Long overdue LIBERTY review by a solo fashionista

[lara_lox]

I’ve spent many an hour on CC scouring the boards for reviews and tips which were so much help, and now as I’m back planning my next cruise, my excitement has returned with a vengeance and I wondered why I had never posted a review. So I know it’s long overdue but here goes…

 

A bit of background:

 

I’m 26 years old and live in the North of England. I’ve cruised a number of times before with my family when I was a kid on several of the main cruise lines but mainly P&O round the Caribbean. I always remember having an amazing time but due to my age didn’t really take the same mental notes as I would now, so I can’t really make any comparisons.

 

I’d not been on holiday for a few years because all my friends and family go away with their partners or haven’t been able to afford it due to various financial commitments. As a result I’d been moaning about wanting to get away but having no-one to go with. One night I was out with a friend who was talking about a trip he’d booked and we were looking at pictures online of where he was going. I was getting jealous and suddenly realised that I should stop complaining and sort it out! Wait for it – GASP- I’d go alone!!! No I’m not a loser, yes I do have friends and I wouldn’t say I’m especially brave. I live by myself and so am more than capable of enjoying my own company. I am very sociable though and like meeting new people and will talk to pretty much anyone. I figured that even if I barely spoke to anyone, why sit at home on my own when I could be enjoying an amazing holiday on my own instead! So the next day I started looking and decided that a cruise would be the best idea. I knew what to expect from when I’d been before, I would feel safe on my own compared to a beach holiday where some dodgy person could whisk me away :eek: and it would give me a nice chance to dress up and enjoy some luxury.

 

I ended up with two options, Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas or NCL’s Norwegian Epic, with similar itineraries around the Mediterranean. I wanted a cruise line that would attract a younger crowd so I had more chance of meeting like minded people. In the end I went with RC because I got a fantastic deal on an outside cabin and I had the security of a large dinner table in the MDR where I could eat with other people. I sailed on a 7 night cruise on 18th June 2011 from Barcelona.

 

Now I’ve rambled on with all that, I promise I will get on with the actual cruise! I will try my hardest to post photos but am not entirely sure how to do it so please bear with me. Also, I am a rubbish photographer so please don’t judge the quality of my pics, they are just to give an idea of what things were like. Things that are important to me on holiday are food, socialising and what to wear, so my thoughts on these will be included.

Edited November 23, 2011 by lara_lox
Spelling!

[lara_lox]

Day 1 – Barcelona

 

A friend kindly gave me a lift to Manchester Airport where I was flying direct to Barcelona. I took one suitcase (praying I wouldn’t be charged for it being overweight!) and a carry on handbag. I had attached all my luggage tags and was happily people watching all the other passengers with matching tags in my check-in queue! I look young for my age and already felt that some people were looking at me wondering why I was on my own, but I didn’t care, in a few hours I would be on the Liberty! If the picture below has worked, this is my suitcase without any clothes in it so you can see why I was concerned! The scales showed that it was indeed a few kg over the 20kg limit but the guy at the check in desk didn’t even mention it, phew :)

 

 

After an uneventful flight I arrived in Barcelona about half an hour early, around 11am. Hurdle one – finding my luggage at baggage reclaim – successfully completed, I walked to arrivals to find the smiling faces of RC representatives holding clearly signed little paddles to identify them. They checked my name off a list and whisked away my suitcase onto a waiting coach. A few minutes later everyone had boarded and we were away. At 12pm we pulled into the port and I got my first glimpse of the ship. However, after my initial excitement this was where I began to feel a bit anxious. (I will point out now this was probably the only day this happened.) Once we got off the coach, there were no instructions about what to do. I wasn’t sure if I needed to get my suitcase from the coach and give it to a porter or if this was already in hand. Everyone off my coach disappeared from sight so I was left stood on my own for a bit as I wandered round trying to work out what to do. There were people milling about all over, jumping out taxis and bags everywhere, it was quite confusing. There were predictably a lot of Spanish people, all seemingly in large groups and talking really loudly. Now I really did feel that I was on my own. In the end I just prayed the baggage situation was in hand and walked into the well signposted cruise terminal and went straight through the security and scanners. There were absolutely loads of desks to check in, and so after filling in a quick medical questionnaire and showing my credit card, I was given my sea pass and was ready to board. However, first was duty free… Yes you can buy water/alcohol/soft drinks here! I got a bottle of Cava for 10 euros and a bottle of white wine for 8 euros. Thanks to the hints off CC I knew to put these in my handbag (I had left extra space!) so I could take them on board. There were no further luggage checks and I just walked straight on with them. I did have to by-pass some annoying, pushy photographers but even after my dithering and shopping I was onboard only 30 minutes after arriving at the port.

[lara_lox]

Yay, the picture worked, I will include more now! :D

[lara_lox]

The cabins weren’t quite ready yet and I wasn’t hungry so I wandered round for a while trying to get my bearings. The two bottles of wine in my bulging handbag didn’t make this an easy task but that’s my fault for being a naughty smuggler! Luckily, at 1pm I went to find my cabin which I was very pleased with. For those who care, it was no. 2590, mid ship ish on deck 2.

 

 

 

There was still a while to wait for my suitcase but I had purposely worn clothes that could be adapted from chilly UK weather to the sun of Spain! So discarding my heavy bag and my cardigan I went in search of food. I found myself in Café Promenade which would prove to be one my favourite places on the ship. It was quiet as everyone must have headed to the Windjammer so I found a comfy chair no problem where I had a cup of tea, plus some delicious little sandwiches and cake. These are free, behind a glass counted at the till point where you pay for speciaility coffees. You just have to ask a server for them, then get the free tea/coffee/hot chocolate yourself from big urns at the back of the room. Revived by my snack I explored a bit more then headed to the Solarium for a cocktail in the sun. I’m white as snow and burn easily so remembered to put a small tube of suncream in my carry on.

 

After this my suitcase had arrived in my cabin so I began to relax. That’s the problem with travelling on your own – if you lose your luggage there’s no-one to share their things with you! Before I could unpack it was time for the Muster Drill. This is easier now you don’t have to take your life jacket with you but still a bit boring and drawn out as you wait for everyone. Then time for Sailaway! I watched a bit of the sailaway deck party (just some crew member dancing about with the Dreamworks characters) then went back to my cabin to unpack as I watched the sea.

 

 

 

It was then that my Cruise really picked up and I started having fun. I had arranged to meet 3 other CC member in the Olive or Twist. I instantly recognised them and we had a few celebratory cocktails! We instantly got along brilliantly and it is thanks to these people that I had such a good time. After a quick change into a casual maxi dress I made my way to find my table in the MDR. A middle ages solo gentleman and a couple turned up but two further people were missing. We did the usual introductions and I enjoyed chatting to them. I had smoked fish tapenande, then prime rib, with chocolate cherry cake for dessert. I was very pleasantly surprised by how good the food was as I do like nice food and had heard a lot about how it had gone downhill.

[Madsofa]

Great start - can't wait to read more!

[lara_lox]

After dinner I met up with one of my new friends (who was also travelling on her own) and we watched the parade on the Promenade, which was fun, though hard to see from the Pub we were sat in! One thing about the pub (Hoof & Claw?) was that it is a smoking venue and does get very smokey indeed so one to avoid if you don't like this.

 

After this we went to check out the club, the Catacombs for some music. It's split into two levels, with the lower one having the main bar and a dancefloor. The music was chart type hits, a mixture of dance/r&b/pop. There was generally quite a good crowd in here until the early hours of the morning.

Then, shattered after a very long first day I finally made to bed. I had the two twin beds pushed together into a queen and it was lovely and comfy. In fact the only complain I had about my cabin was that the fridge had a strange smell! It was clean but had some water in, so I can only assume that this was why. I had asked my cabin steward to empty the fridge for me and once I mopped up the stale water, the smell slowly faded. On that note, my cabin steward was lovely. Very friendly and helpful, always keeping my room spotless and filling up my ice, but he wasn't at all intrusive.

 

 

 

 

So that's day one finally finished! If you're still reading then thank you, I hope I'm covering all the relevant points. The coming days won't be nearly as long :D Oh and in case you are wondering, I'm the one on the left in the Catacombs photo!

Edited November 23, 2011 by lara_lox
Quick addition!

[lara_lox]

Day 2 – Toulon

 

I woke up at 6am! For me this is unheard of and I can’t say I was overjoyed. I was knackered and a bit woozy after having only a few hours sleep and a fair few cocktails but for some reason was wide awake. I’d slept well and had not been disturbed by any noise either from a creaking cabin/noisy neighbours/ship mechanics as some people claim to have been. Unable to face breakfast so early I returned to Café Promenade for a coffee. I must say the free coffee there was pretty good. I’m a bit of a coffee snob at home and am quite particular about it so that is saying something. There were little pots of creamers as well as milk, and all different types of sugars and sweeteners. There were also big vats of iced water, which were handy for refilling bottles throughout the day. You aren’t allowed to refill directly from the dispensers for hygiene reasons so I just filled the plastic glasses provided and poured them in my bottle. In the morning at Café Promenade the sandwiches are replaced by muffins and pastries. They looked good but I’m not a fan of sweet things in the morning so just stuck with my coffee. I went through my Compass to see what was on for the day then went on deck to see what Toulon looked like…

 

 

I had already decided not to get off, but instead stay onboard and enjoy the ship and my first real day of sun! I didn’t really fancy doing long excursions on this Cruise, as I was there to relax, not spend several hours sat on a bus. I know there are some great things to see but that was my choice for this holiday.

 

I went for my first visit to the Windjammer for some breakfast. It wasn’t too busy and seemed quite well laid out. There was a huge selection of food but I just chose some juice and pancakes with bacon and syrup (very American of me!!) There were only ok to be honest, a bit cool, but perfectly edible. By this time my early morning had caught up with me so I found a nice secluded spot on the San Tropez sundeck and had a snooze. Oh and I found the perfect solution to applying sun cream by yourself! This was something I had wondered about – who does those hard to reach spots when you are on your own?! But I found some aerosol sun oil by Malibu that works like a deodorant or hairspray – it comes out in a fine mist that covers large areas. It was fantastic and I never missed a spot!

 

Once I woke up I read for a while and enjoyed the luxury of being able to do absolutely nothing at all. Peckish again I just had to go back for some more of the little café promenade sarnies – be warned they are addictive! They have 2 different selections that change everyday, and ham and cheese mini croissaints.

 

I then whiled away the afternoon sunbathing with a book in the Solarium. This is the adults only section and actually I didn’t really see any children there at all. There is a small bar and a nice little pool surrounded by sun loungers with comfy padding. I also tried out the cantilevered hot tubs, very nice but warm, I only went in late afternoon when the sun was cooling down.

 

I grabbed a quick slice of pizza from Sorrento’s (Yes, I eat a lot!) as I absolutely love pizza. It was ok, that’s pretty much it! What’s also worth knowing is that Sorrento’s do more than just pizza – there is salad, a selection a cold Italian meats, cheeses, olives, breads etc, plus little deserts like tiramisu in pots. In hindsight I wish I tried these.

 

I returned to my cabin and got ready for the first formal night and spent ages getting ready, doing my hair and maek-up. To me that is half the fun! I enjoyed a glass of my smuggled Cava, put my Ipod on my speaker dock and took my time. I wore a short black cocktail dress, very high pink satin shoes and plenty of jewellery.

 

I met my friend in the Olive or Twist again where we had champagne cocktails. We got chatting to another lady who was on her own and decided to go and tour each other’s cabins. Out of the inside, promenade view and my own outside cabin, I have to say mine was the nicest! Doing all this, we completely missed the Captain’s reception, oops!

 

Off to dinner again at the MDR, where tonight all my table mates were present. The new people were a lovely young couple (several years younger than me) on their first cruise. We had a fantastic mix of people and really got along. Everyone had made a real effort to dress up and looked lovely. To eat I had oxtail broth, then a delicious shrimp ravioli. For desert I asked if they could make me a cheese plate. Nothing was too much trouble so of course they could! Unfortunately the cheese was quite plain and bland, not really to my taste, but I appreciated that they had done this for me when it wasn’t on the menu. I forgot to say, I had chosen the late sitting of 9pm. Dinner did last 1 ½ to 2 hours so it was pretty late by the time we finished. This was in no way due to slow service, I think maybe we took our time as we were happily chatting away.

 

After dinner I went to see the In the Air Show, which I had pre booked online. It was FANTASTIC! I really enjoyed it and can’t recommend it enough. The performers do acrobatics and routines in the air (doh!) on ribbons and platforms etc, they were so skilled and were amazing to watch. The staging was also excellent (I did drama and performance for my degree so notice these things!) Once the show was over it was back to catacombs where all my new friends came together, resulting in another rather late night with lots of dancing.

 

 

 

 

These pics were all taken in Catacombs and should at least give you an idea of what everyone was wearing for formal night. My friend with the open collar shirt was originally wearing a jacket and bow tie for dinner but had relaxed a bit by now.

Edited November 23, 2011 by lara_lox
*

[Cshgrand]

More!!!!

Really enjoying your review and the little details.

[Verfai]

:D :D :D

That’s an early stop!? :p for some reason I know there’s bound to be more to come :D lol.

[KirkNC]

Great review, love your writing style. It is a bit brave going off on your own but I can tell you are having fun so far!

 

Kirk

[louthebowler]

more please!

[lara_lox]

Day 3 – Villefranche

 

Once again I woke up after only 4 hours sleep, arghhhhh! So on with the sunglasses to cover my piggy little eyes and off to Café Promenade for my morning coffee as I perused the Compass. By today, I had ‘my’ spot on a table against the back wall, great for people watching but too far away to encourage anyone too chatty at this time of the morning when I hadn’t woken up properly. I can’t stress how much I loved this venue, from the atmosphere to the beautiful chair coverings (yes I notice things like that!)

 

Now I’d read here on CC that Johnny Rockets was open for breakfast, free of charge. Although I looked several times, this was never the case, it was always shut. So off to the Windjammer again for another mediocre breakfast. Then I did a spot more sunbathing on the quiet of the San Tropez deck with another quick nap to refresh me.

 

Today I did want to get off and have an explore so I met two friends and we got the tender to Villefranche

 

 

 

The tender was really easy, just stood in a fast moving line then hopped right on! It might have been quiet due to it being mid morning but either way it was quick. A few minutes later and we were ashore. Villefranche was the prettiest little town to wander around, really picturesque. There were some nice little touristy stands set up, clearly for the cruise guests, but nice none the less. A short stroll along the sea front then we found a restaurant to have moule frites. This, along with a soft drink cost about 20 euros, expensive for what it was but very tasty. After a bit more wandering it was back to the ship for some more sun worshipping in the Solarium.

 

Now my day wouldn’t have been complete with some little sandwiches so of course I had to go sample today’s offerings at Café Promenade. As it got a little later I used the hot hubs again, admiring the beautiful view out over Villefranche before dinner.

 

Tonight I wore a silky flared knee length yellow and cream dress but this is one night I didn’t get a ‘today’s dress’ photo’ to post! I met my friends for a drink in the Viking Crown then went for dinner at the MDR. I had anti-pasti to start but then couldn’t decide what I wanted for my main. So greedy little me asked if I could have two main courses – tiger shrimp and lamb shank! Both were very good indeed but I was glad I hadn’t ordered just the shrimp, there were 4 butterflied that were delicious but wouldn’t have really filled me up on their own. And I still managed a chocolate pudding afterwards!

 

I was still tired after last night’s dancing until the early hours so we had a quick drink in the Hoof & Claw pub then I went for an early (ish!) night. In the pub there was a very good live singer who played the guitar, who tended to do traditional Irish songs ie Danny Boy that everyone sang along to. There was a large group of Americans from the South who went every night and requested the same songs, so it did get a bit repetitive after a while but was still fun.

 

Oh and fed up of Windjammer breakfasts I was overly fussed on, on the way back to my cabin I stopped by Café Promenade and got 2 of the cheese and ham croissants. I put these in my fridge ready for tomorrow’s breakfast!

[lara_lox]

Day 4 – Livorno

 

I woke up and took my pilfered croissants to Café Promenade to have along with my coffee! I’m sure people were looking at me jealously wondering where I’d got them! (It was around 11.30am that the staff changed the morning pastries to the sandwiches and cake) Then I headed straight to the Solarium to read in the sun. I never had any trouble getting a sun lounger in the solarium, even when it was busy, though to be fair I only needed one. But if it was busy there was always the San Tropez deck that had loads, it was just up some stairs from the Solarium. I had also haerd that people had to queue for ages to get new pool towels – this just wasn’t the case for me. What I did was exchange the old one for a new one every evening before I went back to my cabin, with no trouble what so ever.

 

For the first time I went to the Windjammer for lunch as I was hungry as I only had a small breakfast. There was a good selection of both hot and cold foods, and drinks of water, lemonade and iced tea all ready poured out for you to take. To get around the eating alone problem, I got a drink first which I left at my table along with my beach bag (nothing valuable left in) then went to get my food. I had no problem at all getting a table by the window, it was really peaceful actually, not the screaming hoards of stampeding quests like some people make out, lol! The staff were were good, clearing away used plates as soon as you ad finished and aksing if you needed any drinks. They would even bring round the free drinks I already mentioned, not ones you paid for from the bar. There was a really good salad selection – standard salad vegetables and leaves but also potato salads, pasta salads, greek salads etc. So a plate full of this with some bread was a really tasty lunch.

 

After lunch I ventured into Livorno alone. There was a shuttle bus put on by RC, as you aren’t allowed to walk through the port (it’s very industrial). It cost $8 return, that was just added on my cruise card. In return you got a paper ticket to use on the way back. The shuttle dropped us at the main square in Livorno, Piazza della Repubblica. This sounds somewhat grander than in really is! In complete contrast to Villefranche, Livorno is not the most attractive of places. I walked around the square, along the canal system (Little Venice, pah!!!) and through the market. I don’t mean to sound negative, it was ok for a wander but not much there. A few nice shops but I resisted shopping, after all, you already saw how full my suitcase was!

 

 

 

I bought myself a nice gelato for a few euros whilst I waited for a shuttle bus back then returned to the ship. I settled down in the Solarium again to relax. I must mention that whilst you are on deck sunbathing, crew members walk round offering drinks and carrying trays of the cocktail of the day. They do try hard to sell them but if you say no they won’t bother you. But the reason I mention it is that there was one delightful member of staff who every afternoon would come round shouting ‘Medication time! Medication for your vaction!’ Rather than being annoying it just amused me – I guess most people felt the same as he seemed to get more orders than anyone else! Whenever I got the cocktail of the day, I always asked for it in a normal glass – I’m just not bothered about paying extra for a ‘special’ plastic glass I will never use again!

 

I changed for dinner and wore a satin bright pink dress with very sparkly new silver heels. As you may have realised, I was dressed up every night. Most people were much much causual when it wasn’t formal night,but I have a wardrobe full of dresses I rarely get to wear so I wanted to make the most of my opportunity to wear them, especially as I always ate in the MDR.

 

 

Tonight it was the ice show, Encore, which again I had pre booked online in order to get a seat. However, my friend didn’t book and still got in fine with me. We brought champagne cocktails from the Champagne bar with us, which meant we didn’t have to wait for someone to take our order. The show was very good indeed with brilliant costumes, though one poor guy seemed to be new as not quite as good as the rest! Though I can’t really talk as I doubt I could barely stand up on ice skates, forget dance around and perform. Although I enjoyed it, In the Air was better in my opinion

 

From the show I went for dinner in the MDR again where I had crab cake, beef stroganoff then berrymisu. As always everything was great, I know stroganoff is home cooking rather than fine dining but I still enjoyed it. In fact, my whole table generally seemed very happy with everything they ordered throughout the week.

 

There was a ‘Dancing in the Street’ party on the Promenade which I missed the start of due to a long dinner. But what I did see was great, all the crew dressed up and danced in costumes, the Promenade was packed. Sorry for the dreadful photo but I did warn you…!

 

 

My friend wanted to check out the casino tonight but as we were on our way I suddenly felt really unwell. I went back to my cabin and was very sick :( I don’t think RC was to blame so much as my body protesting that I was eating and drinking loads but having no sleep or exercise. So straight to bed to try to get better.

Edited November 23, 2011 by lara_lox

[lara_lox]

:D :D :D

That’s an early stop!? :p for some reason I know there’s bound to be more to come :D lol.

 

Don't worry I haven't finished yet! I was going to message you the link but I see you found me first :) Hope you don't mind me using photos with you & S in? X

[kimberley]

What a fantastic review well done.

[lara_lox]

Day 5 – Civitavecchia

 

This morning I had a lie in as I still felt ill. I couldn’t even manage my morning coffee but Café Promenade also stocked peppermint tea as well so I tried that. I’ve not much to say for today as I just lay about and rested really.

 

However by late afternoon I was feeling a lot better. Lucky too, as the day before I had decided to take advantage of the Port Day Special in the spa and book myself a treatment. So for $139 (I think...?) I had a back, neck and shoulder massage, aromatherapy facial and a foot massage. The spa was lovely and I liked the girl who did my treatment. It took around 50 minutes so was rather expensive but I figured I was on holiday and had $100 OBC to put towards it so why not. I got the usual hard sell at the end but I just listened politely then left without buying anything.

 

I still managed to get ready for dinner as usual – there was no way my dress wasn’t getting an outing! It was a strapless silver brocade dress, which I wore with the killer heels from formal night. I had a fairly plain dinner of fruit, sirloin steak off the basic menu then crème brulee. This desert was the only food I was really disappointed with. I love crème brulee and this really wan’t up to scratch. When I didn’t eat it all, my waiters were distraught but it wasn’t their fault I wasn’t too keen so I just said I was full. I did really like the steak though, which was better than expected seeing as it was one of the standard options available every night.

 

I wasn't drinking tonight so after dinner I just did a bit of present shopping in the duty free shops on the promenade, not forgetting to get my dress photo! Then I stopped by Café Promenade and took an orange tea back to my cabin where I read for a while before bed. Hopefully I’ll be back to normal tomorrow.

 

[sharonlacey]

Lara love your report, especially the fashion part!!!!!;)

[lara_lox]

Day 6 – Naples

 

I woke up feeling fine and totally refreshed after finally having a long sleep. I was straight back to Café Promenade for a coffee with a big smile on my face. I even pushed the boat out and tried a pastry. As I said, I’m not that fussed on sweet food in the morning but this was a raspberry lattice and absolutely gorgeous! Really fresh and nice. Plus on a random note, my skin was feeling very soft and plump after my facial. Doing well so far today!

 

I had booked my one and only excursion through RC for today. Because I didn’t want to get all hot and sticky before I went, I sat in the shade to read for a while. Around the outside of the Solarium, there are some padded loungers and swing seats that are perfect for this.

 

 

I went for an early lunch in Windjammer and had a mixture of salads again. Very good once again, with the same relaxed atmosphere. Then it was time to go and explore Pompeii. I was really excited about this, as although apparently I have been before as a child, it’s seems to have completely disappeared from my memory! As I left the ship, there were coaches everywhere and none of them were clearly signed. It was a bit confusing really and I wasn’t sure which one was mine. In the end I found the right one but it was a guess more than anything.

 

We did a quick stop at a Cameo factory where they make jewellery out of shells before we toured Pompeii itself. There was a 2 hour walk round the ruins, which I really enjoyed. I stuck right next to the guide so I didn’t miss anything. It was very warm but I had come prepared with water and a shawl to stop my shoulders burning. The tour was very explicitly stated that there was a lot of walking around uneven ground, in the heat, but for some reason this still came as a shock to some people! Two American ladies on the larger side moaned constantly then gave up about half way round. It really wasn’t that hard though and a couple of young families with babies in prams toughed it out. I suppose the moral of the story is check what is involved on a trip before you book it!

 

I loved it though and think it was well worth the money as I wouldn’t have liked to go round on my own, I would have missed so many details. But it was tiring so I napped on the coach on the way back to the ship.

 

Once I was back it was time to get ready for the second formal night. I wore a long jewelled maxi dress and a ton of make-up! I met all my friends in the Champagne bar which I really liked. They brought complimentary hor d’uerves with the drinks, and I was back on full eating form so ate so many they had to bring a second plate! We then all got a professional photo taken together which my friends purchased as part of a pack. I think it’s lovely and a great memento of our time together.

 

 

I was slightly late for dinner as a result and ended up almost sprinting to the MDR! I chose my food in record time, apologising profusely. Tonight I chose duck consommé, a different tiger shrimp dish (this is what they now have instead of lobster) then a trio of desserts. Great as always! And again everyone had dressed up and looked beautiful, so much so a table photo was taken.

 

 

After dinner was the on deck pool party. This was sooooo much fun! There was some kind of BBQ/outdoor buffet but obviously I had only just eaten and even I am not that much of a pig! I think it would have been better for people who had eaten at the early sitting or the Windjammer. There was a live band playing and everyone danced, you had to be carefull not to fall in the pool though, too many cocktails and it would have easily been done haha! :eek: I saw loads of people I had been chatting to throughout the holiday, it seemed that everyone was there.

 

 

We then decided that it would be a good time to enjoy the ship facilities so we went and changed into swimwear and had a 2am hot tub! It's the first time I ever wore false eye lashes and a bikini at the same time! Eventually at 4am (!) I made it to bed. :rolleyes:

[lara_lox]

Lara love your report, especially the fashion part!!!!!;)

 

I'm so glad! I purposely included that even though some people will probably hate it, because I spent hours planning what to take and I love to know what other people wear :)

[cb at sea]

Oh, I do hope you tried the dining room for breakfast....you could have HOT pancakes in there!

[sharonlacey]

Love your choices, I love to dress up everynight for dinner also!;)

[kcool]

what a great review, really enjoyed it

[lara_lox]

Day 7 – At Sea

 

My last full day :( When I woke up I was somewhat hung-over after last night’s shenanigans, I wasn’t sure if it was the boat moving around or me! I used my tv to check my on board account and everything seemed in order. This was another tip I had learnt off CC, so I could get it amended today rather than queuing up in the morning before disembarking. I wanted to milk every last moment so where better to start then my favourite place, yes you guessed it, Café Promenade with a coffee! I sunbathed in the Solarium which although busier due to it being a sea day was still not over crowded.

 

I met my friend for lunch in the MDR, which I had been waiting for all week after hearing about the Tutti salae. For thise who don’t know, it is a huge salad bar where you select your ingredients, a chef gets them for you, then chops it all up with a pizza cutter! Odd way of doing it but one of the best salads I’ve ever eaten. I had everything – usual salad, parma ham, tuna, olives, feta cheese and tons more I can’t even remember. I barely touched the chicken wrap I had ordered off the menu which I felt bad about as I hate waste.

 

After that I was too full to do anything but collapse back on a sun lounger and bake! After passing several pleasant hours there I had another coffee and a cookie from Café Promenade. For the first time it was heaving, with no where to sit and people dithering all over. So I just took my cup and plate over to Vintages, which is opposite and almost empty. After a bit more reading I thought it would be rude not to try a glass of wine! :D They had these brilliant self serve wine dispensers. Novel more than anything, but they looked good!

 

 

I sat in the gorgeous plush interior with velvet seats and enjoyed a nice Pinot Grigio. The menus had really amusing wine quotes in, as well as interesting facts. As I was about to leave I wondered why so many people had gathered on the Promenade, so I went to see. It was the Dreamworks Parade. It wasn’t something I’d planned on seeing but it was really good. The looks on the children’s faces as they saw their favourite characters was amazing :)

 

 

I then had to go and pack before getting ready before dinner. Because I had to leave my suitcase outside my cabin ready for collection, I’d had to choose clothes I could fit in my hand luggage. So I wore a lightweight cream and black shift dress with some gold strappy sandals.

 

 

After a final Champagne cocktail in the Champgane bar it was time for the last supper in the MDR. I had both the spinach dip (yummy!) and shrimp cocktail to start, followed by gnocchi then lemon sherbert. Nice but not my favourite meal. I then met my new friends in Vintages followed by a brief dabble on the penny drops and fruit machines in the casino. We all needed an early night ready for tomorrow so it was time to say goodbye. I actually felt really emotional because although I had only met these people a week ago, they made my cruise special. I’ve made some friends for life and have already been over to Belgium to visit two of them.

[will773]

Great review so far! Your pictures are really awesome!

[lara_lox]

Day 8 – Home time

 

I set my alarm early to make sure I had plenty of time to get myself sorted. For the first time I went to the MDR for breakfast. Although I had wanted to try this sooner, I can’t eat early in the morning so the MDR had always finished serving by the time I was ready. But today was different, I needed to set myself up for the day. I sat on a large table (though no-one on it even acknowledged me!) and had fruit followed by a salmon and mushroom omelette. It was good even though I wasn’t particularly hungry. I grabbed a last coffee to go from Café Promenade and thanked the lovely staff who had served me all week. Then I headed to the Platinum Theatre where my departure group had to meet. One of my friends was also in this group so I chatted to her and we boarded the transfer coach. Everything was very smooth and easy, no issues at all. We arrived at Barcelona airport at 9.30 where I left my friend. The problem here was that check-in didn’t open for another hour. So everyone just stood about in a long time waiting, rather frustrating. Luckily I was next to a couple I had seen on the plane coming so they watched by bag whilst I nipped to the loo. Another problem with travelling solo!

 

Eventually I was checked in and waiting to board the plan. Barcelona airport is not the best, I had a vile sandwich and wished I hadn’t bothered! Then they kept changing the gate we had to board from but I kept checking the screens so realised this. Not everyone did though, so remember to always have a look just in case. We ended up having to get a shuttle bus to the plane but eventually boarded and managed the flight with no issues.

 

So I guess that’s it! Hopefully this has been vaguely interesting and/or entertaining for you all. I can’t believe I’ve written it all in one day. Thank you for reading!

 

All in all, I had a fantastic cruise. I’m so glad I bit the bullet and went on my own – you can be completely selfish and do whatever you want when you want without having to consider anyone else. At times it was a bit daunting but totally worth it. Looking back I probably didn’t make the most of the facilities and activities that the ship had to offer for a number of reasons. I didn't use the surf simulator or rock climbing wall - I would have enjoyed it but think you need to do these sort of things in a group of people.

 

But I enjoyed it enough to have just booked my second solo, this time on the Norwegian Jade round the Canaries in January. I know this will be a totally different experience but am looking forward to it and will let you all know how it went when I return :D