Ready2go11

There was no daily show the first evening. I think they played a movie on the main stage. The calendar was light since there were so many change overs in personnel and everyone was getting settled.

I too loads of photos on this tour because the scenery was soo breathtaking. Here are a few (sorry if out of order, I have not mastered how to upload them properly) promenade in Alicante; made of tile pieces port view of the Oosterdam from Santa Barbara Castle sunrise in Alicante Castle in Guadalest Church ruins at Santa Barbara Castle Mountain view on the way to Guadalest Laundry in Guadalest. They had a sample house museum with a photo of this where the women in town were actually using the laundry. Rock face from the bottom of town. There is a face that can be seen on the left hand side if you use your imagination, drying up reservoir viewed from top of Guadalest. Most of Spain is under drought conditions View of Santa Barbara Castle on the way up. View of St Nicolas Church and cloisters from Santa Barbara Castle. view inside St Nicolas Church St Nicolas Church Cloisters Alicante bull ring. They still have a few events per year but expected to be outlawed soon, as it is in Barcelona and other parts of Spain. Village of Guadalest viewed from an adjacent mountain.

Thursday- Alicante We had a very early start in Alicante as we had to be off the ship to meet the private Spain Day Tour by 7:15am. We heard about Spain Day Tours through CC- thank you roll call! Our guide was David and we started with a bus ride from the port to the city center (not too far) and then spent about an hour walking around Alicante. We saw some ornately decorated government buildings, but like Malaga, the French destroyed most of the city when leaving in the 1800s. Only 10% of the buildings survived. We walked by the Cathedral but it was not open yet but St Nicolas Church as open so we were able to enter there and see the Cloisters as well. It was a beautiful old Church and very well preserved. It is clear they have sufficient financial support to add a new organ and maintain the Church so well. There were two Oceania ships in port with us, and our guide noted that the town would get very busy a little later. That is why he started with this portion of the tour. All around town, looming above is the Castello de Santa Barbara, a massive complex. We would visit that later. After getting back on the bus, we headed out of town 1 ¼ hours to Guadalest; a tiny town of 200 inhabitants in the mountains. The drive was very scenic and we found that Spain has a lot of mountains and valleys in the south than I knew. There were many roundabouts and the views were astonishing at times. We finally arrived at Guadalest and had about 2 hours. We started with a tour and up many, many steps to the base of the castle that sits on the highest part of the hill. From that platform, we could see the reservoir, the lower part of town and endless views of valleys where grapes for wine were growing, as well as adjoining mountains The town was very busy given the many tours that had come there, There really is only one way into town and one main street so that made is seem even more crowded since everyone funneled into the same areas. We had lunch at a local place that served basic, but good fare. Many places were not open for a “proper lunch: as David called it as they would be opening as we left at 12;30. Temps were in the mid-60s, although it was a bit cooler in the mountains but our streak of blue skies held. As in much of Spain, there are drought conditions, but the as we climbed the mountain, things were greener. After driving back to Alicante, we climbed the winding narrow streets up to the parking area for Castello de Santa Barbara. It was massive and really more of a town than what I think of as a castle. It has bene added on to but the original structure was built by the Moors and I highly recommend a visit. Warning, to get to the highest point, there are many stairs. However, the effort was worth it. There were 360 degree views, including of the bull ring where they still occasionally conduct bull fights, the ships in port and the many, many buildings and apartments. We could see the St Nicolas Church we visited earlier. Walking around the town, it was easy to appreciate all the creature comforts we enjoy today, and marvel at the engineering and effort to build such a place at the top of a mountain. We were told that since we were in a smaller bus, the driver was able to get us as close as possible to the entrance. David was a fantastic guide; very knowledgeable about Alicante and the region, as well as Spain in general. He stopped at intervals on different parts of the tour to explain the history or significance. I would highly recommend this tour. Back on ship we had dinner in the dining room. The night before which was our last dressy night, we again tried to order the after dinner coffee drink the carajillo. It is to be made with coffee and typically Licor 43 (vanilla flavor made in Alicante) although the liquor varies in other countries to what is popular. We again received an iced, lemon lime drink that tasted like a sweet tart candy. We let Cellar Master Felipe know as he is the one who had responded with the first unsuccessful order. He shrugged his shoulders as there was little he could do the next day. On this trip the cocktails were better made overall than all HAL cruises since the restart, with the exception of the carajillo. I am not sure what they thought we were ordering, but the server repeated the name when they served it to us. It was time to cash in casino chips, my room bank and spend the unused OBC. Since we were late getting far enough offshore the evening before, the shops never opened and they did not open until 8pm on Thursday either. Needless to say, many people had OBC to spend and the shops were very busy. I doubt many people went to the late show of the final Step One Humanity show. Of course, when we returned from our excursion, the dreaded vinyl covers were at the end of our bed as it was packing time. I don’t know why all the stuff I brought never fit in as neatly as it did when I left home. Happens all the time!

Final days of dinner menus and daily programs.

Cartagena government complex wall markings in Cartagena Roman Theatre ruins Roman Theatre complex Roman Theatre stage area View from the stage at the Roman Theatre The Oosterdam in port at Cartagena. Walk from the port into Cartagena.

As I thought, I got behind as we went from port to port but although i am now off ship and staying in Barcelona for a few days, I am going to catch up to recap the last few days of the trip. Wednesday We signed up for a HAL tour Roman Theatre and Tapas Trail. There were numerous HAL passengers that were broken up in groups of 15-25 depending on what sticker they received when they got in line. Our group had 22. Our guide, Maria walked us out of the port area and into the nearby city center. We had another beautiful day with blue skies and passing puffy white clouds with temps in the upper 70s. We passed several impressive buildings before arriving at the excavation site of the old Roman Theatre and church. Cartegena has over 2,000 years of history like many cities we visited and has been occupied by many groups. It was located on one of the 5 hills of ancient Cartagena and over time it was back filled and forgotten until while digging for another project, the site of the Roman Theatre was found and it was an impressive site. The seats and stage are intact enough to grasp how large this place was. Unfortunately we did not have time to climb the stairs as we had to be at the first bar for our first of five tapas and drinks. Walking along the streets, it felt like we were in an old European city, as compared to the more modern feel of Malaga. The façade of many buildings reminded of what it looks like in Paris. Here there are wide pedestrian streets alongside narrow, winding alleyways that allow cars. At our first stop at the site of the old Casino, we enjoyed a cod fish fritter. At the second stop after further walking through town we enjoyed a tuna salad on a hard breadstick with optional anchovy. The third stop was a 15 minute walk away and Maria shared stories and history along the way. At the third bar we had a fritter of undetermined name, that tasted like bread stuffing. After walking back towards the main part of town, at the fourth stop we enjoyed a mini chorizo sausage served on a small toast. The final stop included a taste of Spanish omelet, basically potatoes and eggs baked into a pan and served in wedges. I should note that at each stop we were offered sangria, beer, white or red wine, soda or water. We opted each time for the sangria and were surprised at how different it tasted at each stop. One was like drinking red wine with soda water, while our favorite tasted like red wine with some hints of cinnamon and citrus. We then left our guide and had some time to explore on our own before heading back to the ship. The tour was interesting and although we signed up for the tastings, we enjoyed seeing the Roman Theatre more. As we were preparing to leave port, the Captain announced that once we were far enough off shore, we had to do the annual recalibration of the compass. It was like when they spin the ship around in Glacier Bay so everyone has a chance to see the large glaciers, except we did it several times. After dinner we walked around but there was not much of interest going on. We spent some time in the casino before heading to bed around 11pm since we had an early start for Thursday in Alicante.

The sun often went down while we were at late fixed dining (between &l45pm and 8L45pm- extending later as we headed east) so we did not have "night light." I am not aware of any special parties either. You were on a ship at a good time! We commented that on the 151th HAL birthday they would have a special drink or mention but never heard of any. I can only recall the usual sail away parties, and a few times they opened the bow to view the sail away. Anyone who was on board please correct me, but Id o not think we even had the cake away event that they have been offering recently. I remember it was on the Navigator app one day but then disappeared.

Totally agree on these pop up dinners being on sea days. Same with the fun fair. Sea days had evening shows on the main stage. The Oosterdam Ball and chocolate surprise were last night after Cartagena stop. Orange party was on a sea day (day after Pinta Delgado). Did you have something else on your cruise to Antarctica?

Here are some miscellaneous shots of Malaga- a church, city hall and various ruins that are left, as well as the beach closest to the port.

Even though we are through with time changes, the day after day ports are wearing me out! On Tuesday we docked early at Malaga and were able to get off just after 8am. After an exhausting day in Cadiz, we opted for the Hop on Hop off Bus in Malaga. We have used this mode of transportation in other cities to get a lay of the land and to see things as we are riding around. It was sunny and warm in Malaga and the MSC Grandiosa was also in port. Both ships were using the Hop On bus and they were busy! We got off at the meeting time and there was already a line waiting, and most of the HAL passengers had gotten on earlier buses. We waited about 40 minutes in line outside before getting on the bus and waiting another 5-10 minutes to take off. They had to wait even though the bus was full to space out the buses. On ships in port days only, they make a special stop at the port to pick up passengers. It was $25 through shore excursions and well worth the 90 minute or so drive around the city. The port shuttle would have cost $10 each and we would not have gotten to see as many views or places as we did. The buses have open air tops and on this warm day that was perfect for scenic views as we climbed up various hills (which were very steep). We learned that although the city was 3,000 years old, many historic sites (other than fortified walls and the remaining castle) were destroyed during conquests, particularly by Napolean’s forces as they retreated. Although we preferred the charm and historic feel of Cadiz, Malaga grew on me as the day wore on. There are many parks and gardens, and many pedestrian only walking areas, including in the busy downtown area full of winding streets, restaurants and shops. We ate lunch in that area, enjoying cold tomato soup, patatas bravas and some icy sangria. Although it would not appeal to everyone, we spent close to an hour (and could have stayed longer) at a store, Druni, that was a cross between Sephora and a high end department store cosmetics counter. They had everything from 1 euro items to pricy la Mer and YSL brand items. It was huge and we actually picked up some gifts for those at home of products we cannot find elsewhere. Most prices on comparable products were cheaper than in the US, obviously European brands because they do not have to be exported and taxed in the US. The store appears to be a chain, at least in southern Spain as we had seen a smaller one in Cadiz. After getting back on board, and getting ready for dinner, we stopped at the Pinnacle bar, our favorite on the ship for the servers who are personable and warm, and because they are a tad less busy and more willing to make special drinks (and get them right!). We have been enjoying the Yuzu cocktail from the Morimoto pop up menu there. After a quick dinner because we wanted to make sure we got to the final Michelle Montuori show on time, we actually detoured to the Lido for the fun fair. HAL set up old school games like cornhole, knocking down stacked cans, knocking down bowling pins, etc. It was a lot of fun and you won tickets for winning the games that were put into a drawing. They gave away prizes ranging from HAL swag like Rudi’s Sal de Mer charger plates, spa bags, credit for Explorations Café or shore excursions, bottles of wine and the big prize was a Pinnacle Grill dinner for two. I won a lot of tickets, more because of luck than skill and ended up winning a bottle of wine. It was a lighthearted atmosphere and special cocktails were also served. Needless to say, I missed most of the show.

Cellar Master menu- other photos posted in reverse order for some reason. wine dinner dessert wine dinner fish course best filet I've ever enjoyed! wine dinner pasta course wine dinner starter wine dinner welcome cocktail

After a busy day in Cadiz, it was time for the Canaletto Mediterranean Cellar Master dinner. We received a card in our mailbox after getting back from Cadiz that we should meet at the Lido bar at 5:30pm for a cocktail before going to Canaletto for the dinner that started at 6pm. I kept wishing they had done this dinner on one of the 8 sea days we had rather than a port day. The same is true of the Morimoto pop up which was held on our Ponta Delgado port day. I did ask Windu, the Canaletto Manager about scheduling, and it was decided higher up. So on to the dinner... It was five courses, starting with a limoncello and prosecco cocktail. I am posting the menu and photos of each course so I will not go into detail about each, except for a few comments. All the food was fresh, paired well with the wines an the portion sizes were huge, as in larger than some dinner entrees we were served on this trip. What I was served was enough to feed a family of 4. And because I did not plan well and ate a later lunch and ice cream in Cadiz, I was not as hungry as I should have been to do this dinner justice. As far as individual standouts, the filet was the most tender piece of perfectly cooked beef I have ever eaten. It also had a nice, light peppercorn crust. I am not a big fish fan (unless it is fried so it doesn’t taste like fish) but the branzino served was flaky, tender and well seasoned. I ate a few bites more than I would have because I actually enjoyed it. The grilled fig and honey mascarpone dessert was divine, a great ending to a great meal. Overall, there was a very nice variety of food, the presentation of each plate was magazine quality and the service was outstanding from Cellar Master Felipe who checked on us frequently, to Manager Windu and all the servers. Back home, this kind of dinner with wine pairing would easily have cost upwards of $200. It was $69 on board or $81.42 with the 18% service charge. I understand it would not appeal to everyone, but it was a real treat and we will do it again when offered. We even stopped by the Lido area where the chefs were working to thank them and I think they appreciated being recognized as well. We sent a Navigator chat message to let the ship know how much we enjoyed the dinner also.

No tender ports at all. It has made getting off (and back on) at each port quick and easy.

I am currently on the Oosterdam TA and they debuted classical music in the form of the Chordial Chamber Trio. I found them to be quite good. Over the 2 week trip they performed two Matinees and two main stage shows. I think this is how they are bringing classical music back after the contract with LCS ended.

artichokes with ham at Cafe Lazo Best ice cream in Cadiz sunset as we were leaving Cadiz view of Cadiz from our balcony Cathedral de Cadiz bottle collection at Taverna de Manzanilla octopus at Cafe Lazo Plaza de Espana another city view from our balcony sample stall at the Cadiz market delectable counter display at a dulceria (sweet shop) barrels of sherry at Taverna de Manzanilla