-LIVE- Liberty - Transatlantic 10-26-14

[mariapd719]

Hi just wondering is there a reggae band by the pool

[Freedom2014]

How are the seas?

[mpoole3]

How are the seas?

 

I'm guessing he lost internet the last few days...

 

Can't wait for the next update, I'm down to 10 days until my turn!

[Freedom2014]

I'm guessing he lost internet the last few days...

 

Can't wait for the next update, I'm down to 10 days until my turn!

 

My turn in 19 days hehe. I always worry about the seas.

[Bobal]

Hi just wondering is there a reggae band by the pool

 

No reggae band

 

How are the seas?

 

Seas Are fine - slight swell and pools were closed off for a day and a half but all good now. Weather warm/hot depending on cloud cover and getting hotter each day.

 

Sorry to answer on your thread Tim but thought I'd do it in case the questions get lost as more come in

[Freedom2014]

No reggae band

 

 

 

Seas Are fine - slight swell and pools were closed off for a day and a half but all good now. Weather warm/hot depending on cloud cover and getting hotter each day.

 

Sorry to answer on your thread Tim but thought I'd do it in case the questions get lost as more come in

 

Thanks! I assume the weather will get better the closer you get to florida! weather has been chilly but beautiful here!

[ckrobyn]

We are boarding on Saturday when you get off!

Thanks for posting and enjoy the rest of your cruise!!:)

[Susie51]

Thank you for your review.

[Lotus Girl]

Twibes, we're missing your "live" review! Are you lying snoring on the deck enjoying the sunshine to much to keep us posted on how it's all going? Look forward to reading more as and when you get the chance :D

[Twibes]

Sorry for getting lazy, I can't outlast these seasoned AARP members who can drink far past the hours I can handle! :D Carrying on now from where we left off:

 

DAY 5: Thursday, Oct. 30, 2014

 

Today we were in Tenerife, and as you could see from the earlier picture / video, the weather was perfect. Kelcey and I again, much as we chose to do in Cadiz, opted to go off the beaten path. We did not want a tour bus frenzy, sheep herding mentality, or crazy crowds of people to enjoy this beautiful place, so we headed off on a Shrek journey into the unknown.

 

We were off the ship just 30 minutes after the rest of the large groups but the difference in crowds was evident. We had no wait disembarking nor ran into any groups or buses along the way. Although I did want to be a man about this and walk off the pier, Kelcey made me realize it was actually a good mile long pier that would've in fact brought about my child size dose of whining. So here is where the adventure began.

 

Here you can see just half of the pier we'd have to travel:

 

 

We asked crew member which bus was the 'Free Shuttle' bus to get off the pier, and they directed us to the bus right next to us. This was a large bus similiar to a tour bus,although it did cater to wheelchairs. Due to being handicapped accessible it had only about 12 seats in the back. We took a seat and patiently waited while they boarded a wheel chair. A few minutes in,the driver stated that due to having to 'Wait' for wheelchairs to fill the bus, we should walk off if we could and wait for another bus. We took the hint that it could be awhile and headed back off toward the ship ramps to find where the next shuttle would be. This didn't take long, as we walked to the outside diameter of a group of folks 3x my age who yelled at us "There is a line ya know you don't just walk in!" We had to laugh, because we had no idea where we were even walking and sure weren't in line, and to add insult to injury the previous driver pulled away just as we stepped off. Sneaky guy!

 

So we got in the back of the line for this now 'new' and what we called the 'Mean' bus and waited. You could hear the huffing and puffing of the dragons a few people in front of us as they were told the shuttle was full... and of course I laughed and cheered that we were not destined to be on this mean bus! The couple in front of us agreed and said we'll all be getting on the 'Nice' person bus soon (Which of course was 2 minutes later... oh the horror the horror right) Patience is a virture.

 

Walking the main streets of Tenerife and the Market Square:

 

 

Walking on the roof of the main Port Information Building

 

 

 

Anddddd let's take a selfie:

 

[Twibes]

More shots during our walking adventure in Tenerife

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Twibes]

 

Kelcey wanted to show the world (Her work friends here!) that there is an H&M store in Tenerife

 

 

 

 

I was intelligent enough myself to ask in Spanish if I could have a photo taken with these fine Policia of Tenerife. It's a brotherhood kind of thing, they had no issue at all, and I felt they looked pretty professional yet intimidating which is good.

 

[Twibes]

Ironically I feel the police had a presence of about 4 officers on that block for a reason. One block down there was quiet a noisy group that appeared to be picketing/protesting in front of a business (My memory escapes me here) but I believe it was called Maya or Malaya. They were shaking cow bells and blowing loud, as I call them 'I'm being assaulted' whistles. Normally this wouldn't annoy even me, but when you sit at a nice cafe to enjoy espresso, sangria, and tapas it sure beats on your innermost ear nerves.

 

Eating at a cafe:

 

 

 

Here you can see our tomato and tuna Tapas, it was great!

 

 

For an entire pitcher of Sangria, espresso + milk, Tapas, and Dogfish entree we spent $23 Euros. I should also note that at this point, Kelcey got great deals on jewelry scoring a necklace for $7 Euros, and bracelets for $3 Euros each. I on the other hand only looked for Cafe (Espresso) deals!

 

There was a large area that much resembled a water fountain area in an inner city was found here, blocks from our pier entrance. It was a great area and we found people cooling off their feet (As Kelcey opted to do) and just enjoying the scenery. I tried making her walk deeper but she must've thought I had alterior motives:

 

 

 

[Twibes]

 

After leaving this amazing area of the city, we headed back to the ship for some quality Sun Deck time. I took a few random shots if you're interested in seeing Deck 12 of the Pool Deck on Liberty:

 

 

 

 

 

Solarium from a higher view:

 

[Twibes]

We took some good video while still docked in Tenerife which we consider our favorite time of being in port... it's the "People doing their darnest to make the ship leave late" routine. I say this in humor because sometimes it's not our fault however, nothing beats watching people run down a 1 mile pier when it's 4:30pm and All Aboard time was .... 4:30pm. You have an entire port side balcony array of people waving and yelling "YOU CAN DO IT!" to people. Chivalry at this point went right out the window people: Husbands running 1/4 mile ahead of wives, women taking off flip flops, people in an all out sprint having to stop and breath just steps from the ship. I'm telling you, you can't script this stuff! Unfortunately we can't post the video here as obviously I'm in the middle of the Atlantic! Just trust me when I say, awesome footage.

 

Sail away from Tenerife was another amazing sight that makes you ask yourself "Will I ever see this again?" I think that we enjoyed Tenerife slightly more than Cadiz as it's a more open layout and a more relaxed pace in the streets.. but Cadiz and Tenerife were a privilege to walk through.

[Twibes]

DAY 6: Friday, Oct. 31, 2014

(HALLOWEEN Extravaganza)

 

Today we docked in La Palma, Canaries. It was a pretty spectacular view rolling in as you could see the rolling hills and cliff sides. I was adamant that King Kong lives here, because I saw the movie and I know King Kong territory when I see it.

 

Docking upon arrival:

 

 

 

I'd like to make note that for almost a full week of sailing and making port stops, the ocean was a dream. The weather couldn't have cooperated any more nicely as the ocean (as you can see above) was as calm as being in the Caribbean. Perhaps the weather gods were watching us or maybe it's just luck, either way docking was never an issue this week and travel was as smooth as silk.

 

We were impressed with the quality of the tour buses seen from our Balcony here, as they all appeared fairly new and extremely clean. Knowing we had an actual excursion this morning, we showered and prepared for the chaos otherwise known as 'sheep herding' that was about to take place. Unfortunately our neighbors on board (a3Lakes and the hubby) weren't located yet this early in the a.m. but we anticipated with poor judgement we'd see them on the bus (Didn't happen.)

 

We all gathered in the Platinum Theater on Deck 3 and got our bus #'s. After waiting about 20 minutes or so, our bus #10 if I recall, left for the Volcano and Wine Tour. I anticipated being strapped into a climbing harness and tossed into the Volcano much like Joe vs.The Volcano. (If you were born after 1985 you probably don't get it, Kelcey didn't either lol) Of course, it wasn't that type of excursion as you can imagine it was more handicap friendly. So off we loaded onto the tour bus as we got our first taste of being herded around like cattle..I just hate that feeling but it's the nature of the excursion beast!

 

Our first of two stops, the Volcano!

 

 

 

After walking by the entrance and into the built-in dungeon, we sat through a 10 minute video explaining how this island and Volcano came to be.

 

 

Following this 1990's movie footage, we were off to climb the Everest of Tenerife! Ok, I kid I kid, but I really wanted to climb down into this puppy and see the original hole..it's a guy thing. Take note that the side of the man made rock sidewalk of this Volcano is surrounded by a lightly hanging railing to prevent falls into the Volcano. Yet, look to the opposite side and it's every man for himself to the bottom of the island!

 

 

 

 

[Twibes]

Walking up to the Volcano

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Twibes]

 

 

 

 

 

 

A word to the wise here if you ever find the time and ability to be on this volcano: It's a felony to reach down and attempt to 'take' a piece of rock from it... No, we didn't find out personally, however did see someone else testing the theory!

[Twibes]

I just can't stop sharing these pictures as they turned out pretty amazing!

 

 

 

 

 

I'm pretty sure, ok I'm 100% confident that these safety regulations wouldn't fly in the US because people can't watch their children that long but it was pretty adventurous knowing nothing more than 6 inches of rock kept me standing there (Look beyond my left foot!) After this long walk, and seeing that other people failed to even let a blind person using a walking stick get through, it was time to load up on the buses. Hopefully my take on humanity would improve later in the day! I'm not sure what it is, but people are in a hurry to get nowhere. We should stop, take a deep breath, and realize where we are...because I never thought I'd be standing on a Volcano in the Canaries people!

[Twibes]

We now arrived at the Winery portion of our tour where we could see the fascinating tanks (Insert my grin here) and basement of the business. Following these breathtaking views (Grinning again) we went upstairs for a brief tasting:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The outside was the best of the view here:

 

[Twibes]

Immediately following our exciting world of wine festivities, the buses, and I mean at least 5 of the suckers, took the obligatory stop at a remote mountainside shop where locals sold pottery. I don't recall seeing this in the tour description but I imagine it's where they make a few months salary from us. Here are a few random shots which felt like a sidewalk within a hillside observatory:

 

 

Back of the business where clay and water were located

 

 

 

 

I got distracted at this point as a neat little doggy similar to a mixed Beagle was walking around greeting everyone. There was only enough room in this shop and sidewalk to comfortably accommodate 10 people but 5 buses had to make way! I still found time to pet the little guy until he napped a few minutes. (sorry, no dog photo.) If you ever visit, the puppy is called Niko.

 

After this tour it was a race through the country-side of La Palma (AKA All of it) and back onto the ship for lunch and then sail-a-way. Now I'll start working on our evening's Halloween festivities!

 

Edited November 5, 2014 by Twibes

[Twibes]

Sailing away from La Palma:

 

 

 

 

[Twibes]

After leaving La Palma, the Halloween festivities began for any who wished to take part. Fortunately for me, we did participate in the Halloween parade and after party, therefor have barely any images to share. I'm sure, and embarrassed enough to say at least a few other Cruise Critic members took enough photos that maybe they will share! Without further ado however, here is a photo of us prior to the Halloween parade down the Promenade (Which was pretty amusing!)

 

 

We were obviously Mr & Mrs Incredible. There is something slightly awkward about walking around a full cruise ship in spandex but, we were told we were in the running later that night for funniest costume. Alas, a # of people won for Cutest, Funniest, etc. and a3Lakes and her hubby won for the injured Construction Workers AKA:Zombies. I won't go into detail other than to say Halloween on a cruise ship was fun enough that I wouldn't mind doing it again!

 

Soon I'll update you on all of our Sea Days to date since Saturday. I will say the water had been a bit bumpy but we've had sunny weather and temps near 80 degrees every day...a dream TransAtlantic forecast!

[texmex.ferr]

No. Lucille is a pretty darker skinned girl from South Africa. If she's not still in the Champagne Bar I hope she got promoted to something better. She was the best.

 

 

The girl in the champagne bar is called Katerina, and the barman is called Guan.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[MurphDogg]

I love the info and the humor in your updates but did you forget to pack another camera lens? Fish eye lenses are best used sparingly.

Edited November 5, 2014 by MurphDogg