LIVE from Wonder of the Seas Transatlantic April 2022

[taglovestocruise]

1 hour ago, laurieal said:

I just had the escargots for dinner. So delicious and buttery 😋 

 

I don’t think I know what the savory bites are, but it sounds like they’re no longer a thing?

Ask for them tonight and your waiter will probably comply. They have been moved to the secret menu along side the Indian dishes.

[Loucat]

In our RCC cruises, savory bites were small but WONDERFUL triangle shaped multigrain breads. They were passed when rolls and breads were offered. Loved them. Anyone have a different description of savory bites as that is what the waitstaff called them.

[Albert_Park]

10 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

Ask for them tonight and your waiter will probably comply. They have been moved to the secret menu along side the Indian dishes.

Indian dishes? I spotted Lamb Rogan Josh one night. Are there more and how do I find them?

[FionaMG]

1 hour ago, Albert_Park said:

Indian dishes? I spotted Lamb Rogan Josh one night. Are there more and how do I find them?

Just ask the wait staff. 

On our last cruise (Harmony in September) our waiter actually asked if any of us liked Indian food as there was a nighly Indian dish we could ask for if we did. I had a lamb one and it was excellent. 

[tx121]

3 hours ago, Albert_Park said:

Indian dishes? I spotted Lamb Rogan Josh one night. Are there more and how do I find them?

 

1 hour ago, FionaMG said:

Just ask the wait staff. 

On our last cruise (Harmony in September) our waiter actually asked if any of us liked Indian food as there was a nighly Indian dish we could ask for if we did. I had a lamb one and it was excellent. 

 

Since there are so many crew from India, the dishes are probably what they serve in the crew mess. If there is a request, there is no problem. I asked for Indian food one night in the MDR and every nite after, they brought me a different indian entree.

[Albert_Park]

2 hours ago, tx121 said:

 

 

Since there are so many crew from India, the dishes are probably what they serve in the crew mess. If there is a request, there is no problem. I asked for Indian food one night in the MDR and every nite after, they brought me a different indian entree.

That’s good to know. I shall remember that, though only planning on eating in MDR a few times.

 

[laurieal]

19 hours ago, trotzoll said:

Forgive me @laurieal if you mentioned it. I tried to search through all the posts...but is the entire show playing in the aqua theater now? I know for the first several cruises it wasn't completely ready yet.

I think it is, since it’s advertised as inTENse in the app. I have a reservation for tonight, so I will confirm once I’ve seen it. 

[laurieal]

On 4/29/2022 at 8:04 AM, AUgirl said:

The only question I can come up with for you (because you've been so informative) is have you heard who the next Cruise Director will be after Mike? I've read that he's leaving the Wonder after this cruise. Have your sleuthing skills uncovered the next Cruise Director?  

That was some pretty easy sleuthing. Someone asked the same question in one of the morning show shoutouts. 
 

We are picking up Michele from Italy and his wife Marley (I think?) today in Malaga. 

Edited April 30, 2022 by laurieal

[laurieal]

Day 10 Compass

 

 

 

 

[Digjharper]

Really enjoying your posts Laurieal and I think, like us, you are on the top deck enjoying an evening drink whilst awaiting our departure from Malaga followed by a gentle trip up the coast to our next destination. Should see a lot of the coast before darkness arrives.

[trotzoll]

1 hour ago, laurieal said:

I think it is, since it’s advertised as inTENse in the app. I have a reservation for tonight, so I will confirm once I’ve seen it. 

Perfect! Enjoy your day and the show.

[dolphingirl47]

On 4/29/2022 at 10:21 AM, laurieal said:

Oh, that’s fun! I know several people who are on the transatlantic were also invited to the two day events. Enjoy the ship and the horrible coffee 😉 

 

Have you been to a similar trade event before? Do they keep you super busy all the time or do you get some time to explore on your own a bit?

I was lucky to do two events like this in 2019 on MSC and Celebrity. For both of them, it was a nice mix of organised stuff like a presentation/ question and answer session with senior management and a scavenger hunt kind of game plus some things that were strongly encouraged like cabin tours mixed with plenty of free time to explore the ship and just chill. This will be my first Royal Caribbean event even though they are my favourite cruise line for my personal travel. I will do two almost back to back Alaska cruises with them in May just as vacation time.

 

Regarding the food question, it is the hot roast beef sandwich for me. I am literally dreaming about this by now. I had the last one in November 2019.

 

Corinna

[ocean sounds]

Thanks so much for taking the time to share this fun live review !  Your pics are great. 

(and yes, with your avatar, that pink octopus 🐙 earlier was just made for you.  Hope you have room for it)

 

 

Edited May 1, 2022 by ocean sounds
Added

[perfect match]

6 hours ago, ocean sounds said:

Thanks so much for taking the time to share this fun live review !  Your pics are great. 

(and yes, with your avatar, that pink octopus 🐙 earlier was just made for you.  Hope you have room for it)

 

 

I agree completely, both about this being a great review, and that certainly there’s a place somewhere in your luggage for a cute little pink 🐙 octopus! I know for sure that a live octopus can squeeze into an unbelievably tiny space. I’ve seen them do it. I’ll bet a stuffed one can, too.

[gumshoe958]

On 4/29/2022 at 9:57 PM, trotzoll said:

Forgive me @laurieal if you mentioned it. I tried to search through all the posts...but is the entire show playing in the aqua theater now? I know for the first several cruises it wasn't completely ready yet.

Having watched it last night, I’m not convinced it’s the finished product yet. It wasn’t the normal seamless 45 minute show - rather four or five individual sequences, each one introduced by the cruise director. Spectacular stuff, but felt like a ‘work in progress’ show - all the elements are there but they haven’t yet linked them together into a single piece.
 

I was sitting right behind Nick Weir who was making copious notes so I suspect there’s still some work to do.

[laurieal]

Day 10

 

Hello from the Lime & Coconut on deck 16. 

 

The last sea day of the crossing and I can hardly believe it. It feels like the end of an era. Skipping breakfast seems to be the compromise my body and I agree on, but I did visit my old friend the coffee machine in the diamond lounge. It was a two espresso shots kind of morning. 

 

There was an event for Diamond members and above in the Music Hall with people from the ice cast, aqua theatre cast and theatre cast (the one from Voices). It was very interesting and informative, but people…can we please not boo the performers, no matter where they are from and what’s going on in the world? 

 

Following that event, I went to the Royal Theatre where they were showing a documentary about The Effectors show on Odyssey. It looks technologically mind blowing. Has anyone seen it? What did you think?

 

 

In the afternoon, there was a music festival at the Aqua Theatre where all the bands aboard the ship were taking turns performing. 

 

 

 

It was my first time seeing such an activity on a ship and I think it’s an amazing idea as well as a great use of the Aqua Theatre. The weather was nice, the crowd seemed happy and relaxed, people were having beers and hot dogs…it really felt like a music festival. Hard to believe it’s been two years since I’ve last been to one. 

 

Once it was over, I returned to my stateroom to get ready for the last formal night of the crossing. I had a pre-dinner gin and tonic at Boleros and then met one of my friends for lobster in the MDR. I got the escargots (first time this cruise, how is this possible?), the roasted beef tenderloin with a lobster tail and the molten chocolate cake. It was my favourite dinner I’ve had in the MDR this cruise. Everything was excellent except for the sauce that came with the cake which didn’t have much flavour. 
 

 

 

 

After dinner, I had my second dessert (a chocolate martini) at Spotlight Karaoke to watch the game show Who Wants to be a Royal Caribbeanaire. I had never seen it before and I thought it was good fun. Once that was over, I met with some friends at the Mason Jar where the country trio was playing. I tried the Pretty as a Peach Tea, which I thought was delightful. 
 

 

 

I lost track of time and I was a bit late for the Variety Show of Pete Matthews and Jennifer Singer. I missed most of Pete’s show, which was the part I was most looking forward to, but Jennifer Singer was so good! I had enjoyed her previous performance, but I thought that one was even better. It’s like her song choices spoke directly to my soul (yes, my drinks vouchers were consumed in a shorter amount of time that evening, why do you ask?). 

 

That night, before I went to bed, I saw Africa from my balcony. 

[laurieal]

18 hours ago, Digjharper said:

Really enjoying your posts Laurieal and I think, like us, you are on the top deck enjoying an evening drink whilst awaiting our departure from Malaga followed by a gentle trip up the coast to our next destination. Should see a lot of the coast before darkness arrives.

That sounds like something I would do. A belated cheers to you! 🍹 

[laurieal]

1 hour ago, gumshoe958 said:

Having watched it last night, I’m not convinced it’s the finished product yet. It wasn’t the normal seamless 45 minute show - rather four or five individual sequences, each one introduced by the cruise director. Spectacular stuff, but felt like a ‘work in progress’ show - all the elements are there but they haven’t yet linked them together into a single piece.
 

I was sitting right behind Nick Weir who was making copious notes so I suspect there’s still some work to do.

Thank you for articulating perfectly what I thought about the show. All the parts are amazing, but the fact that the cruise director is introducing all the parts makes it seem more like a showcase than a show. 
 

Still a great and impressive show that’s 100% worth seeing. 
 

[trotzoll]

5 hours ago, gumshoe958 said:

Having watched it last night, I’m not convinced it’s the finished product yet. It wasn’t the normal seamless 45 minute show - rather four or five individual sequences, each one introduced by the cruise director. Spectacular stuff, but felt like a ‘work in progress’ show - all the elements are there but they haven’t yet linked them together into a single piece.
 

I was sitting right behind Nick Weir who was making copious notes so I suspect there’s still some work to do.

Oh wow! How cool to be sitting behind him! 

Thanks for the info. I'm hoping they'll have it all together by my June cruise. Regardless, I know we'll still enjoy it.

[laurieal]

Day 11

 

Hello from the Lime & Coconut on deck 16. I just want to make it clear that I’m not being held on deck 16 against my will. I just love it here when it’s sunny. 

 

That day, we were in Málaga. I had been there once before in 2016 during the Harmony of the Seas crossing and I had enjoyed it a lot, so I was looking forward to coming back. 

 

I had no excursions planned, so I decided to take things slow. I had breakfast in the Windjammer to build up some strength for the day. No visit to the friendly coffee machine this morning, because when in port you never know for sure when you’ll be able to find restrooms (especially accessible ones). 
 

 

I got off the ship with a couple of friends around 10am. By that time, it was pretty quiet as I assume most the excursion groups had left already. Gangway was on deck 5 and the elevators made it easy to find it. 

 

 

There were some shuttle buses available and according to the person we asked at the port we could have taken an accessible one. However, it’s a pretty flat and enjoyable 2km walk to the city center and we had already decided to do it on foot. We took our time and stopped often for pictures, so by the time we made it to the city center we had already been gone for an hour. 
 

 

 

 

 

Before the trip, when looking up interesting sights in Málaga on Google Maps, I had found a café that has the same name as my cat, so I had to visit it. Yes, this is how I do tourism. 
 

 

They had some pretty interesting shakes. I got the Nutella one, one of my friends got the caramel one, and my other friend got this beautiful Kinder piece of art. They were tasty, but holy sugar rush! The café also had a good selection of cakes and sandwiches, and everything looked delicious. Also important, the place had an accessible restroom. A very good pit stop, and all because of my cat. 

 

 

 

After that, we walked through the market, but it was Saturday and so busy that we were only thinking about getting out of there as quickly as possible. I was hoping to get the same smoked paprika I got back in 2016, but maybe another time when the market isn’t as people-ey. 

 

We strolled up Calle Marqués de Lario to Plaza de la Constitución, occasionally making a detour through a narrow street. We eventually made our way to the Cathedral and we stayed in the courtyard for a bit, but none of us really felt like going inside. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

After that, we wandered aimlessly until we found ourselves close to the Alcazaba. The guy manning the tourism desk told us there was an elevator, so we decided to check it out. It cost approximately €3 per person and they had a reduced rate for people with mobility issues. Once up, there was an exhibit about pottery, but that’s pretty much the only thing I could see. The nicest thing up there was the courtyard/garden, but that really wasn’t accessible. My friends did go in there and they brought back some amazing pictures. 
 

 

 

 

We were all pretty tired at that point, so we started looking for a place to stop and have a drink and a restroom break. We ended up at Starbucks and we enjoyed a refreshing beverage before slowly starting to make our way back to the ship. Again, we took our time and stopped often along the way to take pictures or visit some shops. 
 

 

 

Back on the ship, we had some snacks at El Loco Fresh and I got a Scarlett’s Tropical Sangria because we were in Spain. I liked it a lot and would get it again without hesitation. 
 

 

I hung out for a while at the Lime & Coconut on deck 16 while enjoying a very refreshing Lime & Coconut. I was hoping to catch the sail away from there, but eventually I had to leave for my reservation at Hooked. 

 

 

I wasn’t sure I wanted to try Hooked, because I had heard some mixed reviews, but when I ended up getting the 5 nights dining package I knew I had to eat there at one point. 

 

I was taking myself out on a date that evening and I’m not sure if it’s because I was dining solo or because he’s just that attentive, but my waiter at Hooked was very friendly and spent a lot of time chatting with me. With him and my table being right next to the window, I was never bored! When we sailed away, I had beautiful views. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I started things off with a glass of Spanish white wine (because we were in Spain). For my meal, I had the Clam & Crab chowder, the Captain’s Platter (without the fish, but with extra shrimp) with a side of lobster mac and cheese, and the Lemon Tart. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

I enjoyed my meal a lot. Everything tasted good and was well-prepared, and I never got the impression that something had been sitting under a heating lamp for a while (which is a comment I saw a couple of times). The Lemon tart, while tart and delicious, was a terrible idea and I ended up crossing the line between happy food belly and oh god please let me die. I should have asked my waiter, but I didn’t, so I’m asking you instead: can we take our dessert from the specialty restaurants back to our staterooms?

 

Out of the four meals I’ve had so far in specialty restaurants, I would probably say Hooked was my least favourite. Not because it wasn’t good, far from it, but I just thought the other ones were better. 

 

…aaand now I’m thinking about the bread from 150 Central Park again. 

 

Dinner was very quick, the whole thing took about an hour. I had plenty of time to make my way to the theatre for the Crew Show. It was a lot of fun with some very surprising performances along the way. 

 

Still feeling uncomfortably full from dinner, I agonized my way to the Aqua Theatre where I had a reservation for inTENse. I love the Aqua Theatre, I love aqua shows, I love when the cast makes all the water splash around, and I love groups of women warriors. So, yeah…I thought the show rocked. If I get the opportunity to see it again before the end of the cruise, I will. 
 

 

 

After the show, I went directly to my stateroom. I was exhausted from the day and still too full from dinner, so there was nothing else to do but allow my body to collapse. 

[laurieal]

Day 11 Compass

 

 

 

 

[trotzoll]

Oh my gosh, @laurieal, what a wonderful day. I'm looking forward to the Aqua Theatre show, so I appreciate hearing about it. And BTW, you just sold my husband on Hooked with what you had for dinner! 🤣

Again, thank you for keeping us up-to-date!

[bobmacliberty]

The way that you toured Malaga is our ideal way to tour a (small enough) city...wander around stopping here and there for food/drink/shopping/photos.  Looks like you had a great day.

[Buccaneergirl]

Loving your review!

We will be on Wonder in January for dh’s 60th birthday.

 

Absolutely yes for taking dessert from any restaurant back to your cabin. 
I do it every time in the specialty restaurants because I’m so full and then enjoy it around 1am when I get back to the cabin for the night.🤪

[Ozark_Kid]

@laurieal I have really enjoyed your review and great pics!  Good job!  
We have not tried a TA before.  What kind of effects, if any, does traveling through the time zones have.  I flew to Cambodia and back before and it messed my head up for awhile.  I was thinking if I flew overseas and then cruised back the time changing would not have much of an effect on me.  What do you think. 🤔