themillennialcruiser

Bar Harbor is the best! And trust me on the lobster pizza at Geddy’s! It sounds weird but its so good!

Bonjour from Cannes, France. We slept amazing, the cashmere mattresses on Celebrity are unmatched and woke up feeling like real humans after the jet lag. We saw some lighting & heavy rain out the balcony in the morning so decided to have a leisurely breakfast at Luminae.
Cannes is a tender port and by staying in the retreat you get a priority tender. We headed up to the retreat lounge to get escorted off the ship by one of the butlers around 10 am. The butler took us all the way to the edge launch which is essentially the magic carpet you may have seen on the side of Celebrity edge taken down to sea level. 
Our original plan today was the Carlton beach club, followed by lunch, and then a couples steam/massage in the afternoon. We were in villefranche-sur-mer last year and did a very long 10 hour excursion to Nice, Eze, and Monaco so i was hoping for a more relaxing experience in the french rivera this trip. Once we arrived at the Carlton Hotel we found out the beach club was unfortunately closed today due to the weather. We had pre-paid/pre-booked the beach club and luckily the hotel was amazing at ensuring we got a refund and setting us up with new lunch reservations. We headed over to L’ondine beach club which is currently branded by Vilebrequin for lunch by the beach. After a bottle of wine and some delicious food we hardly remembered we were even planned to go to the beach club. 
After lunch we enjoyed a little shopping and a coffee break. 
Around 3PM we headed back to the Carlton for our steam & couples massage. 

After our spa experience we were feeling relaxed and refreshed. By this point it was around 4:30, we left the hotel and did a little shopping on the way back to the ship.

 
We saw in the Facebook group many on the ship had awful train experiences leaving them to arrive after the final tender at 6pm. Luckily the ship stayed in port an hour after planned to ensure all passengers were back on the ship. After our tender back we ran into the retreat host who informed us that due to the weather/wind in Portofino scheduled for tomorrow we would not be able to tender and would be having a sea day. For many on this cruise this was devastating news as this is a very desirable and beautiful port of call. Luckily we visited Portofino last summer so besides still having a craving for one of the best pastas i have ever had we are looking forward to making the most of a day at sea and catching up on sleep!
Tonight was chic night so we changed and headed to Luminae for dinner. We both got the lobster appetizer and I got a stuffed pasta dish with pork ragu. It was a beautiful handmade pasta a little larger than ravioli and was one of the best things i have eaten on a cruise ship. Once we finished dinner we headed to Eden for a little jazz and an after dinner cocktail. 

Agreed! The simplest of dishes with quality ingredients are always the best! 

Lobster pizza is amazing! (And another thing elevated by ... truffle salt!)!!

Bar Harbor is the best! And trust me on the lobster pizza at Geddy’s! It sounds weird but its so good!

Bonjour from Cannes, France. We slept amazing, the cashmere mattresses on Celebrity are unmatched and woke up feeling like real humans after the jet lag. We saw some lighting & heavy rain out the balcony in the morning so decided to have a leisurely breakfast at Luminae.
Cannes is a tender port and by staying in the retreat you get a priority tender. We headed up to the retreat lounge to get escorted off the ship by one of the butlers around 10 am. The butler took us all the way to the edge launch which is essentially the magic carpet you may have seen on the side of Celebrity edge taken down to sea level. 
Our original plan today was the Carlton beach club, followed by lunch, and then a couples steam/massage in the afternoon. We were in villefranche-sur-mer last year and did a very long 10 hour excursion to Nice, Eze, and Monaco so i was hoping for a more relaxing experience in the french rivera this trip. Once we arrived at the Carlton Hotel we found out the beach club was unfortunately closed today due to the weather. We had pre-paid/pre-booked the beach club and luckily the hotel was amazing at ensuring we got a refund and setting us up with new lunch reservations. We headed over to L’ondine beach club which is currently branded by Vilebrequin for lunch by the beach. After a bottle of wine and some delicious food we hardly remembered we were even planned to go to the beach club. 
After lunch we enjoyed a little shopping and a coffee break. 
Around 3PM we headed back to the Carlton for our steam & couples massage. 

After our spa experience we were feeling relaxed and refreshed. By this point it was around 4:30, we left the hotel and did a little shopping on the way back to the ship.

 
We saw in the Facebook group many on the ship had awful train experiences leaving them to arrive after the final tender at 6pm. Luckily the ship stayed in port an hour after planned to ensure all passengers were back on the ship. After our tender back we ran into the retreat host who informed us that due to the weather/wind in Portofino scheduled for tomorrow we would not be able to tender and would be having a sea day. For many on this cruise this was devastating news as this is a very desirable and beautiful port of call. Luckily we visited Portofino last summer so besides still having a craving for one of the best pastas i have ever had we are looking forward to making the most of a day at sea and catching up on sleep!
Tonight was chic night so we changed and headed to Luminae for dinner. We both got the lobster appetizer and I got a stuffed pasta dish with pork ragu. It was a beautiful handmade pasta a little larger than ravioli and was one of the best things i have eaten on a cruise ship. Once we finished dinner we headed to Eden for a little jazz and an after dinner cocktail. 

Thanks very much. It looks and sounds amazing. 😊

Portofino is magical to put it best. It is one of the most quaint and breathtakingly beautiful places I have ever visited. I love a port of call where you need to plan absolutely nothing and that is the perfect idea for portofino. From the moment you step off the tender you are transported to heaven if you ask me!
We had the perfect day enjoying wine & cheese in the harbor at Winter Rose wine bar, shopping at the various designer shops and boutiques, and watching the boats & yachts coming in and out of the Harbor. We also enjoyed some amazing pasta and Italian food. I am still dreaming about the pasta i had when we visited.
Santa Margherita is a short 10 minute 5€ bus ride away but you can also take a ferry back and forth. Portofino is also great to take an excursion to Cinque Terre or Rapallo but I recommend just relaxing in Portofino. 

I'm enjoying following along so thanks for sharing. 😊
I've been eyeing a cruise that happens to have a call at Portofino. I'd be interested to know what makes it one of your favourites?

Portofino is one of if not my favorite port of call in the world so I totally understand the disappointment. We had a similar experience on a Celebrity cruise we took in May that was supposed to have a stop in Martha’s Vineyard, a lot of people booked specifically for these desirable port of calls. The weather has completely shifted to be cold/rainy/windy this trip vs our trip the same week last year which was blazing hot. We are making the most of what we can but I already told Marc we have to come back again for another sailing in the Mediterranean! Probably next year 😂

Bonjour from Cannes, France. We slept amazing, the cashmere mattresses on Celebrity are unmatched and woke up feeling like real humans after the jet lag. We saw some lighting & heavy rain out the balcony in the morning so decided to have a leisurely breakfast at Luminae.
Cannes is a tender port and by staying in the retreat you get a priority tender. We headed up to the retreat lounge to get escorted off the ship by one of the butlers around 10 am. The butler took us all the way to the edge launch which is essentially the magic carpet you may have seen on the side of Celebrity edge taken down to sea level. 
Our original plan today was the Carlton beach club, followed by lunch, and then a couples steam/massage in the afternoon. We were in villefranche-sur-mer last year and did a very long 10 hour excursion to Nice, Eze, and Monaco so i was hoping for a more relaxing experience in the french rivera this trip. Once we arrived at the Carlton Hotel we found out the beach club was unfortunately closed today due to the weather. We had pre-paid/pre-booked the beach club and luckily the hotel was amazing at ensuring we got a refund and setting us up with new lunch reservations. We headed over to L’ondine beach club which is currently branded by Vilebrequin for lunch by the beach. After a bottle of wine and some delicious food we hardly remembered we were even planned to go to the beach club. 
After lunch we enjoyed a little shopping and a coffee break. 
Around 3PM we headed back to the Carlton for our steam & couples massage. 

After our spa experience we were feeling relaxed and refreshed. By this point it was around 4:30, we left the hotel and did a little shopping on the way back to the ship.

 
We saw in the Facebook group many on the ship had awful train experiences leaving them to arrive after the final tender at 6pm. Luckily the ship stayed in port an hour after planned to ensure all passengers were back on the ship. After our tender back we ran into the retreat host who informed us that due to the weather/wind in Portofino scheduled for tomorrow we would not be able to tender and would be having a sea day. For many on this cruise this was devastating news as this is a very desirable and beautiful port of call. Luckily we visited Portofino last summer so besides still having a craving for one of the best pastas i have ever had we are looking forward to making the most of a day at sea and catching up on sleep!
Tonight was chic night so we changed and headed to Luminae for dinner. We both got the lobster appetizer and I got a stuffed pasta dish with pork ragu. It was a beautiful handmade pasta a little larger than ravioli and was one of the best things i have eaten on a cruise ship. Once we finished dinner we headed to Eden for a little jazz and an after dinner cocktail. 

I grew up vacationing in San Antonio as a kid because my great grandparents lived in the area. I love the La Cantera resort, its not on the river walk but you can get to the river walk driving in around 15-20 minutes. The pool is amazing(i think they have 5 of them) and on the property there is a fantastic kids club and activities specially for kids. They also have one of the most beautiful spa’s i have ever been to. Six flags is less than a mile from the Hotel as well. Trips with my grandma are some of my favorite memories! She took me all around the US and when i was college visiting she took me to every school I wanted to visit. 

Bonjour from Cannes, France. We slept amazing, the cashmere mattresses on Celebrity are unmatched and woke up feeling like real humans after the jet lag. We saw some lighting & heavy rain out the balcony in the morning so decided to have a leisurely breakfast at Luminae.
Cannes is a tender port and by staying in the retreat you get a priority tender. We headed up to the retreat lounge to get escorted off the ship by one of the butlers around 10 am. The butler took us all the way to the edge launch which is essentially the magic carpet you may have seen on the side of Celebrity edge taken down to sea level. 
Our original plan today was the Carlton beach club, followed by lunch, and then a couples steam/massage in the afternoon. We were in villefranche-sur-mer last year and did a very long 10 hour excursion to Nice, Eze, and Monaco so i was hoping for a more relaxing experience in the french rivera this trip. Once we arrived at the Carlton Hotel we found out the beach club was unfortunately closed today due to the weather. We had pre-paid/pre-booked the beach club and luckily the hotel was amazing at ensuring we got a refund and setting us up with new lunch reservations. We headed over to L’ondine beach club which is currently branded by Vilebrequin for lunch by the beach. After a bottle of wine and some delicious food we hardly remembered we were even planned to go to the beach club. 
After lunch we enjoyed a little shopping and a coffee break. 
Around 3PM we headed back to the Carlton for our steam & couples massage. 

After our spa experience we were feeling relaxed and refreshed. By this point it was around 4:30, we left the hotel and did a little shopping on the way back to the ship.

 
We saw in the Facebook group many on the ship had awful train experiences leaving them to arrive after the final tender at 6pm. Luckily the ship stayed in port an hour after planned to ensure all passengers were back on the ship. After our tender back we ran into the retreat host who informed us that due to the weather/wind in Portofino scheduled for tomorrow we would not be able to tender and would be having a sea day. For many on this cruise this was devastating news as this is a very desirable and beautiful port of call. Luckily we visited Portofino last summer so besides still having a craving for one of the best pastas i have ever had we are looking forward to making the most of a day at sea and catching up on sleep!
Tonight was chic night so we changed and headed to Luminae for dinner. We both got the lobster appetizer and I got a stuffed pasta dish with pork ragu. It was a beautiful handmade pasta a little larger than ravioli and was one of the best things i have eaten on a cruise ship. Once we finished dinner we headed to Eden for a little jazz and an after dinner cocktail. 

Bonjour from Cannes, France. We slept amazing, the cashmere mattresses on Celebrity are unmatched and woke up feeling like real humans after the jet lag. We saw some lighting & heavy rain out the balcony in the morning so decided to have a leisurely breakfast at Luminae.
Cannes is a tender port and by staying in the retreat you get a priority tender. We headed up to the retreat lounge to get escorted off the ship by one of the butlers around 10 am. The butler took us all the way to the edge launch which is essentially the magic carpet you may have seen on the side of Celebrity edge taken down to sea level. 
Our original plan today was the Carlton beach club, followed by lunch, and then a couples steam/massage in the afternoon. We were in villefranche-sur-mer last year and did a very long 10 hour excursion to Nice, Eze, and Monaco so i was hoping for a more relaxing experience in the french rivera this trip. Once we arrived at the Carlton Hotel we found out the beach club was unfortunately closed today due to the weather. We had pre-paid/pre-booked the beach club and luckily the hotel was amazing at ensuring we got a refund and setting us up with new lunch reservations. We headed over to L’ondine beach club which is currently branded by Vilebrequin for lunch by the beach. After a bottle of wine and some delicious food we hardly remembered we were even planned to go to the beach club. 
After lunch we enjoyed a little shopping and a coffee break. 
Around 3PM we headed back to the Carlton for our steam & couples massage. 

After our spa experience we were feeling relaxed and refreshed. By this point it was around 4:30, we left the hotel and did a little shopping on the way back to the ship.

 
We saw in the Facebook group many on the ship had awful train experiences leaving them to arrive after the final tender at 6pm. Luckily the ship stayed in port an hour after planned to ensure all passengers were back on the ship. After our tender back we ran into the retreat host who informed us that due to the weather/wind in Portofino scheduled for tomorrow we would not be able to tender and would be having a sea day. For many on this cruise this was devastating news as this is a very desirable and beautiful port of call. Luckily we visited Portofino last summer so besides still having a craving for one of the best pastas i have ever had we are looking forward to making the most of a day at sea and catching up on sleep!
Tonight was chic night so we changed and headed to Luminae for dinner. We both got the lobster appetizer and I got a stuffed pasta dish with pork ragu. It was a beautiful handmade pasta a little larger than ravioli and was one of the best things i have eaten on a cruise ship. Once we finished dinner we headed to Eden for a little jazz and an after dinner cocktail. 

The sky suite on Celebrity is slightly smaller at 313 sq feet vs. royal depending on the ship around 350 sq feet however Celebrity has an open concept room which makes the space feel comparable. I like that royal ships generally have full loungers or a table on the grand suite balcony where celebrity sky suite has 2 chairs and a small side table only. 
I would say i would give celebrity a slight edge to a few details - the beds are a world of difference vs royal even in the nicest of suites. Celebrity uses the exhale cashmere mattresses for all rooms and they are the most comfortable mattresses i have ever slept in on a cruise ship. The retreat lounge is somewhere you want to hang out throughout the day, it is in a separate space and attached to the retreat sundeck. On Celebrity Edge there is even a small outdoor space attached to the lounge which i love. At least on the Oasis class ships I feel the suite lounge is not somewhere i really want to hang out beyond happy hour in the evening. Based on what i have seen Icon will be taking on a similar layout giving a suite neighborhood feel. I also love that suite guests have the option to dine at blu based on availability. It gives another dining option to the guest without having to pay extra for specialty restaurants.

I also love the suite sun deck on these ships - they have a pool & a few hot tubs as well as a full bar on the sundeck. You can also enjoy a nice lunch on the sundeck which is not something you can currently do on RCCL that i know of. Full list of amenities for suites below. One update is now Celebrity & Sky suites have a team of butlers that cover their room vs a dedicated butler. I know i have seen and heard many people on social media very upset about this. The butler team introduced themselves to us yesterday and seem very eager to ensure you get the same level of service as promised prior. We don’t use the butler a ton, even when we had the villa the butler went above and beyond to do things we didn’t ask for like brought us aperol spritz every evening when we returned from our shore excursions. Curious to see how the new service works.

I grew up vacationing in San Antonio as a kid because my great grandparents lived in the area. I love the La Cantera resort, its not on the river walk but you can get to the river walk driving in around 15-20 minutes. The pool is amazing(i think they have 5 of them) and on the property there is a fantastic kids club and activities specially for kids. They also have one of the most beautiful spa’s i have ever been to. Six flags is less than a mile from the Hotel as well. Trips with my grandma are some of my favorite memories! She took me all around the US and when i was college visiting she took me to every school I wanted to visit. 

We did! The chocolate one was sweeter than I prefer but really good! 

The best!! Hope you enjoyed them!

Been waiting 3 years to try this place! Delicious! We got cinnamon sugar, chocolate cinnamon sugar, vanilla sprinkles, and coconut. 




 
Making sure that we all get a bit of each 😉

The sky suite on Celebrity is slightly smaller at 313 sq feet vs. royal depending on the ship around 350 sq feet however Celebrity has an open concept room which makes the space feel comparable. I like that royal ships generally have full loungers or a table on the grand suite balcony where celebrity sky suite has 2 chairs and a small side table only. 
I would say i would give celebrity a slight edge to a few details - the beds are a world of difference vs royal even in the nicest of suites. Celebrity uses the exhale cashmere mattresses for all rooms and they are the most comfortable mattresses i have ever slept in on a cruise ship. The retreat lounge is somewhere you want to hang out throughout the day, it is in a separate space and attached to the retreat sundeck. On Celebrity Edge there is even a small outdoor space attached to the lounge which i love. At least on the Oasis class ships I feel the suite lounge is not somewhere i really want to hang out beyond happy hour in the evening. Based on what i have seen Icon will be taking on a similar layout giving a suite neighborhood feel. I also love that suite guests have the option to dine at blu based on availability. It gives another dining option to the guest without having to pay extra for specialty restaurants.

I also love the suite sun deck on these ships - they have a pool & a few hot tubs as well as a full bar on the sundeck. You can also enjoy a nice lunch on the sundeck which is not something you can currently do on RCCL that i know of. Full list of amenities for suites below. One update is now Celebrity & Sky suites have a team of butlers that cover their room vs a dedicated butler. I know i have seen and heard many people on social media very upset about this. The butler team introduced themselves to us yesterday and seem very eager to ensure you get the same level of service as promised prior. We don’t use the butler a ton, even when we had the villa the butler went above and beyond to do things we didn’t ask for like brought us aperol spritz every evening when we returned from our shore excursions. Curious to see how the new service works.

The sky suite on Celebrity is slightly smaller at 313 sq feet vs. royal depending on the ship around 350 sq feet however Celebrity has an open concept room which makes the space feel comparable. I like that royal ships generally have full loungers or a table on the grand suite balcony where celebrity sky suite has 2 chairs and a small side table only. 
I would say i would give celebrity a slight edge to a few details - the beds are a world of difference vs royal even in the nicest of suites. Celebrity uses the exhale cashmere mattresses for all rooms and they are the most comfortable mattresses i have ever slept in on a cruise ship. The retreat lounge is somewhere you want to hang out throughout the day, it is in a separate space and attached to the retreat sundeck. On Celebrity Edge there is even a small outdoor space attached to the lounge which i love. At least on the Oasis class ships I feel the suite lounge is not somewhere i really want to hang out beyond happy hour in the evening. Based on what i have seen Icon will be taking on a similar layout giving a suite neighborhood feel. I also love that suite guests have the option to dine at blu based on availability. It gives another dining option to the guest without having to pay extra for specialty restaurants.

I also love the suite sun deck on these ships - they have a pool & a few hot tubs as well as a full bar on the sundeck. You can also enjoy a nice lunch on the sundeck which is not something you can currently do on RCCL that i know of. Full list of amenities for suites below. One update is now Celebrity & Sky suites have a team of butlers that cover their room vs a dedicated butler. I know i have seen and heard many people on social media very upset about this. The butler team introduced themselves to us yesterday and seem very eager to ensure you get the same level of service as promised prior. We don’t use the butler a ton, even when we had the villa the butler went above and beyond to do things we didn’t ask for like brought us aperol spritz every evening when we returned from our shore excursions. Curious to see how the new service works.

The sky suite on Celebrity is slightly smaller at 313 sq feet vs. royal depending on the ship around 350 sq feet however Celebrity has an open concept room which makes the space feel comparable. I like that royal ships generally have full loungers or a table on the grand suite balcony where celebrity sky suite has 2 chairs and a small side table only. 
I would say i would give celebrity a slight edge to a few details - the beds are a world of difference vs royal even in the nicest of suites. Celebrity uses the exhale cashmere mattresses for all rooms and they are the most comfortable mattresses i have ever slept in on a cruise ship. The retreat lounge is somewhere you want to hang out throughout the day, it is in a separate space and attached to the retreat sundeck. On Celebrity Edge there is even a small outdoor space attached to the lounge which i love. At least on the Oasis class ships I feel the suite lounge is not somewhere i really want to hang out beyond happy hour in the evening. Based on what i have seen Icon will be taking on a similar layout giving a suite neighborhood feel. I also love that suite guests have the option to dine at blu based on availability. It gives another dining option to the guest without having to pay extra for specialty restaurants.

I also love the suite sun deck on these ships - they have a pool & a few hot tubs as well as a full bar on the sundeck. You can also enjoy a nice lunch on the sundeck which is not something you can currently do on RCCL that i know of. Full list of amenities for suites below. One update is now Celebrity & Sky suites have a team of butlers that cover their room vs a dedicated butler. I know i have seen and heard many people on social media very upset about this. The butler team introduced themselves to us yesterday and seem very eager to ensure you get the same level of service as promised prior. We don’t use the butler a ton, even when we had the villa the butler went above and beyond to do things we didn’t ask for like brought us aperol spritz every evening when we returned from our shore excursions. Curious to see how the new service works.

We made it to Barcelona and to the Celebrity Edge! Our trip started with a rainy Friday in New Jersey and when I checked my phone in the morning of our flight Newark had started the day with a ground stop!!! I was worried we would see some major delays with our flight luckily we were only delayed about 45 minutes. Once we got to the airport we stopped into the Polaris lounge for some food and drinks. My husband and I both enjoyed a burger and the mini cookie dessert, so good! 
 
After some food we headed to our gate to board the flight. We hit a delay at this point and I started to get nervous however this cleared up rather quickly. We boarded and got settled in our seats. We had some dinner and headed off to sleep. 

 
We arrived to the Barcelona airport around 40 minutes after our scheduled time. We booked an Embarkation city tour shore excursion through Celebrity for 10:30 am and made it just in time. I really wanted to do this tour to see the sagrada familia. Unfortunately there was a bike race in Barcelona today which cut our tour a little bit short. Based on what the tour was like i am not sure i would recommend it. I felt it skipped over the most important sites in Barcelona on the bus and spent too much time walking around other areas of the city. We hardly got to see sagrada familia because we never got off the bus and were sitting on the wrong side.
After the tour we finally made it to the ship! Suite boarding on celebrity is lovely especially in Barcelona. We were on the ship in 10 minutes from the time we stepped off the bus. As I mentioned earlier we got a move up bid to a sky suite! The sky suite is beautiful and designed in such an efficient way. I love how the bed faces the ocean and how the mirror in the bathroom opens up to look out to the ocean as well. You feel incredibly connected to the sea.

 
After dropping off our bags we went to the Ocean View Cafe. We unfortunately missed the Luminae lunch, they do lobster rolls on the first day of every sailing so i was bummed about missing it. Celebrity does a lot of station type cooking in their buffet such as a pasta station and stir fry station and we love being able to create our own meal as well so I survived! 
 
We wrapped up the afternoon with unpacking and a trip to the suite lounge.  Once we were settled we headed to dinner at Luminae followed by shopping/martini bar show. Celebrity recently changed their butler program for sky suites, more on that tomorrow. Dinner was good but I wasn’t sure why they cut my steak in half? I asked for it medium. 
 
Headed off to catch up on sleep but we arrive in Cannes, France tomorrow! 

Oh, before I forget, I spoke to one of the senior directors for housekeeping in the hallway earlier. He asked me if I got my kettle. I guess they are talking about me 😂Anyway, he told me that apparently for the last few months, they are phasing out kettles in all the suites that are Freedom class and under. So just an interesting FYI. 

Loving the blog.