LIVE - Freedom of the Seas Transatlantic - Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale - Oct 22-Nov 5

[cltnccruisers]

thanks

[Newbcruiser1]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Newbcruiser1]

 

Sorry everyone - the internet is not working well enough to post pictures! I will continue Day 5 tomorrow, including another gorgeous sunset, and dinner!

 

And coming up tomorrow - Gran Canaria!

 

Have a great night and stay tuned!

 

 

 

 

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[breezy_carol]

I am enjoying your commentary and photos. Thank you!

[tamtot]

These photos are amazing! Thank you for sharing!

[Newbcruiser1]

Some more photos from the way back from El Teide:

 

 

2 more (much smaller) volcanos:

 

 

Back onboard I headed straight to the Promenade cafe for a sugar/caffeine fix with a caramel frappuccino with Baileys. Unfortunately the man serving me was a little clueless which made the process somewhat painful!

 

After freshening up and getting ready for dinner, I grabbed a margarita from the diamond lounge and headed outside to watch sailaway.

 

 

It turns out there was also a beautiful sunset!

 

 

 

I took my drink up to the helipad and it was even more beautiful!

 

 

 

 

 

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[Newbcruiser1]

And off we went!

 

 

 

Dinner tonight was in the main dining room. This was the second of 2 nights that our head waiter advised missing for specialty dining. We didn't heed that advice! Luckily all turned out fine!

 

 

I started with the smoked salmon tartare. My apologies - I was starving after not eating in 8 hours, so I devoured it before realizing that I forgot to take a picture! You'll have to use your imagination there!

 

I then had the calamari Greek salad. I had asked for an appetizer size but they sent a full portion:

 

 

The breaded mushrooms were great:

 

 

As was the mushroom and goat cheese pizza (although the crust could have used some work!):

 

 

 

 

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[Newbcruiser1]

And the chocolate banana streudel:

 

 

It was "white night" and there was a poolside party. Unfortunately they listed the start time as 10pm but didn't actually start the dancing until 10:45 so I think a lot of people had left. I didn't stay long either due to the early morning that would follow. Nonetheless, it looked like a decent turnout!

 

 

I returned to my room to find a little baby waiting for me! I've never seen one of these! So cute!

 

 

 

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[Newbcruiser1]

Welcome to day 6 onboard the Freedom of the Seas! Today we're in Gran Canaria!

 

 

 

 

 

I woke up bright and early at 6:00am for an 8:00 tour! Had breakfast in the Windjammer:

 

 

We're just tying up to the pier and I'm off to meet up with the excursion group! More later - including what the actual tour is! [emoji6]

 

 

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[deltableh]

Looked like a fantastic sunset the other night; I love living in Florida because we get those incredible pink-and-orange sunsets all the time, but they never get old. Also, your shot of the lava sedimentation is very cool. Might have to add that to my travel bucket-list.

[Newbcruiser1]

Some pictures from our arrival this morning:

 

 

 

My tour today was booked via RCI - "Southwestern Delights" - it was advertised to be a guided tour to 2 resort towns.

 

 

We were off to a bit of a rough start, as we sat in the theatre well after the tour was scheduled to start. Eventually, we were called to the bus and we sat there for quite a while as well, advised that 7 guests were still missing. We ended up leaving without them (by that point, the guests and the tour were 45 minutes late).

 

So apparently the Canaries are in a heat wave this week. Their air systems usually come from the north east which means cool breezes with maximum temperatures of around 25 Celsius even in the summer. They are currently in record-breaking hot weather because they have an unusual system bringing the wind from the Sahara Desert. This has caused warmer air, lower humidity (30% instead of 60ish %), and a haziness in the air due to suspended dust/sand.

 

The bus was uncomfortably hot and everyone was asking the tour guide to turn up the air conditioning. He told us that it was on the maximum and he couldn't do anything else. Clearly it wasn't working.

 

We went to Puerto de Mogan first - this is a town with a beach, marina, shopping, and market. We had about an hour there to explore.

 

 

 

 

 

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[Newbcruiser1]

Puerto de Mogan continued:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Newbcruiser1]

More from Puerto de Mogan:

 

 

 

After an hour in Puerto de Mogan, we were back on the steamy bus. The tour guide finally acknowledged that the air conditioning wasn't working, and that something must have happened between that morning and the time we got on it. He then changed that to "it was working yesterday"... he mentioned that they could get another bus but it would have been a half hour wait. I don't know WHY he didn't order that other bus when he let us off an hour and 15 minutes earlier... so off we went with the vents blowing hot hair and the curtains closed trying to block the sun.

 

Next stop: Maspalomas! Note - this stop has some hotels, but the biggest attraction is the sand dunes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Newbcruiser1]

More from Maspalomas:

 

 

When we got dropped off, our tour guide had said he would try to get another bus. What do you know - the same sauna bus shows up to pick us up. So back onto the flaming bus from hell we went! [emoji849]He spent the whole ride back to the ship trying to convince us that it was cooler now (it wasn't!). The icing on the cake - on arrival back to the ship, they wouldn't open the back doors so we could unload (and breathe!) faster - we had to funnel through the front doors past the driver and guide who were anxiously awaiting their tips! Eeek!

 

So needless to say we saw some beautiful sites, but the tour was a major disappointment. It also felt more like shopping stops than anything else.

 

I quickly reboarded the ship to cool off. I first grabbed a diamond freebie frappuccino, and then headed back to my room to put my hair up, sandals on, and try to freshen up a little. I had lunch in the Windjammer:

 

 

They have these meringues everyday (with some variation) which are incredible!

 

 

I then headed back off the ship to explore the port area and take some pictures.

 

 

 

 

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[Pia1913]

If you haven't already done so, put in a formal complaint to the shorex desk. I'm sure you will receive some kind of compensation.

[bitsy123]

Fantastic review and photos . Thanks for posting. Looking forward to more. My parents are also on this cruise ....Enjoy !!!

[Newbcruiser1]

More photos from my walk around the port area:

 

 

 

This beautiful mall is right at the port exit a 3 minute walk from the ship!

 

 

 

Back onboard the ship the air seemed to be getting sandier and more hazy!

 

 

 

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[Newbcruiser1]

 

 

There wouldn't be a clear sunset tonight!

 

 

I went for a dip in the pool to cool off, and then wandered the ship to watch sailaway at 5pm!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Newbcruiser1]

 

I grabbed a quick snack in the Windjammer:

 

 

Then got ready for dinner. I stopped off at the shore excursion desk to file a complaint about the tour today. People had already beat me to it so there was already a report in progress. She added my comments and room number and said that it would be sent to their head office in Miami and some other places and they would determine compensation (if any). So she said at some point in the next 8 days, they'll call me.

 

Dinner tonight was in the MDR:

 

 

I had the salmon appetizer:

 

 

And the BLT salad appetizer:

 

 

And then the steak - which wasn't to my liking. My tablemates said they found it average and thought it was okay. I found the texture to be really weird so I didn't eat it. I did enjoy the veggies though since it wasn't the typical half-cooked broccoli and carrots that fly across the room when you try to stick a fork in them!

 

 

 

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[Newbcruiser1]

I finished with the walnut tart which was delicious!

 

 

My tablemates had the drunken kahlua cake and enjoyed it!

 

 

I am now sitting in Bolero's watching the action and enjoying the music! Because there are a lot of Spanish people on this cruise, Bolero's has been hopping every night!

 

Coming up tomorrow: Day 7 (uh oh! Halfway already!!!!) in La Palma! Yes, THAT La Palma that has had several clusters of hundreds of earthquakes over the last few weeks, with subsequent volcano alerts and fears of a resultant tsunami! And what will I be doing in La Palma? You guessed it! A Volcano tour! Of THAT volcano! And no, Royal Caribbean and the tour operator have not cancelled it. So I will go with the happy thought that scientists are REALLY good at predicting precisely when a volcano will erupt, and that now is not that time! [emoji6]Actually the answer I got from the shore excursions desk was "If you see lava - RUN!!!". Good advice! [emoji38]

 

Stay tuned for more tomorrow!

 

 

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[Pia1913]

Jen, I have a question about Diamond perks, since they seem to vary from ship to ship. During happy hours, can you get your drinks in the specialty restaurants, Windjammer or MDR? This is an ongoing thread, and nobody as yet has given info re: Freedom. Thanks.

[Newbcruiser1]

Jen, I have a question about Diamond perks, since they seem to vary from ship to ship. During happy hours, can you get your drinks in the specialty restaurants, Windjammer or MDR? This is an ongoing thread, and nobody as yet has given info re: Freedom. Thanks.

 

 

 

This seems to vary by ship and even by sailing. I am unsure on this sailing whether the drinks can be used in the dining venues because I have late seating which is after happy hour ends. Having said that, my waiter has brought me a diamond Diet Coke each night when I arrive. I haven't asked for refills or for wine or anything like that. I simply pick up my drink on my way to dinner and drink it with dinner! :) I have even picked up a Baileys and left it in my fridge for after dinner as well! Haha!

 

 

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[Newbcruiser1]

Hello from day 7 onboard the Freedom of the Seas! Today we are in La Palma, our last port stop before the next 7 sea days!

 

 

 

 

 

We once again arrived before sunrise - at 7:00am!

 

 

I decided to try the main dining room' buffet for breakfast today, and I'm so glad I did!!! It was nearly empty (hard to know if that was due to the time of 6:45 or if it's typically half empty). They had a nice spread with fruit, smoked salmon, pastries, croissants, cheese, meats, thick French toast, pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, frittata, and an omelette station.

 

 

 

 

 

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[Newbcruiser1]

My tour today was once again booked through RCI and was the "Volcano and Wine" tour. The meeting time was 7:30am in the theatre.

 

We first drove to a winery high up in the mountains. It took well over an hour to get there, mostly on switchback roads! Wine tasting at 9:30am was interesting! Haha!

 

 

 

 

 

Look at all of the temperature control switches!

 

 

 

 

 

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[Newbcruiser1]

The next stop (and main attraction of the day!) was San Antonio Volcano! Yes, THAT volcano that's been all over the news! It last erupted in 1971, and according to some scientists, is due to erupt again any time now. We were able to walk halfway around the crater. The tour description was on point with the disclaimer that you must be able to walk 3/4 of a mile on uneven ground. Unfortunately a few on our bus did not heed those warnings and were forced to stay on the bus. There was also a small visitor's centre there. It was really neat looking into the crater which is now filled with trees! Also, check out the size of the people walking along the rim for a reference of size!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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