Cruising_Figure_Skater

Exactly! Jamie is also the general manager of a restaurant so he absolutely gets that any venue can have a bad day, but he will feed back if he feels it's needed. I do think it helped that we were chill - just made our points politely but firmly (I say we like I helped in any way - I am awful and hate anything I perceive as confrontation, so I let Jamie do the talking!)

Oh! I took this on day 1 but totally forgot to share it. For any Dungeons & Dragons players who may be reading... All great adventures start in a tavern!

I'd also heard less than favorable reviews of Santorini, so I was pleasantly surprised - I think having a guide who could help us avoid the worst of the crowds helped, as did being there in June. Not quite the peak heat and crowds of an August day. 

Let's carry on - I will get these blog posts out, I promise!

The next day was our scheduled sea day, and we had some plans! Lunch at Izumi, Ice Odyssey, and Chops for dinner. We'd actually moved our Izumi reservation to lunch rather than the dinner of day 6 as we loved our dining room team so much and didn't want to skip another night with them!

Our morning was slow, eventually we decided to venture to the Viking Crown lounge, but it was PACKED! As was the pool deck. This is where, I have to say, we noticed the drop in size from Oasis. On Oasis we could at least find a quiet spot, but Voyager doesn't have the pools and venues to disperse the crowds, and it showed, both today, and on our impromptu sea day. 

Anyway, we wandered a little bit, eventually settling in Schooner for a couple of drinks before our reservation. One thing I did love about Voyager, was the deck 4 smoking area. Jamie could smoke, I could stand at the railing and watch the waves. 

We wandered up to Izumi around 12.35, for our 12.45 reservation, and were seated. This, unfortunately, is where things went downhill.

It took 25 minutes for someone to take our drink order after they dropped off some edamame, another 10 minutes for me to get my drink (I forgot they don't have a bar and ordered a cocktail)

The Spicy Okinawa was good though, when it arrived. I did make a note to stick with beer though. It was close to an hour before food began arriving, and we had plans to see the ice show at 3, aiming to be done by 2.30 to allow for a bathroom stop, for Jamie to have a smoke and for us to get seats that worked for my vision issues. The family on the table behind were also experiencing the same issue, and were not happy. 

We eventually had to leave, skipping dessert. When the restaurant manager came over and asked how things were, we were honest, the food was great, the service was lacking for a specialty venue that works on reservations only. Eventually, she offered us the chance to come back as her guests, but after we explained why we'd moved our reservation, she offered to comp us each a surf & turf in the MDR the next night, and a bottle of wine. This was more than acceptable to both of us. She also sent some sweet treats to our cabin later, which was kind. 

After the ice show, which was wonderful, the skaters were phenomenal, I will never tire of seeing backflips on ice - I think I preferred this to Oasis, but it's close - we decided to call in at R Bar for a drink, before getting ready and hitting the pool for a bit - the solarium pool was our second home, and the bartenders and servers there were amazing (Jamie had been tipping at our regular haunts, I discovered...). One gent in particular, I could tell if he'd made my cocktails - strong, and with the good booze! He also knew my name despite me never going to the bar!!! 

After we'd been in the pool, it was time to get ready for dinner - Chops! After our Izumi experience, we were praying this would be a better experience. Spoiler - it was.

I started with the lobster bisque, Jamie went for the crab cake, and we shared the bacon. All were great - the bisque was my favourite but that bacon was divine! This was followed by the filet for me, and the rack of lamb for Jamie, with an assortment of sides. I love a steak, and this was a good one, cooked just how I asked, well seasoned, and with a good range of tasty sides. 

We finished off with dessert, I had the red velvet cake, and Jamie had the apple pie. 

After all that food, we rolled to the cabin, after our usual nightcap at Schooner, and went to bed! 

Overall, a good day. A shame about Izumi, but these things happen and we got it worked out. I'd be interested to know how the family behind us got on, they were diamond so obviously cruise a lot, and know when the service falls short of the expected level.

I can't believe I've only got 2 more days of blogs to post!  As much as I liked trying to blog live, this is fun as I get to relive my cruise!

Alright, I'm back! Apologies, it's been hectic since getting home!

Where were we? 

Ah yes, Santorini!

We didn't go ashore the night before as with my night vision being poor, and having to navigate the cable car or steps, we didn't feel it was a good plan. 

So Thursday morning, we were up early as we'd booked the ship's transfer to Fira - we'd been told about this by a couple we got chatting to in Giovanni's, and after deliberating, decided to book it for 9am. We met in Studio B and were taken down to our tender, which dropped us off at Athinios port. 

Here we actually met up with our private tour driver from Santo Crown Tranvel - Aris. I'd been in contact with the company the previous day, and they'd asked if we'd booked this transfer, and for what time, so Aris was waiting right there at the dock when we got off the tender. 

What followed was the most wonderful 6 hours - we went all over the island, and Aris was an absolute gentleman helping me navigate some of the steps and uneven ground we encountered at the Prophet Elias Monastery and the Akrotiri red beach. Well worth the 300 Euro price tag for the 2 of us. 

Santorini is now on my list of favourite places I've visited - it was beautiful and because we had a driver who knew his stuff, we were able to beat the crowds.

We got the tender back to the ship and were back on board by 5pm, so we decided to grab a drink, enjoy the air conditioning, and then get ready for dinner. 

Tonight was UK night and it has earned a place on our list of nights we'll book specialty dining for in future - the food was fine, just not the most inspiring menu. I ended up going for the fettuccine Alfredo which was OK, but not the best thing I ate on board. The escargot was great, as ever, though and the sticky toffee pudding was also good, although it's traditionally served with a toffee sauce and warm custard, rather than the caramel sauce Royal opts to use. 

After dinner, we headed to Schooner for an after dinner drink, before heading to bed. 

I’ll update the days I’ve missed when I’m home - writing and adding images isn’t the easiest for me on mobile. 
 

However I’ll share a fun story from tonight, our final night.

Jamie and I decided to get a drink at the casino bar as we’d not been there this cruise. Last cruise we each put some money in one of the slots, and got nothing. We’d also each put $10 in this cruise and ended up donating it. 

We decided, as we were there, to donate $20 each. Jamie ended up donating $40 and coming out with $41.

I intended to donate $20 and this happened…

So Wednesday started as a sea day, we decided to do some trivia in the Star Lounge, and actually won a couple of pens.

Then we wandered the shops, grabbing some pizza and then settling into the pub for some more trivia. We didn’t do as well on this one - Disney. We were entertained though as people were taking it really seriously! Thought people would come to blows at one point! 

After that, we braved the Windjammer and grabbed some lunch. 

After wandering and enjoying some drinks, we changed and hit the solarium. As people were able to tender to Santorini that evening, it was lovely and quiet. 

We got ready, had a pre dinner drink in the R Bar, and then went for dinner. Tonight was Italian night. I enjoyed the arancini, we shared a beef carpaccio and then I actually had the lamb kofta - I knew after Giovanni’s I’d likely be disappointed and the Indian food is SO GOOD! This was followed by the lemon curd tart and Wahyu insisted we had to have a tiramisu each too  

Annoyingly they’d closed the dining room bar so we had to go to Schooner for post dinner drinks. After our usual espresso martinis I tried the Skrewball peanut butter whiskey on the rocks. Ohhhh so good. 

After that, it was bedtime as we had an early start in Santorini the next day. 

4 hours ago, Sweety said:

Thanks for the memories. I am living my past.

Have you spent some time in Athens @Sweety?

While I’m here, let’s get this blog up to date. 
Yesterday we were at Kusadasi, and after a slightly lazy start we got off the ship with the intention of just walking around the port area. We ended up walking a little further and going to the Maritime Trade History Museum, after taking some pictures of the ship.

When we got back, we found we had a new friend I. Our cabin, courtesy of Suraj.

It was the first formal night tonight, and we had reservations at Giovanni’s Table. So I got all dressed up.

This is where I need firing as a food blogger - I took no photos of the food last night! 
However, it was phenomenal. Service was a little slower than expected, but we’d got talking to the couple on the next table so didn’t mind too much.

Do you know what I do mind? Being photographed, specifically asking if those photos would be available later, and being told yes, only to find 24 hours later, there’s no trace of them. I was debating one as part of a potential photo package, and for once, there were a couple I liked. 
 

Anyway, photos aside, we had an amazing meal, and were even able to catch the show in the theatre after. This was called Broadway Rhythm & Rhyme and was a fun show with fabulous performers. 

After that, it was very much time for bed!

We are now at Santorini, where we’ll overnight. First tender should be leaving in around an hour. 
 

I promise I’ll get yesterday written up at some point soon!

I’ll write a post about yesterday in a little bit, but we’ve had an announcement from the Captain, into the cabins to say our call at Mykonos today has been cancelled due to strong winds.

I am not surprised, we’ve been rocking and rolling since we left Kusadasi last night, with it getting progressively worse. 
 

I’m disappointed, obviously, but I’ve had this happen before and did warn Jamie of this possibility. Safety always comes first, and this just means an excuse to go to NextCruise and book another cruise to try and get to Mykonos, right??

Currently waiting to see if we’re going somewhere else or if we have a 2nd sea day. 

After lunch yesterday, we spent the afternoon exploring Voyager, and enjoying drinks at the various bars. 
 

We decided to come back to the cabin, where we met our cabin steward, Suraj, and unpacked. After that was done we grabbed our swimwear and hit the solarium, spending time in the hot tubs and pool. 
I really liked the solarium, the one on Oasis could be like a greenhouse but this one is nice and open, but with covered hot tubs and shady spots. 
 

Then we had a bit of a rush to get ready for the welcome on board show. We used the Key reserved seating and ended up with a great view.

Then we headed up to watch Athens sail away with a beautiful sunset 

Then it was finally dinner time, we’ve been given a reservation at the same table each night and told to arrive any time between 8.45 and 9pm. For some reason we’d been moved to MTD despite booking late seating, but they got it sorted for us at lunchtime. 
 

We have a table for 2 by the window, and are being taken care of by the lovely Wahyu and Windi. 
 

Wahyu saw that Jamie can do napkin folds, so he made us this cute little penguin! 
The food was good, I had escargot, prime rib, and the key lime pie. Drinks service was pretty quick, food temperature and flavours were good too. 
 

We ended the night at the silent disco, followed by a visit to the Schooner Bar, where I got my first peanut butter tropic of the cruise. We took our drinks back to the room and sat on the balcony, getting to bed around 12.30. 

So far this morning, Jamie went and got us coffee when he went for a cigarette, he’s in the shower, I’m drinking my coffee and catching up on this blog. 

Today we are in Kusadasi, no real plan so we’re just getting ready now and will see what happens.

We are on board! There was a delay in boarding so we were on by 11.30 in the end.

We’ve done some exploring, booked our speciality dining for the week, and are now enjoying the Key lunch.

We are at the port! Checked in and waiting to go through security! 
I reckon we’ll be on board just after 11 so the Key is paying off already.

Today was another slow start, first having brunch at a little cafe near the hotel.

Then we headed to the Athens war museum, where we spent a good 2 hours looking at the different exhibits. 

After that we headed to Syntagma Square, and watched the changing of the guard - a really interesting experience. We grabbed a few meze plates as a late afternoon snack at a place just off the square and had to deal with pigeons and sparrows trying to make friends with us  

We then went back to our usual bar and spent a lovely 3 hours enjoying drinks and talking.

After a quick change we headed to Birbilio, where we’d gone on Friday. We had an amazing selection of meze and some lovely wine. 

Now winding down with a (very strong!) gin and tonic to say farewell to Minnie the Moocher, which has been a lovely bar to hang out at over the last 3 nights. 

Tomorrow it’s cruise day!!!

Yesterday was a busy day, after a lazy morning we got the metro to Monistiraki Square and explored the flea market, then had lunch at a lovely restaurant called Theta, which served great food, and had a resident cat named Dimitri. 

After this we headed to the Hellenic Motor Museum to escape the heat. As car lovers this was a really enjoyable experience and at €12 each great value. There were so many amazing cars, but for visual spectacle I love this room of red cars, especially from the floor above. 

We then decided to brave the acropolis. Add this to the list of historic monuments Jamie has mentally helped me climb - the other being Vesuvius last year. 

It was worth the exertion. A huge thank you goes to the lovely staff member who saw me sat at the top, trying to recover from the heat, and went and refilled our water bottles. Also thanks to the staff who let me use the disabled elevator and buggy to go down. It gave a very different view of Athens.

Then we went back to the hotel via a €5 Uber, and freshened up. Jamie was a gent and wandered to Minnie the Moocher - a bar not far from our hotel that’s become our go to watering hole, so I had privacy while showering. 

After we reunited, we spent some time planning and decided to Uber to Monistiraki Square to look at dinner options. We ended up in a place called Raki Meze and had a delightful meal of seafood meze and Greek white wine. 

We are both loving Athens and the laid back vibe - the streets come alive around 9pm, with outdoor dining and drinking. 

We ended the night at Minnie the Moocher, enjoying some cocktails our server recommended. 

Not even on the ship yet and I’m behind on the blog!

So after we landed on Friday, we met our driver for our transfer to the hotel. She was lovely and gave us some tips for our time in Athens - mostly about being careful in the heat and when crossing streets.  
When we got to the hotel things took an interesting turn - we’d been given a double room, and as 2 friends we’d prefer a twin. We asked, and they said there was nothing available that night, but something may come up the next night. Apparently British Airways Holidays never gave us the option to request this when booking, annoyingly. We have shared before, for one night, so decided we could make it work. 
Our room is lovely but has a full length window into the shower! Again, we’re making this work by one of us going for a drink at the bar while the other showers

We spent the afternoon and evening exploring the area around the hotel, and had dinner in a place recommended by reception. It was a really good meal so we’re planning to go back tonight. 
 

We are in the air! 
The check in issue was IT related, no issues at the airport.

Heathrow was actually pretty good to me this time - all the staff were great, and the crew on this flight have been fantastic too.

Ready to get on the ground and explore Athens now though! We’ve been awake since 4.30am. 

We are at the hotel. The journey down was mostly uneventful, however, Jamie got rear ended on his way to pick me up this morning. He is fine and the damage is cosmetic so we were able to hit the road.

We went to the Ivy Asia for lunch and had an amazing meal - pics incoming!

We did some shopping in London, and paid a visit to a bar I’d been recommended called Mr Fogg’s Apothecary.

Now we’re having a last drink at the hotel bar before heading to bed. We’ve just discovered I can’t be checked in online for our flight for some reason so that’s worrying.

m

I made it!

Out of office - ON. 

Currently just giving things a final charge ready for the morning. Excited, but also nervous as on Friday we fly out of Heathrow and I have never enjoyed that airport when I've been through it alone, with the airport assistance people. 

Maybe with a friend, it'll be easier, but this neurodivergent brain somehow doesn't think that'll be the case. 

Packing is done! 

One more work day to do tomorrow. 

I am officially on countdown to vacation!

Please keep your banana flavoured drinks as far away from me as possible! Thank you! 

I am not a fan, give me pineapple, mango, passionfruit, anything like that and I'm sold! Or coconut!

Loving the food and drink pics so far - hope you're having a great anniversary and embarkation day!

Well, packing failed - I realised I needed a couple of extra things, so Mr Bezos kindly delivered those today. Packing will happen tomorrow after I finish work now. 

Jamie has asked if he can pick me up at 8am on Thursday, rather than 8.30, to allow for a couple of stops on the drive down.

Got my nails done after work - I absolutely love them! Was tempted by the same design as last year but in different colours, but then saw this design online and fell in love!

Temperatures in Athens are HIGH! Highs of 33 and 34 Celsius (93-94F) which definitely beats the weather here, but I am a descendant of Casper the Friendly Ghost, I will be doing impressions of a lobster by embarkation day!! 

Last day in the office has been done, 2 days working from home to go.  

Well, yesterday was a whirlwind!

07.30 - on the ice for a skating lesson

09.53 - on a train to London 

14.30 - Watching Starlight Express 

19.27 - on a train home

22.30 - BED!

I'm definitely feeling tired today, but need to get the last bits of packing done. It's really just underwear and another pair of shoes, but it feels like a mountain to climb! 

We have cancelled our excursion in Naples, we're just not feeling the idea of an organised tour so are going to do our own thing. An Italian colleague has suggested seeing if ferry timings work for a visit to Procida, one of the islands in the Bay of Naples. 

Tomorrow I'm getting my cruise nails done after work, and then it's 2 days working from home. 

3 more work days. I can do this. 

9 days til Voyager! Cannot wait to get back on a ship after over a year

Woohoo! I can enjoy your blogs on Utopia while I'm on final countdown to Voyager on the 9th!

Looking forward to it - as a food/drink gal I do enjoy your blogs

I'm cruising on Voyager from June 9th around the Greek Isles, our call at Santorini is from 7am to 9pm so it looks like there's a range of times that Royal use when calling there.