Adventures of Beth and Dan: We Made It!!

We spent the night at the JFK airport and then next morning we took the shuttle to the airport and waited to be able to check in for our flight which was about 12:45. The check in went smoothly and both bags were under the 50 pound weight limit. We each had a carry on with snacks, medications, phones and plug ins for them along with neck pillows, socks and a few other necessities. For the first time we took advantage of our Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card and the entrance to the lounges at airports. We were able to get into the KAL Lounge and now we are spoiled. We had comfortable quiet seating with hot foods, every Kind of drink , beer and alcohol, clean bathrooms and showers and excellent service. We had some delicious broccoli soup, nuts and chips along with a vegetable plate. We charged up our phones and by 3:00 we left to get on line for our flight. Although our seats were a tight fit we did ok. We had dinner about 5:30 and then watched a movie. We took something to help us sleep and as they turned down the lights we were both nodding off. Our flight was 7 1/2 hours and neither of us got up. About an hour before we landed they served a hot breakfast pastry and coffee. We made it to the airport while it was still dark. After collecting our bags which took a long time we headed to the Hilton Rome Airport. The check in gal told a group of very weary travelers that our rooms wouldn’t be ready till 2 or 3! But they had a free shuttle bus into Rome so many of us hopped on to stay awake and see a little of the city. They dropped us off in the center of the old ruins. We met a nice couple from Washington state and followed them to a little cafe where we enjoyed hot tea and a croissant. Then we walked around a little through tight narrow streets full of merchants, outdoor cafes and curious tourists. We spent about three hours in town and then decided to take the bus back to the hotel. Luckily our rooms were ready. We got to our room and were so pooped we decided to shower up and then stay in for the night. We slept great and had plenty of time to catch our transfer to the port in the morning. Embarkation was smooth getting on the ship and our rooms were ready there too! We met our friends Betsy and Chuck Story in the holding area before boarding. After dropping off our packs we headed to lunch and a good catch up visit. The ship which is less than a year old was very clean and modern! After lunch we headed to our rooms to get ready for the muster drill. We were lucky to have the drill inside rather than outside. Then it was to the back deck for the sail away 🎉! The weather was perfect and we enjoyed the party. After that we unpacked in our rooms till time for dinner. We enjoyed the beautiful sunset on the lido deck and headed to bed relatively early. When we hit omit our cabin we had a message to pick up one of our suitcases on deck one due to contraband! They swore we had an iron but we said check our suitcase. We have no iron! They took our word for it and let us go. We never could figure out what they thought was an iron.

After a good nights sleep we spent the next day exploring sone of the ship and resting. There was a movie that night under the stars and several music venues in the ship but we had an early night after a few games of Triominos. Our next day thankfully was a sea day.

We both slept in getting up around 9:30! Of course we were still adjusting to the time change. The morning was spent getting a little better organized and exploring more if the ship. The captain shared that we would be passing through the Isle of Stromboli around 8:15. A little later we would also pass by an active volcano and he said he would slow the speed a bit for folks to get a good look. It really didn’t compare to the size of other volcanoes we have viewed. But we did learn that several of the areas we would visit often feel the effects of earthquakes. A few hours later we passed through the Messina Strait. The sea is very calm and we are feeling little to no wave action on the ship.

That morning the ship presented a port talk about Olympia, Dubrovnik, Katakolon, and Corfu. If you kiss the presentations you can always view them on your cabin TV. There are lots of the usual things going on onboard like trivia, computer classes ( Windows only), Bridge, linedancing, wine or beer tasting, shopping specials, America’s Test Kitchen Cooking demonstrations, ship tours, chess, pickleball, and a whole host of other games and activities. The ship has two nice pools; one that has a retractable roof and the other on the rear of the ship both with nice comfortable lounges, tables and chairs and full service bars. Or you can go to upper level floors for outdoor loungers. Our favorite area seems to be the pool area with the retractable roof. The ambiance is inviting and comfortable. Some folks are reading, others playing games with other couples or just chatting and enjoying visiting.

I have a calendar of our tours and activities along with a fairly long narrative of each port and what our tour includes. All our tours are third party with small groups. Most require payment in Euros the day of the tour so with the help of my son in law Aaron I’m equipped with enough Euros to cover my tours. If not they will exchange Euros for you onboard too.

A big change on this ship is the theater! It is no longer the typical stage with curtains and balcony seating. Now it is more like a high school or college stage for presentations. It’s rather cold and sterile. There are no more singers and dancers and not every night do they have entertainment like we are used to. Sometimes it is a movie like BBC Nature. So we will see how we like this.

Most of the daily program which also has vastly changed is devoted to selling something on the ship like jewelry, clothing, alcohol, bingo or the casino. Very little information about the port or towns is provided and I miss that. Our music venues are ; BB King Blues Club, Lincoln Center Stage ( strictly classical), Rolling Stone Rock Room and dueling pianos in the Billboard.

Today we had our first meet and greet which consisted of folks associated with Cruise Critic. It was well attended with about 80 folks. Holland provided coffee, tea and water along with sweet treats. The leader had us play a meet and greet bingo getting to know others and then we had a gift swap with those bringing something swapping with others. Folks seeMrs to enjoy it and I donated the tickets and helped hand out the gift bags.

So that was our day at sea. We enjoyed dinner in the Lido and then some table games with our friends. We listened to music at the BB King blues club and headed to bed to get a good nights rest before Dubrovnik, Croatia.