laurieal

Day 9 Hello from the indoor pool! It was a very foggy day in Halifax and as I went up to the Solarium, I could hear they were sounding the horn regularly. I couldn’t resist going up to Deck 15 to see what it looked like from outside. It was almost spooky not being able to see anything. We could have been close to Halifax or still in the middle of the ocean and it wouldn’t have made a difference to me. Even Gigi seemed confused and she’s seen a lot. Hoping we wouldn’t end up on the news as that cruise ship who hit something because of the fog, I returned to the Solarium and assembled my breakfast. I’m glad I tried the beef thing, I liked it a lot. It reminded me of a local dish we have called tourtière. If I hadn’t felt the vibration as we were docking, I would have been surprised to hear the captains announcement saying we could go ashore. We didn’t look closer to land than when I had woken up, but I took the captain’s word for it. I made a quick detour to my stateroom to check what was happening on my virtual balcony. It was a bit of a mess because of some water on the camera, but it was funny to see another ship so close to us. I would soon learn it was the Norwegian Pearl.

Day 9 Compass

That’s interesting! I have an aft view on my virtual balcony and assumed everyone would have the same.

As far as I know, no.

Day 8 - continued Dinner that night was at Chops. From my table, I could look into the Chef’s Table room from afar and see Edwin presenting the different wines to the guests. I sighed a sigh of envy as I drank my Pink Grapefruit Sparkle. I had a good meal at Chops, although the service was just fine. For my appetizer, I asked if they could make a smaller portion of the Spicy Jumbo Shrimp, which they did. Then, I had the Wild Mushroom Soup, which I always love. That thing warms me to my very soul, it’s magical. Then, I had the Petite Filet with Peppercorn Sauce, Truffled French Fries and some Mac & Cheese. I could have done without the Mac & Cheese, which I found a bit bland, but the rest was very good. There was no way I was going to be able to eat dessert, so I took my Key Lime Meringue Pie to go. Despite it being quite early, I was exhausted, so I headed straight to my stateroom. In the elevator, someone asked me if my name was laurieal. See? I told you I couldn’t go anywhere without being recognized because of my incredibly famous reviews!

At one point, I had to go back to my stateroom and I saw something in there I bad never seen before… a ship! In the afternoon, I went to the Perry Grant matinée, as did many people. The theatre wasn’t full, but it was a lot busier than the Name that Tune Live show from the day before. His style of humour really tickles me, so I enjoyed the show a lot. After the show, I rushed to Name that 90s Tune, which is the only decade they’re doing on the ship that I can hope to do relatively well at. I teamed up with another girl who was also a youth in the 90s and I think we did quite well. After Name that Tune, I was meeting my parents’ cruising friend who had been asking about me in the Diamond Lounge. We had been leaving each other messages during the day and had agreed to meet at Vintages before dinner for some Cosmos. On the way, I recorded my heartbeat in the big art piece.

Day 8 - continued After breakfast, I wanted to enjoy the sunshine outside, but it was a bit cold and windy even for me. Instead, I found a spot close to the indoor pool. I asked for a Lava Flow and we did the dance. « Alcohol, ma’am? » he asked. « Hmm, I don’t know, what time is it? Oh fine, if you insist I’ll have it with alcohol. » Flawless. My peach Lava Flow looked and tasted nothing like the one from the day before, but it was an enjoyable drink in the heat of the indoor pool area. I was there for a while, finishing my book and playing my video game I like the accessibility of the indoor pool area. There is a lot of room between the loungers and the pool, so one has plenty of space to access and use the pool lift without having to ask a whole row of loungers to move, which is usually the case at the outdoor pool. If I were to use a pool on this sailing, it would definitely be this one.

Day 8 Hello from the pub, whose name I can never remember. Is it the Buck & Bassoon? The menu doesn’t say and I don’t want to go all the way outside to check. It’s the English pub. I was up earlier than usual and the Diamond Lounge was empty when I got there, except for the person manning the desk who came up to me and asked if my name was Laurie. Another fan of my very famous reviews, I thought. Can’t go anywhere without getting recognized. Turned out she wanted to tell me that a Pinnacle man had been asking about me. Excellent, I thought, already planning my wedding to this mysterious Pinnacle in order to inherit his status. I halted all wedding preparations when she told me his name. He was a cruising friend of my parents looking to meet up for a drink. I gave her my stateroom number and left without a future husband, but with a cappuccino. I went up to the Solarium which was still dark as the sun was still rising. I stuck with my old favourites for breakfast, but I felt adventurous and I went for a pastry. Also, I hadn’t had chocolate milk in ages, so I grabbed one.

Day 8 Compass

I like the virtual balcony and I wouldn’t hesitate to book it again. I would still book an ocean view window before a virtual balcony if the price difference wasn’t too big, but I like what the virtual balcony does to the stateroom (to me, it feels more open than a regular inside). I also like keeping the curtains open during the night so when I wake up I can tell at a glance if I can go back to sleep or if I should consider getting up. So yeah…I would never say it’s as good as an actual balcony, but I don’t think it’s advertised as such. I will say it’s definitely better than staring at a wall in an inside stateroom.

Splitting the reviews have an advantage j has t thought of: if there’s an error while I’m posting or if I accidentally hit the back button and my draft isn’t saved (I’m ashamed at how often that happens), then I only have a small section to re-do. The seas have definitely calmed down for the last three days. While I wasn’t suffering with sea sickness, I’m glad that showering is back to being a normal activity instead of an extreme sport. It’s been nice enough that people are using the outdoor pool and the loungers, as long as they’re in the sun. A lot of people on this cruise are from the UK, so I’m not surprised to see people using the outdoor facilities. I haven’t heard anything about a system in the East Coast, but if anyone has feel free to chime in! Thanks for all the Spanish vocabulary! I should have guessed Fresa, it’s also the same as in French. Wishing you a nice flight tomorrow and a lovely time on Wonder. I’ll keep an eye out for your review.

I saw they had books, but I would rather have something I can take home with me in case I have not finished when the cruise ends.

Thank you! It looks right up my alley and I see you have an orange cat in your profile picture, so I trust your judgment 100% 😉

I’m afraid I’m almost done reading the last book I had downloaded for this trip. Of course, I could re-read the Harry Potter or Song of Ice and Fire series in order to do better at trivia next time, but if anyone has any books recommendations I’d be happy to check them out and buy them digitally. I prefer fiction and tend to enjoy a good mystery while on vacation. Bonus points of you know any good books that take place on a cruise ship.

Day 7 - continued It was still lovely outside, albeit a bit cold, and people were watching Morpheus while wrapped up in blankets. I ordered a chocolate martini from the Sky Bar and for a while I watched Matt Smith do his Matt Smith thing on the big screen. When I had emptied my drink, I took a stroll around Deck 14, which looks lovely at night. Then, I returned to my stateroom for some very intense partying. What do you mean collapsing in bed and watching the Royal Caribbean story on the TV is not partying?

Day 7 - continued I had not been to Vintages on this sailing, so I grabbed a table over there and tried the Drink of the Day: a Raspberry Rickey. I wasn’t a fan, so I won’t be ordering that again. Eventually, I was joined by a lovely couple from California on their first Royal Caribbean cruise. We chatted for a while and when they left I decided to order a glass of Paco&Lola and some Tapas. I had the plate of carbs with a side of carbs (to soak up the extra sauce from the first carbs). I think it’s a good option for people who are interested in trying some of Jamie’s appetizers without doing the full Jamie experience, especially if there are a few people to share the tapas. For just me, it was a good and very filling dinner. Still, my next stop once I was done eating was the Windjammer. Someone on this thread had mentioned fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, and I had to investigate the situation. It was España night, so I also kept an eye out for some garlic shrimp. If I had seen any, I don’t think I would have been able to resist grabbing a small plate. Sadly (or thankfully?) I couldn’t find any warm cookies or shrimps.

Day 7 - continued It was getting a bit too warm for me in the Solarium (and, let’s be honest, a bit too bicep-grabby), so I moved to the outdoor pool which was quite busy. It was lovely to see everyone having a good time in the sun. They were having Name that Tune Live in the Royal Theatre that afternoon and I really didn’t want to miss it. Unfortunately, I was in the minority who thought that. Maybe because the weather was too nice and people preferred to stay by the pool, or maybe people assumed it would just be another round of Name That Tune trivia, but the theatre wasn’t even half full. Still, it was a very fun show, kind of like a production show and a game show had a baby. The participants had to name tunes (bet you didn’t see that coming) either played by a DJ or by the orchestra and the singers from We Will Rock You. The dancers from WWRY were also there, so the end result was a fun, colourful show. I think Royal Caribbean just recently acquired the rights, so it’s still a new one, but I recommend giving it a try if you see it on your cruise. After the show, I returned to my stateroom to get ready for the evening. It was formal night and while I didn’t intend to go to the MDR, I still made a bit more of an effort.

Day 7 - continued At that time they were setting up the lunch buffet in the Solarium Bistro and I decided to check it out. I grabbed myself some carbs and a bit of meat. The twisty bread roll thing was very nice.

Day 7 - continued When I arrived at the Solarium, it was packed with people and towels. I managed to find a table that was wobbly, had no chairs, and was full of empty glasses and dirty plates. Score! There’s always that awkward, early period where the bar staff will ask you if you want alcohol in your drink when you order one. I always feel like a have to put on the show, so I checked my watch, looked up as I pretended to do some maths, and then finally said that yes, since he insisted, I would be having some alcohol in my mango Lava Flow. Thank you. There was a lovely family sitting beside me and playing cards and they were very interested in knowing what I was drinking, but unfortunately a language barrier prevented me from describing what it was. Pretty sure mango in Spanish is also “mango” and rum is “ron”, but what about strawberry? Duolingo didn’t prepare me for this moment, all I know are apples and pineapples! I sat there and read for a while and eventually ordered a second Lava Flow, this time peach. The father of the Spanish-speaking family expressed his surprise that I was going for seconds, and all I could think was that I also had no idea how to say peach and really Duolingo needs a whole module about fruits. I was able to tell him that I was very thirsty, which I don’t think I expressed very well, because the next thing he did was squeeze my bicep. I wish I could tell you that it’s the first time a stranger has grabbed my bicep, but it’s really not. How do you say “what’s this? I was expecting some muscles but clearly that’s not it” in Spanish? Because I’m assuming that’s what he said.

Day 7 - continued On my way out, I made a short detour to the outside promenade on Deck 5, which had been closed due to weather for most of the cruise. Most of it was roped off, so I couldn’t see much, but I did see a group of cruising ducks chatting about shore excursions. Shore Excursions have accumulated quite the collection! Meanwhile, I have still found 0 and according the the roll call the place is crawling with ducks.

Day 7 - continued I used my specialty coffee Diamond voucher to get a cappuccino and grabbed a chili con carne burrito. A couple of days ago, I had been thinking fondly about the chili at El Loco Fresh and I was hoping it would be the same recipe. Sadly, it was not, but it was still a very good breakfast. I also got some fruits and a donut, because people were getting ready for a stretching and dancing session and seeing people exercise always makes me want a donut.

Day 7 - continued At 8:00, the place was still empty and I took the opportunity to have a better look around.

Day 7 Hello from the indoor pool! One day you wake up and half of your cruise is behind you. What? How? What is time? I decided to switch things up that morning. I went down to Deck 4 to drop off my Canada immigration form at Guest Services and then I went up to Two70. The Via was nice and quiet.

Day 7 Compass

Thank you! I just went to investigate and I saw it. They only had breakfast things set up, but I will go again later today. Can’t believe I’ve been having room temperature cookies all this time 😞