2nd Sea Day

Yesterday was a sea day. We had a leisurely morning with some tea at Cafe Al Bacio. We decided no trivia today. About 12:30 we headed up to the buffet for lunch. I had a big salad! They also had some delicious butter chicken!!! And soft serve for dessert. We watched a little bit of the Officers vs. Guests Volleyball game and then went to the Solarium to relax. This is the adults only area that has a large heated pool and hot tubs.  

Soon it was time for our big afternoon event: Mixology Class!! We had signed up the prior night when we were at the World Class Bar. We had taken a class on the Silhouette so were curious how this one would be. We were able to make three different cocktails and learn the techniques. After all these years, I finally learned how to properly shake a cocktail. Especially the part about getting the mixing glass off of the shaker!! The Don Julio Old Fashioned was my favorite. And the Tea Thyme was very refreshing. They had infused Tanqueray Ten gin with Blueberry Merlot tea. 

After the class we headed back to the cabin to change into our bathing suits. We were headed to the Solarium pool and hot tubs! We met several people including Margie an.82 year old woman from Santa Barbara and another couple from Utah. One of the more interesting "problems" with selling you house is you don't live anywhere. So a natural question from someone you meet is "Where are you from?". We've usually been answering "We most recently lived in Florida". Which of course prompts questions as to why we used the past tense. Everyone has been fascinated with our choice. And of course most of them will follow-up with "Where are you moving to?". And the simple answer is we don't know yet. We'll travel for the next nine months and then see where we land. Which leads to some puzzled faces. If we needed any validation for our choice (and we don't), Margie said we were one of the most adventurous couples she has met.  

After a few hours in the pool, we headed back to the cabin for a mandatory rest period. Then we got ready for dinner. We stopped by the Martini Bar to see Anom and Putra. Back in December 2014 on the Celebrity Equinox we had first met one of the Celebrity bartenders named Santos Mercedes.

He was really info craft cocktails before there were even a big deal. He would make us all kinds of special cocktails. It was the first time we were introduced to a Zacapa Old Fashioned which remains one of our favorite cocktails. Let's just say he knows what he is doing when it comes to cocktails. And he likes to show others the proper methods and why it makes a difference to use the best ingredients such as homemade syrups and bitters. He had even opened a bartender/mixology class in Peru.. We had cruised with Santos two other times after that, most recently on the Apex in September 2021 when the ship sailed from Piraeus. We follow him on Instagram and Facebook. I guess we're fans. :-)

Through social media we had learned that he had gotten a promotion to a Bar Trainer. It was the absolute perfect position for him!! When we sailed on the Apex, Putra was also on that sailing. So Putra said he was going to call Santos and meet us at the bar. Soon he was there and it was so good to see him. We talked about his new role. In addition to supporting the other bartenders and bars, he also is the lead planner for cocktail events onboard. He has even gotten the attention of the Celebrity VP of Food and Beverage!! It is exciting to see someone so passionate about something be rewarded.  

After chatting with Santos, it was time for dinner. We had beet salad, carrot cumin salad, mushroom soup and veal Bolognese. All very tasty. No dessert tonight. We also had no interest in the main show which was a piano player. So we headed to the World Class Bar where Shetty made us a few cocktails with such creative garnishes. 

Today we are in Cabo San Lucas and staying onboard. We had a continental breakfast in the Captain's Club lounge. Now out on Deck 14 Aft, curating our own whale watch excursion. Always have seen several. We may go to the Persian Gardens today which is the thermal suite onboard. And we have dinner tonight at Le Petite Chef which is a specialty restaurant. The four course meal is "prepared" by a cartoon chef which is a high resolution video they show on your table. We've heard a lot about it. So we'll try it for ourselves and see what all the hype is about.