Dublin! The approach in Dublin Bay is the prettiest part of the entire place. A lot were up to see it and I was telling people they mustn't miss Cobh the next day because it's so beautiful. The ferry Norbay passed safely across our bow but some Americans thought we were going to hit it. We were due to arrive at 10.30pm but docked twenty minutes late. Explorer was already in, having arrived during the night and was sailing on the 23rd. I found the Vision dockside marker I had been told about by Jordan Bailey then after we docked, waited a while for tours to leave before beginning to photograph the areas of the ship as she is, breaking for lunch. Internally, the Centrum and Viking Crown Lounge would be changed while on Rhapsody and Grandeur, the Card Room and library on deck 7 as well as Crown & Anchor Study and internet on deck 8 had already become cabins, which was an awful shame. Showboat Lounge would be going completely as well, turned into restaurants. One thing I really hate is when cruise lines add passengers while removing the public space to accommodate the them all. On the one hand it's good Royal Caribbean are investing in their older ships, on the other they are NOT Oasis or Freedom. It's nice to have differences between the classes. Do we REALLY need more places to eat when the ships have managed perfectly well all the years before Oasis came along? Where are people going to relax when seating has been taken away? I really hoped I would end up liking the end result when I returned and tried not to fear the worst. Despite someone seeing I was in the theatre as she passed me as I walked in, I found all doors closed when I tried to leave. Oi! You make a habit of closing doors but it's usually to prevent people just wandering around the ship when quiet to take the bloody photos! There were still far too many people onboard for my liking when they should all be out enjoying the beautiful Irish countryside or exploring Dublin. Thankfully most buggered off after lunch but there were still rooms I was unable to access with no one about thanks to the flipping doors. I don't know what they'll do with the beautiful model of Vision from the C&A Study but I have a nice shelf on the bookcase at home if it's going spare. With too many people in the Windjammer, I hoped to get it properly before the end of the cruise when there were less. Would help if they opened the bloody doors!
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