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.

Welcome to the Celebrity Ascent

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.

Last Sea Day on Reflection

(By Angie)

I started the day with a lovely pedicure. Glenn headed up to the Alcove. It rained a bit, but the overhang held it off. 

We decided to try the Lawn Club burgers for lunch. The tuna burger was my favorite. 

We had a decent last dinner at Luminae.

We said our goodbyes to Peri and Jess - our room steward and butler. They really made the week special. 

We also said goodbye to Olympia in Michael's Club. 

Off to the Celebrity Ascent. 

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

Yesterday we were at Puerto Plata DR, specifically Taino Bay. After our Detox smoothie from Spa Cafe and some time on the balcony, we headed down the gangway and explored the port area. This is a relatively new port, only about two years old. We had visited here while on a Virgin Voyages sailing when it was newly opened. It has some of your usual port shops. Can any Caribbean port actually exist without a Diamonds International? They have some more local stores as well. Plus three a la carte sit down restaurants and a few quick service places with items such as tacos. There is also a pool. Since we had last visited they opened up a large lazy river which we didn't try but would definitely do next time. And the lazy river is complimentary!!  

After a quick walk around and a gift store purchase, we headed back to the ship for another lunch at Sushi on Five. Tried two new items!! A delicious ramen beef slider and a Shrimp and Scallop Hot Pot. The beef slider was so tasty, sitting on a bed of crispy ramen.

 The shrimp and scallops were in a spicy sauce with onions and thinly sliced zucchini.  

After lunch we headed to the Enclave to enjoy the afternoon in our cabana. Top Gun Maverick was playing while we enjoyed some Villa Maria. After the movie we headed back to the cabin to enjoy sunset. Then we got ready for dinner. We stopped by to see Olympia at Michaels Club and ordered a smoked Negroni. They had a clever wooden smoking device that sat right on top of the glass. 

Dinner was at Luminae and it was my favorite overall meal of the cruise. Started with an amuse bouche of smoked trout on red beet risotto. We then had a spicy and savory creamy kale soup. Our other starters were a yellow beet risotto with crispy shallots and octopus "shell" salad. The "shell" being a pasta shell you'd use for stuffed shells. Both very tasty. The risotto was so flavorful and the crispy shallots provided a wonderful alternate texture. Mains were seared scallops and poached lobster tail. We have had so much lobster on this cruise!! And all very tasty. And I usually avoid getting getting lobster on a cruise since it has often been dry and rubbery. Not on this sailing. And we did have a dessert (finally). Angie had baked Alaska and I had a delicious tapioca with mango sorbet. The baked Alaska was lackluster and the ice cream had many ice crystals.  

After dinner we headed to Michael's Club and chatted with Pete and Alison, a very fun couple from the UK. We found out that they had been with us on our Celebrity Apex sailing in September 2021 from Piraeus. Cruising can be a "small world". That was the second sailing we had taken since the return of cruising post-pandemic. 

Today we will be enjoying the cabana and have lunch "cabana side" from Lawn Club Grill. They have a selection of special burgers and a salad bar. And the new Mission Impossible movie will be playing at 3PM. I have never watched so many movies before on a ship. It's been so relaxing in the cabana. Dinner will probably be in Luminae for our last night. We will arrive in Port Everglades in the morning and then start a new adventure!!

View of Tortola

Yesterday we were in Tortolla, part of BVI. We had no tour scheduled so we stayed onboard. We had our usual light breakfast of Greek yogurt, granola and Detox smoothie from the Spa Cafe. Angie had a fee hours of work to finish up before we had our lunch at The Porch!! I had to have the Mussel Fettuccine again and Angie had some delicious sauteed shrimp. They also had this delicious and creative Caesar salad with avocado. More Caesar salad should have avocado. When you think of the country where it was invented, it really makes sense.  

After lunch we went to the Enclave and relaxed in our cabana enjoying some Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc. 

 They were playing the Whitney Houston movie on the big screen. Pretty enjoyable movie. Especially the costuming as they replicated her iconic moments at the Super Bowl 25 and the 1994 AMAs. Of course you know the ending. The movie really didn't hammer you over the head with the drug addiction. And we both felt like Clive Davis got a really good edit for trying to be (literally) the white savior. Some good performances by Naomi Ackie and Stanley Tucci. And a very surprising performance from Tamara Tunie who played Whitney's mother. If you are a Law & Order SVU fan, you'll remember here as the medical examiner several seasons ago.  

We had an underwhelming and uneven dinner at Murano. As good as our other dinners have been, this one just missed the mark. First, they brought me the wrong soup. Easily corrected and they brought me the mushroom cappuccino. This has been one of my favorite soups on Celebrity. It does look just like a cappuccino. Unfortunately this soup had been over reduced or over salted (or both). Just not edible. Our waiter came over to ask why I hadn't finished it and I explained the issue. He said that the soup "wasn't for everyone's palate". I would have liked to see the chef come to the table, try the soup and then tell me it tasted as intended. Angie had the Turbot which was tasty. I had Dover sole my main. It was a well cooked piece of fish that they debone table side. They then had a sauce which I am glad I had on the side. Normally, Dover sole is served with a light buttery sauce. The sauce they served was better suited for a beef dish. I kept my fish as far away as possible.  

They did have a great selection of cheeses which ended the meal on a higher note.

After dinner we watched the deck party which had Rebel, one of the acts from the main theater, perform some rock favorites.  We then had drinks at the Sunset Bar, enjoying the beautiful evening. 

Today we are docked in Puerto Plata Dominican Republic. We ordered room service for the first time on this ship and enjoyed it on our very large dining table. Black truffle omelette, traditional eggs Benedict and blueberry pancakes. All very good. 

Puerto Plata is a relatively new port, only about two years old. We were here on Virgin Voyages Scarlett Lady about two years ago. We plan to get off the ship and walk around a bit. No organized tour.