MSC Magnifica Week 4

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Day 22: 11/18/23 At Sea

After breakfast, we sat around the pool area and relaxed. Right before lunch, it started pouring down rain, so we went inside to wait for lunch to start. After lunch, we relaxed in our cabin until dinner. We watched Westworld on TV which was an old movie but still good. After dinner at the buffet, we went to the show featuring the magician, Juan Alvarez again. Then we had some cappuccino and visited with Jeff and Holly from Colorado/Mexico. We had to turn our clocks back an hour so we should be back on Eastern Time in the morning.

Day 23: 11/19/23 At Sea

After breakfast, we sat around the pool area until lunchtime and relaxed. After lunch, we went to the port talk about Miami, and it was very nice. After that, we went back to the cabin and relaxed until dinner. After dinner at the buffet, we went to the show, Circus Story featuring the international dancers and singers. The show was the best one we’ve seen! The costumes and the acts were wonderful. I’m so glad we went to see it.

Day 24: 11/20/23 Miami

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Since we planned on staying on the ship, we had to meet in the dining room on deck 6 in order to go through customs. They took us off the ship around 10:20 and we got back on the ship by 11. Even though we had our passports, we never had to show them to anyone. After lunch, we sat out by the pool and had some beers. We were really surprised when they said they were out of Miller Lite by 2:30 in the afternoon! We ended up going to another bar on Deck 5 and was able to get some Miller Lite. The ship is full and it has been crazy all day. The bars are so busy, and the crew is working hard. We went to the dining room for dinner, and I had a NY strip which was wonderful! It was the best meal I’ve had on the ship. After dinner, we had a cappuccino before going to the show. The show, Legends of Rock, featured the singers and the dancers. It was a great show!

Day 25: 11/21/23 Nassau

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We didn’t get off the ship and after breakfast, we just relaxed on the pool deck. For lunch, we ate at the Oriental Plaza restaurant and we each had the “Asian Dining Experience” ($34), complimentary for Diamond members. When we got back to our cabin, I was surprised to see a note that they changed our dining assignment as requested from our assigned table with a great server to My Choice Dining. When I called to tell them that we didn’t request a change, the man at guest services kept telling me that this was a better choice because we could go to early seating. I kept trying to tell him that we had been assigned to early seating like we wanted but I finally gave up since we were only here for 2 more days. We relaxed in the cabin until it was time to go to dinner. After dinner, we stopped and had some cappuccinos before going to the show. The show featured the comedian, Matt Wright. Before the show, the Captain presented his senior officers and heads of departments.

Day 26: 11/22/23 Ocean Cay

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We arrived in Ocean Cay (MSC’s Private Island) and got off the ship around 9:15. We got our favorite spot at the beach near a big sea grape tree with lots of shade. Then we got in the water which was a little cold at first but once you got used to it, it was comfortable. We met a family from Delaware (dad was from Panama and mom was from Peru). We finally got out and sat in the shade drinking Miller Lites. Sam (born in Lebanon; and from Montreal, Canada) sat near us and we visited all day. He has been on the ship as long as we have. Around lunchtime, I stopped at the food truck and got us some French fries. They were good but the ketchup gave Don heartburn so he stayed away from the ketchup. I went in the water one more time but then just stayed in the shade in all day. Around 3pm, the wind picked up and the water got a little rougher so by 3:30, we headed back to the ship. After cleaning up, we had some cappuccino before dinner. After dinner, we went back to the cabin. We were so tired that I told the housekeeper that she didn’t need to clean our room for the evening because we were going to bed early.

Day 27: 11/23/23 At Sea – Happy Thanksgiving!

After breakfast, we sat on the deck and watched the activities around the pool. Before lunch we got cappuccinos. After lunch, we went to the shops and bought a magnet. Then we went back to the cabin and packed our suitcases. Veronica, our housekeeper, had to go get our luggage tags. After packing we watched Lassie, National Velvet, and Chitty Bang Bang. During National Velvet, they announced that there was a medical emergency. A helicopter evacuation was going to take place and all open decks would be closed. Those with balcony cabins had to keep their doors closed and stay inside. After dinner, we went back to the cabin to watch TV until bedtime/

Day 28: 11/24/23 Miami

We had to meet in the theater at 8:10 (Diamond members) but we didn't get off the ship until around 8:45. Going through customs was easy because they were using facial recognition. When we walked outside, I texted Bob and he was in the parking lot right across the street. There was a fatal accident on I-95 and traffic was a nightmare. We stopped around 10:30 to eat at Bass Pro Shop. 

Things I’ve Learned

• I don’t like 4-day cruises. The guests act too crazy. Maybe because it is cheaper and attracts a younger crowd and I’m getting too old for that.
• I’m not a big fan of sushi.
• The hotel director is over 85% of the ship’s crew!
• A month on a cruise ship is long enough for me. I don’t know how the officers and crew can stand a contract that lasts for 6-10 months!
• If you wear a thong bathing suit, you need to work on making your butt cheeks tight before wearing one. It doesn’t matter what size you are.

Click here for the write ups for:

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3




Original photo by Pat Hensley

MSC Magnifica Week 3

Click here for pictures of our days on the ship. 

Day 15: 11/11/23 At Sea

 

After breakfast, Don walked, and I relaxed on the deck and read a book. After that, we relaxed in our cabin until lunch. At 2pm, the retired guy from NASA spoke again and the room was full. He was really interesting and talked about the Shuttle Columbia and other things that have gone wrong.  After that, we had a few drinks until dinner time. We had dinner in the dining room, so we didn’t go to the show. The show starts at 9:15 so we went back to the cabin for the night.

 

Day 16: 11/12/23 At Sea

 

After breakfast, Don walked again, and I relaxed and read on the deck. At 11, we went to a talk about Columbus, Vespucci and other explorers. After lunch, we had another NASA talk where he talked about the Shuttle Challenger and other things. He showed us a model of the “O-ring” that he had made. Then we relaxed in the cabin until it was time to go to the Diamond Party. I got pictures with some of the officers, and it was a nice party. We ate at the buffet so we could go to the early show featuring the singers and dancers performing an Elvis show. They were very good and we enjoyed the show.

 

Day 17: 11/13/23 At Sea

 

We had another lovely day at sea. After breakfast, Don walked, and I sat on the deck reading. While he was walking, he saw a small sailboat out in the ocean. After that, we had some cappuccinos and met a guy, also named Don from Idaho, and enjoyed our conversation until lunchtime. In the afternoon we went to a talk about San Juan. After that we relaxed in our cabin. While we were watching the Whitney Houston movie (again), it suddenly switched to the Discovery Channel. I think we got in range of a TV signal. We also noticed that we got the Travel Channel too. Then we had pre-dinner drinks. After dinner, we went to the show featuring Yuri and Nato again. It was very entertaining. We stopped for some cappuccinos after the show and returned to our cabin. Before going to sleep, we watched some of the Discovery Channel. It was a nice change from seeing those same movies over and over again.

 

Day 18: 11/14/23 At Sea

 

This was our last day at sea crossing the Atlantic Ocean. We relaxed and read on the deck. At 11, we went to a fun Italian lesson. After lunch, we relaxed in our cabin until it was dinner time. Every day, we get gifts sent to our cabin. Today we got another bottle of Prosecco and a fruit basket. We now have 3 bottles in the fridge that we need to drink. While in the cabin, we watched some old movies. One was Follow the Boys with Connie Frances and Paula Prentiss. Another starred Jane Powell and Gordon MacCrae. I started watching one with Frank Sinatra but it was time to get our predinner cocktails before dinner. Don said that he was ready to get home now but he may change his mind once we are going to some ports every day.

 

Day 19: 11/15/23 St. Maarten

 

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We got off the ship at 8:30 and walked into town (about 1 mile).  There were 5 ships in port and there were heavy crowds on the beach, so we decided to skip the beach. They were asking $25 for 2 chairs, an umbrella, and a bucket of 5 beers which was a reasonable price, but we knew it was just too hot for me and we wouldn’t be there long enough to enjoy that. So, we found the post office on Pond Island and the clerk there was so helpful. She ended up showing Don all these sheets of stamps that he bought for around $76. We stopped at a supermarket and bought 2 sodas for $2.50. Then we went to Caribbean Blue to say Hi to Suzette. I was so hot and tired that I forgot to take a picture of her! After that, we returned to the ship around noon.  When we got to our cabin, we had a plate of bonbons waiting for us. After lunch, we napped and watched old 1940s movies on TV (TCM channel). Then we had pre-dinner drinks. While eating dinner, we watched the Viking Sea ship leave and people on their balconies were waving their phone flashlights goodbye to us. I thought that was pretty cool. After dinner, we had a cappuccino before bedtime.

 

Day 20: 11/16/23 Tortola

 

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We got off the ship around 8:15 and asked at the information counter where the post office was. She gave me a map and explained how to get there. It wasn’t far away at all. So, we went to the post office and the clerk there was very patient and helpful. Don ended up buying around $50 worth of Tortola stamps. Then we walked to Pusser’s store, but they don’t sell hats anymore. We walked around town until 11am and then returned to the ship. When we got to our cabin there was another gift of canapes (caviar, salmon, and prosciutto). We had trouble finding Amstel Light or Dos Equis beer at the bars. They said they were low on supplies. After lunch, we returned to our cabin to relax until dinner. After dinner, we went to the show featuring Magician Juan Alvarez.

 

Day 21: 11/17/23 San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

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We got into port at 8am but we had to do face-to-face customs. Our group C had to meet in the theater at 10am with our passports and key cards but they called us early.  Then they escort the group off the ship to customs. This whole process was well organized and went smoothly. We couldn’t return to the ship until after everyone had gone through customs and there was no one on the ship which was around noon. We walked around town and looked for some thrift stores but didn’t find any. When we got hot and thirsty, we stopped at our favorite fast food place, El Meson, and got mallorcas with cheese. I was able to order them using my Spanish and was thrilled when they understood me. After that, we walked around some more before ending up at CVS to buy some snacks to take back to the ship. Don had a stomach ache so we returned to the ship around 1pm. We had lunch and returned to the cabin so Don could rest. New treats arrived at our cabin again from the hotel director! Before dinner, we had a couple of drinks and ate dinner at the buffet. San Juan was pretty at night.

 

Things I’ve Learned:

• They played the same 6 movies in different languages every day.
• Check out both sides of the buffet because there may be different foods on each side.
• I like the Holland America ships that have movies on Demand in the cabin so you can stop and start them back as needed.
• Walking around the ship is good exercise (especially if you don’t use the elevator).
• Old movies are still fun to watch.
• You need to know how to tell military time on a ship.
• I need to carry 2 bottles of water when walking in the heat.

Click here for the write-ups for

Week 1

Week 2

Original photo by Pat Hensley

MSC Magnifica Week 2

Click here for pictures of our days on the ship.

Day 8: 11/4/23 Malaga, Spain

 

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We started out having breakfast in the dining room which was excellent.  We will probably do this more often. At 9:30, I went to the arts and crafts session where we made dream catchers. It was more fun than the previous activities. We arrived in Malaga at noon and decided to have lunch before we got off the ship. When we got back to our cabin, there was another bottle of champagne and a basket of fruit waiting for us but no note telling us who it was from. We got on the shuttle to town around 12:30. Since we arrived a day early, there were 2 ships docked in the usual spaces so we had to take a shuttle into town which took 25 minutes. The shuttle let us off in the City Center and we walked to the Central Market. It was very crowded but such a wonderful place full of different meats, fish, and vegetables. There were places to eat inside and outside as well as locals buying food. After that, we walked around the historic town and enjoyed looking at the architecture and shops. We saw the cathedral that only had one tower because the second one never got finished. Next, we walked to the Roman amphitheater which was near the Alcazaba (the fortress). We walked around the fortress, and I took plenty of pictures. Around 3:30, we headed back to the shuttle and went back to the ship. We relaxed in the Le Gocce bar until it was dinner time. While we were there, we heard a man telling the bar staff that he got pickpocketed and lost his phone, passport and 25 euros. We are enjoying the dinner in the dining room every night and the service is excellent. After dinner, we had our cappuccinos before heading back to our cabin for the evening.

 

Day 9: 11/5/23 Malaga, Spain

 

We had breakfast in the dining room again and then decided to walk into town. We left around 8:30 and got back around 1:30. We decided to pay for the tickets to get into Alcazaba and the Castillo de Gibralfaro. We walked around Alcazaba (the fortress) which involved a lot of stairs. Then we had to go back down to street level in order to climb up the mountain to the castle. It was extremely steep and involved lots of stairs and switchbacks. On the way back to the ship, we walked to the beach and was surprised to see people in bathing suits (because we were a little chilly and wearing long pants!). We had lunch and then had a couple of drinks in the bar. After that, we took a nap in the cabin before dinner. We had dinner at the buffet and then went to the show which involved Celtic dancing (The Emerald Isle Show). The show was very good and we enjoyed it! After the show, we had our evening cappuccino and then went to bed.

 

Day 10: 11/6/23 At Sea

 

We went to the dining room at 7:30 but by 8am, no one had come to take our order, so we left and went up to the buffet to eat breakfast. After breakfast, we went to our favorite bar for cappuccinos. At 11am, there was a talk about the next 2 ports we would be visiting: Tenerife and Funchal. By then it was lunch time. After lunch, we relaxed in our cabin, reading and eating the treats that had been sent to our cabin. At 6:30, we had dinner in the dining room. My ossobuco was very good! Then we stopped at the bar for a drink. We met one of our Facebook group friends, Mark, who recognized me from my knitting. Then more of the Facebook group, who was waiting for their dinner to start, stopped by. It was fun meeting them! We had a nice restful day.

 

Day 11: 11/7/23 Tenerife, Canary Islands

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We got off the ship around 10am and it felt like a long walk into town. First, we went to the Farmer’s market and I was able to buy a bracelet there for 3 euros made of Canary Island volcano rock. Then we walked around the town. It was mostly a shopping area. We found the post office but there were long lines so we left. It was a pretty city but felt like a resort town. Around 1 pm, we returned to the ship for lunch. After lunch we took a nap before dinner. As usual we had dinner and a cappuccino before bedtime.

 

Day 12: 11/8/23 Funchal, Portugal

 

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We got off the ship at 8am and it was a long walk out of the port and into town. The first place we went was to the Farmer’s Market and it was nice there. We tried some macadamian nuts (very salty) and some ananas bananas fruit (looked like corn kernels that tasted like pineapple). We saw eels in the fish market. We found 3 magnets for 1.50 euros each at one of the vendors who was so friendly. After we left the market, we found 2 yarn shops, so I had to buy yarn, of course. Then we found the post office and saw their collectible stamps. This lady helped us for 30 minutes choosing the stamp sets Don wanted but when we went to pay for it all (160 euros), but she refused to take a US credit card and only wanted cash. She saw me holding the credit card the whole time she was helping us! Her colleague asked her in Spanish why she wouldn’t take our credit card and all she would say was US so I think she didn’t like us once she found out that we were from the US. We ended up leaving without buying any stamps. Then we walked around town some more before stopping at McDonalds. Don likes to get a happy meal in every foreign country we go to. Then we climbed a lot of stairs and walked up to a park which had beautiful overlooks and flowers. We returned to the ship around 2pm and some drinks to rest and relax. As we were getting ready for dinner, our toilet overflowed again! I called 3 times to let them know that we had a waterfall and water was accumulating. Finally, we left and got some dinner but returned in 30 minutes to see that someone was finally working on the problem. So, we went to the bar for a cappuccino and Bloody Mary before going back to our cabin. We talked with Mary Ann from Boston while we were there. Before going to bed, I had to turn our clocks back 1 hour.

 

Day 13: 11/9/23 At Sea

 

We had a lovely day at sea today. After breakfast, I sat on the balcony and read while Don walked around the deck. It was warm enough for me to wear shorts during the day. Before lunch, another bottle of Prosecco and a basket of fruit was delivered to our cabin.  After lumch we went to a presentation put on by one of our Facebook group friends about NASA which was really interesting. After that, we returned to the room to enjoy a bottle of Prosecco. We relaxed until dinner and we ate at the buffet because I wanted to go to the 7:15 show featuring the acrobatic talents of Yuri and Nato. They were amazing and I’m so glad we went to see their performance. After the show, we finished the evening with a cup of cappuccino.

 

Day 14: 11/10/23 At Sea

 

It was a beautiful day at sea! I went to the arts & crafts session where we made bracelets from embroidery thread. It was chaotic because a lot of people showed up and I’m not sure the girl who is the “instructor” knew how to make them. She showed the video which wasn’t very clear. Then we went to meet our friend, Guglielmo Gargiulo, who is the Hotel Director on the ship. We saw his wonderful office and visited about 40 minutes. Then after lunch, I sat by the pool while Don went on his exercise walk. Then we relaxed in the cabin until dinner. After dinner, we had our cappuccino before returning to our cabin.

 

Things I’ve Learned:

• I need to bring more paperback books for the sea days.
• I need to bring notecards so I can write thank you notes.
• It’s good to download maps on your phone in case you need it in town.
• Protect yourself from pickpockets.
• Ask vendors if they take US credit cards before buying anything.
• Find a bar that you like and get to know the bar staff.

Click here for the write-ups for

Week 1

Original photo by Pat Hensley

MSC Magnifica Week 1

Click here for pictures of our days on the ship.

The ship can hold 2550 passengers and 1027 crew. Our captain was Ciro Pinto until Wednesday and then we got a new Captain, Vincenzo Miele, our friend, Guglielmo Gargiulo, the hotel director got on the ship on Wednesday. We were scheduled for dinner at 9:15 pm at Table 475 but that was too late for us so we were able to get it changed to table 481 at 7pm.   Our cabin was 11049 and our cabin steward was Veronica.

 

Day 1: 10/28/23 Valencia/Embarkation

 

I didn’t sleep well during the night and almost overslept. I’m glad I set two alarms! We went back to El Gallo de Oro for breakfast at 7 and said goodbye to the waitress. We checked out of our wonderful room at 8:30 and walked to the #4 bus stop. Before long, the bus arrived, and we had no trouble getting to the bus stop in front of the port. We walked right to the port entrance and was told that we would have to relax in the bar area until they opened the MSC line. We got in line around 10:30 and they took our luggage from there and loaded it onto a truck. We took an escalator upstairs where we checked in and got our key cards. Our key cards were wrong, and we were told that we would have to go to guest services to get them corrected. Before long, the security line opened, and we went through security before going back down the escalator and getting on a bus. The bus took us to the ship which was a long way from the port entrance.

 

Once we got on the ship, we went to our cabin to drop off our backpacks and our cabin was ready. Next, we took the elevator to the top deck and explored our way down each deck until we got to deck 13. We stopped for lunch and then stopped back at our cabin. We met our cabin steward who cleaned out our refrigerator so we could put stuff in it.

 

Then we explored decks 7, 6, and 5 before returning to our cabin. We went to a presentation about helpful hints for the cruise and found out it was given by Wilfried who we had met last December on the MSC Seascape. Next, I unpacked our suitcases, and we did the mandatory drill.

At 7pm, the buffet opened for dinner. After dinner, we had a cappuccino and latte before going to bed. There is only 2 English speaking channels on the TV. We had to turn our clocks back one hour before going to bed.

 

Day 2:10/29/23 Tarragona, Spain

 

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We docked around 7am and after breakfast, we got off the ship. We paid for the shuttle round trip from the ship to the City Center (9 euros each). We got off the bus at 9 am and walked around town. Tarragona is Spain’s second most important Roman site. We walked around the perimeter of the old town between two lines of city walls. The inner walls are Roman back to the 3rd century BC and the outer ones were British 1709 during the War of the Spanish Succession. We saw the Amfiteatre Roma which was near the beach and was where gladiators fought. Around noon, we caught the shuttle back to the ship. On our way back to the ship, we saw Wilifried Lichtert (international host) and he stopped to invite us to meet him for a drink tonight.

After lunch, we decided to go rest in our cabin and took a short nap. Our dinner reservation had been changed to early seating (7pm) which made me very happy. Eating at 9:15 was too late for me and I didn’t think I would have a chance to eat in the dining room. We decided to go have a drink before dinner and check out the dinner menu. Nothing seemed to excite us so we ended up at the Sahara Buffet for dinner. After dinner, we went to the show featuring the musician/singer Peter Grant. I really enjoyed his show and thought his voice was wonderful. After the show, we met Wilfried in the Tiger Bar and enjoyed catching up with him. We found out that Gene Young, a cruise director from a previous cruise, had committed suicide earlier in the year. What a sad story for such a young talented man. It was a nice full day!

 

Day 3: 10/30/23 Toulon, France

 

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We were notified the night before that the shuttle roundtrip from the ship to town was going to be 20 euros, so we decided to stay on the ship for the day. I had done some research and didn’t really want to see anything special in town. Besides, we needed a rest day from our active week so far. After breakfast, we relaxed in our cabin until we arrived in Toulon. We watched people get off the ship, but we could tell that it had started to rain. After lunch, we spent the afternoon in the cabin relaxing. Before dinner, we had cocktails and then went to the Diamond Party. After dinner, we went to the show featuring Brazilian singer, Camila Andrade.

 

Day 4: 10/31/23 Genoa, Italy

 

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We arrived in Genoa at 7am but we didn’t get off the ship until 8. We stopped for a snack at McDonalds around 9:30 am and we had 2 cappuccinos and Don had a chocolate muffin. The cappuccinos were only 1.50 euros, but a soda was 3 euros! The architecture of the buildings was amazing to see. We walked into a church with amazing artwork in it. On the street corners, there were works of art just on the corner of the buildings. We walked far away from the ship and when we got a view of the water, we couldn’t even see our ship from where we stood. We found the Victory Arch which was dedicated to those who died in WWI. We also came across the boyhood home of Christopher Columbus (from ages 4 to 14). Around 2 pm, we stopped at McDonalds for a late lunch. It was comforting to eat some familiar food. I was able to order using the kiosk and have the menu in English (another comforting thing when surrounded for days with everything in foreign languages).  We got back to the ship around 3 pm and had a drink before going back to the cabin to rest. At 7 pm, we went to the dining room for the first time and it was a nice experience. We are at a table for 4 and I don’t know if anyone else is assigned to our table or if it is just us but no one else joined us. The dining steward was Aiko and the food was pretty good. We both had the carrot ginger soup and then I had veal while Don had halibut (it gave him bad heartburn, so I think there is some spice they use on fish that bothers him). For dessert, we had black forest cherry gateau which is one of my favorites. The service was good also. After dinner we had some cappuccino before going to bed. The ship was rocking pretty rough and they were putting barf bags in public areas for people to take if they needed it. Of course, we didn’t have any trouble and was rocked to sleep.

 

Day 5: 11/1/23 Civitavecchia, Italy

 

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We got on the free shuttle to town at 8:30 am and were glad we rode it to the port entry because our ship was a long way from there. We walked around town, but most things were closed because it was a holiday (All Saint’s Day). It was a very depressed area compared to the cities we had been to the previous days but it was nice to walk around. We made it back to the ship by lunchtime. After lunch, we went back to relax. Around 3 pm, the toilet started overflowing and pouring out in our bathroom. I called twice but no one ever showed up to fix it and eventually, it stopped after about 40 minutes. We went to the bar for drinks before dinner. For dinner, we went to the dining room and had prime rib. We have a new dining steward named Reina. After dinner, we had cappuccinos before going back to our cabin. We saw our cabin steward and she didn’t know anything about our toilet but came in to wipe up our floor. At 9:30 we got a call asking if our toilet was fixed but I told them it was still wet behind the toilet. They were going to send someone, and I told them that we were going to bed so they said they would send someone tomorrow. We also got a note that high winds were predicted (exceeding 35 knots) and we might not get to dock in Palma de Mallorca, Spain on Friday.

 

Day 6: 11/2/23 At Sea

 

After breakfast, we had a cappuccino before going to the Arts and Crafts session. We made embroidery cards which reminded me of a kindergarten activity with sewing cards. We had to draw a design on card stock and then punch holes around the outline. Then we used embroidery thread to sew up the design. After that, we went to the lecture about Palma de Mallorca. I’m glad we went because we received a letter from the captain the night before that we might have to skip this island due to high winds. After lunch, we relaxed in our cabin and watched the high waves hit all the way to our balcony on the 11th deck! Sometime in the afternoon, it was announced that our itinerary changed, and we would not be stopping in Palma de Mallorca and that the next day would be a sea day and instead we would be staying in Malaga, Spain for 2 days (arriving at noon on Saturday and leaving at 5 pm on Sunday). Before dinner, we went back to the bar and had our pre-dinner drinks. Russell, from our Facebook group, joined us for a drink. There were free drinks from the captain being passed around. We had dinner in the dining room since it was Gala night, but it was pretty empty. I heard that many people were seasick and there were a lot of people in the medical center. Some were on IVs and one man had fallen and broken his elbow. After dinner, we had a drink before returning to our cabin. Don was in severe back pain.

 

Day 7: 11/3/23 At Sea

 

We were supposed to be in Palma de Mallorca today but instead, it was a sea day. After breakfast, we relaxed until the Arts and Crafts session which was only for adults 18 years and older.  The instructor showed a video but never gave instructions. The video didn’t match the materials that we were using. I’m not sure I will go to many more of these sessions. The projects were very childish and disappointing. After that, we went to the lecture about Malaga. Next, we had lunch and then went back to our cabin to relax. Waiting for us in the cabin was a bottle of champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries which we enjoyed. At 6 pm, we had a welcome back cocktail party to meet the cabin. We saw our friend; Guglielmo and I gave him a gnome for his daughter. Dinner was nice in the dining room and then we had a cappuccino before returning to our cabin. There was information that we would need to shuttle to the city center (11 euros per person). There was information that we would need to shuttle to the city center (11 euros per person) because it is 25 minutes away. Since we are here a day early, there are already 2 ships parked at the docks we would normally park at.

 

 

Things I’ve Learned:

• The Le Gocce Bar (on the left side facing the dining room) has the best servers! Warren was the first one we met there and he always made sure we got what we wanted. The other servers picked up on that and we always get good service there.
• The bar at the Sahara Buffet near the salad bar is wonderful. They always get me what I want quickly. I tried to use the bar in the back where we sit but they always tell me they don't have what I want.
• I wish they would add the price of the shuttles into the cruise and just tell people that we have a free shuttle into town like we did in Civitavecchia. It costs 9 euros each to get to Tarragona, 20 euros to get to Toulon, and 11 euros to go to Malaga. These little costs are very annoying.
• Arts and Crafts – for adults, the crafts were very childish. All we used was construction paper and glue and the instructor wasn’t very helpful. Arts and Crafts on other ships include a kit that is more age appropriate.

Lonely Sailboat

As we sailed across the Atlantic Ocean, Don walked around the deck getting his exercise. On one of his laps, he told me that he noticed a small sailboat in the ocean. Luckily he was able to get a picture of it.

This brought all sorts of questions to my mind like:

• What was it doing all alone in the ocean?
• How many people were on the boat?
• What if they have problems? How do they get help?
• Where did they start from?
• Where were they going?

This would be a great writing prompt for students. Students practicing conversation skills could discuss the possibilities.

I also wondered if that is how some students feel in school. Are they the lonely sailboat among huge ships that pass them by? Do they wish someone would stop and ask them how they are doing or do they prefer the solitude? Where are these students coming from? Do they have a support system in case they run into trouble?

Original photo by Don Hensley

Sunrises

I love sunrises! 

I love the thought of a new day, a new beginning. 

Each day is a fresh new start. 

I won’t worry about the past or the future. I won’t worry about obstacles or possible disappointments. Instead, I plan on enjoying today and I will start by enjoying the sunrise. 

Sunrises fill me with joy and contentment. I want to hold on to it as long as I can. 

Original photos by Pat Hensley

October 2023 Photo A Day Project

I’m still enjoying my Photo a Day project on Flickr. I find it helpful to look at other people’s photos and see what I like about them, what makes them stand out to me, and the composition of the photo. I believe these will help me take better photos. 

Here are my photos from October

1. 10/2/23 Dental Assistant station, 2. 10/1/23 Flowerpot, 3. 10/3/2023 Skeleton attack, 4. 10/4/2023 Beautyberry, 5. 10/5/23 Feathers, 6. 10/6/23 Horse quilt, 7. 10/7/23 Decorated Pumpkins, 8. 10/8/23 Hibachi Grill, 9. 10/9/23 Rose hips, 10. 10/10/23 Northern Mockingbird, 11. 10/11/23 Waffle irons, 12. 10/12/23 Cooked Octopus, 13. 10/13/23 Dark clouds, 14. 10/14/23 Orchids, 15. 10/15/23 Hibiscus, 16. 10/16/23 Bloom, 17. 10/17/23 Night Sky, 18. 10/18/23 Squeaky, 19. 10/19/23 Rooftop couple, 20. 10/20/23 Cockscomb, 21. 10/21/23 Stamp Show, 22. 10/22/23 Shrimp Plant, 23. 10/23/23 Castor Bean Plant, 24. 10/24/23 Clouds from a plane, 25. 10/25/23 Lady in red, 26. 10/26/23 Peek a boo, 27. 10/27/23 Fish Looking Building, 28. 10/28/23 Valencia, 29. 10/29/23 Ancient Wall, 30. 10/30/23 Ship Officers, 31. 10/31/23 Christopher Columbus's Home