Harmony of the Seas

Judy. After three months of living in France and Spain, Ted and I hopped a repositioning cruise back to the States. This is a great way to return—the time changes gradually, so jet lag isn’t as much of an issue. Besides, for little more than the cost of a plane ticket home, we get two weeks of room, board, entertainment, and the vastness of the Atlantic. 

This is Harmony of the Seas' first crossing in nineteen months, and there were a few glitches, but most were eventually ironed out. The ship holds 6500 passengers, but only 1500 were on board, so it was a quieter trip than three years ago.

 

Seville

Our cabin steward, Seville (appropriate, don't you think?) and Roger and Puji, our waiters, made life easy. Seville surprised us with six different towel animals on our bed during the trip. My favorite was the rhino, but the alligator was a close second. 

Our bedtime rhino

Puji & Roger

Paul, the restaurant manager, opens our champagne

Safety is of primary importance, so we had to show our proof of vaccination and take a Covid antigen test before we could board. We had to be tested again before each stop. Masks are worn indoors all over the ship, except when eating or drinking, and hand washing and sanitizing stations are everywhere.

 

Handwashing station outside Park Cafe
and hand sanitizer dispensers EVERYWHERE

Terry and Sue, our dear friends who’ve moved to Washington, decided to join us. We’ve been friends long enough to spend as much time on the ship away from each other as with each other. We met up in Barcelona, where Monica, one of the medical students with whom we hiked Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica, picked us up and took us to dinner at her favorite tapas bar, regaling us with stories of being a medical student. She’s finished med school, but wants to go into psychiatry so spends each day studying and taking practice tests on Saturdays to try to get into the next phase. 

With Monica

Our first stop on the cruise was Málaga, so we enjoyed playing tour guide to Terry and Sue as we showed them around the city we’ve come to love. Then we were off for ten days of nothing but ocean till we reach Nassau. 

Morning in Málaga and the view of the ship from the Alcazaba

There are lots of places to go on a ship this big, like Central Park and The Boardwalk.

Central Park on the ship.  Great place to relax.

The Abyss

They survived, and so did I!

We celebrated Ted’s birthday by sliding down the Ultimate Abyss, and went to shows (some amazing, some just fine). 

Pretty amazing water show

We  celebrated Terry and Sue’s fiftieth anniversary (only a year and a half late) with champagne. 

Happy 50th!

Mostly we marveled at sunrises and sunsets and let the world go away.

Good morning and good night.