LIVE from the Wonder of the Seas 2022 WB Transatlantic Cruise and our 4 year journey to get on this TA!

[crewsweeper]

Just be aware there are some disturbances and sub-tropical storms in the Atlantic as you get closer to Florida.  So the sailing may not be smooth the rest of the way. 😒

[island lady]

1 hour ago, crewsweeper said:

Just be aware there are some disturbances and sub-tropical storms in the Atlantic as you get closer to Florida.  So the sailing may not be smooth the rest of the way. 😒

 

It's already not smooth.  😉 

[Teeara]

4 hours ago, crewsweeper said:

Just be aware there are some disturbances and sub-tropical storms in the Atlantic as you get closer to Florida.  So the sailing may not be smooth the rest of the way. 😒

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

 

 

Edited November 7, 2022 by Teeara

[crewsweeper]

this was a "smooth day for me in the Atlantic😮

[Another_Critic]

25 minutes ago, Teeara said:

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

 

IMG_1089.MOV 23.56 MB · 0 downloads  

 

That looks calm to me.  🙂

 

40' to 45' swells on the fall 2015 Anthem TA.

[Teeara]

Cartagena Roman Theater

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Teeara]

2 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

That looks calm to me.  🙂

 

40' to 45' swells on the fall 2015 Anthem TA.

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.

[Another_Critic]

7 minutes ago, Teeara said:

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.

On the Anthem TA, we were having lunch in the MDR (window table on deck 4) when a big wave pounded the window.  😲

 

Edited November 7, 2022 by Another_Critic

[Teeara]

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

[Teeara]

7 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

On the Anthem TA, we were having lunch in the MDR (window table on deck 4) when a big wave pounded the window.  😲

 

Check please! 😱

[Teeara]

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.

[Teeara]

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.

 

 

 

[Teeara]

Sea shots:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[crzndeb]

I thing smooth sailings and food are both now subjective. For me, this is one of the smoothest sailings I have been on as far as a TA or TP. Maybe it helps that I’m on deck 9, but there was only one night I felt a gentle swaying. Capt. mentioned 9 ft swells, and I have been in 20+ before, so I guess it all depends. I gage rough seas, based on barf bags being put on stairwells and all around the ship. Haven’t seen those yet.🤣

Having a wonderful time, and I love the Wonder. Still trying to get on Abyss and water slides, and time is dwindling. Hope all are open when we are in Nassau on Friday.

[Teeara]

26 minutes ago, crzndeb said:

I thing smooth sailings and food are both now subjective. For me, this is one of the smoothest sailings I have been on as far as a TA or TP. Maybe it helps that I’m on deck 9, but there was only one night I felt a gentle swaying. Capt. mentioned 9 ft swells, and I have been in 20+ before, so I guess it all depends. I gage rough seas, based on barf bags being put on stairwells and all around the ship. Haven’t seen those yet.🤣

Having a wonderful time, and I love the Wonder. Still trying to get on Abyss and water slides, and time is dwindling. Hope all are open when we are in Nassau on Friday.

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.
 

[BillOh]

1 hour ago, crzndeb said:

I

Having a wonderful time, and I love the Wonder. Still trying to get on Abyss and water slides, and time is dwindling. Hope all are open when we are in Nassau on Friday.

FYI, The port Canaveral webcam is showing a lot of chop right now, but the Nassau web cam is improving!

[Another_Critic]

2 hours ago, Teeara said:

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.
 

I was on Celebrity Galaxy in Sept. 2004 dodging storms.  Skipped Cocoa Cay due to damage by Hurricane Frances.  Skipped Nassau due to Hurricane Jeanne.  IIRC, we got ahead of Frances cruising south and Jeanne cruising north.

[Teeara]

5 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

I was on Celebrity Galaxy in Sept. 2004 dodging storms.  Skipped Cocoa Cay due to damage by Hurricane Frances.  Skipped Nassau due to Hurricane Jeanne.  IIRC, we got ahead of Frances cruising south and Jeanne cruising north.

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.

Edited November 10, 2022 by Teeara

[Steeler Nation At Sea]

On 11/6/2022 at 2:50 PM, crewsweeper said:

Thanks for all the followup.   Yes a number of us were "locked out" of CC as there appeared to be server problems.  Not user problems. 

Appreciate the tip on Valencia pier.  Love the pictures. and the description of the dessert  on the 150 Central menu.  On my list for April.

 

That dessert is everything Theresa said it was.  Also, don't miss the Sunchoke Veloute, which I think is the best dish Royal makes.  (These photos are from Harmony TA '21.)

[Steeler Nation At Sea]

On 11/6/2022 at 5:14 PM, Teeara said:

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)  

 

 

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.  

 

 

The reason that I became hooked on TA's was the relaxing quality of the many sea days at a time when my day to day life was very stressful and chaotic (single parent of 3 teens - and everything that goes with that - with a full-time job on top).  It's perfectly okay if you're not motivated to explore.  You are getting exactly what you need from the relaxation.  Some TA's, I'm often out and about; other TA's are spent in a more contemplative state staring at the water on my balcony.  It's all good.

 

Regarding meeting up with CC buds, I did a TA years ago where a woman hosted "afternoon tea" in the WJ daily on sea days.  On another cruise, a gent did similar with hosting an afternoon beer stop in the pub.  These were no obligation places to just stop and say hi each day if that's what you wanted to do and to briefly catch up if you weren't playing daily games with the CC groups or using the Diamond lounge for pre-dinner drinks later to connect.  I'm still in touch with both of those folks.

 

Also, because I often cruise solo, I sometimes organize a couple of specialty dinners with anyone on the roll call who might like to join.  There are definitely ways to keep that connection with the CC group, that you've so carefully fostered by organizing your roll calls, without a huge time commitment.  

 

Thanks for all of your efforts through the past few years and for doing your "live" review now for those of us that ultimately didn't make it to this cruise!  Your spa treatments sound lovely and reminded me that I need to schedule my next 2 massages before the holiday craziness really takes hold!

Edited November 11, 2022 by Steeler Nation At Sea

[island lady]

12 hours ago, Steeler Nation At Sea said:

 

That dessert is everything Theresa said it was.  Also, don't miss the Sunchoke Veloute, which I think is the best dish Royal makes.  (These photos are from Harmony TA '21.)

 

 

 

Had the Seafood Veloute the last two days.  Once at dinner, once at lunch.  Yummmss!  It was totally nasty when I tried it on Harmony (very fishy)...but Chef here on Wonder in CK does a great job with it, and I love the Wonderland type presentation.  🙂 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 11, 2022 by island lady

[crzndeb]

I managed to do the Abyss yesterday. Fun times! It wasn’t as fast as I thought it would be, so now that I know what to expect, I will go back for more. Will probably do the water slides tomorrow, when he are in Nassau.

Saw Effectors 2 last night for the 2nd time. What an amazing show. I’m still flabbergasted at what they can do on a cruise ship. Bravo to everyone that has worked on this show. Incredible…

Today is escape room, which doesn’t look like what I expected, but will give it a go.

Already started packing. Can’t believe it’s almost over.

Edited November 11, 2022 by crzndeb

[island lady]

1 hour ago, crzndeb said:

I managed to do the Abyss yesterday. Fun times! It wasn’t as fast as I thought it would be, so now that I know what to expect, I will go back for more. Will probably do the water slides tomorrow, when he are in Nassau.

Saw Effectors 2 last night for the 2nd time. What an amazing show. I’m still flabbergasted at what they can do on a cruise ship. Bravo to everyone that has worked on this show. Incredible…

Today is escape room, which doesn’t look like what I expected, but will give it a go.

Already started packing. Can’t believe it’s almost over.

 

Pack??  Pack??   NOOooooooo.....don't say that four letter word.  😉 😄 

 

I detest seeing those luggage tag strips come out.  😱

[CrusinFox]

3 hours ago, crzndeb said:

I managed to do the Abyss yesterday. Fun times! It wasn’t as fast as I thought it would be, so now that I know what to expect, I will go back for more. Will probably do the water slides tomorrow, when he are in Nassau.

Saw Effectors 2 last night for the 2nd time. What an amazing show. I’m still flabbergasted at what they can do on a cruise ship. Bravo to everyone that has worked on this show. Incredible…

Today is escape room, which doesn’t look like what I expected, but will give it a go.

Already started packing. Can’t believe it’s almost over.

 

Oh, have they installed an escape room on Wonder? 

[crzndeb]

1 hour ago, CrusinFox said:

 

Oh, have they installed an escape room on Wonder? 

Well, I don’t know if you can call it a true escape room. It looks like a big white storage room and they put puzzles on a table to solve. I will take some pics. Rumor has it, that the card room will become the permanent Escape room…more to follow.