Joe33472

Went to Cafe 270 today and took a picture of the menu. Not sure what happened with the spirited drinks. Today we had caramel frappucino and and an ice mocha latte. Both were great. Ended up going back to the jewelry shop and I won't be leaving with a zero balance on my onboard account. 🤣😀

Attended the Fine Jewelry auction this morning and we didn't leave with anything, but was invited to visit the store tonight at 9:00 p.m. to purchase items at the reserve price. Didn't bid on items, so I'm not sure why we'd want the pieces at the reserve price. I would say that the jewelry store staff (and I would say the concession staff in general) has been super nice and friendly. Overall, the entire staff on board has been delightful. Reflecting upon our experience so far is that the crew is so hard working. The guy who makes our coffee drinks in Cafe 270 is constantly busy. He told me that I can get specialty coffee at Windjammer, but I prefer the way he makes coffee. But we drink a lot of specialty coffee, so we actually use both locations. Prior to the cruise I found this cafe menu, which I thought was for Odyssey, but onboard I don't see the spirited coffees. Would have like to try a couple of those, but the regular coffees are great too. Odyssey-Cafe-Two70-menus.pdf

We attended the event today where Captain Marek decorated a cake with the help of the Cruise Director and culinary staff. What a fun event and the cake was good too. IMG_1736.MP4

We went for our last dinner at Chops Grille for this sailing tonight. To be totally honest, we both were kind of dreading going. I tried to not voice my dread too much lest it be contagious. We didn't have a great lunch there and our first dinner was just okay. Tonight was a total redemption. Our waiter was great and made the dinning experience wonderful. We were in and out in 1 hour and 10 minutes, which we really appreciated. We both basically had the same meal. Started with Lavender Martinis, Filet and Baked for our entrees, and red velvet cake for our desserts. We also had truffle fries. Everything was hot or very warm, which we really appreciated. The waiter totally redeemed the experience and I would definitely go there again.

We're going to try breakfast in our room again tomorrow morning and filled out the door hanger. We had American Breakfast this morning, and that went much better than our last attempt when we used the door hanger because I called in the order. Tomorrow we want to keep it light so we're just doing continental breakfast items, but trying the door hanger again.

Cruise Compass Day 10 Cruise Compasy Day 10.pdf

Our plan was to take a cab up to the Sete Cidades and then just explore town afterwards. Due to the weather being overcast when we first arrived, we decided not to go up there, but looking at @LooneyCruzer photos, it just looks wonderful the higher up you went yesterday. We really didn't plan too well and would have loved to do the pineapple farm. I'd definitely recommend coming up with a plan in advance to do something. We're going to firm up some plans for Malaga today or tomorrow. Maybe the hop on hop off or something I've heard mixed reviews from other cruisers about Sete Cidades, with most saying it's over rated.

Cruise Compass Day 9. Cruise Compass Day 9.pdf Had a great day in Ponta Delgada. We stayed downtown and explored the churches, fort, etc. and had lunch at a local restaurant. Because it is Sunday, a lot of things were closed, which was a bummer. Love the mosaic streets and unusual trees.

Looks like the Oasis is making a stop in the Azores. Hope everyone is okay. We're rapidly approaching Ponta Delgada. Bit of rocking last night and this morning.

I've put days 6 through 8 of Cruise Compass into the attached PDF if anyone considering a TA might like to see. Cruise Compass Days 7, 8 and 9.pdf

Internet is the slowest it's been the entire trip. Maybe lots of people in their staterooms researching and making plans for tomorrow?

Went to karaoke in the Music Hall and that was really fun. Some brave people sharing their talents with the attendees. We didn't end up staying for the orchestra that was after the karaoke. We're so excited for our stop tomorrow in Ponta Delgada. The weather looks good (no rain but partly cloudy), so barring any unanticipated happenings, Captain Marek said he anticipates we should be able to port. Making it an early night so we're fully refreshed for a great day for tomorrow.

Went to Coastal Kitchen tonight and we really had a great dinner. Started with the smoked tomato soup and mushroom risotto arancini. Had filet and grilled chicken for our mains and we both had cheesecake for dessert. The cheesecake was really the highlight. I think we ate every morsel on both our plates. Smooth and creamy, it was delightful. Unfortunately, we were half done our appetizers by the time we realized we hadn't taken taken pictures. So, please forgive the 1/2 eaten arancini. It was delicious and with spicy marinara and alfredo sauces. We're off to cause some trouble in the casino and in the bars. Hope everyone is having a great day.

Me too! My parents didn't even take us away on spring break. I keep thinking, but I wouldn't dare say it to a kid, "Why aren't you in school?". Probably home schooled or something. If home schooled, what an amazing learning experience to take a TA. The kids on this cruise have been so well behaved and are hardly around.

Beautiful day up on the pool deck. Lots of folks sitting out sunning. We're from South Florida, so it's a little chilly for us. But beautiful day.