This is a cruise I did not intend to take. Suffering from cognitive issues stemming from long COVID, and with my therapist's advice that I start to venture out more to test my mind, I was simply curious to see how much cruises were. I had an episode of dissociation and blanked out. One minute I'm just looking at cruise prices...the next I was looking at a screen congratulating me for booking. I decided to take the sign from the gods and go.
I’m on the MSC Preziosa for 15 nights from Rio de Janiero to Lisbon. With stops in the Canaries, Madiera and Cadiz, along with crossing the equator, it was hard to pass up. I used to cruise twice a year. When I bought a house, it dropped, and suddenly, after covid, I find that it’s been almost 4 years since my last cruise.
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| Going to the cruise port in Rio |
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| Showing my suite |
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| Sailing from Rio |
This cruise has not only been a departure from the routine of my stagnant life, but from my typical cruise habits. In the past, cruise pals have called me the cruise director because I get to know people and I’m always between on-board activities. This time I just wanted some me time and not be as social. I was once Mr. Ryndam after winning a dance contest by popular demand. I didn’t dance best. I was just more popular. On this ship, I have made very few friends. Oh, there are people I know by name and we stop and talk in passing. There are two youths, Bruno and Lucas, who I met early on when water sliding. They have talked me into going to the disco late, late at night, not recognizing that I am old enough to be their father, or perhaps not caring. And Gabriel, who speaks a little less English than Bruno and Lucas, but enough to help translate with his father, who thinks I look like someone he knows from a previous MSC crossing. While my 4th, this is my 1st transatlantic crossing on MSC.
I have become pals with Nate, who plays piano in the El Dorado in the evenings. He’s great at the piano and has a nice voice, but his frequent Elton John songs are what really keeps the crowd happy. When he’s on break there is a guy who plays guitar with a sound track. He’s really good, too. The other night he played “Sultans of Swing” by Mark Knopfler. It was amazing, and I consider it one of the best guitar songs ever. He nailed it. And anyone who can play 3 Pink Floyd songs in a row and leave the crowd wanting more is good in my book.
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| The Atrium |
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| Penguin on the Swaravski staircase |
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| Enjoying a chocolate-dipped strawberry |
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| In the Green Jazz Lounge |
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| Ian and Hector, my new friends |
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| Piano man Nate in the El Dorado Lounge |
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| Life of the party |
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| Maria, Bruno and Casey |
The first week is
sort of a blur and there isn’t really much to tell. I was flustered
with MSC for the first couple of days when I realized that many of
the perks with the Aurea class experience that I paid a LOT for
didn’t pan out. Gone was the drink package I had read about in
reviews. It wasn’t until after I booked that I learned about the
recent changes. We get bottled water free, but only in the main
dining room and only for lunch and dinner. Otherwise, you pay for it.
You can tell those of us who booked after MSC dumped the drink
package by the bottles of water carried out after dinner. They're $3 otherwise.
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| Wearing my 80s Night brooch |
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| Night photo taken from my suite |
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| Enjoying the EL Dorado Lounge |
Some perks are lost
on me, such as exclusive use of the 18th floor solarium,
which at first excited me, as I’m still nervous about social distancing and
thought this would be a great thing. They call it Top18; it is a
space up on the top deck, 18, with NO shade. None. Zip. Zero. So I
can’t use that except around sunset because of my melanoma history. The spa is included in the
package, but here you’ll find a group of neanderthals who don’t
clean up after themselves, have loud conversations in the quiet area,
save hot beds and lounge chairs with their towels and then disappear
in the sauna for half an hour, and a few listen to ‘whatever’
noise from their cell phone. Of course, I have no problem removing a
towel from a chair when it’s the only one available and no one is
in sight. I’m ready now. Where are you? The tiepidarium, or relax
room, is open to the 3 sauna/steam rooms, so people come through with
the doors squeaking and slamming. It's not at all relaxing.
So why did I pay a lot of money for this so-called “Aurea Experience?” I have a nice suite with sealed windows that overlooks the bow. But I’ve had a similar cabin for ¼ the price of this one. It seems MSC is trying to save money after 2 difficult covid years, but they are also driving people away by getting rid of perks and not bothering to substitute lesser ones. Sure, the bottle of bubbly and the decadent chocolate dipped strawberries waiting in my suite were a nice treat. But there really were few perks to make shelling out money for the Aurea experience worth while. What did I learn? Don’t book a cruise based solely on reviews. Company policies and perks change.
I do get access to an exclusive restaurant for any time dining, but how much of a perk is that, really? The best perk so far was being able to use the Yacht Club disembarkation instead of waiting in the very long line to get off or on the ship in port. But the cabin has no facial tissue, no lotion, no flowers. These are things that I’m accustomed to seeing in a cabin on my normal cruise lines.
On day 2, I was in a shop discussing my disappoints with MSC Aurea when Younes, one of the shop workers, overheard. He approached and suggested I speak to the cruise consultant. He really cared that my expectations were not met, and that impressed me. He went out of his way to call the consultant and confirm that I should speak with him. I spent the next 3 days trying and then gave up. He only has 4 hours a day that he is working his desk. There is always a line of people there. The desk is in a bar. It is loud. There are many people sitting right next to the desk. I didn’t want an audience to complain about my experience with MSC.
Instead of speaking to him, I wrote a note (3 pages) and turned it in at the front desk. It was 6 days later that I got a call from a woman who claimed hearing from a colleague that I was not having a good experience. I corrected her. I’m having a great cruise. I love the ship, the crew is fantastic, the food is exemplary. It’s my Aurea experience that is not as expected and it is for that reason that MSC has lost my business. I do NOT like the 3 class system they have going here. The Yacht Club gets everything: a lounge overlooking the bow, escorts when walking around the ship, reserved (albeit lousy balcony) seats in the theater, and an exclusive pool area. With shade. And free drinks. Much better than second class and nearly the same as 3rd except for the free part and a lounge over the bow.
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| Lounging in the Safari |
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| Suite 10003 |
When one thinks of the Titanic, outside of her sinking, what stands out is the 3-class system. What I’ve loved about cruising in the past 15 years is feeling like I’m just as rich as everyone else. The fine food...the classy shows...wine and dining with 4 course meals (which MSC has taken down to 3, but you can always ask for more than 1 starter). Anyone bends over backward to make me happy...regardless of what I spent to be there. Sure, there are perks offered to their elite guests, like a restaurant I don’t have access to, or free laundry, etc. But to not have access to parts of the ship...had I not a suite that overlooked the bow, it would have driven me mad to never be able to see where we were going and instead see the whole trip sideways. I was on a ship like that once. I’ve not sailed with NCL since.
Their Bella experience is like Titanic’s steerage. You get nothing. You can buy the drink package. You can buy the spa package. I should have done that—booked a balcony, bought the spa package, and saved over a thousand dollars. But I do have my large suite with commanding views over the bow from the 10th floor. That view often has me saying, I’m at sea. And I’m a GOD at sea. (It’s a movie line from “Overboard.”)
That first week at sea, my schedule varied each day. It was mostly the same activities: sometimes I went to the spa in the afternoons. Sometimes I went in the mornings. After learning this was best, I tried to make this my routine. Work out with Jane Fonda in my large suite, then time at the spa. After lunch I could swim, slide, hot tub, or just enjoy my room and write. I’ve gotten a lot of writing done on this trip. That’s a first and I’m so proud.
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| Formal night photo |
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| I spent a lot of time like this |
There are scheduled activities on board, but nothing like HAL (Holland America, my go-to) where there are things I don’t want to miss, like cooking shows or an afternoon concert on the pool deck. It was nice not having a full schedule for once. Oh, HAL, but how I miss you. This ship has paper towels in the public toilets that are along the lines of facial tissues, unlike the linen on a HAL ship. This is a constant reminder that my cabin does not have facial tissues, which are basically what I am using to dry my hands in the men’s room.There are no flowers. No classical music in the dining room. It’s easy to spend a lot of time in this cabin looking out to sea.
I like that the La Locanda lounge has themed tapas plates every night. One night was American, one was Brazilian, then England, Greece, Portugal, Germany. There is a guitarist who is good, but this past week, he often starts up as I’m leaving. Then it’s 730 and I go to dinner. An hour later I’m in the lounges again until showtime at 930. After that, I listen to music in the lounges once more, and then check out the nightly planned 11PM party in the Safari Lounge—or a few times when they moved it up to the pool deck.
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| I rarely missed my nightly tapas in La Locanda |
Very rarely do I
wander into the late buffet because that means I’ll get a dessert
or a slice of pizza. MSC, an Italian line, is a god when it comes to
pizza at sea, and their desserts, unfortunately, are very good. What
they fail at are burgers and hot dogs. I learned early on that I
would not be eating a burger for 2 weeks. That’s only odd because
HAL has wonderful burgers. And don’t pass up the ship-made pasta
and sauces. Mama Mia!
This cruise has been amazing not only for the nightlife (there are 2 other bands I’ve not even mentioned), but where I’m used to being one of the kids on board, on this cruise I among the elders. There are quite a few people in their 30s and 20s, as well as 40s and 50s. Those in their 60s and up are more rare. I went to the disco last night and saw people I had never seen before—a whole night-crowd I’d never seen. It was nearly 1am, and while full of youth, there were also a few older folks kicking up a good time. Again, a departure from my norm of being a night bird and closing the ship down every day.
This cruise is about half full, so it’s weird having been on board for 2 weeks and still seeing people I don’t know. I really do prefer smaller ships. It’s frustrating not meeting all the people and missing out on the fun ones. I like feeling like a big fish in a small pond. These huge ships make me feel like a small fish in a large pond. The best cruise I’ve had was a transatlantic with 138 people on a ship that held 350. There were more people on my flight than on the cruise.
And I’ve never heard NO so many times. Or some variation of that. MSC has their rules and they are not to be broken. When I was told I could not bring cups of water from the buffet to the pool area, I had to speak to a manager. He assured me it actually was OK and that he would speak to the staff. And I only did that because the bar refused to give me a cup of ice water at the pool. “You mean I have to go all the way to the buffet for a glass of water???” “I’m sorry sir.” It was that or shell out nearly $3 for a small bottle of water. I wanted a glass and ice with mine. “No.”
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| I am the bad boy? Funchal, Madeira |
There was the day I went into Las Palmas to swim at the beach and realized I left my towel in my room. I asked the guy at the towel exchange on deck if I could get one and bring it back. I showed him my card and mentioned that I was an Aurea guest with a suite at the bow, like that meant something. “I’m sorry sir. If you want to use the pool or Jacuzzi, you can come use one to dry off.” “So you are going to have me walk all the way back to my cabin for a towel?” “I’m sorry sir.”
It was 1205 when
lunch starts at noon. There was food out at the pizza station, but
the tongs were not. I asked for the tongs to grab a veg fritter. I
was told they were not ready yet - the pizza was still in the oven.
“I don’t want pizza, I want a fritter.” “We’re not ready
yet.” “I just want one fritter. They are right here. It’s after
twelve.” I was this close to taking my fork and knife out and
SAFTing one when he acquiesced and tonged me a fritter. I thanked
him, and as I walked away, heard him tell the woman behind me, “We
are not ready yet. The pizza is in the oven.” “I’d like a
fritter,” she said. I hope she got one. Dude...loosen up.
Or the dinner experience I paid for, thinking it was going to be an ‘experience’ (their term) with a chef or the captain and not just dinner in one of only 2 specialty restaurants. I wanted an appetizer and a starter plus the main. I didn’t care about the dessert. One man said yes, no problem. But when I went one night for dinner, the waiter said no, as did the manager. I left and went to the main dining room, I was so upset. (I would have missed out on mahi mahi, anyway.) I am not used to being told no as a cruise passenger. For another $1400 I could have been Yacht Club. I bet they never hear no.
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| Amazing voices, dances and costumes |
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| Nightly shows were amazing |
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| Flamenco dancers amazed us |
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| Hilarious ventriloquist |
To make up for any disappointment is the on-board entertainment. I do love cruising for a nice dinner and a show. The on-board team of singers and dancers are phenomenal. One night was a show called “The Witches of Paris.” They brought out acrobats: 2 young shirtless men who performed feats of strength, like balancing with one hand on the head of the other, who then walked up a flight of stairs. Really impressive, Cirque du Soliel-type stuff; good thing the ship wasn’t rocking. There were 3 comedic performers who did tumbling stunts and a man on a unicycle juggling. Sounds corny but it wasn’t. The cast can dance so well; the singers have such powerful voices: all were easy on the eyes. And the costume designer deserves an award of the highest honor. I only wish they had a meet and greet, but as explained, because of covid, they are not even allowed up on the passenger decks, which I’m used to seeing. Damned covids.
The cruise director and his assistant were entertaining, but I have never seen him outside of the theater. I see her often, but they don’t go around the ship to mingle with guests like most. Maybe it’s another covid loss, except that she is quite sociable in the Safari lounge after the main show each evening.
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| Talented |
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| Very funny |
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| Strong! |
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| The Witches of Paris show |
The food has been
tremendous. I changed my 2 dining experiences (it still kills me they
call them that...it’s just dinner in another restaurant) from
dinner to lunch because the food has been so good in the main dining
room every night. My FOMO (fear of missing out) has me scared of what
I may miss. Their fish when good is not to be missed. Other times it
is fishy, but you never know, so I always try it. The vegetables are
always great, except that many dinners do not include them. Nothing
green at all. Salads are not always present on the menu and they have
reduced from 4 to only 3 courses. However, you can ask for more than
one of anything and I’ve asked a few times for a side of vegetables
from one of the other entrees. I considered my nightly tapas in La
Locanda as my 1st course, where I often order a house
Pinot Grigio. Sometimes I’ll have a 2nd at dinner. Their
house wines were a win. And only drinking 1 or 2 glasses a day is why I didn't bother buying a drink package, where I'd have to order over 4 drinks a day to make it worth while.
According to my room steward, Devi, Aurea room service is supposed to be free. I’m scared to try because all the literature in my room states otherwise. But I do have breakfast delivered daily. While I really enjoy their coffee and limited pastries, they will not honor special requests. I ask for one almost every day, and so far none have been honored. So nothing hot, and none of the other pastries you will find in the other eateries on board. Stay away from the sugar donuts. They are fantastic and once you have one you’ll be tempted to grab one any time you see them in the buffet. I’m glad to have my pastry and yogurt with hot coffee in my suite just to avoid the extra calories. There are 2 rules about the buffet. If you enter during pizza time, you must get a slice. If you enter during donut time, you must have one. It’s a rule I take seriously; as should you.
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The ship is gorgeous, with at least 5 lounges and more than that many bars (that I have access to). Most of their late entertainment is in the aft Safari Lounge, but there were 2 nights when the party was moved to the pool deck on 14. That was special. Each lounge has a specific look and theme, which blends well with the ship and crowd. The ship is formal, yet casual. It is not too showy, as some can be. The Swaravski crystal stairways in the main atrium are a show stopper, but even these aren’t too pretentious. The artwork in the common areas are sedate. I really do like this ship and how easy it is to get around. I would love to sail this ship again, or try MSC’s other ships.
The Aurea experience, however, is NOT worth it. I don’t need the Top18 Solarium and all that skin cancer (they do have loungers that provide a little shade, but even in this area exclusive to Aurea guests, there is a fee to use them, and they would not prevent a good dose of ultraviolet). Spend the money on YC and be in the haves, or join the have-nots in Bella. The middle class (Aurea), just like in America, is being squeezed out of existence.
Most disappointing, yet not too uncommon, is the smoking situation. This ship did allow smoking in the casino, which is right downstairs from the El Dorado bar. Often, this bar reeked of smoke and there were times I could smell cigarettes all the way up on the 10th floor, since it wafts up the front staircase. There is also smoking allowed on the starboard side pool deck, but that wafts up to the 15th deck and back into the buffet, since they usually keep that door propped open so all that wind just blows the smoke in there. Usually, sitting port side or all the way in back in the buffet is safe.
Also lacking is a forward camera showing on the TV. Had I been staying in an inside cabin, this would have incensed me. It’s the only way to know if it’s dark or light out. My TV also had no news or movie stations (only 2) until today. A tech entered my room to ‘fix the TV.’ All of a sudden, my cruise info channel, which shows position, time, winds, sea depth, sun rise and set and a map with a very small dot to represent where the ship is on the globe, is channel 5 instead of 868. And how many people did I tell to tune into 868 when asked how deep the water was or in what direction we were sailing? Why did it take 13 days to fix the TV of an Aurea guest?
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| Las Palmas |
The ship is full of young people...I’m one of the elders for once. There are quite a few pieces of eye candy of both sexes. There are a few gay couples and a few solo, like me. There are families, groups of friends, young and old. I’ve not made a whole lot of friends, which is fine. I didn’t think there would be too many US citizens on a ship from Rio to Lisbon. Many do speak some English, but I’m content to be alone. I don’t mind my frequent meals for one—there are plenty of fine people I could join if I felt more social.
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| Exploring Las Palmas at sunset |
On the beach were views of the arching coastline and children with nets trying to catch fish in the ponds; people swimming in the cold water; surfers on longboards; and even 2 girls in a decent-sized inflatable rowboat. The colors morphed into soft evening hues as the sounds of the surf filled the air, which was fragrant—when not filled with fresh air from the sea, it was filled with the scent of Italian food, garlic, pastries, or bread baking in the numerous restaurants on the promenade.
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| People exploring the pools |
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| Las Palmas |
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| I stacked these rocks |
I enjoyed the cute apartments and hotels along the walkway full of happy people and outdoor restaurants. I stopped at one for a few beers, some Spanish olives, a restroom break, and to use their WiFi. After sunset, I slowly returned to the ship. Most shops had closed, so I was unable to buy souvenirs. I’ll have more opportunities in other ports. I did find a little store and bought some wine, which the ship didn’t seem to care that I brought on board. Another win.
There was an amazing full moon rising over the harbor as I returned to the Preziosa, so I shot it with my camera. Next to us was a Goliath of a ship, the Aidanova: a ship with a face that can house over 66 hundred guests with a crew of over 16 hundred. E-gads, it was large.
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| Full moon over Preziosa |
Our late arrival pushed our departure to 2AM. However, when I awoke the following morning, my view was still that of Las Palmas. I asked quite a few crew and no one really had a firm answer. Rumor was an issue fueling, yet the fuel barge had left. I wasn’t buying it.
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| Art Deco in Las Palmas |
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| I'm swimming in the sea |
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| Las Palmas architcture |
I loved the beach in
Las Palmas and meandering on the rocks when the tide was out—it was
in on Easter Sunday, so to my disappointment, the rocks were now
under water. As much as I was looking forward to Arrecife, I didn’t
mind the extra time in Las Palmas and swimming in the surf. Going to
the Ajuy caves and visiting the island of Fuerteventura was a real
treat. Each island was quite different from the other. My plans in
Tenerife didn’t pan out after learning that a taxi to the Spiral
Staircase, the memorial for the worst aviation accident in history,
was $70 round-trip. (Tenerife is remembered for two 747s crashing,
killing 583 people in 1977.) And then I really enjoyed spending 4
hours touring Funchal in Madeira with Ian and Hector yesterday. We
got to see so many banana plantations and stand on glass to look down
from the top of the highest cliff in Europe: the 2nd
highest in the world.
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| Arid Fuerteventura |
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| Ajuy |
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| Volcanic beach |
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| The Sea Caves |
Tomorrow is Cadiz, a city to which I have previously visited. It’s one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, but I plan on going out only long enough to get on-line to see about my flight home, and to check in with my world. (I’ve not watched or followed a bit of news in 2 weeks. It’s been great. I’ve heard snippets of things going on in the Ukraine, but another goal of mine for this cruise was to completely disconnect.)
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| Arriving at Cadiz |
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| Sunrise in Cadiz Spain |
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| Cadiz from the ship |
I’m sad my 2 weeks on Preziosa is over in only 2 days. I’m sad it’s the final sea day; I love those sea days. I’ll miss the pizza and the shows and the rocking of the ship. But I miss my cats and my routine and a healthier yet less varied diet. I miss my favorite brand of coffee, even if theirs is really good. It’s been a great 2 weeks and I’m happy I got to make this crossing and enjoyed the immersion in Brazilian culture, having departed from Rio. I have discovered that I am not averse to cruising as a minor language speaker on board. Especially since my main goal was to relax and not be in the spotlight. I had planned to tell people I was an accountant just so I didn’t have to talk about my job. But almost no one asked, and the few who did had no questions. MSC may not have met my expectations, but I found so much to enjoy on this transatlantic cruise. I want to come back, but certainly not shelling out for Aurea.
Special Memories:
My worst Karaoke experience-
I’m not sure if it was my brain fog from covid, 15 months ago, but this was so bad that I left the lounge with my tail between my legs and stayed away for 48 hours. It was karaoke with a live band, so the songs were limited to their set list. Most of the songs were Brazilian, and of the English songs, few hadn't been claimed—one being “Let it Be” by the Beatles.
At first I declined but the cruise staff kid was persistent. It’s an easy song. I know most of it and it’s been played enough that I can surely do it. Yes. I’ll sing on stage, as long as the band will help back me up. I’d been so low key up to this point, hardly anyone in the room knew me.
Everything started out well. I did a little dance as I walked on stage after my name was called. My public speaking experience made me comfortable with the mic, and bantering a bit with the crowd felt natural. The room’s expectations were rising. The song started and I was doing well. I’ve sung karaoke enough to know when I’m doing OK or not. I’ve seen video of my performances and can still watch them today without too much pain.
Somehow I messed up a bit. Not a big deal, and not a first. Next came the chorus and the crowd that now filled the dance floor sang along. It was fantastic. But then I got lost. I looked down at the lyric sheet. Where was I? Which verse? The song was all on 2 pages, not floating one line at a time across a screen, changing color when it was time to sing the word. I turned to the singer behind on my left. She was looking to the singer behind on my right. He was looking at the keyboardist, telling him to change the key of the song. Was it because of me? Because my voice doesn’t do high very well? Or was he messing up? I was lost and now I was confused.
The music continued. I looked at the words on the stand in front of me and couldn’t see anything but “Let it Be” about a hundred times. But I was not at the chorus part. I looked at her again. She waved me off, referring back to the keyboardist. The assistant cruise director (ACD) approached. “Hold the mic closer.” I’m thinking, no, that’s the last thing you want right now.
The music continued. It was now in a lower key but I was still lost. I told the lead and he came forward. He thought he knew where we were, but it was incorrect. He was as lost as me. The crowd, meanwhile, is waving their arms in the air with lights on their cell phones. I felt like a rock star in concert. My fans. But it lasted less than a second. Where the hell was I in the song?
The music continued. The crowd started singing the chorus again. Yes. We had again reached the chorus. At least they knew where I was supposed to be. I started singing once more. At the end of that chorus, the band was wise enough to wind the song down. I commented to the crowd as the ACD returned for her mic, “They came for entertainment and instead got horror.” She laughed.
The cheering continued. I have no idea why. The man who sang ahead of me, from Ireland, stopped me as I tried to slide out of the room unnoticed. It was his favorite song, tattooed on his back, in fact, but he didn't choose it because he can’t sing that high. I laughed, “Apparently, neither can I. It’s too late to switch songs, isn’t it?” I asked. While we laughed, a cruise staff approached and asked my cabin number. Was it so they could go and start packing up my stuff?
Two days later I entered my cabin to find an invitation to a rehearsal for a guest talent show the following day. Were they not present for that disastrous Let it Be? Um, no thank you. I won’t be attending.
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| Palms of Fuerteventura |
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| Bus Stop |
When the lights went out-
I can hear things mechanical in nature when in my cabin. For one thing, once or twice a minute, I hear 2 seconds of what sounds like ant machine guns—tiny little machine guns firing in a war between battalions of ants. The sound seems to come from within the walls, and from different spots in the room. I have no idea what it is but something tells me I’m going to miss it when I get home.
Another thing I can hear are the bow thrusters. And there is an engine, almost aviation-sounding in nature, which I suspect is a generator. The 1st time I heard it, I knew something powerful was about to happen. The flip of a switch and the sound of electrical power, churning up in speed, then the whining up sound died suddenly, and spun down to silence. The thrusters did start and the whole ship vibrated. Was it always this much vibration? It seemed like a lot of vibration.
This happened as we approached our first stop in Las Palmas. The next day, when I was supposed to wake up at sea, I woke up still in Las Palmas. We would miss Arrecife. We were told this was due to bunkering issues. Whatever. I didn’t buy it.
When we left
Puerteventura the following day, I was preparing for dinner and could
hear that huge engine winding up again. Then dying. Maybe that’s
all it’s supposed to do. Whine up, linger for a second, then die
down. Maybe it was starting some sort of ship system, much like the
auxiliary engine on an airplane—mainly used to power up the
engines. But I wasn't buying it.
At dinner, Ian noticed we were not moving. I looked out the window behind me and sure enough...dead in the water. It was gray out, but we could see lights in the distance. We weren’t very far from the island. Dora come over and spoke quietly, “Just letting you know that in a few minutes the lights in the dining room will go out for a few seconds and then come back on. We don’t want anyone to panic. They just need all the power to restart an engine.” Ian and I exchanged knowing glances. I had told him about the odd sounds.
The dining room was dark without lights. After a second, a few emergency lights came on, so it was not pitch black. We ate our dessert in this ambiance. No one panicked. When we left, there was the usual line of people to get into the dark restaurant and we found that the atrium did have power; and the band played on.
We felt the ship moving and assumed that since all seemed normal that the evening show was going to happen as planned. It did, but we were shocked that there was no announcement from the captain that we could resume normalcy once more.
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| The MSC channel |
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| Ian, Hector and Penguin |
After the show, I said goodnight to Ian and Hector and checked out the Safari lounge before deciding I was too tired. My pep had pooped out. As I entered my room a bit after 11pm, an officer came on the speaker to announce all was normal. The usual 6 languages followed.
As I’m writing this on our approach to Cadiz in the morning. I noticed that we seemed to be going quite slow. I looked at the TV and it showed 9 knots. It went to 10 and is now at 12. I’m not sure if it’s just to time our arrival or not. As I said to Ian and Hector, I’m up for an adventure, as long as I don’t get to find out how cramped the lifeboats can get.
That hurt-
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| Las Palmas fragrant with restaurants |
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| Party up at the main pool |
The lesson was quick that I am not yet able to press, lift or pull weights on the machines, regardless of how little weight I used. Mr. Hammer is safe from my pecs of steel for now, and even though I’m doing the prescribed PT on my hand daily, it has really been bothering me. The ship doors in high winds, with those narrow door grips, also have me reeling in pain.
Thanks for my special welcome-
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| Las Palmas |
Whenever I am in a city and I see fireworks, I like to pretend. Those fireworks are for me. This is how they welcome me to their city. Whether or not I’ve previously been, this is my welcome. And so it was that for my first visit to the Spanish Canaries in Las Palmas, as I returned to the ship and watched the moon rising above the Preziosa, I was welcomed with a bang. My inaugural visit- festooned with pops and fwoozes, fwees and swooshes; bangs of color in reds, greens, blues and whites. Thank you, Las Palmas.
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| Art in Tenerife |
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| A king of the Canaries |
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| Santa Cruz de Tenerife |
What. Did he leave?-
On day two I was up on deck early in the day wanting to enjoy the breeze but not wanting to be in the sun. It was hard to find shade on board Preziosa. Most of the good spots already had towels on them. Not humans...towels. They were being saved. Who knows for how long? I was forward and on the top deck and spotted some shade that wouldn’t last long as the sun was rising and the shade deteriorating. A man and his wife sat next to me.
His accent gave him away as Australian. It was nice to hear English and I stated such. The woman laughed. She said he barely speaks English; few people can understand him. But I could. He was humorous and we had a few laughs between talking of my trips to Australia and his to my home state of Texas. I thought most likely just flying through, but I was wrong. He had been to Dallas and Austin for several days on a visit to the states.
He asked if I could take a joke about religion. Oh, can I. It wasn’t a joke as much as a tale of how, when in Rio and visiting the Jesus statue, he was filming it to show people back home. When he panned to the giant statue, he said, “Jesus!” I laughed and told him I had done the same thing once when driving through the US. When panning to a large church, I would exclaim, “Jesus!”
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| A man in Funchal, Madeira |
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| Preziosa arrives in Lisbon |
What’s my line?-
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| Helados Pena La Vieja |
Normally, when I see a long line of people, I have to ask, “What are they giving away?” Me and lines don’t get along very well. That’s not to say I’m special enough to never have to wait in one.
Our first night in Las Palmas, I made a bee line the beach. It was a glorious beach with waves breaking on the reef about a hundred yards out, tons of human flesh in swimwear of all sizes, and with the tide out, exposed lava beds full of life. I’m glad I got to see the beach with the tide out. The following day, when it was in, those beds were completely covered and one would be none-the-wiser of their existence.
I enjoyed the sea of life on the paved promenade. On my right- the Atlantic Ocean, with Africa not too far away. On my left- a line of buildings, each with their own style; the upper floors were apartments and hotels, while the main floor were restaurants and shops. One shop had a long line out the door. At the end was a very small gelato experience (that word!). I paid it little attention. Soon, I would notice more gelato shops. None had a line like that one.
The following day, I was back on the beach and noticed the shop with a much shorter line than before. It was Easter Sunday, the beach was packed, yet the line was much shorter. So I got in it. I asked the lady behind me what the deal was. Apparently, this shop has been around for a hundred years (since 1936, anyway) and is quite popular and much-loved.
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| Melting NOM...gelato in Las Palmas |
Encore-
Cadiz was cool, windy and I got rained on. Before leaving my cabin, I had my umbrella in my hand, but covid brain fog kept me from actually putting it in my backpack. I was drenched but didn’t care; it was actually refreshing. It didn’t last long and we had a nice departure for Lisbon with colorful clouds in the skies as the sun set. We were due to arrive at 9am. My flight home was at 12:20. It would be tight, but I wasn’t too concerned.
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| About to sail under the Lisbon bridge |
That night was the roughest night on board. I loved being rocked to sleep and the creaking sounds of the ship as it flexed over waves, and the thump of metal as it slapped the water was very soothing. However, it made us three hours late in arriving to Lisbon. This wasn’t a big deal. I had considered staying another night, but honestly, I really did just want to get home.
Without internet and very spotty cell service, I would have to wait until I reached the cruise terminal for WiFi to find a hotel for the night. I was tired and the brain fog kicked in. I was confused and unsure of how to find a hotel. How to use my phone was escaping me and I felt lost. I was familiar with Lisbon, this being my third visit, and I have traveled on my own in foreign countries for over 20 years- often going to cities without hotel reservations and just winging it. I’ve done this dozens of times. This is what I do. Just not this time. Thank you covids.
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| Hello, Lisbon |
This made me quite emotional. I am learning that when this happens, the best thing to do is to take a deep breath, put everything aside, forget about it, and relax. Soon I figured out how to find a hotel and to then go forth to find a taxi. I had made a reservation on line for B&B Hotel. It was a nice place with minimal European-style furnishings and swinging chairs along the front window. It felt like a college dorm.
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| Across from the hotel was this abandoned building |
I didn’t mind so much the extra night. I got to see more of Lisbon and explore the odd neighborhood surrounding the hotel. Across the street was an abandoned building and a grocery store. I went there to buy a few things to bring home: chocolate, toothpaste (they have wonderful flavors in other countries that you can’t buy in the States), and wine. I also grabbed a wonderful meat croquet for dinner and a Portuguese custard tart (Pasteis de Nata) that was so good I nearly ate my fingers.
The following morning had me up before the sun, as usual. Downstairs was a very complete breakfast buffet, which was included with the price of the room. I grabbed a coffee, some yogurt, a few savory pastries and a donut that rivals Krispy Kreme. (I ate more donuts in the last 2 weeks than in the last 2 years combined...the ship had magical sugar donuts that were hard to resist any time I found myself in the buffet at breakfast. It is in part for this reason that I had a continental breakfast delivered to my room daily. Stay away from the donuts, Penguin.)
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| My last sighting of Preziosa |
Afterwards, I ordered a car to the airport and thus started the reason I now need a vacation after my vacation. I do not like traveling as a passenger. The lines. The waiting. The hordes of people who remind me how much at times I hate people. Checking bags, having to get another covid test (for 25Euro), security, passport control, Newark customs, transfer to another terminal, more security, more neanderthals, another wait, and finally boarding the plane: home on a nice 767 seated next to a nice, quiet man who was a Global Services passenger. He even left the window shade open a bit because he could see that I was looking out so often. And another win for my seat mate on the flight out of Lisbon. Here was a well-mannered boy of about 9. He and Mom had been in Lisbon to visit his aunt. They lived in Manhattan.
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| Arrival into Newark |
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| On the beach in Ajuy, Fuerteventura |
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| Approaching Tenerife |
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| Tenerife |
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| Madeira's Cabo Girao:1900 feet high cliff |
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| The island of Madeira, Portugal |
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| Funchal, Madeira |
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| Quite a view |
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| Hector and Ian on Cibo Girao |
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| Penguin is high |
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| The glass floor |
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| Views of Funchal |
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| Driving around Madeira |
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| A fire station |
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| A touch of art deco |
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| In the old part of Funchal |
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| Arrival into Lisbon |
About all the photos of myself: I have never taken so many pictures of me. I have never enjoyed doing so as much as I do after having lost 95 pounds following my near-death covid experience. I haven't weighed this little since the mid 90s and I couldn't help show myself off to myself with all the great photo locations on board Preziosa. I took over 1300 photos, about 800 of which were of myself. So in case you are wondering, I am not that into myself. I just can't believe how much better I now look.
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