Salt Lifer

One thing to note, the seas were a little rough on this sailing. Several days we had 10 foot waves and one night swells got up to 26 feet! Personally, I loved it and felt the stabilizers did a great job of keeping the boat stable. But a lot of people in our Facebook sailing page complained that their rooms made the "loud creaking" noises that E-Class is becoming famous for. I suspect the bigger waves were to blame. Our cabin (11286) was very quiet, but I did notice a lot of vibration which was worse the faster the ship went. We were very far aft, which might have contributed. I will be curious what the Transatlantic cruisers experience in this regard.

They do three months contracts and started in March (forget the exact date, but think it was around mid-month) so you will definitely have them on your 4/27 sailing.

Thanks! I enjoyed a chocolate tart this afternoon from my "stash" that I smuggled off the ship. 😉 As for the shows, we always were able to get a seat but we tried to arrive about 15 minutes early. But the shows were full. And this leads me to a little rant... there seems to be a new version of "chair hogs" on the ships these days. I can not count the number of times I witnessed people trying to save large blocks of prime location seats in the theatre for people who didn't always even show up. And even worse, I encountered a lot of couples who would find four empty seats and then sit right in the middle (leaving one empty on each side). I presume this was done intentionally to keep anyone from sitting next to them. What was even worse is that in most cases these people would not offer to move down if they saw any other two-some looking for a seat, and in a few cases even refused to if asked! The entitlement of some people on our sailing was unreal! Thankfully, these folks were still the minority and most people were considerate and fun to be around.

We made it home last night (late)! I'll try to wrap up this LIVE later this week with the adventure from our travel day as well as a few other misc items from the cruise, itself, which never made it into the daily reports. It does appear I have gained 5-6 lbs! Yikes!!!! I am hoping some of this gain is water weight and will fall off quickly. I ate much more carb-heavy than usual and I could feel swelling in my legs and fingers at times, which is very unusual for me. All in all, it was such a fun week. I am glad to be home and see my kids and return to a normal routine, but I miss the fun of being onboard, too.

Rise and shine! We docked in Ft. Lauderdale around 6:30 this morning. I guess it really is 'back to reality' for me. But my journey isn't over just yet as I have a long travel day ahead of me, with some sightseeing mixed in. First was one last buffet breakfast. I am especially going to miss the fruit on this ship as it has been extra fresh and tasty. Then we left the ship. 😞The whole process was very fast and smooth. It only took us minutes to get off the ship, collect our luggage, and get through immigration. More to come....

Continuing on from last night.... The theatre show was "Residency" and it was by far the best of the three production shows, in my opinion. This show had the best music and energy. All in all, I think o. The Beyond last April we had slightly better production shows than those on the Ascent the year, but tonight's show was every bit as good as those shows on Beyond. The four lead singers specially were amazing! Then after the show we headed to dinner. Bhanwar had a special surprise waiting for me in my menu - the recipe for "the soup!!! Bhanwar had asked the dining room manager yesterday and she (the manager) very coldly said to us that they don't give out recipes anymore, but Bhanwar didn't give up and asked the Executive Chef (explaining my love for the soup) and he happily printed it out. That was very kind of both Bhanwar and the chef and is something I will always remember and appreciate. For dinner I had "the soup" plus the eggplant appetizer, which is one of the Tuscan exclusives. To be honest, that was probably my least favorite food item of the week. I would not order that eggplant dish again. For my main course I had the spinach ravioli, which I always enjoy. Dessert was a chocolate cherry trifle. Cherry is not one of my favorite flavors, but I love chocolate and specifically chocolate mousse (which is in the trifle) so I took a chance and was glad I did! It was a good way to end the day. Very flavorful but not too heavy. The last event of the evening was a 10:45pm performance by Jesse Hamilton Jr. in The Club. This guy is such a a talented and energetic performed. I actually felt this show was even better than his main theatre show from yesterday. He is a "can't miss" performer if you are on a sailing of his. It was a fun and busy last cruise day. My step count for the day reflected how busy the day was! I love cruising, but I now feel very tired and very full and am ready to return to "real life" to recover from my vacation! 🙂

I guess I really have to leave tomorrow... 😞

Today started out with a healthy-ish breakfast at the buffet. I always enjoy the buffet breakfast options on Celebrity. Then we headed to the theatre for a 10am comedy show with Captain Tasos and Alejandro. They talked about themselves and cruising in general and are just such a hoot to listen to. They have a great rapport with each other. At 11:30 I headed up to the pool deck for a "Fun Latin Dance Class" with Alejandro. There was a nice breeze which kept the temps down, so it was a lot of fun. Then it was time for lunch. Today was the seafood extravaganza in the buffet. I have never seen the buffet. I have never seen the buffet so crowded ever on any Celebrity ship. Every table was filled and people had to circle several times to find somewhere to sit. You could definitely tell this was a sold out cruise today. After lunch we headed out to the walking path to walk a mile and also watch the 'Guests vs Officers' volleyball match (officers won). Then back inside to catch Tom McCormick's piano bar show in the Grand Plaza. I have really enjoyed his performances. Tha k you, Celebrity, for listening to feedback and bringing a piano bar entertainer on this ship! And after the show we stopped by the Future Cruise Desk to buy a future cruise certificate. Now, which cruise should we book next? Decisions, decisions.... (By the way, did you know you only need to put down a deposit for one person to get the OBC?) Then back to the room for some canapes (meh) and packing before heading back to the pool deck for some corn hole and another mile around the track before it was time to get ready for the evening's activities. More to come from the rest of the last night....

Another bad sign that I may actually have to actually leave this wonderful ship tomorrow....

I have to share something very disturbing that happened to us yesterday. We returned to our stateroom during the day to discover someone had snuck in and left us some nasty hate mail! . . . . . . . 🙂 🙂 🙂

One interesting thing to note: the last couple days the waves have been around 10 feet, so the ship is noticably rocking. Personally, I love it when you can feel the ship move so no complaints from me! But Captain Tasos told us that last night, during the night, the waves got as high as 26 feet!!! All in all, the ship's stabilizers do a really good job.

Tonight's main theatre show was Jessie Hamilton Jr. He puts on a great show. It was over way too soon! For dinner tonight I had "the soup" and shrimp cocktail for my appetizers, lobster with a side of lamb for the main course, and baked Alaska for dessert. Everything was very good. The baked Alaska was probably the best I have ever had on a cruise ship. I am not sure what made this one unique from others, but it sure tastes good. After dinner, we headed to the Grand Plaza to watch Alejandro's latin dance party. My husband and I aren't big dancers but we love people watching. We had fun watching this dance party... there are some great dancers on this ship! Today's step total was respectable. Tomorrow is our last day. :(.

Today was a sea day. I love sea days but they also exhaust me because there is so much to do! Started the day off with a quick breakfast at the buffet: Then it was time to head to the theatre for a presentation by Captain Tasos. He talked about building and launching the Ascent, as well as co-captaining with his brother. He is so funny, but also comes across as really sincere and a great guy. And of course he and Alejandro bantering back and forth is hilarious! After Captain Tasos' presentation I headed up to the pool area for a line dance class. This about did me in - I blame the fact that it was in the heat of the day and not that I am just out of shape. 😉 After the line dancing class I retreated back into the AC to do a sketch class with artist Paris. I have sailed with him before and his classes are always fun! Finally, it was time for lunch... Italian theme in the buffet. Of course I ate too much. I thought the beef lasagna was especially tasty! Since I ate too much I decided to walk a mile on the outdoor track. Then treated myself to a Mudslide as a reward/dessert. And good news (for me)... Al Bacio has chocolate tarts again today, so I grabbed one! Canapes were in the room but I was really too full today to enjoy them. Next I took in a bit of Rebel's 3pm show in the Grand Plaza. They are just awesome! The next event on my agenda was a talk by Alejandro in The Club all about how he became a cruise director and some funny stories about his time in the job. Very entertaining! When this was over, I headed back out to the outdoor track and walked another mile and a half before it was time to get ready for the evenings shows and dinner.

I told Bhanwar about this "live" tonight and that you had also commented on how great she was. She was really touched!

They are a riot! They are continuously heckling each other! It is obvious they both love their jobs and get along with each other well.

You are going to have the best time and I am jealous! Alejandro and Captain Tasos are great. Be sure to post and let us know how your trip goes!

I fully get it. I just like the soup and figure it'll be a year or more u til I can get it again so I might as well enjoy it. Plus, the serving is rather small so it doesn't keep me from eating other appetizers, too. My husband gets the French onion soup every night, too. We are creatures of habit. 😉

Last night was full of good entertainment. First up was the 2nd production show, Dreams. The lighting effects were amazing in this show and the performers are top notch. I personally preferred this show over Bridges. The late night show was "The Liar's Club" featuring Steve Caouette, Captain Tasos, and Alejandro. Let me tell you, each of these men on their own are about the funniest people I have ever met but when you combine them together they are hilarious. The banter between Tasos and Alejandro is especially exceptional. This is a can't miss event for anyone on upcoming sailings.

Yesterday's St. Kitts excursion was "Small Group: St. Kitts Culinary Experience and Rum Tasting.". I highly recommend this tour if you enjoy food. It takes place at Fairview Great House and Gardens and you get to watch as a private chef prepares your meal and talks about the dishes they are making. These are traditional Kittian dishes. At the end you get to sample a shot of four different flavors of rum. I would gladly do this tour again! St. Kitts is our favorite island of any we have ever visited. It is very special to us, so it is always nice to be on a cruise that stops here. If I were to move to the Caribbean, this would be the place.

Hahahaha. Oh gosh, now I am afraid I have set the bar too high! But I do love it!

Falling farther and farther behind! I have a new respect for the "pros" who do frequent LIVE reports! Yesterday we stopped in St. Kitts. This was yesterday's step count. Spending the morning on a non-physical excursion cut into my total steps. I know my calories yesterday far exceeded my burn. Breakfast was from the buffet: Lunch was on our excursion. More on that in a bit. And then I had the delivered canapes when I got back, plus one of my stashed chocolate tarts. 😉 Dinner was where I really went overboard with eating. I had my usual Tuscan shrimp soup for an appetizer. Delicious as always. I also had the Caesar salad and, once again, found the lettuce to not be as crisp as I would like. Now my mains is where I may have gone a little overboard. I couldn't decide between the Marmite Dieppoise from Normandy or the Spaghetti a la Mallorquin from Cosmopolitan - so I ordered both! (Both were very, very good, by the way!) Then for dessert I got one of my Celebrity favorites - Olive Oil Cremeux. That was worth the extra calories!

Okay, basically this was a show that took popular internet memes and put them to music. Nothing raunchy about it but the humor went over most of the audiences' heads. The performer wasn't bad and there was some funny parts, but all in all the show was just a terrible fit. And even if it had been a good fit for the audience, it really wasn't evening theatre main show entertainment.

Okay, now on to entertainment options from yesterday. This is where Celebrity really fumbled the ball. Badly. After we got back from the excursion and had lunch I decided to hit the pool for some laps and then an aqua exercise class at 2:30. That was a lot of fun! Following that was supposed to be ladder ball on the resort deck at 3:30. Well, 3:30 came and went and no ladder ball was to be found! I decided hit the walking bath and walk over to the rooftop garden, just in case it was there (remember the day before they had a dance class scheduled at the rooftop garden but they actually held it at the pool deck). Nothing. So I continued on the walking track back towards the pool to make sure I didn't miss it somehow, but it was not happening. Since at this point I had walked a full lap I decided to do 4 more and make it a mile. So I went back to the cabin to change and meet my husband to head to Eden for a game of tower toss (which sounds like some version of corn hole) at 4:30. We got there and no tower toss was to be found! I asked one of the activities guys who was finishing up a trivia game and he checked his schedule and it appeared that, while the activity was on the daily schedule, it was not on the employee schedule. I suspect the same was the case for ladder ball. Celebrity really needs to do better keeping the app accurate. When 2/3rds of the activities I want to do in the afternoon are bogus, it effects the guest experience! Now it was time for the evening show. This is where things went from bad to worse. First of all, I am not going to go into a lot of details about what the show was who who the performer was. I don't want the poor guy to Google himself and read this. What I am about to say is not his fault. Basically, the show was not well received on the ship. By the end, probably half the audience had left. I question if the show was appropriate in scope as an evening theatre show, but especially not on Celebrity sailing where the average age of cruisers is too old to understand or appreciate the type of show he had. It probably would go over better on a Royal Caribbean sailing with a lot of teenagers on board. Frankly, I was really disappointed in my fellow cruisers for their rudeness to the performer. People goy up in large groups and just walked out all during the show, not even trying to be discreet in doing so. This guy was sharing his talent and, while it isn't most of our cups of teas, he still deserves some basic kindness and respect. The blame for this huge fail falls entirely on whoever booked this act. That person doesn't deserve to have a job for so badly misjudging the audience. Frankly, 3000 people got cheated out of a night's entertainment. The only thing that saved the day was the 10:45 late-night comedy show by Steve Caouette. He is the absolute best! He will be joining Captain Tasos for another late-night show in the theatre tonight and I can't wait!

I am falling behind. Maybe I can at least get caught up on the food from yesterday, before moving on to entertainment ... Yesterday was my first visit to the buffet for lunch. I intended to get a salad and pizza, but it was the British themed day, so I couldn't pass up also getting a little lamb, Yorkshire pudding, gravy, and a custard tart. Our afternoon canapes were not really that impressive. But I strangely like playing the game of 'what will we have today'? Dinner was quite good tonight. I had my usual soup, the spinach turnover (another favorite of mine) and the tilapia and pasta dish for my main at the suggestion of my server (nothing on the menu was jumping out at me so I asked her to give a suggestion). I was skeptical about the tilapia since it is a cheap fish, but it was actually one of the best tasting dishes I have had onboard, yet! My server actually brought me a larger portion of both the tilapia and the accompanying pasta because she was sure I would like it, and I did! For dessert I had the sachet torte. With all that food at dinner it is a good thing my step count from yesterday was decent! I know I am losing the calories in/calories out battle, but I am at least slowing down the gain ....

Things might be getting interesting. 5:30 is all aboard. 5:35 - a couple comes strolling down the pier. From my 11th floor vantage point I could hear them fighting. He commented on them being late and she said something about it "only being 5 minutes." He strolled ahead and left her way behind. He was not happy. 5:55 - the gangplank still has not been lifted and the ship is still tied up. Looks like we may still be waiting for someone. We are watching for pier runners! Stay tuned! Edit: We were supposed to leave at 6:00. We are the only ship in port. 6:06 - they pulled the gang plank in and the captain announced we would be getting ready to leave. 6:10 - They are taking up the ropes now. Not sure if we are leaving anyone behind or not, but this captain is usually very punctual so the fact that we are leaving late and they kept the gang plank down makes me think they were waiting for someone.