Flight from Dubai to Barcelona and transfer to Hilton Diagonal Mar then Transfer to Norwegain Epic .

We had a significant change in our flight schedule which resulted in us departing the Habtoor Palace at 1.15 am to be able to meet the rescheduled flight from Dubai to Barcelona which now departed at 04.35 AM and arrived in Barcelona at about 15.45 pm.

That again required readjustment to our body clock and an early night into bed following dinner at the World Cut Steakhouse.

The transfer was a local driver, (nor our usual Blacklane) but all worked well and to our complete satisfaction

We are flying with Royal Jordanian from Dubai to Amman with the schedule revised to departure at 04.35 am arriving Amman at 07.05 am with a stopover of approximately 4 hours 55 minutes before boarding the flight to Barcelona.

The flights from Dubai were comfortable and efficient. The food was just amazing with a specialty menu from Jordan.

The stopover in Amman was unusual given the airport was built out in the desert. We were taken by special bus from the plane to the Airport, then through security, and finally into a small lounge area. It was a long and telling stopover and we both sensed that our body clocks were catching up.

The food particularly on the First leg was native Jordanian food and presented by our cabin steward in a beautiful format.

We arrive on time in Barcelona to a near-perfect day, weather-wise. We passed quickly through security and immigration with only a cursory look at our medical certificates re vaccinations. There was hardly a mask in sight.

The transfer from the airport to the Hotel was a short 20-minute trip and we were staying along the coast through the City Centre area. We also passed via the new Cruise Terminal here in Barcelona and we look forward to visiting tomorrow. On a Saturday we are advised that 5 cruse ships will be arriving and leaving and on a Sunday our day we will also have 4 other ships. It is a busy and bustling port. We are also excited.

Hilton Diagonal Mar is a 4.5 star holtel widely used by tourists and is close to the Beach.

Check in is fine and we are allocated a King Bedroom with views back over the diagonal Mar Chopping Centre and precinct. It is comfortable wityh plenty of storage. We decisdde yo unpack as little as possible and only sufficient for a change of clothes tomorrow..

After unpacking we attend the Executive Lounge function of savories and drinks. It is a bit of a bun fight and we leave quickly.

We then do go for a quick walk, but then decide against an evening meal.

We retire for the evening at 9.15 pm and sleep and wake early the next morning, enjoy breakfast, then spend time in the local area.

Barcelona is a favorite city but we decide to stay close to the hotel and will await to post the cruise to venture into the centre of the city..

Ken walks around the area and takes photos. We pack prior to lunch, have a late check-out at 1.15 pm, and then get a taxi to the Cruise terminal which is about 15 minutes away. We know the journey and the port well.

We are unsure as to expectations as to boarding the Norwegian Epic and we have a scheduled boarding time of 2.15 pm, but upon arrival, we are greeted by lengthy queues. Obviously, there have been delays. we stand in a queue that moves slowly for almost 90 minutes before getting to the front, where there appears to be a sense of confusion, our luggage is taken and checked through. We then go through customs and Immigration, there is checking the Medical Certificates and Vaccination status. Eventually, we board the ship at 15.20pm. Later than expected but that is fine.

The ship is large in every way but it s still exciting to be boarding a cruise ship after this extended pandemic for Covid-19.

We enter our Cabin and we are somewhat shocked. All cabins are not the same and the design of this ship has the bathroom and the bedroom intertwined. We go through the bathroom with two separate compartments for the toilet and shower. There is then a curtain separating the bathroom from the Bedroom and lounge area , with the wash basin within the Bedroom area. It doesn’t look or seem right but over the coming eight days we find it works quite well.

The other significant and surprising area is that you have to walk through the Casino area to get to the lifts which take you to the cabins and suites.

A first highlight is the wonderful coloured crystal orb in the centre of the ship. It is a wonderful crystal piece that changes colours.

We decide after unpacking when our luggage arrives at our cabin door, and then take a walk through the ship and we are amazed at the number of bars and eating areas. Tonight we will eat in one of the main dining rooms.