Yesterday was our first full day of the cruise and it was a day at sea. We love days at sea when cruising – even better than days in ports. Days at sea are wonderful relaxation days and a very good way to recharge your batteries. We are currently making our way to the Eastern Caribbean where we will make 5 stops, the first being in St Thomas.
We slept in until about 7:30 in the morning (late for us with our hectic schedules). We ate a light breakfast and began to think about the day. It was a beautiful sunny day with slightly warm and humid conditions. Luckily the speed of the ship generates enough breeze on the boat that it made the conditions quite comfortable. The seas remain exceptionally calm with almost like glass like conditions. It’s hard to tell you are even on a ship.
We started the morning with the Cruise Critic party in the morning. We met many of the same Cruise Critic members that we sailed away with the day before and some new ones. This is more of Suzanne’s thing than mine, but it was an enjoyable morning as the Celebrity staff helped organize a nice little party. Suzanne preceded to do an hour of walking on the track while I walked about the ship checking out the areas of the ship I hadn’t seen yet. I also went up to the lawn club and grabbed a nice, cushy chair and did my usual staring at the water. I can do that for days and find it very therapeutic and relaxing. We received a nice little surprise as the Celebrity Solstice sailed on by us in the morning on her way back to Fort Lauderdale.
I then caught the Corning Museum of Glass Hot Glass show. It’s a wonderful show on the ship were 3 hot glass blowers take turns making various glass items or sculptures. On the Solstice, Sean and I made most of the shows. I find it quite interesting how they make the glass items. The show is also done in the lawn club on the top deck so you still have amazing views of the ocean while watching the show. Suzanne did not take in the show as she went for a nap after her walk.
I grabbed a quick burger and onion rings for lunch after the show and ate while again staring at the ocean. The past year of work has faded from me as the cruise takes hold. This is most definitely why we cruise at least once a year. After my lunch and bit more ocean time, I headed up to the room to check on Suzanne. As fate would have it, I also decided to take a short 45 minute nap although I can’t remember the last time I took a real nap – probably the last cruise!
A bit after 4:00, we went to the Celebrity Captains Club cocktail hour. This is a private function for Captains Club Elite members. It’s a two hour cocktail party every night of the cruise with free drinks and appetizers. It is a nice way for Celebrity to say thanks to its loyal cruisers! Being able to go every night, if desired, and have your pre-dinner drinks for free actually adds up to some savings. It’s also a way to meet some of our fellow cruisers in a smaller, more intimate environment.
Last night was also the first formal night of the cruise. After the cocktail party, Suzanne went to get ready and I headed off to the pool bar rather than wait in the room while she primped! Dinner was another fabulous meal. I don’t think I have had a bad meal on Celebrity in any of our cruises. I had a wonderful Filet Mignon Carpaccio to start, followed by a Cesar Salad and then a Penne Poulet main course. The penne was with chicken, truffles and basil in a crème sauce – absolutely delicious. Suzanne had a Seafood Bisque, a mixed greens salad and went for a couple of main courses. She tried both the Quail and the Lamb Chops.
After dinner, it was off to the Celebrity Theater for the Captain’s welcome aboard toast and the evening show. Tonight, the show was another version of the Cirque de Sol. Yawn. It was a variety of aerialists doing acrobatic type things. It seemed like I had seen it all before. Or maybe found the first 30 seconds of each performance interesting, but the next few minutes quite repetitive. Yawn. The juggler at the end was pretty good, but all in all, I could have passed on the show.
The show ended just before midnight we gave us time to run to the Celebrity Central theater to catch the late night comedian. We had seen Steve Caouette the night before during the welcome aboard show and found him very entertaining. He was again VERY funny and entertaining. Almost the entire show was improvised on the spot. We sat in the front row and got ‘picked on’ a little bit by the comedian. Funny stuff and we will watch for him again.
It was about 1:00 am when we returned to the cabin for the night to get some sleep. We also crossed a time zone last night and had to move our clocks forward one hour, so it will surely be a late start morning for us the next day where we once again will have a day at sea.
Speak Your Mind