Freedom of the Seas - Palma de Mallorca

There are not as many tours in Palma de Mallorca as there were in some of the other ports. Here were some of the options available. Mallorca Beach Transfer, Kayaking Mallorca's West Coast, Segway in Palma, Best of wine Tasting and Palma Aquarium Family Discovery. We had signed up for the Aquarium visit but it was cancelled due to lack of interest. With my mother not feeling well still with her knee and back we made the decision to stay on board the ship and do more exploring, with the added benefit of a lot lee people on board.
We started out our morning in one of the 2 hot tubs that are canter-levered over the side of the ship. We were the only two in the tub and the view was amazing. The soak in the hot tub actually made my mother feel better.

 the sunrise

 my mom

 this side you can see other ships in port

 dome top

We decided to go up and check the sports deck. We saw Basketball, mini golf, the Flo Rider and more. There were people playing mini golf but the Flo Rider was closed at the time, so I did not get to see it in action.

 Mini golf

 Rock Climbing Wall

 Multi purpose courts

Flo Rider

I decided to check out the arcade and my mom decided to sit out on the deck. I enjoy playing some of the games and could be there for quite a while. Thankfully I gave myself a limit and when it was spent I was done. Key cards make it easy not to be accountable for what you are spending. But you can keep track of it on the television in your room.

We decided to have lunch at Johnny Rockets. An awesome diner. Unlimited fries and onion rings. We had hamburgers and milk shakes. There are mini jukeboxes at the tables and at the hour the waiters perform a show. This restaurant also has a nominal fee. It was another experience. The only problem with this restaurant was the location. It is hidden at the back of the ship we almost missed it.

 Menu

 Menu

 Mini Juke Box

 Fries and Rings

 Smiley Face Ketchup

 Hamburger

Dance show

In the afternoon we went to Schooners Bar where they had different games, coloring and social connections going on. This had been going on all week but this was the first opportunity we had ti participate. Not many people were here because so any were ashore. In the late afternoon early evening 90% o the ship went to shore to attend a a free Gypsy King Concert because of the President's cruise. Again we skipped because we felt it would be too crowded for my mother and that seating is any would not be comfortable. We stopped at the Italian restaurant for a slice of pizza in the afternoon. 

 Schooners (nautical themed)

 Schooners

Italian Restaurant

After supper my mother headed to the casino. Mary and another agent kept her company while I sat in Schooners bar away from the smoke and read. The casino is the only place on the ship for smoking so all of them end up there. I am not a big gambler so skipping the casino is a good thing or I probably would have lost a lot.

Where you can find me:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/stephaniethetravelagentnextdoor

Website: http://www.exclusivetoyoutravel.ca

Email: slough@exclusivetoyoutravel.ca

TICO 500212282

55 York Street, Suite 803

Toronto, On M5J 1R7

Please keep in mind that while my head office is in Toronto I am a home based travel agent and I live in South Dundas and can service clients anywhere in Canada but I meet with clients in the SDG area

At Sea Day - Training and a Wedding

So while we were at sea we had a half day in the morning of learning about Royal Caribbean products and what they have to offer clients. This particular cruise was special as I have mentioned before it was a President's cruise. This meant that the President of Royal Michael Bayley was on board the ship as well as many of the top executives. This particular morning there was a meet and great with the President in the auditorium.
Many of the cruisers on board were avid cruisers many Emerald and higher for cruise and anchor benefits. They took this opportunity to ask questions of the President and his entourage. We were invited to sit in for an hour. It was amazing to hear some of the things these veteran cruisers had to ask. There were questions about destinations, ships, improvements to their Crown & Anchor membership. There was also discussion about Royal's humanitarian efforts they undertook during the hurricane.The hurricanes impacted Puerto Rico and many Caribbean Islands. Royal provided clean water, shelter, food and other supplies.
After our training we had the afternoon free. I did a bit of exploring and got caught up on some work. In the evening we got to attend a wedding of one of my fellow travel agent performed by our National Manager Mary Ogaki who was hosting our seminar and who got ordained as a minister for the occasion.
The chapel on the ship was tiny and intimate similar to the chapel I got married in. On Royal's ships you are not limited to having the ceremony in just the chapel. Other rooms can be used to accommodate guests. Some guests choose to get married in destination but it all depends on each countries rules and regulations. In this particular case the bride and grooms family were there but it was strictly ceremonial, they had gotten officially married at city hall back home before leaving.

 The chapel

 More Chapel

 Mary (the officiant and the groom)

The lovely bride

We had a cocktail party after the ceremony and then it was on to a late dinner. It was surf & turf night. I will admit I was bad and ordered two lobster tails. The Sea night was the second last night of the cruise and the last night of normal seating in the dinning room. The next night you could eat at the time you want and were you want instead of your regular table and time. You can also leave tips for your regular wait staff as well at this time.

 One of the lobster tails

The prime rib

It was our last evening together as a group. I met many awesome agents. Some from the Travel Agent next Door and some from other host agencies. The managers from Royal Mary and Linda were a joy to get to know and to learn from. I had met both of them in April at my conference. They represented the Royal Brand so well. I can not wait to attend another Seminar at Sea.

Where you can find me:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/stephaniethetravelagentnextdoor

Website: http://www.exclusivetoyoutravel.ca

Email: slough@exclusivetoyoutravel.ca

TICO 500212282

55 York Street, Suite 803

Toronto, On M5J 1R7

Please keep in mind that while my head office is in Toronto I am a home based travel agent and I live in South Dundas and can service clients anywhere in Canada but I meet with clients in the SDG area

Freedom of the Seas -Character Breakfast

Character Breakfasts are offered on Royal Cruises with Dreamworks characters. They are only offered on Sea Days, so this cruise only has one opportunity as there are so many port days. There is a nominal charge for this opportunity. I inquired as to why there was a fee for adults and was shocked but I suppose I shouldn't have been with the answer. When they first launched the dreamworks breakfasts everyone would sign up and there would be waiting lists. This is a good thing right? But unfortunately because there was no fee people would not show up and not cancel. So to stop this from happening and to make sure everyone got a chance to attend a nominal fee was added for adults. Here are some pictures of the menu.

The characters at the meal were Alex the Lion and King Julian from Madagascar. They did pictures with each table getting called up one at a time.They also had singing and dancing. The kids were so excited it was amazing to watch. My mom and I got great joy out of it as well. The way the characters and handlers interact with the people is so great.

Here are some of our character pictures!!

 Alex the Lion and I

 Alex the Lion with mom and I 

 King Julian and I 

King Julian with mom

On top of the character breakfasts they also have character meet and greets. I got to meet Alex the Lion and Po the Panda from Kung Fu Panda. There was also an opportunity to meet Puss n' Boots from Shrek but I missed him. You can get them to take your picture with your camera or they do also have photographers and you have the opportunity to buy photo's take of you on board.

Po and I

My breakfast was a bit rushed as part of doing my seminar at sea meant I had to attend class that day but here is a picture of my breakfast.

Yummy omelete

I can not wait for my next Royal Caribbean cruise. Hopefully on one of the newer/bigger ships. It's just to decide which itinerary.

Where would you cruise if you could go anywhere today?

Where you can find me:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/stephaniethetravelagentnextdoor

Website: http://www.exclusivetoyoutravel.ca

Email: slough@exclusivetoyoutravel.ca

TICO 500212282

55 York Street, Suite 803

Toronto, On M5J 1R7

Please keep in mind that while my head office is in Toronto I am a home based travel agent and I live in South Dundas and can service clients anywhere in Canada but I meet with clients in the SDG area

Freedom of the Seas - Civitavecchia (Rome)

Day Four of our cruise found us in the port of Civitavecchia which is an hour and half drive from Rome. Once again there were many excursions to chose from. The Presidents excursion was a visit to the Pope's private apartment & summer estate, Colosseum visit & lunch at the cost of $489 USD per person.
Here is a list of the other excursions that were available for this port. Also to keep in mind that the excursions can change depending on the time of year. The list this time is as follows: Exclusive, Best of Rome, Rome, The Eternal City, Pope's Summer Residence, Vatican Museum & St. Peter's Basilica, Imperial Rome & Colosseum Arena, Imperial Rome, Discover Renaissance Rome,  Roman sightseeing by Ape Calessino, Taste of Rome for families, A Taste of Rome, Rome City Sights, A Taste of Rome (small Group), Rome in a day, Passage to Rome, Navigate through Rome, Rome on your own, train transfer by Roma express, Italian Beach transfer, accessible panoramic Rome and last but not least Italian countryside and olive oil taste.
Once again because of my mom we chose the Rome city sites which was a guided bus tour with 45 minutes in St Peter's Square.It is an hour and half each way to Rome.

Views on the drive to Rome

A church

 Statue

 Vatican

 My mom at the Vatican

 Me at the Vatican

 Pigeons

Coliseum

We saw many of the bug sites however you can not see the Trevi Fountain from the bus because they are no longer allowed to go down where it is. We stopped at the Vatican where we could tour the grounds outside. Unfortunately a tour inside was out of the question in that amount of time. This is where VIP tours come in handy. With this tour we got back to he ship earlier which allowed us a bit of a break in the afternoon before dinner.

Some tours were longer as this was a longer stay in port

Where you can find me:

Where you can find me:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/stephaniethetravelagentnextdoor

Website: http://www.exclusivetoyoutravel.ca

Email: slough@exclusivetoyoutravel.ca

TICO 500212282

55 York Street, Suite 803

Toronto, On M5J 1R7

Freedom of the Seas - La Spezia (Portovenere & Cinque Terre)

So we got off the ship in La Spezia and boarded a tour bus for our first stop Portovenere. My mom was still in a lot of pain but she figured she could manage. The tour guide was great on the bus drive explaining how La Spezia was very much a military area. There was lots of construction of bases etc that has been going on since the Napoleon era.
When we arrived at the village the bus let us off at the top of a hill they can not drive in the village at all. So we had to walk down. The tour guide equipped us with earphones and equipment so we can listen to what she said while we walked. They do not have to scream over the crowds. All the tours seem to have gone this route. At least the English speaking one's. The German tours we ran into were still shouting to be heard.
The tour guide took everyone on a tour of the town and they got a free pesto taste testing mom was in so much pain that she decided to rest on a bench. I toured around a bit on my own. When the short tour was over everyone had free time until we had to meet at the ferry.

 A view of the church

 A view of the hotel

 Outside one of the restaurants

 Frogs (my favourite)

 Fresh local catch (it comes in everyday)

the small beach (very rocky)

When our free time was over we headed over to catch the ferry. So the Ferry starts in Portovenere and headed to Riomaggiore where it stopped and let people off and more people on. They do not even turn the boat off they load from the front of the boat. The next stop was Manarola, then Cornoglia, then Vernazza and last stop was Monterosso where we got off the ferry. 

We once again were given a tour of the small village. We also got to do a white wine tasting. We were then given free time again. This time we decided that we would have lunch. There were so many choices of pasta, mussels and pizza but we wanted something not to heavy. So we had the most amazing Bruschetta that I have ever had. There was so much that could be done in the village and we did not have the time to see it all and mom was still very sore and having difficulty walking.

 The villages are built up the side of the cliffs and each village is different colours

 It's amazing to see the gardens growing the way they do

 The beach there was a few brave souls checking it out

 Church in the town square

 The local wine we got to taste (it was quite lovely)

 Taking a selfie at lunch

 Picture of Mom

 My fresh Bruschetta plate

(fresh tomato, mushroom and olive oil)

Train

So when we were done exploring on our own we headed up a hill through a tunnel and down a cobblestone road for about 1 km to the train station. These villages have very narrow streets and sidewalks and cars are very limited. Most people get around with the Ferry's and by train.The train ride was a quick 10-15 minutes and we got off and headed to our bus where we took the highway to get back to the ship.

Some of the scenery from the bus ride.

It amazing to see the villages built up so high in the hills. All of them seem to have churches. The olive trees where all along the coast. 

This was another really long day and we made it back to the ship with no delay's however my mother's pain was not getting any better and she was taking a lot of pain killers to make it through the day. This definitely fulfilled my bucket list. I do wish I could have stopped and explored in every village and had some local mussels but we don't always get everything.

The next port is Civitavecchia (Rome).

Here's where you can find me:

www.facebook.com/stephaniethetravelagentnextdoor

www.exclsuivetoyoutravel.com or www.exclusivetoyoutravel.ca

slough@exclsuivetoyoutravel.com