Saturday, January 28-29th - Off the Boat

Today we disembarked from the ship. We caught the shuttle back to the airport and picked up our rental car.  Our hotel was the Ocean Sky Resort which we had stayed at after the cruise in 2015.  We spent our day catching up on some rest and getting back in touch with the world via technology. We caught dinner at Five Guys and went to a mall. We hiked on the beach. 

 

Sunday was our final day in Fort Lauderdale as we had an early flight out on Monday morning. Unfortunately it was rainy. We did manage to hike to a nearby Starbucks. We then went to a movie at a dine in movie theater. We saw Hidden Figures which was a great movie. The food was just ok and the whole experience was quite expensive for what it was. It was fun though!  As we got back to our hotel there were random fireworks on the beach which were the perfect end to our vacation. 

Friday, January 27th - Day 7 - Nassau, Bahamas

This morning we went on a ship tour. Unfortunately due to an “emergency” we weren’t able to go in the bridge or engine room. We heard a code and since we were in the crew areas we saw a sheet that let us know that it was a security issue. Our guide indicated that a crew member was missing. We aren’t sure if it was real or a drill. They have many safety drills on a regular basis so I was leaning towards that. We did get a discount on our tour which was nice but Jason has always wanted to see those parts of the ship so it was disappointing to have the incomplete tour. We saw the kitchen, laundry area, provisions (including all the liquor!) and the crew mess/bar.

Our port of call today was Nassau Bahamas. We were here in 2012 and at that point it was our personal first ever port. We went on a semi lame snorkeling excursion at that time. 2015 it was a missed port due to the weather.   This year we couldn't find any ship sponsored excursions that we wanted to do so we decided just to explore on our own. We actually found a cool water tower a fort. You could go in the fort for $1.08 a person. It had nice views of the city and some interesting history. We also found the Queen's Staircase which was a neat area and the stairs themselves were built by slaves. Afterwards we continued to walk around and we found various flowers and wildlife to photograph. We went into a few shops but didn't buy anything. We then headed back to the ship where we encountered the obnoxiously loud Norwegian Escape. 

 

We then grabbed a bite to eat and started to pack as we have to be out of our room earlier than previous years.

 

The last show was billed as Brian Culbertson but turned out to be an all start type show at the end. As usual the cruise felt like it came to an abrupt halt. 

 

Thursday, January 26th - Day 6 - At Sea

Today was our second at sea day. We got up for the morning autograph session and while in line we ended up chatting with another couple from Wisconsin. After a little lunch Anikka wasn’t feeling well and went back to bed. Jason went out to the Pool Party with Rick Braun, Richard Elliot and Peter White. He also hit up the guitar session with Marcus Miller, Peter White and Nick Colionne. Anikka was feeling a bit better and joined in attending the horn session with Candy Dulfer, Mindi Abair, Marqueal Jordan and Eric Marienthal in the dinning room. 

 

We then hurried to get dressed up for formal night. Anikka bought a new formal dress this year so she was excited to take pictures. We went out on one of the decks and it was crazy windy but we got a few shots. They even make it look like we like each other ;)

 

The main shows were Keiko Matsui and Marcus Miller. They were followed by the second Alonzo Bodden (comedian) show. 

Wednesday, January 25th - Day 5 - Samana, Dominican Republic

Today is Jason’s Birthday! Happy Birthday!

This morning we had arrived in Samana, Dominican Republic. 

We had booked a ECP sponsored excursion with one of the artists, Peter White. Our excursion was called a “Cave and Mangrove Exploration” in Los Haitses National Park. We had a special boat pick us up directly from the ship (versus tendering to shore first). We were shocked at the amount of garbage we saw in the ocean. In all our years of cruising I don’t think we’ve ever seen such substantial pollution. It was depressing. Anyways the boat took us to a bird sanctuary area (on the water) so we saw all kinds of birds and even some vultures. We then road the boat to shore and saw some caves and mangroves. We even snagged a picture with Peter :)

After the excursion we made a quick pit stop back in the room and then got back off (via tender) to explore the town a little. We didn’t want to go too far but there was a sidewalk along the shore and a few big metal sightseeing towers that we climbed. We didn’t see much but it’s always fun to explore a little beyond what the excursions show us.

Tonight’s theme night was Purple for Prince. We don’t normally get into the theme night’s but we packed our purple for this one.  The main shows were Richard Elliot and Rick Braun. We then headed out to the “Purple Rain Party” by the pool. The Cruise Director Dane Butcher was sporting quite the Prince costume!

 

Tuesday, January 24th - Day 4 - Labadee, Haiti

Today we arrived in Labadee (also spelled Labadie), Haiti to RCL/Celebrity’s private beach.  They have lot’s of activities like zip lining, a rollercoaster, water sports and more. We decided to keep it a low key day. We laid on the beach, swam a little and roamed the “resort” a bit. The area is actually leased to the cruise ships so we found lots of areas not actively being used. We took lot’s of selfies and Jason took lots of pictures of flowers, nature and the ship. Our ship was the only one in port which was neat but It seems most of the people on our ship weren’t enthralled. We were almost worried we missed the ship when we saw how few people were left on the beach. We were able to snap some neat pictures with signs and things that would have been difficult with tons of people around so that was nice.

 

The main show was titled “The Greatest Show at Sea” (a play on the cruise’s nickname of “the Greatest Party at Sea”). We then headed to see Nick Colionne in the dining room. 

 

Monday, January 23rd - Day 3 - Montego Bay, Jamaica

 

Today we arrived in Montego Bay Jamaica. We did an excursion with Chukka which is the same company that ran an excursion we did in Belize a few years ago. This time we went zip lining. Anikka had zip lined on a school trip in elementary school but this was Jason’s first time. First our driver took us to a cool overlook where we snapped some pics. Then we went to their little shop where they start various excursions. We got fitted with safety gear before heading out on the various zip lines. We did 6 in all and there were about 15 people in the group all from our cruise. The last line was fairly long and a lot of fun. Then afterwards we had time to hang out again at their shop. Anikka indulged in a couple of Red Stripe beers and we took lots of photos. We then boarded the bus back and were dropped off right by the ship. Due to limited time we didn’t go back out exploring like we usually do which was disappointing. 

We showered and changed and I offered to line up for the main show Jason could go see Eric Marienthal in the Revelations lounge. I raced down to our usual seats this year and Jason had to come find me after.  John Secada and Kirk Whalum graced the main stage this evening. Afterwards was Mindi Abair and the Boneshakers on the main stage as well.

Sunday, January 22nd - Day 2 - At Sea

Our first full day on board was an at sea day as we head to Montego Bay, Jamaica. We started the day with breakfast. In the dining room and then headed to the pool for the t-shirt party. This year's shirts were neon green!  The t-shirt party has free drinks which is always fun :). We then grabbed some build your own pasta in the buffet followed by some delicious but pricey mochas. Then we split ways for a bit. Anikka headed to the Revelations lounge for the women's talk with Candy Dulfer, Mindi Abair, Keiko Matsui and Honey Larochelle.  Jason headed to the dining room for the horn panel with Richard Elliot, Eric Darius, Kirk Whalum and Patches Stewart. After dinner it was time for the main stage shows which were Peter White (one of Anikka’s favorites) and Candy Dulfer.  We then saw comedian Alonzo Bodden to round out the night. He does a great job of integrating some current events and politics but still manages to keep the show light hearted and funny.

 

Saturday, January 21st - Day1 - Sail Away

 Today we got up and took care of a few last minute items before heading to the airport to return our car and catch a cab to the port. Our cab driver was a character and did not seem real excited about driving too the port. I'm sure the traffic and security are a headache but she made up for it by giving herself a tip when she made change. This year the embarkation process to moved fairly quickly with the best part being that we boarded the ship almost immediately after checking in.  Once on board we went to check out our room. This year is the first time the cruise has been on Celebrity cruise line so we have a new ship to explore (Celebrity Summit). We grabbed a burger by the pool before the ever important life boat drill. I’m not sure why but celebrity has the muster stations inside. I'm think this is due to the fact that is very unlikely that there would be a need to abandon ship but I still prefer Holland America's method of having us go outside to where the life boats are. There is just something comforting in actually seeing them. We explored the ship a little more and were disappointed to find out that there is not an outside deck that you can walk around the whole ship. This was something we enjoyed doing on our previous cruises. Normally we would have changed into nicer clothes for the evening but we still didn't have our luggage. The odd part of a cruise is that you leave your luggage outside the terminal. They take it through security and they take care of getting it to the room. Normally we have it within a couple hours of boarding. We later found out that customs and border protection had decided to examine the music equipment and luggage for our ship. We ended up getting it late in the evening while we we're at the main show. Main show was Boney James who is one of the hosts this year. After we headed back to the room to shower and headed to bed.

Thursday - Friday 19-20th, Before the Cruise

1/19 Our day started dark and early at 1:30.  Our flight was originally at 6:15 but over time had been moved up to 5:00. The shuttle company insists on picking you up with plenty of time so our pick up was at 2:05 in Maple Grove. Of course at that hour the airport is empty and at first the checkin kiosks weren't even open. Eventually we boarded our first flight to Houston. Then we flew from there to Fll. We went to our hotel which unfortunately wasn't the greatest. We've had good luck with deal sites over the years but this was kind of a flop. We went out to do some shopping. Jason picked up a belt and Anikka got some Sandals. The it was target for a few forgotten toiletries. We headed back to the room. We are tired and head to bed. 

 

1/20 - today we slept in as we had a long day of travel yesterday.  We headed to Chick Fil A for lunch. Then we went to a state park in the middle of the city.  We explored the trails and of course took pictures of the birds and turtles we saw. It was a neat find and admission was pretty cheap! We spent a low key evening in.  Jason worked on the vlog and Anikka worked on homework and savored the last hours of internet connection. We ordered in from a local pizza place. Calzones, bread and tiramisu. The food was just ok. We then headed to bed!