New Years 2020 – Days 12 – 13

We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale on a very windy and cloudy day.  Still it was 75 degrees so it was fine, we just could not go to the beach.

We took the shuttle to the car rental place and then headed to our car to Sunny Isle where we have stayed at before and really enjoy the hotel and location.  We are right across from one of the newest areas on the beach where they have torn down the small hotels and built huge high rise hotels and condos.

There are a lot of little shops in the strip malls, including some neat restaurants from all over the world.

We had a special visit with friends from Ohio, Jeff and Pam Beiers who were in Key West and they stopped to have lunch with us on their way to Ft. Myers.

We than ran a few errands to pick up stuff we needed for the next cruise and went back to the hotel.

Dinner was first an appetizer of Cavachie at an Argentine restaurant and the main course at a Puerto Rico restaurant.

Then we came back to the hotel and went to bed early.

On Saturday, we awoke to fine the weather still warm, cloudy and windy.

After eating breakfast, we packed the car again and took it back to the Miami Airport and from there they took us by shuttle to the Miami Cruise Port and our ship, the Carnival Horizon.

It took us a little over 2 hours from when we left the hotel to when we arrived at the ship.  We waited at the airport for a long time for a shuttle.  But, it didn’t matter since we made it to the ship at Noon.

Check in went smoothly and we were in our cabin within 15 minutes of arriving at the dock.

We left our stuff in the cabin and went right out to eat and wow was the party every going on when we got to the pool deck which is on our deck as is the main breakfast and lunch food areas so we are really on a great deck.

After lunch walked around and looked at everything that is on the ship.  It is a beautiful ship and we are very enthused about it.

Then we went to the casino and met a supervisor and played a session where Barb lost a little and Ed broke even.

We went back to the cabin and our luggage was there so we unpacked and by then it was 5pm so we went to eat a snack.

There was a fun show before dinner and then we went to dinner and our tablemates were interesting in that they had traveled around the world as missionaries and had some interesting stories to tell.

After dinner, which was just ok, we went to the theater for the first major show of the cruse and it was very good. 

After that we went to the main foyer where a band was playing and then to the back of the ship where a Latin band was playing and the party was on in both places.

By that time, it was time to go to the comedy club to hear two comedians and neither were that funny.

Finally we made it to the casino where Barb sat and watched Ed play and playing by himself he had what we believe is the biggest session win ever!!  

It was a really great day and this ship is amazing!!

Tomorrow is our first sea day so it will be time to just relax, eat and gamble – life is good!!

Making a sandwich for our snack

    Snack time on our dec,

Going out for the first night on the Carnival Horizon

Jordan - our new puppy

\On the deck for the sail away Party from Miami

New Years 2020 – Day 11

Well when we woke up it was very cloudy and very windy so there was no deck time.

We did have an invitation to take a small group tour of the galley for the main dining room and the restaurant called Blu that we eat in every night.  So it was fun and simply amazing how they staff to prepare that much food.

After that we walked around and visited the shops to see if there was anything that we just had to buy – and there wasn’t.

Then we went to the dining room for lunch and today it was a called the Lunch Extravaganza and they did an amazing job of preparing the food for this lunch.

We kind of overdid lunch but the food looked and tasted very good.

After that we went to the casino where Barb talked to some of the staff while Ed played and he won.

The next thing we had to do was to pack for departure tomorrow.  It is different packing in that we are simply going to the Marriott for overnight and then get on the next ship.

We packed, showered and dressed for our last evening on the ship.

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As is our custom, we went down to the main lobby and listened to the house band, then up to the Sky Lounge for drinks with new friends and then to the show in the theater.

Going out for the afternoon

Salads for lunch

Lots of cakes

The chef with Barb

Just fun with cocunuts

What shall I eat??

Bruce our Casino Host

Ready to get off the ship

New Years 2020 – Day 10

We are on our way back to the United States with the first of two sea day.

We also set the clocks back last night so we gained an hour of sleep.

The weather and the sea could not have been anymore perfect as we went up on the deck for our morning sun with what seemed like everyone else on the ship.  We had a great corner, just outside our elevator and away from all the noise at the pool.

A little bit after 12 we came in and cleaned up and went to the buffet for lunch.  We all the selections of food, or course we ate and ate some more.

Then it was time for slot tournament and we both entered and Barb qualified for the finals but came in 4^th and that paid no money.

After that we played a session in the casino as is our custom and Barb lost a little and Ed had his biggest win!!

Next up was getting ready for the evening and the first thing that we did was go down to the entertainment area and listen to and dance to some fun music by the house band.

As is our normal activity, we then went up to the Sky Lounge for free drinks and snacks and set with a new couple who were from Philadelphia. 

The show tonight was a program called Euphoria which was a good performance of acrobatics and specialty acts by the Celebrity singers and dancers. 

Then finally we went to the casino where Barb lost a little and Ed had a nice win.  Then they had given away tickets for a drawing.  Everything you had a blackjack where the cards were of the same suit, you received an entry form.  Other games had their own standards.  They drew for prizes of $100. $200 and finally $300.   They drew Ed’s name for the $300!! 

So, all-in-all it was a very good day and the best news is that Barb finally feels almost back to normal, whatever that is!  We were both very worried, but she is just fine.

Tomorrow is a sea day and out last day on this cruise.

  

Night from the Celebrity Reflection.

So many great cakes

Out for the afternoon

Barb at the slot tournament

Just snacks they sent to our room

Going out for the evening

Real money

New Years 2020 – Day 9

St. Martins – the only island in the world with two countries, the Netherlands and France.  It is only 37 square miles.  Two separate currencies and actually two different languages among the natives.  Because of the huge tourist industry, they do speak English and take American dollars.

The ship docked on the Dutch side of the island where all the shops are and to us, the only thing to do here is to get a cab and go to the French side of the island and Orient Beach.

Orient Beach is slowly coming back from the hurricane of a couple of years ago, but there is still a lot that has not been rebuilt on the French side of the island.  It seems the Dutch support their side of the island a lot better than France does theirs.

Notwithstanding all of that, Orient Beach is still a great place to go and at least they have beach chairs to rent, a bar with food and restrooms.

This time, rather than pay the high prices for food on the beach, we built our own sandwiches from the ship and took them with us in a small cooler along with bottles of water.

The weather was slight overcast when we arrived but it turned out to be a wonderful day except for a brief rain shower and we simply stood under an umbrella with a guy from the Netherlands for about 5 minutes and then the sun came out again.  The great sun lasted until it was just before we wanted to leave and then the wind came up, the clouds came again and we decided to leave to miss the new rain.

A quick trip back to the ship and up to get a snack and we were back in our cabin getting ready for the evening.

After the day at the beach, we came back to our cabin and cleaned up and went to the lobby for music and dancing.

After the music stopped we went up to the Sky Lounge on the top deck as they had free drinks and pre dinner snacks for past guests who had sailed a lot with Celebrity.

Then it was time for the show and it was just ok.  It was a Motown type show featuring NBC’s America’s Got Talent semi-finalist, Marcus Terell.

Then we went to dinner and had a good meal and again sat with a new couple and enjoyed their company.

Of course the next stop was the casino where Barb lost just a little and Ed won nicely and for the first time ever played alone at his usual table as there were no players to join him.  Scary but successful.

Today was our last stop and for the next two days we will be at sea before arriving in Ft. Lauderdale.

Night

Going out the night before

A Carnival ship docked next to us

Storm clouds at Orient Beach before the rain

Going out tonight

Just a selfe for fun

New Years 2020 – Day 8

It’s St. Thomas – jewelry shopping capital of the entire world.  The nice thing is the only thing that we were expecting to buy was Kahula and we already knew the best shop in town to buy from.

We slept late and left the ship at about 9:30am, walked through the made for the tourists shops at the dock and got on the shuttle to go to the main part of town.

At least 20 years ago in one of our early trips, we had met the lady from Chicago who ran a small restaurant in the middle of an alley in town.  Then she worked in a popular restaurant called the Green Door and finally she opened up her own restaurant on the end of town.  Jen is her name and the restaurant is Jen’s Café.  We stopped in to see her as we have done on past trips and had a snack of conch fritters while talking to her and her daughter who is now 21!!  Just fun.

Then we bought a bottle of Kahula and walked into several stores.  Guess what – not only did Barb buy a ring, she bought another one from another store while we were waiting for them to size her ring in the first store!! 

We also bought a table cloth for the kitchen table when it is fully extended from a store that seemed to be going out of business.  Anyway, it was a g great price.

After we picked up the first ring, we got on the shuttle and came back to the ship and had a late lunch.

We cleaned up from the day and went down to the main lobby area to listen to music at 5:30pm, danced and people watched.

The show tonight was a Broadway musical performance by the cast performing music from some of the great Broadway musicals and it was a very, very good show.

Then we went to our restaurant and enjoy another fine meal and good conversations with a couple we met two nights ago.

After dinner of course we went to the casino where Barb won and Ed also won.

Tomorrow is our last island, St. Martins and of course we will go to the beach.

San Juan last night from our deck

Buying earrings

Jen and Barb

One of Barb's new rings

Our ship, the Celebrity Reflection

New Years 2020 – Day 7

Barb had lost her opal bracelet last night and we went back to the places we had been to about 1am and couldn’t find it.  First thing this morning, Ed went to Customer Service and someone had turned it in.  WOW!!

San Juan and the weather started out perfect and we stayed out on the deck until Noon when we went into eat.  

We arrived at San Juan at about 3pm and were at the dock at 4pm.  We left the ship shortly afterwards and went up into Old San Juan to a local drug store where Barb bought a pack of Prednisone tablets, the ones that she uses when she starts to get sick and just finished using.  They sell these here without a prescription so we bought a pack to have as a spare in the future.  The Pharmacist also heard her coughing and gave her a bottle of their own cough medicine.  It is very strong and we hope it works as Barb still has a bad cough.

We wandered a little bit more, bought some Kahula and were heading back to the ship when the rain came.  We got soaked by the time we got back to the ship, but dried off quickly and sat on the deck until it was time to go eat.

We met two nice couples, both from Ohio at dinner and had an enjoyable evening talking to them.

Then we went to a show with a great sax player.

As the casino did not open tonight, we are back in our room early.

Tomorrow is St. Thomas, one of our favorite islands.

Night for this day.

Here are some photos from the past several days and not in the correct order due to my usb hub broken on this computer.

Out during the afternoon at sea

Out for the evening

The fort at the entrance to San Juan harbor

Having lunch our first day

Leaving Ft. Lauderdale

Jordan - our new puppy at 5 weeks

Barb in our spot on deck

New Years – 2020 – Day 6

What a wonderful day for our first sea day.  We awoke to 81 degree weather with a little breeze – perfect for being up on the deck in the sun.

We stayed out until noon and then went to eat and back to our room to change for the afternoon.

At 2pm Ed played in a blackjack tournament and did not qualify.  We both played a session in the casino and Barb broke even and Ed didn’t play.

We sat in the lobby and watched the band play and people dancing and we even had time to get in one dance before going to the show.

The show was one of elaborate production numbers and it was a good show with wonderful singing and dancing; however, we never did figure what the story they were trying to tell us!!

At dinner, we sat with a different couple and had fun talking with them as we had dinner.  The restaurant we are eating in, Blu seats people as then come in so you never know who you will be sitting next to, so it’s kind of fun.

We then went to the casino where Barb was even again and Ed won – so it was a good day.

At 10:30pm we went to the late night comedy show and he was just ok.

Tonight we move the clocks 1 hour forward and we arrive in San Juan later in the afternoon.

My USB port on my laptop is not working so there will be no pictures on the blog until I get it fixed.  I will take pictures by iPhone and send them instead.

Night for now.