Abuckett

Hope the couple at The Grill wearing swimsuits didn’t get splatter on their delicate skin. 🤣🤣

On our last cruise on the Dawn there was shower gel/shampoo which I used in the bath. It produced plenty of bubbles. I also travel with my own as we always have pre and/or post cruise stops. There was also a loofah and bar soap. Brand was Bulgari.

Hi Jazzbeau - yes we found both glass bottom boat tours disappointing, almost unsafe. The boats were in pretty bad shape. I also think you have to remember this is the Caribbean and the islands for the most part are very poor. They rely on tourism but very often don’t have the infrastructure to put the tours together.

We have never had a problem with availability. We book a full size and always get that. Admittedly we have no reason to get off the ship at the crack of dawn and we take the last disembarkation time. We need the car to drive across the State to our home in Sarasota after a stop in Palm Beach for lunch with friends.

Avis - they pick up every 15 minutes in the port and take you to the Avis location (approx 10 minute drive). We have done it. Very easy.

Well - happy I didn’t go on Roatan excursion. Apparently it was pretty awful. It was a semi submersible cruise to see coral and fish. The boat had no life preservers and two windows were leaking. There was a refreshment stop with thimbles of water, juice or beer. Several bought their own drinks. One man sat on a bench and it collapsed under him - completely rotted out. The piece de resistance was the men’s facilities. I am posting a picture. It was attached to a tree and had a screen on one side! From all accounts, Roatan will be removed from itineraries going forward. Dinner that night was at Salt. I never make a note of what we eat so I usually forget but I know it was very good! The next day was Cozumel. Again I stayed on the ship and he went deep sea fishing. There’s a reason it’s called fishing and not catching! There were no bites whatsoever. However it was an excellent and very professional excursion. There were 2 other people on the boat plus a captain and first mate. David loved it. That night we ate at La Terrazza. Caprese salad for both of us, Cacio e Pepe for me and a different pasta dish for him. Everything excellent. The pasta cooked perfectly al dente. Dessert was limoncello. The last day was a sea day and packing day. Dinner was with our trivia team at Atlantide. A very fun evening. I had caviar and scallops. He had tuna and veal chop - everything excellent. We chose the last debark time the next day as we were just picking up a rental car and driving to Palm Beach for lunch with friends. Our debark was delayed as immigration got very backed up so we were asked to stay on the ship. Once we got off the line had cleared and everything went quickly. We had a little bit of a wait for the Avis shuttle bus but once we got to Avis everything went smoothly. After lunch we had a long drive across the State to our home on the Florida West coast. To recap we had a wonderful cruise, met lots of nice people and gave booked t by e same cruise for next Christmas on the Moon. The only difference is that it adds Belize. It will be interesting to see if they drop Roatan. The food for the most part was excellent. Dress by almost everyone was really nice. Lots of tuxes on the 3 formal nights. We have noticed some minor cuts but nothing that would make us switch from Silversea or jump overboard! We will be on the Ray in August from Venice to Athens and mentioned on the Moon next Christmas/New Year.

Sorry I haven’t posted the last few days. I’ve been a bit under the weather. Caught a cold/cough from 2 of our trivia team which zapped me of all energy. Haven’t really eaten anything for 3 days. We had a very nice dinner in Silver Note on the 29th which was about the last time I ate anything substantial. I think I had lobster which was excellent and I think I had tuna - also excellent. David had the Beehive - a strange dish - but he loved it. Can’t remember what else he had. We overnighted in Cartagena and had dinner at Spaccanapoli. We had a sausage pizza. It was very good but I managed one slice. The next day we were in Colon, Panama. We had already canceled our excursion as it left too early and was too long. It was to see the Canal but involved a one and a half hour bus ride and left at 8.00. I wouldn’t have been able to go anyway. We stayed on the ship. We went to La Terrazza for the NYE dinner. I ate an asparagus starter and a risotto. I don’t remember what he ate. We were privileged to be seated next to the Captain’s table. He has family on board for the holidays. The whole party had to move inside to the Panorama Lounge as the weather was frightful - rainy and windy. We went to it but left as it was crowded and very loud. We went to Dolce Vita where they had the chocolate buffet. We didn’t partake. The next day was a sea day. The weather was awful - rain and wind - very choppy seas. I didn’t even eat dinner. Today we are in Roatan, Honduras. Weather is calm and a bit overcast. I woke up this morning feeling much better but decided I shouldn’t go on an excursion. David went. I will probably relax at the pool. Sorry this post is not very exciting but you can’t choose who you associate with and we like our trivia team very much!

Me too! We’re not sexist!

Nah!

He’s waiting for it!

We were booked on a Silversea cruise of Cuba some years ago but then someone (not to be mentioned here) said we couldn’t do that!

I didn’t understand you so I asked the expert (David) who said it would if we got over 10 mph but then the shock absorbers would have quit

Sorry to say we have got something every night and tonight the hazelnut truffles which sadly David can’t eat so I had to eat them all!

We ate again at The Grill last night. The manager very kindly moved the only remaining table to a nice space between two columns and overlooking the pool. It was originally located in a dark corner by the check in desk. He did this without our even asking. I again had a Caesar and David the roasted veggies and mozzarella salad. He again had the filet and I had lamb chops. Of course cooked to perfection by ourselves! We both had baked potatoes fully loaded. This morning I watched the Dawn come into Cartagena and park right next to the Nova. Very cool. Guests on both ships can visit the other ship. We have friends coming over from the Nova. We have sailed on the Nova. They have not seen the Dawn. Today’s excursion was a classic car tour of Cartagena. It was excellent. The cars were all American with their tops taken off so they became convertibles. The car tour took an hour. We also had a walking tour and lunch. Tonight we will eat at Silver Note

No I didn’t but I’m sure you can Google it or look on Trip Advisor. They were classic American cars. Ours was a 1956 Chevrolet Belair. Pictures

Yes they are

I watched our ship come in and park next to yours. Very cool arrival. Our friends can come on our ship from yours. We could go over there but we were on it in September. They haven’t been on the Dawn. Classic car excursion was phenomenal.

We have a classic car tour with lunch and a short walking tour so hopefully no problems

It will probably be smooth on your return to FL. Maybe a bit windy sometimes. We just came from Barbados and will be in Cartagena tomorrow. We have friends on the Nova and are hoping to meet up with them. Enjoying reading your report

Back to the trip report. Boxing Day (day after Christmas) we were in Curaçao. David went on the semi-submersible excursion which he enjoyed. I was suffering from too much food and too many late nights so did not go. After he came back we took the shuttle into town and toured the tourist shops. He bought a tee shirt, I bought a pair of flip flops. To get over this exhausting tour, we stopped for a beer! Willemstad is very pretty with a couple of very interesting bridges. That evening we ate at La Terrazza with one of our trivia team. We both had an eggplant starter. He then had the veal chop and I had a small pesto pasta. We all had limoncello for dessert! Yesterday we were in Aruba where we have been before. Our excursion was on a submarine. We were taken by boat to the submarine. We descended a 12 step ladder to the viewing area where we sat in back to back rows. We saw lots of beautiful fish, shipwrecks, coral and at one point landed on the ocean floor. The whole excursion lasted about two hours. I would highly recommend it. David said it was better than the semi submersible. Last night we ate at Salt and had pre dinner drinks at Salt Bar. We both had fish cakes for starter. He had cod for a main. I had quail. He had cod. My meal was excellent. He found his cod was spoilt by the spicy sauce and he likes spicy food. Today we are at sea and will be in Cartagena tomorrow.

Five star is who we used and they are excellent. There are cheaper options but we have not used them. We did have a long wait for luggage. Half the bags came out. Then there was a long wait for the second half. That was the only downside apart from losing a wheel and a strap on one bag and that can’t be blamed on the airport.

Yesterday there was Bingo as well as Trivia. We played both and came in second in Trivia. Roy asks some tough questions. We joined some of our team for the Gala Dinner in Atlantide. It was excellent and was also served in 2 other restaurants. There were even Christmas crackers on the table. Everyone but me wanted to pull the crackers immediately but as the lone Brit at the table, Mrs. England (as they call me) laid down the law that they couldn’t do that until after the main and before pud (dessert). I was obeyed! I had an asparagus dish for starter, David had foie gras. I then had a small salmon dish and he had ravioli. A sorbet was then served. I never see the point of them. My palate really doesn’t need cleansing! For mains I had lobster tail (of course) and he had traditional turkey. Then we pulled the crackers and put on silly hats! Three of us then asked if we could have a cheese plate instead of dessert which was allowed. It was good but not as good as the one at La Dame. We again had port with it. Again as the lone Brit I was asked to choose between Ruby and Tawny. I chose Ruby. It was excellent. The dress in the evenings continues to be very elegant. I have never seen so many tuxes on formal nights. Today is an underwater excursion to see fish, coral etc. we are in Curaçao.

Sorry I haven’t kept up with the blog. Just been too busy. The first trivia we came in third. Since then we haven’t placed. David came in first at putting but since 2nd. That evening we dined at The Grill. Food was excellent as was service. I had a Caesar salad, David had a roast vegetable and mozzarella salad. He then had a filet and I a strip steak. We both had baked potato and no dessert. The next day we went on. Catamaran and snorkeling excursion in St. Lucia. It was very enjoyable. The port is good with a number of shops. I was able to buy a beach bag which I had forgotten abd he some tee shirts as he hadn’t brought enough. We ate dinner at Kaiseki. It was very good. I had tuna tartare with an Asian twist, I can’t remember what he had. We both had wagyu and lobster tail. The lobster was excellent but the wagyu was a bit gristly. Christmas Eve we were in Bequia. We went on a safari jeep tour which we enjoyed. The highlight for me was the turtle sanctuary as I love turtles. Also baby goats which I also love. Last night we ate at La Dame which was outstanding. We both had caviar, then he had lobster bisque and I had a small bouillabaisse. It was good but not as good as the fish soup I had on Nova in the summer. We then had bass for him and lobster tail for me. (Do you think I like lobster?!😊). We both had the cheese plate which, for those who have posted recently, was excellent. 5 different cheeses perfectly served including a blue. Several types of crackers (not the Jacob’s cream kind). I prefer bread with my cheese so stuck with that. We also had a glass of port with that. Everyone has been beautifully dressed on this cruis. The ship is also beautifully decorated and the crew are all joining in with the spirit of Christmas. Santa arrived a short while ago in the Panarama Lounge. Apparently he came down the funnel!🤣🎅. Today is a sea day so I am off to the pool and will post some more later.

We paid for Fast Track so it was smooth for us through immigration and finally through customs. Our luggage took a long time to arrive and then we had lost a wheel on one suitcase. The woman helping us knew where we should go to report it and helped us with getting a taxi.

It still is. Don’t know who the GS is but will try to find out