Uncategorized – Page 7 – Life is a Journey

Day 12 – All access ship tour

Posted on December 14, 2019October 13, 2026 by Libby Withnall

It was another slow morning for us (no surprises there) and eventually we decided to get dressed and head for breakfast about 9.15am. Before leaving I asked Kevin to check what time our all access tour of the ship was. And guess what? Instead of being in the afternoon like we had both thought for some reason, it was a 9.45am. So instead of breakfast we headed to the meeting area. Then read that long pants were required so Kevin (who was wearing shorts) had to go back to the room to change. No to worry we were still ready in plenty of time.

The tour was really good – we had a talk by the dining room manager, walked through the kitchens (which are always amazing to see), the storage rooms and ONE of the meat freezers, the Engineers room and laundry – always have someone from that department to talk to us.

And luckily we also got to see the bridge. We really enjoyed this 2 hour tour and though it was reasonably expensive, feel that it was well worth it, if you are interested in the behind the scenes operations of these big ships. Kevin and I thought the best part was the galley. It’s always amazing seeing the work that goes into providing meals for everyone at sea.

Since we had missed breakfast, again, we headed right to Windjammers at the conclusion of the tour. My lunch today was salad, potato and bread (which you will see is a pretty reoccuring theme whenever we eat in Windjammers).

A 2 hour non-stop walking tour was quite a lot for my body so we pretty much just chilled in the room for the afternoon – reading (and I also did some computer work). I would have sat outside but it was way too steamy.

Before 5.30pm we got ready for dinner and headed off to the dining room.

I had tortilla soup (which was yummy, but a little spincy, vegan bolognases (delicious) and a “cheesecake” which was super sweet so I really only had a few bites. We had two new dinner companions tonight – from the UK. Luckily it was easier to here everyone nearby tonight.

We didn’t stay for tea/coffee as we wanted to catch the 7pm show – which we did. It was the usually. Nothing too outstanding (especially after our cirque shows in Vegas) but we enjoyed it anyway.

After the show it was back to the room and off to bed.

Day 7 – The Venetian, High Roller & RUN.

Posted on December 9, 2019October 13, 2026 by Libby Withnall

We had a great last day together in Vegas. As usual I was up about 5.30am. I actually enjoy this time as I’m working on my blog or editing a vlog I can watch Vegas wake up.

We have been going very slow in the morning – it’s how I tend to go with fibro these days and Christy & Kevin seem to be in go-slow holiday mode as well. We didn’t even have breakfast (yep, bagels again) until after 10am.

Finally we headed out via uber, getting dropped off at Treasure Island and walking across the bridge to the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian. I think this is my fav. of the resorts on the strip. Love the atmosphere and the fact that there are some “more affordable” shops and it isn’t all luxury brands.

We first stopped by the LOVE sign…

and the gorgeous Christmas displays.

We then explored more of the Venetian and visited a few of the stunning art shops/galleries.

Of course Kevin had to buy another fruit stick from Godiva. And Christy managed to make a new friend.

From the Venetian we walked up the strip. I really don’t like this part of the strip – it is always so hectic and busy (even during the day).

We walked up the Linq Promenade – which we had never been too before. It’s really a rather nice area – though mainly restuarants.

But we were here to go on the High Roller (another thing we had not yet done in Vegas). And it was such a gorgeous day for it today.

The whole trip takes 30mins and it was really nice to sit back and enjoy the view, though I think Kevin was most excited about high speed Tesla charging station that was right beside the High Roller.

By now we were all getting hungry so decided to Uber back to the apartment so we could last nights leftovers for dinner – which I very much enjoyed. Christy and I both then did a bit of packing and sorting and then resting until it was time to head back out. We had a booking for Nacho Daddy but I mucked up the timing and we realized that we would be rushed for the show tonight. So I cancelled the booking and we headed straight to the Luxor. One thing I definitely won’t miss about Vegas is having to walk though the smoky casino sections of the hotels.

There was nothing much on offer for us in the food court but we did come across this lovely looking restaurant.

I ordered what I thought was Fried Rice with Cauliflower & edamame but turned out to be Cauliflower fried rice with edamame. I’ve never had cauliflower rice before so I didn’t think of it when I read “cauliflower fried rice” !! It was quite nice but I would have preferred rice. I only ended up eating half of it. Christy had a bowl of jasmine rice and Kevin had a pepper beef which he really enjoyed. It came with asparagus which he’s always claimed not to like (though I’ve told him many times that fresh is very different to canned) and he LOVED it.

We had to chase down out server so we could get our cheque and head to the theatre to see RUN.

No this show is pretty different for a Cirque De Soliel show and it’s their first live action theatre show. It’s all about 2 rival gangs and they do a great job of setting the scene as you enter.

We may have been sitting a bit too close to the stage because there things happening all around and in the aisles. It was noisy and bright and very busy. I really enjoyed certain parts of it and thought others were just okay. I can appreciate the work and effort that has gone into this production but as someone who isn’t a big action movie person it really wasn’t quite for me. So I’d definitely recommend for people who love action movies and flight scenes (Kevin & I always complain that they go on too long) then I’d recommend this show for you. If not, then maybe see other Cirque shows before this one. Christy said she enjoyed it and Kevin said it wasn’t as bad as the Avator one (which we were all disappointed with). Mystere is Christy and my favourite, Kevin’s is KA (which for me is very close behind Mystere.

After the show we got an Uber back to our room. I then had some delicious peppermint bark vegan ice cream before heading to bed.

Day 6 – Outlet & Target Shopping

Posted on December 7, 2019October 13, 2026 by Libby Withnall

I was up about 5.30am – in time to see a bit of the sunrise (really hoping we’ll get to see to nice ones on the cruise. I bet by now you’ll know that we had a lazy morning.

We headed about shortly before 11am, stopping to take some photos of the other side of the building view – towards the Rio (whose carpark you can see)…

and of the pool, which is sadly too cold to swim in….

We caught an uber of the the South Premium Outlet Mall.

I did a pretty poor just taking photos today so you might want to check out my vlog to “see” more of what we (though I’m pretty sure I did a bad job of vlogging as well – seems to be hard to do when you’re shopping). Anyway, we visited quite a few stores including Kipling (both Christy and myself got new bags), the Disney store, Lane Byrant (Christy bought some Winter tops), and some other stores we didn’t buy anything in. Also bought some PJs for Kevin.

Christy and I were suffering with sore feet (already) so it was time for a break and to have some lunch. I got this delicious falafel pita and Christy got a cheese melt from Subway.

After lunch we wandered though a few more shops (most were clothing/sporting goods so we weren’t really interested in them), and then got an uber to the closest Target.

Sadly these are the only photos I took. Looks like I’ll be needing to get a lot of screenshots from my vlog to include in my photobook. It can definitely be a challenge doing both video and photos at the same time. If only Kevin and Christy were more onboard !!! Oh well at least a lot of our memories do get documented.

We spent a good hour or so exploring Target – picking up some stocking stuffers. Then getting a few food supplies to tide us over the next few days. And some for the cruise – though I realized after we should have just gotten them in Fort Lauderdale (since we’ll be picking up some drinks to take on the cruise anyway).

Before leaving we got a drink from Starbucks. I got a vegan green tea frappacino – which I really enjoyed.

Back home to our rather messy apartment. I still need to film a haul for yesterday and todays purchases so things are scattered about. I’m definitely much more relaxed about the state of things when I’m on holidays!!

Kevin decided against going to the Rewind Party this evening. He went last year and it’s really not his cup of tea. It was around the time we decided to have nice bubble bath that I recalled it was our 27th Wedding Anniversary today. I guess that’s what happens when you lose track of the date. Plus I hadn’t expected him to be home tonight.

After our lovely bath I put a frozen pizza in the oven. But it was horrid (Daiya mushroom & garlic pizza). So instead we decided to get Uber Eats and I was so excited when I saw Chef Kenny listed as one of the options as I’ve heard wonderful things about his vegan restuarant.

I wanted to try Orange “chicken” since that’s not something we get in Australia and some spring rolls. Kevin chose crispy “beef” and some fried wontons. Which meant of course that we had way too much food. We decided to just have the spring rolls and wontons (since they tend to go soggy when reheated). Both were incredible. I also tried a small bowl of the orange chicken – which I hadn’t realized would be battered and fried. It was still nice but not amazing. We have plenty of leftovers for tomorrow – which is our last day in Vegas.