The Tribe has Spoken!! Carnival Celebration - 1/14/2024 (with pics)

[Jamman54]

Ahoy, Cruise Critic Family! My beautiful wife Patti and I have just returned from our second cruise aboard the beautiful Carnival Celebration, on a seven-day cruise to Amber Cove, San Juan, and St. Thomas. This cruise was extra special because this was the Tribe Cruise. What is the Tribe? In case you don’t know, it’s a group of friends that met here on Cruise Critic, and we post about anything and everything. We can be found in the Friends of Cruise Critic section of the site, just scroll down to The Tribe link. Everyone is welcome, trolls will be booted!

 

Now, this was not a group cruise per se. Every one booked the cruise through their preferred method of booking. Every one booked their own flights, and pre and post cruise hotels. There were no scheduled events, excursions, or dinners. It was just a fun bunch of people who interacted together at different times and places during the course of the entire cruise. We know that many of you followed Megan’s (MeganGC1983), and Sid’s (sid_9169) awesome “Live” reviews and have a good idea of the shenanigans that went on. Pam (pebbles1102), Karen (hapytobehr), and Beverly (onlyano), also posted pictures and shared their experiences while on board. Our review will give you an additional perspective, and put a bow on this amazing cruise, with these amazing people!

 

There were about twenty of us total. I told Patti that it was doubtful that we would be able to take a picture of the entire group at one time. It would be like herding cats! We did come close a couple of times, but most of the pictures you will see during the course of this cruise will be of small groups and individuals. We think that this worked out just fine! I invite all who were part of this cruise to share your thoughts, views, experiences, and pictures as this review progresses. 

 

Patti decided early on that we would be purchasing Cheers for this cruise. She decided this after having a “few” drinks while we were having lunch at a restaurant down the Jersey shore last summer. We had never had Cheers together before, because to be frank, Patti is not a drinker. But who am I to argue, since I’m always up for a challenge! Getting an extra 10% off the package because of the infamous computer glitch also made the decision easier.

 

I calculated that with some coffees, waters, and milkshakes, collectively we would have to consume about twelve (12) alcoholic beverages a day to make it worthwhile. That’s just twelve (12) out of a possible thirty (30) alcoholic drinks a day. That seems doable to me. I know that I will have to do the heavy lifting, but like I said, I am always up to the challenge! As the review progresses I will keep track of our numbers, and at the end of the review, I will reveal if indeed, it was worth it for us. Do you think we will achieve success? 

 

Once again, we will be driving down to Florida. We must have made this trip a hundred times. Being away from home for so long it just makes sense for us to have our own car down there. We can pack as much of our stuff as we want to, since we don’t have to worry about luggage weights and car rentals. Back in the day when our vacation time was limited, we used to drive straight through in one shot which used to take about eighteen hours. Since we have the time now, we will break it up into two days.  

 

As usual, our reviews start and end at home and cover everything in between. I know that some people like to get right into the cruise stuff and I understand that, but when doing these reviews we want to re-live the whole vacation, not just part of it.  Our format will remain the same as our past reviews with a day by day account. As always, there will be many, many pictures with plenty of explanations and details. For those that are wondering, our go to camera is the Canon PowerShot XS740 HS, and our water, and back-up camera, is the Fuji FinePix XP60. 

 

So, let’s get this party started! We strive to make you feel that you are cruising right along with us, so grab yourself a DOD, and hop on board with us and join the fun! 

 

Pre-Cruise  -  (January 10th & 11th)  -  Heading South once again! 

 

As always, we begin our travels around 9pm in the evening. This allows us to bypass the morning rush hours in Baltimore and Washington. Our son Ryan will be minding the house and our cats. He takes our picture as we head out the door…..

 

 

And this time we get one of Ryan as he bids us farewell…..

 

 

After leaving the house we make a quick stop at Dunkin Donuts for a large coffee. Though I took a nap before leaving, the extra caffeine will definitely help. It’s a beautiful clear night for driving. The hardest part of this drive will be getting out of town. There have been very heavy rains the last couple of days, and our usual way is flooded and closed. We have to go a little out of the way to get to the turnpike, but once on it, it was clear sailing all the way! I really don’t mind the drive at all. There is hardly any traffic, so I set the cruise control to 79 mph and listen to tunes all night. Patti on the other hand, tolerates the drive as long as I stop at Cracker Barrel along the way. As usual, we stop at the Cracker Barrel in Santee, South Carolina just as they open at 7am…..

 

 

After filling our bellies, and Patti getting a little shopping time, we are back on the road again. We made really good time so we arrive at today’s final destination, Kingsland, Georgia around 11am. We are going to be staying at the Country Inn & Suites. If this place looks familiar, it is our usual stop over point when heading south or cruising from Jacksonville…..

 

 

 

 

We checked in at the Front Desk. We were shocked that they had our room available this early. They gave us Room # 120 on the first floor…….

 

 

 

To be continued…..

Edited January 30 by Jamman54

[Jamman54]

Before I’m allowed to step into the room, Patti goes in to take pictures…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The soda and ice machine are just a little ways down the hall……

 

 

To be continued…..

[ninjacat123]

Woo Hoo!!  Go Jamman and Patti!!  Looking forward to the "shenanigans'" from your perspective👏

[hapytobehr]

Geeesh Jeff!   It's about time!  I've been waitin' on ya!

 

I still can't see your pics on my work computer so I have to read this at home. (or sneak my ipad under my desk.   hehehe..

 

It was a pleasure to meet you & Patti and of course the rest of the tribe.  We had such a good time!

 

 

[Jamman54]

Patti needs to pick up a few things, so she heads out to the nearby Walmart. I’m a little tired from driving so I take a nap. When Patti gets back, she takes us on a little tour of the hotel. This is the lobby area……

 

 

 

They have a small gym…..

 

 

 

The laundry room…..

 

 

 

They have a nice sized pool area……

 

 

 

 

 

Around 4pm we decide to head over to Ruby Tuesday’s for an early dinner…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

We made our way back to the hotel where we relaxed and watched television until we crashed for the night.

 

Coming up next: We continue our journey south, and Buc-ee’s bathrooms revealed!

[sid_9169]

I've got my fingers crossed that whatever pictures of me that might be featured are better than a few of the covert shots from other reviews... Now, let's re-live that vacation all over again!...

[Jamman54]

Pre-Cruise  -  (January 12th)  -  Heading to Dania Beach. 

 

We were up at 5am to get ready for the day. The Country Inn & Suites has a free breakfast that starts at 6am, so we went to check it out…….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My plate…….

 

 

To be continued……

[Jamman54]

We checked out of the hotel at 7am and then gassed up the car for the next leg of our journey…..

 

 

 

Once back on I-95 south, it was only a few minutes before we entered Florida…..

 

 

We continue to head south on I-95…..

 

 

As we pass St. Augustine, we see this famous sign…..

 

 

 

Patti insists that we pull in so that she can do a photo essay of the property, just like the one she did of South of the Border last year…..

 

 

 

 

 

We are entering Buc-ee’s……

 

 

 

To be continued……

 

[MeMetwo]

Yay Jeff!  So glad your review has started. I’ve been in withdrawal since Sid’s and Megan’s lives ended. Really looking forward to your commentary and Patti’s great pictures. 

[edspec]

Yay!! Been waiting for this, thank-you.

[Jamman54]

Here are some Buc-ee’s views……

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued…..

[ninjacat123]

I don't think I've ever stopped at Buc-ees (I'm sure I would remember, looking at Patti's pics) and now I feel like I've been there!!👍

[dmet0225]

Following.  Holy smokes!  What the heck time did you get to Buc-ees for it to be so void of people?  If Buc-ees was normally that empty, I'd never have a problem stopping there.  As it is, I avoid it if at all possible.  

[Jamman54]

Here are some additional Buc-ee’s views……

 

 

 

 

 

 

Patti enters the infamous bathrooms…..

 

 

 

 

The woman’s bathroom…..

 

 

 

 

I can attest to the fact that the men’s urinals are spaced like the woman’s stalls are, and are very private. No full monty action here!

 

To be continued…..

[Indiansbaseball]

Woohoooooo ! I’ve been jonesing for this !! 

[*Cassie*]

Looking forward to following along!

[Jamman54]

We leave the property and continue on our drive down I-95 towards Dania Beach. It was a very easy and uneventful drive until we passed West Palm Beach. At that point the traffic became heavier and heavier until upon reaching Fort Lauderdale, it became stop and go.

 

I decided to get off I-95 at Sunrise Boulevard and head to A1A and perhaps beat the traffic by coming into Dania Beach the back way. That way wasn’t much better, but once we saw this jet landing at the Fort Lauderdale Airport, we knew we were getting close…….

 

 

Once past the airport we drove into Dania Beach…..

 

 

A few minutes later we arrived at the Springhill Suites…..

 

 

We checked in and were given Room # 126 on the first floor. One-twenty six is our son Kevin’s birthday. Patti and I just looked at each other. It gets better later.....

 

 

 

Of course, I have to wait out in the hallway while Patti gives us the room tour…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued…..

[mlshum]

Yay,  I’ve been waiting for this one!  I read Sid and Megan’s so this is truly the icing on the cake.  Thanks for doing this!

[Jamman54]

While taking pictures in the bathroom, Patti noticed a dime on the lower right hand corner of the picture frame……

 

 

  

Was this a sign from Kevin? I mean, who puts dimes on picture frames? A few minutes after discovering this, my phone rang. It was the Dunkin Donuts from our town calling to tell me that I had won free coffee for a year. Patti had entered me in a raffle there, not even a week prior. We just smiled and said “Thanks Kevin!”

 

After we recovered from the shock and settled in, we decided it was time for dinner. We went next door to the Panda Express…….

 

 

Here is Patti’s dinner…..

 

 

Here’s mine……

 

 

Afterwards, Patti walked down the block to the new Shops at Dania Pointe to check them out. I just hung out at the Panda Express on my phone, and waited for her to return……

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

She wasn’t gone very long. We made our way back to the hotel and spent the evening relaxing.

 

Coming up next: Our day in Fort Lauderdale, and will our friends be able to cruise?

[SenatorsFan]

I can't wait to read this Jeff and Patti review of a cruise I was actually on! 😄 It was so awesome to meet you both and the rest of the Tribe, too. 

Your Kevin signs are so touching. ♥️

[Jamman54]

1 hour ago, ninjacat123 said:

Woo Hoo!!  Go Jamman and Patti!!  Looking forward to the "shenanigans'" from your perspective👏

 

Congrats! You're the first to the party. Always glad to have you along for the ride! 

 

1 hour ago, hapytobehr said:

Geeesh Jeff!   It's about time!  I've been waitin' on ya!

 

I still can't see your pics on my work computer so I have to read this at home. (or sneak my ipad under my desk.   hehehe..

 

It was a pleasure to meet you & Patti and of course the rest of the tribe.  We had such a good time!

 

 

 

Hey Karen! It was a pleasure to meet you and your hubby whose name I can't remember. I truly apologize. I think I lost a few brain cells on this cruise! 

[pcvtmom]

I, too, have been anxiously waiting for y'all to get home and get this "show on the road"!! This will complete the marvelous Tribe cruise reviews 😃! Carry on, sir...

[Butterbean1000]

Another great review!  BTW, I'm a Georgia girl and I have never heard of Kingsland.  It must be off 95.

[Liverpoollovely]

cannot wait for more of this review 🙂 I am a Jeff and Patti addict your photos are so detailed as are your reviews. This is great.

 

Also never been to a Buc-ees before!! never been on the Celebration so cannot wait to see the review

[Jamman54]

1 hour ago, sid_9169 said:

I've got my fingers crossed that whatever pictures of me that might be featured are better than a few of the covert shots from other reviews... Now, let's re-live that vacation all over again!...

 

Nothing covert about Patti's pictures! Let's do it again!!