Jamman54

Patti and Pat head up to the top of the zipline…… They really don’t want you going down hanging by your feet upside down…. This is your view from the top….. Those guys down there will catch you. Maybe…….. They head up to the Sky Bar….. Lots of nice views from up here….. To be continued…..

We meet our server Wilbur, and he immediately brings us a bucket of Presidente Beer. We head out to the alcove with the bucket. The water feels a little chilly at first. Patti is ready to begin her picture tour. The water is too chilly for Pat, so she takes the walk with Patti. Jim and I are having the first of many beers….. One of the servers that we have had in the past recognized us and stopped to say hello….. This is the entrance to the VIP area, and the going rates….. Here’s another view of the bathroom, which is right by the zero entry part of the pool….. This is the bottom of the waterslide…… Here are the waterslide rules. I don’t remember there being a charge for the waterslide before….. Here are a couple of views from the top of the waterslide…. This is one of the Hilltop Cabanas….. To be continued……

We are met at the gate by our Host EZ. He will take us to our cabana and show us around. There are only four Pool Cabanas, and we are given the Tambora Cabana, which is the second cabana from the left….. These four sets of loungers by the pool belong to the cabanas…. Each cabana has a hammock….. Here are a couple of views inside our cabana….. In addition to a television and wi-fi, we also have a safe….. These snacks, sodas, and water are included in the cabana rental….. This is our balcony….. Here are some views from our balcony….. This view will give you the lay of the land. Our hangout place will be at that alcove on the right between the main pool and the bridge. That gray building on the left is the bathrooms, which is very handy! The cushioned loungers on the left side of the picture are part of the VIP area. For about $100 you get two loungers, an umbrella, pool noodles, unlimited zipline and water slide. This is where we would go if we didn’t have a cabana……. To be continued……

Today we are sharing a Pool Cabana with Pat & Jim, so we want to get off the ship as soon as we can. After getting ready, we met Pat & Jim at Celebration Central to wait for clearance. Patti spots Sid heading over to his favorite table where he sets up his “office” for the day. We tell him to meet us by the pool later….. At 7:09am, Cruise Director Lee announces that he ship is cleared and we may proceed ashore. The pier here is very long….. Because the pier is so long, we always take a pedi-cab back and forth. There are a whole bunch of pedi-cabs lined up. We are looking for our favorite driver, and not seeing him I yell out “#11 !!!”. He pops up with a big smile and comes right over to us. He loads us up and we are on the way. Pat & Jim hop onto another pedi-cab….. As we head down the pier Patti gets this shot of the Ocean Cabanas….. As we approach the end of the pier, some musicians are playing for the arriving passengers….. Now normally the pedi-cabs drop you off at the end of the pier, but #11 continues towards this big gate. He shouts something, and the gate magically opens. It felt like the gates of the Emerald City had been opened, but I didn’t see a horse of a different color! He pedals us through the plaza and right up to the Cabana Kiosk! Pat & Jim had been dropped off at the end of the pier, so we had to wait for them to catch up before we could check in for our cabana. #11 heads back to pick up his next set of passengers. After so many trips here we still don’t know his real name. We’ll be back here in April, so we’ll make it a point to find out. We tip him $10 each way….. We have now checked in, gotten our key and other information, and are heading to the pool area….. This is the CoCoCana Lounge. This is where all our drinks and food will come from….. This is the swim-up bar in the pool….. To be continued……

Day # 3 - (January 16th) - Amber Cove - (7am – 4pm). We were up at 5:45am, just as the Carnival Celebration was backing into her berth at Amber Cove….. The sun is beginning to rise over the hills of the Dominican Republic….. Here are today’s Fun Times….. To be continued…..

I'm now 6' 5". I shrunk an inch or two over the years!

We have been to Halifax many times, and have seen just about everything. Our children loved the play area as well when they were growing up, although the playground equipment there has changed drastically. There were not many kids at all for our sailing. We've never sailed Costa. Looking at our pictures, what do you think?

We will be on the Canada leg with you. That will be the second half of a B2B for us. The first half is a seven day cruise to Bermuda. See you on board!

Thanks for reading! Enjoy! 😃

Yep, it wasn't crowded at all, probably because we were the only ship in port that day. 😎

Don't think I didn't notice how everyone had my back. The mods did as well. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I decided to take the high road and not let it escalate any more. Now we can move on. I'll be posting a little later this afternoon. Stay tuned! ❤

I was in bed at 8. It's halftime. 😁

Are you sure that your stewards name isn't Edy? 😁

Your monkey is getting a lot of air time. Are you not concerned?

This is the summary from our Celebration cruise review from last April. I hope this helps you. Patti and I really enjoyed our cruise on the Celebration. The ship is nearly identical in almost every way to the Mardi Gras, which we also enjoyed. I think we liked The Gateway concept on the Celebration over the Mardi Gras French Quarter. No real reasons, just personal preference. Once again, we never ate in the MDR except for the Diamond Brunch. There are just so many dining options there is no need to. There were a couple of days where we just wanted a quick meal up at the Marketplace. We had no problem finding something that we liked, and most of what was on the dining room menu that day, was available here. We have to say that even with over 6,000 passengers on board we really didn’t run into many crowding issues, other than embarkation day where everyone heads to the Lido Deck. Yes, you had to line up for the 18+ comedy shows at the Punchliner, but the PG comedy shows at the Limelight Lounge were no problem. If you want a good seat at the Grand Spectrum Theater, get there a half hour early. Now the Center Stage is a different animal. There aren’t many seats on any deck that give you a clear view of any show. If you want one of those, get there an hour early. Patti being hearing impaired likes to sit as close as possible, so you’ll find us down on the floor amongst the props and set pieces. It’s pretty cool to sit down there, but even down there you can’t see everything. With the huge video screens, you feel like you’re “inside” the show, and during some of the shows the cast will interact with you. Pretty cool. Just one thing to know that if you sit down there, you can’t leave once the show starts. Well, you can, but there is a procedure that the crew will explain to you before the show. Our favorite shows this week were Celestial Strings, The Most Magnificent Circus, and We are One. Our ports of call worked perfectly for us as we are cabana and all-inclusive people. We’ve been to these ports so many times that all we’re looking for is relaxation. Paradise Beach in Cozumel was A++, having a beach cabana at Mahogany Bay was A+, and the day at Costa Maya just walking around and having some cocktails, was the perfect day in between. That being said, with ships this size, there aren’t many port options in the Western Caribbean. There are too many passengers to go to any tender ports such as Grand Cayman or Belize. The Eastern & Southern Caribbean itineraries allow for a few more options. We love the cabins on this class of ships, even if the bathrooms are a little smaller. On all three of our XL cruises, we had extended balconies on the “hump”. I believe that these are the only balconies on the ship that you can look down directly to the water. We have another one of these cabins when we are back on the Celebration in January. As far as embarkation and debarkation went, it was as almost perfect as it could possibly be. I would highly recommend that you get passports if you haven’t already. Though not needed to travel on these cruises, getting through customs is a breeze if you have one. Step up to the facial recognition and you’re out of there. If not, you’ll have to wait in what could be a lengthy line to see an agent. Your choice. Patti and I are not crazy about sailing from Miami anymore. For us, Port Canaveral is much easier, since most of the time we drive to Florida, and can save about eight hours of driving by cruising from there. I also know that it’s much easier to fly to Miami to board a ship, than it is to fly to Orlando for PC departures. Whatever works best for you.

No problem. Enjoy your cruises! 😃

The seas look pretty calm to me. 😃

Good morning Cruise Critic and Tribe families! Even though there is no football today, I will still be drinking beers with friends. Therefore I will not be posting any pages today. Tomorrow I will get you into Amber Cove and some more Tribe shenanigans. Have a great Sunday everyone! 😃

It looks like a snail to me. What did you think it was? 😁

Chef Nino makes the fried rice. Yummy!!! Chef Nino is grilling the veggies. The shrimp on the left are appetizers for everyone…. The salmon, beef, and lobster are on the grill….. I have the beef and lobster combo, and Patti has the Teriyaki salmon….. For dessert everyone gets a bento box….. As usual, the meal here is fantastic, and well worth the $42 /pp. We are all in a food coma so we all head back to our cabins for the night. We do have an early morning in Amber Cove tomorrow. Here is today’s Cheers tally. Patti (4), Jeff (6), for a total of (10). That’s (-2) for the day, but we’re still (+3) for the cruise. Linda at the Diamond lunch killed any chance of us finishing in the black today. Lol. There’s always tomorrow! Coming up next: The beer is flowing in Amber Cove, and Family Feud After Hours. Can the Prissy Pink Cousins pull it off?

I meet Patti and the rest of the gang at Bonsai Teppanyaki. This is my place setting….. Chef Nino takes everybody’s entrée order…… We have our first drinks. Patti has the wine and I have the sake sangria….. Everybody is given these appetizers. White shrimp (served later on), pork belly Yakitori, spicy tuna on the rocks, and miso soup….. Chef Nino fires up the grill…… Here’s a little egg magic….. To be continued…..

Pat & Jim had made a reservation for the four of us at Bonsai Teppanyaki at 7:15pm. After getting ready Patti left the cabin early to go and get pictures of the Captain’s Welcome Toast at Celebration Central. Celebration Central is set for Celestial Strings later tonight….. The Senior Staff is lined up for introductions...... Cruise Director Lee introduces Captain Rino Costanzo….. The Captain introduces the Senior Officers and brings them onstage….. Marcela and her fellow Fun Squad members look nice on Elegant Night….. To be continued…..

The Venezia has four tables, the XL Class has just the three. Seems backwards to me.

For the life of me I can't understand why people just don't get it done as soon as they board. The simple solution is to not allow any charges unless you have completed your muster. 😎

Yep, that was going to be your spot. Hopefully you can get there sometime in the near future. 😎