GenerationX

Good morning from the Reflection pool deck! It’s a busy day at sea. I’m watching Equinox and Grandeur of the Seas pass us heading back north and it looks like we’re in a race south with Scarlet Lady. It’s a little cool and grey today, but that’s not keeping the crowds from the deck chairs surrounding the completely empty pool. After a short hunt I did find a place to relax near the solarium and I can’t wait to get started on this cruise’s vacation read. There are several servers walking around taking drink orders but I decided to go get my own so that I can keep my blood circulating after breakfast. I didn’t plan to start the day with cocktails but my awesome server at MDR breakfast, Param is a bad influence. 😂 Speaking of breakfast, I know I still owe a report on last night, but so far while it’s not the intimate Luminae/Blu experience and there have been a couple of little drink service hiccups (to be expected first 24 hours of a sold out cruise), I’ve been pretty satisfied with the MDR. This morning the maitre d greeted me by name and coffee and pastry service was almost instant (try the apple danish btw they’re great). When I ordered my Greek yogurt frittata, Param strongly recommended that I start my vacation day with a mimosa and who am I to go against an expert suggestion. When my food came, said mimosa still hadn’t arrived, but Param saw the issue and got it for me himself in less than a minute…and then had the drink server bring me a second one as soon as it got half full to make sure there’d be no more waits for drinks for me. As I was finishing breakfast, Nikola the assistant maitre d was going around to tables and introducing himself and giving everyone his direct phone extension to call with any issues or specialty dining needs. When he found out I was sailing solo, he asked if I might be interested in the last spot for an activity being offered on the last sea day that I’ve never seen on my cruises before. Apparently the ship’s executive chef is going to give a small group cooking class and you get to eat your work product for lunch afterwards. I’ll be sure to report on how it goes. I’m going to read a chapter or 2, then I’ll fill you all in on last night. Agenda for the day is basically reading and relaxing, maybe a little casino time, then tonight I plan to hit world class bar for pre-show happy hour followed by the production show and MDR chic night dinner. Happy SundayFunday from Reflection!

Yikes! Looks like we got out of dodge just in time! Unfortunately we’re short of sunshine this morning out on the Caribbean as well but hopefully the sun breaks through soon. I can confirm that Whispering Angel is back in the premium package but I didn’t see Conundrum on the wine list last night. I’ll check on it at dinner tonight.

Well, well, well…if it isn’t Charla rolling into her stateroom barefoot at 2am covered in sweat with her Jimmy Choo wedges tucked under her armpit… I’ll do a full report in the morning of my evening exploits. In the meantime, I’m getting a little fresh air on my veranda before collapsing. We are making serious knots southward which makes sense given how far we have to go from Fort Lauderdale to the southern Caribbean in just 2 sea days. In Map Dress scale it’s the distance from my hips to my lower thigh. 😂 (Have I mentioned that dry January is no más? lol) Fortunately the seas are incredibly calm so Reflection isn’t rocking much. I’m also grateful that the buffet is closed and there’s no pizza on the room service menu anymore or I’d definitely be spending like $15 right now (non-suite room service charges and tip) for a mediocre (MSC wins by a mile when it comes to pizza, sorry Celebrity) Italian carb lullaby that would make its way promptly to take up semi permanent residence on said thighs. Sweet dreams from off the coast of Cuba!

I’m so sorry for the loss of your husband. It’s absolutely disgusting that you were treated that way. When I sail solo I’m often shocked at how complete strangers seem to think it’s their business to cross examine me as to why a woman would dare to be enjoying herself without a man.

Thank you so much for your wonderful Seashore vs Ascent comparison! I agree with so many of your observations. I’m sad that I missed the Ascent sailing with so many of my favorite CC people on it. I really hope our cruising paths cross again very soon!

I’ve just finished unpacking in my basic veranda stateroom. This was the last veranda left on the ship when we booked so we didn’t really have any choice on where we are. But 9215 is well located near the aft elevators. It may be my mind playing tricks but it also seems to me to have a larger veranda than usual. It is sort of on a hump so maybe it’s a little deeper? I honestly feel like I have more veranda space here than we did in our suite on Beyond. Knowing I’d be losing some of my suite luxuries, I preemptively prepared a few things to BYO modern luxury. I knew without butler service getting a 24 hour turn on complimentary pressing (elite plus perk) of my chic night gown for tomorrow would be tough, so my gown for first chic night is one that doesn’t show wrinkles as much and I can steam out easily on a hanger next to the hot running shower. I can’t even with the thin, itchy robes in basic verandas, so l sacrificed some luggage space and packed my comfy plush cotton Ugg one from home. I live on starting and ending the day with plenty of ice cold water and knew I’d be sans both ice bucket and butler to refill it regularly, so I packed some of my big tumblers so I can fill them myself with ice water each morning and then stick them in the mini fridge and have ice water always available in the room. I also bought a $2 pack of extra hangers and brought them along for my extensive wardrobe since there was no retreat preference form to request them in advance (and in non-suites it’s been a coin toss as to how soon I’d be able to meet my stateroom attendant and request them). Well, I think it’s about time to get ready for dinner. Usually my S class first night tradition is Murano, but the MDR menu tonight actually looks pretty good and I decided to sign up for a night of Chef’s Table (something Jeremy’s not really into), so I think I’ll dine more simply to start and save a little onboard spending budget. Talk to you all in a few!

For my first few hours onboard I was thinking “wow, this really doesn’t feel like a sold out ship”. Then I got to the sunset bar. Holy crowds, Batman! The bartenders are really hustling to put out drinks though and it seems like most passengers have packed their patience. For the first time in all my cruises I’m also beginning to wonder if I’ll still come out ahead having booked the beverage package. I completely underestimated how much of a dive my lawyer caliber alcohol tolerance would take after over a month of temperance. After a martini and 2 glasses of champagne at lunch, I needed to take a break lest I become THAT passenger. Fortunately I discovered this yummy non-alcoholic peach mule mocktail on the sunset bar menu. I’ll stick to these till sail away and then I should be back in fighting shape by unpacking and dinner time. I’ll be sure to report on other good mocktail options as I find them around the ship.

Hello from onboard Reflection! It’s a very busy day at Port Everglades today. I think I saw at least 6 ships in port and traffic getting in was nasty. It looked like the lines to get into the parking garages were even worse. Reflection is docked at Terminal 29 today since her younger sister Apex is at fancy T25. I was a little nervous about embarkation both with Jeremy being a no show and not being in retreat, but I worried needlessly. I arrived a little before my 12:30 check in time and was waved right into the terminal entrance without a pass or passport check. Security, xpress pass scan and boom, on the ship within 10 minutes. No hardcore questioning about Jeremy (I simply explained we had an emergency and he couldn’t sail and the lady checking me in typed something on her iPad then waved me on) and no sitting in a waiting room to board. Pro tip: before you get to port, be sure to either have a printout of your xpress pass or take a screenshot of it on your phone. When I got to the terminal the Celebrity app picked that moment to freeze up on me, but it didn’t slow me down because I never trust technology and had both a printout and screenshot for scanning. I’ve sailed on Reflection once before but it was a LONG time ago. In fact, I think she was Jeremy and I’s first S class ship. She hasn’t been through her full refurb like her sisters and it’s bringing back great memories. Recently back in the game wine lover that I am, I was so excited to see that Cellar masters is still here 🙌🏾 After boarding I stopped by the room to drop off my rolling suitcase and get my seapass card then went to guest services to put some cash on my onboard account. I was shocked that at half past noon on a sold out cruise, there was ZERO line at guest services. After that was taken care of I went to the specialty dining desk by the elevator on deck 3 to make a lunch reservation for The Porch (for some reason Celebrity doesn’t let you book this restaurant in advance in the cruise planner, but it’s small and fills up quickly). That was about as long as I could resist the siren song of shakers rattling a deck above at the martini bar and went to grab my absolute favorite: the French 75 martini (also not a thing at martini bar on E class, boo). Since there’s no Luminae lunch for me, I enjoyed my first meal onboard at Sushi on 5. Looking at the menu I was relived to see that on this ship at least Celebrity has seen reason and put Decoy back in the premium beverage package. Though there are a few dishes I enjoy, on the whole I like the food at Sushi on 5 on S class more than Raw on 5 on E class and it was a very happy reunion. I greeted the shrimp tempura udon as an old friend and consumed it gladly. When I got my check (Sushi on 5 is a la carte pricing) I was pleased to see that my elite plus speciality dining discount had automatically been applied. I’m off to check in at my muster station and then hang out at the sunset bar until sailaway. So far, this unexpectedly solo cruise is off to a great start even though I didn’t spend over 10K retreat prices for it. Cheers from Reflection! 🥂

Apparently I’m not the only one in the GenX family having a best life morning…Jeremy just texted me this pic from his trout fishing season opening day exploits, then I was perusing my Facebook feed and saw this post on my mom’s account of Gen Z…eating a donut ice cream sundae for breakfast…out in public wearing pajamas and a set of unicorn ears…where was this super fun, anything goes, parenting approach when I WAS BEING RAISED????

It is a GORGEOUS day to sail away here in Fort Lauderdale! I started the morning with coffee and a few more work projects listening to the ocean waves by the pool. I’ve just checked out but my car won’t be here for another half hour so the bell team is holding my bags while I Chandon rose’ away at the pool bar enjoying the sunshine and ocean breeze. This morning as I was heating up my fried rice breakfast and realizing I forgot to ask for a plastic fork or chopsticks, I went through the drawers of the kitchenette in my suite and found not only silverware but pretty much everything else you could want including dishes, glassware and electric kettle for tea and a toaster. For those who don’t already know the story of the map dress, I found and bought this dress for a cruise that never happened. It was a sailing on Infinity scheduled for April…of 2020…I thought about cancelling the dress order when the cruising industry, and the world, turned upside down. But then I decided no, I’d still get the dress and I’d wear it to start the first day of every international trip I’d get to go on once the world was a better place again. Putting it on always reminds me just how lucky I am, even when things are down in life, to have the health, means and ability to travel and collect new memories of the world beyond my hometown. Luggage tags are applied, I’ve completed my health questionnaire and safety video in the app and I’m ready to sail. Next time you hear from me I’ll be on Reflection!

Reporting in from the deep depths of my bed, which by the way is incredibly comfortable, after my dinner at Takato (the Japanese restaurant at the Conrad). First of all, as far as ambience, if you’re sensory/neurodivergent, or just someone looking for a peaceful, relaxed dinner atmosphere this may not be your spot. The restaurant is gorgeous, but LOUD. Bumping club music, echoing walls and floors, and a team of about a half dozen sushi chefs working who all shout the traditional Japanese sushi house greeting at the top of their lungs when a table gets seated. Also if you plan to go, reservations are probably a good idea. When I arrived, the hostess was telling people without reservations it would be a 90 minute wait for a table. I was actually about 20 minutes early for my reservation but the hostess told me if I didn’t mind sitting inside (I didn’t), she could seat me right away. I started out with a pretty good miso soup and a beautiful seaweed salad. But main course is where ship got real. I decided to spoil myself and order something that I’ve always wanted to try but have never had: A5 wagyu beef. At this restaurant it’s served raw with a hot stone for self searing and a plate of seasonings. My sever was asked me if I’d like her to prep it for me the way that she likes to eat it (response: yes please). She asked me about my preferred serving temp (anything other than rare for this meat masterpiece should be a federal offense) and then rubbed the carmelized onion over the hot stone for a few seconds to sweat out some of its flavor on to the stone, then quickly seared each piece of meat and then had me sprinkle it with just a dash of sea salt. Those like 3 ounces of meat cost as much as a 20oz bone in ribeye at a good steakhouse in STL l, but to me it was Worth. Every. Dime. I am officially ruined for beef. If I’m ever framed for murder and have to pick a last meal before capital punishment, I’m ordering a plate full of A5 and a glass of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and the taxpayers better pony up. I feel so bad for Tuscan Grille steak on this cruise. They have not been dealt a fair hand having to follow this beef. Fortunately that reservation isn’t until like night 6, so perhaps by then my palate’s memory of this bovine manna from heaven will have faded some. At least I hope so. The fried rice was also delicious but a huge amount. It’s definitely enough for splitting if you’re getting it as a side. I took the rest of mine back with me in a box and I think I’ll do as the Indonesians do and have fried rice for breakfast tomorrow. Continuing the massive portion theme was dessert: a strawberry cheesecake bingu shaved ice which was just meh until I took my server’s recommendation and let her bring some warm chocolate sauce to drizzle over it. Then it was like having a chocolate covered strawberry slushie. I think the only other critique I’d have about the meal would be service pace. I was seated a little after 8pm and didn’t finish until 10:30. During our time in Italy Jeremy and I came to enjoy a more leisurely dining pace together, but when it was just me sitting there solo with no one to talk to, those 2+ hours really dragged. On my way back to my room I noticed a condo development ad in the hotel elevator. Jeremy and I have occasionally talked about retiring to a condo in Fort Lauderdale one day because there’s no sub zero temps, less taxes, none of the chores and maintenance that fill hours of our day and we’d be cruise adjacent. But then I see this and considering we paid under $200K for our 3 bedroom 2 bath house with finished basement on 12 acres, a studio condo starting at half a million is a tough pill to swallow, even considering it’s beachfront property prices. Well, I think it’s time to doze off to a true crime documentary. Sweet dreams from the Conrad and I’ll talk to everyone on embarkation day!

Well guys, my vacation has kicked off with a great deal of hermitage and sloth. But I guess if you’re going to be a lazy hermit, poolside at a beachfront 4 star hotel is the place to do it. My plan to go out for lunch was quickly waylaid when I got settled on my patio and one of the pool servers Kaine immediately came over with a smile, handed me a cold bottled water and asked if he could get me anything else to drink while I was working. Poolside beverages at the Conrad do not come cheap at all. In fact you think Celebrity’s wine mark ups are bad? This place has the nerve to charge $185 for a bottle of veuve yellow label before tax and tip! I found the hack though. There are several cocktails on the menu that can be ordered in this big shaker. The shaker costs $52 for the first one and $42 for each refill. 1 shaker had about 3-4 glasses worth of cocktail in it that they sell for $20 per glass. The shaker is yours to keep and the refill discount is valid for multiple days and multiple stays, so I’ll remember to pack it if Gen Z and I decide to cruise out of FLL and stay here this summer. In the meantime it’ll be useful for bulk mixed beverages at our hot tub and pool at home too. The blueberry lemonade spiked with vodka was nice and tart and went down way too easy. By the time I was halfway through my shaker, I didn’t want to go anywhere, so Kaine brought me a lobster quesadilla (good, but a bit more lobster at $28 would've been nice) and an order of chips and guacamole. After lunch, I decided it was time for a good long nap. I woke up just in time to watch a couple of cruise ships sail out from Port Everglades, then wandered over to the pool bar for the happy hour special of a very good, but very small, $10 white sangria to enjoy in a slightly lime green bubble bath (I checked the FLL Reddit page and found confirmation that this is in fact a regular occurrence and the water is perfectly safe…plus I spend most of my summer sitting chest deep in Missouri rivers anyway so I can’t really become a water snob now). Jeremy and I had a reservation tonight for Trulucks seafood to have some stone crab and split a seafood tower, but I wasn’t feeling up to doing that solo, so I asked the hotel concierge (who texted me in the afternoon to make sure all was going ok with the stay and ask if I needed anything) to help with canceling and getting me a reservation at the hotel Japanese restaurant instead. After my 8:30 dinner I plan to make the short trip right back to the room to watch a little Netflix, fill out my luggage tags and get ready for embarkation day!

Thank you very much for the heads up on the cave. Im used to caves near where I live that are chilly inside and was planning on layering warm clothing. You really saved me from sweating! Ive never done the elite breakfast but think I’ll be trying it out this cruise. On our 10 night beyond cruise this fall I sadly realized that I’ve gotten to the age where my metabolism can no longer bounce back well from a week or more straight of starting the day with heavy breakfasts.

Oh yes, we’re gonna be BFF’s by the end of the cruise. I can tell already. 😂

Hello from Fort Lauderdale! Other than about 20 minutes of turbulence (that was so bad the captain came on and told the flight attendants to take their seats immediately) our flight down was pretty smooth and my in-flight breakfast burrito wasn’t too bad. I did go ahead and order a screwdriver with it and I probably should’ve told the flight attendant when I ordered that I was just coming off dry January. As you can see from the color of the cocktail in the photo, it was NOT mixed for beginners. We landed in Miami about 15 minutes early and my bags were some of the first off the carousel. I’m a little nervous as one of them came out halfway unzipped. I’ll do a through inventory once I get settled in, but I never put anything really important or valuable in my checked bags (designer attire and accessories, jewelry, meds and of course the map dress always ride in my carryon), so if anything’s missing it’ll be more of an annoyance than anything else. This is probably a good time to talk about pre-cruise hotel. Since we went budget class for our room on the ship, I decided to splurge a little for our pre-cruise hotel this time and booked us at the Conrad on Fort Lauderdale beach. We’ve never stayed here before but hotel started making a good impression before we ever set foot in the state of Florida. On Monday, I got an email from the hotel concierge introducing herself and asking if there was anything she could assist with for our stay. She mentioned that the hotel has a connection and special rates for car service and offered to arrange any transportation we needed for us. I decided it’d be a nice change from standing around waiting for an Uber and asked her to book us a car from MIA to the hotel and from the hotel to port the next morning. Within half an hour she responded to my email with confirmation of our car service and was able to add the fees to our room folio (so I think I’ll earn honors points for it too which is nice because I have like bare minimum Hilton status right now). When I got to the baggage carousel at FLL, a driver in a suit and tie was waiting with our name on a sign. He got my checked bags from the belt for me while I went to freshen up quickly and then carried all my luggage out to a spotless clean Escalade stocked with phone charging cables and cold bottled waters for the drive! When we got to the hotel I was greeted by a very friendly bell attendant who unloaded my bags and directed me to check in. It was about 10:30am so I wasn’t expecting to have a room ready yet, but the front desk let me know that the concierge (who had our flight info for arranging the transfers and new we’d be there early) knew we’d be pretty early and had arranged for a suite to be ready for an early check in! This suite is ridiculous…I think it’s bigger than my first apartment and it’s definitely cleaner and better decorated. I was excited that this hotel has the room type I really like at the Hyatt centric where you have a walk out directly onto the pool with a private patio. I did find this note by the bathtub interesting though…before I draw myself a bath tonight, is there anyone following who lives in the FLL area and can confirm whether it’s true that it’s no big deal that the tap water is yellow? My bags were delivered to the room about 2 minutes after I got here. As he was unloading them, the bellman pointed out all the features of the room and the hours for pool and beachfront in-seat service. He also mentioned that if I’m a morning person, the hotel offers complimentary beachfront yoga every morning at 7:30 (we’ll see if that happens…sleeping in and breakfast in bed also sounds pretty appealing). I have to say, this hotel is almost double what’s usually the top of my budget for a pre-cruise stay in FLL, but I’m already considering making this our new go-to…sorry Hyatt…I have no clue where I’m going to trim fat elsewhere in the cruise budget to afford it (I’m not giving up flying first class so don’t even suggest it), but the finances will figure themselves out I’m sure. 😂 I’m going to take care of a few end of week work loose ends while enjoying the 70 degree temps sitting on my patio then I think I may venture out for some lunch. If I remember correctly from last time Jeremy and I explored the beach a few years ago, there’s a pretty good Mexican place in this neighborhood and I’m kinda craving tacos.

Oh now there’s an idea! Next year I’m definitely just doing damp January instead! 😂 An entire month cruise sounds amazing! What line and itinerary are you doing?

Thank you for the tip! I am ALWAYS up for a little shopping. 😂. I’ll be sure to check out the boutique. This time I even left weight and space in one of my checked bags to bring home some new outfits.

Can’t wait to meet you! Safe travels!

It’s a still dark and early morning here at STL. When Jeremy dropped me off at 4am, the airport was already surprisingly busy. Apparently our flight to MIA is overbooked and as I was waiting to board they were asking for volunteers to take a later flight. The standby list also had about 20 people on it. So much for my hope that I might get to fly with extra space with Jeremy’s seat empty. 🤷🏽‍♀️ Our first class flight attendant just came through for pre-departure beverage service and several people got bloody Mary’s that looked really good, but I figured it’s a bad idea to go from zero to drinking hard alcohol at 5am in a day. I’m sticking to water for now but I may indulge in a cocktail with breakfast service later. It looks like great weather to fly (always a toss up in February in Missouri), we’re boarding on time and if all continues to go smoothly (fingers crossed) we’ll be wheels up in 20 minutes!

You totally should have booked and came along! That would have been the best live review plot twist ever! You’re right, my guy is 100% irreplaceable. Nobody ruin the surprise, but with all this, I got online last night and upgraded our room for our March resort vacation to the top level suite on the property. I figured since he’s missing this one, I should treat him to his next vacation really being in style!

I actually opened the bottle about 11:45 so that it could breathe a bit and then paced around complaining to Jeremy how bad it stinks that we don’t live in Italy because dry January had already been over in Rome for hours!

Well, that’s it, it’s official. Winter 2024 is the absolute, complete, WORST. As I was finishing my (delicious) pre-spa breakfast at the Four Seasons this morning, I got a text message. Since we booked this trip so last minute, our usual house sitter who we LOVE wasn’t available. So we went with someone we know but haven’t used before but had glowing references from a couple of our friends. Unfortunately he was texting to cancel on us due to a serious illness in the family. Especially given the December we had, we have total sympathy for what he and his family are going through. But as you can imagine, the following half hour of texts and phone calls with Jeremy was not our finest half hour of keep calm and carry on. To give some context, we have 4 dogs and 4 cats. Boarding them for 10 days would cost more than the cruise and put some of them through horrific stress (they’re rescues and have residual kennel trauma). We also have hens, rabbits, parakeets and a bearded dragon all of whom require daily care by someone who is experienced with handling them. In other words, animal care at our house is a full time job. Because we live in a rural area, we also aren’t comfortable leaving our house unattended for days at a time. In other words, finding someone to just stop by a couple of times a day isn’t really an option. Nor is hiring a complete stranger on 24 hours notice to live in our home with our babies for a week. After racking our brains on who among our friends and family might be able, skilled enough and willing to drop everything tomorrow and run our farm for a week and coming up with blanks, I said the words I’ve always feared having to say “I guess we’ll have to cancel the cruise.” I started to pull up our annual travel insurance policy on my phone and scan through it but I was already pretty sure that “house sitter fell through” is not a covered reason for cancellation. Then Jeremy said absolutely not, that I’ve been in worse shape and need this time away more than he does and that he is staying home to take care of things and I am to go to the ocean and start healing my heart and mind…I really wish it wasn’t too late to go back and edit the part of my intro post where I called this Incredible man a tyrant. 😭 Of course then I started panicking about whether with Celebrity’s crazy recent solo pricing scheme, I’m going to end up getting charged like 2K more for the cruise when I show up Saturday without Jeremy. But I did a dummy booking for our cruise (BTW apparently there’s a couple of inside staterooms and a sky suite that have opened up if anyone in the FLL area wants to come sail with me last minute!) and it looks like the solo pricing for our cruise does NOT have the over 200% charge. So we’re not saving any money by him not being there. I’m just finishing up at the spa then I’m going to go take Jeremy out for a nice big steak and a big glass of good bourbon to thank him for being the most amazing husband in the world. If anyone has suggestions on what to buy in the ABC islands for a man who sacrificed his vacation for his wife, please share! I just can’t believe this, this cruise is going to be so different from everything I planned. I love a good solo cruise, but I’m struggling a bit to handle getting one by surprise.

Thank you!!!! Oh yes I was VERY careful not to let this cruise overlap dry January. I consider myself a pretty dedicated person but I wasn’t even about to test my resolve against the martini bar! 😂 Yeah, since they pulled the gratuities and OBC out of it, the “all inclusive” pricing seems like it’s rarely much of a deal these days. Worst case if a flash sale had never come along, I would’ve booked our wifi and beverage right before the 48 hour cutoff with the cruise planner 20% pre cruise discount (or if that went away, my Elite Plus discount) and it wouldn't have been that much more than the all inclusive price. I was willing to risk that small amount more for the potential to save much more in a flash sale. I will be sure to give thorough reports on World Class Bar cocktails and Hato cave!

You’ll be on the Ascent cruise that we passed on for this one! We came so close to sailing together. Have a great cruise! If you go to Eden and/or Le Voyage, please share food pics so that I can envy you from across the Caribbean Sea.

It is half past midnight in America’s central time zone which means my dry January is officially over!!!! I have tomorrow off work for a full day of spa treatments, so I decided to stay up late tonight to finish up some work projects and do my packing before Jeremy and his suitcases get in the way. Before I hit the hay it seems like the perfect time to enjoy my first glass of wine in a month…a celebration worthy of opening a bottle out of our special occasion wine fridge I think. Jeremy and I will drink the rest tomorrow night to really kick off vacation. While I’m sipping, a bit about our plans for the cruise… Since we’re on the subject let’s talk first about beverage package. Since we aren’t in retreat where the premium package is included, it made more financial sense to book at the no perks rate and then wait and see if Celebrity did a sale on wifi and beverage package. I don’t know if it’s true pattern or coincidence but I’ve noticed a few times now that not long after the “countdown clock” of cruise rate offers gets to zero, a flash sale on onboard amenities starts. This proved true a few days ago as we were able to book our wifi at 40% off and drink package at 30% off. Our ports for this cruise are Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. I did these ports during a solo cruise a couple of years ago but this will be Jeremy’s first time. One of the great things about an ABC islands itinerary is that the ship tends to have pretty long days in port so you get lots of time to experience the islands. One bummer of having booked so close to sailing on a sold out ship is that a lot of the better Celebrity excursions were already booked up. But since we didn’t get as much OBC to spend with our booking as we have in the past, booking excursions through Celebrity wasn’t as critical. In Aruba, our plan is to stay onboard till after lunch to take advantage of a quieter ship, then go into port and do some shopping (me) and gambling (Jeremy) then since we have a late all aboard, we’ll have dinner at a beach restaurant that a friend of mine who’s a regular Aruba vacationer recommended. In Bonaire, we’ve booked an independent snorkeling excursion and lunch cruise with a company that I saw on social media that has great reviews. For Curacao, we’re going to go into port and walk around in the morning but then Jeremy is going to have to spend a good chunk of the day virtually attending a manager training for work. While he’s doing that, I took the last spot left on an excursion to visit Hato caves and Mambo Beach. We’ll be dining at all of the specialty restaurants but are also looking forward to seeing first hand how the main dining room experience is these days. Well I think it’s time for me to get some sleep so I’m not snoring during my massage tomorrow morning. One more day till wheels up for MIA!