All things EARTH...

[ChollaChick]

October/November 2019 it is then! :) And after four years of high school and all of the teenaged angst that comes with it, you will need a vacation by then. ;)

[Anita Latte]

Day 10.

 

Three events define Day 10.

 

We ate at our first specialty restaurant. Giovanni's. For lunch.

 

The difference between eating in the MDR and Giovanni's tests my ability with words. The MDR is a high volume room...huge...lots of people...lots of noise. The atmosphere is like always eating at a wedding...a nice sit-down and be served wedding in a ballroom...the room feels big...it's loud...it's full of people you don't really know well but who are generally willing to make nice conversation with you because everyone is enjoying the occasion and purpose for the event. Nothing seems leisurely and relaxing.

 

Eating in Giovanni's felt more like eating in your own formal dining room but being served by staff you brought in for a special occasion. Much smaller room. Much cozier. Much quieter. For lunch...fairly empty. The meal felt leisurely and relaxing. And thus, was a much more enjoyable dining experience.

 

I seem to recall that the dry dock was supposed to alter the MDR into smaller spaces? Something about preparation for dynamic dining that could be introduced later in the year? I think that would be FANTASTIC. I have no opinion on dynamic dining itself...I just think that it would be so much nicer to eat in a space that had a smaller capacity for many cumulative reasons.

 

I couldn't find the capacity for Giovanni's...I'm imagining it's similar to Chops. The MDR on Allure had a capacity of 3,056 while Chops has a capacity of 130. It's a difference you can feel.

 

The quality of the food was superior to the MDR. Yes. It really was. It should be. The MDR does a credible job of feeding all those people...but there IS a difference between banquet service and plates that are prepared a la minute.

 

I have refrained from the food pictures...up until NOW...because these items was exceptional...

 

Insalata Caprese per Due:

A salad of vine ripe tomatoes and bocconcini mozzarella for two:

 

 

Risotto ai Fungi Trifolati:

Traditional risotto made of Arborio rice and forest mushrooms, finished with

porcini and truffle mushroom tapenade:

 

 

Today was the day that, when Mom went into the Medical Center for a follow-up to yesterday's visit, they told her that they had sent her info (x-rays and blood sample test results) to Miami and she had pneumonia, not a lung infection. They explained to her that she could not fly in this condition. They told her to stay on the ship and basically stay in bed.

 

Tonight, we sailed through the Strait of Gibraltar.

 

You will be absolutely astounded to learn that I didn't research ANYTHING prior to this trip. There are few, if any, times in my adult life where I can put as much trust and faith in someone else to do the research and planning and be able to be one of the people along for the ride...(between DH and myself, I am the planner...not that I couldn't trust him, you understand)...but this was such a time and so I knew nothing about this Strait of Gibraltar prior to the sailing.

 

And unfortunately, if I ever learned about the Strait of Gibraltar in school...I had forgotten everything I learned.

 

I did learn that we would be sailing through around 1 am.

 

Piece of cake. I'm naturally a night owl and with all these lost hours...the final 6 hour time change was Day 9...1 am was NO PROBLEM.

 

Mom and Dad opted to rest. Which was for the best...it was COLD on deck.

 

I wore the one pair of pants that I had first traveled in. And my WOOL compression socks. I continued to wear a tank top or two. I wore my long sleeved rash guard AND my long sleeved technical fabric pull over. If I had gloves, I would have put them on. And a hat.

 

I'm serious.

 

I observed our passing through the Strait from the Sun Deck on Deck 14. The entrance to the Sun Deck is at the end of a hallway of forward cabins. It feels very out of the way to go there. For whatever reason, the starboard side was WINDY...and I was there for quite a while talking to a couple from Scotland...but the port side was a dead calm. I managed to squeeze myself into some available railing on the deck extension on the port side.

 

This from the starboard railing is my best shot:

 

 

This is just a point and shoot camera...no fancy lens. The two DOTS of light closer to each other from the bigger masses of light are the lighthouses that form the narrowest point of the Strait.

 

I don't know WHO was partying on the helipad for passing through the Strait. There was some sort of party going on down there. I wonder if it was for the highest of loyalties? There WERE 86 Pinnacle Members on board. It wasn't a super crowded party...

[Anita Latte]

Just because I think we all love photos so much...

 

I meant virtually empty when I wrote that...this is the interior of Giovanni's:

 

 

The man was our server...he WAS Italian so eating here was extra fun. You can also see a glimpse of Dad's arm on the left...

 

You could also eat outside...but few were ever doing so at times on this sailing because of the temperature:

 

 

In this photo, you can also see one of the "green house" structures with the cushy seating in it. There are tables in there too...people take food from Park Cafe and drinks from the Bars there to enjoy.

[laurspag]

Anita, I'm surprised with all the sea days that the specialty restaurants weren't packed, simply for a change of pace. I have found on more recent trips that the ships that have a Portofino are open at lunch on sea days. I haven't tried it yet though. We do make it a point to go to a specialty restaurant for dinner each cruise. We call it date night, which is kind of silly when we've left the girls at home, lol. But it is just a table for the two of us. My husband always requests that we be seated at a table for 8-10 people. He loves the chit chat and getting to know new people.

 

I was a bit concerned with the cost if we go to specialty restaurants and the like a lot...but our Allure trip is not port intensive, so we won't be booking too many excursions or buying many souvenirs. I don't think I'll be going for the drink package, though the cost of a drink has gone up considerably. Wine and beer were about $5.00 on the past few cruises, but if you want a mixed drink or frozen concoction, it is between $10.00 and $14.00. Did you find this to be true on your trip, Anita?

 

I love the thought of seeing some of these shows. I just hope that we won't have any scheduling conflicts. We have chosen late seating for dinner.

 

I understand that even though the dining rooms are being prepared for dynamic dining, you will have a choice between that and dynamic classic. They're getting the dining rooms ready by breaking them up, but I'm not sure when they plan to put all this into effect. I'm booked for June of 2016 and I had a choice of early seating, late seating and my time dining, same as always. It should be interesting. I like the idea of trying dynamic classic, where you move each night and waiters move with you along with your table mates. This way, you get a different atmosphere and menu each night, but still get a chance to build a relationship with your waiters and so forth.

 

Pinot noir...I haven't tried the one that you had, but I will say that it has become my favorite wine as of late. I like variety, and still drink some sweeter wines. But I had a pinot noir while on Freedom, and it has been my favorite since. I love the layers to it.

[laurspag]

I can relate to the cold too...we didn't exactly have the warmest trip, but it was beautiful. I kept thinking when we were going under the Golden Gate Bridge that it was a good thing I was excited because the temp was in the mid 40s. There were a few times where I wore ALL my layers. Brrr...

[laurspag]

A TA...oh, that sounds so wonderful! I think I'd have an issue taking more than 6 work days at a time. But if we are looking at 2019, that could work!

 

You mentioned that your husband liked to play pool, which made me think of the Safari Club on Jewel. They have these self leveling pool tables that are just incredible. I haven't played pool in a good 30 years, but me an my husband played a game or two. That particular room is so beautiful. It's like a room that you pass through into the club itself, and there were two TV's in armoires on one side, with couches, and then two pool tables on the other with beautiful cherry built ins for all the items you need. I wasn't sure how well the self leveling pool tables would work, but they were amazing.

[Anita Latte]

I don't know how busy the specialty restaurants were in the earlier days? We ate in Giovanni's on the LAST day of all those Sea Days in a row. And maybe lunch is a less popular time in general? You yourself write that you shoot for a specialty dinner...

 

Also, keep in mind the hours of change. By this time, we have experienced 6 time changes. This was pretty much our first big meal of this day. Our food strategy started to look more like a light breakfast (fruit based) and having a more substantial lunch and dinner...because we were sleeping in more than we are normally capable of at home.

 

Do you find that? Even if you COULD sleep in on the weekend...your body is too well programmed to rise for the working day...you can't sleep past 7:30 - 8:00 am on the weekend? This phenomenon didn't continue to happen on this cruise. It wasn't uncommon to be sleeping until 10 am or later, even.

 

If others were experiencing this...an waking up and eating a normal breakfast...well, you can see how it might not be worth their while to enjoy a specialty lunch...

 

But you can easily see how with our food strategy...specialty lunch is a GREAT idea!

 

We didn't buy many drinks on board. Because of the how our party was feeling healthwise, we did limit alcohol consumption...especially since we had the drink package on Celebrity!! We had indulged much more on that sailing than this one. We largely made due with the total of 6 free loyalty drinks during happy hour.

 

That said, I did order a Cider. Angry Orchard brand. And the bill presented after the automatic gratuity was around $7. I don't recall the price of the cider looking that different from the beer. We had BOGO coupons of some sort for drinks...and I think one was used to purchase glasses of Kim Crawfor Sauvignon Blanc...I think that was a $10-12 glass of wine? Mom? (Mom handled most of the bills because she was the one with the OBC).

 

OMG...Laurie...Did you take photos sailing under the Golden Gate?!?! I would LOVE to see that! I really want to back to San Francisco...

 

Driving DH to work now...

[Anita Latte]

DH and I used to play pool all the time in college. I had a couple friends in high school whose families had pool tables...so I played a bit before college as well. DH used to think he wasn't so very social and so playing pool was kind of the thing that he felt very comfortable doing in the bars. We were a pretty good team...he's a much better player than I am, but I'm better than most other girls that would be in the bars so we could hold a table for most of the night and play pool for free while the challengers paid to play for the right to the table.

 

Good times.

 

We'd like to own a pool table.

 

I must have all this in mind...thinking that it'd be a good "man activity" on a TA. Not that I wouldn't love to play too. I've heard about those self leveling pool tables...I wonder what ships have them? Awesome to here that they are in a good location...we have found some table tennis locations to be pretty lame...

 

That's another good one for our family. We like ping pong. And that's usually a fun family activity. The set up for table tennis on the Oasis class is really good...really nice...in their own dedicated space on the Sports Deck...a kind of room so that the paddles and balls stay with the tables and there isn't other traffic bothering players.

 

The set up on Mariner wasn't as nice...and the ball could fall to a deck below I think?

 

Looking forward to a group TA...that's a fun thought for me. And with 4 years to save for it...could happen. It seems that most TA's cost per day is really affordable...just a matter of affording so many days of vacation.

[Anita Latte]

It has finally come.

 

A port day. OMG. Malaga, Spain!

 

Mom said, "Who knew that your first steps in Europe would be in Malaga, Spain?"

 

Pretty funny. I certainly would not have put money on Spain for my first venture into Europe...but I was NOT disappointed at all.

 

Malaga is awesome.

 

My mindset for this entire trip with Mom and Dad was purposeful toward relaxing...taking it easy...NOT STRESSING...one reason why I didn't research anything...I had already made up my mind that it was enough to just go on the trip...and anything that happened on the trip was going to be amazing and new and wonderful...I didn't have to have any sort of grand touring plans to enjoy my first trip to Europe...

 

Just being there was going to be incredible and exciting.

 

Now Malaga Day is the first day after Mom's was diagnosed with pneumonia and basically told to rest in bed.

 

Can you imagine?

 

Without going into great detail...Dad was concerned for Mom...Mom was upset...this was not how she pictured our vacation, and especially my first steps in Europe...both are not sure about how she'll make it through the day...

 

And I'm just happy to be on vacation with my parents...and fine with whatever we are able to do.

 

We were not in a hurry to get off the ship. It was a leisurely morning...it was going to be a leisurely day...even if we were touring the city a bit...we were going to LEISURELY tour the city.

 

I don't know WHEN Mom and Dad were previously in Malaga...the experience is memorable because they WALKED everywhere...and it was hard walking to see what they saw and do what they did. Mom knew a thing or two about Malaga and what to avoid from that experience...

 

Take the shuttle.

 

It's totally worth the cost to be transported from where the Allure docks in Malaga to the entrance to the port.

 

TOTALLY.

 

You can measure the distance the shuttle bus travels in MILES.

 

The entrance/exit for the port is defined by columns...look to the left side of this photo...behind the yellow building, the first building in the foreground, and slightly to the building's right...see the matching columns? They are fluted and have square tops:

 

 

Now try to find them from looking from the bow of the ship...you can if you look hard:

 

 

And just a little perspective on that road to the right...which is the road that only LEADS to the area in front of the ship! There's still more road to get to the ship's terminal!

 

 

Mom and Dad walked this distance before hitting the first hill you see in the distance to reach the attraction at the top of the hill.

 

Take. The. Shuttle.

 

Budget the money in...the cost is round trip. 5€ per person?

 

Let me tell you...it's a small hike to just get from the ship to the outside of the ship's terminal...

 

You will wait on the shuttle bus until the bus is decently full of passengers...so budget in extra time if you are on a schedule.

 

We got off the shuttle and were like...

 

Now what?

[Anita Latte]

The first thing you encounter when crossing the road from the port is the Paseo Del Parque...which is a very long rectangularly shaped public park with walking paths and nooks and crannies to explore. The plants are HUGE outdoor versions of household plants at home.

 

On the far side of the road...the long line of trees and palm trees are the park...extending as far as the eye can see down the street:

 

 

Enjoy.

 

 

Find a shady bench.

 

 

See the parrots. (Don't worry about getting their picture...feel lucky that you caught them moving from one tree to another high above.)

 

 

Get your bearings.

 

 

Observe some locals commuting...identified by their business attire. See local Mom's exercise...identified by their strollers. Observe the tourists...identified by their entertainment value.

 

Figure out what you want to do.

 

In the terminal, I had picked up a tourist map of Malaga...showing the locations of popular tourist attractions and museums...and street names.

 

Also...I had picked up a flyer for:

 

Flamenjura & Marta Guzman Flamenco Show

 

Which just happened to be happening THIS DAY from 11:00h - 16:00h in the Plaza de la Constitucion.

 

Rock on.

 

The plan was to enjoy Malaga while steadily making our way to the Plaza to see the Flamenco Show.

 

Can you get more Spanish than a Flamenco show?

 

We picked our path in the general direction of the plaza based on wanting to avoid the construction and walking in some shade on this gorgeously sunny day in Malaga.

 

[Anita Latte]

A public service announcement from Anita:

 

Mom said I was a tease earlier!

 

I'm not meaning to be...for everyone reading along. I've just made a commitment to myself regarding my time and how I spend it...I'm trying to be diligent about doing a little bit each day to finally get something things that have been hanging over my head DONE...

 

And so this report too is falling into the little bit each day...or...like today...a little bit here and there as I get off my feet and take a short break...

 

Back to our trip report:

 

We were on a very boring road...

 

So at the first interesting looking opportunity...we veered left...

 

 

I finally got to experience a tiny road in Europe!! Yes...the beautiful pathway with the circles is the VEHICLE lane. The sidewalk is the chevron pattern...what a gorgeous street!

 

Living quarters above and shops below...

 

I remembered what fun it was to see the window displays when Mom last did a trip report...and so I tried my best to get some.

 

It's very difficult to take a picture of a window display in the daytime...with the sun shining bright...nevertheless...I have several difficult to look at window displays...(I will share many of them still...). This is a closer view of the one store in the previous street scene.

 

 

On these side streets...the shops are very small. But they are beautifully displayed...can you see the ties and the scarves? And the way the shirts are stacked inside the store?

 

I think there was a tailor working in the store...

 

There was a wonderful shoe store...and there were so many different sandals and shoes that were try on worthy. But I was wearing sneakers...and I wasn't quite in the mood yet to try on shoes. And I thought we might see them again in Barcelona...

 

The prices were very, very reasonable. Like 30 Euro for leather sandals made in Spain.

 

Note...we did NOT ever see the same sandals and sneakers again. If you see something you like...jump.

 

We loved the message in this window:

 

 

It says...

 

Joy is a Choice.

 

Love it.

 

With our current food strategy...it was time to find some food. NOW.

 

Quickly, we were on the main shopping road that would lead to the Plaza de la Constitucion where the Flamenco Show was located.

 

 

This was a pedestrian only street...the closest thing to it in the states that I've personally experienced was in Boulder, Colorado.

 

Again...check out the gorgeous marble street. Just wow.

[laurspag]

Anita, this is so much fun. I feel like I'm along on the trip! I always wonder if I will see Europe...I would love to. Everything seems so well kept and clean. There is an artistry in the way the store fronts look.

 

We do have some pictures of when we were going under the bridge. But when the time came to see if the ship was going to fit, we stopped fiddling with the camera and watched. Honestly, I didn't think we were going to make it. This excitement directly followed seeing the whales, so it made for a special morning.

 

I start out vacation with this excitement mode where I need very little sleep. I stay up late, I get up and watch the sunrise, that sort of thing. As the week goes on, I tend to sleep more. How often do we get to do that? One of the things I love to do is get room service and eat on the balcony. I don't rush, I just enjoy it.

[MJC]

Margaret...Princess has an Iceland, Norway, British Isles grand adventure that looks AMAZING!! OMG...I would LOVE that! I want to go to all those destinations so very badly! 29 DAYS!?!?! can you imagine being on a cruise for 29 days? WOW.

 

I know! Isn't that a fabulous trip? I like that it hits two of my wish list places, PLUS a TA for some relaxing after all those ports. AND Zumba on sea days. AND ending in Boston, which is a short hop home for us. So many plusses for me. A trip that long will have to wait for retirement, though. :(

 

At least until I eventually leave my current job, I am really tied to the school calendar, so only the earliest TA's that end before about Sept. 20th would work for me. In my current job I would never be able to do one in the spring. 2019 seems so far away! But, really, DH and I have been talking about the next two biggies for 2016 and 2017, so really it's not that far off! Right?!?

 

I just have to share a bit... I've had two big projects that I've been working on for a while, one personal and one professional, and they both were completed today. I feel such a sense of relief, satisfaction, and peace about them both. The professional one I hope will overlap with my proposed area of study for my M.A., which I am very excited about. Now that these two things are out of the way, I can focus on my application. By the time that's in, we'll be in the throes of our renovation :fingers crossed:. I feel like the next phase of my life is imminent, and it's very exciting.

 

Anita, Malaga looks soooo beautiful. What a lovely introduction to Europe.

 

Laurie, DH and I are like you. I think we are a little giddy at the start of every trip. We can be very silly at the airport waiting to leave. We have a standing joke about cheese that always comes up at some point. :)

[Anita Latte]

Laurie...I'm so glad you feel that way...that's my goal in the way of writing this. I said I wouldn't do a play by play until we got to Spain...and well, here we are in Spain. Time for some details!

 

When you get there...I'd love to see any photos of the bridge. I never sailed outside of San Francisco Bay. I sailed off the coast near Monterey Bay, but that didn't give me any view of the Golden Gate from the sea side...

 

Margaret...I'm pretty sure I agree with needing to be in retirement to go on a month long vacation of any sort...unless there was a way to through in some work in between. DH travels for work...and so that would be the only way...but that would be more of a land based trip...not days on a ship.

 

So we'd be talking about early September 2019? I saw a couple of sailings that embarked in early September and would work. They leave more from England area than from the Mediterranean.

 

Earlier in the season strikes me as having the possibility to be warmer than later in the fall...so I'd be down for that.

 

I know 2019 seems so far away but it isn't. I think to myself that it feels like we JUST moved to Georgia and DS just started middle school...but we're talking 3 years ago now. Time really does fly.

 

I think if we had any hope of having this idea turn to reality, we would need that much time to give everyone a chance of coordinating schedules.

 

My only concern with that early in September on our part is when colleges start...I know that DH and I would be taking DS to college in that time frame...but who knows what school? And when they would start? My university always started right before Labor Day...

 

Margaret...are you going on the Zumba cruise? Have you decided?

 

Did I share that Zumba Fitness chartered a cruise? Beto himself and all the staff taking over Independence of the Seas in January. I looked at it but it was SO EXPENSIVE with what was available when I finally saw the email.

 

Tampa is driving distance for me...Just sayin'

[Joby]

Still lovin' it, Anita!

[ChollaChick]

Out here, colleges start in early to mid August. Actually all of our schools start around then. When I was a kid we always started right after Labor Day and got out around the middle of June. But the calendar seems to have shifted some. At least out here. Not sure why though.

 

A TA from England would be my dream. Our TA sailed out of Barcelona and was beautiful, but I have always wanted to see England. With a 4 year planning head start it actually might work. 2019 is perfect for us, it will be the year of a milestone birthday for me (50!) and DH and I have been planning to do our next big trip in either 2019 or 2018 (his milestone birthday year). Personally, I think it would be a ton of fun to do a trip like this.

 

Laurie and Margaret, DH and I are like you guys. We barely sleep before we leave on a cruise and barely need sleep at the beginning. I think we run simply on adrenaline and pure excitement. Then we catch up on all the sleep we missed later in the trip. I prefer the longer than 7 day trips for that reason. I get some well needed rest after the buzz of the initial embarcation wears off. :)

 

We have had a very expensive May - car issues, house air conditioning issues, a roof leak, and now bees. It's been a rough month. This morning we are getting the bees removed. They had taken over a junction box for our sprinkler system. Which, along with air conditioning is a must in Arizona. With all the expenses I was really worried we might have to cancel our trip. But DH really wants to go, so our credit cards are going to get a bit if a workout right now. Since we have friends travelling with us, we really want to be able to make this trip a reality.

[Anita Latte]

Lunch...

 

I feel inclined to pass over all our woes with food on the cruise...but if I were, you could not appreciate why we were so enamored with the simple, yet scrumptious bite we enjoyed at Lepanto.

 

Without details...Mom and I both were dealing with some diet restrictions. Nothing life threatening...no epipen needed...the ramifications of eating certain foods weren't major...but in the spirit of adventure and trying new things...Mom and I both went the route of declaring "allergies" to certain foods on board, as this is the protocol to be served foods made without certain ingredients without risk of cross contamination. It was a bit like an experiment to see how it would be to cruise under such food limitations.

 

It was frustrating on many levels...it made meal times a struggle...most often, we had to preorder our meals.

 

Every. Single. Meal.

 

Preorder means that you order what you want to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner while at dinner the night before.

 

You have to plan your food for the next day. It doesn't sound so bad...but when you have to do this EVERY DAY. And when so many things are out of your control...and you are limited to stock and abilities on hand...frustrating.

 

We learned a thing or two about food preparation on board the ship.

 

All the debates about fine dining in the MDR are out the window for me. Sorry...it's banquet food. It can be extremely tasty banquet food...don't get me wrong. It is a production to feed a dining room that seats over 3K...and Royal has mastered the art of being able to do so in a timely fashion with good food.

 

But the MDR isn't FINE dining.

 

And even the specialty restaurants can be disappointing when you are eating with limits...

 

Here is a prime example...at Giovanni's for lunch...I ordered:

 

Filetti di Sogliola alla Mugnaia

Sole fillets in a lemon butter sauce, sautéed garlic zucchini spaghetti

and onion braised potatoes

 

And I was served:

 

 

Which looks delish...I admit. But where is the zucchini spaghetti? Where are the potatoes? It was NOT a treat to be served broccolini and asparagus...this veg had been my side dishes for 10 days now... I've never been so sick of broccoli in my entire life...

 

And you might THINK that the drizzle on the plate was the lemon butter sauce...but it isn't...it's just olive oil added to the plate to look pretty.

 

No sauce.

 

And no added flavor to the fish...which was bland.

 

We ate that ENTIRE plate of risotto...which was AMAZING and more than made up for the sad main...

 

Which really wasn't that sad...except that it was just another plate of bland protein with steamed broccoli...for like the tenth day in a row...for often two meals a day...

 

OMG.

 

At this point, Mom and I both were kind of tired of eating...

 

Did I mention that I LOST WEIGHT on this 13-day cruise? With 2 nights in Barcelona even?

 

Oh yes. SO. Sick. Of food.

 

How sad is that?

 

I think because we were nearing Europe...Mom had a craving for a croissant with ham and cheese. Memories of wonderful flaky, buttery croissants...and the simplicity of good quality ham and cheese. Believe it or not...at the time of day that we were looking...Dad and I couldn't find this on Allure.

 

In the Promenade Cafe...there was an offering that was close...but it was served with extras on the croissant...and as crazy as this sounds...they could not get us a PLAIN one. They were prepared elsewhere on the ship and they had no such control over their offerings. Sigh.

 

So when it was time to eat in Malaga...

 

It was a mission.

 

And fortunately...I believe with devine guidance...we landed right at the place that had it...Lepanto Cafeteria...a corner cafe in a prime location on this shopping mall.

 

The official translation of Cafeteria is Coffee Shop. I have since read some reviews of this little eatery...and my opinion based on my experience and these online reviews...eat and drink the coffee and anything else that you THINK is snacky coffee shop food. The jury is out on a full on meal...

 

Walking through the doorway, you will be assaulted with these displays...beware dieters:

 

 

 

 

 

There are three levels of pricing in this eatery...

 

Mom says this is the way for most places she has so far visited in Europe...

 

If you order from the Bar...and basically eat standing up...or to go...you pay the Bar Price.

 

If you sit and eat in the Salon...that is...the indoor tables and chairs...a server will take your order and serve you there...you pay the Salon Price.

 

If you sit and eat on the Terrace...that is...the outdoor tables and chairs...a server will take your order and serve you there...you pay the Terrace Price.

 

These prices are all clearly marked on the menu...there's no surprises in the pricing.

 

There is no tipping. No such thing. This is the basis for the difference in the cost of the SAME FOOD served in the different locations in the eatery.

 

In Spain though, there is a tax (don't remember what it is called)...look at the menu to see if the tax is included already in the pricing or if the tax will be in addition to the pricing. I think we experienced both.

 

Smoking...

 

Is everywhere.

 

Except INDOORS.

 

So as tempting as it might be to enjoy the terrace:

 

 

The pink awning is Lepanto...across the "street" was a different eatery...or two.

 

We escaped the smokers...and paid less to eat indoors.

[Anita Latte]

Inside...looking toward the corner entrance, the displays, and the bar along the long wall:

 

 

Our little nook in the back:

 

 

Here's an interesting tid bit that I did not know before traveling to Europe.

 

Everyone (at least everyone that works in retail and in touristy areas)...speaks ENGLISH!!

 

There's no concern over language issues.

 

Would it be nice to speak the local language? For sure it would...but the prospect of traveling with just a bit of an fresher on your high school Spanish would be more than enough for most tourist needs.

 

Because of the European Union...and all the different languages that are spoken throughout the EU...everyone has adopted English as the means to communicate. All over...tourists from other European countries were ordering and communicating in English. I recall one server saying to the customers that she didn't speak French...

 

The menu was in Spanish and English.

 

First order of business:

 

 

You'd have to be a latte lover to appreciate...there's something about the coffee...and the milk. It's an entirely different taste from anything I've ever tasted in the states. The coffee isn't as bitter...and maybe the milk is sweeter? Or creamier?

 

It's heavenly.

 

As was the light and flaky goodness of this:

 

 

I eat really good food slowly. This wasn't the biggest croissant...but the quality was extremely high. Melt in your mouth croissant with flavorful, not weird and wet, but still tender? ham...and creamy but not stick to your teeth cheese. It didn't need anything added.

 

It was perfection in a bite.

 

It was strawberry season. There was a special menu...on which you can see the different pricing (for this menu, there was no difference between the Salon and the Terrace):

 

 

Here was Dad's amazing Betido de Fraissones...which we KNEW had to be amazing because almost every table in sight had one:

 

 

Some reviewers complained about the restroom facilities. I get that. There were two powder rooms...weird small rooms under the stairs...one for men and one for women.

 

Can you say line?

 

Replenished. Refreshed. Feeling good again...we continued on.

[Anita Latte]

It was warm. Wonderfully WARM!

 

I had originally thought to wear a cotton short sleeved shirt. Short sleeves are usually my choice for port days because I don't want to worry about my shoulders in the sun...but unfortunately, I could tell from the sweat patterns already forming on my shirt from just sitting on our Central Park balcony...I didn't want to wear that shirt.

 

So I changed into a shirt that wouldn't show any sweat patterns...

 

And I apologize if that's TMI...but you have to think about these things if you want to share pictures...and if you happen to be affected by higher temperatures like I have been...and are even more so now because my leg is working harder than in the past...

 

So here I am...

 

 

I am posed like the manikins in the window...

 

And what is even more AWESOME is that my shirt is so similar to the one outfit in the window...and my bag is the color of the other one...

 

This is that oh so wonderful black Athleta skort...a fantastic polyester jersey knit shirt that I found in Goodwill (that we have seen many times)...my fun compression sleeve with the Zebra pattern on the back...and my trusty Zumba sneakers...which I thought didn't look so bad paired with the black skort.

 

A word about your shoe choice...should you decide to hit the pavement in Malaga...

 

OMG...the pavement is HARD. Check it out. I'm standing on marble...AGAIN.

 

It's rough business to be pounding this particular pavement...even at a leisurely pace. I was very happy with my choice to wear sneakers...but these sneakers aren't super duper padded...and it would have been even better to have worn shoes with more padding.

 

I hadn't packed shoes with any more padding. These were as good as it got...so I made the best choice from what I had on hand. Were I to be walking around Europe for more days than I did...in the future, I will be looking for shoes with some more significant padding or other help with the impact for the hardness of the walking surfaces.

 

One thing that was surprising for me...the clothing was very affordable. I don't know what I was expecting necessarily...but I was surprised by the pricing.

 

It made me want to get into shape and go back JUST to go clothes shopping...

 

MANGO is a fun store.

 

First fringe siting:

 

 

Like I said...these windows can be hard to look at. There is a US website for Mango...

 

This brown and white/off-white/cream combo was something we saw A LOT. Especially with the brown in a sueded leather and the cream in a kind of lace-inspired/crochet-inspired look. There is fringe on the vest...fringe on the sandals.

 

 

Looking beyond the manikins and into the store on the right...see the brown sueded jacket with the fringe?

 

This looked like lovely resortwear/cruisewear to me:

 

 

Fringe bag:

 

 

Bikini inspire lingerie:

 

[Anita Latte]

I just have to share a bit... I've had two big projects that I've been working on for a while, one personal and one professional, and they both were completed today. I feel such a sense of relief, satisfaction, and peace about them both. The professional one I hope will overlap with my proposed area of study for my M.A., which I am very excited about. Now that these two things are out of the way, I can focus on my application. By the time that's in, we'll be in the throes of our renovation :fingers crossed:. I feel like the next phase of my life is imminent, and it's very exciting.

 

I've been meaning to respond to this.

 

Sincere congratulations Margaret on what reads like a milestone day. DH and I talk about seasons of life...sounds like you are on the verge of a new season...something that you have been anticipating and working toward. It's an achievement for sure...I bet it is very exciting.

 

I'm excited for you!

[laurspag]

This is amazing, Anita. I had a question about language barriers but o see from the last post that it isn't really an issue. That is so good to hear, as it is always a fear of mine. Maybe because s hearing loss already creates communication issues?

 

Have you or your mom ever tried a special diet while sailing a different cruise line? I'm wondering how it compared? I've had some great meals, good meals and okay meals. But I've never had any special requirements either. I wish your experience had been better.

 

I've been seeing a lot of fringe lately too. I'm sure my daughters will come home with some soon. [emoji57]

[laurspag]

Oh and those food pictures made me hungry. Except for the fish that looked like corvina or something like that. I think they have done much better.

Edited June 4, 2015 by laurspag

[laurspag]

Congratulations, Margaret! What a wonderful feeling of accomplishment you must have. I always find that things such as this inspire me to do even more.

[Anita Latte]

Have you or your mom ever tried a special diet while sailing a different cruise line? I'm wondering how it compared? I've had some great meals, good meals and okay meals. But I've never had any special requirements either. I wish your experience had been better.

 

Yes. We did the special diet thing on the Summit with Celebrity...the Spring Break cruise right before this Allure cruise.

 

There's a learning curve to figuring out how to deal with special diets when traveling, especially on the cruise ships. Because of our experience on the Summit, we thought that we would be even more prepared to and have a better time of the whole experience on the Allure.

 

It seemed easier to deal with the special diet on the Summit, especially in the buffet. First, to compare the buffets...the Summit buffet is much larger and more extensive that the Allure. Part of the reason for this is that the Allure has more restaurants on board...so, for instance, the pizza station at the Summit buffet is it's own restaurant on the Allure...

 

And the beauty of the Summit buffet is that they have everything on the buffet labeled for allergens. There is the risk of cross contamination, I suppose...but as far as recipes are concerned, you can learn without having to consult anyone whether or not a dish contains certain ingredients that you may want to avoid.

 

There was no labeling on the buffet on Allure. Every time we would eat in the buffet, we would need to consult with a chef to determine what was "safe" on the buffet. Because of the nature of the Allure buffet, it can take a bit of time to flag down someone who is capable of going into the back and requesting that the chef come out and walk the buffet with you to talk about all the dishes.

 

Now. Mom did need to consult with a chef on the Summit as well because two of the things that she was avoiding (one because it can interfere with her Synthroid) weren't included in their labeling system. The Summit buffet, however, has no free standing islands like the Allure buffet. The Summit buffet is like a front for the kitchen in the back and there are workers behind every single different area of the buffet. It was very easy to just ask the worker manning the station about the dishes they were serving...and if they didn't know...it was easy for them to run into the back to ask the chef.

 

The net effect was that we ate a lot in the Summit buffet and had the opportunity to have meals there without much forethought while we ended up avoiding the Allure buffet because it was such a hassle.

 

Additionally, the Summit has a food eatery called the AquaSpa Cafe that tends to specialize in the types of foods that might be considered "healthier" by some. These are labeled as well...and this was an easy place to get items that worked for our needs. ESPECIALLY tasty dessert like treats...which were the hardest thing to be served on both ships.

 

Again...the Cafe front was manned and it was easy to get the info we needed. Also...the kitchen behind serviced the Cafe in front, so it was relatively easy to get quick fixes to any items offered that could work with a simple tweak.

 

In contrast...the Promenade Cafe doesn't prepare their own food. It's prepared somewhere else on the ship. The people there have no idea about what is in the food items...and there are no tweaks possible because that's just the way it is.

 

Both ships have labels on the menus in the MDR (the Allure has labels in the specialty restaurant menus, too) that will let you know if there are allergens in the prepared dishes. But this isn't necessarily an accurate labeling...it's more like, this dish can be prepared in such a way that it will not have the allergen in it. For both ships, for dinner, they would give us the next day's menu and we would preorder our food.

 

What we learned on the Summit...often there were several choices that worked for our needs right on the menu...and so we didn't preorder, thinking that we could save that decision for when we were actually hungry and about to eat the next day. Well, it came to our attention that this system didn't work when a dish was served that supposedly didn't contain an allergen but in fact, DID. It was a garnish...but still. Made you wonder.

 

And that's when we learned that the labeling was really more about the potential of the dish...and this was really more for the convenience of a diner that wanted to avoid an ingredient for personal reasons...not allergy reasons. (Which is more my case...). For allergies, you really have to preorder your meal. THEN, your meal is prepared in and served from a completely separate galley area where they do everything in their power to not have cross contamination in addition to paying attention to the included ingredients in the recipe.

 

Since we did not always follow the correct protocol with the Summit (learning curve)...I can't make a total valid comparison. BUT...I can say that when we did follow the protocol, it seemed that the dish served more closely resembled the dish ordered. And by that, I mean that if your dish should be served with mashed potatoes...you were actually served mashed potatoes. On the Allure, every time a dish was supposed to have potatoes of ANY sort...we were served a plain baked potato. The only exception to this was our one visit to Chops...still to come in my review.

 

Now again...probably related to the size of the ship...it didn't seem to take as long to be served on the Summit as it did on the Allure. I don't know WHERE the allergen galley is on Allure...but it must be a hike and a half...like everything is on that ship...and it could take what felt like FOREVER to be served a meal.

 

I think our breakfast one morning took over 90 minutes...and this was just for Mom and myself.

 

It's a funny story actually...I guess the hold up was related to the fact that the breakfast Mom had preordered is something that the Vietnamese people would often eat? And so the wait staff was looking all over for someone that would resemble a Vietnamese person...and they just couldn't believe that the little white, redhead had ordered this breakfast. Mom was something of a spectacle that morning as numerous wait staff did a drive by of our table to see her and her breakfast.

 

We had thought that it would be easier to have the preordered breakfast in the MDR. On Summit, Mom was having a specially prepared breakfast at the buffet. That often took forever to be served. It hit us that maybe the MDR would be a better venue for a specially prepared breakfast? Maybe the buffet area was too busy to have a special area for allergen related preparation?

 

Again...relating to the size of the ship. I think that the system's on board the Summit were better for allergen dining. I believe that less food is pre-prepared. On Allure, it's just the nature of the beast...many things are pre-prepared...and I'm not saying that they aren't pre-prepared on board or specially prepared still...but every spice mix on board must be prepared somewhere else...and to save space or something, they don't have single spices on the ship...because the Allure food was the blandest food ever.

 

Dad would order the same thing I did. His food looked completely different. His food would be seasoned and dressed and sauced...here's an example...same dish...one for the allergy diner...one off the menu:

 

 

 

I don't recall having this sort of thing happen on the Summit.

 

I don't know if my little vent here was a good answer to your question Laurie.

 

The frustrating aspect of it all was the fact that so much of the food on Allure was not able to be altered and changed to make something similar...or to somehow compensate for what couldn't be included...and so the food quality really came through. That fish needed that sauce badly. (Our server was awesome...and she found some tarter sauce for me so that at least I could deal with the dry, bland fish...but that was a bit like eating Long John Silver's on the Allure...KWIM?).

 

If only you could somehow KNOW what in the world they would do to the dish to make it work...so that you could navigate through the menu into something that would meet your ordering expectations...instead of always being presented with dry, bland protein, steamed broccoli and carrots, and a baked potato.

 

I tell you what though...talk about knowing how not to gain weight on a 12-night cruise.

 

I've been seeing a lot of fringe lately too. I'm sure my daughters will come home with some soon. [emoji57]

 

One of my most favorite jackets when I was younger had fringe. It was from a store named "Contempo" IIRC...it was a faded denim jacket with white leather fringe. The shoulders and sleeves were kind of puffy and over sized...the jacket itself was short...only to the waist...with a double breasted snap closure. I wore that thing OUT.

 

I love fringe. It's so fun to wear.

 

I don't know how I would incorporate fringe into my wardrobe right now though...I think the jacket would be too much. I'm thinking that I like the bags the best. I could get into a fringe bag.

[awhfy]

I had that same fringed bag in the 60s! I know I don't still have it