Wednesday, April 3, 2024

We woke up in Palma, Mallorca, Spain this morning on the 6th day of our Sun Princess cruise. Mallorca is the 7th largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and a popular vacation destination among Europeans, especially from the Netherlands, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

The sunrise was gorgeous this morning as Andi and I left the Sun Princess gym. We planned to surprise Tory and Aden with a visit to the aquarium today, so we made our way off the ship after a quick breakfast in The Eatery.

Fortunately, the Sun Princess ship was docked right in the Bay of Palma so disembarkment was a breeze. We simply scanned our medallion badges at the door and walked right off the ship. A line of taxis waited for passengers outside the port terminal. Andi quietly showed the cab driver the address of the aquarium and away we drove.

Tory was so excited when she realized where we were. “Are we going to the aquarium today?” she squealed with glee. Andi said this was a do-over for not making it to the aquarium in Lisbon, Portugal.

The Palma Aquarium was fairly large in size. Four tickets to visit the aquarium, plus entrance into the 3D Cinema cost €100.

Inside, the four of us walked around the various exhibits which included Mediterranean and tropical species of fish, an outdoor garden area with sting rays, turtles, and places to sit and have lunch at a cafe, a jungle area with birds, and a children’s playground.

There were lots of interactive play stations for the kids which was nice, as well as educational pop-ups throughout the aquarium. The best part, however, was the 3D cinema. There, we watched a 15-minute movie about whales that was pretty neat to see.

After the aquarium, we walked across the street to S'Arenal beach. This beach was very long, white, and sandy with palm trees dotted throughout. There weren’t very many people at the beach today, but I bet it gets crazy busy in the summertime.

Andi, Tory, and Aden wanted a little snack so they popped into Burger King to order fries and hamburgers. Then, we hopped in a cab and drove to Passeig de Born, nicknamed the Golden Mile, because of its high-end restaurants and shopping. The four of us wandered around this area for a while before grabbing another cab to the cruise port terminal.

Palma was great, but all four of us wanted to go back to the ship to hang out there for the remainder of the afternoon. Once again, the weather was beautiful today and the pool was calling our names.

Around 3:00pm, the four of us found lounge chairs in the shade and cozied up with books, Aperol Spitzes, and ice cream sundaes. All of Aden’s buddies from the Neon Grove Tween Club were there as well so he spent most of the afternoon swimming with friends.

For dinner tonight, Andi made reservations for he and I at UMAI Hot Pot. This is a specialty dining restaurant on the ship which is included in our premier package. I wasn’t completely sure what to expect, but both Andi and I really enjoyed our experience there.

In the center of the table was a “hot pot” with two different broths — lemongrass and miso. We were given a plate of raw seafood, raw meat, and vegetables. Then, at the table, we cooked our own meal in the hot pot. The flavors were fantastic, and it was something really fun and interactive for Andi and I to do during our date night.

Back in our stateroom, Tory ordered herself a caesar salad from room service. Everyone on the ship has free room service, and it’s the best thing ever. We almost always order a plate of french fries mid-afternoon or a cocktail to be delivered while we’re getting ready for dinner. Passengers can place a room service order wherever they are on the ship, and the medallions we all wear helps the servers know where to find the customers.

Aden skipped dinner, opting to go to the Tween Club instead. He had a brat and french fries at the pool around 4:00pm so he wasn’t completely starving.

The sunset was gorgeous tonight as we sailed away from Palma, Malloca, Spain. Andi, Tory, and I spent the remainder of our evening watching episodes of How I Met Your Mother on TV in our stateroom and Aden joined us when Tweens Club ended at 10:00pm.