On Sunday we disembarked the Celebrity Reflection in Port Everglades after a truly relaxing and spectacular cruise!! We stayed onboard as long as possible, walked down the gangway at 9:35 and were through immigration by 9:40. Most terminals in the US have facial recognition so you don't even have to interact with an officer. Unless your passport gets flagged or you're being naughty.
We were taking another cruise from Port Everglades on the brand nee Celebrity Ascent. It was berthed in an adjacent terminal so we could definitely walk. If you have never been to Port Everglades it's not the most user friendly for walking. Not too many sidewalks. That is mainly because unlike PortMiami, the Port Everglades cruise terminal also supports a large commercial operation. It was one of those cases where you can see exactly where you need to go. Just a matter of figuring out the path. We did a little sleuthing and figured out we just needed to walk through the adjacent parking garage and get to the other side. Once we did that, the Ascent was in our sights!!
We were staying in the Retreat which is the suite experience on Celebrity. It was a super smooth check-in process. The Retreat has their own separate security line, separate waiting lounge and personalized check-in.
We were boarding by 10:50. Such an amazingly designed ship. We've been on sister ships Edge and Apex which have a similar design. But this ship has made some terrific design updates from guest feedback. Make sure you're following Angie's FB and YouTube Trips with Angie since she'll have some tours of this ship and our cabin.
After dropping off bags in our cabin, we started touring the ship so Angie could film some areas before the ship got too busy. Soon it was time for lunch at Luminae which is the suite restaurant. Angie had a green salad and I had a Cobb salad. Both delicious. I loved the green goddess dressing. And for mains we both had the pan roasted halibut. It could have been served warmer but it was still cooked perfectly.
Since it was a day of football games, we decided we spend the rest of the day watching them away from the crowds in our cabin.
At halftime of the first game I ran up to the buffet to get some pizza. Then when the best game started at 6:30, we ordered some dinner.
Monday''s breakfast was at the Spa Cafe. One of our favorite spots for a lighter breakfast and lunch. The Detox Smoothie with Avocado to the rescue!! Along with some Greek yogurt and granola. We spent the rest of the morning at the Retreat Pool Bar and I had a Bloody Caesar.
So tasty!! We could tell the rain clouds were moving in so we decided to find an indoor spot to stay dry before we had our lunch at Eden Cafe. A delicious roast turkey on ciabatta with cranberry ailoi and some savory mushroom soup.
In the afternoon they had a very cool game show. They projected a game board on the dance floor of The Club. And then players were the controller. Angie and I played a few times.
One of the games was kind of like old school Pong where you had to shift back and forth to move the paddle and keep the ball from going into your goal. You had three lines and the last person standing was the winner. Angie played one where the board was a part of octagons. And a green part was lit up. Then you had to remember which octagons were lit up and follow the path with your feet. You got more points if you made no mistakes.
After that activity we had afternoon tea at the Retreat Lounge. A good assortment of snacks and teas. It was then time to head back to the cabin for a mandatory rest period before we got ready for tonight's show Residency. Prior to the show, we had a Negroni at the World Class Bar and chatted with the bartenders. A fun bar. We'll be back!! The show was honoring musical acts that have had residencies in Las Vegas. Some great performances.
After the show we headed to dinner at Luminae. We both had a creamy Jerusalem artichoke soup and the cold poached lobster tail. Both so tasty. I've had more lobster the last two weeks than in all of my previous cruises combined. And it has been so good!! For mains, Angie had the rib eye and I went with the grilled red snapper. The rib eye was more like a tenderloin. Super tender and full of beefy flavor. The snapper was well cooked and served with a peanuty housin sauce. No dessert.
We headed to Eden for the Wonder show. We love all the dancing and acrobats.
Today we will be in Old San Juan. We have an arrival time of about 2:30 local time. We probably won't get off the ship. But you never know. We were both now sitting here in Cafe Al Bacio enjoying some tea. I am having a peach mango iced tea. They have such a great presentation!!
Later this morning we'll have a backstage tour in the theater.
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