New Years – 2019 Day 5

Since we were up very late last night and the clocks were set ahead 1 hour, we slept in today.

It was of course warm; however, it was also very windy but we did find a protected spot on the deck above the pool and stayed out until 12:30pm when we joined everyone in a restaurant which was new to Celebrity on the back of the ship.  It was a fine meal and we sat around until 2.

Then we went to the casino and played in the slot tournament where Barb qualified for the finals and Ed didn’t.  Barb came in 4^th and they only paid 2 places.

We then walked around to see parts of the ship that we hadn’t visited, graphed some snacks from and went back up to the room and sat on our balcony.  We really, really like this ship.

Everything about the ship is a new concept and very over the top.  The top suite costs $25,000 a person!!  It is behind a locked entrance so we can see it.  The pictures make it look amazing.

Our cabin is really an improvement from the previous ships we have been on.  It is bigger, the bath is bigger and the new balcony all make it a beautiful cabin.

At 4:30pm we went to the casino to play a session with Barb and Tim where Ed won nicely and Barb didn’t play.

Tonight is New Years Eve and Chic night so or course we dressed up.  In the past it would have been a tuxedo for Ed, but most men no longer wear them on a cruise ship.

The show in the theater was a production number by the cast and it was very good.

Dinner was in a specialty restaurant (extra cost) called Eden and it was wonderful.

We went to the casino where Ed lost a little and Barb broke even because she didn’t play – but she was a great cheerleader.

Then it was time for the New Year’s celebration and it was fun.

They had 7 different areas with parties and we were at the main one and it was just nuts with hundreds of our new friends dancing, singing and just having a great time.

2018 was a good year and 2019 will be even better.

Night from the last entry in 2018, well actually the first entry in 2019!!

It's Time to go out

The clock struck midnight!!

New Years – 2019 Days 1 – 4

We were supposed to be in Miami on Thursday evening at about 11pm.  Because of the weather, we arrived after midnight.  Then we found out that Ed's suitcase didn’t make it.  They traced it to the terminal and the baggage area but it wasn’t there.  The airport staff said it happens a lot and they were sure it would be there by Friday. 

So, we picked up our rental car and drove to the hotel which was only a short distance away and finally went to bed at about 3:30am.

Then next morning, Deltas web site said that they had found the luggage.  We called and they said it would be delivered to the hotel within 6 hours and at 3pm, it was.

After getting up, we went to our favorite beach down here, Haulover Beach and stayed in the sun for a few hours before heading to a restaurant close to the hotel.

Then we went to downtown Ft. Lauderdale and took a sightseeing boat trip along the canels to see some of the huge mansions that are there - these are the truly rich people!!

After eating, we drove to Sawgrass Mills, a huge discount mall about 20 minutes away as Ed needed to buy a garment bag with wheels.  We found one and asked the store clerk, who was from Columbia where a good local Columbian restaurant was.  He directed us to one close and we had a good meal there, eating some new foods.

Then we came back to the hotel and crashed!!  It had been a long 24 hours.

On Friday Morning, we went to the beach in the morning and then went to a deli that we had seen on our last trip for lunch.

It was then back to the hotel to clean up and we drove down to the University of Miami to see a basketball game between Miami and Campbell University.  Miami won and it was fun being back on campus after all these years.

We ate at a local Cuban restaurant on the way back to the hotel before going to sleep.

We were up and out of the hotel by 8:30am on Sunday to take the car back and go to the ship.  Ft Lauderdale was expecting to disembark 28,000 people and board another 28,000 so we wanted to get there early to avoid the rush.  We got there very quickly and then actually had to wait for them to open up the ship.

After putting our bags in our room, we walked around looking at this amazing new ship, the Celebrity Edge.  It is amazing and very hard to explain.  The rooms, including the bathroom are bigger and the balcony is very unique.  Instead of doors leading to the balcony, the balcony is part of the room and has a big window overlooking the water.  You push a button and the window comes down ½ ways and that is your balcony.  Very unique and we really like it.

For more about this ship, Google “Celebrity Edge” and see it – a totally new design concept that we really like.

On this trip, we are meeting Jeff and Vera Wurst from New York and Tim and Barb Freeman from Virginia.  We met Jeff and Vera on the back of the ship for lunch at 12:30; however, Time and Barb were stuck in traffic and they didn’t get to the ship until after 1:30pm.  So we all had lunch and sat around and talked about the last year as we hadn’t seen Jeff and Vera since last New Years and Barb and Tim since our October cruise together. 

The comedian for entertainment was not very good.  As Jeff said, the first rule of a comedian is to be funny and he was not!! 

Dinner was ok and then we went to the Casino.  We know Manager, the Host, the Assistant Manager and a number of dealers, so it was great fun saying hi.

We played for a while and both lost just a little.

That’s the basics for our arrival and first day at sea.

Night from the Atlantic – heading south to San Juan

At the U

Barb's favorite Miami player - 5'7" and fantastic!!

Leaving for ths ship

Getting ready for a New Years party

Another mansion

At the Columbian restaurant - sausage, port belly, fried plantains and other fun food for dinner!

The six of us - from the left, Barb, Ed, Vera, Jeff, Tim and Barb

On the balcony ready for the first night on the ship

October 2018 – Day 14

OK – so Key West is our last port and our last day of the cruise.  Ed has been here before but while he was in high school, so that doesn’t really count and Barb has never been here.

We had two cruises cancel Key West so this is the first time we have really been here.

Again, it was about 84 when we arrived and yes, it was hot, hot and very humid.

We had to go through US immigration as this was the first time back in the United States and we did that on the ship before we got off.  The good news is that in Miami tomorrow, we only have to pick up our bags and head for the airport so it should be quick.

Key West is beautiful as 99% of the buildings are in very good repair.  Our ship docked right at the edge of town, so when we got off, we took a 90 minute open air trolley ride throughout Key West and saw all of the highlights.

After the train ride, we walked to Ernest Hemmingway’s home and took a tour of it.  After that, we visited the winter White House made famous by Harry Truman and still available as a vacation home for any President.  It was a very interesting tour as most of the furniture was original to the home.

 

Happy, happy place

Then we ate lunch at a really neat local restaurant which was filled with local people having a party.  We ordered a Mai-Mai grilled sandwich and ½ pound of cold boiled shrimp and what a great lunch.  Then after stuffing ourselves at lunch, Barb spotted a Key Lime Pie store so we had to go in and eat a slice of Key Lime Pie and was it ever good!!

Then we went to the Fisher Maritime Museum.  Fisher was the person who spent 17 years looking for two lost ships and finally found them yielding huge tonnages of gold, silver and copper.  It was an interesting museum

By then and after looking into dozens of tourists shops, it was time to get back on the ship.

We packed and then went to dinner with our friends.  Dinner was good and the show was a singing trio who were pretty good, not great.

Then it was on to the casino for our last night and Barb was even and Ed won a little.  But, the good news is that this was the largest win in a casino that we have ever had – of course thanks to two big jackpots by Barb!!

We had a wonderful trip and met now casino friends, John and Nhu-Anne, friends of Tm and Barb and we hope they will be able to join us again.  Tim and Barb we will see over new years on the new Celebrity ship, the Edge.

Tomorrow we arrive in Miami and we will be home by 5:00pm.

Night and can’t wait to see everyone.  Hope all have enjoyed the blog

Leaving to see Key West

Hemmingway's House

A 6 toe cat!!

Yes it was good

The Trolley

Our Host Iryna and Manager, Josh

October 2018 – Day 13

The good news – Barb is up and feeling fine.  

After a long day yesterday where she slept a lot of hours, Barb and Ed spent the morning on the deck suning.  Then we had lunch on the back of the ship with our friends before returning to be out in the sun.

We came in at 3:00pm to clean up and go to the casino for an afternoon session where Ed had a good win and Barb had a huge win because she played the same machine she won on two days ago and again hit the top jackpot!!!

After taking a deep breath, we went up to the room and changed clothes and went to the show which was a big production number that we had seen before but it was good and fun entertainment.

Then it was time to go to our restaurant and we had a fine meal, only one dinner to go and that is tomorrow and the cruise is done.

After dinner we went to the casino where Ed was up and Barb tried her slot machine again and it did not pay off and she lost a little; however, she was still up for the day as she had a great second jackpot earlier in the day!!

We finished in the casino in time to go to the theater to hear the comedian who we loved before give his late night adult routine and again, he was very, very funny.

We set the clocks back tonight so that will help our sleep.

Night - on the way to Key West tomorrow.

All-in all and amazing day!!

Going out for the evening - with a great tan!!

Barbara likes chocolates

Getting paid again!!!

WOW - 2 in a row

This is what a jackpot looks like

What fun we have had on the cruise with our friends.
John and Nhw-Anne Brady and Tim and Barb Freeman

October 2018 – Day 12

Our second to last day at sea and it is a wonderful day.  Again 85 degrees during the day and 80 at night as we head towards Key West.

After breakfast, Ed went out on the deck in the sun and waited for Barb to come out.  In checking on her, she was not feeling well and she said that she had gotten sick in the middle of the night.  Barb stayed in the cabin all day.  It looks like the sushi that we ate last night did not agree with her.

Ed and the rest of the group played in the afternoon slot tournament and nobody won.  Then Ed played a session at Blackjack and lost a little.

Our casino host, Iryna, gave us her grandmother’s remedy which was a little vinegar and water followed by eating black bread and it seemed to have a good effect.

Barb did not leave the cabin and at this time, she is feeling better so tomorrow she should be just fine.  It was a case of too much “strange” food for her.

Ed went to the show and then ate in the buffet as our friends had already eaten and then took some food down to Barb.

Ed went to the casino alone and had maybe the biggest single session blackjack win he has had in a lot of years, winning 15 out of 16 hands including some nice doubles and splits!!

The good news is that Barb is feeling better and we are nicely ahead in the casino and there is no bad news!

Sorry no other pictures since Barb was not up and about today - but she will be tomorrow/

Tomorrow is another day at sea and we hope a wonderful day.

Night

Now that's a great nights winnings!!

October 2018 – Day 11

Today we arrived in Bonaire which is 86miles east of Aruba and 30 miles from Curacao and again the weather was hot, hot at a high of 83.   The sun is also very, very intense as it is almost straight overhead and we are not complaining, just stating the facts!!

Today was a fun day except we had to get off the ship by 7:30am with our friends as that is when our tour was to begin.

We met out tour guide, Connie outside the pier and had a 4 hour tour of the island.  We saw some interesting areas of the island, but basically it told us the only reason people come to this island is to scuba diver and snorkel.  We spent about 1 hour going around the south part of the island and seeing the Cargil salt flats where they produce thousands of tons of salt for water softeners every year.  An amazing process, yet very simple.

We also visited some original slave houses for slaves who worked in the salt flats a long time ago.

A very small island, very few people (20,000) and nothing to see or do, but it was interesting and we were with friends.

Following the 4 hour tour we walked a little in the small tourist area by the ship and then boarded at about 12:30pm and ate on the ship with everyone.

At 1:30pm we went up on deck and stayed out in the sun until late in the afternoon and watched as the ship sailed for Key West, FL, two days away.

We met our friends for our usual 4:30pm afternoon casino session and Ed won a little and Barb hit a big jackpot on the slot machine she has been playing all cruise.  Then she hit the same machine for $150!!

WOW - a great afternoon in the casino!!

At night, instead of eating with our friends, we were taken out to dinner by our Casino Host to a specialty restaurant called Sushi on Five and we had a great meal and enjoyed her company.

After dinner we went to the show which was a singing show about musicals on Broadway and the singers were very good.

In the casino Ed won and Barb of course had a big win!!!!

It was great day for us in the casino and a fun day seeing Bonaire.

Tomorrow is a day at sea so it should very relaxing.

Night from the ocean and we are heading north towards Key West and home.

Ging out last night

Leaving for a day on Bonaire

Original slave housing for the salt mining operation

The salt flats

A beach dive shop and restaurant

An Ospery

Downtown Bonaire

Barb with the slot tech and our Casino Host Iryna

The jackpot

Getting paid by casino management

Windsurfing area on Bonaire

                                                            A major scuba diving area

October 2018 – Day 10

Our next stop Curacao – and it is pronounced care –ah – sole.

Once again the high is to be 84 and the lot 80 – not a rain cloud in sight.  This island is not as dry as Aruba which only received 15 inches a year in rain. 

A really neat Dutch island that we have only visited once and had a fun time then.  The buildings in the city are all painted in beautiful pastels.

As we had no real plans, we took our time getting off the ship and walked into the city, the port of Willemstad, which is the capital of Curacao and the Netherlands Antilles.  They say it is one of the richest cities in the world in terms of culture and diversity.

We wish we could you a picture of the water, but it is the most amazing color and so, so clear.

One of the neat things to do is to walk into town via the Queen Emma Bridge.  This is a century-old pontoon bridge which connects the two sides of the city.  It swings open up to 30 times a day to make way for ship traffic.

We walked over the bridge and went over to the river side where the fishing and produce boats from Venezuala come in and sell their fish and produce right along the road.  They even have people at the edge of the road and all you do it drive up and then will sell you your produce without you even parking your car.  It was just fun.

Then we found a very local restaurant and bar.  When we went in, there was only one person who spoke English so he helped us order some local fish for a huge lunch.  We bought him a beer and he was thrilled.

Then we walked around the downtown area and then back over the bridge towards the ship. 

We had a $5 match play coupon for the local casino for the slot machines and we spent it without winning anything, but at least we didn’t lose!!

Then Ed took $40 and we walked away with an $80 profit.  Not bad for a couple of lucky minutes.  

We forget to tell you that we went into a local Aruba casino yesterday and walked out with a $100 profit.  Life is gooood!!!

It is hot, hot here.  While 84 might not seen terribly hot, when you are in the direct, very overhead sunlight here, it is almost burning your skin and we have a good tan.

No sunning on the deck today but it was a very beautiful day.

The show tonight was a comedian who was very, very funny.  Probably better than the last one we saw.  His is the first time in cruising that we have had two really good comedians on the ship.

After a fun dinner where Barb Freeman gave Barb her set of ears, we all went to the casino where Barb broke even and Ed lost just a little.

A fun day and tomorrow Bonaire where we have to get off the ship by 7:30am as the 6 of us have a private tour of the island - it should be fun, but we are not used to getting up early!!

We forgot to tell you that we book a great cruise for next October as we are going on a 12 night cruise to Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand.  That cruise is one of two left on our bucket list, the other trip being to Africa.

The view from our cabin

Ready to go ashore

A new best friend

Buy something and take a picture

Lunch ith our new friend drinking his beer in the background!!

That is where we had lunch

The city from the bridge

Barb and her ears

Barb Nuanne and Barbara - now that's scary!!!

October 2018 – Day 9

When we woke up, we were still a long ways from Aruba so we had breakfast and of course the weather is perfect so we laid out on the deck.

The ship docked ½ early at 10:30am and there was a rush to get off the ship.  The neat thing about this stop is that we are in port until Midnight!

So we stayed on and ate lunch with our friends and then went back on the sundeck until 2:30pm.

We have been here several times before including a week in 2009 so our plan was to get off at 3:00pm and walk around a little bit.

Then we had reservations at a hotel 10 minutes away for a dinner on the beach at the Amsterdam Manor Hotel.  It was an amazing experience.  All of the tables and chairs were draped in white and had torches for each table.  We had some great appetizers and then a wonderful fish dinner consisting of several kinds of fish.  There was even music and a live female sax player to entertain us.  We watched the sun set and had a wonderful meal. 

After dinner, we took a cab back to the hotel and changed quickly to meet everyone in the casino.

We played for a few minutes and then cut out and went to see the show.  Tonight the show featured a comedian who was without a doubt the funniest comedian that we have ever heard on a cruise ship.

 

Then we went to the casino where Barb lost a little and Ed and a good win.

Tomorrow we dock in Curacao – an island we have only been to once and it was some time ago.

Night from way south.

Going out for the day

Dinner on the beach

Now this was fun!!!!

At sunset

WOW!!

October 2018 – Day 8

Another beautiful day and this day we are at sea for the entire sunny day.

Ed first went to breakfast and then went to the gym and then met Barb our on the deck for a morning in the sun,

At noon we met our friends on the back of the ship for lunch and then went back to the cabin to clean up as there was a blackjack tournament at 1:30pm. 

Ed didn’t qualify; however, Tim did and won the tournament – so at least it was in the family!!

We went to future cruises to look at cruises for next October and have a couple to look at.  We would like to go to Australia/ New Zealand and there looks to be a great good one then.  We will try to decide before we leave the ship as there are some promotional dollars that can be applied if we book on the ship.

Then we played a session and Barb lost a little and Ed had a big win.

Dinner in Blu was again good and then we went to the theater and saw a wonderful musical performance by the cast of the ship.

After the show of course we went to the casino where Barb won and Ed lost some of what he had won that afternoon.

Tomorrow we arrive in Aruba at 11:00am.

Night from somewhere on the way to Aruba

Going out for the afternoon

Lots of decorations for Halloween

Going to dinner