June 10 - Valletta, Malta

Aaron and I arrived in our first port of call. Valletta was absolutely beautiful, we'd go back in an instance to have more time to explore the island fully. But as it was we had to head off quickly to get to the Mediterraneo Sea Park for our date with the dolphins. That was an experience! We swam in the pool with dolphins and their trainers, getting the opportunity to feed the dolphins, execute and few tricks and even get pulled by two of them. Of course there was also time to pose for a photo opp. The star of our show was our buddy Lucas who was adorable. Spent a lot of time with the girls...


After our date with the dolphins we headed back to the boat, took some time to walk the along the port, see the cafes and check out all the shops selling Maltese crosses and glass products. Unfortunately, we did not purchase any crosses at that time, although they were beautiful. Gives us a reason to go back one day.

Then, being our 8th anniversary and all, Aaron and I headed back onto the ship, where we received the best gift of all...our luggage...which had been misplaced by the airline in Frankfurt. So we dressed up, were treated to appetizers in our room and then dinner in the French Restaurant onboard. The food was amazing and it was a very good anniversary indeed.

June 9 - At sea

Our one and only day at sea. When we weren't sleeping off the jet lag, we attempted to enjoy some of the amenities and activities that the boat had to offer. The biggest highlight of the day...our attempts at the rock climbing wall. Aaron did very well, making it it the top in remarkably little time. Myself...well that's another story. Let's just say it was a good thing I had a safety line. Will we be taking up rock climbing/mountain climbing anytime soon? That's a resounding "NO" from the both of us.

We also spent a bit of time on the sundecks and just exploring the ship.

More photos from the ship:

1: Crystal Atrium - home to the largest TV screen I've ever seen. Daily Wii playing, and nightly Euro 2008 soccer games.

2: Promenade - took many trips around the ship, as if we didn't get enough walking on our many shore excursions

3: Casino - did not spend time here; figured this trip would cost us enough as it was

4: Bliss Lounge - home to the ships bowling alley; and the only bar with beds...we'll leave that to your imagination.

June 8 - Arrival in Barcelona

We arrived in Barcelona and were very excited to get to the ship after over 24 hours of travel. The pictures and descriptions of our boat were not enough to prepare us for the immensity of the vessel...all 93 000 tons of it. Our stateroom was quite nice, and for any future cruises we would defnitely book a balconey room again. It made the accomodations seem more spacious.



The amenities on the ship were amazing...there was definitely no shortage of things to keep you busy and entertained. It was a pity we were so tired from all our traveling that first day....oh well. Our floating resort was equipped with a number of bars, lounges, stores, restaurants, a theatre, pool, rock wall, volleyball court, and sundecks.

Photos from the ship:

Photo 1: Martini Bar - spent some time here; had some really good drinks too

Photo 2: Pool - did not go swimming once on the cruise, but did lay out on the sundeck a few times

Photo 3: Stardust Theatre - missed out on a few shows, thanks to 8 to 10 hour shore excursions that left us just exhausted.