializing victims of terrorism. Looking back at Wonder from across the street The old city walls Beautiful mural Getting ready to enter the old town

Menu at Coastal Kitchen at Valencia: Spinach Salad Moroccan-Spiced Chicken Breast I forgot to take a picture before I dug into it but OMG it was so good. Definitely get it if you have the chance. I’ve got to try to recreate it when I get home.

Sunday, November 6, 2022 - At sea off of Ponta Delgada, Azores Well, the heavy swells have arrived as the captain predicted a few days ago. Egads! Although it sure doesn't look like it when you look outside. It looks somewhat smooth, but when you look at the horizon you can see how much we are going uuuuuupppp and dooooowwwwwnnnn.... All night long we were amovin'. I slept pretty well considering. Last night was my turn to sleep on the sofa and it was quite comfortable. I took off all the pillows and put my sheet on top of the cushions to make it less scratchy. I had to turn the room temperature up to 72 since the A/C was just blowing too cold on my head (and if you don't know by now, blowing cold air on my head is a sure fire way to give me a headcold). I woke up at 7:00, 30 minutes before the alarm was supposed to go off, so I went ahead and got up and got ready for the day. But when Pam got up with the alarm I knew something wasn't right. The poor thing was fighting migraine and it wasn't surprising with the rolling of the ship. But she got ready anyway and we went down to the Windjammer for breakfast. Since we were still pretty early our room hadn't been made up and Pam still wasn't feeling well, so I told her to go back to bed and sleep off her migraine. We have magnets for our doors that let our stewards know whether or not our we are ready to have our cabins cleaned or not, so I put the one on the door that said we were still sleeping so she would not be disturbed. Then I spent the next few hours working on updating the Cruise Critic LiveStream thread (you're welcome!) with all the journal entries that I had been typing out all the days that I couldn't access Cruise Critic. It sure felt good to be back online again. I sure missed you guys! One of the things that has quickly become apparent to both of Pam and myself during this cruise is that we really haven't been that motivated to explore the ship. Every time we go out it's just too noisy for us. Or too crowded. Or too cold ;o) We're looking forward to when it warms up a bit so we can finally sit outside. Don't get me wrong. We spent a lot of money on this cabin and we absolutely LOVE it. I heartily recommend an Owner's Suite for this type of cruise. We love sitting in here especially during the afternoon with the curtains open watching the ocean and sky as we sail by and I've taken some incredible photos which I'll be posting in this thread as part of the daily photos. But I will say this. I really miss not seeing my Cruise Critic buddies! We should've set aside a time to get together at different times during the cruise, not just the Meet & Mingle. I don't know where people are hanging out during the day or evening since I don't know what their interests are. Maybe that's something that we should be discussing on our roll calls as well. It is certainly something that I will keep in mind going forward when I keep my next spreadsheet (hopefully a spring WB Panama Canal cruise in 2024???). Anyway, back to the day. So Pam eventually woke up early afternoon and she did feel a bit better and we went to the Windjammer for a late lunch, but this meant we would have to cancel our dinner reservations at Coastal Kitchen (no great loss since we weren't impressed with tonight's menu anyway). We went back to the cabin and we both ended up taking naps which I think we both needed. Then it was back to the Windjammer for a light dinner of salad before returning to Coastal Kitchen to grab some hot water for our nightly tea and heading back to the cabin. This afternoon the Suite Fairy left us a plate of chocolate covered strawberries and a few other treats. Doggonit! I should've taken a picture of that. Oh well. They were right tasty with our tea. Now we're just quietly sitting here at the table. Pam's coloring on her phone (she has an app on her iPhone for that) and I'm doing this journal entry. We'll have to start working on changing the time on our phones again. We gain another hour tonight. Woo hoo! Supposedly the swells are supposed to lessen, too. I wonder if these are related to that storm system that is going to be affecting Southern Florida later this week? It's a mystery...

Oh my gosh, that dessert was insanely delicious. It was beyond what we were expecting. Seriously, you must order it. We both will probably be talking about that dessert for years to come it was so freaking good. And make sure you get it with some coffee or something warm. You will need it. Yum!

I'm so glad you were able to get off with no problems! Those Spain Day Tours people are simply the best people. So incredibly helpful and organized. I'm following your thread, too, so post some pix there!

Hooked: Cheddar biscuits: Looking down into the Solarium Bistro which has been reserved entirely for Pinnacles during the TA: Pam The salad with way too many peppers: The Captain’s Platter with too much salt: Lemon Tart and Coconut Cream Pie slices that we shared: Tonight’s moon shot: