wednesday

1 hour ago, mac_tlc said:

Not sure why, but we were walking by the World Class Bar and I decided to take pictures of the menu. Not sure we will go there but I was curious what their prices were — what with all the discussions lately about the PBP price limit. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

mac_tlc

I'll definitely be having one or three of those gin cocktails next week!  🤣

2 minutes ago, Stem to Stern said:

Yes!  Mr. Sunshine is finally emerging in the sky over South Florida.  Visiting the Venice Area Audubon Rookery in Sarasota County this morning and the air temperature here is currently only 51 degrees Fahrenheit with a feels like temp of 49, but the sun is shining brightly here.  
Yay!!😀 

It was 37 here in central FL this morning but gorgeous and sunny!  I love the cooler weather but hoping for a warm and beautiful embarkation.  Also hoping it stays warmer while we're gone so I don't have to worry about my plants.

6 minutes ago, hcat said:

https://www.portevergladeswebcam.com/

 

link to PEv webcam  you can see her in the berth now..10:20 am Fla time...

 

we will try to catch Sailaway today

Gosh I hope we have sunshine like this next Sunday!  It is certainly looking like it's going to be warm.

Ooooohhhhh so excited for this review since we board next Sunday and are also in a SS!  Have a great cruise!

29 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

We have the “Pixie” pass which has weekends and major holidays blacked out, but it’s also the cheapest at about $429. 
 

mac_tlc

We will probably get the pirate pass (at least that's what I think it's called) we had silver passes before.  I hope they finish doing away with park reservations though not needing them after 2 pm on weekdays works well for us as we usually go on weekday evenings.  

16 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

And so, we headed home after an enjoyable day at the International Festival of the Arts. As we were leaving at about 7, a ton of folks were just coming in. Festival Friday nights are quite popular!

 

 

 

Lots of packing to do tomorrow and finishing our check in. Going to be “Florida-chilly” at a high of about 57. 
 

mac_tlc

I can't wait to get AP's to Disney again.  We let ours go when they shut down for covid and then it looked like it would be a while before you could go to the park normally.  We just let our Universal AP's expire and will probably buy Disney AP's after our cruise.  Not sure if I'll get there before festival of the arts is over but I will surely catch the flower and garden festival.  I live 40 minutes away and am as excited about going as if I were going to Europe or something.😂

1 hour ago, PTC DAWG said:

I checked the FB page, no slot pull scheduled is what I was told

For the 28th sailing there are two listed in the events, at least for the group I am in. 

1 minute ago, hcat said:

We look forward to seeing you on ASCENT... Sailaway on the 28th and the get together  1st sea day at EDEN

Likewise!  I am really hoping one of our two wine tastings doesn't interfere with the sea day meetup.  I usually book the wine tastings onboard but they were 40% off to prebook.  I know on the FB group there is a slot pull at the same time but we're not attending that.   I wish the two groups could coordinate, I know some of us on the CC roll call are also on the FB one.

We will be boarding the 28th and have a sky suite, so thank you for posting a review, I look forward to reading it! 🙂 

8 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

It's the correct way to eat eggs..especially if shrimp aren't available.  🙂

According to him it is..... unless it's my mom's smoked gouda and rotel grits. He says and I quote "anyone that doesn't like your mama's grits is an a@@hole"😂  I've never done the egg thing, either lots of butter or cheese.  We are both native (North Central FL) Floridians, so pretty southern (my accent draws constant attention down here in central FL where we live now.)

13 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Just wanted to conclude our wonderful cruise on the beautiful Ascent with a few random thoughts. 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for taking the time to share your cruise with us, I am glad it was amazing!  I really cannot wait for January 28th to get here now.

Also, love your kitty!  Black cats are the BEST!  I love my girl Nyx to pieces, she is the sweetest thing around

On 11/27/2023 at 2:45 PM, Pushkin said:

OMG!  You are the only person (outside of a few in my family) who eat grits with over-easy eggs!  We must be related!  BTW - I have had pretty good luck with grits on my cruises.

My husband eats them that way.

3 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I want to talk about the entertainment for a minute. This is one area that DH and I have found to be lacking on our two previous Celebrity cruises this year (Solstice in March and Equinox in July). Live music was especially lacking along with variety. This is not the case on Ascent!  Whether a 3 or 4 piece band with vocals or a dj spinning tunes, music of all varieties was literally everywhere. I had read that some people find the music in the martini bar to be intrusive to the surrounding areas. And I will say that it was definitely more than background noise, but we liked it!  The situation of the World Class bar is such that you can hear the music from below but still have a conversation. That may be a little more difficult in the martini bar area. That’s not a complaint, I point it out for those who seek a more quiet cocktail location. 
 

Then there’s Eden. We spent quite a bit of time here yesterday!  Tom, a whiz of a Piano Man played for a couple of hours. He was excellent!  He asked for requests from the audience (which was a smallish crowd) and banged out tunes and sang all the popular sing along songs. From Elvis to Journey, his range of music was very impressive. We will definitely be going back!

 

After closing Eden down last night, we wandered outside on deck 5 to take a look at the moon. The moon, not a moon!  To the naked man on deck 6, you might want to close your infinite veranda!  🤦‍♀️

Good to hear on the music.  We found the Equinox last time we were onboard to be a bit too heavy on 70's music, which wasn't our favorite.  I too have been mooned by someone on a Celebrity balcony!  😂  We were in Istanbul on an RCCL cruise and were doing a Bosphorus cruise, I was with my Costa Rican friends (a lively bunch) and they were waving to the ships, this guy on a Celebrity ship turned around and dropped his drawers!  He was met with a loud roar of applause from our group.  🤣

Ooooh so exciting, she does look gorgeous!

29 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I’ll see your “ants in pants” and raise you “butterflies in stomach”. Heading to the port now. 
 

Wait…that didn’t sound right, did it? 😂🤣

🤣😂🤣  I'd have critters crawling  and fluttering all over if I were in your shoes!    BTW love your black kitty, they're the best!

I hope you have a great cruise!  I don't think I've ever anticipated a cruise review this much.  I've got ants in my pants waiting for the pictures.

Can't wait to follow along, we are sailing Ascent at the end of January in a Sky suite.  So excited, this will be our first Edge class ship and first time in The Retreat!  Thanks for giving us a review.

I am sailing in a sky suite at the end of January and after I made final payment I received a Retreat welcome email with a link to  " personalize your in-room and port day experiences."   One of the questions was about wine preference (red, white or sparkling) for the bottle of wine.  This was also listed on the email:  

AMENITIES
BUTLER AND TEAM
COMPLIMENTARY 24-HOUR IN-SUITE DINING,
INCLUDING FULL BREAKFAST, LUNCH, & DINNER
COMPLIMENTARY WELCOME BOTTLE OF
CHAMPAGNE OR SPARKLING WINE
COMPLIMENTARY IN-SUITE ESPRESSO & CAPPUCCINO
FRESH FRUIT DELIVERED UPON REQUEST 
PRIORITY CHECK-IN, DEPARTURE & PORT TENDERING/BOARDING
RESERVED THEATER SEATING ON EVENING CHIC NIGHT

I have searched high and low for a comparison but cannot find the exact info I am looking for.  I am currently booked in SV cabin 6309 on the Solstice.  SV cabin 6315 has become available and I am wondering if the balcony is the same size for this cabin?  It appears to be similar but maybe a little narrower.  I think I would like to be over the center of the wake rather than off to the side but not if it means giving up balcony space.

Thanks!

On 11/13/2022 at 7:21 PM, cruisingpeople said:

We just vacated that exact cabin last Saturday. (11/5/22). The majority of that area going towards the bow is a blank wall. About 35 feet towards the stern is a crew storage area for linens and other assorted items for the room stewards to replenish their carts. It is an extremely quiet section. The only "noise" we really encountered was the occasional kids running down the hallways. Even when they were collecting the luggage on the final night, you could barely hear anything.

IMO I thought it was a great cabin and location. I definitely enjoyed the spacious balcony.  

Thanks so much!  I was going to bid on Royal Up but I think I will just save my money and stay here. 🙂

This is great news, hope it goes fleet wide very soon.  No one should be forced to wear one, it should be a choice.   

4 hours ago, cw2go said:

 wednesday, did you happen to hear back from them? I also reached out a few days ago, to book a tour via their website and haven't gotten any response. 

 

TIA, Patty 

Yes he did get back to me and told me that tours were unavailable on my date (mid-Oct) because they  were "awaiting the servicing of their vehicles which was taking longer than expected"  They directed me to CayTours and I booked with them.  They don't appear to have the cool Range Rovers, only mini-busses and the prices are about the same.  I am  paying way more than I want to at $150 per person but they were able to get me a tour to the caves and the distillery.  

He may not be answering because I believe they are expected to be impacted by TS Ian (according to NOAA they will possibly be experiencing hurricane conditions by Mon,) I know this because it is headed for us here in FL next so I've been watching it.

35 minutes ago, bookbabe said:

It’s a long weekend there this weekend, give them another day or two.

Thanks!  I booked my cruise last minute so in a panic to get things done.  Other ports I've managed to grab the last spot on tours.

On 7/12/2022 at 6:24 PM, bookbabe said:

You might find it easier to rent a car and DIY.  None of those places are anywhere near each other, and I haven’t seen any tours that include all of them.

 

You could try contacting Cayman Safari, see if they can come up with an option for you.

https://www.caymansafari.com/cayman-adventures

Do you know if Cayman Safari is still in business?  I emailed them a few days ago and have received no response.  Their Facebook page hasn't been updated in a while either.

3 hours ago, bookbabe said:

Why not just rent a car and DIY?  Might give you more flexibility and likely cheaper.

I contacted the Cayman Safari folks and asked if they have availability and if their tours get back in time for us to get a cab to the distillery after..  We shall see what they say.