MaryS

Happy Birthday @AshleyDillo

You need some ice cream with the brownie. Yum!

I HATE this!!!!!! They are totally oblivious to the people who are really trying to workout. I always stay to the right and look behind me when trying to pass the slower walkers. On Anthem (out of NJ) the 1st day and last day during the winter are the real workouts on the track. The wind is crazy but fun. I try to get out between 7-7:30 in the morning at least 4 days. I have to admit that I don't know how to use a treadmill. I always run or walked outdoors even in the winter. Something about being outdoors just makes me feel better.

I have done 2 Celebrity 7 day cruises (on the Summit in 2023 & 2018) to Bermuda and 1 5 day Royal cruise(Anthem a few years ago). I would cruise Celebrity due to the fact that you will have almost 3 days in Bermuda compared to only 2 on the Royal cruise. I love Bermuda and would spend as much time as I could there. I like Celebrity because it's a little more relaxing trip. I have also been looking at the Silhouette 2025 cruises.

I've been doing the same thing today.

You know the PA drivers don't read the signs and the NY drivers think the left lane is only for them .

I actually had to work when I got home so this is the 1st chance I had to write my Recap. Disembarkation on Sunday was a breeze. Put my suitcase out the night before. Needed to be out of the cabins by 7:30. Had breakfast at the Oceanview, walked around and took some last minute pictures. I think my group was called by 8:30 to get off. I was at the airport a little after 9. My flight was at 12. The Ascent is a gorgeous new ship. It is more of a sit back and relax type of ship. This cruise definitely had an older crowd then I’m use to. I would say the average age was 75+. I have noticed that the Celebrity older guests expect more, want more & complain about everything. There were still plenty of us 50 & 60 year olds that were having fun. I would definitely book another cruise on this ship. The Ascent doesn’t have a lot of “active” stuff to do. No mini golf, no rock climbing wall, no basketball court & no flowrider. They do have a pickleball court setup on the Rooftop Garden and these Celebrity cruisers take their pickleball very seriously. I saw the same group of about 25 people up there every day and they are playing from 10 in the morning till 4 in the afternoon. I think they would have camped up there if they could. The ship is also very clean. It’s a new ship so it should be. They have staff standing outside or sometimes inside the public restrooms cleaning them as soon as the guest leaves. Handrails on the stairways were always being wiped down. In the Oceanview Café they had really nice hand washing stations, but unfortunately most guests didn’t use them. Also in the Oceanview Café they were quick to clear & clean the tables. Never saw a tray of dirty dishes in the hallway. The staff was wonderful. Always smiling, happy and welcoming. My room steward was Reynaldo. He introduced himself the 1st day and he was so sweet. He cleaned the room in the morning (like I asked) and did turndown service in the evening which included the paper version of “Celebrity Today” and 2 chocolates. I loved my Panoramic Ocean View cabin on deck 6 forward . Plenty of room and storage for me (even if there were 2 of us there was still plenty of room & storage). The only problem I had was the night we left St Kitts back to Ft Lauderdale we were rocking & rolling. The cabin was creaking loudly and loud banging in the ceiling woke me up at 3 in the morning. Thank God I brought my earplugs. A lot of people had the same complaint on our FB group and I read about it on CC so I was prepared. Food was pretty good. Went to Oceanview for breakfast & lunch most days and was never disappointed except for the desserts. They were gorgeous but lacked any taste. Scoops ice cream was a must for me at least once a day (sometimes 2x). They had soft serve, gelato, frozen yogurt, some toppings (sprinkles & some candy) sauces and cookies. Went to all 4 MDR all were good. Normadie was my favorite (French food) I went 4 times. Never made it to any of the specialty restaurants for lunch (they close to early) or dinner. I’ll just have to book another trip so I can try them. Café Al Bacio was my favorite place to get my latte and cookies. They also had other little pastries and bite size sandwiches. Tons of comfy chairs to sit back and enjoy your coffee or tea. They also serve the tea in real tea pots and mugs and snacks on a real plate. You could also get it to go. The entertainment was great. No reservations for any of the shows. The main theater shows were 7:30 & 9:30. All the seats were great, no columns blocking your view. Eden shows were at 10:45. If you wanted a seat your needed to get there an hour before. Resort Pool was huge for a cruise ship pool. Just like all the other cruise ships the chair hogs are out early. I never had a problem finding a chair in the shade or sun. They had a lot of activities at the pool. Live music, dance classes, volleyball officers vs guests and other pool games. Rooftop Garden is a nice area away from the noise of the main pool. Lots of natural plants. Sectional seating with huge umbrellas (the seating needed pillows to really make it comfortable). The only downside is that the pickleball court is right in the middle of the venue. I could write so much more about the ship but you all don't need me to write a novel. Thanks for following along on my 1st live blog.

I am so jealous! Sunset Verandas book so fast and for a holiday sailing even faster. You will have a wonderful time.

Some more random pictures of Rooftop Garden, Rooftop Grill, Sunset Bar & the Retreat from the outside.

It’s cruise day!! Have a wonderful and uneventful time. I’m sitting here in the theater waiting for my section to be called to go home .

Some Magic Carpet pictures

Some of the shops

Terry Lavell is the best playing Spectra. Also on the 2 Christmas cruise I took on Anthem he did a solo in the Christmas show and he was phenomenal.

Lunch was the seafood extravaganza in the Oceanview Cafe. What a zoo. They had a seafood Mac & cheese that was pretty good (I’m not a Mac &cheese) person. They also had a gyro station and a chocolate fountain. Also lots of pretty cakes.

Day 7: Last sea day Today is my lazy day. Got up at 8, did not walk my 3 miles and went to the MDR for breakfast. Had pancakes. They only have buttermilk or apple pancakes. I really wanted blueberry but they don’t make them so I settled for buttermilk and they were meh . Not feeling that great today because I wasn’t thinking (I was stupid) I went into the shops and the perfume smell was so strong and I’m extremely allergic to most perfumes. So now I’m stuffed up and have an itchy throat and will probably have a coughing attack sometime today (probably during the show). Thank god I brought a ton of allergy meds. So I’m hanging out on my lounge chair and will eat a lot

Pictures of Eden

Some random pictures of the artwork

I love those shoes.

Then off to Eden for the 10:45 Dreams show. I have really enjoyed the shows in Eden even though the venue is too small. This show was a take on Alice in Wonderland. after the show I was off to Oceanview Cafe for a snack. They had brownies and of course I ate them before taking a picture

It was lobster night in the MDR. Nothing to really write about. Same as every other cruise. Tonight’s show in the theater was Bridges. It was just okay.

Omg I was thinking the same thing. I bet they expected a full refund. I didn’t expect anything.

Just received an obc of $25 for the St Kitts excursion where the train broke down . Might have to have lunch at Le Grand Bistro tomorrow.

Here are pictures of some of the bars and restaurants The Club: some shows, trivia and other games World Class Bar: scotch and whiskey specialties Raw on 5: seafood and sushi (cost extra) Fine Cut: steak house (cost extra) Craft Social: sports bar and also serves pub food for a fee

It was too cold and windy there today so I moved to the Rooftop Garden

I try to stay in the shade deck 15 facing the main pool. Usually where the 2 vintages are but they hogged all 4 chairs so I’m behind them.