JEWEL b2b (Greece/W Med) semi-live Aug24 - Sept14 REVIEW w/lots of photos

[Hoopster95]

Directly west from Placa Sant Jaume on Carrer de Ferran is a direct line to Las Ramblas (and McDonalds.... ugh!!! You're in Barcelona for *** sakes! Pls don't go to MD's, eat/drink like a Catalunyan). Also at this corner at Las Ramblas is Placa Reial, a popular restaurant and nightclub spot

 

 

We leisurely strolled down Las Ramblas checking out shops and so forth on our way down towards the pier area.

 

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

Once again, such amazing pictures!!!!

 

 

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[Hoopster95]

At the bottom of Las Ramblas and basically right at the entry to the port area is one of the most prominent and 1st structures any cruisers see when going to Barcelona, the Columbus monument

 

Perhaps some of you don't know this, as I mentioned this to several people on board who claimed to have no clue... there is entry into the monument below with an elevator that takes you up to the top for a great view of Barcelona

 

Definitely go for the 8euro option if you have time... for 2euro more you get a great glass of wine down in their "cellar" when you come down fro the top. Note they offer several excursions to wineries out of the city which I would definitely do on another trip now that I know it's offered here.

 

Holy smokes!.... if you're afraid of heights this won't be good for you. There is very little space up here to move around and the elevator holds only 2 people at a time so I can see this being an issue for those of you who are claustraphobic

 

Superb 360 degree views! This is northward overlooking Las Ramblas

 

Yep, a really nice way to end the day before heading for the port with superb Spanish Cava wine!

[Hoopster95]

Once again, such amazing pictures!!!!

 

 

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Hey Debbie...It's almost your time to go! When are you flying out?

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

Hey Debbie...It's almost your time to go! When are you flying out?

 

 

 

We fly out 10/20 for 4 days in Rome pre-cruise...Coming way too fast now! So much to do! Loving your review and pics! It's going to be gorgeous!!!

 

 

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[Hoopster95]

We fly out 10/20 for 4 days in Rome pre-cruise...Coming way too fast now! So much to do! Loving your review and pics! It's going to be gorgeous!!!

 

 

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4 days in Rome... excellent!

Oh hey!!!... I just looked at your itinerary, Wowza... I hadn't seen that before as I thought you would be on the 9 night'er. What an awesome one-of-a-kind itinerary... overnight in Barcelona and you get to visit Malta too. Awesome!

If you haven't planned your evening in Barcelona and want to see something cool, perhaps try to see a Flamenco dance show. :D

[Hoopster95]

It was time to head back to the ship, so we left the Columbus monument... but not before taking a final photo at the base of the monument... Have any of you followed the 4-Headed monster live Harmony thread the last week?

Well..............

 

Eat your heart out CruiselifeRick! lol!

 

We weren't the only cruisers staying out late. Pretty much across the street from the Columbus monument is the bus loop for the port. The Jewel transfer filled up very quickly (we were within an hour of all aboard) as many others were coming back on board late® as well

 

We boarded around 7pm, cleaned up and headed to the CL where we enjoyed our Ravi induced medication and sailway.

 

We had soon pulled away from the port. The pilot was done his job and Jewel was on her way to Palma de Mallorca

 

We again kept things simple tonight coming back on board late with no set schedule, no set dinner plan.

We enjoyed the CL until much later than usual as we were full from our late tapas lunch and enjoying munching on hors d;houvres in the CL, however we did get hungry around 9pm and headed down to MTD unannounced. We did have to wait for 10-15min or so to be seated.... we had missed the 50'&5-'s rick'n'roll show at 8pm, howver the BigBand show had already started in the Centrum, quick turn-around

 

We enjoyed the Italian menu tonight... I remember having the roasted Garlic soup and Arranchini, but that's it. We headed for the Love & Marriage Game Show and called it a night right after that with an early morning approaching us in Palma De Mallorca.

[Hoopster95]

 

 

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

That is nice to hear! We chose that itinerary because my sister and her husband live in Sicily so we will be able to meet up! The overnight in Barcelona is awesome. We are doing private tours through Spain Day also. I actually did have a flamenco dance show lined up, LOL! I got Phil on board but Frank and Maria not so much... [emoji23] We will see when we are there!

 

 

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[Beachcruzer]

Thanks for some good ideas of new things to try in Barcelona when I'm there next year. :D Looks like you gave Penelope a great sampling of Barcelona! :D I've been three times, but find new things to explore each visit!

[windjamming]

It was time to head back to the ship, so we left the Columbus monument... but not before taking a final photo at the base of the monument... Have any of you followed the 4-Headed monster live Harmony thread the last week?

Well..............

 

Eat your heart out CruiselifeRick! lol!

 

Ha! I felt bad for "cheating" on your review last week when I was spending all my CC reading time on that magnificent 4-headed monster review, but glad you were spending time there too!! :)

 

Great job as usual on this travelogue, Hoopster. What an amazing b2b itinerary. Although we've sailed out of Barcelona a few times, we've never had a port day there. Did it feel like much of a context switch going from the Eastern Med to the Western?

 

And will we get pics of the one-of-a-kind things your gf bought in the ports?

[Hoopster95]

Did it feel like much of a context switch going from the Eastern Med to the Western?

And will we get pics of the one-of-a-kind things your gf bought in the ports?

 

Hi windjamming... the switch was pretty easy actually. Most predominant context change was the demographics on board... the Greece itinerary way younger overall, more teens, more younger couples/millennials re likely the beaching/Greece itinerary... a perfect indication of that was in the "Majority Rules" game show the questions was asked: "What is the most romantic place to visit?" Well there's Venice and Paris many would think, but the majority answered "Greece"

 

Your 2nd question not so much, I only have a few pics... let me see, I can list a few... a heirloom piece of jewelry at Magna Grecia farm in Katakolon, French linens in Nice, really nice Provence lace scarf in Eze, Tahitian pearls in Palma De Mallorca and the leather goods from Diego Martin, Absolute A1 quality (end expensive!) Italian bedding linens in Rome that for sure were at least triple $$ here at home. You'll have no problem finding stuff that you'll bring home :)

[Hoopster95]

Day 5 - Palma De Mallorca: simple day of walking around old town.

 

We began to see some cloudy skies, and even the odd drizzle, in Barcelona the day before, but when we woke up heading into Palma it was outright cloudy... weather was supposed to rain off and on during the day.

 

There is nothing to see at the pier... quite industrial and the old town is quite far away on the other side of the bay. Shuttle buses are a must here, about a 10-15min drive. During the bus ride we did notice a few people walking, however the estimated walking time is about 50min to an hour from the ship all the way around

 

All aboard 3:30pm

 

The bus loops directly across the street and in front of the main site-seeing attraction in Palma... the Catedral De Mallorca... even with the grey cloudy weather just a beautiful area and gorgeous structure

 

Having crossed the street from the bus, we made our way through the square and closer to the stair entrance to the Cathedral. Just a note that thee's a large tourist info booth located on this corner, very visible. So if you need help figuring something out for the day this would be stop #1

[Hoopster95]

It was quite early and not many people were there yet... we took a stroll through the side gardens first before making the climb up to the cathedral

 

Up the stairs we go, taking pics along the way.... here's a view back across the lagoon with Jewel way off in the distance

 

Here a big tip... Hey Debbie this one's for you too since you'll be there shortly!!

Note, nothing is open until 10am. The cathedral, the museum, the palace....everything shut down

 

So other than taking a few outside pictures of the enourmous building, the facades and statues, there was nothing to see here until opening time and we had about 30min to wait. Also if you got off the ship very early, there'd be nothing to do other than just waling the streets and window shopping....

 

We didn't bother to wait around as we wished to stroll around the old town to enjoy the day. Making our way through I would say at least 80% of the stores were closed also... very little was open at 9:30am and very few people were walking out on the streets

[Biker19]

 

Eat your heart out CruiselifeRick! lol!

 

 

To be fair, Rick mounts the animals so if you want to keep up........

[Hoopster95]

To be fair, Rick mounts the animals so if you want to keep up........

 

I've been waiting for you or York to show up ;p

[Hoopster95]

As 10am hits, all the metal storefront gates start opening and within 15 minutes the streets are alive with people, not just vacationers it seems but many locals as well. It was weird as the atmosphere did change very quickly. There's a ton of cool shops and places to see... clothing, do dads/trinkets, housewares.... the food places are awesome

 

 

Gelato in Spain?... Yep! Oh so good

 

Salumeria... more sites you don't see everyday at home

 

 

Placa Major

[Hoopster95]

Around the corner from Placa Major, into a side street rather than heading straight through, there's more pedestrian only streets with a ton of shops. This is where we met Diego Martin. I mentioned this guy during the live portion... what a hoot! Gf wanted to buy some leather goods and we just happened to stumble upon this place. There was a shelf of shoes and bags that were "SALE" and "end of seas" items... the prices seemed too good to be true. This is the one time where that cliche was actually not true.

 

We entered and started looking around... gf's jaw dropped. She had picked up a couple of shoes that were 15euro. Having been a fashion designer in years gone by, she figured these shoes at home were easily above $100. As we continued to look, the store owner came out to help us... as usual we got into speaking about home life, business here in Mallorca, where we were from, etc. He ended up telling us his life story in the leather goods business... being basically a kid starting off with nothing to where he is today. Everything in this store is his design and his name, he sells all over Spain and France at shows, various stores, etc. What a great guy!

 

 

The leather jackets, shoes, everything.... top notch stuff. Of course the "sale" items were of various sizes and only one-ofs so selection very limited. I was super lucky to have these in my size available... a pair of Valentino look alikes that he was selling for 150euro a year before... his final pair for 49euro. SOLD! SO ask around and find his store, he's only a block from Placa Major..

Google Map Placa Major Mallorca and zoom in. See the Mama's Pepper Pizza? (This is where we had lunch, photos coming) just around the corner on Carrer Del Sindicat on the same side as "Arabay Coffee" is his store

 

Yep, it's officially busy out there now

 

[Hoopster95]

We weren't quite ready for lunch yet, so we continued meandering away from Placa Major. We continued heading away from Placa Major up Carrer de San Miquel which is totally pedestrian, again finding plenty of things to do and see. We made somewhat of a loop and ended up at Palma's own version of "Las Ramblas"

 

Las Ramblas takes you back down to Placa Major... there was nothing to see on Las Ramblas at all! It's not even close to Barcelona's version... no shops, etc. however it was a short easy stroll under the trees down the boulevard to get back to PLaca Major.

 

 

We checked out some of the menus of eateries here, but really we just wanted a simple lunch and not having to sit down and be served for over an hour. We had cased out the pizza joint I just mentioned in the previous post so we decided to head across the square and check their menu.

 

Yep... this will do!!

 

Great lunch! Excellent quality ingredients and note the bill (I believe it was 15.80 euro... incl the beers)

[Hoopster95]

GF and I split up here... she wanted to do more shopping and looking around and did not have any interest in yet another church! I really wanted to visit the Cathedral. We had approx. 2 hours before wanting to head to the bus loop for one of the last shuttles back to the ship, so we set up a meeting place & time (90 minutes) and off I went. There was a line-up into the cathedral that at first I was not going to go for, but it moved quickly... I am so glad I did not give up on the line. This cathedral is world class and I feel a must see in Palma

 

 

 

The 7euro ticket also included site visit into the Papal museum in the next door building. So I made my way through the cathedral rather quickly just to ensure I had time to walk around and find the other buildings. Meanwhile, the weather had turned outside, and yes we got hit with a downpour! I was lucky to find the entrance to the museum rather quickly at this spot and went right in while others huddles under the overhang

[Hoopster95]

In hindsite, I should've stayed longer and enjoyed the cathedral much more... my photos above are very basic and do not do it justice. The various side altars and art/sculptures are amazing... just a gorgeous cathedral. The museum not so much. Truthfully, I went through it in about 20minutes.. that's it!

 

This was a weird place actually, and I immediately thought a great museum for kids actually as there were as many cartoon renderings as there were actual art

 

One wing of the museum upstairs had the more important pieces from the original build including original pieces from the altar, etc

 

However, as mentioned, I feel that this place was geared somewhat for kids. I found myself being curious over this display... in a papal museum no less... are they saying God came from aliens??

 

I took this shot when I came out... the weather cleared very fast!

[Hoopster95]

Since I went through the Cathedral and museum faster than expected, I was about 1/2 hour early meeting with gf. I went to the shopping area by the cathedral and found her right away. Nothing more to hang around for so we decided to go for the shuttles.... however as fast as the weather cleared, another downpour began and we huddled against the buildings with everyone else. The rain let up but not fully... we ran down the wet steps of the cathedral when the rain let up... then it was downpour again and we had to huddle under a tree. Thankfully after another short wait the rain subsided to a drizzle and we finally made it across the street to the waiting buses back to Jewel.

 

Back on board and in my room, I was grateful for this gesture from the LA. How nice!

But I had to use it by tomorrow (note the expiry). I immediately went up to the spa to ask them if I can use it on the sea day Sept 9... No was the answer... so I had to use it right now or tomorrow (port day)... grrrrrrr.

I then I checked the massage rates... I had 2 massages on Jewel on my Southern Carib sailing in 2015 and the prices have easily gone up about $50 from I believe $109 (or $119?) to $160. I called back the Spa and asked if I could offer the coupon and pay for gf to have a pedicure or something else... "No, not transferable". But wait, I am paying, not the gf, and I am choosing my spa treatment in this manner. "No. Not transfreable" they said. Uh... ok... too bad, I put it in the trash.

 

We cleaned up in our rooms and headed up to the (DL for the view) for sailaway. The rain had let up outside so there were a few fellow cruisers out on the railings, however that changed quickly.

 

 

Capt Dustin had to pull away from the pier, sail towards the bay and make a turn to head out.... As we turned away from Mallorca and the view of the city, we decided out of the blue to take our coffee and try heading to the back of the safari club to watch the sailaway from Mallorca.... it was a great idea! Surprisingly a piano player was there for about 15min playing softly and we enjoyed a sailaway indoors as it rained outside.... feet up, quiet space, just a few other tables there with us.

[Hoopster95]

We had Chops booked for this evening. Of course I had to wear my new Diego Marins!

 

Chops was excellent again this evening. We shared the forest mushroom soup & lobster bisque... the mushroom was better

 

Delicious crab cake and tuna tartare ... we did not try the new "Seafood Towers"

 

 

Best lamb ever on RCL ("New Zealand Rack of Lamb"). This is my new favorite in Chops since they removed the awesome "Crusted Tuna"

 

And there was no mention of it by me or my gf to anyone... they brought this out and sang. Very nice.

[Hoopster95]

One thing I regretted with these kind of busy itineraries and longer port times is missing the nightly Schooner Bar music trivia... there's no way to make the 8pm trivia without scoffing down Chops dinner for example, or skipping CL/DL time. We tried to get out of Chops to join in right there in front of us as we exited but we missed the start by about 5 minutes. We did however make it to the Headliner... fancy that... a Magician/Illusionist that was actually pretty damn good! Yep, if you see this act on your sailing be sure to check them out, well worth it.

 

Tonight was 70's night in the Centrum, so right after the show we joined the party on deck 4... you know the drill!

Macho men come down to entertain

 

Hey! This time CD Simona was out there too...

Just want to give a shout out to Simona whom I never heard of. From what I understand she does predominantly the Euro sailings. She is fluent in 5 languages and converses during shows/announcements in English, Italian and Spanish one right after another. I thought she was great in the many activities (ie. Quest, 70's show, Love & Marriage) especially with keeping up with the languages and repeating things for everyone to understand... and thus enjoy. Very polished and excellent, fun CD.

 

Whew! Good times but we wanted to beat the crowds up the stairs. Great crowd at the end of the show

 

We headed up to Vortex tonight... unlike the Greek itinerary with more younger couples and so forth, this busier port intensive cruise with early mornings and later port times not only took it;s toll on us, it seemed o our fellow cruisers as well. There were a total of zero people up at Vortex after the 70's show stopped.... not a typo. Zero! None of the crew was up there, no one. Truthfully, after another long day we were bagged and headed for bed, looking forward to sleeping in for our late 12pm arrival time the next day in Cagliari.

[Hoopster95]