Westin Playa Bonita

After three nights at Dreams, we moved over to the Westin Playa Bonita for two nights. The food at the Westin was much better. I was glad we did the all inclusive package. We also had access to the Executive Lounge, but that was a bit of overkill. 

The resort was pretty. It was empty. One day the swim up bar was open. The next day it wasn't. 

This resort also has a sloth. 

The last two dinners were at the steakhouse and the Asian restaurant. Both pretty good meals. An edge to the Asian restaurant where we had a very good dragon roll, some curry shrimp and sweet and sour pork.

 The skirt steak at the steakhouse was too chewy. But they had a very good mushroom carpaccio with truffle cheese and some delicious mussels.

 It was a starter portion but could have been a main.

Today we'll be picked up at 8 AM and head to PTY. We have an 11:44 AM flight to SCL. Santiago is two hours ahead of Panama. We'll arrive at about 8:20 PM local time. Head straight to our hotel and get ready for a few days of adventure before boarding a South American cruise.

Dreams Playa Bonita

We flew from Miami to Panama City. It's an easy 3 1/2 hour flight. On the way from the airport to Dreams Playa Bonita, we crossed the Panama Canal on a bridge we've sailed under. That was fun. 

We had an issue with our reservation, but when all was finished we received an upgrade to a Master Suite. It was great having a living room. 

The resort is beautiful.

We really enjoyed the adults only Preferred Club pool. Room service had the best food by far. 

It was so interesting to watch the large tides come in and out. The biggest highlight was the 5 sloths - 3 adults and 2 babies who hang out in the trees at the back of the resort.

It was a dream come true. 

Nassau, Bahamas

Yesterday was our last full day on board the Symphony of the Seas. We had a stop in Nassau The Bahamas. Angie had some videos to complete but before that we wanted to try Johnny Rockets for breakfast. This is an included option onboard which serves your breakfast staples. And it has outside seating which is a nice perk. There are a few upcharge items you can purchase. During lunch and dinner, this restaurant has an upcharge for all items. We had some tasty vegetable scrambles and a side of pancakes.  

After Angie finished her videos, we walked off the ship into Nassau about 11 AM. On a normal day in Nassau there can be as many as eight ships. The Symphony was joined only by the Carnival Freedom. They've made a great improvement to the port since the last time I visited. Many more shops. After a short stroll we headed to Pirate Republic Brewing. We've been here several times before. We were hoping to try some of their IPAs which have been very good but unfortunately they only had a stout, porter and kolsch available. I had the stout on a prior visit in 2016 and it was just as good. Angie went with the porter and it was also very good. 

Hopefully when we return here in seven weeks they will have a few more beers. Also had an order of Sriracha honey wings and chicken nachos. When in Nassau eat like a Bahamian!! :-

We headed back to the ship for a mandatory rest period. Then we got ready for dinner. We had a cocktail on the Rising Tide bar. This is a bar that is an elevated platform that travels from deck 5 to deck 8 on the half hour. It's quirky and fun!! We weren't super hungry after our snacks at the brewery so we went to Vintages which is the wine bar. They have a small menu of snacks from Jamie's Italian available for an upcharge . We tried the meat platter and the avocado and crab dip. Both satisfying and just enough.  

We then saw an ice show which was a chance for the skaters to showcase their talents. It could have had more skating for my taste. Some of it was just dancing on platforms to popular rock songs. But still some talented performers 

After the show we had one last visit to see Imade and Lamarsha at Trellis Bar. They made our neighborhood really fun.I would never deliberately book this type of cabin again. But I did enjoy having the balcony and watching the neighborhood. I'd consider a Royal Up bid in the future if we had an ocean view (no balcony) cabin. Some balcony is better than no balcony. And I may have used the balcony more than a normal one since it was shaded all the time.  

Today we are on our way to MIA with a final destination of PTY (Panama City Panama). We'll stay at two different all inclusive resorts over the next five nights before starting the next leg of this adventure.

Sea Day

Yesterday was our last sea day. After breakfast at our neighborhood cafe across the street, we headed up to watch guests challenge the Flowrider. Pezz, who appears to be the crowd favorite, was there again. He probably needs an agent. At 11:15 we headed down to 150 Central Park which is the seafood restaurant on board. We had prebooked a lunch called "Taste of Royal". They feature signature dishes from the different Royal Caribbean specialty restaurants.  

We started with an amuse bouche which was grilled scallop on a butternut squash puree. Really fresh scallop, cooked medium rare with the slightly sweet and smooth squash. A great start! Next was spicy tuna tartare. This was a delicious dish!! Usually they tone down the spice on cruise ships. But not here. It had a nice hint of siracha but not enough to overpower the fresh tuna. 

Up next was a marscapone risotto with crab. This wasn't a successful dish. Firstly, the rice was still too al dente. And there needed to be a bit more broth to give the risotto a bit more soupy. A great risotto should be able to move a little when you tilt the plate. And unfortunately there wasn't any crab flavor. Now initially I thought that was because of the mere dusting of claw meat. But the real problem was that whatever broth they used to make the risotto didn't have any flavor. I would have expected some sort of crab or lobster stick. Instead it was more like a muted chicken broth. A very disappointing dish. Especially knowing that only a little more attention to detail could have made it better.  

The next dish definitely changes the trajectory. It was surf and turf with filet mignon and spicy shrimp. The shrimp were perfectly cooked with a slightly spicy seasoning. And they let you pick your temperature for the filet. I picked rare half expecting it would be medium. But it came out perfectly rare. The steak did need more seasoning. It just seemed to have only kosher salt. A bit of pepper or the spice they used in the shrimp would have helped. But it was tender and delicious. 

Dessert was a fried cheesecake served with "whipped cream". The cheesecake was very good. Fried in a tempura-like batter. The "whipped cream" was really just Cool Whip (or similar). Overly sweet and dense. Real whipped cream could have made this dessert a home run. But it was a stand up triple. 

After lunch we headed back to our cabin balcony and did some people watching. Then it was time for a mandatory rest period. A great two hour nap!!  

We got ready for dinner and headed to Wonderland. This is a specialty restaurant onboard that is themed, as you might expect, to Alice in Wonderland. Very whimsical dishes and presentations. We ate here on the Odyssey of the Seas a couple of years ago. Tonight we weren't here for the food. They are the only restaurant on board that has a bar. And interesting cocktails. 

So we had pre-dinner drinks before heading to the Solarium Bistro for dinner. 

Today we are in Nassau in The Bahamas!! We're staying on board for the morning. About mid-day we will get off the ship so Angie can do some filming. We haven't been here since they expanded the piers. Then if we have time, we'll walk over to Pirate Republic Brewing which is only a few minutes from the pier. We've been here a few times and they have some interesting IPAs.  

Tonight is our last night on board. We'll dock in Port Everglades tomorrow. We have a midday flight to Panama City, Panama where we'll spend five nights at some all-inclusive resorts. Then we'll be flying to Santiago to catch another cruise. Stay tuned!!

Labadee, Haiti

On Monday we saw Hairspray in the main theater. I had seen the original 1988 John Waters film and snippets of the musical starring John Travolta but never the stage musical. What a great show!! Fantastic cast!! Great choreography and sets. And at an hour and a half run time, it's close to the version you'd see on Broadway or the West End. And included with your cruise fare.  

On Tuesday we docked in Labadee which is Royal Caribbean's "private island" experience in Haiti. I hadn't been here since I took my first Royal Caribbean cruise on the Monarch of the Seas in 1996. At the time the largest ship on the sea. So what's changed twenty seven years later? A lot! Back in 1996 I just remembered a beach area with a space for lunch. And a barbed wide fence that separated the area from the main part of the island. Now they've added two zip lines. They have four beach areas. Lots of water activities. A water slide. An "alpine slide" type of ride. And places to just relax. After a short morning walking tour, we found some comfortable couches near a stage where the ship's band was setting up. I may have taken a short nap. 

After the band's first break, we headed to the lunch area. They had a really good assortment of items. Watermelon and tomato salad, pesto bowtie pasta salad and Caesar salad. Then you usually beach cookout staples of hamburgers and hot dogs. They also had some very good jerk chicken. Now it wasn't close to Scotchie's in Jamaica. They tone down the level of seasoning so that it's a bit more approachable. Still well seasoned and perfectly grilled.  

We started heading back to the shop about 1 PM just as we saw the rain clouds clinging to a mountain in the other side of the ship. The rain was imminent so we picked a good time to head back. We had a mandatory rest period in the cabin. Being outside apparently makes you tired. The captain made an announcement during this time that due to high winds and 15 foot swells, we'd have a late arrival into Falmouth Jamaica on Wednesday. A bit later I grabbed a snack from El Loco Fresh which is the Mexican quick service onboard. Some good pulled pork!! They also have make your own nachos and burritos. And they have all the toppings and sauces you could want. Although I would have liked a couple of different choices for salas such as a watermelon jicama like they have at Blue Iguana on most Carnival ships.  

We got ready for dinner. We had a 7 PM comedy reservation but decided to hang out at our "neighborhood" bar, the Trellis Bar. We can see it from our balcony so we can see if our favorite bartenders are there and if seats are available. We talked to Imade who is from Indonesia. We have a Celebrity cruise in December that visits three ports in Indonesia so we chatted about those.  

It was then time for dinner. We hadn't eaten in the main dining room yet so that's where we went. Started with arancini in a tomato sauce, beef carpaccio and a vegan Bolognese. All pretty good. The Bolognese was my favorite. Such an amazing sauce full of vegetables and just enough heat. And the "meat" was crumbly tofu. Mains were chicken parmesan and filet of sole. Angie said the chicken was just okay. I tried some of the pasta and the sauce was very bland. It was surprising to me that we had three dishes with some kind of tomato sauce and all three are completely different. Bolognese for the win!! The sole was well cooked and served with a lush lemony butter sauce!! And the rice was the perfect accompaniment for the dish to soak up the sauce. It rivaled the sole I had a couple of weeks ago on Murano on the Reflection b of course Royal Caribbean knew to use a butter sauce.

Today we'll dock in Falmouth about 11 AM. No plans to get off the ship. Angie plans to do her ship filming today while so many will be off in port. I grabbed a quick breakfast at our neighborhood Cafe across the street. They have a good selection of breakfast sandwiches, fruit and bagels.

Welcome to the Symphony of the Seas

It's our first time staying in this kind of cabin. It's called a Neighborhood Balcony and it looks over the Symphony's Central Park neighborhood. So it's a balcony in every way except you can't see the ocean. 

It's been a little disorienting since we use the ocean view as an indicator of whether the ship is moving or if we're close to docking. On a regular balcony you can generally open the drapes when at sea knowing that no one is across from you. This is very much like hotel rooms I remember from NYC where your window looked out across to other hotel windows. So it is very authentic in that way. 

Our initial booking was in a standard Ocean View (no balcony). We submitted a "Royal Up" offer which is where you provide a bid amount you'd pay to move to a different cabin type. We submitted several bids for different balcony types. And this one was accepted. So I am excited to try this out. Watching the neighborhood "wake up" will be interesting. And we can just sit outside and listen to the live music playing down below. We'll see by the end of the cruise whether we'd intentionally stay in one again.  

We had lunch and first day at Jamie Oliver's. This is what we ordered at Jamie's Italian:

Ultimate Garlic Buns

Truffle Burrata

Squid Fritti

Straight Up Lasagna

Creamy Prawn Linguine

Avocado Caesar

We usually don't get dessert. But I had to try the Meringue Lemon Cheesecake. Such a great meringue on top of creamy cheesecake with a berry drizzle. Angie had the decadent chocolate brownie with salted caramel gelato. Great finish to an outstanding lunch.  

We just got back from a Pickleball clinic. It was Angie's first time playing and she really picked up the game quickly. They have open play every morning from 8-11.  

Tonight we're having dinner at the Solarium Bistro. It's a casual setup which I believe will be at least partly buffet. But away from the huge Windjammer Cafe which is the main buffet.  

Tomorrow is a sea day. No plans yet maybe Pickleball. Pool if the weather cooperates. The captain is expecting 30 mph winds and 8-10 foot swells tonight and tomorrow.

Last day on Ascent

Spent most of today at the Retreat Pool Deck. A bit windy but great scenery and company!! For lunch we finally tried the Luminae Burger. A very tasty thick patty cooked a perfect medium. Nicely toasted seeded bun. 

 The buffet also had a Seafood Extravaganza. Lots of shrimp, calamari and crawfish!! And so many roasted meats. No seafood for me. I just had some roasted turkey with cranberry sauce which I had been craving.   

One last dinner tonight at Luminae as we sail towards Port Everglades.

Ascent Sea Day

Yesterday was our second sea day. While Angie worked, I spent the morning at the Sunset Bar on Deck 15 Aft. Beautiful weather! She joined me after a little while. Lunch was at Luminae where we both had Cobb Salads and Asian Stir Fry. Both so good!! At 2PM we had a premium wine tasting. We got to taste some excellent wines and see how the flavors changed with cheeses. 

 The most unusual was the Amarone which is a style and grape I had never had. It has a very smokey aroma - almost like burnt tires. Not a great start. But surprisingly once it opened up more it was terrific with the Parmesan Romano. The saltiness really balanced the flavor. Definitely not a sessionable wine to drink on its own. But amazing with a salty cheese.  

At 4:30 we had a Captain's Club event to meet the senior officers. And before dinner we headed to Craft Social where they had make your own old fashions. The menu has your options and you filled out a card with your choices. Also ordered some Sriracha wings and sliders. Both very good snacks.  

We went back to the cabin to get ready for the evening show and dinner. Last night it was "Bridges". As good as "Residency" was on the second night, this was on the opposite side of the spectrum. It was just a series of songs with a few subpar costume changes. And they never really utilized the set pieces. It was definitely a "Bridge Too Far" for me. 

Dinner was at Luminae. It was the same menu we had on the Reflection last week. I again ordered the poached lobster and scallops. Both very good. After a long day, we were both pretty tired so instead of pushing ourselves to catch the show in Eden, we headed to the cabin. 

Today is our last sea day. We had breakfast at the Spa Cafe. Our last Detox smoothie!! Until we sail Celebrity again in December. We're now at the Retreat Pool Deck enjoying a nice breeze. Smooth seas as we head back to Port Everglades tomorrow. Then we'll board the Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas.

Views of Tortola

Yesterday we were in Road Town Tortola BVI. The ship docked at 8AM. We had no plans to get off the ship. We'd create our own sea day. But first a little breakfast at Spa Cafe. While Angie worked, I went to the fitness center for elliptical and weights. It was very quiet and peaceful. I got back to the room and cleaned up. Angie still.hadore.work so I headed up to the Retreat Pool to get some chairs. Even though many guests were off the ship, there weren't too many chairs available. Or at least many of them were taken up by towels and phantoms!! Since the number of towels far exceeded the number of people in the pool, hot tubs or ones that could reasonably fit in the restroom. I did manage to find a good spot and camped out. 

 Angie joined me about 11AM, just in time for lunch. We again ordered from the snack menu this time trying the shrimp cocktail and Turkey BLT wrap. Both very good. It was a very warm day in the 90's so it was time to cook off.om the pool. The pool is a decent size although surprisingly the posted sign said the maximum occupancy was five people!! After cooling off it was back to our chairs. About 4PM we headed back to the cabin to get ready for our afternoon and evening activities.  

At 5PK we attended the Music and Mixology event. We have attended this on other ships. One of the flair bartenders makes three cocktails and the band has a complimentary song. This event was a bit different. The four piece band (including vocals) would start with one instrument and then add another as the ingredient was added. So the song was built along with the cocktail. And Kadik the bartender from the Martini Bar showed his skills!!

Dinner was at Le Voyage which is the Daniel Boulud signature restaurant. The menu is based on his travels around the world and given a French twist. We started with a spicy tuna amuse bouche. Followed by tuna crrudo with fennel, capers and olives. The tuna was amazing. The capers were a bit too large so unless you cut them, your "perfect bite" would be too briny. Still a well composed dish.

Next was Tamarind and Peanut encrusted prawns. A great spicy sauce with well cooked shrimp. But again with the tails!! Made it difficult and awkward to eat. The next dish was my favorite!! It was a Moqueca from Brazil. I had never heard of such a dish in the short time we spent in Brazil last year. It had a beautifully poached Halibut filter along with shrimp and squid. And the sauce!! It was a succulent coconut broth along with some thinly sliced sweet and spicy peppers. And the cashew rice added the right texture!! I loved the way they served the rice on the side so you could add just the right amount. And the shrimp was perfectly cooked. And guess what? No tail!! So they do know how to remove a shrimp tail on this ship.  

Next was a beef duo of super tender short rib on one side and a perfectly medium rare tenderloin on the other. The most interesting part of the dish was the small "blocks" of salsify. This is a root vegetable that has a savory taste when cooked. And here it was layered and then compressed. Very inventive l!!  

Desserts were a Raspberry Pavlova and a Cafe Cardomon. Both really excellent. The Pavlova had pillowy amounts of raspberry flavored meringue along with a rich raspberry sorbet. And of course whipped cream. We haven't been ordering dessert so I am glad I waited it out for this one. Overall a really excellent meal. I could have that Moqueca again and again.  

After dinner we headed to Eden o Deck 5:Aft to listen to a very talented piano entertainer. He played "Fly Me To The Moon", our wedding song. Then it was time to check out a rocking pool deck party. The cruise director really got the crowd going!!

 It was about 11:30 and we headed back to the cabin.  

Today we're in St Kitts with no plans to get off the ship. Angie is having a well-deserved two hour massage. I'm back at the Retreat Pool which is much quieter today.

Views of San Juan

Yesterday we were headed to Old San Juan! Estimated arrival was 2:30 PM local time. We started our day with breakfast at the Eden Cafe. This is a quick service included restaurant with things like breakfast sandwiches, cinnamon rolls and yogurt parfaits. At 10 AM we had a Behind The Stage tour with the dance captain, the technical manager and the stage manager. Always interesting to learn more about how the shows come together. It's quite a complex operation, especially since guests continue to want more varied entertainment.  

Our lunch today was at the Retreat Pool Bar. They have a small snack menu. We ordered chicken Caesar salad and grilled chicken sandwiches. Both pretty good. The Caesar salad we had from room service was much better, having much more flavorful chicken. The sandwich was tasty but the meat to croissant ratio was way off. Still nice to have a lighter option available.  

After lunch Angie had work to catch up on so I went out adventuring (sometimes referred to as "untethered"). Ended up at the Sunset Bar (Deck 15 Aft) as the ship headed into port. Met lots of fun people who were telling me about the excursions they had planned. Angie joined me about 4:30. Soon after we headed back to the cabin to get ready for the evening. The main show was an Aretha Franklin tribute show for which we had no interested. The singer was also on the Reflection last week. We got all cleaned up and headed to the World Class Bar to chat with the bartenders. 

Dinner was at Luminae. We had Fennel Soup (with lobster!!!!), fettuccine with calamari, green asparagus, salmon sashimi and roasted chicken. The soups onboard have been phenomenal. They must use a brinoise to achieve the smoothness. Such a great balanced fennel flavor. The fettuccine was tasty but desperately needed a spicier sauce. And it included one of my pet peeves!! It had small shrimp with the tails still on. Those are so awkward to eat in a dish like this. Great for shrimp cocktail. Not for a pasta dish. No dessert. 

Today we arrived in Tortola at 8AM. No plans for any tours. We do plan on taking advantage of many people being off the ship so we can have our own "sea day". We expect to be up at the Retreat Pool. Tonight's dinner will be a special tasting menu at Daniel Boulud's Le Voyage. He is Celebrity's "celebrity" chef. We ate in one of his restaurants when we were in Bejing many years ago. We're both very excited to try the wine pairings. Especially since we saw that our favorite sommelier Adrian is on board. We have sailed with him a few times over the years. Most recently on the Apex in September 2021.