CraftyCat05

Definitely has. In his PA announcements and while watching RC TV, i've now heard it on multiple occasions! Really made me think of your blog. Also is definitely a cool catch phrase!

Sometimes, Royal does maintenance on the website on the weekends. This can cause some things to not function as intended or if they are working on a feature will not work as intended. I don't know, maybe this means for new changes in the check-in process online? This happened to me multiple times, so don't fret!

Ha ha! Look out for that ? It definitely has! About to write the blog, gonna be a lot to talk about! Thanks! As i've said before, really is good to hear that everyone is enjoying this. Stay tuned for more! I'm sure you'll get to see one soon. If we goto the balloon drop party later tonight, then I will definitely scope that. Chao Chao for now!

CD is Michele, I assume this may change. When I get the chance i'll ask him. SY is great!

Crazy Spaniard Update The chanting is back. Just started too as I was lying down into bed. Ugh...

Day Four in Barcelona Woo, it's getting hard to count these days in Barcelona. Luckily, I won't be needing to do that anymore, cruise day tomorrow! Breakfast After yet another morning of sleeping in and taking awhile to get moving, we went to none other than... Bites, same cafe we've gone to all of the other mornings. We have become regulars! Got the same dishes as we got the first day at Bites, 2 Omelettes, and Eggs Benedict (runny, not hard). We then talked to the concierge about what to do today. The plan was to go inside Sagrada Familla, but the tickets were sold out by the morning. We ultimately decided on the plan we did today. The Plan™ So... What was The Plan™? It was to: Take the bus and tour the outside of the Sagrada Familla. Then take a rickshaw bike to Casa Batllo, the other main Gaudi house in Barcelona. Then find a way home after taking the audioguided tour. The Plan™, in Action! Ok, so with The Plan™ in action, we got a one way ticket from the bus driver on the V21 towards Montbau, which had a convenient stop right by Sagrada Familla. Once in view, it certainly was magnificent. All of the intricate details really did pop once up close to the church. You could see the nativity scenes, and many other things, but I will let all the pictures do the talking. The exterior of Sagrada Familla. You may note all of the cranes in the picture, Sagrada Familla is still under construction and is expected to be completed in 2027. ______________________________________________________________ It really is beautiful, and all of us were just in awe while viewing everything Gaudi had designed for the outside of this space. In comparison of what it looks now to what it was at 1882, here is a picture of the first stone being laid for the Sagrada Familla: The first stone being laid at the Sagrada Familla (Courtesy of this Facebook post) ___________________________________________________________ If you do plan to visit Sagrada Familla while in Barcelona (and you definitely should!), get tickets early and from the official website (sagradafamilla.org/en). Other websites are sketchy and you definitely shouldn't book it, especially in a foreign country. Biking and Casa Batllo Once ready to head over to Casa Batllo, we decided to find a bike with seats to take us to our next location of interest. We found a nice Scottish guy who has his own bike touring company to take us a taxi over to Casa Batllo. After a pleasant conversation about Barcelona, taxi strikes, and business, the ride totaled out to be €40 after a tip for the great ride. After skipping the line for tickets (thanks internet!), we entered the magnificent (use this word a lot, because everything in Barcelona is magnificent!) and very colorful home. There really is a stark difference between Casa Batllo and the other home we saw yesterday. There were no sharp edges or lines in the home, making the home all the more unique. This home had a lot more to see, and even had an Augmented Reality component to the audio guide. This allowed you to see what the house would have looked like with the furnishings and people milling about. I feel this house had more to do and see, and would definitely recommend this one if you had to only see one of the Gaudi houses. But if you have the time, do both! Various artifacts and objects at Casa Batllo ____________________________________________________ Dinner So, today was my mother's birthday (shout out to my mother for having a birthday today!), and we decided to celebrate by having.... Another dinner at the Marina! We were planning on going to Enoteca by Paco Perez tonight, but after we saw the menu we decided to go elsewhere as it didn't have anything we would have liked (or been able to eat, pesky allergies). But, as a request from the birthday girl herself, we just went back to the Marina for some burgers and some flatbread pizza. The pizza was great! Only problem was that I didn't order it! I got the burger, which was ok, but very overcooked. The pizza though was great from the bite that I had, and I really wished then that we had just split two of those amongst all of us. Oh well... Luckily all is not lost, as for the real birthday dinner we will have Chops Grille! Glad we had booked that, especially after my unimpressive burger and I need some good steak! (Didn't take any pictures, just imagine the best flatbread pizza you have ever seen, and then two hockey pucks with cheese and some ketchup. That was our meal!) CraftyCat05's Engrossing Observations. Miscellaneous Words, and Recommendations We had yet another peep show today! At Casa Batllo, there was this woman who had a very loose fitting dress, and could see part of her cleavage! Those crazy Spaniards! Was much quieter outside last night. Fridays and the weekends must not have as much partying. The rickshaw biking tours here in Barcelona are a very fun and enjoyable. Would recommend. While the metro trains are not air conditioned, the busses are. Would recommend the busses over the metro. The second Gaudi house had a much more extensive gift shop, again why I would recommend it! The audioguides are very well worth it to use at the two Gaudi houses, would recommend and pretty sure they are free to use! DM any idea's for beginning words at the start of these blogs or ideas for CraftyCat05's *Blank* Observations. Would be cool to see what you guys can come up with! Glad you are enjoying this! Really is fun and a pleasure to write. Expect many Periscopes tomorrow, while most of you probably can't watch it live (those pesky timezones!), you can always watch a replay! See you tomorrow, on the ship!

Definitely ain't heading off to bed yet, still gotta finish writing todays post! Coming in hot shortly.

Great blog! Really enjoying following along for the last few days.

Have always thought about getting a model plane or two, because of how much I like flying... But never thought about getting model cruise ships! May need to start here soon ?

Ask away! Really was hoping for some crowd interaction like i've seen on other Live Blogs, but hopefully there will be many questions once on the ship! (and no need to apologize, the blog is here for the story and the interaction!) Yeah, I talked to the local guiding us while on a Rickshaw Bike Tour (more about that later tonight), and he said it's a very different Spanish and kind of a romance dialect. ? Really hope it does! Ha ha! I remember when in Paris with my mother, she tried to use some of her French from college (French minor) and they would always look at her in a funny way, but at least understand her! She could also point and help me interpret the menus over there. There are definitely many different types and dialects of Spanish! (hyperlink to a Wikipedia article).

Gotta keep the blog PG here. Was funny though, while walking around on the day we went to the cathedral, we saw a guy in the nude taking a smoke on his balcony. You could see everything. Those crazy spaniards!

Day Three in Barcelona Well... err... this is my blog? It's Friday, and it's in Barcelona. Roll it! The Morning Show While the cruise director and activities manager isn't here yet, I can entertain you with some text! We slept in again (vacation allows for such activities), but did get up earlier to get us all showered and clean. Then, it was feeding time! We went to that same cafe we went to yesterday, and got some breakfast for some and lunch for others. Father and I got the omelette (still good!), and my mother got a cheese wrap, with lettuce, cheddar, mozzarella, and wrap? This is the Wrap ~ Can you spot the problem? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ It's got a rice paper "wrap"! While not half eaten when served, it was still not what she expected, but she was hungry and decided to try it anyway. And the verdict was... It was good! Everyone at the table expected a tortilla "wrap" like we would get back home in the states. You can also notice the half eaten french fry: she ordered that as well under the impression of being served in a tortilla. The Mother: And can I also have some fries with that on the side? Waiter: Certainly Waiter's Mind: These Americans really order everything with fries... Even our amazing Asian Wrap! The omelette served as my breakfast __________________________________________________________ NO UBER! NO UBER! NO UBER! In other news here on the show, the taxi drivers are now back on strike. They are now protesting against a court decision that "puts their jobs in danger." They also decided to block a main avenue in Barcelona, stopping both the in and out traffic of the airport and the city centre.. If you would like to watch more about it, click here (4:09-6:40). Gaudi's House Since taxi's being on strike again, that ruined our plans to go into the Olympic village from the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, so we decided to take the metro to the La Pedrera (or Casa Milà), one of the homes that Gaudi designed. The metro ride took about 30 minutes and some losing of direction on the way to the home. Once there though, it was beautiful inside and interesting to see how they lived and what Gaudi could do with his architecture and design. We got to see many things, including the rooftop, the attic, the main apartment and housing area, and other smaller exhibits in the house. The ticket for entry came with a free audioguide, that would automatically change tour numbers and give you the tour at your own pace. The rooftop terrace was my favorite part, once again like yesterday. We got to see some amazing sights and views, even more than yesterday with being more in the center of the city. A close up zoom of another Guadi designed building, the Sagrada Famillia Pictures of the view from the Rooftop Terrace House Model - Front Side (I think lol) Chimneys on top of Casa Milà ______________________________________________________________ The City and the Pool Bar Once done with the house tour, we decided to find some outdoor seating and get some drinks nearby the metro station home. We found a restaurant, sat down, and got some drinks to hold us over until we got back to the hotel bar. Once done with that and getting back to our "home" on the right station, we went straight to the pool bar at the hotel. While we didn't swim, we did get a few drinks before it closed at 7pm. We then once again, went to the regular dinner spot of the Marina (need to venture out more!) to get that same Paella that we got last night, and boy was it good! This time, we only got two though and shared amongst the table. Once done with dinner, it was time for dessert... at least for my father. He got that same pie again and said it was much better today! I tried a bite, and it was indeed better than what it was yesterday. Then it was off for a bath to soak the body and some rest! CraftyCat05's Riveting Observations The Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is labeled at a DEA in Spain. You could see a GNV Cruises' La Suprema rolling into port at 2pm today. Didn't get pickpocketed today on the metro! My father's ticket did not work with the metro gates, so he had to jump it. Let's hope we don't get stopped when trying to leave the country! No chanting outside the room (yet) as of writing this sentence, maybe Friday's are the quiet nights! Only one beggar has approached us on this trip. That's better than some other cities! (Paris... eh hem) Looks like the pool bar has switched to paper straws today like RCL is doing by the end of this year. We are saving the environment! (as they say anyway...) See you guys mañana!

Great blog! Loving this while in Barcelona.

Seems to me to be a self bot making accounts and spamming the forums using a Wee-Chat client somehow. That’s all I’ve gathered though. Mods have a huge mess to clean!

Thanks for the comments and really enjoying it here in Barcelona.... or should I say 感谢您的评论, 并在巴塞罗那享受它 (pls don't ban me) May have to start doing translations for all of the new members of the forums. Seems like their having a real hoot! Thanks for the chuckle!

Update Realized I never updated you guys. I was able to rebook everything and get here in Barcelona on time. I had to go though Heathrow instead of Miami, but all was well. Took an American 777-300ER to London, then a British Airways codeshare to Barcelona. Now enjoying the sights and soon the be cruise! Glad everything worked out.

Definitely can tell the French influence. Knew Catalan was here, but didn't know how prevalent it is! fan girl shrieks. twangster replied, with love... Haha, thanks. Definitely coming and coming! Another 16 days of fun. Glad your enjoying! It's an absolute blast to write, I need to do it more often! And the blog isn't bad? That's great! I guess it's blast to write that too... ?

It has been said many times, but definitely check out the Costal Kitchen! Much better than the main dining room, and we ate there most of the time on our B2B on Allure in a grand suite. Didn't even go into the MDR except for meeting for a insider tour! That letter is very helpful, and like others said, you will get it about 1 week before the set sail date. The grand suite is great, and will be sailing in one in 2 days! I will do a tour of the one on Symphony (which I assume would be about the same as the one on Oasis) on Periscope (@CraftyCat05) and will review it, CK, and all of the other Sky Class perks on my live blog! Feel free to check it out.

They certainly are crazy! Singing and parting til the wee hours of the morning. There still chanting out there as I type. You will really enjoy Barcelona, it's a neat place for sure, and definitely eye opening. Definitely visit that cathedral I talked about, really neat. Just know not to wear tank tops or something like it, but shorts seemed to be ok in there. We also plan to visit the famous Guadí Sagrada Família and the Olympic Village from the Barcelona 1992 Olympics on our next and last two days. WIll of course update you all about those things and whatever else we do in Barcelona. Glad to see a fellow Texan here and that you are enjoying my writing! Always good to know that people are enjoying, and from the likes and comments it looks like others are too. If you have any questions about my trip, ship or Barcelona, feel free to ask and I will answer to the best of my ability! This goes for everyone too of course.

Day Two drum roll please ~ Introducing... The one and only... CraftyCat05's SemiLive Blog! intro music plays Wait.... This isn't Jimmy Kimmel? Morning Well, there really wan't a morning to speak of, we all slept though it! We did finally get our butts into gear and got up after a well needed 12+ hours of sleep. Breakfast In the lobby, there is a nice cafe that serves all day breakfast (thanks the hotel lords!), and we were all able to get our normal breakfast items we would have at any other restaurant for breakfast back in the United States. Served was coffee, milk, two omlettes, and one eggs Benedict (runny, not hard ?). All was good for a day out and the city (and some more rest)! The Cathedral After some deliberation and some guidance by the hotel concierge, we decided to go walk to to cathedral (still on taxi strike) that was about 2.4 KM away (1.5 miles). We were able to get in with shorts, but my mother's tank top was a no go, having to buy a coverup for €2. Tickets for the cathedral, a roof top visit, and a little museum was €7 per person, not that bad for what was included. Once in, we could wonder around, seeing many different statues of religious figures, and other sculptures and historical relics. While walking, you would also be stepping on old graves of prior religious leaders of the cathedral. Once done with the main cathedral area, we walked into an open plaza, which had fountains and (as my father joked about) holy goose, instead of the holy ghost (he found himself very hilarious...). After a quick visit of the museum which didn't have much, we took a tip from the helper desk working at the museum and back pedaled to go onto the roof for amazing views. Once a ride on the most rickety and smallest elevator i've seen in recent memory, we were on the roof for views of the Barcelona skyline... and wooh was it amazing! Main Entrance of the Cathedral View from Rooftop More Views from the Rooftop Turrets(?) on the Rooftop The price for admission was definitely just worth the view! Really surprised us of what we could see. Definitely the highlight of the day. Bars, Rice, and Pie After our long, tiring, and sweaty cultural, scenic, and nice walk back to the hotel, we decided to hit the bar to drink the aching muscles away. After downing margaritas, and refreshing slushes, we went to the Marina (same place we went for chicken) to try their dinner service (which is much better than their unimpressive lunch menu) for some rice dishes. All three of us coincidentally ordered the three different rice dishes on the menu! All of us agreed it was good, but really big and filling... but nonetheless we ordered an Apple Pie for us to split. It wasn't U.S. grade (and came with some very bitter caramel) but was eatable and added to the dinner experience. Tomorrow, we will plan to try one of the more fancy sit down restaurants to enjoy dinner at. That is all for now! Off to bed for us. Will see you tomorrow, wether it be in a periscope or blog post! CraftyCat05's Version of Matt's "Stray Observations" The room here doesn't allow the plugs near the bed and table to function while the lights are off, forcing us to charge everything at night in the bathrooms. The sofa (where I usually sleep on family vacations like this one) isn't a pull out like every other hotel suite room has, forcing me to pay a whoping €110 a night for a pull away bed, or sleep on the couch with just sheets. I opted for the latter. The beach is open 24 hours, meaning many stay at 3AM... Live music plays near our hotel at midnight. Not fun! My father has noticed that the Spanish over here is much different than what he is used to from Peru and home. My dog back at home is doing just fine as per the webcam. He seems to be settling into his new home for the next two weeks! It's now 12:30 and theres chanting outside! I guess I ain't sleeping for a bit lol. Ugh.

Live on Periscope again! Hopefully some better internet and views!

Hotel Update (in Barcelona!) We have arrived in Barcelona after our flight on a British Airways A320, and this edition of CraftyCat05's blog is coming from the Hotel Arts in Barcelona! Flying, part dos Once off the uneventful flight from Heathrow (including one spicy panini, free of charge!), we went though immigrations and got to the.... Empty taxi stands. We were very unlucky to travel on the day that the Barcelona Taxi Cabs have decided to have a 48 hour strike, in protest against Uber. This in turn, makes everyone use Uber, ultimately defeating the point of this strike. 1 Uber - 0 Taxi Cabs. ( @Joe01 got very lucky with this, being in Barcelona on the same cruise only weeks before!) After the debacle at the airport taxi stands, we decided to check out the busses.... Which the line was a good Kilometer long (gotta use those European measurements! - Stupid America). That was a no go. We then decided to use Uber (read above about score), making the rest of the trip quick and seamless. Only thing was that the driver only spoke Spanish, but we had a Spanish speaker in the group (thanks Dad). Hotels and Chicken Once reaching the hotel, we decided to check in (cuz that's what normal people do, right?) and with only one missing passport scare, we were in the clear, we were about to relax in our suite on the 25th floor, and go to sleep! Ha ha, no! Something has to go wrong, right? Our room was still occupied (curse you late checkout!), and we had to wait for a hour and a half to get our room in our possession. We spent this time siping on Margaritas, Daiquiris, and eating food to our hearts content (except the check holding us back). I had a chicken breast, my mother had a chicken wrap thing, and my father had Tuna Ceviche (not Peruvian grade like he had as a child though) Now time for rest! Hope to see you soon, whether it be in the blog or periscope!

Thanks for the well wishes! Just got to the hotel room, planning on giving a Periscope of the view! @CraftyCat05 on periscope!

Heathrow Airport Update Now in the No. 1 Lounge at Heathrow (thanks Priority Pass card!), and just got off our American flight to Heathrow! The Flight The flight was great, even got a gobsmacking 2 hours of sleep while on board. The seat had a nice layout, giving lots of room for all of the necessary inflight items, including my phone, water, and glasses. The crew was also great, giving great and speedy service. Unfortunately, because of the last minute flight change we weren't able to get the meals we had ordered for the Miami to Barcelona flight. This created havoc for my mother, not giving her what she had wanted and could have with her very extreme food allergies. But, there was a meal at the end of the metal tube flying us to London... The First Class pilot's meal! The flight attendant was kind enough to give her the pilot's meal (and apparently they get First Class meals), making the flight just so much better. All of the other food was great, and menu pictures are at the end of this post. Was also able to watch two movies while eating dinner and breakfast (The Post // Maze Runner: Death Cure), but had only 5 minutes to go in the movie before they shut off the screens for landing. Also got some sleep as I said before, and American offers Casper bedding for sleeping, which was some of the most comfortable long haul bedding i've ever had the pleasure to use. Heathrow We didn't get off the a good start... The jet bridge that connects the plane to the terminal had broken down, making us stranded in the plane for an extra 15 minutes before we were able to deplane. As usual, you had to walk a long way to the main airport area, as it always is with Heathrow and it's terminals. We then got to the wonderful British security. Since TSA and the British Security are nothing alike in their allowances, many people were flustered in the connection security area. We even had the pleasure opportunity to see a senior American traveler get told off by many security personnel. They were not happy with him, thus making him go through the search of all of his baggage and his person after being snobby to one of the helpers in the Security line. My security experience was fine, and luckily didn't get anything taken for further screening, as there was a line of about 5 bags to be searched. Now we are at the lounge, typing to blogs and reading golfing magazines. Soon we will be off for Barcelona on British Airways! Type to you guys soon. Pictures The Seat Seat Control Panel Amenity Kit Contents Drinks and Nuts Menu #1 Menu #2

Thanks! Thanks for the tip! Since we are doing a B2B, we planned to do the city tour the first week in Florence and Rome, and then on the second week to do explore on our own, and then maybe enjoy the ship for the last few hours while in port. Will also need to check the my TripIt itenerary if we have anymore time to explore Naples... lol Thanks for the well wishes about the flight! We are in the No. 1 Lounge at Heathrow waiting for our flight to Barcelona!