Rome – Transatlantic 2009 Day 18 – Atlantic Crossing Day 5
December 12, 2009
Yesterday was the 5th sea day of the transatlantic crossing on the Celebrity Solstice. Weather again proved to be our friend as the weather reached into the 80’s with a slight breeze and sunny conditions. The sea state remained minimal with maybe 4 foot swells. I know I sound like a broken record, but we couldn’t have asked for much better conditions on this cruise.
Warning, more broken record posting coming up… I spent most of the day on the Lawn Club here on Celebrity Solstice. Sean and I caught two hot glass shows and they continue to be very entertaining and enjoyable. Except for Savannah’s piece from the Kids’ Club segment, we have yet to win any glass. Sean wants one bad, but the odds are against him.
While on the Lawn Club, I also got my pre-requisite couple of hours of ocean staring. I also played several rounds of Bocce Ball with Sean.
Last night was also the last Formal night of the cruise. We got to put on our duds one last time. For dinner, Suzanne, Sean and I all had the Filet for dinner that was cooked to perfection and delicious. Sean also got one of the lobster tails that are synonymous with the final formal night on Celebrity Cruises. Savannah had short rib lasagna that she really enjoyed. We all partook in the traditional Baked Alaska for dinner.
After dinner, it was time for the big production number show. The shows have been a mixed bag for me on this cruise. We actually have not made it to many of them as they didn’t interest us. One of the big problems to me is the seating in the Solstice Theater. I find the seats pretty uncomfortable. They have a rigid back, which I normally prefer, but are angled such that you constantly want to slide lower and lower, almost out of the seat. The bottom part of the seat is also harder than I would prefer. Basically, for me, the seats detract from any show.
Last night’s production number also gets mixed reviews from us. It was billed as a circus style show, but certainly more like Cirque de Soleil, maybe on steroids. There were lots of oddities performed. Some were intriguing, some were too familiar. All seemed to go on too long. I wouldn’t say I was bored or anything, but it was less than I was hoping for. I was wanting a big Broadway style production show and the ‘circus’ didn’t measure up for me. Sean kind of felt the same as I did, but the girls liked it, especially Savannah.
After the show, we headed off to the cabin and turned in around midnight. All are starting to get a bit sad as tomorrow will be our last real day of the cruise with one final sea day before we arrive into Fort Lauderdale. As such, today will be my last blog update from the Celebrity Solstice. Since we are staying overnight in Fort Lauderdale (courtesy of Hilton), I will update on the last cruise day from the hotel.
I can certainly say this has been an awesome cruise!
Rome – Transatlantic 2009 Day 14 – Atlantic Crossing Day 1
December 8, 2009
Yesterday was our first day at sea as part of our transatlantic crossing. It felt very nice to be able to relax and not have to go ashore in a port. Unfortunately, a head cold and cough had taken a hold of me. I really didn’t feel like doing much of anything so a day at sea was good timing.
I decided was going to stay in the cabin most of the day taking meds and trying not to cough on folks. It would also give me a change to watch movies for most of the day. I watched four movies during the course of the day. This new ship has a pretty good electronics system with HD widescreen monitors and hooked into a central system with a library of free movies. Among the movies I watched was the new Star Trek and Terminator: Salvation.
I did run out for a quick breakfast in the morning and then lunch in the early afternoon. After lunch I took a few laps around the track on the top deck to stretch my lefts before returning to the cabin for more movies.
For dinner, it was our second formal night of the cruise, so I had to man up and get dressed up for dinner. By the time I go my tux on, I was pretty tired from battle this head cold and cough. Because of the meds, I abstained from wine again last night.
At dinner, I opted for a simple marinated and grilled chicken breast. It was quite good. Sean went for the duck and Savannah went for the lamb chops. Both were quite happy. Suzanne had the Chef’s Special Sirloin Oscar. It was a sirloin steak stuff with crab meat and cheese and then with a lobster sauce. Unfortunately, she was not happy with the dish. She thought it was remarkably tough and more like chuck steak than sirloin. It was the first bad meal we have had on this cruise. Coincidentally, the Maitre d’ picked this night to stop on by and ask how things were going.
After dinner, none of felt like a show (which was a pianist) so we retired to the room to watch a movie except for Sean who went to the Teens Club. We went lights out about 12:15 am. But, one of the advantages of the westward bound transatlantic cruise is that we will gain one hour each night of the 6 day crossing to end up on East coast time. Getting an extra hour each night is good.
So far the seas have been pretty good to us. At lunch the Captain, the comedian he is, came on the PA and said that the weather about 50 nm away included 55 mph winds and swells of 20 feet. After a brief pause where folks exchanged worried glances, he stated that the weather was 50 nm to our North and since we were tracking southwesterly, it would present no problems for us. After seeing 6 – 8 foot swells yesterday morning, they decreased to about 4 feet in the afternoon.
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