Barcelona during holiday season

I’ve visited Barcelona many times, but today’s guided tour was truly unforgettable! Exploring the city before, during, and after sunset was magical—Barcelona is absolutely dazzling with festive Christmas lights that bring its vibrant energy to life.

I wandered through Gaudí’s iconic masterpieces, strolled along La Rambla, and soaked in the charm of the Christmas markets at the Gothic Cathedral. Staying in the Gothic Quarter made it even more special, surrounded by the history and beauty of this timeless neighborhood.

This incredible day is the perfect sendoff before I board my ship tomorrow for an amazing journey home. I’ll be sailing slowly to Florida, with exciting stops in Spain, Portugal, the Azores, Morocco, Bermuda, and the Bahamas. Adventure awaits!

Changing time zones on a long cruise

As we embark on a cruise from Miami to the UK, traversing multiple time zones, the adjustment of our clocks, where we lose an hour, becomes a regular occurrence. Unlike the conventional method of setting our clocks forward at 2 AM, onboard the ship, this ship’s transition happens at noon. In a blink, the time shifts from 11:59 AM to 1 PM, seamlessly integrating into our day. This midday adjustment offers advantages such as smoother adaptation for our bodies, as we don’t wrestle with losing an hour of sleep, and it simplifies the schedule for the ship’s staff, eliminating the need to wake up an hour earlier. However, the downside is that we forfeit an hour of daytime enjoyment and bid farewell to our customary afternoon nap hour. Conversely, on the return journeys from Europe to the US in autumn, we gain an hour, relishing in 25-hour-long days.

I change my electronic devices manually or  I set the timer to match the closest port. We are on our way to Funchal, Madeira, so I set my clock to Funchal, Madeira.

A 25-Day Odyssey from the Mediterranean to the Transatlantic Wonders”

 Embarking on another incredible 25-day adventure, I kicked off with a day in breathtaking Athens. The journey continued with a 12-day Mediterranean cruise, exploring 11 captivating ports of call, followed by a 12-day transatlantic voyage back to the US, making stops in Madeira and Bermuda. True to form, this vacation indulged all my passions – from immersing myself in the rich history of culturally vibrant cities to savoring delightful cuisine throughout the day. Evenings were filled with diverse entertainment, and days were spent partaking in enjoyable activities and games with fellow passengers. The icing on the cake? Forging connections with new friends from across the globe. Needless to say, I’m already gearing up for the next grand adventure! 

Fabulous 21-day cruise!!

This has been my fabulous home for 21 days. They have fed me very well, entertained me throughout the day, taken me to 13 beautiful ports of call (New York, Rhode Island, three Canary Islands, three Azores, Spain, Gibraltar, and Portugal) brought me fresh linens and made my bed every day, introduced me to new traveling friends, shown me sunrises and sunsets at sea, and rocked me to sleep listening to the sounds of the sea every night. I will miss the NCL Sun!

COVID travel protocols – – constant change

 In early March 2022, Government and private sector institutions have been gradually relaxing Covid protocols. By the end of March, mask mandates will no longer be in effect across all states in the US. Only Hawaii enforces mask mandates in schools but that will end by April. Last week, for the first time in two years, even the employees at my local grocery store were not wearing mask. It was a pleasure to connect with individuals seeing their entire faces and their beautiful smiles.

Although airlines in the United States continue to implement mask mandates Through March 18, 2022, Cruise Lines have been gradually publishing new protocols where masks are recommended but not mandatory. I find this particularly shocking especially giving the confined nature of the Cruising experience where thousands of passengers and staff members are confined to an indoor space. For our upcoming cruise, we will experience a stretch of seven straight sea days crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

I will take a 16-night transatlantic sailing from Florida to Europe. Until yesterday, the cruise line had reported requirements to present a negative Covid test on embarkation day, along with complementary mandatory Covid test taken prior to boarding the ship. Effective yesterday, four days before departure, the cruise line released new guidelines suggesting that on-site testing will no longer be implemented on embarkation day, for our sailing. 

Separately, for the first time ever, the cruise line alerted passengers to the potential for unreliable and erratic Internet connections during the seven day transatlantic, (7-day stretch of day at sea) portion. The line is already providing refunds/onboard credits for pre-purchased Internet packages. Although this will be my 13th transatlantic sailing, I have never witnessed Cruise Lines taking ownership of and honestly managing expectations around their Internet product.

See attached note about the Sky Princess cruise ship sent the Tuesday night before our Saturday, March 12 sailing.

Naturally, this has elicited the expected rush to panic among many travelers on cruise critic and in Facebook groups. I am happy I won’t need to prep for long flights to board the ship. I only need to call an Uber and ride for less than 30 minutes, to arrive at the ship.

Since cruising resumed during the summer of 2021, ships have been sailing at a maximum of 50 to 60% capacity. In many cases, the ratio of crew members to passengers has been greater than one. Specifically, on my first Alaska sailing in September, there were more crew than passengers. Naturally, the service was exceptional, and staff members even called me by name when I entered certain venues. It was impressive!

I have read reports that there are 1000 more passengers on the ship I will be taking, than there have been since the ship resumed operations last summer. There are also reports the current sailing is grossly understaffed. (It is possible this spike is due to spring break travel.)

Let’s hope we will not spend 16 days waiting in long lines and experiencing shortages because the ship has not been properly provisioned or staffed to accommodate the larger volume of guests. Let’s also hope the ship is prepared to implement Covid protocols should there be an outbreak on board, especially among the much-needed (fully VAXed) staff.