VintageCheap

We peeked in the window. There was a desk person, and the bar was in the back alcove and did not seem open always?

The bad news - 35 knot winds and three meter seas all the way back to Miami. The good news - 150 miles left so just five knots are required. Should be a gentle ride, like a heavy deep draft sailboat. A good night to be down in Steerage on Deck Two. Some grumbling about missing Bimini. That is a calm wind and seas stop. The Sunset Vegetable Hotpot was good after deep fried lunch ashore. They had a coddled egg this morning - also nice. The dessert bar called. We did not answer. The Quartet Time Trippers are good for dancing. Sad the cruise is ending.

I did notice the updated music. Could the Fleetwide Menus be next?

The cushions seem in decent shape. The hot sun on black fabric cannot be good. And some have been lost to high wind up there. Pro Tip: On sailboats, bolster cushions have 18 inch rear straps and marine brass plated snaps. Skip the hook and loop tape. We stopped at Concierge - can a guest sit in a 3rd floor meeting room to read at say 0500 to escape the multiple conflicting sources (not making this up) of piped in music? She said probably- they are in use during business hours. We walked by but did not again sample the High Tea goodies. Bits of rain now but a nice day. The British Colonial got a coat of paint but a lovely feature- the thatched beach umbrellas- are gone. The reported Soft Open this week is delayed. The idea Nassau is unsafe for cruise guests is incorrect.

We were the first into Nassau. I can sit in this port and watch the ships all day. The new cruise terminal is nice and safe. And you can go a few blocks beyond to the new water park / beach and public beach area. We went toward Atlantis on Bay Street. The Green Parrot is in a marina and had two things I could not find on the ship- Conch and Buffalo Chicken. It has a local /Island vibe.

Nice. The mood aboard is chill. You will be glad for the library for some peace from the bouncy piped in music. She is a good sea ship. And lots of band options. And somebody needs to keep an eye on Abdul for us. 🙂

Not surprising. I met Andres so can ask him. We got a call to be sure to visit the MDR. Lunch was fine, service a bit scattered. Dinner was good and service also. They do well on soups and fish. More menu options would be nice. The house band was loud and fast. We got in a dance or two with the Duo. The ship gets another drydock for pool area and other touch up. Summit feels slightly more jolly aboard than Connie. I saw quite a few crew from Africa. Those economies there are in rough shape. A few contracts and crew get world class hotel operations training. Good on a resume. This seems very positive for crew and the lines. Very gusty storm/gale force cross wind and a narrow channel at Bimini. Case closed. Radar is a good invention at sea in storms. Toast Event. No actual toast was served 🙂

After 15 days in Steerage so far, what are the cutbacks we should be watching for?

New plan. Dock closed. Sea day today, Nassau tomorrow, sea day Friday. Six foot plus seas, six -seven Beuforts + rain now. No doubt a scramble in the galley - 1000 more for lunch 🙂

I have done this myself. The wind app /forecast/eyeball is favorable but did not consult the weather radar. Oops- big front coming and fast across our path. Serious wind gusts, we are headed back out.

I read the wine price thread. Might be over the pay grade of the onboard team. One idea from the thread - is there an off list supply aboard? I can try to ask. Decision time on docking off Bimini. We are getting a little help from the island on the 3' waves. The channel is narrow, but there are no whitecaps and more like 1-2 footers by the pier. He paused a bit but is backing in. Forecast is 5' dropping to 4'. 🙂

Hint of wind and weather ahead from our Captain. The dock in Bimini is open to the sea.

Storms in the area. On the Summit, The Captain just said on the PA to expect strong winds later on our run Key West to Bimini and hinted there may be "an update." And "the safest place is at sea." This is a hint that docks and harbors are usually not the best in storms. The pier at Bimini is IMHO based on last time exposed to seas and not in a bay. Tendering in high winds/seas is unsafe and you risk stranding passengers ashore.

Does anyone remember scones appearing in the buffet at 3:30?

Key West was good again. And not 95F. We took the free city bus to the Southernmost Beach Cafe. Where you are on the beach. Yummy food as always. We walked over to the marina area. So leave the ship, go straight and gently left. Lots of nice yacht harbor bars on the docks or nearby. Most opened at 1130. The menus looked good. If it is beach wear shopping you seek, Key West is the place. We stocked up on flag belts and sun hats. Back aboard, the updated cabin layout is amazing. Note there is just one hand towel bar, and the right hand bedside light switch is too far to reach from bed. The deck plan has an error- the promenade deck is on the sides only and does not include the bow.

Scones were observed in Sunset at 3:30 exactly....

So the good news - the updated areas are nice. The bad news- the library has poofed. It is a bank of new inside cabins now. The iCafe has moved to three. It may not (and the meeting areas on three) be a refuge from piped in music. The passenger vibe is way different. This is a five day cruise. Not many kids, but more first timers. More energy certainly. Wine prices are up vs. Connie. A guess is beverage sales are up 🙂

Our room, on the same floor, two, was updated. More outlets, and good changes.

We liked the Indigo and Brickell area of Miami. The hotel has a cute rear patio/pool. Breakfast was good. Room windows opened which I like. Back in the day we liked the Mariott South Beach. Boarding was effort and largely line less. The Sunset Grill seemed updated vs the Connie. Some key food groups were found. PIzza can be ruined by not being hand tossed. Not here. No stage in Reflections.

One of my favorite "Live From" bloggers @MeganGC1983over on the Carnival board is a hard act to follow. She is a good writer, but flies in or drives in day of departure, and maxes out the beverage package. I am too old for both of those activities. We were in Florida for a lovely cruise on the Connie and just got back. 12 days is nice, 14 is better. I was of course cruise shopping based on price and spotted this run- excellent ship and ports and $249 Ocean View. I was able to find decent one way flights back, and waited until we got to Tampa to cancel the back half of our cheap round trip tickets. Airlines hate this but I was surprised to get half our fares back. The idea was to rent a car at the Tampa port and drive down. Avis was 15 cars short due to late returns. Hertz filed police reports on these - I get why 🙂 Anyhow we made it, and are at the lovely and hip Hotel Indigo. Dinner was yummy - hand made pizza (note the correct lack of a uniform 1/2 inch layer of cheese) and appetizers from Venezuela. The chef was so surprised to get an order he came out to see us. Indigo Hotels are required to serve up to date locally inspired food but people assume it is 1987 hotel cuisine. Speaking of 1987 we missed the memo to pay extra to be on a newer ship.

Yes. Larger tenders, calm seas snd using two gangways at once can speed things up. Speaking of prices, we did miss the large duty free mall in Colon.

All in all a relaxing 12 days. CBP was a little backed up but we were out and about by 0930. The next task- off to Miami for another cruise, this time on the Summit tomorrow. The NCL Jade is in port with us. A similar ship, one that has earned high ratings also despite not being new and shiny. Abdul says to say hi to the F&B Director on the Summit 🙂

https://www.celebritycruises.com/blog/closed-loop-cruise

This ship is a cut above Radiance Class. More like a world cruise liner. Quieter and less crowded.

Sea days are supposed to be chill. They are. We have decided breakfast aboard is just right. The basic food groups are well represented - waffles, poached eggs, cruise line rolls, etc. The Corporate Menus are otherwise in need of updates. A tray of such rolls needs to appear earlier each morning somehow. So 0530 or 0600. Requests were the ticket for the Lucky Band. We got the snack mix sorted. A better grade of NA beer was reported to be aboard. Odouls is just nasty. Some item will soon appear on ice 🙂 Cozumel is low key. Palm trees are a plus. A guess is they are not upset at overtourism. Sunset Bar continues to impress.