In this post, we continue with the two-month vacation as we are nearing the end. Previously, I covered the beginning of the cruise from Barcelona to Port Canaveral Florida and the one stop at Funchal. Now, we will ponder what exactly to expect on the remaining cruise as we leave land near Portugal and cross the Atlantic Ocean.
Our Daily Routine
I’ll roughly describe our daily routine that we enjoyed onboard. Other people may choose a whole different list of activities, but this was what worked for us. Royal Caribbean now has an app for the daily schedule of activities. You run down the list and click “add to calendar” for anything that you may be interested in. With that here is our typical day at sea that is quite different than Caribbean cruises.
Wake up and go down one floor to the specialty coffee shop. After some reading and coffee drinking time, we shower and head to breakfast. Sometimes to the formal dining room and sometimes to the Windjammer buffet. Both are excellent, although the dining room is a longer affair. Although, when seated with others can be a great time to chat with others.
At 10:00 am we go to a large dining room used as a card playing room. We played a game or two every day. After this it was time for lunch of all things. We ate very well on board, but being careful to not overdo it. We did not gain any weight in Italy or Spain, so did not want to here either.
Lunch was around 12-2:00. Then, every day there was a continuing lecture that focused on two topics. Either a Titanic series or a Continuous Improvement series. They alternated days. On one day, the two guys were double booked. The Improvement guy must have been a little miffed as he got rescheduled. He told us the other lecturer (Titanic guy) won since he was presenting a first-hand account of the Titanic. They were both very good.
The Titanic lectures were a series of four. Everything from facts and figures on the ship itself, to how the ship ended up hitting the iceberg to a detailed story of several people on board that voyage. The guy opened with a comment that some may find it strange for Royal to schedule an expert to talk about a famous ship sinking in the Atlantic. Yes, it made you think about it, but we both enjoyed.
There were also a few more other lectures on various topics that we attended if we had any interest.
Around 3-4pm there was usually a headliner music show in the main auditorium. All were well done.
Of course, there is more eating involved as we next go to the formal main dining room for our 5pm seating. Five is a bit early for us, but the second seating was 7pm. A little late, besides that the main show of the night was at 7pm and you had to get there a little early to get the best seats. The shows varied from a juggler to a comedian, the Beatles clone, a Beyonce and Tina Turner lady and finally a few shows from the Royal Caribbean orchestra, singers and dancers performing song and dance performances.
At this time, it was 8:30 or 9:00 and we might go to one of the 5-6 lounges to listen to live music of various types. A jazz bar, a piano bar, a tropical band, and a few others.
We would usually also catch an hour or two to read a book on our balcony. The weather was good, warm air, and it was very pleasant to sit outside and enjoy the sunny days.
That was mostly our day. In addition to these items there was daily trivia that we did twice, but you had to get there extra early to get a seat. Of course, there was also daily bingo, some puzzle groups, exercise groups, two swimming pools, a large casino and many more.
Time Changes
This is an interesting aspect of the Transatlantic. There is a six-hour difference between western Europe and the eastern US. The ocean trip home takes seven days so every night but the last one, we gain an extra hour of sleep. Versus flying home and dealing with that six-hour jet lag for a week.
The only small downside was that I could not always sleep in that extra hour, so kept waking up earlier than planned except for the final couple of days. Oh well, much better than the long uncomfortable flight and sudden time change.
Wrap Up
This type of international travel worked very well for us, we were never bored, always very comfortable, and extremely well fed! We docked in Florida on a very warm December day, picked up a rental car, and headed out to do a few things on the Space Coast before checking into a beach front apartment. More on that in the next post.
The long transatlantic cruise back home was perfect for us. Most of our friends and family are not cruisers and do not enjoy them and that is fine. It is not for everyone. But for people who do enjoy cruises, this option to cross the ocean should definitely be considered.
Thanks for following along! Take care and God Bless.
