Who knew?

Judy. Y’all know I’ve not been a fan of cruises, although I did enjoy my Alaskan cruise with a dear friend—about 10 years ago. I realize, and appreciate that it’s a great form of travel for many people and bravo—I don’t care HOW you travel, just travel!  But we prefer going to a city and staying for weeks or months—just not the way you can do it on a cruise.

Still, we decided to take a repositioning cruise back to the US from Barcelona. The price was right, and the thought of two weeks to relax and read and adjust our mindsets was tempting. And I’m so glad we did!

Ted and Rhapsody of the Seas

First, some observations:

I’m very glad we got a balcony. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous, and it’s so lovely to sit out, sip a glass of wine (that we brought on—it’s expensive here) and watch the rolling seas. It also gives us a quiet respite from the craziness a cruise can have.

Because when we open our doors, we’re assaulted by loud music and bright lights. No, I get it. People want things to do, and it’s fun to see zumba and other dance lessons in the Centrum (lobby) from the balcony of our floor. And there’s always something going on, which is great for those who want to stay busy, and lots of folks do, so that’s fine. And we do attend lectures and shows. There's always live music somewhere, which makes me happy, both as an artist and as a music lover. Still, I’m glad we have a balcony for quiet times.

Sunrise from our balcony

Much to my surprise, the stars are quite bright--not as much as in the desert, but I've spotted the Milky Way, and early one morning caught sight of a huge shooting star. I thought the ship's lights would dim out the skies.

Many “Diamond” cruisers (and I hope I’m not stepping on too many toes here) are interesting. First question: Where are you from? Then the discussion goes to cruises—how many they’ve taken, how many needed to obtain the next level and what they’ll get in benefits when they do. (Are we peons subsidizing this? I dunno.) Little talk about what they thought of various cities or ports, just mostly about which ships and what amenities they have. That’s fine with me—shoot, enjoy what vacation you want to! But it doesn’t leave much for us to talk about. We just have different interests. On the other hand, we've gotten some great advice from fellow cruisers. People are generally quite nice.

Food and entertainment are uneven in quality, but we seem to be doing just fine in both areas. Service in the buffet restaurant and at dinner in the main dining room, is outstanding. We consistently have the same waiter and assistant, Luis and Manas. Super guys. So is our stateroom attendant, Philip. Breakfast and lunch service in the main dining room is appalling, which is probably why there are so many people at the buffet.

The Christmas decorations, both by the ship's staff and on the doors of travelers, are a delightfully welcome addition. At some workshop, people made gingerbread houses, which are now on display as a village.

Gingerbread village

Guest Services is truly well-run. We had a question—not even a complaint—and they called three times to make sure it was resolved.

But again, for us it’s often the people.

We were able to get “My time” dining, which means you can make reservations for anytime, though we typically stick to about 5:30. It gives us time to take walks, see shows, or play cards. And it’s when Sylvie and Gilles eat at the table next to us. They’re from Montreal, Quebec, and have the best laughs! They cruise a LOT, and have great suggestions. They answer questions we have, and we all laugh most of the time. We just adore them.

Sylvie & Gilles 

Abraham is part of the men’s Bible study Ted attends, and he and his wife Virginia have invited us for drinks almost every night, though we don’t always go.

Morning walk with Theresa

I met Theresa, from Melbourne, Australia, at a handwork gathering of women. We never went back to the gathering, but we meet to walk every morning, exchange book ideas, talk about travel, and about our different cultures. Thanks to her, I keep moving! We also sometimes meet for lectures.

 

Surprise! It's Craig!

I mentioned before that Ted and I have met folks we know in every country we’ve visited this trip. So it shouldn’t surprise me at all that Craig, whom I know from the community of actors in Atlanta, is performing his Elton John show on the ship! One night I was reading the list of entertainers and saw his name—I could hardly believe it! I contacted him, and we got caught up. So that completes the circle this visit—except that when we land in Tampa, we’ll be having lunch with a woman we met in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Backstage with "Sir Elton"

So, we signed up for another in 2020. Who knew?