My Solo Cruise on the New Celebrity Ascent January 28 2024 – February 4, 2024: 7 Day Eastern Caribbean

[MaryS]

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

[MaryS]

Some random pictures of the artwork 

[MaryS]

Pictures of Eden

[MaryS]

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

[asquared17]

i love blueberry pancakes too!!

very sorry to hear about the perfume allergies i hope you can feel better soon!

[SweetPea]

1 hour ago, MaryS said:

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.  

Ugh me too. Angel is the WORST trigger for me. Hope you can recover soon!

[MaryS]

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.

[asquared17]

those cakes are works of art!!!

[Lovetocruise2002]

Just caught up! This makes me excited for our future Celebrity sailings as well! 

[MaryS]

Some of the shops

[MaryS]

Some Magic Carpet pictures 

 

 

[asquared17]

i love the magic carpet!!! i’m so excited to try it

[MaryS]

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

[asquared17]

BEAUTIFUL!

[She Sails Away]

That Magic Carpet was so nice!

[Sweety]

Now I can't wait for my Celebrity sailing gin 2025.

[FionaMG]

I so want to go on that ship, even though we're not quite vintages (I hope! ).

That beef en croute looked absolutely amazing.

[Cruising to Retirement!]

Hello Mary!

My husband and I want to thank you so much for all the fabulous pictures of the ship, the many shows with awesome pictures and reviews, and of course the pics of the main dining rooms including meals.  We are sailing on the Ascent for Thanksgiving 2024 in a Sunset Veranda on deck 8.  This ship is going to be so much fun.  We can't get over all the different shows, food, and drinks!  We are way more excited now!  (It's my daughters turn with their Mother-in-laws so we always go on a Thanksgiving day cruise!)  

You did a wonderful review!  A huge thanks Michelle and Bill!  Happy Sailing!

 

[MaryS]

55 minutes ago, Cruising to Retirement! said:

We are sailing on the Ascent for Thanksgiving 2024 in a Sunset Veranda on deck 8. 

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

[MaryS]

I actually had to work when I got home so this is the 1^st 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 1^st 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 1^st live blog.

[asquared17]

17 minutes ago, MaryS said:

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 1^st live blog.

nonsense, we loved this novel!!!!

so happy you brought us along!!!

thank you for this great review!!

[FionaMG]

Thanks for sharing @MaryS. I've enjoyed following along.

[She Sails Away]

Great review!

[SweetPea]

Thanks for bringing us along! Now, if we can only get an Edge Class to come to Bayonne!!

[WAYNO]

This was a very nice and fun presentation.  Thank you.

[InmyElement]

I'm a little late to the party, but what a great blog and review. Awesome! We just booked Ascent for 2026 and really looking forward to it after reading about your trip.

Thank You!

[MaryS]

3 hours ago, InmyElement said:

I'm a little late to the party, but what a great blog and review. Awesome! We just booked Ascent for 2026 and really looking forward to it after reading about your trip.

Thank You!

I really enjoyed the Ascent.  You should have a wonderful time.  I wish Celebrity would sail an Edge class ship out of Bayonne.