This repositioning cruise from Rio de Janeiro to Barcelona was also a transatlantic cruise. We stopped in some Brazilian ports before heading across the Atlantic Ocean. This cruise itineraryt had the most sea days that we have done in a row. It took 6 days to cross from Brazil to the Canary Islands. There’s a ceremony to celebrate the equatorial crossing to honour Neptune on every ship crossing. We observed the ceremony on our last repositioning cruise in 2022. This ceremony dates back to historic times and is supposed to bring sailors good luck. The kissing a fish part reminds me of a certain province’s claim to fame:)We enjoyed the quiet days walking around the ship and reading books. I finished off 4 during the trip! There were several lounges and comfortable seating around the ship but we usually enjoyed our balcony.
We participated in a big trivia tournament. It took place over 3 days in the theatre with approximately 700 participants. Each question was asked in English, Spanish, Portuguese Italian, French and German. It was unlike the usual small pub quizzes from other cruises. Each team earned a bottle of Prosecco to share so we got to chat with a couple from London, England. The winning team received MSC-branded backpacks.
Being a large ship there was lots of entertainment each night and we enjoyed our 3-course dinners each evening with excellent servers. I participated in a few of the arts and crafts offerings but they were not as good as our last cruise. There was a bowling lane, an arcade, a kids’ water adventure area and a big slide off the side of the ship but we did not partake. However, we did enjoy watching the braver passengers inside the waterslide.
Change of Plans
The winds were too high to arrive in Lanzarote, Canary Islands, so we proceeded to Alicante, Spain, instead. Occasionally, on a cruise, the weather prohibits safe docking, so ports can be cancelled or replaced.
We also crossed the 0-degree longitude (the Prime Meridian) on the cruise just after leaving Alicante, which was a first for us!
Sea days are a nice way to relax, read and enjoy the ship’s activities. The pace of the day is much slower than a port day so it is nice to have some sea days and port days on a cruise.
