Monday, October 12 - At Sea, Cruising to Casablanca

 After traveling for several days, I was ready for a chill day and that's what I'm doing today.

Photos!

I have no time when this was taken.  We gained an hour last night and my laptop, phone, Kindle and watch all have different times.  This was the view when I woke up - at 6:30 a.m., I think.  Somewhere.

After my shower.  I can happily sit and look at clouds and sea for hours.

It was 64 out, going to 75 today.

Virgin doesn't use key cards.  Instead, this bracelet is a room key and credit card.  Not having to carry a purse and walking out of restaurants without paying both take a minute to get used to. 

Median age of passengers on this cruise is older than typical for Virgin.  I'm guessing it is not the 20 somethings who've put signs on their cabin doors.

I enjoy the art installations on ships.  Notice this is deck 13.  Apparently the English don't have the same superstitions as Americans.

Another elevator!

Things start later on a Virgin ship.  It was about 8 when I took this.  Or 7.  Or 9.  

A second small pool and hot tub.

There were many breakfast options, from full hot breakfast to these breads.

Nutella and bananas.

Lox!

But aren't I noble? I just had some water and overnight oats.  Outdoors, with a view.

I love that they have grab-and-go options.  Sandwiches, salads, meat/cheese plates and breakfast options in the morning.

In a nearby area there are more options, with fresh cut fruit, yogurt, granola, etc.

Homemade ice cream.  Virgin does have fun names.

Customized pizza for eat-in or take-away?  Yes, please!

Love fancy coffees?  There are two places on board.  There is a charge for coffee but not the great pastry.  

Virgin knows their clientele.  There are locations for perfect "Insta" selfies around the ship.

 

The Social Club has lots of games and puzzles.  Fun but the music is too loud for my taste.

You can get snacks at the Social Club, including popcorn and candy in small bags.  My only complaint is they don't seem to understand I can eat 3 twizzlers on my way back to my cabin, before the movie even starts.

I love the free arcade!  I spent an hour crashing my car this morning on the Daytona 500 game, while laughing really hard.  I fear what that might say about me but I'll keep playing.

The Dock House offers tapas-style food.  Please note how low those couches are.  I love the food there but fear needing help to get my fat butt up after a meal.

Another section of the Dock House, with a bar.  There's also an outdoor area, with mostly daybeds.  My age is showing.  I don't know how to comfortably sprawl on a daybed while eating a plate of grilled octopus and hummus.

Here's the outdoor dining area.  It is a restaurant.  I am clearly old and out of touch.  Great location but a hard no for the beds for eating and the wooden chairs are too hard and low for my taste.

The free pastries at The Grounds Club.

I enjoyed an early breakfast outside the Galley at the back of the ship.  I love it when it is not busy.  

The Galley is comparable to the Lido/buffet on other ships.  VV says it's not but I beg to differ.  One difference is that you can order from the table rather than waiting in line.  However, it may take a very long time to get served.

I spent a quiet, non-peopley day.

I enjoyed a grab and go lunch on the balcony - tossed salad with chicken and chocolate mousse.  That someone cooked and cleaned up.

And this is why I probably won't see shows on this cruise either.  I refuse to stand in line for 30-60 minutes.  VV could learn a trick or two from Disney about queuing theory.

The sea has been smooth as glass.  The Captain welcomed us onboard yesterday and said we're likely to have some rough seas after we leave the Canary Islands, later this week.  One of the things I like about VV is that they don't make announcement over the intercom after embarkation.  Instead, they send each sailor texts.  So much nicer than having someone announce Bingo in your cabin when you're napping.

15 minutes for a delicious hot pizza. Made for a perfect dinner on the balcony.

Another beautiful sunset.  That's the southern coast of Spain in the background.  We'll pass Gibraltar around midnight tonight.  I'll be snoring.

Sunday, October 11 - Embarkation Day on the Ship

 

Note!  I hope you get some helpful travel tips from my blog but I include details that are helpful to me - like remembering names of people and when I met them.  Boring but just skim through and look at the photos.

Today, the hardest part of boarding was just getting to the dock.  I ended up dragging my bags a few blocks from the hotel to a taxi stand where I had to plead to get a ride to the dock.  The very nice man who finally agreed to take me said he'd spent 2 hours on his last fare, leaving the dock area.

We drove past the other HUGE ships to the Scarlet Lady.  As I dragged my bags to drop them off at the luggage area, a Virgin crew member took them from me and asked me to follow him.  What great service!  He quickly took me to the Rock Star line (passengers with suites) and said he'd take care of my bags and I should just get in the line - where there were 2 people ahead of me.  Unlike the line to check in for us normies, which was literally down the block.  I told him I didn't have a suite and he said I looked like a Rock Star to him and that was good enough.  

Check-in was fast and easy and I thought we were done.  Nope, I was directed to a large room with a number of people already seated.  We were waiting to go through Spanish Immigration.  The wait was about an hour but I didn't mind since I was sitting with a lovely couple (Monique and Robert) from Atlanta.  We chatted, got in line together and our conversation was joined by Francois (Quebec) and Jesse who are also traveling solo.

Now the good stuff - photos!

I headed straight to my cabin once onboard (at 4 - I started the process at 2) and immediately went to check out the view.

Ok, the view at ports like this is rarely something to write home about.  

But this - the best thing I've found on any ship.  A hammock chair.

Yup, it works just like I remember.  Heaven.

Yes, I like to pretend I'm rich and wave from my balcony to the "little people" in the tourist boat.  I'm on Deck 13.  That boat is not tiny, so gives you a bit of perspective.

Two other ships sailed past before we departed.  This is the Norwegian Dawn.

Music was BLASTING and people were yelling and waving from our ship and theirs.

Then, the Legend of the Seas backed out past us.  It has over 5,000 passengers.  I can barely back my car into the garage.  Props to the Captain.

It just kept going past.  

And going...

And going...

and going...

And...gone.  I think that's the bridge below the glass dome.

After doing the security thing (so easy/fast on Virgin - no waiting in line)

 I made reservations for a 6:30 dinner at the Test Kitchen, one of my favorite venues.  I opted for the regular rather than vegetarian menu.

I like open kitchens where I can watch while they prep our meals.

First appetizer - smoked eel with a soy mousse and a crispy sesame seed/seaweed decorative cracker.

Second appetizer- scallops and black garlic.  With smoke!

We all opened our domes at the same time.  I hate to criticize but it would be even more fun if everybody yelled "OPA!" as we lifted the dome.

The scallops were raw and tasty with the black garlic puree.

This is a cheese tart with Brie, blue and camembert cheeses. It had goju berries, raw mush rooms and mushroom powder and was delicious and very rich.  Take off the mushrooms and add a fruit sauce and you'd have dessert.

The is the main - a study in chicken.  On top of mashed potatoes with asparagus and spinach.  Arguably the best chicken I've ever eaten.  Our server was nice enough to have Wayan, the chef, come out since I said I'd like to marry whoever made the dish.  Poor Wayan mistakenly thought the woman who proposed was the much younger/more beautiful woman sitting next to me.  LOL.  Malia, by the way is from Copenhagen, a lead flight attendant for 30 years (although she looks 30) and is also traveling solo.

And, the gravy for the chicken.  I really wanted to bring the leftovers back to my cabin it was so good.  The couple on my other side during dinner, Joe and Suzanne live in Puerto Rico.  Part of the fun, for me, of a cruise like this is meeting people from all over.

Another favorite course - the yuzu meringue with two thin butter wafers.  So delicious.

After dinner I stopped by for some live music.

Then took this elevator back to my cabin for an early evening.  Malia asked if I was going to the pajama party by the pool, which started at 10.  I just laughed.

A view of Barcelona in the distance, from my balcony.  We were scheduled to depart at 6 but didn't actually leave until after 7.

The glass "thing" sticking out in the front is part of the bridge.  I got a complimentary bridge tour on a Holland America ship.  And, a private dinner with the Captain and his wife.  I'm unwilling to pay for a tour on Virgin.