It's Time for a CELEBRATION!!! (with pics) - April 16th 2023

[Jamman54]

Day # 6  -  (4/21/23)  -  Fun Day at Sea # 2. 

 

We were up at 7am to a beautiful sunny day. Here are the views from balcony looking forward and aft, as the Celebration makes her way back to Miami…..

 

 

 

The seas today are calm…..

 

 

Here are today’s Fun Times…..

 

 

 

 

We aren’t hungry for breakfast this morning, but I head down to Java Blue for a coffee. I guess people are sleeping in this morning as the line is very short. Back at the cabin I work on pictures for the review, while Patti gets a couple of bags of laundry together to send out.

 

A little after 9am I went down to Center Stage for the early bingo card sales for this afternoon’s $5,000 Jackpot Bingo session. I cashed in our $25 bingo package that we won last evening at Deal or No Deal and paid $23 to upgrade to Patti’s favorite Fanatic Bingo Package. Afterwards, I went to the Havana Bar to grab seats for this morning’s 10am morning show, The Wave.

 

After Patti had given our two bags of laundry to Gilbert our room steward, she made her way to the Havana Bar to meet me for The Wave. On her way there she passed Center Stage where they were having the Build-A-Bear Workshop…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued……

[Jamman54]

Today, The Wave was once again hosted by Lee and Marcella…..

 

 

 

 

Their first guest was the watch guy…..

 

 

 

 

Massage therapists from the Cloud 9 Spa…..

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued…….

[Jamman54]

After The Wave I made my way to the Empress Casino to play a little blackjack. I really didn’t play that much this cruise. It was an Elite Cruise, so the casino was packed at night. I figured that now would be the best time to find a table I liked.

 

Patti walked around the ship and browsed in some of the shops. She went up on the Lido and took a few pictures of some of the food venues that she missed earlier. Here is the Seafood Shack……

 

 

 

Here are a few shots of Street Eats…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Patti is attacked by the Towel Elephant…..

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

Patti then heads to Center Stage for the $5,000 Jackpot Bingo hosted by Gabby…..

 

 

Here is some bingo information…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

Patti got a seat with a table ledge. Center Stage is pretty packed for this event…..

 

 

 

Let the games begin!

 

 

The last game of this three game set is the cover-all for the $5,000 jackpot. To win this you have to cover your board in 48 numbers or less. This rarely happens. Patti said that the payouts for all three games was ridiculously low given the number of people playing. She’s pretty much given up on bingo and will only play if we win the bingo package at Deal or No Deal. Afterwards, she went back to the cabin to hang out on the balcony.

 

I didn’t do well playing blackjack myself, though having Drinks on Us helped soften the blow a little.  Afterwards, I went to Emeril’s for lunch and had the sausage balls and jambalaya which were very good.

 

I spent the afternoon bar hopping. First, I got my free beer from the brewery tour at the Pig & Anchor. Then, I stepped outside and had a couple of watermelon crushes at the Watering Hole. Finally, I had a couple of Pain Reliefs at the Alchemy Bar. Afterwards, I made my way back to the cabin to take a nap before dinner.

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

Tonight, we have a 5:30 reservation at Rudi’s Seagrill……

 

 

Here are the cocktail and food menus…..

 

 

 

Love these plates, but they remove them rather quickly…..

 

 

Our bread plates….

 

 

The amuse bouche was a tuna something or other…..

 

 

Here are some views of the outside seating…..

 

 

 

 

Here are Patti and I at Rudi’s Seagrill…..

 

 

 

I’m drinking a Tropical Smash…..

 

 

To be continued……

[Jamman54]

Here’s another view of Patti and I…….

 

 

Patti starts with the lobster bisque…..

 

 

 

We both had the scallops and a salad…..

 

 

 

For our mains Patti had the crab stuffed lobster tail and I had the crab cake with red cabbage…..

 

 

 

 

For dessert, Patti had a fruit plate, and I had the key lime pie…..

 

 

 

Patti and I both enjoyed the meal very much and left with full bellies!

 

To be continued….

[ninjacat123]

Just now, Jamman54 said:

Here’s another view of Patti and I…….

 

 

Patti starts with the lobster bisque…..

 

 

 

We both had the scallops and a salad…..

 

 

 

For our mains Patti had the crab stuffed lobster tail and I had the crab cake with red cabbage…..

 

 

 

 

For dessert, Patti had a fruit plate, and I had the key lime pie…..

 

 

 

Patti and I both enjoyed the meal very much and left with full bellies!

 

To be continued….

Great pic of you and Patti!!

[Frank12]

How's that Tropical Smash?

[Jamman54]

We made our way to Center Stage for The World Works Here, in which crewmember's parade in with the flags of their nations…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The crowd waves their flags…..

 

 

 

A couple of singers and the youth staff complete the show…..

 

 

 

To be continued……

[Jamman54]

I left after the show to head to Punchliners, to see Percy Crews 2 18+ comedy show. He was outstanding! Afterwards, I went to Latitudes for a couple of Pimms before calling it a night.

 

Patti stayed at Center Stage for the “We are One” show which she enjoyed very much. Here are some views from that show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

Here are some more views from “We are One”…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

The bows…..

 

 

 

After the show Patti walked the ship before heading back to the cabin. She passed the Golden Jubilee Bar where Sky Breeze was performing with piano player Roman…..

 

 

Here is tonight’s towel animal…..

 

 

Coming up next: Our last day aboard the Celebration, for now!

[Jamman54]

20 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said:

Great pic of you and Patti!!

 

Thank you very much!!! 

 

19 minutes ago, Frank12 said:

How's that Tropical Smash?

 

Very fruity!!!  

[beshears]

I am so enjoying your review, and especially ALL the pictures. That was such a neat picture of the seahorse (actually sad in one way of how people treat the beach), with all the trash they had collected from the beach to make the seahorse.

[Princess Cruiser27]

Great read Jeff. 

[LUVMYGSDOG]

Continuing to enjoy the review.  As I’m watching the Canes/Panthers game in the third OT……

 

Kim

[arh0117]

I was looking at doing a cruise in January and couldn't decide between the Celebration and the Horizon. But this review just cemented it for me. We will definitely be doing the Celebration on January 14th!! My birthday is the 17th so it will be a "Celebration" all the way around! Plus, Megan's Bay in St. Thomas is my favorite place on Earth, so far... 😎 Thank you for posting such great pics! Can't wait to see the rest!

 

Amanda 

[Jamman54]

10 hours ago, Princess Cruiser27 said:

Great read Jeff. 

 

Thanks Barb! I'll be posting more today.

 

6 hours ago, LUVMYGSDOG said:

Continuing to enjoy the review.  As I’m watching the Canes/Panthers game in the third OT……

 

Kim

 

Sorry you didn't get the result you wanted. 😎

[Jamman54]

5 hours ago, arh0117 said:

I was looking at doing a cruise in January and couldn't decide between the Celebration and the Horizon. But this review just cemented it for me. We will definitely be doing the Celebration on January 14th!! My birthday is the 17th so it will be a "Celebration" all the way around! Plus, Megan's Bay in St. Thomas is my favorite place on Earth, so far... 😎 Thank you for posting such great pics! Can't wait to see the rest!

 

Amanda 

Hey Amanda! Thanks for reading. Though the Horizon is a nice ship, I think you made the right choice. Besides,  we'll also be on the Celebration on January 14th with a bunch of our Cruise Critic friends. If you spot us stop by and say hello! 😀

[Jamman54]

Day # 7  -  (4/22/23)  -  Fun Day at Sea # 3. 

 

We were up at 7am for our last day on the Celebration this cruise. It’s going to be another beautiful sunny day, and again the seas are calm……

 

 

Here is the view from our balcony looking forward and aft, as the Celebration heads back to Miami……

 

 

 

Here are today’s Fun Times…….

 

 

 

 

Again, we decided not to eat breakfast, but of course I went down to Java Blue for my morning coffee. Today I got my free one!

 

Around 9:30am I made my way down to Center Stage to get our seats for the Morning Show (The Wave). I’m sure glad that I beat the crowds! Lol……

 

 

 

Patti peeked into the Limelight Lounge where the first trivia game of the day was underway…..

 

 

The Wave is once again hosted by Lee and Marcella…..

 

 

 

 

Here are today’s guests, and of course they are there to drum up sales…..

 

 

 

To be continued……

[Jamman54]

After The Wave I made my way to the Empress Casino to play some more blackjack. I picked up the $60 in casino free play that we had won at Deal or no Deal, and lost that, and a couple of hundred more in a relatively short time. Thanks to Drinks on Us, and a very attentive bar waiter, it didn’t feel so bad. Lol.

 

Afterwards, I went up to the Red Frog Tiki Bar and hung out for a while and watched the Groove for St. Jude.

 

In the meantime, Patti had gone to the Grand Spectrum Theater to watch the Debarkation Talk given by Lee…..

 

 

 

Patti stayed for the Magical Mystery Show starring Manoj, who is the table magician aboard the Celebration……

 

 

He did a variety of tricks. Patti said that she really enjoyed his show, and would highly recommend it…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lee was in attendance getting video for his vlog…..

 

 

To be continued……

[Jamman54]

I met Patti for the Q & A with Lee in the Grand Spectrum Theater. It was a very entertaining and informative half hour. Afterwards, we decided to head to Bonsai Sushi for lunch. Here’s the menu again…..

 

 

The Sushi Chefs are hard at work…..

 

 

 

 

I’m enjoying my sake sangria…..

 

 

Patti starts out with edamame, and I have some tuna and shrimp sashimi…..

 

 

 

We both have the miso soup and a green salad…..

 

 

 

Patti is enjoying her California rolls…..

 

 

 

I have the yakitori beef skewers…..

 

 

We always enjoy our meals at Bonsai Sushi. As we left, we saw that a group of officers had a table at Bonsai Teppanyaki. Good for them!

 

 

To be continued……

[Jamman54]

Today is the Platinum & Diamond VIFP Party. Since you only get one glass of wine, we don’t attend the party on this class of ships…..

 

 

 

You do get a voucher for a free drink up to $11 loaded onto your Sail & Sign card. Patti and I head over to the Alchemy Bar to redeem ours and stay for a couple of more.

 

Afterwards, we head back to our cabin to relax and begin our packing. The laundry that Patti sent out yesterday has come back......

 

 

Soon we were seeing the last sunset of the cruise……

 

 

 

 

 

Around 7:30pm we decided to head up to the Pig & Anchor for dinner. When we checked in, they told us that it would be a 45-minute wait, so we decided to just head up to the Marketplace. Patti made herself a salad, and I had the sliced roast beef with gravy, fried shrimp, and a baked potato. Not bad at all.

 

After we ate, we got an ice cream by the Tides Bar, and then took one last slow walk around the ship. We decided to call it a cruise, went back to the cabin, finished our packing, and put our bags out in the hallway. I’m not going to post the sad photo here, but here’s our final towel animal of the cruise…..

 

 

Coming up next: A smooth debarkation, and heading to Orlando!

[beshears]

I'm so glad I have been able to take this ride or smooth sailing with you and your wife in your wonderful review and pictures. I'm just about sold on doing the Celebration next year. 🙂

[WhiteOptima]

So, the one glass of wine….we were 10-15 minutes late for the party on our first leg.  The crew were combining the drinks from the other entrance and they actually had cans of beer and soda and glasses of wine.  They emptied a wine glass into mine so I had double and asked if we wanted anything else.  I took a free beers since we were doing B2B and Dennis grabbed 2 Diet Pepsis.  When we went to sit people had other drinks so looks like they had limited drinks at the entrance.

We didn’t make it on the second cruise and really do not like the time and day they are doing it but seeing how few people were in the theater, they are keeping their costs down.

[fair-winds39]

Thanks for another nice review. Can’t wait to follow along on your next one.