Fall Spirit Crossing 9 -25 Nov

[dougburns]

Just starting a new thread for the crossing. Everybody will start arriving aboard in a couple of hours. Cloudy right now in Barcelona. but it's supposed to get clearer this PM. Nice temps though. We have our Meet and Mingle tomorrow evening at 1800 in the Observation Lounge(@40 plus the ship's officers). Looking forward to a great crossing.

[spinnaker2]

chilly but sunny

looking forward to tonight's meet and mingle

trying to recover from the jet lag

[dougburns]

Nice day in Barcelona again and we had almost a complete turnover. Only @ 40 remained aboard from the Rome-Barcelona leg. Now the ship is full to Funchal. About 60 getting off there and a few, including Wes&Ida boarding. Had a great dinner in La Terrazza last evening. Dinato set up 2 tables of 6 for us. Most had Duck Pappardelle in honor of Wes. One table was Miss Lynn, me, Eugene&Lucille, David and Emmy. The table next to us was Dieter&Debbie, the Kents, and Bob and Victoria(emtbsam). We were a bit rowdy, but the other table was very sedate. Met some of the folks and did some dancing after dinner, but tonight is the Meet and Mingle in the O Lounge at 1800 and we'll all get mingled. Today we're in Valencia with cloudy skies and temps supposed to be in the mid 60s. Miss Lynn and I are just going to go into town for a walk about. Being Sunday, most of the shops will probably be closed, so my wallet is safe. Have a great day all! More later.

[WesW]

Thanks Doug for a wonderful crossing day one recap. We look fwd to sharing the duck ragout pappardelle w/ya'll next fri. nite. Hope u have a terrific day in Valencia and a super meet and mingle. Pls ask Dieter to take a few pix and if time to post.

 

 

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[dougburns]

After a wonderful day in Valencia we had a very successful Meet and Mingle in the O Lounge last evening. The ship did a great job and most folks attended. They even made name tags, which was nice. After the meet we had a wonderful dinner with Marcelo( F&B Manager and he's not the Marcello that used to be maitre'd in the MDR; he's the Brazilian who was once a maitre'd on other SS ships). He's quite personable and will probably be a Hotel Director before long. Between Emmy and Marcelo the table was in stitches throughout the dinner. Dieter and Debbie(wellseasoned) said they had enough laughing for the next three days. After dinner Miss Lynn and I headed to the Panorama Lounge for dancing until @ midnight. It was a lively crowd, but we still miss Ida! It was a calm cruise between Valencia and Cartagena. We're arriving there as I type and it looks like another beautiful day. Tonight is formal night; the first of 3 on the crossing. The next will be the second night out of Funchal and the last will be the night out of Bermuda. Tomorrow in Malaga we have the in-suite party and dinner for 12 in Hot Rocks afterwards. Ship and crew have been great so far. More later.

[WesW]

Another outstanding Spirit fall crossing post Doug. Very happy to hear the Cruise Critic and Silversea meet & mingle was well done and well attended. Kudos to Silversea, CC and esp Paolo (Hotel Director and the Sprit) and his team for making your meet & mingle work.

 

Believe Marcelo is in the pix below (Marcelo on the right--he was Rest. Mgr on our Spirit Spring Crossing, Ricardo (Exec Chef on Left). Kudos to Marcelo for his well deserved promotion.

 

Edited November 11, 2013 by Colonel(Ret.)Wes

[dougburns]

You got it right, Wes; that's him. He's the F&B Manager now and will probably be a Hotel Director soon. Very personable. Had another smooth ride last night from Cartagena during formal night. The MDR was extremely crowded and service was understandably slow, but the food was wonderful. Miss Lynn and I had some dancing before dinner, but took some private time together after dinner rather than going dancing. Anne-Marie has left and we have a new chef; sorry 'bout that. Haven't really noticed any difference in food quality, so I guess all is well. We're in Malaga this morning to another clear and glorious day. Tonight is our suite party followed by Hot Rocks for 12. Hope the weather holds and it looks like it will. Had to chastise a retired Navy captain last night for wearing his uniform. Apparently, he didn't read his retirement orders, but maybe things have changed since I retired; everything else has. Have to make allowances though; he's a submariner. As usual, we'll just do a walk about today and then relax aboard. Have a great day all! More later.

[Stumblefoot]

Had to chastise a retired Navy captain last night for wearing his uniform. Apparently, he didn't read his retirement orders, but maybe things have changed since I retired; everything else has. Have to make allowances though; he's a submariner.

Coming from a family where I had Uncles who served in three different branches (Navy, Marines, and Air Force), I must say, I sure do enjoy the banter you all bring to this forum. Rivalry, in the spirit of camaraderie, is good fun!

[Herman The Cat]

Wonderful commentary. Hope you had a great suite party tonight and were able to dine at Hot Rocks. (Veal chop, Doug?)

 

We really liked your itinerary and hope you are enjoying it.

[WesW]

Doug thx for another good Spirit update.

 

U'r right that u'r fellow retired Navy Captain improperly wore his mess dress.

 

We fly to Toronto in morn, then 3 more connections--then we arrive in Funchal Thurs p.m.

 

See y'all very soon

 

 

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[dougburns]

Another fine day and we're docked at the Rock. Sure has changed since the last time I was here in 1958. Yesterday in Malaga was just about as perfect as you could get; clear and pleasantly warm. They have a new pier arrangement since the last time we were there; very nice. Miss Lynn and I took a horse and buggy ride around the city, then had a coffee, then strolled the streets. Found a Swavorski store and Miss Lynn got a bauble. Then we returned to the ship for lunch. The ship did a wonderful job with the suite party and most attendees spent their time out on the front balcony to a beautiful sunset. Marcelo took lots of pictures with his camera and other folks cameras as well; group photos. Wellseasoned will probably post one or two. After the party 12 of us had dinner at Hot Rocks. It was a nice gathering, but it got a bit cool by the end of the dinner. We left port at 2300 and had a very smooth cruise to Gibraltar, arriving here at 0700. We're only here until 1400 when we leave for the trip to Funchal. Hope the seas are reasonable and not like the 2010 cruise from Lisbon when we got caught in that big storm along the way and had to divert to Las Palmas. 84 folks are departing in Funchal and 12 are getting on, so we should have @470 aboard for the crossing. Miss Lynn and I will go ashore today for a bit of a walk about as soon as she gets perfectly polished. It's basically clear here today with light winds and high humidity(80%). Temps should be @ 72deg F. Have a great day all! More later.

[duct tape]

I am enjoying the trip, ESP the weather since it is getting cold here!

[Wellseasoned]

As Doug said, the cruise has been great so far. Excellent weather, excellent fellow passengers, excellent crew as usual. We had a blast exploring Valencia on Segways. Cartagena was lovely and it was nice being among some other veterans on that day. (And Stumblefoot, we look forward to Col. Wes joining us in Funchal. We have Navy people aboard to help keep him afloat in the pool, and Doug indicated that there is a submariner aboard, so that will help if Wes sinks.:)) A beautiful warm day in Malaga, topped off by Doug and Lynn's wonderful suite party. The Hot Rocks dinner was really good, and for once I managed to cook my filet and prawns just the way I like them. Today the Gibralter weather was again sunshine, and we enjoyed exploring "The Rock" and getting acquainted with the monkeys. Look forward to the first sea day tomorrow!

 

Burns suite party

 

[Jman2013]

Great Picture! Wishing we were still on board now that normal life is back in session. Have a great crossing!

[Wellseasoned]

Quick correction: The great Segway rides were in Cartagena. These beautiful cities get confusing.

[WesW]

Outstanding CC/SS meet & mingle pix/post Dieter--Thank You. We see cruise critics we have sailed with before: Debbie, Doug, Gene, Lucille, Steve, Barb, David, Emmy--ya'll look wonderfully relaxed.

 

Update on our travels out of Atlanta, we are now enjoying the Maple Leaf Lounge in Toronto Int'l Airport (pls see pix below). In two and half hours we board our Lufthansa flight for Frankfurt. We can't wait to join y'all.

 

Edited November 13, 2013 by Colonel(Ret.)Wes

[duct tape]

Nice to see familiar faces. Enjoy!

[Stumblefoot]

And Stumblefoot, we look forward to Col. Wes joining us in Funchal. We have Navy people aboard to help keep him afloat in the pool, and Doug indicated that there is a submariner aboard, so that will help if Wes sinks.

Love it! Thanks for the chuckle. ;)

 

Looking forward to seeing what wines you all procure from the Connoisseur's List when Wes & Ida arrive.

 

Keep enjoying yourselves! And, thanks for letting us tag along.

[dougburns]

As Dieter said, it was another great day in Gibraltar, albeit short. We departed at 1400 for Funchal. Last night we had dinner with the spinnaker2s(Candy&Larry) in the MDR. Food was excellent! Afterward we adjourned to the Panorama, but Alfredo wasn't playing very good dance music. However, when disco started things changed. Candy is going to give Ida a run for her money on the dance floor. We're @ half way to Funchal this morning with clear skies and mild temps. The sea is a bit rocky, but not bad. Sleeping last night was like being rocked in a cradle up near the bow. Marcelo took all of the pics at the party and we may have more to post if we can get his flash card once Wes boards. Miss Lynn is perfectly polished now and on her way for breakfast, so I'll sign off. Have a great day all!

[WesW]

Hi all, Ida and I are now in Lisbon airport, we board our next 4th flight (TAP Portugal's airline) in 40 minutes for Funchal--we can't wait. Beautiful day

here in Lisbon, sunny temps about 68 F. We enjoyed our flight from Toronto to Frankfurt (pls see pix below). However, lesson learned when connecting in Lisbon is make sure you have all luggage tag #'s (one of ours dropped off) and fortunately the TAP service rep was able to find the 3rd bag...had visions of doing the entire crossing in jeans. See y'all about noon tomorrow.

 

[WesW]

In Funchal, Portugal this morning during morning run, spied our cruise ship Silversea's Silver Spirit moving into the port. Normally we observe our soon to board Silversea cruise ship (Silver Cloud, Silver Whisper/Shadow, Spirit docked). Therefore, what a wonderful, magical moment to observe our ship moving into position. Pls enjoy a few pix of the Silver Spirit below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mr Luxury]

Great pictures Wes,although the more I look at the Spirit the more I think that it is an ugly designed ship.

I am hoping that the new Seabourn ship does not go the same way.

 

Enjoy a wonderful trip with everyone.

 

Looking forward to your postings.

Edited November 15, 2013 by Mr Luxury

[Stumblefoot]

What a fun experience to actually witness her coming into port. I bet it put a little boost into your kick and your turned in a good run today. I'm really looking forward to following the reporting of you and your fellow passengers on this voyage.

 

If you have the opportunity to speak with the F&B Manager or Sommelier while on board, I'd love to hear what they anticipate the Spirit's connoisseur wine list changes to be next summer. Of course, I'm always interested in the goodies you'll find within it now too.

 

Have a wonderful voyage!

[duct tape]

Also, always ask what is in the cellar that doesn't make it to the wine list since there are only a few left. Usually some gems to be had!

[RachelG]

Great pics as usual. Too bad you don't have a Marine onboard to keep you in line. Look forward to your posts!