To no one's surprise, it was sunny again. Today was our last full day at sea. Most in our group slept in and just spent a lazy day lounging on deck in the deck chairs. As was the case with all of the other days at sea, we didn't have any problems finding a deck chair. However, we tended to sit on either side of the ship and not near the pool areas or outdoor video screen where there were more crowds. Tonight was the last formal night. Once again, everyone looked fabulous. We took lots of pictures and tried to capture our entire 16 member group by taking a picture with all of us staggered on the stairs leading to the second floor of the dining room.
Tonight's show was "Rock Down Broadway" with the Liberty dancers and singers Karina Wright and Jassen Allen. I didn't go to the show, but those in my group that did said that the show was very good. I opted to watch the James Bond movie, "Tomorrow Never Dies," on the giant outdoor video screen on the Lido Deck. This was a unique experience. The Grand Gala Buffet was also at 11:30pm tonight. Finally, I went to the adult comedy show at 12:15am. The comedian, Lowell Sanders, missed his plane in Messina. As a result, they had another person, Marc Rubben, substitute for him. Mark is a comedian/ventriloquist. He had one of his dummies, Max, with him. He was very funny.
Twelfth Day-Barcelona, Spain
It was sunny in Spain. Barcelona is a beautiful city. We were all so impressed with this cosmopolitan city. We left the ship via a shuttle (4 euros round trip) for the short ride to the area near the very tall Christopher Columbus Monument. We then got on the "Bus Turistic." It has three routes-red, blue, and green-and the cost is 17 euros for an all day ticket. You can get on and off the bus as many times as you want. We found that these double-decker open air buses were a great way to see the city. We just rode the bus for the entire "blue line," which started and ended at the Christopher Columbus Monument. One of the couples in our group also got on the "red line" to see some of the other sights.
We then ended up walking up Las Ramblas, which is a wide boulevard street with street vendors and cafes set up in a very wide median area. There were so many people walking in this area. We dropped in at a Burger King to make a restroom stop and to our surprise found that Burger King was selling large draft beer at 2.25 euros per draft. On our way back to the shuttle bus, we stopped at a café for some more beer and some Sangria. We bought a couple bottles of Sangria and were able to bring it back on board the ship. We made it back to the ship for a very late lunch and got ready for the special reception for Carnival's Past Guests. We had to go to the early reception (5:00pm) since 14 members in my group had made a 7:00pm reservation to go to Harry's Supper Club. My group treated my wife and me to dinner and drinks at Harry's as a thank you for the planning that went into this cruise. They didn't have to do this, but what a nice gesture on their part. Everyone thought the $30 per person charge was very reasonable because the service was outstanding, the atmosphere (with a duet playing the piano and singing while you could dance to their music) was perfect, and the food and presentation was exceptional. For example, one of the servers brought this huge tray to our table. It had all of the meat selections, and she described each one. The meats were unbelievable, ranging from a 14 ounce lobster tail to a 9 ounce fillet mignon to a 24 ounce Porterhouse steak. If you got Caesar's salad, they made it right at your table. The desserts were absolutely delicious and decadent, especially the chocolate tart (it came as three separate desserts). We all had a wonderful meal.
Tonight's show comedian and ventriloquist Marc Rubben and comedian Lowell Sanders were very good. The audience was very happy with their performances. Then, at 11:30pm, there was a special outdoor show on the Lido Deck starring singer Marcus Anthony. This was the first time this type of show was done live on the Lido deck with it also being shown on the huge outdoor video screen. The crowd was very appreciative of his performance. I thought he was much better with the up tempo songs compared to the slower love songs he sang.
Thirteenth Day-Cannes, France
It was another beautiful sunny day. We got to Cannes early. It is the only port where you have to use tenders to leave the ship. Today started out great after I heard from one of the members in my group that the University of Georgia's football team beat Boise State in its opening game -- a terrific beginning to the Georgia Bulldogs football season!!! We got on a tender shortly after 10:00am. We took a leisurely walk in town and through an area that had artists selling their paintings, as well as others selling a wide range of what I would call "flea market" merchandise.
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