We left Barcelona on time and without leaving anybody behind. As there were four other cruise ships in port, the ritual ships' whistle blowing was a long drawn out and as you can imagine, very noisy affair.
As the main deck area was crowded we escaped to the highest deck on the ship atop the skywalkers lounge for the sailaway. It always seems to be quiet up there, either because other passengers have yet to discover it or because they are too lazy to climb the steps. Anyway, it is a great vantage point and gives great views astern.
Last night's dinner was again superlative. Being Italian themed, (and therefore my favourite) I chose a melon and Parma ham starter, then minestrone soup, veal escalope in Marsala wine and then tiramisu to finish. I also enjoyed a rather large and rather strong limoncello with my coffee. Fabulous!
We then retreated to the casino and I am pleased to report that we won $13, this reducing our overall loss from our original stake to just $7. There is still ample time to make up this difference!
Today's weather forecast (Saturday) could not have been more wrong. We were promised sunny skies, but instead we have had heavy grey clouds, fog and rain. On the plus side, it is not a bit cold, the sea swell is low and we should be thankful that all our port days have been warm and sunny.
We have spotted a several migratory birds heading southwards and of course, as we get closer to the Straits of Gibralter there are a number of other ships in the vicinity as I compose this note.
As there are three consecutive sea days to Southampton and thus no ports from which I can relate adventures, I will use the next couple of days to reflect on various aspects of the cruise.
As with our previous Princess experience, the staff and crew have been superb. Pedro, our room steward has been wonderful and ever ready with a small and a few words whenever we pass by. Our waiters, Tanya and Tony have both been superb, ever helpful and informative and happy to supply a small taster if someone is not too sure about a particular dish, or to combine a couple of dishes, should more than one look too tempting.
The bar staff and excursion staff have been extremely efficient, hugely appreciated and important given the number of passengers they are serving. In fact, everyone that we have spoken with cannot praise the attitude and helpfulness of the staff too highly.
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