Cruise Day 12--At Sea, Nov 7

 Another low key, chill day. Clocks went back the night before, so we were up early-ish. 

At 10:00, it was another lecture by Ian Wright. He came shuffling out in this sparkly jacket and asked us how liked it.

Turns out, it was his wife's! LOL.  He liked it so much (even though it was a bit short in the sleeves) that she ordered more just for him.

This day's lecture was titled "Pop Stars in the Swinging 60s" and was about the rise of the rock and roll lifestyle. I don't remember specifics, but enjoyed it anyway!

Looking a little more tropical but still not exactly hot out.

According to the daily planner, we went to Eric's Tales of the Sea--A Submariner's Yarn. It was not written in my notebook though. I blogged about that show on Nov 4. It was fascinating! What a life, what a storyteller. It could easily be a movie. Edge of your seat stories. In my notebook, I wrote that we saw David Tait's lecture on the start up of Virgin Airways, but that's not on the daily planner for this day. 

I also wrote down that we went to the Sun Club for lunch. I thought I had already blogged about that. We tried the BBQ rib bao buns, which were delicious, and the 5 spice chicken bowl.  Rob asked if he could get the meat from the bao buns on the salad from the chicken salad bowl, and they said no. A little strange.

This is the lemon cheesecake dessert from The Wake.  Hands down, my favourite dessert! Just big enough, just sweet enough, just sour enough. 

Did I actually order the steak one night? Maybe! Who knows. All I know is that Rob complained that at lunch, you couldn't get the American steak sauce. I'm actually looking at menus on line, and don't even see the filet mignon at brunch now!

I think I ordered another Old Cuban. 

The Flute Loops guy again. 

It was cool watching him create loops and improvise. Though it kind of all sounds the same after 12 days. 

My dinner outfit. It's sort of backless and a little risque for me! But I liked it.

Cruise Day 11 At Sea, Nov 6

 We started the day's activities with "The Dream of the South Pacific" in the Red Room with the architectural historian. I wish her name was on the day planner. It was an interesting lecture. Not an area of architecture I knew much about. I took architectural drafting throughout high school and considered it for a career but the science and math stuff took me out. 

I did go to the Knit Happens group. It was nice but I did feel a bit awkward because they had all been coming regularly. Chris, "The Charmer" was the host. He didn't knit or crochet, but he did make puppets! This was his first time cruising. He was really enjoying it and I wish we had seen more of his acts/events.

The weather was getting nicer, but it was still not Caribbean warm. We saw a ship!

It looks like we should be so close to Florida, doesn't it? LOL. 

It got closer! 

There was a crew drill at 10am and it was the weirdest thing. I don't think we saw this one happen since we were in the theater, but on another day I came out to the elevators from our hall, and there were crew in their gear, standing silently at the stairs, and then throughout deck 6 and 7.  It was kind of creepy.

We went to the Galley for lunch and I got a Paloma which wasn't quite as I was expecting. The outside area at the aft behind the Galley is a nice spot to eat, however, sometimes the service takes forever. I needed a spoon for something and I was waiting a long time. I thought they had a little stand with that type of thing out there, but guess not. The other totally weird thing is that one door going out is button operated, but the second one isn't!! You have to go through both! Who thought of this nonsense?! Carrying a plate of food (no trays) and you have to PULL the door towards you! 

Also, sometimes the Galley was s-l-o-w.  One day (I think this day), I ordered a Cuban at the panini counter and it took forever. They weren't working slow or anything, poor girls was non-stop, but considering the ship was half full (or less!), I don't understand why it was so slow. The potato chips there are worth it though! That was one thing I missed on our Royal cruise, and I was NOT paying tuck shop prices for a bag of chips. You could get them in some of the grab and go sandwiches that are in a couple places but they'll be cold (and sometimes a bit moist feeling), or here at Hot Off the Press. Ripples, taste exactly like Ruffles but they're a European brand. Salty goodness LOL.

I dragged Rob to the Around the World in 80 Minutes with The Diva. I knew he wouldn't like it LOL.

Part game show, part cabaret show, it was optimal cheeze. Again, it ended in a tie for each round. I did not think The Diva has the greatest voice but it's supposed to be fun, and it was entertaining. Might do better on the shorter Caribbean cruises with a younger crowd.

In the afternoon I was going by the Social Club and saw they had peanut brittle again. Rob had really liked it, so I picked up some to take back to the room. Well....it broke a crown!! We had no way to call the dentist, but he was able to communicate through email with a bit of investigating/help from the kids. This put a bit of a downer on things, but what can you do? It wasn't hurting so that was good.

Looking nice. We actually started going in the round pool in the afternoon. Not bad, once you get in. One day it was so rough we sloshed around and had a good laugh. However, there were too many things to bang myself on, it wasn't like a lazy river! 

Dinner was at Pink Agave (funky lights!).  Rob didn't really want to go back. He only liked the corn dish; I don't even have pictures or notes on what we ate. I did order a drink that took forever. Turns out the server took it to the wrong table. We saw Paul and Sandra again but they were seated in a different area. 

We made sure to be waiting at the Manor really early for Lola's Library. I might have also gotten the time wrong so we were there extra early. We were waiting just where the hall enters the casino, behind a solo man, younger than us, maybe in his late 30s. Suddenly, he turns to me and says "Those glasses frames really look good on you". I was so caught off guard! I thanked him and said that I get so many compliments on them that these were actually my second pair. He acknowledge that and turned back. Kind of strange, but very appreciated!!

Lola's Library was really, really good! I was under the misconception that The Happenings Cast (particularly The Hostess and The Diva) were all the entertainment crew.  I didn't realize there was a totally separate cast of dancers and singers!!  Rob always says he doesn't like the big shows on Royal (but also, finds a lot of the other shows cheesey...there's no pleasing him).  This show was very unique, a musical, great effects, use of space, cast...everything. Not knowing the story, or the music, kept me riveted! It IS a very risqué show though! A lot of sexual humour, so beware. But wow, I was impressed!! 

Late night walk around on the jogging track. You can't walk very far on the deck above the pools because the bow is closed off if you're not a "Rock Star".  The jogging deck doesn't get you to the bow either. This is a huge downside on this ship design I think. At the back, it's hard to get a good view from the aft because of the giant day bed and catamaran net. You can go down to the outside eating area at the Galley, or the Dock House, but then you're pretty low. It's like the ship designers didn't realize people like to stand at the railings and look at the places they're docked or going! Anyway, the jogging track was nice and quiet most nights. A little breezy, but the breeze was starting to get warm.

Cruise Day 10--At Sea Nov 5

 We had a time change over night so again we were up early. 

The weather was starting to look warm, but it wasn't really. 

This was late afternoon. No one out there. It was windy!

In the morning we went to another Ian Wright talk, about John Lennon's sailing adventure to Bermuda. It was quite the story! It left off with a cliff hanger, it was right before his death.

Maybe this was the day we say David Tait's "Strike Up the Brand" talk. We didn't know who he was but he's Canadian-Scottish, and hired by Richard Branson to start Virgin Airways. Quite the story! Funny stories about the first flight, and their advertising wars with British Airways. 

I may have gone to the knitting group. There was a lot of little events happening and I wish we had done more of them. Scavenger hunts, speed puzzle, trivia, etc.

For dinner we went to Gunbae.  It was an interesting group.  Most had been there before and were non-drinkers or just didn't want to do the drinking games, so we didn't. The lady beside me and I ordered a non-alcoholic drink and they brought the wrong one and it took forever to get the right one but they only brought me one and not her and it turns out mine was alcoholic and hers wasn't (which was fine), and in the end I didn't really even like it. They also had issues with the food. We wanted to order individually but they just kept cooking different foods and offering it to everyone. So much food. The music was too loud, it was hard to hear our cook....it was just a weird experience compared to our first, even though it was the exact same table and cook.

Tonight was "We Fancy" night. Again, the planner doesn't say much, I don't think even the app says much. However, being in the FB group was so helpful.  I knew it was a time to get dressed up and there is sort of a black and gold theme. My SIL had this dress she was giving away, so I thought it would be perfect!

I think this was the drink menu at On The Rocks. Look at those prices on some!!

It was held in the Manor. It's basically a dance party.

Some said it was great, a few repeat cruisers said it wasn't as good as other years. I enjoyed the music but I can't get Rob to dance, so we didn't stay too long. I think it would be an awesome event if it was more like Scarlet Night with other things going on.

Rob always find the quality control and build issues LOL. This is at one of the elevators. Most of the ship was in excellent shape though. 

And that was it for the day.

Cruise Day 9 At Sea Nov 4

 There was no time change overnight so we felt a bit better. Everyone said going east to west is the best way to do a Transatlantic, because you get an extra hour every couple days.  Some ships do it mid-day, some overnight. Maybe mid-day is better. We just found that there were too many close together, and then a few days without them. Maybe they could have been spread out better but also, the first 6 days, we didn't travel very far west (it felt far but apparently not for European time zones).  I don't know why we needed two so close together after leaving the Canary Islands. I would have preferred one closer to when we got to Miami. 

I didn't circle anything in the day plan (but maybe I had two and kept the wrong one). Not much in my journal either. However, looking at the planner I see several things we did! I was really slacking in taking photographs.  Came back to edit:  we went to the spa!! 

The spa on cruises (or in real life) is not something we do. I do get massage therapy, but not "recreational" massages, or treatments, etc. A 3 hour pass was included in our Splash of Romance package, so we thought it would be a nice treat. On the first day, we went for a tour. The lady was very detailed about the order to go through the rooms in, and even how to breathe in the rooms. When we got to the spa this morning, we were pretty much just given a robe and slippers/sandals and told to enjoy. We asked about the sequencing, and she said it didn't matter, just do the mud room last. 

Rob's robe did not fit very well, even after getting a larger size. We found it hard to keep track of the robes. There were hooks outside the rooms, but often other robes there too. And they became damp and unpleasant. Just using a towel was easier because there were ample dry ones around.

The steam room was quite nice. Or was this the salt room? Be careful in you go in, some parts of the wall are VERY hot. 

What a dreary day outside!

The heated loungers were just flat. Felt nice but not very comfortable.

,

The cold "pool" was tiny. You have to sit on your bottom, and it'll come to your chest.  Kind of awkward for two people because of the size, unless you were tiny. The "hot" tub was also awkward. Not jetted, just a shallow round tub to sit in. Who wants to sit cross legged? Not even all that hot.  The large relaxation pool was a little cool too. Just like going to the cottage, "it's fine once you're used to it".  Rob sat in it for quite a while conversing with other couples, including the Australians we met in Casablanca. The mud room was fun, though crowded and the shower wasn't working properly and there was a long line up as we were all near the end of our 3 hours. I don't know if we're spa people. Rob did buy us a pass for the new Thermea spa that opened in our town. It'll be fun. This just wasn't as relaxing and tranquil as I expected. It was also the only time I saw motion sickness bags, strangely. 

This was the second talk by Ian Wright. Again, a fascinating lecture!

I probably went to the Knit Happens meeting after this lecture, but maybe not because at 12:00pm we went to "Strange Buildings" in the Red Room. I must have looked at the app today because how would I know to go to this, except that it was in the theater? It was a woman, an architectural historian who looked at strange buildings around the world. It was cool. These lectures are all under an hour, which is great. I love going to talks like these and was NOT expecting them at all on Virgin!! 

At 2:00pm we went to "Eric's Tales of the Sea--A Submariner's Yarn". I had no idea what this was about but he actually has a Wikipedia page! He was a member of the Royal Navy and had story after story about incredible adventures, near deaths, etc. I was surprised at how on the edge of my seat I was. I highly recommend it if you're somewhere he's performing.  (After note:  I have this circled for Nov 7 as well. In my notebook Mike Tait, which is the Virgin Airlines talk, which wasn't on the schedule for Nov 7.  I don't recall who we saw, when, but it's quite likely we saw Eric's show on Nov 7).

For dinner we went to Extra Virgin. Here's Rob doing some balsamic vinegar art. 

This is Rob's whole chicken. It was tiny! It was listed as a chicken, not a quail or Cornish hen. I had bucatini carbonara. As usual, it was very good. I don't think Rob was filled up though!

We went to the theater to check out "Mind Mangler: Member of the Tragic Circle--First Come, First Serve".  It had already started so we stood at the back for the last half. It's an interesting show, very polarizing if you liked it or not. British humour, it was meant to be a farce on magician shows. Terribly cheesy, you either love it or hate it. We went back to see the start of the show but they wanted us to fill in a card with a secret and I really didn't want to get pulled in to the show. We left and tried to go up top to sit but they wouldn't let us. We probably went for pizza instead.

That's all for this day!

Cruise Day 8--At Sea (Nov 3)

 The time changes were getting to us. Rob was up at about 5am (today's time). I slept a bit more but I was still really tired. In fact, I only took 3 pictures all day! 

This is the "Well Being Pool" near the Galley (remember, it's round, the Galley will make you round). The water level was getting low and it was sloshing pretty bad!

We played Jenga for a bit in the Social Club. I have nothing circled in the day planner. In my notebook I wrote we went to see "The Beatles Before They Were Famous". That's all it said in the planner. The speaker was Ian Wright, a British photographer who took the first known photograph of the Beatles performing. He stayed friends with them their whole lives. He is quite the fascinating old fella. I had seen him on the ship and thought it was quite quirky--funky glasses, dressed very stylish, a little diva-ish. Keep in mind, he's like 80 now. Go look at his profile. He's a really cool guy who got to do and see a lot of cool history. We were probably some of the youngest in the theater, but I don't care! Music is my religion.

We went to Razzle Dazzle for dinner. We had incredible tomato soup and grilled cheese. It was so good and excellent comfort food. Rob had the sirloin and I had the pork schnitzel. Very good. We sat next to Paul and Sandra again! Learned more about his van build and got his YouTube channel info. He is a retired electrical engineer, so you know him and Rob got along great! I wish we had exchanged more contact info.

We tried to see Lola's Library but it was packed. The planner lists Andre Vincent in the Red Room. He's a comedian but I honestly don't think we went to the show. Maybe we watched a movie in the cabin. The ship was moving quite a bit, we were tired. 

Cruise Day 7--At Sea

 The first of eight sea days. We were feeling pretty tired after the busyness of the last two days. 

The baked goods section of The Galley always looked so good! I did not try much though as I was eating way too much already. Rob kept insisting I eat breakfast with him. I'd get some bacon and a little dish of berries with whipped cream. Real whipped cream, not full of stabilizers. So good. I tried the breakfast sausages a few times but they were gross. Then I saw a sign saying they were turkey. I asked if they were always turkey and the worker said yes.  So no more sausages for me.  I also tried an omelet but it came out of a drawer. So when they say everything is freshly made on Virgin...that's a sort of.  You could get a custom omelet, or get one of the day's options which were pre-made. Now, still fresher than other buffets but not what I thought it would be.

This is what the Atlantic ship traffic looked like on this day. You'd think surely you'd be able to see other ships, right? No. We went many days before we saw a ship!!

Other Virgin ships have swings in this little area, but Resilient Lady has these carousel sea horses. When the first ship was launched, the swings were popular but it was discovered you could swing a little too far--so they got tied down. This is supposed to be one of the "Instagram selfie spots" but I don't know.  It's kind of dark, the ceiling is low (like most of the ship).

None the less, we posed for each other once. What I found more interesting was that in the closet next to this area were lifejackets and the sign said there were (I think) 10 infant/child lifejackets. On a ship with no children. Why? They would be too small for even a small adult!

It was rough. It was hard to capture it in a picture, and even video.

Doing our laps around the deck was fun. Some areas were like a wind tunnel. Sometimes you'd be pushing uphill, other times you'd be running downhill. You'd start on one side of the hall and even though you swear you're walking straight, you end up on the other side.

In the morning, we went to a lecture on the history of Hallowe'en, by the professor who did the talks on islands and the Gibraltar Strait. It was kind interesting! 

Lunch was at Razzle Dazzle. We both got the fried chicken, but I got it without the bun. The fries are so good. The candied bacon was also really good but horrible in the teeth!

Mine looks a bit odd because there's a pink sauce on it.

We went to "The Great Handbag Hunt" with The Diva.  That's her purse beside her. It's very similar idea to Royal's "The Quest" but surprisingly, the items to hunt for and the audience's reactions, were quite tame. I think the crowd was just too small. Also, we noticed that every game show ended in a tie.  Why? We're all adults here! LOL.

My feet were so cold, I resorted to the wool socks I had brought for Barcelona. 

During the afternoon, I went out to The Dock to try to work a bit. I was struggling to find seats outside that were comfortable to sit, not lounge, and were warm but not direct sun. I liked sitting by the pizza spot, but the couch type chairs aren't good for computer work.  At The Dock, I tried a Fig Sour.  I was a little unsure but the lovely server recommended it. It was really good! The little snacks there were also good, we usually got the shrimp.

Dinner was at The Wake.  

I decided to try this drink and it was really good!

I don't know what we at for dinner, but I'm sure it was good.  I can't remember if we sat next to Paul and Sandra, but we might have. Or maybe we were next to the Christian couple who did musical ministry. It's such a blur now!

I have no photos from the evening. Nothing circled on the planner. We probably walked around, listening to the music and having pizza.  The pizza was so good--nothing like straight from the oven to your mouth.  We live a few minutes from Papa John's but by the time it gets home, the cheese has no pull. But even with going back to our cabin, it would still be so hot and cheesy! 

There was another time change this night so we probably just went to bed. Maybe this was when we watched a movie. We saw Twister 2, and Rob watched a superhero movie that seemed quite funny (there was a Dad, and a family....) and we also watched an adventure movie "Uncharted" which was fun but so far fetched. It was cool to see Barcelona in it though.