The Oceanview Buffet
We finally awoke to beautiful skies and virtually no wind so it was a perfect morning to be on the top deck and lay in the sun.
Our schedule when we are at sea is almost the same as previous
days.
We met our friends on the back of the ship for our last
lunch for this cruise and we had also invited our casino host to join us so
that was fun.
After dinner we went back to the room and packed everything
except Ed’s carry on and briefcase.
We then went to the casino where we all lost again.
The show in the theater tonight was entertainment by the
cast of the ship, including aerialist who were not very good.
After the show of course we went to dinner in Blu and the food
was typical of that restaurant which was good, but of course not 5-star.
Then it was time to go to the casino for our last session
and Barb was our cheerleader and Ed had a nice win for the last night of the
cruise
We were finally back to the room in time to get some
reasonable sleep and we have to get up at 6am tomorrow to leave the ship by
7:30am.
Our flight leaves at 10:30 am and goes to Atlanta where we
will change planes and be home at 3:20pm
Nite from both of us and we can’t wait to see the whole
family, including of course Becker once again.
We are almost home.
Nite-Nite
Will load the pictures in the morning from one of the airports
I will post videos of the trip early next week
Today is the first of two sea day and then we will be home.
We have determined that an 11 day cruise to islands we have
been to many times, is not as much fun as we thought it would be. Of course, being with old friends, is always
fun.
Of course today was very warm and beautiful with not a cloud
in the sky the entire day.
As is our tradition on sea days we got up late, around
10:00am and went up to the top deck to be in the sun.
Mid-morning we also found out that we have been given 2
cruises with the only cost being port charges of around $200.00 each. The two cruises have a value of $20,000 and
needless to say we are very happy to receive these bookings.
At 12:30pm we went to the buffet and the back the ship to
have lunch with everyone.
As is Celebrity’s tradition, today is a very elaborate lunch
buffet with lots of extra foods it was a fun lunch.
Then we rested from a “busy” morning and lunch before
getting ready to meet Barb & Tim in the Casino. Jeff and Vera did not join us as they nap in
the afternoon.
In the casino, Barb and Ed both lost.
After the casino we came back to the room to get ready for
the evening’s activities. The dress code
tonight is Chic Night, a scaled down version of formal night.
The show tonight was high energy musical night with music
from Bruno Mars to the Beatles and it was good.
The performer played a sax and he was outstanding.
Then it was on to the casino, of course, where Barb and Ed lost
again. The 5 of us, plus Barb as our
cheerleader always have our own table and tonight, we have never lost so much
as a group. We were fortunate that we
lost the least, but it still hurt. For
those who know blackjack on the first shoe (8 decks) there were only 6 winning
hands!
Tomorrow is out last day of the cruise and it is at sea.
We are sooo looking forward to being home.
On our way home as fast as we can
Hugs from Gram and Ed
Our last stop before two days at sea and then home is the island of Curacao. Curacao is just 35 miles from the coast of Venezuela and is a 38-mile-long volcanic island. It is also diverse and Dutch in nature.
The ship was ready for guests to depart at 7am; however, we
finally left at a little after 10 as it was a long night at the casino.
We then walked into town across the floating bridge into the
main part of the city. We were going to
eat at a local restaurant but we couldn’t find it. Ed had left the directions back in the
room. We settled on a small stand in the
market and it was not good.
It was then back to the ship, having walked 9,981 steps!
Because of the length of the rip back to the United States,
the ship left shortly after 2:30pm.
Since we were back on board early, we played a session in
the casino where Ed lost and so did Barb
The show tonight was the Silhouette cast singing the sounds
of Broadway and they were very good.
Dinner tonight was again in the main dining room joining
Vera & Jeff and it was a fun dinner.
Then we went back to the theater and heard the comic from an
earlier show give a xx-rated routine. He
was very, very funny. I will post a video
of him after we arrive back home.
Then it was on to the casino where Barb and Ed both
lost. We have a lot of ground to make
up in the next two days, so wish us both luck.
We are now heading north and home in a couple of day.
Nite for now
We arrived at the second of the A, B, C islands, Bonair and
the temperatures are again in the 80’s.
Bonaire is 86 miles east of Aruba and then we will have only
30 miles to travel to Curacao.
We were also here during our New Years trip so we didn’t hurry
about going out.
There was nothing special that we wanted to do so we just
wandered around a bit and then ate at a local restaurant call “It’s Raining
Fishes”.
Then we stopped at ice cream store where we have had ice
cream every trip we have been to Bonaire.
Made on the premises and very good and reasonable.
We went back to the ship in the early afternoon and went up
on the top deck to get some sun – our tans are progressing nicely.
As the ship didn’t depart until 6:30pm, we simply wandered
around the ship watching people and relaxing.
Dinner was once again in the restaurant Blu and the meal was
very good.
After dinner, we went to the show and listened to an A
Cappella Group and great harmonies. They
were fun.
Then of course, we went to the casino where Barb didn’t play
and Ed won a little.
At the start of our session in the casino, the casino
manager bought a bag of swag and said that the items in the bag would go to the
table winner between the 5 of us. So, we
each started out with $1,000 to bet and after 2 ½ hours Barb Freeman had won
the most money. It was just fun.
Nite for now and tomorrow is Curacao, the last of our island
we will visit on this trip.
Hugs to all
We are overnight in Aruba, so the ship was open for everyone
to come and go to the island as they wished.
We slept in and met Barb & Tim to go to church which
started at 11am.
Our taxi driver, Beverly picked us up right at the ship and
took us what was called the most beautiful Catholic Church on the island and yes,
it was beautiful.
The service was packed and very enjoyable and we were amazed
at the different ethnic groups that were represented at the service.
Then Beverly picked us up and took us to Redfish Grill where
we had eaten several times, including when Jeff and Jason were here.
We have recently seen an Andrew Zimmer program about food in
Aruba and the lead story was about the #1 local restaurant on the island –
Redfish Grill.
This was the first time for Barb and Tim and they were not
disappointed.
After lunch, Beverly picked us up and took us to the ship and
we went up to the top deck to be outside for a few hours.
Eight-Six degrees and with the sun almost directly overhead –
it was hot!!
We then followed our normal evening routine which was the
show and a very good singer/musician, dinner in Blu and then onto the casino.
After 3 ½ hours we closed the casino with Barb having lost a
little and Ed had his best win.
We arrived back in the cabin at 2am and called it a night
after writing this blog which we hope you all are enjoying.
We are on our way to Bonaire where we will spend the day
tomorrow.
Nite-Nite
Today is a partial sea day so we slept in. Ed work up and had breakfast at 10am and Barb woke up at 11am!! As far as we remember, we have never slept in that long on any vacation and it sure felt good.
We had lunch with our friends on the back deck and stayed a
while just talking.
Then we went back up on the deck in the sun until we docked
at Aruba.
We will be in Aruba overnight and leave tomorrow afternoon.
We had booked with Barb and Tim dinner at Passions On The
Beach where we have gone at least 3 times before and they serve excellent food
and we can watch the sunset and all the sail boats in the ocean.
To get there we took a cab owned by Beverly, the lady who
drove us around on our last trip here over New Years. She is a delight, knows everyone and also has
lived in Aruba all her life.
After dinner, we called Beverly who took us back to the
ship.
At 9pm we went to a production show in the theater by the
singers and dancers of the ship.
Since the casino is closed while in port, it was then time
to go back to bed for an early sleep. We
don’t believe we have ever gone to bed before midnight on a cruise.
Tomorrow we will be staying in Aruba until later in the day.
Nite-Nite
We finally made it to Cartagena, Columbia, South America.
It is just about as far from Merna to Miami as it is from
Miami to Cartagena - That’s a long way south!!
Once before we were here and did the tourist type of things
and this time, we booked a private to the Bazurto Market for us and also Barb
and Tim.
It was 86 degrees when we went out and it was very, very
hot. We are so close to the equator to
make it uncomfortable to walk very far in the direct sunlight.
When you leave the ship, you have to take a shuttle bus to
the start of the port and walk through a really nice bird and animal sanctuary
with lots of Parrots, Monkeys, Peacocks and Flamingos. None of them are caged so it is really neat.
We took a short cab ride to meet our guides. The tour is sponsored by a non-profit
organization and the two guides were very nice.
One was a lawyer and the other
Basically, this market has everything and it is a labyrinth
of stall and if we didn’t have a guide, you could easily get turned around and
lost!!
For anything you wanted to get fixed, there was a craftsman
to fix it for you. We watched a metal
mechanic make duck work all by hand. We
listened to their local music and they gave us a CD to take home. We went to a traditional Colombian healing
center where they used all natural plants to cure “anything”.
We tasted some very different fruit and they made a fruit
drink for us.
We then went to a restaurant in the market that was featured
on Anthony Bourdain’s TV show to have lunch of fish and several kinds of rice
and ??.
The final part of the tour was the produce, meat and fish
markets and they were amazing.
There is no refrigeration and he meat and fish are just sitting
out in open air stalls!
Then our guides took us out of the market and back to the
ship where we again walked through this amazing entry to the port with all the
birds.
After cleaning up we met everyone on the back of the ship
for lunch. While we had eaten in the
market, it just seemed to eat again on the ship – it was there, why not??
After lunch we went back to the cabin to relax before going
out for the evening.
The show in the theater tonight was called “big Band &
Broadway” and it was very good.
After the show we went to Blu and had a wonderful meal.
Then it was to the casino where Barb and Ed each lost a
little.
Tomorrow we arrive in Aruba at 4pm for an overnight stay.
Nite – Nite from way south.
Today is our second day at sea and again a beautiful day with tempetures in the 80’s and not as windy as yesterday.
We stayed out on the deck until 12:30pm when it was time to
meet everyone on the back of the ship for lunch.
We sat with everyone for a couple of hours just talking about
our lives and different experiences we have had.
It is so fun enjoying a cruise with couples we have met
through the casino – all with different backgrounds and locations which are so
very, very different but all with a mutual liking and respect for each other.
Jeff Wurst is a major corporate banqurepcy lawyer with an
office in Manhattan and a home close to the UN overlooking the river. Vera was ones a school teacher.
Tim Freeman is a former Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force
who now has a major job with a very important defense contractor. They live in Virginia and during the week,
Tim flies his plane to Huntsville, Alabama for work and back on the weekend. They also flew their own plane down to Ft
Lauderdale to board the ship.
Neither couple has ever lived in the Midwest so it is an
interesting group.
We played a session in the casino during the afternoon and
Barb and Ed both lost.
The show tonight was a magician and he was very good at
slight of hand. I have a couple videos
of his performance which I will put on the blob at the very end of our trip.
Tonight, we were guest of the casino at a specialty restaurant
called “The Poarch” It is located outside on the top deck and it is mainly a seafood
restaurant. While it is outside, there
is glass to keep the wind out. We had a
wonderful meal there.
After dinner we all went to the casino where Barb and Ed both
won.
Tomorrow we dock in Cartagena, Columbia and have fun day
planned.
It is hot here with the sun almost directly overhead as we
are getting close to the equator.
Nite-Nite
We are on our fist sea day and it is almost cloudless
outside.
We spend about 2 ½ hours on the deck in the sun until lunch.
Lunch was with our friends and then afterwards we sat on the
back deck talking and catching up.
We then went back on the deck and in the sun for a couple of
hours before cleaning up and joining Barb and Tim for an afternoon session in
the casino where Barb did not play and Ed won.
Since we had seen the production show in the theater and it
wasn’t that good, we played a session in the casino with Barb & Tim and Ed
lost
Then it was to the Blu dining room where our dinner was very
good.
Then finally we had our last stop in the casino starting at
10:00pm where Barb lost and Ed lost. We
have had two days of terrible cards – hopefully tomorrow will start a better
streak!!
Tomorrow is another sea day and probably we will do the same
thing we did today and will enjoy every minute of it!!
Nite – on our way to South America and the port town of Cartagena,
Columbia
We awoke to find ourselves in Nassau and since we have been to Nassau a number of times including twice recently, we choose to stay on the ship and work on our tan.
After a couple of hours in the sun, it was time for lunch. We met Barb & Tim and Vera & Jeff on
the back of the ship for a couple of hours of eating and catching up.
It had been since New Years 2020 that we had cruised with Jeff
and Vera, just before Barb was in the hospital in Aruba.
After lunch we can back to the cabin and relaxed before
getting ready for the evening, which first included music in the Grand Foyer.
After relaxing and walking around the ship, we went to the
show for the evening with our 4 friends.
The show was a singer named Amanda Cole who was very good
singing a tribute to Whitney Houston.
After the show, we went to Aqua with Barb and Tim for
dinner.
As Jeff and Vera did not upgrade to Aqua, they ate in the
main dining room. We plan to eat in Aqua
the next two nights then join Jeff and Vera in their dining room for dinner.
After that we went to the casino. It was wonderful having 5 at the black jack
tables – our own private game.
For the evening at the casino, Barb lost and Ed also
lost.
Tomorrow is our first of two consecutive sea days.
Nite - Nite
After a quick trip to the airport and then an Uber ride to the terminal we met our friends outside the boarding area at 10:00am. Soon afterwards we were allowed in and went through security and the “wellness” check-in areas. Both went smoothly and we had a short wait until we were allowed to board the ship.
The Celebrity Silhouette is one of the larger ships in the
Celebrity fleet, but not the largest.
Its capacity is 2,886 and we are sailing with only 1,200 on board. Masks had not been required for our New Years
cruise, then they were required as the virus spread and last week, the mask
restrictions were taken off for all guests.
The crew still are required to wear their masks.
As is tradition, we met Barb and Tim on the back of the ship
for lunch and catching up. It is always
fun to cruise with them.
Later we went to a casino meet ‘n greet to meet our casino
host. She was a dealer several years ago
on our cruise from Dubai to Singapore and is very nice.
The casino manager was the assistant manger on that cruise
also. It is always nice to see people we
have sailed with before in the casino.
We then unpacked and got ready for dinner.
We are in a class called Aqua so there is a small intimate dining
room just for the guests in that cabin class.
The next cabin class above Aqua is the suites class and they also have a
private dining room, separate from ours.
At a minimum the suites cost a couple of thousand dollars each. For this cruise, the top suites are about
$12,000 and they are full!!
We usually go to the theater production first and then a
late dinner; however, there was only 1 show tonight and that was at 9pm so we
went to dinner at 7:15.
Dinner was excellent and then we went to the show where a
comedian preformed who was outstanding – one of the best we have seen
After the show we went to the casino for our first session
where Barb didn’t plan and Ed lost a little.
At about 10:30pm, all of a sudden, we were surprised by our
friends from New York, Jeff and Vera who had booked this cruise sometime ago
and didn’t tell us – what a great surprise.
Also, that gave us 5 at the table for blackjack.
At busy day and tomorrow Nassau in the Bahamas.
Nite from the Atlantic Ocean.
It is Sunday and our last day before boarding the Celebrity Silhouette tomorrow morning.
Again, we slept in a little and then drove about 15min to St
Matthew’s Church for mass. It was a neat
little church and the service was nice.
They had a singer who was outstanding.
Then we drove to the town of Weston which is right on the
edge of the Everglades where we met our friends from Wisconsin, Pam and Eric
Degelau and Jeff and Pam Beier.
Eric was our sponsor for Corvette Adventures who also sold
us our yellow Corvette. Jeff and Pam were lead drivers at Corvette
Adventures where they met each other and become life-long friends. They now live close together and travel a lot
together. Pam and Jeff are retired and
Eric and Renee have a very successful real estate business rehabbing homes prior
to their selling them. We are very
blessed to have them as friends. Another
wonderful story of friends finding each other at our event – one of many!!
We had a great meal together at Bone Fish Grill.
After we left the group we went to the largest discount mall
in southern Florida, Sawgrass Milles to look for a new wardrobe for Barb. There are tons of suitcases on the market;
however, we did not find a wardrobe for Barb as they are apparently are just
not making them. Time to look on
Amazon!!
We came back to the hotel with first stopping at a grocery
store to buy Ed some A & W Root Beer to take on the cruise.
Dinner was at a little spot on Sunny Isle Beach that served Peruvian
food and dinner was wonderful. Sorry, we
did not take pictures of the food but it was a grilled salmon served Peruvian
style, including a salad and plantains.
We were in our room by 8:30pm so that we could pack for the
cruise tomorrow.
Night for now – next post from the ship
