What did you do on Treasures of Southern Spain & Morocco OR Spanish Symphony?

[Ski Mom 2]

Tarragona was our next port and I have to say we had one of our best days in Tarragona. We were there on a Sunday and we were all worried there wouldn't be anything opened or much to see and do. Were we ever wrong!!

 

We took the port bus to the old part of the city and found a sort of a music festival beginning. We gathered along the streets and watched as groups of children of all ages marched down the streets playing their musical instruments. It was glorious! The parents were so proud, taking photographs of their children. We clapped and cheered and enjoyed this delightful parade.

Afterwards, we wandered the streets admiring the local architecture and found a lovely restaurant with tapas and the best sangria ever! From there, we discovered the square where the Human Pyramids was happening! This is just the craziest thing you have ever seen! People make human pyramids up to 9 people high! We have some great video of the climb up and then the collapse down. The people were loving it and we were so happy to have been a part of this crazy tradition!

It was time to dip our toes in the Mediterranean and then head back to the port bus stop to take us back to our ship. It was such  a great and unexpected day in Tarragona!

 

[Ski Mom 2]

Barcelona was our final stop on our Treasures of Southern Spain & Morocco cruise. We had to say goodbye to our new friends from Chicago but our Washington friends stayed on with us for the next leg of our cruise. 

 

We spent the day at Sagrada Familia and Park Guell. I had booked tickets on line months ahead of time so we could see these two sights. We took a taxi from the ship to Sagrada Familia where we had 9 a.m. tickets. It was glorious getting in with only a handful of other tourists. It didn't take long for it to fill but those first few moments were so worth it! I had booked the audio tour which we enjoyed because we could go at our own pace. We saw everything we wanted to see and grabbed another cab to get to Park Guell in time for our tour of the park. We booked a tour guide along with our entry for 12 noon. It was a mob scene in the Park. It was very interesting but so very crowded. I'm glad we booked the tour guide.

 

We took a taxi down to Las Rambles and wandered the Market. We love doing that at the different ports. Each is a bit different but still somewhat the same. We didn't see any pickpockets but I kept a hand on my crossover bag at all times. We had to be back on board by 4 p.m. so we walked down Las Rambles to the Christopher Columbus statue and then back to the ship. Because we were continuing on, our ships card/room keys worked the entire 3 cruises and there was no waiting to get back on board. 

 

A few housekeeping points:

We were on board for 3 cruises and had originally booked a cabin on deck 1. A few months after booking, the upgrade fairy came to visit and offered us a suite on deck 3 which we most happily accepted. Having 2 bathrooms for 25 days at sea saved our marriage 🙂 Need I say more? Plus it was so nice to only have to go up 1 level to the Yacht Club and the pool or down 1 level to exit the ship.

The crew is the most awesome of folks! We have sailed twice before on Windstar and both times, Aladdin was on board. When we asked as we boarded in Lisbon if Aladdin was aboard, imagine our surprise and delight when we were told he was! We love that he remembered us and throughout our 25 days we got to know more about him and his family. We were truly blessed. And of course there was Farid our cabin steward; Hari and Ada our servers; Anna at the tour desk and Anne at reception that were so kind and caring. 

The officers on board were outstanding as well. Captain Pedro, head of Hotel operations Calvin and Julian, and Merrick Saldanha, maitre d' hotel were available, helpful and knew us well by the time we walked off the ship. The food was good (although after 25 days they really need to extend their offerings to a 10 - 14 day food rotation versus a 5 day rotation).

Wind Surf is a lovely girl but is showing her age. We were told she will be going into dry dock November 2019 which probably can't come soon enough. No matter, we love her and will sail again one day.

 

And so our first cruise ends...as our second, Yachtsman's Harbors of the Rivieras, was about to begin!

[minidonuts85]

Fantastic pics Ski Mom! Thanks for sharing! We are on the Windsurf in just over 60-days for our first WS cruise. Besides age, was the ship generally in good repair?

[Ski Mom 2]

15 hours ago, minidonuts85 said:

Fantastic pics Ski Mom! Thanks for sharing! We are on the Windsurf in just over 60-days for our first WS cruise. Besides age, was the ship generally in good repair?

Thank you minidonuts85! I love the new feature that lets you add your photos! I have about 1000 pics I'm sorting through from our 25 days and just finishing editing the first cruise and was excited to share just a few.

 

Wind Surf is fine. Everything is clean and and looks good. But if you look closely, you can see many coats of white paint on the metal parts of the railings and even some rust. The teak floors have faded in some places although they worked on the floors at each turnaround port. There is constant work going on to improve various areas. But let's face it, she's got a few years under her belt and isn't as pretty as a brand new ship. Did it bother us? Not in the least! It's the crew and the officers that make this ship live and those folks are second to none. As long as you understand she is a small ship and your ports of call is where the action is; that's why you should choose Windstar.  Enjoy the dining options, listening to music in the lounge or Compass Rose, get to know your fellow passengers. Laugh out loud during the crew talent show and dance at the deck bbq. Get lots of rest for your next day in another wonderful port and you will have an amazing time! And remember to report back to help the next set of cruisers looking to add Windstar to their list of must-do cruises!

 

"Standing on the stairs leading up to Compass Rose looking down at the Pool deck while cruising on Sicilian Splendors on the Amalfi Coast. October 3, 2018"

 

Edited October 23, 2018 by Ski Mom 2

[monemavasia]

Thank you Ski Mom 2  So very glad to hear that you enjoyed your b2b2b... on Windstar so much. We have travelled on their Venice to Rome voyage & enjoyed it very much, and are now booked on a b2b Rome to Lisbon in the Spring.

You have been extremely helpful in helping us determine if the Alhambra tour would be suitable for us. By any chance did you do their trip from out of the Cadiz port into Seville?  I would be very interested in hearing how arduous that tour might be.

Fair sailings in the future!

[monemavasia]

I just realized that you did not stop at Cadiz on your travels so please excuse my last question.  I had mistakenly thought that you voyage mirrored our own Lisbon to Barcelona.

Many thanks again for your Alhambra tour review.  It sounded marvelous but we might have to consider other options.

Edited October 23, 2018 by monemavasia
grammer

[Strenz]

Thank you Ski Mon 2, Relived that beautiful coast  on the Surf years ago. We did the Spanish coast then we crossed the Atlantic. Glorious. Keep Sailing and Enjoy.

[Ski Mom 2]

59 minutes ago, monemavasia said:

I just realized that you did not stop at Cadiz on your travels so please excuse my last question.  I had mistakenly thought that you voyage mirrored our own Lisbon to Barcelona.

Many thanks again for your Alhambra tour review.  It sounded marvelous but we might have to consider other options.

No worries! There are two different itineraries with the coast of Spain. We did the Treasures of Southern Spain and Morocco just so we could go to Tangiers to see our friends in the Peace Corps but it would have been nice to go to Seville.

 

I don't want to discourage you from the Alhambra but I tried to be as honest as possible. There were several buses that went from our cruise to the Alhambra and perhaps one of the other tour groups walked slower than ours but there really is a lot to cover in the time allowed. I'm sure you'll figure out something that will be perfect for you!

Edited October 23, 2018 by Ski Mom 2