A Voyage for the Ages – VY 7/8/2024 – 7/15/2024

[twangster]

16 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

@OCSC Mike @twangster were back!

Be honest.  How badly are you missing CK right now?  

[OCSC Mike]

36 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

OCSC Mike @twangster were back!

I've mentioned this before but we (especially my wife) really miss the pasta and wok stations that the non-Oasis class WJ's had/have.

[Lovetocruise2002]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

Be honest.  How badly are you missing CK right now?  

I am always honest lol. I always miss CK. However, I will say, in the day or so that I have been on board, I have had 2 of my best WJ meals in a very long time! The stir fry today was super good! And they had the ripest, whole peaches in the WJ! 

52 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

I've mentioned this before but we (especially my wife) really miss the pasta and wok stations that the non-Oasis class WJ's had/have.

How are the non-OA class ones different? All I know from recent experience is this one and the one on LB last summer. So far, this one is way better than LB. Not sure if it’s because we are in Europe, so different ingredients, or the crew, cause every crew so far has been awesome on this ship. 

[SweetPea]

16 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

You know the more I think about this, the more it doesn’t sit right with me. There are other 2BD GS on this ship. What if someone doesn’t know what they are supposed to be getting? They would not be doing right by all those people. Hubby rolled his eyes at me when I told him this

Norma Rae! Norma Rae!

[Lovetocruise2002]

Panoramic Valencia & Walking Tour

I will be honest, I did not do much research into this port, and I did not really know what to expect here. We were all pleasantly surprised. First impressions of Valencia…the feels of Barcelona, without the massive crowds and smells. It reminds me of New York vs. Boston or Toronto vs. Edmonton. Valencia has the feels of a major city, but not quite as hyper. I hope that makes sense. 

The ship docks in an industrial area. If you are not on a tour, you either have to pay for a shuttle into town, or take a cab. It’s not very walkable into town. 

First stop was the City of Arts and Sciences. Wow! If we ever come back here, we know that this is what we need to come back to see! 
 

[Lovetocruise2002]

Panoramic Valencia & Walking Tour continued…

Next, the tour took us into old town, starting at the old city gate. From here we walked to the main cathedral and visited a bunch of small squares along the way. 
 

[OCSC Mike]

48 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

How are the non-OA class ones different?

I've been so Oasis-class heavy (although we did a total of 11 nights on Indy in 2022) that I don't remember specifics. I just know years ago when we stopped going to the MDR entirely it was largely b/c we could get cook-to-order wok/pasta every night in WJ which was both hotter than the MDR and my wife could obviously create whatever she wanted. They used to have them on Oasis... maybe they still do.

In general, they're not all that different... just tweaks in the layouts and stations.

As much as we joke about the WJ, which I still have no problem with, I'm less of a fan on Wonder (besides the new design which is great) b/c there's a bit less variety than years ago on other ships for lunch and dinner (breakfast is always gonna be the same stuff and that's fine). But I don't care b/c there are so many other venues I snack at throughout the day/night. As you obviously know given that you're on Voyager, WJ would be far more important to me on anything below Oasis class... especially if there's no ELF.

EDIT: Sorry this wound up in the middle of your tour pics, I was being long-winded and typing as you were posting.

[Lovetocruise2002]

Panoramic Valencia & Walking Tour continued…

After the cathedrals and square, the guide took us to the largest market in Valencia. I liked this one way better than the one we went to in Barcelona. It was similar but way more calm.

The guide also told us we had to try a drink that is popular in Valencia called a Horchata. I normally love soy milk so I was all for trying this! It was good, more “green plant” tasting than soy milk but still good. D15 loved it!

After trying the Horchata, we ventured into the market and Hubby got more croquettes and an empanadilla. We also got more potato chips and fresh juice to share. The fresh juice here is so good! Way better than anything I have ever tasted in North America. 
 

[Lovetocruise2002]

16 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

I've been so Oasis-class heavy (although we did a total of 11 nights on Indy in 2022) that I don't remember specifics. I just know years ago when we stopped going to the MDR entirely it was largely b/c we could get cook-to-order wok/pasta every night in WJ which was both hotter than the MDR and my wife could obviously create whatever she wanted. They used to have them on Oasis... maybe they still do.

In general, they're not all that different... just tweaks in the layouts and stations.

As much as we joke about the WJ, which I still have no problem with, I'm less of a fan on Wonder (besides the new design which is great) b/c there's a bit less variety than years ago on other ships for lunch and dinner (breakfast is always gonna be the same stuff and that's fine). But I don't care b/c there are so many other venues I snack at throughout the day/night. As you obviously know given that you're on Voyager, WJ would be far more important to me on anything below Oasis class... especially if there's no ELF.

EDIT: Sorry this wound up in the middle of your tour pics, I was being long-winded and typing as you were posting.

No worries! I decided to break up tour pics anyway because of what we had discussed on @CravingaCruise’s blog about disappearing posts. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

To end off the tour, on our way back to the bus, our guide took us through the largest square in Valencia and past city hall, he said where the Mayor “sometimes” works

There are also a few video clips on my IG story (or highlights if you end up reading this days from now. 
 

[Lovetocruise2002]

Panoramic Valencia & Walking Tour thoughts…

Overall this was a great tour! Not overly long, 3.5 hours, and we thought it gave us a good overview of the city. We really liked our guide today. He was funny and kept things interesting. The lowest price of the tour was $52.99 USD, and I thought it was pretty decent value. 

[OCSC Mike]

I could live on that paella and those churros, especially when there are 4 different paellas! 

Related WJ rant... they had paella for embarkation day lunch for at least a couple years and haven't had it on Wonder recently (though it appeared later). That was my go to first meal and since we're usually amongst the first in, it was still fresh and warm and full of seafood before it eventually got attacked, lol.

[Lovetocruise2002]

4 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

I could live on that paella and those churros, especially when there are 4 different paellas! 

Related WJ rant... they had paella for embarkation day lunch for at least a couple years and haven't had it on Wonder recently (though it appeared later). That was my go to first meal and since we're usually amongst the first in, it was still fresh and warm and full of seafood before it eventually got attacked, lol.

They had seafood paella on VY WJ yesterday. I am not a huge fan of paella but Hubby really likes it. 

[OCSC Mike]

Just now, Lovetocruise2002 said:

They had seafood paella on VY WJ yesterday. I am not a huge fan of paella but Hubby really likes it. 

Argh, so it's a Wonder thing and other ships still have it on embarkation day?

That's going in my next survey!

[Lovetocruise2002]

10 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

Argh, so it's a Wonder thing and other ships still have it on embarkation day?

That's going in my next survey!

I will check AD for you too in 2.5 weeks

[Lovetocruise2002]

Suite lounge happy hour snacks 

[OCSC Mike]

6 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

I will check AD for you too in 2.5 weeks

Thanks... that will really help the depression I'll be entering after next week due to a long upcoming dry dock and my wife going back to work.

[Lovetocruise2002]

18 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

Thanks... that will really help the depression I'll be entering after next week due to a long upcoming dry dock and my wife going back to work.

I get you. After the next cruise, long dry dock for me too because I will also be going back to teaching. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

So while I am waiting for the rest of my family to get moving for dinner, I wanted to note something interesting here. Well at least I never knew this. Last week, someone posted something in the FB roll call group about having a friend who was on the ship a two weeks ago and they brought back liquor from a port and were allowed to drink it on the sailing. I thought it was odd but did not give it much thought because we all know what those FB groups can be like.
 

Anyhow, when we boarded yesterday, there was a duty free store (after check in) that you have to walk through to board the ship (you can see it in this pic)

I thought that was a weird set up but did not give it much thought. Later in the WJ, we ran into some people that Hubby knows and they told us that the guy at duty free informed them they could all bring on 2 bottles per adult, and it could be anything. They all brought on liquor (not wine or champagne) and were fine. No one stopped them or checked as this was all after security and check in. Is the alcohol policy different for Europe sailings? 

[Lovetocruise2002]

Also they just called Echo x 3

[PPPJJ-GCVAB]

35 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Also they just called Echo x 3

Yikes…have you left the port?  Doesn’t this mean a possible collision or something like that?

[Lovetocruise2002]

5 minutes ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

Yikes…have you left the port?  Doesn’t this mean a possible collision or something like that?

We asked our room attendant on the way to dinner, she said it was nothing and we just left the port 

[Ampurp85]

The one thing that strikes me about the little markets in Europe is how basically my brother could bankrupt us . We went to a market in Zurich once that, to this day, was the best food we ever eaten and also the most expensive. There is a lot of stuff I wouldn't eat but so much that he would.

Can I ask what makes the chips so delicious? I know about the juice, all the juice taste WAAAAAAAY better

[Lovetocruise2002]

22 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

Can I ask what makes the chips so delicious? I know about the juice, all the juice taste WAAAAAAAY better

It was only slightly better than regular chips in North America. Hard to describe. Something about the taste is better. More potatoes than oil maybe. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

Dinner: Taste of France

Forgot to take menu pic

@WAAAYTOOO this is one of my least favourite MDR menus. That is why I ate a ton of stir fry for lunch.

[WAAAYTOOO]

Concur on Taste of France.  Right up there with Welcome Aboard and Caribbean Night.

[Neesa]

Agreed as well! Our very least favorite is French night. That onion soup looks well " not good" burnt cheese, just no! I third this emotion, 

[twangster]

2 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

So while I am waiting for the rest of my family to get moving for dinner, I wanted to note something interesting here. Well at least I never knew this. Last week, someone posted something in the FB roll call group about having a friend who was on the ship a two weeks ago and they brought back liquor from a port and were allowed to drink it on the sailing. I thought it was odd but did not give it much thought because we all know what those FB groups can be like.
 

Anyhow, when we boarded yesterday, there was a duty free store (after check in) that you have to walk through to board the ship (you can see it in this pic)

I thought that was a weird set up but did not give it much thought. Later in the WJ, we ran into some people that Hubby knows and they told us that the guy at duty free informed them they could all bring on 2 bottles per adult, and it could be anything. They all brought on liquor (not wine or champagne) and were fine. No one stopped them or checked as this was all after security and check in. Is the alcohol policy different for Europe sailings? 

Barcelona has been like this for many years.  I seem to recall a beverage store in the Malaga terminal as well although I can't recall if there was just wine there.

[OCSC Mike]

41 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

That is why I ate a ton of stir fry for lunch.

WJ isn't so bad when there's a cook-to-order station and your other main alternative is the MDR, is it?

This is one reason why I eat a ton of different stuff throughout most days... when you aren't starving at dinner time, it makes the MDR far less important.

We do go to French night but it's always after we've had Mason Jar brunch so if it's bad, no biggie. When I eventually get hungry later, I head elsewhere.

[PPPJJ-GCVAB]

45 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Dinner: Taste of France

Forgot to take menu pic

@WAAAYTOOO this is one of my least favourite MDR menus. That is why I ate a ton of stir fry for lunch.

 

 

That French Onion Soup looks SAD!  I usually don’t complain but that would have had me sending it back for a new one!  

[WAAAYTOOO]

14 minutes ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

That French Onion Soup looks SAD!  I usually don’t complain but that would have had me sending it back for a new one!  

LOL  I didn't even notice before.  You are soooo right !

[SynEpona]

On 7/8/2024 at 12:49 PM, Jax said:

This sounds like us!  I keep saying we have to get a better system for distinguishing our open water bottles because if in doubt I chuck them. I’m sure there is something out there if I looked.  

Everything in my life is colour coded, and when traveling, I carry a snack size ziploc bag of coloured elastic bands from the dollar store with 3-5 of each person's colour. We use them on cups, bottles, sometimes on rolled up towels ... anything we can twist them around and it's the same colours as things at home. I got a bag of vibrant elastics in the right colours for our existing colour coding from Dollarama.

[SynEpona]

23 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

You know the more I think about this, the more it doesn’t sit right with me. There are other 2BD GS on this ship. What if someone doesn’t know what they are supposed to be getting? They would not be doing right by all those people. Hubby rolled his eyes at me when I told him this

us brand new cruisers are relying on blogs like yours to let us know what is typical in various suite classes. Without having read so many over the past 18mth since we booked, I would have no idea outside of the sparse booking confirmation what to expect.

[Ampurp85]

That makes sense, also probably because they are freshly made chips 

But that French night food looks bad, especially the soup. It is the second least favorite menu in my list. Only the desserts look appealing.

Have you/your daughters been doing any shopping? One thing I always collect from European vacations in bookmarks. I got a really great one from the Vatican, one from the BMW museum in Germany and a great leather one on in Scotland with Edinburgh Castle on it. I have others but those are the coolest ones. I was thinking when I make it to Barcelona, I will get a Gaudi one. 

[Jax]

30 minutes ago, SynEpona said:

Everything in my life is colour coded, and when traveling, I carry a snack size ziploc bag of coloured elastic bands from the dollar store with 3-5 of each person's colour. We use them on cups, bottles, sometimes on rolled up towels ... anything we can twist them around and it's the same colours as things at home. I got a bag of vibrant elastics in the right colours for our existing colour coding from Dollarama.

Great idea! Thanks 

[asquared17]

sabrina, i LOVE that pink skirt!!!!

[Lovetocruise2002]

Hubby and I are cracking up as I am reading the soup comments to him. It was his soup. He said it’s all good, he ate it all. But he’s laughing. 

3 hours ago, twangster said:

Barcelona has been like this for many years.

Hmm…good to know if we ever sail from Barcelona again. 

3 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

WJ isn't so bad when there's a cook-to-order station and your other main alternative is the MDR, is it?

Depends what it is. Yesterday it was a pasta station and it was not interesting to me.

1 hour ago, SynEpona said:

Without having read so many over the past 18mth since we booked, I would have no idea outside of the sparse booking confirmation what to expect.

Knowledge is power

1 hour ago, Ampurp85 said:

Have you/your daughters been doing any shopping? One thing I always collect from European vacations in bookmarks. I got a really great one from the Vatican, one from the BMW museum in Germany and a great leather one on in Scotland with Edinburgh Castle on it. I have others but those are the coolest ones. I was thinking when I make it to Barcelona, I will get a Gaudi one. 

They have bought a few small souvenirs. D17 collects key chains from places we have been to so she has added to that. Hubby and the freeloaders bought a few clothing items in Barcelona and Hubby and I got small models of Sagrada Familia and Casa Mila because we like to collect little models from our European ports. And of course I bought the VY ship model

1 hour ago, asquared17 said:

sabrina, i LOVE that pink skirt!!!!

I love it too!! Anthropologie (circa May 2021) 
 

[Lovetocruise2002]

Not much happened after dinner. We went to the ice show. Fairly strong skaters in this cast. Then we just headed back to our room to hang out as a family. Shared some good laughs. Enjoyed some balcony time. Off to bed now. It’s after midnight here. Tomorrow is a sea day. Hubby is off to his conference. Leaving you with one of my favourite things

[SweetPea]

12 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Anyhow, when we boarded yesterday, there was a duty free store (after check in) that you have to walk through to board the ship (you can see it in this pic)

I should have mentioned this, but it sounded like vouchers were enough for you this trip. The 2 bottle limit is new to me, but we definitely bought liquor at the port in Barcelona and brought it on the ship. It's one of the best parts of boarding there!

[SweetPea]

Somehow i feel like there was a missed opportunity here ....