Hello From Malaga, Spain
Hello From Malaga Spain
Well here we are on day 36 of our 39 Day Explorer1 Journey Cruise. We left LA on May 12, crossed the Panama Canal, visited several cities and destinations in South America, before crossing the Atlantic. We stopped at the Canary Islands, several ports in my favorite Morrocco, then to beautiful, Malaga, Spain. In the next few days, we will visit Cartagena and Valencia before disembarking in Barcelona on Wednesday.
I will spend a couple of days in Barcelona then catch a flight to Amsterdam, Netherlands, where I need to do some shopping before hopping on the Holland America Zuiderdam for my next cruise to Nova Scotia.
Those of you who follow this blog are aware that Explora1 Journey did not meet expectations. Did it get better or worse?? Well, much worse in my opinion but having said that, its somewhat better than staying home and caring for myself.
First the good! The food is excellent, fresh ingredients and great soups and salads. I generally have two lobster tails with melted butter and a Caesar salad every day, when not booked at a specialty restaurant. At Sakura, I sometimes sit at the Sushi bar and ask the Sushi Chef to make me whatever strikes his fancy (so long as it’s not too exotic). EVERYTHING he made was over the top good, (Justin, my grandson and fellow sushi lover). The bed and pillows are comfortable and someone services my room twice a day. Even my laundry is done as needed and the heated marble bathroom floors are easy to get used to. So what am I complaining about?
As previously mentioned, the ship is beautiful and glitzy but that is only skin deep. Rusted grout in the pool areas is due to the salt water used. I noticed my bathroom tap water is smelly and fellow passengers concur. I now use drinking water rather than recycled water in my water Pik. Even initially happy fellow passengers are somewhat dismayed at the poor quality of evening entertainment and lectures.
The biggest issue for most is the feeling that we are passengers on a local bus route. Regardless of how small a port or destination is, many disembark and are replaced by others. Both staff and passengers are constantly changing which is not conducive to meeting people let alone establishing relationships.
In spite of everything, I’ve met some friends, read a few good books, attended a couple of lectures and played bridge online.
Today however, was the highlight of my cruise because I met my good friends, Gary Macdonald and Mary Costa for lunch at a wonderful restaurant in Malaga. They were fellow passengers on the Viking world cruise and are in Malaga waiting to board the Villa Vie Odyssey, three year cruise in Belfast at the end of June, if all goes according to plan.
