Middle Aged Drama Queen's Eastern Med Review: Serenade, Pics, Surprises & Fun!

[LadyVolFan]

You may have mentioned it, but I missed it. How much did Mickey accidentally spend in the arcade? :)

[KansCocoa]

 

We last left our frazzled and frantic travelers getting unceremoniously kicked off the ship several hours too soon, and heading to their Barcelona apartment…stuffed in a tiny cab with suitcases and carry-ons up to their eyeballs….

 

 

We were lucky. When we arrived at the apartment, four hours early, we received the good news that our apartment was ready to check-in. We needed some good news…because as we were riding in the cab, I had a bit of time to pull out our Seapass account. And that’s when I saw the arcade charges…

 

$220.00.

 

Yes. Mickey had racked up over $220 in arcade charges. ACK! I didn’t even spend that on alcohol!!! Heck, I didn’t even spend that at the SPA! She’s lucky I didn’t murder her right there in the cab. I probably would have, except my arms were squished down and I couldn’t reach her. She was “saved by squishing.” If we had been at home, she would have been grounded for a year…but I couldn’t exactly ground her and leave her by herself in an apartment in Barcelona…darn it. So, she got to go with us and enjoy the day – although I told her right then and there she’d be my slave for a year. A YEAR, mind you. She's been working off her arcade tab slowly now...and needless to say, she was grounded from the arcade on the Freedom of the Seas - in case you're wondering. She's grounded from arcades for LIFE now.

 

 

So…Barcelona was ours for the day to explore. Our first stop was to head to the famous La Boqueria, which was within 500 feet of our apartment, and had been on my bucket list to explore, and now was the perfect opportunity. If you’ve never been – you have GOT to go! This market has been in existence since 1217 – and it’s truly one of the most famous markets in the entire world. Take your camera, take your appetite, and take a free spirit…you will see things and smell things that will forever leave an impression!

 

 

 

La Boqueria is crowded…every day. So, keep your wallet close and your camera closer…because you’ll see a variety of stalls that include such things as mundane as cereals and grains and other crunchy things:

 

 

 

 

…or you might stumble upon the candy stalls, which are a kaleidoscope of colors:

 

 

 

 

…or you might be lucky enough to wander the meat stalls:

 

 

 

 

We saw fish…in various degrees of…dress…and we saw calf’s heads, and ox tongue, and offal…which was awful…and other stuff I really couldn’t identify. I thought it was fascinating; the Klingons thought it was horrifying. And yet they couldn’t turn away.

 

“Hey!” I suddenly exclaimed. “I’m hungry!”

 

Yes. In all of the confusion and excitement of our mad dash off the ship, I hadn’t had breakfast. And it was now approaching lunch. La Boqueria has all kinds of little booths that you can purchase sandwiches or pasta or pizza….

 

We found a little fresh pasta, pizza & panini place towards the back of the market, and that’s where we stopped to have a bite to eat. The guy behind the counter was very helpful, and the food looked delicious:

 

 

 

 

Besides pizza and paninis, he had lots of different flavors of ravioli, including pumpkin ravioli, apple ravioli, and spinach ravioli; you could mix and match your flavors, paying by the weight when you were done. Once you’d picked your flavors, the guy would cook the ravioli right there, so you’d have a hot steaming cup of fresh ravioli.

 

 

 

....to be continued....

 

 

[KansCocoa]

You may have mentioned it, but I missed it. How much did Mickey accidentally spend in the arcade? :)

 

Hee hee - I JUST posted that!!!

[KansCocoa]

The boys all have to go with sandwiches, as they don't think pasta is "manly" enough, I guess...especially pumpkin pasta....

 

 

They said these were delicious....

 

 

…while Mickey and I went with the pasta. She was too scared to venture out and try all the different flavors, but me? I had a little bit of everything!

 

Our verdict? Yum. The only problem was - since I had a little bit of everything, I don't know which ones I liked best...as I couldn't identify them once they were cooked! Anyway. It was all good.

 

 

There’s no place to sit down at this particular stall, so we just acted like a local and walked around, holding our food in one hand and sticking our cans of Fanta orange soda in our purse or pockets to wash everything down with later. Yes. If we'd been pick-pocketed that afternoon in Barcelona, the thief would have made out with Fanta orange soda.

 

If you noticed in the above photo of Brainy Brad, he's wearing his university t-shirt. Truman State University is where he has gone to college, located in northeast Missouri. While we were wandering the stalls of La Boqueria, a little old Catalonian lady approached Brainy Brad and said something, very rapidly, in Spanish...pointing to his shirt. She spoke too fast for me to understand, so I asked Brad what she'd said, after she'd walked away...

 

"She said that Truman was a very good President...she liked him," he said.

 

Huh. Interesting. Not something you'd expect to hear while wandering the aisles of the Barcelonian market.

 

Hubby Mike is running out of Euros...we were fortunate that the little lunch stall was cheap, but we were now down to our last 10E. We kept hitting ATM's along Las Ramblas, but none seemed to be working for us. Little did we know that our ATM card had been cut off by the bank, because they were freaking out about possible fraud...although we HAD called them before our trip to let them know we were traveling. This shortage of euros would come into play the next day - when we were going to the airport - but that's a story for later....

 

 

It’s an absolutely beautiful day, so we eventually leave La Boqueria and head north on Las Ramblas…we have no particular place to be...we have no particular place to go...and it was somewhat liberating to have this much...freedom...after our tightly-controlled schedule for the last two weeks.

 

We eventually walk all the way to the giant fountain at Plaza de Catalunya…

 

So pretty....

 

 

This is a great area to just sit and relax and absorb the flavor of Barcelona... it seems that in the past, we've been rushing here or rushing there, and we never took the time to just sit. And relax. So we did.

 

And it felt so good.

 

 

Of course, the courtyard area in front of the fountain has about a trillion pigeons… and since my family seems to be fascinated with pigeons (although we’re not alone, as I’ve discovered after reading everyone’s comments here), we take a moment to watch the pigeons at play:

 

Although...full disclosure...they're really not playing. I think they're pecking. As in trying to eat.

 

And when I was reviewing the camera roll later, I discovered this little gem, taken in the courtyard:

 

 

...and this was NOT taken by Brainy Brad...but by Hubby Mike. Sigh.

 

Maybe if I WERE to publish this, I'd title it, "Boys And Their Pigeons"...as this seems to be the theme of our trip.

 

After saying goodbye to the Barcelona pigeons, we wander across the street... does anyone remember what's right across the street from the Plaza de Catalunya? It's a place we visited on our first (or second?) day in Barcelona... and it was good enough that we had to make a return visit....

 

 

 

Edited August 7, 2012 by KansCocoa

[FloGaleRNTX]

Waving to Barbara... just because. ;):)

 

Awww...how sweet...waving back!!!!

 

Barbara

[ShylaQ]

This whole review has been a delight! Makes me excited for my cruise on Splendour in September!

 

I have a way random question...what did you wear on your feet ...? I am struggling with my cruise shoe wardrobe :)

[KansCocoa]

This whole review has been a delight! Makes me excited for my cruise on Splendour in September!

 

I have a way random question...what did you wear on your feet ...? I am struggling with my cruise shoe wardrobe :)

 

Good question! And something we all seem to struggle with!

 

For most of the ports, I wore a pair of Privos by Clark Zylon sandals...here's a link at Zappos. These had good tread (so they didn't slip and slide at the Acropolis, for instance) and they were stylish enough to wear with my sundresses or capris. My left ankle has a tendency to swell as the day goes on, and the straps on these are velcro - so I could adjust them as the day went on.

 

The shoes I have on my feet in the above pictures (in Barcelona) are from a company called Sanuk...and they are the most comfortable shoes, ever! They were my "ship" shoes...good for onboard, but not good for walking on rocks! (Remember...I "thought" I would be spending the day onboard the ship...not walking around Barcelona! All my other shoes were packed up in the giant suitcases!)

 

My other walking/touring shoes (in Santorini) was a pair of Clarks Poster Tulip sandals....HERE. I wore them when I had on my white shorts, capris, or white dress on the ship.

 

ALL of my shoes were a success! I never had trouble with blisters or sore feet, which is AMAZING, considering how much walking we did. I'd try to switch my shoes each day - back and forth - but I ended up wearing the black sandals more than the white ones. I was very happy with my shoe selections!

 

A tip: buy your shoes in advance and DO wear them all day...I had bought a pair of black sandals, and wore them to Brainy Brad's graduation the first week in May. The sandals felt fine the first part of the day, but as the heat increased, and the hours increased, they were KILLING me by the end of the day. I'm SO glad I tried them out before the cruise...I had time to get a different pair (the Clarks) that were much more comfortable.

Edited August 7, 2012 by KansCocoa

[dawngecko]

Sherri, I have to tell you, everyday I come back here to read more of your review..it is the best, really the BEST review I have ever read..Thank you soooo much for sharing!

 

PS..anyone know of an easy way to bookmark where you left off the night before? Each day I have to send myself a message saying Post #XXX lol then go find that the next day.

 

On the upper left hand corner of the page there is an icon "View First Unread". Click on it to go to the where you last left off reading.

[PCWalton1]

Sherri,

Since you have given us such a wonderful present with your review, I figured I would give you a gift back. Actually it may be for Brainy Brad. :D Since you did not stop in Corfu Greece, a Greek cat.

 

Bill

 

[jewelinthesand]

Hey - I was IN New Jersey for Hurricane Irene...I supervised 22 feeding trucks for all the counties in central and southern New Jersey....I loved NJ, except for the left turns. Argh. Who knew you'd have to be in the RIGHT lane to turn LEFT?! Not me. If you ever have questions about volunteering, let me know; I do a lot of education for volunteers, and I can answer any questions you may have, with regards to training, or what a deployment is like. I'm glad the ARC was able to help you - the flooding was terrible!

 

Thanks for visiting my review - and the wonderful compliments. ;)

 

 

Sherry - what left turns in NJ????? there aren't any! :eek: LOL:D and you'll be happy to know that i've purchased my two binders for my med cruise! fuscia pink of course! i'm only on page 34 so i have a ways to go. i am enjoying it so very very much! you are aweseome! thanks.

[Kellie Poodle]

Sherry - what left turns in NJ????? there aren't any! :eek: LOL:D and you'll be happy to know that i've purchased my two binders for my med cruise! fuscia pink of course! i'm only on page 34 so i have a ways to go. i am enjoying it so very very much! you are aweseome! thanks.

 

I think she's referring to the famous New Jersey "Jug Handles" unknown in other parts of the country.

[samben]

LOVED your review!!! Great job!

[dlorenzo]

Good question! And something we all seem to struggle with!

 

For most of the ports, I wore a pair of Privos by Clark Zylon sandals...here's a link at Zappos. These had good tread (so they didn't slip and slide at the Acropolis, for instance) and they were stylish enough to wear with my sundresses or capris. My left ankle has a tendency to swell as the day goes on, and the straps on these are velcro - so I could adjust them as the day went on.

 

The shoes I have on my feet in the above pictures (in Barcelona) are from a company called Sanuk...and they are the most comfortable shoes, ever! They were my "ship" shoes...good for onboard, but not good for walking on rocks! (Remember...I "thought" I would be spending the day onboard the ship...not walking around Barcelona! All my other shoes were packed up in the giant suitcases!)

 

My other walking/touring shoes (in Santorini) was a pair of Clarks Poster Tulip sandals....HERE. I wore them when I had on my white shorts, capris, or white dress on the ship.

 

ALL of my shoes were a success! I never had trouble with blisters or sore feet, which is AMAZING, considering how much walking we did. I'd try to switch my shoes each day - back and forth - but I ended up wearing the black sandals more than the white ones. I was very happy with my shoe selections!

 

A tip: buy your shoes in advance and DO wear them all day...I had bought a pair of black sandals, and wore them to Brainy Brad's graduation the first week in May. The sandals felt fine the first part of the day, but as the heat increased, and the hours increased, they were KILLING me by the end of the day. I'm SO glad I tried them out before the cruise...I had time to get a different pair (the Clarks) that were much more comfortable.

 

I'm also going with Clark's - great shoes for our cruise in Sept., also found on zappos.com

[dlorenzo]

Here’s where I’m thankful I had the mobile international phone…and here’s where I’m REALLY thankful I had pre-loaded the telephone numbers of all of our tour operators, including the cab company that was scheduled to pick us up at 3:00 pm later that day. (That I had pre-paid for.) So – if I can put a tip here – PRELOAD your tour/cab telephone numbers before you depart…it will save you lots of time later. (Not to mention, my Binder had been buried at sea…I almost didn’t have the telephone number!!!) I called Barcelona Day Tours to see if they can come get us now, rather than 3:00 pm, and the dispatcher says that unfortunately, all cabs are busy, what with taking other passengers to the airport and such, so it will be at least an hour before they can come get us.

------------------------------------------------------------

 

Hi Sherri,

Can you tell me where you rented your international cell phone? I am looking at http://www.cellularabroad.com. Any suggestions?

 

Thanks! Diane

Edited August 7, 2012 by dlorenzo

[sanderson25032]

Here’s where I’m thankful I had the mobile international phone…and here’s where I’m REALLY thankful I had pre-loaded the telephone numbers of all of our tour operators, including the cab company that was scheduled to pick us up at 3:00 pm later that day. (That I had pre-paid for.) So – if I can put a tip here – PRELOAD your tour/cab telephone numbers before you depart…it will save you lots of time later. (Not to mention, my Binder had been buried at sea…I almost didn’t have the telephone number!!!) I called Barcelona Day Tours to see if they can come get us now, rather than 3:00 pm, and the dispatcher says that unfortunately, all cabs are busy, what with taking other passengers to the airport and such, so it will be at least an hour before they can come get us.

------------------------------------------------------------

 

Hi Sherri,

Can you tell me where you rented your international cell phone? I am looking at www.cellularabroad.com. Any suggestions?

 

Thanks! Diane

 

Dont rent, buy one at www.mobal.com I use it all the time when I go to the UK, works great and not too expensive.

[rickdent]

Dont rent, buy one at www.mobal.com I use it all the time when I go to the UK, works great and not too expensive.

 

I have done both, rent and purchase. Purchase is same cost, and you get to keep and program your own phone, also keep same phone # without recurring charges.

[dlorenzo]

I have done both, rent and purchase. Purchase is same cost, and you get to keep and program your own phone, also keep same phone # without recurring charges.

 

I most likely will not be traveling out of the country again in the near future, so thats not a factor. I want the easiest, most reliable way of being able to use a cell phone if I need to and have my family be able to call me if they need to. The Mobal.com phone seems to have a UK # which means when my family calls us they will need to pay for an international call, is this correct? Where with Cellular Abroad I can get a US#. Also if they call me there is not charge. Can you not program numbers into a rental phone?

 

Thanks for your help!

Diane

[newcruiser1573]

I most likely will not be traveling out of the country again in the near future, so thats not a factor. I want the easiest, most reliable way of being able to use a cell phone if I need to and have my family be able to call me if they need to. The Mobal.com phone seems to have a UK # which means when my family calls us they will need to pay for an international call, is this correct? Where with Cellular Abroad I can get a US#. Also if they call me there is not charge. Can you not program numbers into a rental phone?

 

Thanks for your help!

Diane

 

Diane,

 

I just purchased a phone from Telestial. I will be using it on my trip leaving 8/8-8/21. I received a US number and a UK number. The phone cost me $29 and I prepaid for $30 worth of time. I will report back how it works. The best thing is I can use the phone with anotherr sim card if it doesnt work out.

 

Kim

[dlorenzo]

Diane,

 

I just purchased a phone from Telestial. I will be using it on my trip leaving 8/8-8/21. I received a US number and a UK number. The phone cost me $29 and I prepaid for $30 worth of time. I will report back how it works. The best thing is I can use the phone with anotherr sim card if it doesnt work out.

 

Kim

 

Thanks! I appreciate your help!

[Luvs Crusin]

Did you buy a separate international phone or just add international service to your personal cell you already had?

[jewelinthesand]

Sherri, I have really enjoyed your adventure with your family. I am truly interested in a Med cruise. But, as I research the $$$$ just seem to add up

endlessly. The cruises don't seem too expensive, but the airfare and the excursions are out of sight.

Without divulging what you spent, what should one budget for excursions? A med cruise seems to be all about the ports, so if you go that far you want to get the most out of your trip.

Any insight you can provide would be helpful. My first guess would be close to 10,000 for 2 people.

thanks, Jane

 

 

we are going next sept (2013) and have an E1 balcony cabin for 2199 + 128 taxes/fees and 159 pp for the insurance. then we got 325 off the cabin for being diamond so ttl pp is 2324.00 . we have figured all in to be approximately 14100.00. that's with 2200 spending money in the ports and about 1200.00 spending onboard. we are figuring about 1200 in barcelona for two days before the cruise and about 150 pp for the excursions in the 7 ports on the cruise which is 2100. i'm guessing/HOPING the airfare to be about 1200 each. add to all this 2 or 300 for misc and that's where i get the 14100.00 for the two of us. we are going from newark, NJ.

Edited August 7, 2012 by jewelinthesand

[jewelinthesand]

Depending on the type of room you get... honestly that's about right. Maybe a little high, but not much.

 

Here's approximately how ours broke down:

 

Balcony guarantee for 2: $3000 total (this was a price drop and killer deal, so be on the lookout, esp. after you book)

 

Airfare from PIT to BCN- $2300

 

Hotel in Barcelona two nights- $250

 

Tours (ship/private) plus DIY tickets into various sites/ transportation -$1200

 

Spending money $800 (approx)

 

SeaPass for 12 days $1300 (approx)

 

So we were right around $8500 for two people. Plus shopping trips for clothes before the cruise!

 

(this does not take into account our jewelry purchases/carpet purchases, but does include other small souvenirs)

 

But we knew this was not a cheap trip going in. We weren't about to spend all that money to get to Europe and skimp on tours once we were there.

 

 

wow! hope we see a price drop like you did! right now for next sept. 2013- we are 4650 for our cabin and it's only an E1 balcony. 3000 would save us 1650.00. that sure would be nice!

[jewelinthesand]

$3000 seems like a crazy price for a balcony! Any cruise Ive ever been on, we'd get a balcony for half that price. For example, this Sunday going on the Navigator and its coming in at about $1600 for two. Unless there is something extra in your balcony... Also, I realise ye have an extra few days on the cruise, but still seems expensive.

 

Also what so you mean when you say a SeaPass for $1300...whats that? I know the card you get is a SeaPass on the ship but you obviously dont pay for that...or what am I missing|!!?

 

3000 for the balcony is a giveaway! i paid 4100.00 for a 12 night this past april on the celebrity silhouette to the carribbean. i would kill to pay only 3,000.

[jewelinthesand]

Monk...you also have to remember that this was a 12 night cruise...so $3000 for a balcony for two is pretty inexpensive. Unless your Navigator cruise is also a 12 night...then you got an amazing deal!!!!

 

 

and don't forget - location, location, location! caribbean vs europe. not even comparable.

[Steppy08]

wow! hope we see a price drop like you did! right now for next sept. 2013- we are 4650 for our cabin and it's only an E1 balcony. 3000 would save us 1650.00. that sure would be nice!

 

We initially paid what you did. When we got the price drop we got $1600 back. Which we are using to pay for our next cruise. :D

 

For anyone I may have confused our price was $3000 TOTAL for two people. We paid $1399 pp plus taxes etc.