DAY 0, Barcelona

Monday, July 6

After checking in at port, we went exploring. Since the ship was not leaving port until the next afternoon, many passengers were in the city, having embarked earlier, and so the area was relatively empty. We stopped at the Lido, Deck 9, for a snack. Lots of choices, but I settled on hot tea and a chocolate dessert. Our DD thought there should be a cost, but we explained that most everything is included in the cost of the cruise, especially here at the Lido. We could pick anything and everything! Very impressive for us cruising newbies! After my snack, I wanted to bus the dishes, since there was no waiter as in a restaurant. It was hard to get up and walk away from a messy table, especially such a nice place with cloth napkins. I did get used to it eventually!
The bathrooms were great. Small rolled cloth towels neatly stacked, in addition to paper towels. The toilets – a lot like those on an airplane – a lot of suction and noise. I wonder if a seal was formed, could one get stuck? One of the two toilets in one area was filled and clogged – Yuk! They have small drains, so they probably get clogged frequently. DH noticed the sign in our stateroom bathroom that said to only flush toilet paper and nothing else. Perhaps he was right!
Our VF balcony room seems quite large for a ship’s stateroom. I heard they were small, so I was expecting less than we received. There was a queen bed, very comfortable! And a couch that opened like a futon. The bedding for it was above in the cupboard. I didn’t like the idea of making the bed, but wait – the stewards do it for you, don’t they?! I wondered if it was automatically done, or should I ask? It was close to dinnertime. I was pleasantly surprised when I returned after dinner and the beds were nicely made up. We asked for extra pillows and an extension bar, which we received. (I never needed the extension, as we had enough plugs for our use - to charge the phone & camera batteries daily.) The desk/vanity area has two outlets, both 110 and 220. The bathroom plug switches from one to the other. Also had a fruit bowl with a card for to indicate our choices. I think we checked it all: banana, pear, apple, and orange. (Two kinds of apples listed.) A favorite amenity: The 2-sided lighted makeup mirror on the vanity. It extends slightly. Yes, close-ups at my age can be scary, but one gets used to it & appreciates the error catching qualities of seeing clearly what you are doing.
Our luggage arrived while we were at the Lido; we then went to dinner in the lower Vista dining room on Deck 2, as we had Anytime Seating. The Fixed Seating dining room was directly upstairs. We enjoyed meeting our table guests. Then the menu: what excitement! Oooh, prime rib! Yes, definitely! I knew from CC that menus differed daily, except for a few items, and that prime rib was not an everyday thing. It was rare, as I asked. It was huge! I could only eat about 2/5 of it…less than half. Hated to waste it. The head steward of the dining room seemed concerned and asked me if the dish was all right…I assured him it was, but it was just a LOT of food. The prime rib was preceded by Caesar salad. DH had the onion soup. The salad was a bit soggy, as I had heard it might be from the CC Boards, but as it was later in the evening, it was understandable, and I wasn’t picky. However, I took note of this fact, and from then on I usually ordered the dressing on the side. This resolved the issue every time! With the prime rib came green beans, candied carrots, & baked potato with herbed sour cream. DH ordered the salmon with risotto. Having had dessert first, nothing that first evening looked interesting. I ordered the cherry pastry, but it was sugarless, so not particularly tasty. The server asked if I wanted a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I said yes, later realizing that it, too, was sugarless. I didn’t eat it
Then we went to the movie theatre, watching Vickie Christina Barcelona – I wonder why they chose that one, hmmm? In one area of the theatre is a small table with bags of popcorn. The theatre is small, with only 31 seats, so if it’s popular & full, you can watch the movie in your stateroom the following day. There was a problem with the aspect ratio of the film – everyone looked slightly squished – not good for Penelope Cruz, said DH!
Our DD went to the Loft during the movie, the club area for teens, to a party. When we returned to the room, DH tried to call room service to get the larger robe we had requested. Couldn’t get through, although he tried several times, & stayed on the line for several minutes. He was quite frustrated. However, there were pillow chocolates! Actually, they’re placed at the foot of the bed, with a card saying that the captain wishes us a restful sleep – isn’t that nice! - and the next day’s Daily Program and a breakfast menu for room service.
The balcony in our VF cabin is larger than most others; looking up, we can see the upper decks are a few feet shorter. Although we have the metal railing, not Plexiglas, DH said he could see fine when he sat down – (he has a long torso). We put all the minibar drinks in the hassock under the desk – according to the advice we received from CruiseCritic members. We also took a few photos, about 40, of areas of what would be our home for the next 24 days! And that was our first evening on the ship.