mac_tlc

My wife had it and enjoyed it. mac_tlc

I’m on Ascent now in a SS, but it’s only Day 2 so too early to draw conclusions. I’ll go into a bit more detail on my “Live” thread later in the week and try to compare/contrast with our previous SS sailings and give our expectations and results. mac_tlc

Here is the Celebrity Today for Day 2:

Dinner was at Luminae last night. We were seated in a two-top table looking out over the bow. For those not familiar with Luminae on Beyond/Ascent, the restaurant is shaped like a hockey stick. (Go Bruins!) The entrance is down by the handle and we were seated at the end by the blade. For about 30 minutes we had a great view before it got dark. Here is the menu: Our waiter stated that all the classics are available. Caesar sales, escargot, onion soup, shrimp cocktail for apps. Chicken breast, salmon, ny sirloin as entrees. I went with the French onion soup (a nightly event) and crispy kale salad with the duck breast. I don’t think I eat kale anywhere but in this salad but it is really delicious. Frankly, anything with pine nuts is a winner. This was the first time having the duck and it was quite good. Not at all fatty. It was cooked medium and had a pepper-crust which was also good. I would definite order it again. We are not big fans of the desserts, ale hop ugh we certainly try to be 😜. Ended up with vanilla ice cream and the cheese plate. To address a question raised earlier —- the menu is the pretty much the same as it was on Beyond last spring. We are not in a rush to finish dinner when on a cruise so I am not the best source of timing —- whether rushed service or slow service. Dessert took a bit longer than usual to arrive but overall we were there about 1.5 hours. For us, that’s fine. We have enough 30 minute dinners when at home. mac_tlc

I have certainly heard many comments on the E-class chairs. Right now I am on my balcony and the chair is pretty good! The table is ridiculous but I’m comfortable staring out at the ocean and the HAL Nieuw Amsterdam. My wife’s major chair issue is that they are low. She has some lower back issues that are not fond of a low seat! I am here to report that the chairs at Cafe alBacio are wonderful 😂😂. mac_tlc

Still quite windy this morning. Seas were rocking a bit yesterday, we have never been bothered by it but you could definitely feel it. I met up with some friends we met on Beyond last year in the Retreat Lounge before sailaway. So nice to chat with folks we have met before! As I mentioned in an earlier post we like to eat early so at 5:30 we headed to the Retreat Lounge for a snack and a drink. It was fairly crowded as is to be expected on day 1 at that time. After a few minutes, I went to the bar to grab a drink . Woodford rye on the rocks. Good. Our usual snack has been the “homemade” chips and glazed nuts (usually vary every night). Here is the first minor noticeable cutback—- Those are Lays chips and Planters peanuts. We will see if the selection changes. The other items available were as it has been in the past. Next up - Dinner at Luminae Mac_tlc

Same as we had on Beyond last spring, except there was a lounger on Beyond. Although tbh, the lounger was sideways and not that useful unless you wanted to stare at the balcony divider. mac_tlc

I’ll take a closer look as we go along, but lunch today and tonight’s menu look the same as on the Beyond last spring.

Here is our balcony :

The lunch menu is different each day at Luminae. Lunch on embarkation day and sea days only. According to the app, lobster roll is at lunch on day 7.

Sailaway is 3:30. Here is the Celebrity Today for Day 1: Evening Chic nights are 2 & 6. mac_tlc

Excellent lunch at Luminae. Good to see Petre the maitre’d and Marianna the hostess .. Menu: I had the Luminae burger. Came out perfect and hot. And a couple of Bourbon and peaches..😏😏.

Well we made it on board! Waiting to head up to Luminae for lunch. Here is a timeline of our morning: Leave Orlando 6:45 At Terminal 25 10:08 Car return 10:16 Back at Terminal 25 10:36 Through Retreat entry doors10:49 A Retreat Lounge 10:50 Check in with agent 10:54 Onboard 11:01 Muster completed 11:11 mac_tlc

And here is the lovely young lady….. We should be leaving for PE in about 15 minutes. The obligatory Dunkin’ stop and onward we go. Next post —- onboard !! mac_tlc

Unfortunately we did not get the move-up😞. Ona brighter note. Here are some pic from last years Flower and Garden Festival.

We are not wine drinkers so the latest issue with pricing dome wines above the premium package limit does not directly affect us, although the idea of it bothers me. Happen to be at Sam’s club this afternoon and saw these. Sure doesn’t seem like a glass on Celebrity should cost more than a bottle. If I did drink it, I would certainly bring my own —— ahh that’s luxury!!! mac_tlc

I got my official “your move-up bid was unsuccessful” e-mails. We put in a “borderline strong” bid on a CS but no dice. When we put it in, there were 13 CS’s available. Was probably our best shot is actually stay in one, certainly can’t swing retail prices. mac_tlc

Thanks Charla! Food and Wine is definitely calling your name!!! We usually check out the Disney Food blog web site. www.Disneyfoodblog.com They have all the menus for the pop-up kitchens as soon as Disney releases them. mac_tlc

I absolutely love runway-facing hotel rooms !!!! mac_tlc

We have the “Pixie” pass which has weekends and major holidays blacked out, but it’s also the cheapest at about $429. mac_tlc

Well, the sailing date in the title is January 21st. You could have waited until that date to hop onboard. Anyway, good to have you here and the ship review will start about 11am tomorrow. mac_tlc

And so, we headed home after an enjoyable day at the International Festival of the Arts. As we were leaving at about 7, a ton of folks were just coming in. Festival Friday nights are quite popular! Lots of packing to do tomorrow and finishing our check in. Going to be “Florida-chilly” at a high of about 57. mac_tlc

It’s a cocktail, from Luminae although you can get it in the Lounge and maybe other places:

Just for kicks I priced out the train . If you go with the lower class of service it’s cheaper, but there are also other trains that are more expensive. Granted it’s only two days to travel day and if we were to do it we would reserve it a long time ago. Unfortunately they don’t include an Uber to the airport in Orlando like they do for many other places when you book the premium fare. mac_tlc

We thought about it, but since we are in Orlando for three days pre cruise and three days post cruise, we need a rental car anyway. Plus we have a wheelchair so having our own car is convenient. Plus the train would have been $600 round trip for the higher service option. mac_tlc