Another cruise gone sideways…. We had originally booked three sequential cruises on the Rhapsody of the Seas:
- Cruise 1 (Nov 1, 2023): Haifa -> Haifa (5-day cruise)
- Cruise 2 (Nov 6, 2023): Haifa -> Barcelona (6-day cruise)
- Cruise 3 (Nov 12, 2023): Barcelona -> Ft Lauderdale (14-day cruise)
However, due to the recent unrest (aka: war) in Israel, the first two cruises were cancelled a couple weeks before we were scheduled to depart. We scrambled to change our outbound flights and the pre-cruise lodging, and everything came together for a shortened cruise. Our current itinerary is as follows:
November 7, 2023 – Tuesday – Travel Day
We are so fortunate to once again be able to have a travel/cruise adventure with Mom and Dad. Our journey started with a late evening flight to Newark departing Seattle about 11:00pm. The flight was pretty smooth and we both got a little sleep.
November 8, 2023 – Wednesday (partly cloudy, comfortable) Travel Day
We arrived in Newark about 7:00am. Mom and Dad had arrived just a short time earlier. Since our layover is over 12 hours it was necessary to claim our luggage and go through the process of checking it again. Mom and Dad had already done that when we met them in the United Club. It was so wonderful to see them again! We settled in a comfortable corner of the lounge then the two of us went to deal with our luggage. Back in the new and expansive lounge we enjoyed a hot buffet and coffee, and had a chance to visit and rest. It was a long day but went by surprisingly fast. We talked and enjoyed each other’s company, drank various beverages, and visited the buffet a few times. We all boarded our flight which departed to Barcelona at 7:15pm. After wine and dinner the cabins lights were dimmed. We managed some off and on sleep after Laurie watched a documentary and Pat did some reading. Towards the end of the flight the lights came back up and we were served hot breakfast sandwiches and beverages.
November 9, 2023 – Thursday (partly cloudy, comfortable) Barcelona, Spain
We landed slightly early about 6:30 am and went through the long queue to go through passport control. Our luggage was waiting for us on the carousel by then so we retrieved our bags and waited in another long taxi line that went pretty quick. Our taxi van made it to our Airbnb (Avinguda de la Verge de Montserrat, 146 Piso 2 1, El Prat de Llobregat) about 10:30 where we met our host Ana. She was extremely friendly and helpful, showing us around the apartment and giving us neighborhood information. The apartment is an extremely clean 2-bedroom, 2-bath (both walk-in showers, one ensuite) which was very nicely decorated and comfortable. We are in apartment 1 on the 2nd floor (3rd floor by American counting) and there’s a tiny elevator that fits 3 people. The area is residential, not touristy at all, with close-by grocery stores, fruit and vegetable stores, coffee places, and places to get something to eat. Soon after Ana left we were settled in and it was nap time. Late afternoon we did the short walk to Carrefour Express to pick up a few groceries for breakfast. Laurie went and ordered a pizza for us and brought it back to our place. It was a unique pizza that had little pieces of thinly sliced meat (beef? lamb?), onions, and a bit of sauce under a thick layer of cheese. (The pizza guy didn’t speak English.) It was different but very good. During the evening we visited and watched CNN until we turned in about 10:00.
November 10, 2023 – Friday (66 degrees, sunny in the morning with some high level clouds moving in in the afternoon)
Everyone slept well and was up early (between 6:00-7:00 am). Laurie went for an early morning walk around the neighborhood. We all had coffee and pastries for breakfast at some point before 9:00. A lazy day relaxing, chatting, reading, dozing, and watching CNN. In the late afternoon the two of us took a quick walk to the grocery store that we’ve used before (down by Ciutat) and bought a “garbage” salad. The apartment had olive oil and vinegar to dress the salad which was delicious with the leftover pizza from yesterday. We also picked up some yummy ice cream that we had a little bit of later in the evening. M&D went to bed about 8:45. We followed 9:30-10:00.
November 11, 2023 – Saturday (66 degrees, partly cloudy)
A repeat of yesterday until dinner. We ventured across the street to try a tapas place called La Canareva about 6:00 pm. Our dining time was early for the locals, so there only were a couple people there. But by 7:00 it was almost filled up. We had a cute waitress who spoke only a little English but used her phone to help us put together a delicious assortment of tapas along with a pitcher of refreshing sangria. They gave us some free tapas to start which was a thin meat and sauced filled bread. This was followed by anchovies & olives in vinegar, fried anchovies, grilled shrimp, tomato bread, seafood twisters (very thin shrimp filled crispy bread cones), and breaded crunchy chicken strips with a yummy dip. Everything was delicious. Our only disappointment was that they didn’t have any potatoes – so no Patatas Bravas. After relaxing at the apartment for a little while we finished off the ice cream, relaxed a bit more, then headed off to bed.
November 12, 2023 – Sunday (65 degrees, partly cloudy)
The same start to our morning which had a beautiful, colorful sunrise. The two of us made a quick trip to Carrefour for a bottle of white wine and a couple things for Mom. Ana arrived about 10:45 to help us get a large taxi and see us off. Unfortunately, when we got down to the street a running/walking marathon was just starting and the street was closed to traffic. It was really great that Ana was there to arrange for a taxi to pick us up on another street a couple blocks away by the train station. She also helped us schlep the luggage to the new pick up spot. Ana and her apartment were both wonderful and we’d absolutely stay at her place again. The taxi brought us to the port (about 40 euros) where we went through several quick lines and boarded the ship about noon. The cabins were ready so we dropped off our stuff, met our room attendant Mark, and then headed up to Windjammer for lunch. Surprisingly it was not crowded yet. We took care of visiting our muster station before heading back to the cabins to rest and wait for our luggage to arrive so we could officially get settled into our home away from home for the next 2 weeks. At 5:00 we met up with M&D for Happy Hour. We headed to the Crown Lounge (formerly the Diamond Lounge) which is located within the larger Shall We Dance Lounge. It turned out there was an event going on which we we were entitled to attend with free cocktails and appetizers so we found a nice spot away from everyone else to sit and visit. Our evening choice for dinner was using a BOGO at Chops where we enjoyed delicious food and wine. We returned to the room but decided to go back out to get a Cruise Compass and take a brief walk to settle our dinner. As we passed the theater we noticed a show just starting so we stopped in for a few minutes to check it out. The warm up acts were singing and dancing, followed by acrobats performing on a hoop and silk curtains. It got repetitive pretty fast so it was back to the cabin to crash for the night after a long day.
Notes: The Cruise Director is Michelle (says “ladies and gentlemen” A LOT when she talks), and the Activities Manager is Jerry. The ship is a bit worn if you look close but very clean with dated decor but easy to get around because of it’s size. All the staff seems very friendly and attentive.
November 13, 2023 – Monday (75 degrees, sunny) – Alicante, Spain
We had an early morning in the Crown Lounge but the coffee machine was out of milk so we hit Cafe Latte-tudes for our free daily “fancy” coffee and found a quiet corner of the Centrum on deck 4 to enjoy our coffee before returning to our cabin, which was very warm upon awakening due to blasting warm air despite being set to cool air. M&D were up early so we left right away to have breakfast in Windjammer at 8:00. The timing was great because there were lots of empty tables, which was not the case by the time we left. All four of us made our way to the Solarium to stretch out on padded lounge chairs to read and nap. M&D went back to their cabin and we decided to get a little exercise and walk into town just as a shuttle was just leaving, so we hopped on. We walked along the waterfront enjoying the views of the marina with our ship in the distance, and the architecture of the buildings lining the other side of the boulevard that follows the shoreline. We walked all the way back to the ship rather than take the shuttle, with Pat hugging the wall to try to stay in the shade. We probably walked about 3 miles overall. Showers refreshed us and got us ready for Happy Hour. We were happy in the same corner as yesterday away from other people. We mostly chatted and then listened to a Spanish band performing towards the end of Happy Hour before heading to the dining room. Since we boarded the ship Laurie has been trying to straighten out our dinner reservations. Instead of putting us at our requested table for four they put the two of us at a table for eight and M&D at My Time Dining. They did seat us tonight with the promise of a table for four tomorrow. Dinner was good then we turned in for the night.
November 14, 2023 – Tuesday (75 degrees, sunny) – Malaga, Spain
Today the coffee machine in the Crown Lounge was working but Laurie hasn’t found any hot chocolate mix yet. Another 8:00 breakfast in Windjammer followed by time relaxing and reading in the Solarium. Our cabins still weren’t cleaned at 11:00 so when the room attendant, Mark, came we went up on deck 9 to sit in the sun and read. A while later we looked around the lunch fare at Windjammer and got some hot chocolate mix. On the way back out onto deck 9 Pat got a ice cream cone. After a while we went back our cabin for nice, long naps. Again our Happy Hour spot was a corner of the Shall We Dance Lounge. It was only a short walk across the dance floor to the appetizers. There was another live band that played some disco/soul music which was a nice backdrop but a bit loud. We finally had an assigned table in the dining room for the 8:00 seating for the rest of the cruise. Percival and Lucy were wonderful as waiter and assistant waiter, and the table is closer to the doors with a ramp making it easier to access. Our dinner was delicious and was soon consumed and we were back in our cabins for the night. About 10:00 we went through the Strait of Gibraltar, leaving the Mediterranean and sailing into the Atlantic. Overnight we turned our clocks back for the first of six time changes.
November 15, 2023 – Wednesday (79 degrees, hazy sun) At Sea
This morning, the Atlantic brought a bit of rolling movement for the first time on this cruise. The two of us had our early morning coffee in the lounge, and then the four of us had breakfast before 8:00 in Windjammer. M&D went off to the casino and we went off to the Solarium to read. The pool was closed due to the sloshing of the water. They opened it a little later even though it seemed to still be rocking. M&D stopped for a visit but didn’t stay. We relaxed in our cabin until getting dressed for our first formal night and heading out about 5:30 for Happy Hour where we had our usual corner. Dinner was delicious with tender beef tenderloin with a tasty peppercorn sauce. Some of our fellow diners with the same waiter ate elsewhere so our service was quicker than usual and we were done before 9:30 which as nice.
November 16, 2023 – Thursday (82 degrees, sunny) – Lanzarote, Canary Islands
The coffee machine was not working again in the Crown Lounge so we got our free specialty coffee for the day at Cafe Latte-tudes and sat on deck 4 of the Centrum. The Windjammer was crowded for our 8:00 breakfast with other passengers wanting to get off the ship at 9:30. We found a table by the window where we could watch the happenings on the dock where they were getting ready for passengers to disembark. The huge parking lot had several large areas with many different cacti planted in black volcanic soil which really made the bright cacti colors pop. Then the 4 of us stretched out in the Solarium for about five hours of napping, reading, visiting, and Sudoku. M&D went down to their cabin while we walked around deck 10 to check out the surrounding area. This town didn’t have anything interesting enough to take the long walk (or pay for a taxi) into town. We snacked on cookies and ice cream before returning to our cabin until Happy Hour. We got our usual corner in the Shall We Dance Lounge where we are finding that Jo and Maria provide good service and generous drinks, although Jo does charge us for doubles whereas Maria just charges us for singles (while providing doubles). The Rhapsody of the Seas Orchestra provided some wonderful big band music which we enjoyed. We finished off the evening with dinner in the dining room.
November 17, 2023 – Friday (mid-70’s, sunny) – Tenerife, Canary Islands
We were entertained during our early coffee in the lounge by a large cruise ship backing in to park in front of us. Our usual Windjammer for breakfast and then relaxing, reading, napping, and chatting in the Solarium. The pool and hot tubs were closed so it was especially quiet. We’ve been to Tenerife before and decided to just stay on the ship and enjoy not having crowds anywhere. Spent the rest of the afternoon in our cabin until Happy Hour at 5:30. Once again we enjoyed each other’s company in the Shall We Dance Lounge and listened to live music until dinner at 8:00 in the dining room.
November 18, 2023 – Saturday (upper 70’s, mostly sunny) At Sea
We met in the Schooner Bar where Laurie was waiting for Pat because some guy was sneezing in the Crown Lounge. We got specialty coffees from Cafe Latte-tudes and read in the Centrum. Breakfast was once again in Windjammer with M&D. The guys took Mom up to the spa to see about getting her hair washed there while Pat found lounge chairs in the Solarium. They wanted to charge $59 for a shampoo so, of course, Mom passed on that. Another relaxing morning in the Solarium until it got too hot for the ladies. M&D went off to the shops while we went up to deck 11 to check out the Crown Viking Lounge. Our seating overlooked the pool and it was a good quiet spot to read until a congested cougher came in. As we left we saw the door to the Concierge Lounge was open so we ducked in to have a look. It was pretty small with all 2-person tables. There was a coffee machine with fruit and cookies to eat. We stayed for awhile (even though with our status we weren’t supposed to be there) before heading down to our cabin to read and rest. Our usually routine of Happy Hour in the Shall We Dance Lounge and dinner in the dining room. Nothing very exciting but we are all relaxing and enjoying each others company while we try to stay away from crowds (such as theater shows) and anyone who coughs or sneezes much.
November 19, 2023 – Sunday (upper 70’s, mostly cloudy) – At Sea
Started our morning in the Crown Lounge before joining M&D to head up to Windjammer for breakfast. Then it was on to the Solarium once again. Noonish, M&D went off for coffee in the lounge, and we went to our cabin to watch TV. Something different today – we had Happy Hour in the Schooner Bar! Our old haunt from many prior cruises. We had our own area at the end away from other people. There was a violinist providing background music which sure was a lot easier to talk over than the loud, live bands other days. Our server gave us good sized drinks and only charged for a single. Before long it was time to have a pleasant dinner in the dining room to end our day. (Another 1 hour back time change.)
November 20, 2023 – Monday (mid-70’s, mostly sunny) – At Sea
Our usually morning – Crown Lounge for early coffee followed by Windjammer breakfast, and then reading/relaxing in the Solarium. Then M&D went off to order photos and visit the casino, while we returned to our cabin. Once again we had Happy Hour in the Schooner Bar with violin music as a backdrop. We had a 7:30 dinner in Giovanni’s Italian Restaurant where we ate too much delicious food ranging from a cheese and cured meat board to Tiramisu, with Osso Bucco and filets in between. We enjoyed everything but the filet was the clear winner. With very full tummies we slowly made our way to our cabins for the night. We moved the clocks back another hour – now 5 hours ahead of home.
November 21, 2023 – Tuesday (high 70’s, partly sunny, humid, windy – increasing during the day) – At Sea
We had coffee in the Crown Lounge then moved to the Schooner Bar to chat before returning to the room. Windjammer provided our breakfast and then we retreated to the Solarium. It started to get hot a little earlier than usual so M&D went off to do their own thing, and we went out to read in a shaded area near the pool area where there was a refreshing breeze. Little by little it got windier so we decided to head in, first going up to deck 10 to walk a circuit on the track. It was extremely windy up there, but the ship wasn’t rocking much at that point. The wind brought with it clouds and rain. We went back to the Shall We Dance Lounge for Happy Hour where Maria served us generous drinks and only charged us for singles. We also had access to the hot and cold appetizers there. It was relatively quiet until a Latin band started at 7:00 so we got in some good conversation before they started. Then it was off to dinner in the dining room to finish off our day.
November 22, 2023 – Wednesday (mid-70’s, mostly cloudy, very windy) – At Sea
Overnight the wind and waves increased and the ship started to rock quite a bit. Being that our cabins are on deck 2 closer to the water the huge waves often sounded like thunder. At least one washed up over our window. We were in the lounge for coffee early (Laurie 5:00ish, Pat 5:40ish) where the movement was more pronounced on deck 6. Doors to the outside were closed or roped off throughout the ship due to the hazards on deck, therefore the pools/hot tubs were all closed and all outside activities were cancelled. Since it was so rocky we decided to have breakfast in the dining room so our food would be brought to us instead of staggering around Windjammer. The food was good but we all thought Windjammer was better. M&D went their way and we went to the Solarium to read. Noonish, we checked out photos Royal had taken of us and stopped in the casino where we met M&D. Pat used her $6 slot credit but didn’t win a thing. M&D went back to their cabin while we stopped and used our free specialty credit to get mocha Frappuccinos which were yummy. Then we went to our cabin. Later in the afternoon we were bored and went for a walk around the ship. Laurie lost his $6 slot credit, and we stopped by the Crown Lounge for a cookie. On our way back to the cabin we saw that the doors outside were now open although we were still rocking. Our Happy Hour was in the Shall We Dance Lounge followed by dinner in the dining room. Moved the clocks back 1 hour.
November 23, 2023 – Thursday – Happy Thanksgiving! (80ish, mostly sunny) – At Sea
Our first Thanksgiving away from the kids 🙁 but with M&D 🙂 Another very early start (5-5:30) in the lounge for coffee. The stairways were decorated with various cute towel turkeys. Some were holding the business cards of room attendants. Windjammer breakfast – morning on lounge chairs in the Solarium. When it started to get too warm M&D went off and we moved to lounge chairs in breezy shade outside near the pool. About 2:00 we decided it might be getting more sunny than cloudy so we put on swimsuits and spent about 1-1/2 hours in the sun on deck 10 until it started getting cloudy again. We refreshed with showers then met M&D for Happy Hour in the Shall We Dance Lounge. The dining served a Thanksgiving-themed dinner which we all opted for. The food was very good but their idea of stuffing is a bit strange – unusually seasoned stuffing in a roll then sliced into discs. It will be great to have the homemade version when we get home. Our last time change. Now we are on Florida time – 3 hours ahead of home.
November 24, 2023 – Friday (80ish, sunny) – At Sea
Laurie was in the lounge about 5:00, with Pat joining him at 5:30. We got to watch the sunrise out the back of the ship. It wasn’t very colorful but still amazing with streaks of clouds and the reddish globe of the sun slowly climbing over the horizon. The ocean was extremely smooth with the small swells creating by the ship looking like thick, rolling oil. We had an early breakfast (7:15) in the very busy Windjammer with M&D before we went off to do our own thing. First we read in the sun in lounge chairs next to the pool until a fitness class started at 9:00. It was getting hot already so we changed into swimsuits, greased up, and found good lounge chairs on deck 10. We enjoyed the heat of the sun tempered by refreshing breezes. Once we had enough we retreated to our cabin to shower, nap, read, do computer stuff, watch news, etc. We had Happy Hour in the Shall We Dance Lounge followed by dinner in the dining room. Lobster night! We all chose the yummy lobster dinner to end our last day at sea.
November 25, 2023 – Saturday (80ish, mostly cloudy, chance of rain) – Grand Bahama Island/Freeport
Another early start in the Crown Lounge. After sunrise we could see that it was cloudy and by the time we met up with M&D to go to Windjammer about 7:15 it was raining out. The sun made a brief appearance so we all sat out by the pool to enjoy the morning air. Soon M&D went to their cabin to pack. We went up to deck 10 to check out the surrounding area from the ship. It was mainly an industrial looking area with a shopping area directly off the gangway. There were a lot of small shacks selling various goods and food, as well as at least a couple restaurants. It didn’t look interesting to us so we went down to the lounge to have coffee and relax. Then it was time to go start packing. To refresh ourselves we got Frappuccinos at Cafe Latte-tudes. Mid-afternoon we happened across M&D in the Centrum so we joined them. Our last Happy Hour was in the Shall We Dance Lounge where we talked and then were entertained by a wonderful violinist on an electric violin. Our last dinner in the dining room where we said our goodbyes to Percival and Lucy. In the cabin we did some last minute packing and, sadly, put our luggage out in the hall.
November 26, 2023 – Sunday (mid-80’s, humid, partly cloudy with chance of showers) – Ft. Lauderdale, FL
A very early start (4:30/5:00) in the Crown Lounge as we pulled into port. There was a beautiful full moon hanging in the sky off the back of the ship. Since our time to start leaving the ship is 7:15 we held off eating breakfast and will instead have the buffet at Embassy Suites. Departure went very well with us being called at 7:15, going to the terminal to collect our luggage, and quickly going through Passport Control. We walked out of the building and across the street where a large taxi was available to load us up. It was short drive to the hotel where we put our luggage in the holding room and were eating from the delicious buffet by 8:15. After eating we relaxed, snoozed, and read by the pool. The sun came and went and there was a lovely strong breeze making the various kinds of palm trees sway. We couldn’t tell we were in the middle of a busy area. Very nice! A couple hours later our room was ready to settle into, but then we headed back out to lounge by the pool despite it being cloudy. A while later it started to rain so it was back to the room. There is a complimentary Happy Hour we went to where we got 2 free (tiny) drinks each as well as snacks (veggies with dip and chips). We picked up Five Guys Burgers for dinner which were delicious. After watching some TV we turned in for the night after a long day.
November 27, 2023 – Monday (repeat of yesterday) – Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Everyone was up 5:00-5:30 and by 6:30 we were eating breakfast at the buffet. Not many other guests were there at that time. We went out to relax by the pool to read but the weather was very breezy and almost on the cool side. Plus there were little biting flies around. We just hung around the room watching TV, napping, reading, and packing as the sun never really came out much. We participated in Happy Hour once again, then had a yummy pizza from Manhattan Pizza. We were early to bed since we have a very early start.
November 28, 2023 – Tuesday – Departing Ft. Lauderdale for a day on planes and in airports to arrive home
We all were up about 4:00 and ready to leave the hotel by 5:00. A Lyft ride got us to the airport where we got M&D checked in for their Delta flight, dropped off their luggage, and got them wheelchairs. It was very sad to say goodbye after almost 3 weeks together, but we have wonderful memories of that time. Our flights to Denver and then on to Seattle left on time and both arrived a little early with only a little turbulence along the way. Our luggage was waiting on the carousel (we were the last row to get off the plane!) then another Lyft ride got us home mid-afternoon. We were so happy to see Daniel’s smiling face! He took great care of the house, and himself, while we were away. Before long we were unpacked, settled in, and the first load of laundry was going. We’re already planning our next cruise adventure with M&D in the Spring.