Newbcruiser1 Posted October 21, 2017 Author #26 Share Posted October 21, 2017 Lunch consisted of a quick bite of tapas-style dishes. I had the meatballs and patatas bravas au gratin with pesto (essentially cheesy fries with pesto!). Lunch was passable but nothing special. On my way out, I snapped this picture of Placa Espanya: Notice the relative lack of people? I found out soon after where they all were. An estimated 450,000 people were in the city centre on Passeig de Gracia (outside of Gaudi's Casa Batllo) near Placa Catalunya protesting Spain's move to take away the Catalonian president's power. Needless to say I'm happy I opted to stay in this part of town this time around! Next up - dinner! I asked the executive concierge for a recommendation for tapas and was referred somewhere a 7 minute walk away. Unfortunately when I got there, the menu did not appeal to me. As such, I returned to the hotel and finally fed my sushi craving at the hotel's restaurant, Kurai. I had veggie tempura and a tempura avocado roll with salmon in Japanese mayo on top. Both were delicious, although it was not cheap at 25 euros including a glass of wine! Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newbcruiser1 Posted October 21, 2017 Author #27 Share Posted October 21, 2017 After dinner I went to see the Magic Fountains show! Unfortunately it was a complete madhouse with thousands of people packed in, so I watched from a little bit further away. Nonetheless, it was still beautiful! I then ended my evening out on a sweet note with gelato from the lower level of the arena mall (baccio and tiramisu, if anyone is wondering!) That's it for today! Next up - embarkation day tomorrow! Thanks to everyone that is following and stay tuned! Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tee & Chilli Posted October 21, 2017 #28 Share Posted October 21, 2017 Great start. Looking forward to more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCWalton1 Posted October 21, 2017 #29 Share Posted October 21, 2017 Wow, this is terrific. Thank you for taking the time to bring us along. Looking forward to your report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitsy123 Posted October 22, 2017 #30 Share Posted October 22, 2017 Following and looking forward to your posts..my parents are also on this cruise ...Enjoy !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraapp Posted October 22, 2017 #31 Share Posted October 22, 2017 Thanks for sharing! My sister is on this cruise wish I would have signed up for it! Have a great time! I will be following! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hancogran Posted October 22, 2017 #32 Share Posted October 22, 2017 Another fellow Canuck here ! :D.. Have a fantastic cruise ! Hope it's a smoother journey back to Fort Lauderdale than what you experienced on the way over. We're sailing Freedom in April so I'm anxious to read about your trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sg1phileshipper Posted October 22, 2017 #33 Share Posted October 22, 2017 Thank you! Wonderful review. Boarding day! I can’t wait [emoji4] Cindy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandj05 Posted October 22, 2017 #34 Share Posted October 22, 2017 Looking forward to your posts! We are doing our first TA on the Rhapsody leaving Nov 5th. Can't wait! Sent from my SM-G900V using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandj05 Posted October 22, 2017 #35 Share Posted October 22, 2017 After dinner I went to see the Magic Fountains show! Unfortunately it was a complete madhouse with thousands of people packed in, so I watched from a little bit further away. Nonetheless, it was still beautiful! I then ended my evening out on a sweet note with gelato from the lower level of the arena mall (baccio and tiramisu, if anyone is wondering!) That's it for today! Next up - embarkation day tomorrow! Thanks to everyone that is following and stay tuned! Sent from my iPhone using Forums Where is the magic fountain? Sent from my SM-G900V using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roofire Posted October 22, 2017 #36 Share Posted October 22, 2017 Following. Interested in finding out what you get upto on the sea days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwazi07 Posted October 22, 2017 #37 Share Posted October 22, 2017 Looking forward to following along! Can’t wait to see how you “bring her to me”...I’ll be on in March! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orla56 Posted October 22, 2017 #38 Share Posted October 22, 2017 Kandj05 if you look at the pic with the roundabout in post 24, the magic fountain takes place between the two big pillars in the pic. It's great to see but it gets very busy. We stayed at the Silken Concordance which is a five min walk away from the fountains and the mall and very close to the port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pamela27 Posted October 22, 2017 #39 Share Posted October 22, 2017 Following along, never been on Freedom. Doing a b2b on her in May from San Juan. Looking forward to seeing what's on this ship. Enjoy your cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citymom92 Posted October 22, 2017 #40 Share Posted October 22, 2017 Great thread! Can't wait to read all about it. A transatlantic is now on my bucket list! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krb1000 Posted October 22, 2017 #41 Share Posted October 22, 2017 Hello! We are on Celebrity Reflection, also heading yo FLL ...we just followed Freedom out of Barcelona harbor...and now, almost two hours later...it appears you all are returning to port???? Did you have a medical emergency on board? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newbcruiser1 Posted October 22, 2017 Author #42 Share Posted October 22, 2017 Where is the magic fountain? Sent from my SM-G900V using Forums mobile app It is located near Placa Espanya. Is not in the main city centre area (Placa Catalunya) but is easily accessible by foot (30 minutes) or by metro. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newbcruiser1 Posted October 22, 2017 Author #43 Share Posted October 22, 2017 Embarkation Day! I started my day with a short walk next door to the food court area of the Arena mall for a delicious chocolate croissant - sorry, no pictures as I devoured it too quickly! I then took a taxi to the port. The driver did not speak English but somehow with lots of Spanglish on both our parts, he got me to the right place! The ride was 14 euros, although 4 of those were from a major traffic jam over the bridge to the port. Against my usual embarkation day process, I decided not to rush to the ship. Having been on several Freedom-class ships before, I was not in a hurry to explore, and being a 14 night cruise, I also wasn't in a hurry to start the fun! That turned out to be a wise decision as I did not hit any line ups anywhere throughout the check-in process. I was through security, checked in, and onboard within 20 minutes! I killed a little bit of time on the Promenade until rooms were ready to drop off my carry-on. They were ready right on time at 1pm. Sadly I am sailing in an inside room this time. I don't typically don't sail in regular insides, although I have had Promenade rooms and virtual balcony rooms in the past. I was a little bit surprised to see the lack of any gap around the bed, but have asked my room attendant to shift the bed over to 1 wall tonight so that I can walk around 1 side of the bed. I then headed up to the Windjammer for a late lunch at 2:30. Strangely, it was still quite busy. Unfortunately lunch was extremely underwhelming. My plate consisted of this sad selection: But this made it a smidge better!! The muster drill took place at 4:15, and then it was up to the Cruise Critic meet-up at the Sky Bar! It was completely packed, but we had a great view of the sailaway party going on below: Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newbcruiser1 Posted October 22, 2017 Author #44 Share Posted October 22, 2017 I took a walk around the ship as we sailed out of Barcelona. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newbcruiser1 Posted October 22, 2017 Author #45 Share Posted October 22, 2017 Because of the number of Crown and Anchor members on this cruise, happy hour has been spread out. Pinnacles are allowed in the Diamond Lounge, diamond plus and above in Olive or Twist in the Viking Crown Lounge, and diamond are in the Star Lounge. So off I went for a diamond drink! I later found myself at the Promenade Cafe for a snack after my unsubstantial lunch: Unfortunately we are headed back towards Barcelona for a medical emergency. More later! Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarea Posted October 22, 2017 #46 Share Posted October 22, 2017 ... Unfortunately we are headed back towards Barcelona for a medical emergency. More later! Sorry to hear that, hope it all turns out OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biker19 Posted October 22, 2017 #47 Share Posted October 22, 2017 I was a little bit surprised to see the lack of any gap around the bed, but have asked my room attendant to shift the bed over to 1 wall tonight so that I can walk around 1 side of the bed. You should see that "lack of gap" on Empress.:eek: You might try splitting the beds for easier access. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfoot Posted October 22, 2017 #48 Share Posted October 22, 2017 Great pictures and start to this review. I'm yet to do a TA, so I'm following along to get ideas. Thank you for taking the time to do this. Safe sailing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfoot Posted October 22, 2017 #49 Share Posted October 22, 2017 [quote Sent from my iPhone using Forums I love this pic. The drink and the stirer with RC emblem set up just right. Centered in the reflection of the setting sun. Perfect! Not sure if it was planned that way, but well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishLassie Posted October 22, 2017 #50 Share Posted October 22, 2017 Loving your review so far & your pictures are great. Hoping to do a TA some time. Look forward to more of your review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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