Wayfaring Day 264

March 21, 2026 Saturday

CRUISE DAY

Our boarding time for our cruise was at 4:00 so we had some time to do a little sightseeing before getting a cab. We didn’t get checked out until nearly noon. The hotel stored our bags for us and our plan was to pick them up at about 2:00.

Our destination

today was Mercat del Encants. We had read about this amazing market that was not a touristy place but more of a real market. We would have to admit that it was much more amazing than we could have anticipated. We walked over to the market not really sure what it would be like. As soon as we were there we were taken back at the amazing structure and then by the craziness of hundreds of shops and thousands of shoppers.

The best was to describe this market is that it ranges from a junky flea market to an upscale IKEA. The lower level has the frantic places with people digging through clothes, shoes, electronics and you name it. As you go to upper levels there are places that sell eclectic furnishings and fixtures. This is not a food market. The only food is on the top floor in the form of food truck like eateries. We spent quite a while here. Amy even bought some fabric for doing some sewing with when we get back home. There had to be forty or fifty places selling fabric.

After our time there we walked back toward the hotel. We stopped a place near the hotel for sandwiches. Then it was back to the hotel for the luggage and getting a cab. We used the Freenow by Lyft app which worked very well (under $15). We were at the cruise terminal about an hour and a half early but once our bags were checked we sat in the waiting area waiting on them to call our group. At a little before 4:00 they called our group and we started the process of checking in and going through security. It all went quite smoothly so we hit our muster station, checked in there and then went to our room to unpack.

It wasn’t long until our scheduled dinner time which will be at 5:30 each evening. There was a huge line at the restaurant but we got in after not too long of a wait. We met our table companions and had our first dining room meal. After the meal we went to the introduction show and then the first musical performance. Afterwards we spent about an hour listening to a band in one of the lounges. Once they finished we made it down to our room and got ready for bed. Tomorrow we will be at Alicante, Spain. We don’t have any excursions so we plan to sleep late and go to the late risers breakfast before getting off the ship.