Barcelona - Marseilles

To start my posts about our amazing trip I thought I would break up the days to make it easier.

Starting with the airport, we were immediately amazed by a terminal we weren`t used to flying out of. Let me tell you, International Flyers certainly seem to get the perks. We walked through hallways of seats with iPads in front of them. It was awesome. You didn`t have to make a purchase to kill your time. Just have a seat and the wifi was available to you. And, if you wanted to order, you did it right from the iPad which also kept track of your flight to notify you of boarding. It was soo cool. My advice though, eat before you go to the airport because everything there is hella expensive!! LOL

Off to Barcelona Spain we were.





We paid extra for something called Option Plus that Air Transat offered. It was recommended by our travel agent (Lisa at Valente Travel-Windsor) and we were happy we took advantage of it because it offered perks such as priority boarding, a comfort package, free earbuds, an extra 10kgs, complimentary drink from the bar as well as a bottle of wine with your meal AND a bottle of champagne. You know I had mine as well as Furman`s since he doesn`t drink. haha (Little hiccup at the start of the flight because they had me down as an Option Plus traveller and not Furman, WTH?, but we sorted that out quick)
       
We had a hot meal as well as airplane style continental breakfast too. lol

BARCELONA, SPAIN

Arriving in Barcelona, there really was no wifi for us to take advantage of. Unlike our city airport, they offered 15 minutes free wifi over a period of 24 hours. So, I logged in and checked in on Facebook and iMessage for all to know we arrived at our destination safely.

                                   

Once we located our transfer, we were off to the port to meet the ship. Liberty of the Seas. No time to see Barcelona. Smh. Check out the YouTube Tour I found so you can really see what we got to enjoy. Saves me from posting many photos of the ship we took.

                                    

As there is a 6 hour time difference, you can imagine how tired we were. So, after touring the ship and our quarters for the week we took part in the mandatory guest assembly drill (where you learn what to do in an emergency that might require evacuating the ship) and then had our first meal in the Botticelli Dining Room. This, is where we met Lynford, Dinah and Perry. Will tell you about them in a later post. What I will say is that our first impression of Lynford wasn't the greatest, as when he spoke to us he didn't make much eye contact and tended to have an air of bougie to him. For example, when Furman let him know we weren't going to order from the wine menu Furman saw his reaction as he walked away which was a bit of the roll of the eyes. hahaha He made me feel like we weren't good enough to wait on. But, as I will tell you, he changed our view of him by weeks end. Like I said, i'll tell you more about this as there is a bit of a story there.

After an awesome dinner, we checked out a bit of the onboard entertainment in the Platinum Theatre - Welcome Aboard Show. Excellent aerial show. I think this might have been our first night checking out the On Air Lounge where they held the Karaoke too, although we didn't participate.  We were tired. Long day - time difference, we weren't up too too late from what I remember. lol Then again, I could be wrong. I've shared a photo of our cabin. Let me tell you, the bed was sooo comfortable! And, Furman brought his laptop so for the little bit of time we did take a break in the cabin, we were able to watch a show or two that he had downloaded before we left. Love him! Always prepared!!

MARSEILLES (PROVENCE), FRANCE

Our first stop in France, but by the time we woke up and got ready, had breakfast and was ready to start our day it was too late to catch the transfers to town so we could look around and shop. Smh. The city centre was about 20-40 min drive from the pier. So, the ship had arranged a return Scenic Boat transfer to Marseille Downtown, but we completely missed out because we didn't plan ahead. Like Furman usually says, we didn't practice the 6 P's. (Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance) At first I was upset because it was our Anniversary, but it is what it is. We were still in France and together. lol So, we found other things to do. As those of you who have cruised before know, the ship always has soo much going on. 

We found the gym and got a good workout overlooking a wonderful view of the water. 

 Then, we farted around a bit, played some mini golf, etc. 

                                 

I started doing something that I made a habit of doing at every stop. Stood on deck and either took or had taken a nice panoramic shot of our view.  Here, is Marseilles...since it's all we saw that day, from a distance. hahahaha You can't see a lot, but you can see me trying to see what I can. Anniversary in France! We had each other! lol

It was Formal night which suited me just fine. After all, it was our Wedding Anniversary, of course I wanted to get dressed up. So, that's what we did and headed back to the Botticelli Dining Room for dinner. We had what was called My Time Dining which meant that we weren't stuck eating at the same time every night. And, it was a nice surprise to have the dining staff present us with this:  (Ok, it was really for me. lol)

Happy 3rd Anniversary my love!!

                                 

Anyways, before I get carried away and keep writing...as you know I can, I will bring this post to a close. Who wants to keep reading, and reading?  Gotta keep you coming back so check back for the update on the next stops - Villefranche (Nice) and La Spezia (Florence/Pisa). I will tell you this, after missing out on Marseilles, we made sure not to miss out on anything else. lol

Stay tuned....there is sooo much more.