Solstice B2B - April 15-29 - Mex Riviera & Pac Coastal

[aring75]

Got up this morning and went downstairs for breakfast and coffee. A little pricey since it was the hotel restaurant, but really good. Mark had the breakfast platter which had a little of everything…eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, and two buttermilk pancakes. He said everything was great. 
 

I opted for the breakfast quesadilla. It had scrambled eggs, bacon, and cheese in a spinach tortilla with a side of some of the best tomatillo salsa I’ve had in a long time. The quesadilla came with a side of fresh fruit and was delicious. 
 

I missed breakfast photos because my phone was charging. But I promise to do better!

[aring75]

After breakfast we booked an Uber over to the Aquarium of the Pacific. We had pre-booked tickets online and were scheduled to arrive at about 10:00 am. 
 

Checked the map of the area and realized that almost every road in the area was blocked off for the LB Grand Prix. 😳
 

[aring75]

Our Uber driver was great and found a decent drop-off point near The Pike Outlets. We were re-routed several times around the race gates and fences, but finally made it to the aquarium. 
 

There are the usual types of coral reef exhibits and lots of different fish. Since the race was going on, I’m sure the aquarium was a lot less crowded than usual. 
 

 

 

 

This one looked like the “Finding Nemo” exhibit. 
 

[aring75]

The diving birds exhibit was a lot of fun. These guys were very active. 
 

 

[aring75]

And they had gorgeous jelly fish tanks, a giant octopus, and a starfish (sea star) touch tank. 
 

 

 

[aring75]

The spider crabs always freak me out. I apologize in advance for these pictures. ::shudder::

 

 

 

 

 

Every time i think about eating crab legs I have to wonder. Who on earth first saw a crab and decided to themselves, “Oh yeah. THAT looks like something I should eat.”

[aring75]

The penguin habitat is always a favorite of mine. 
 

 

 

[aring75]

And the sea lion and seal habitat was a lot of fun, both above…

 

 

 

…and below the water. 
 

 

[aring75]

Stopped for a quick snack, a mango/pineapple smoothie and some ice cold water. 
 

 

 

And had lots of company. 
 

 

 

Lol. These guys were not shy. 

[aring75]

No aquarium would be complete without a shark and ray exhibit. 
 

 

 

 

They even had a touch tank with one of the biggest mantas I’ve ever seen at an aquarium. 

[aring75]

After the aquarium, we walked over The Pike Outlets. Replaced a pair of sunglasses for Mark (and got a pair half-off for me!). 
 

 

 

 

During the entire time we were walking around, we could hear the race all around us. 
 

 

[DaKahuna]

3 hours ago, Angua said:

They no longer have the Zacapa, i think i read someplace they changed distiller affiliations.  They also don't make my. favorite drink anymore, the Tropically Yours, which is why i moved to the Bumbu Old Fashioned.
 

 

 I also understood that to be the case so I'll make a note to include my dissatisfaction in my post cruise feedback  🙂 

 

Bumbu is good rum don't get me wrong but given a choice I'd choose Zacapa every time.  

 

There is no WCB on our next cruise so I'll have to rely on Cellar Masters or the Retreat lounge to do some exploration as to what bourbon and whiskey they have on board.  I am hoping at least to be able to find Crown Royal, Buffalo Trace, and some Woodford Double Oaked.

 

[aring75]

Took a really long walk this afternoon. The weather was just so nice. A cool breeze but sunshiny and clear. 
 

Once we got back to the hotel, we were just so tired that we ate at 2800 Kitchen & Bar, located right downstairs. 
 

 

 

We shared an order of nachos to start. This is the first time I’ve ever had nachos with more topping than chips. The cheese was layered between the tortilla chips and it was so good. 
 

 

 

After the nachos I couldn’t do anything large, so I got the chef’s salad. And then I couldn’t even finish it. 
 

 

 

Everything was yummy though and we are going to take it easy now until time to board tomorrow. We’ve booked a spot on the 10:30 am shuttle to the port, and our scheduled boarding time is 11:00 - 11:30. 
 

I can’t wait!!

[aring75]

IT’S CRUISE DAY!!

 

 

I’m so happy. 
 

Going to have a light breakfast this morning and get everything packed up for boarding. Need to be ready for shuttle pick-up at 10:15 (it departs at 10:30).

 

 

We’ll see you onboard!

 

 

[DaKahuna]

Bon Voyage. 

 

[aring75]

1 minute ago, DaKahuna said:

Bon Voyage. 

 

Thank you!! 🥂

[scrapcreator]

Bon voyage! It is a beautiful day to sail away.

[aring75]

5 minutes ago, scrapcreator said:

Bon voyage! It is a beautiful day to sail away.

It sure is! Thanks!

 

[juanrod]

When we stayed at doubletree I was like a little kid at Christmas, made my coffe and watched solstice come into port for my embark day to make sure she actually arrived then I watched the sun rise with all those beautiful boats in front of me and their breakfast in the restaurant was good to start the day 🥂

[aring75]

44 minutes ago, juanrod said:

When we stayed at doubletree I was like a little kid at Christmas, made my coffe and watched solstice come into port for my embark day to make sure she actually arrived

Lol, I think this is me every cruise! And yes! I was pleasantly surprised by how good the breakfast at the hotel was. 

[Susanb10567]

Following along…we are thinking of booking a Celebrity Pacific Coastal cruise in October…

 

Bon Voyage!!

[aring75]

1 minute ago, Susanb10567 said:

Following along…we are thinking of booking a Celebrity Pacific Coastal cruise in October…

 

Bon Voyage!!

Pacific Coastal in October sounds great. That might be something I check into while onboard. I’m imaging July, August, and September in Florida and think I would be totally ready for the mild California temps by then!

 

I’ll try to post lots of info for you!

[davekathy]

19 minutes ago, Susanb10567 said:

Following along…we are thinking of booking a Celebrity Pacific Coastal cruise in October…

 

Bon Voyage!!

We booked the Eclipse 8 October Pacific Coastal while on the Summit September 2022. Two new ports for us. Catalina Island and Ensenada. 

[davekathy]

18 minutes ago, aring75 said:

Pacific Coastal in October sounds great. That might be something I check into while onboard. I’m imaging July, August, and September in Florida and think I would be totally ready for the mild California temps by then!

 

I’ll try to post lots of info for you!

Bon Voyage. 🥂

[aring75]

We’re onboard!

 

Am I the only one who gets annoyed that they give you an “assigned boarding time,” but don’t bother to check whether or not people have arrived at their assigned time?

 

While waiting to board, we sat between three other couples who had times ranging between 12:00 to 1:30 pm. (Our boarding time was 11:00 am.) 

 

There were so many people waiting to board, that we just sat in the holding area until the crowd dissipated before we bothered to get in line. We boarded around 11:45 am. 
 

As we approached the gangway, we saw all the luggage waiting to board. Played “Where’s Waldo” with our suitcases, but couldn’t find them before the line started moving. Fingers crossed!! 🤞