Our February Caribbean Getaway - The Party’s Over
Part 6
Have I mentioned recently how great it was to be away from an awful Winter for almost all of February?
With the exception of Steve’s unfortunate “pseudo-poisoning” early in the trip, the 3 weeks of cruising was almost perfect. A lot of it had to do with having found our team in Cyprus Dining Room on the 2nd day. Another shout out to Maître D, Danesh (currently home with his family in Croatia), Mary (back from bereavement leave and now on Celebrity Exel), Mark, Yolo, and Jonaris – still on the Ascent until their vacations come up.
That’s one of the things we love about cruising – getting to know the staff, where they’re from, (mostly the Philippines, India, Chile, Indonesia, Romania) and who is waiting for them when their (usually) 7-month work terms ends and they go home for anywhere from 2 to 5 months. After that, they won’t know for sure which ship they will work on until just before they start back to work. In the meantime, they make sure to send money home.
Here’s our team:
The final 2 at-sea days were spent resting, reading, packing, and planning for the return home. (I always start a grocery list 2 days beforehand)
We had more beautiful dinners and I finally got the recipe for the Moroccan Lentil Soup that Steve had every night. Of course, it’s for 25 people, so I’ve been working on modifying it and have made one version that was a success. Also, their shrimp scampi was divine, and it was the best treat for me as a final dinner.
Disembarkation went smoothly until we got out of the Customs Hall with our luggage – Port Everglades was a total zoo – there were not enough taxis, so we finally took a shuttle for $25 each and it was fine. In future, we’ll pre-book to get to the airport from the cruise port.
Our flight home was in Air Canada business class (WestJet Premium Economy was sold out) The check in agent was surly but our reservations were in order – it was the first day of the U.S. Govt shutdown that involved the alleged cancellation of Global Entry and TSA Precheck access – however, each airport made their own decision about whether to staff it and we were able to get better than usual TSA Precheck Security (didn’t have to take electronics out of bags) at FLL and NEXUS was working at Pearson when we returned, so Customs was a breeze.
AC Business Class seats were barely Premium Economy, with no back of seat screens, however, the meal was spectacular for airline food. The flight was on time and very quick. Ideally, that will be our last Air Canada flight for quite a while.
Thinking back on the trip, the best experiences were the Panama Canal Day, snorkeling the caves at Norman Island, BVI, and the at-sea days.
Taking a back-to-back cruise with differing itineraries was such a good idea, as was staying in the same stateroom for both cruises. Our total bill on the cruise was under $100 USD – for laundry and one late lunch in a specialty restaurant. Again, paying in advance for gratuities, internet, and the premium drinks package was smart, as I was able to get them on special around Memorial Day, and I think I got the internet upgrade in the Black Friday Sale. It was also really fun to be on an almost-new ship and experience the Infinite Balcony for the first time.
Given the Winter we had, our next trip from March 28 to April 15 was another great idea. So next week, we’re off to the other side of the U.S. – California!!
Where do you plan to go in 2026 and 2027? (I’m looking at 2028 bookings too!)
May I help you?
Happy Travels!
#celebritycruises
https://www.celebritycruises.com/ca/