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

[Princess Cruiser27]

Whoo. Jeff and Patti are back .Been waiting for the review. Seeing Kevin picture brought a tear to my eyes. 

[Jamman54]

49 minutes ago, MeMetwo said:

Fantastic start to your review Jeff.  Those nostalgic pictures made my heart swell and my eyes water. Such beautiful family pictures. Thanks for sharing and can’t wait for the rest of your fantastic review.

Loretta

 

Thanks so much for your kind words Loretta. Glad to have you aboard! 

 

39 minutes ago, jedi bobs said:

 Been looking forward to this Jeff. Tell Patty that Ann and I said Hello. when we get on Vista we have to do something at the prorts or something.

 

 

Always great to have you guys along for the ride! Patti says hello back! We'll figure something out for the Vista. It should be a great cruise! 

 

25 minutes ago, LatinaInTexas said:

Perfect timing catching your review. Even though I'm a few months away from sailing Celebration there's no one better than you and Patty to show and tell me every thing I need to know about this ship!

 

Thanks for jumping on board again! Take notes, and if you have any questions, ask away! 

[Jamman54]

21 minutes ago, Princess Cruiser27 said:

Whoo. Jeff and Patti are back .Been waiting for the review. Seeing Kevin picture brought a tear to my eyes. 

Thanks Barb!  Always great to have you along! 

[Jamman54]

Pre-Cruise  -  (April 15^th)  -  Heading to Dania Beach. 

 

Before I continue with today’s activities, I want to step back and give you some information that I forgot to touch on in yesterday’s postings. Three days prior to today, southern Florida was hit with a storm of the century type rainstorm which dropped over twenty inches of rain in some places, in just twenty-four hours. This caused massive flooding and damage and forced the closing of Fort Lauderdale airport for three days. As the water receded there were literally hundreds of abandoned flooded out cars littering the roadways. We were going to be headed down that way today.

 

Concerned that we might have to make alternate hotel reservations, I called the Springhill Suites in Dania Beach where we were scheduled to stay tonight and asked them if they were open for business. They said that where they are located is fine, so come on down!

 

We were up at 5 am to a beautiful warm day. After showering and packing up, we wanted to get on the road as soon as we could. We missed the free breakfast which started at 7am, but at least they had coffee available. We checked out and then stopped at a nearby gas station. This is a big deal for me, as I enjoy pumping my own gas. New Jersey and Oregon are the only two states in the nation where it is against the law to pump your own gas. Crazy…..

 

 

 

We are on the road at 7:05am, and in three minutes time we are crossing the border into Florida…….

 

 

 

It was an uneventful easy drive until we reached Port St. Lucie and pulled off I-95 to get gas. We stopped at a Shell station which seemed a little busier than usual, and when we pulled up to the pump all they had was Premium gas. Not wanting to pay to put Premium gas in my Honda Element, we got back on I-95 and continued heading south.

 

About twenty minutes down the road, the little gas pump light came on telling me that I needed to stop and fill up. So, we got off at the next exit and pulled into a Mobil station, and to our horror, they had no gas at all! Apparently, their suppliers are all from south Florida, and they are still reeling after the flooding and haven’t caught up. They haven’t had a delivery since Wednesday.

 

I’m starting to panic now. I looked across the street at the 7-11 gas station and they appeared to be pumping gas, so we drove on over there. Again, they only had Premium gas left at $4.28 a gallon, so that’s what old Betsy got. Hope she don’t get used to it, because it’s back to regular next time!

 

We drove the last eighty miles to Dania Beach and our Springhill Suites hotel. The traffic got heavy the last ten miles or so, but we finally made it…..

 

 

We checked in and were given Room # 215…..

 

 

 

Again, Patti takes pictures of the room before I can go in and mess it up…..

 

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

Here are some more pictures of Room # 215…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After getting settled, we made our way over to Miller’s Hollywood Ale House for lunch…..

 

 

Patti had a Caesar salad and a flatbread pizza, and I had zingers and loaded fries…..

 

 

 

After we ate, Patti wanted to explore some of the nearby stores while I hung out at Miller’s watching the Yankee game.

 

To be continued……

[Tennessee Rose]

Well, I'm glad I waited a day, Jamman! I was looking late last night for your "last" review, but it was too late to fall down another rabbit hole...I needed to get some sleep. Now, I'm waiting for a bunch of my photos to download and thought "I NEED to read some Jamman adventures" and found this brand new one! I'm along for the ride. Looking forward to it and wishing you and Miss Patti a great trip. Thank you!

Edited May 5, 2023 by Tennessee Rose
mispelled word

[Jamman54]

After a couple of hours Patti came back to get me and we went back to the hotel. I went back to the room as Patti took a short tour around the hotel. Here are some views of the Lobby area…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the Exercise Room…..

 

 

 

This is the pool area…..

 

 

 

 

There is a small market for snacks by the front desk…..

 

 

 

 

 

Patti made her way back to the room where we relaxed for the rest of the evening. Patti ordered us dinner online from the Panda Express next door.

 

Coming up next: We board the Carnival Celebration!!

[Jamman54]

5 minutes ago, Tennessee Rose said:

Well, I'm glad I waited a day, Jamman! I was looking late last night for your "last" review, but it was too late to fall down another rabbit hole...I needed to get some sleep. Now, I'm waiting for a bunch of my photos to download and thought "I NEED to read some Jamman adventures" and found this brand new one! I'm along for the ride. Looking forward to it and wishing you and Miss Patty a great trip. Thank you!

Perfect timing! Glad to have you along, and for your kind words! 

[#55worktoplay]

I love your reviews and Patti’s pictures. 
 

Seeing the old Celebration sure brings back memories of my early cruising days. Seeing the buckets for coins in the casino reminded me of not always getting slips from the machines. I actually forgot about the coins and buckets. 
 

Thanks!

[princess76021]

Hi from texas!!

 

I hope you don't mind me tagging along 😁😁

 

Hugs

Nicki

[Hogladyrider]

@Jamman54...small world I owed 2 Honda Element's.....great vehicle.

[VIFP1987]

So happy to see another Jeff and Patti review! I’m looking forward to the adventure! 

[maxandmolly]

Thrilled to catch this at the beginning!  Can’t wait to read along!

[pe4all]

Along for the ride and cruise!  If you had time you could have caught jai alai - lots of fun to watch.

[asalligo]

We were on this cruise and it was one of our best ever. I feel Carnival has changed the game with Excel class and I really disliked their previous endeavors at larger ships. Except for the elevators which I think they did the best they could there, Carnival has hit the mark with this class. 

 

Now if they ever make the mistake of making Chibang and Cucina a paid venue then Excel class would be a giant mess. 

[Jamman54]

10 hours ago, #55worktoplay said:

I love your reviews and Patti’s pictures. 
 

Seeing the old Celebration sure brings back memories of my early cruising days. Seeing the buckets for coins in the casino reminded me of not always getting slips from the machines. I actually forgot about the coins and buckets. 
 

Thanks!

 

Thanks for reading and your kind words. Glad to have you aboard! 😎

 

10 hours ago, princess76021 said:

Hi from texas!!

 

I hope you don't mind me tagging along 😁😁

 

Hugs

Nicki

 

Hey Nicki! Always great to have you along with us! 😎

[Jamman54]

10 hours ago, Hogladyrider said:

@Jamman54...small world I owed 2 Honda Element's.....great vehicle.

 

We've had two as well. Great cars! 😎

 

10 hours ago, VIFP1987 said:

So happy to see another Jeff and Patti review! I’m looking forward to the adventure! 

 

Thanks for coming along for the ride once again! 😎

[Jamman54]

10 hours ago, maxandmolly said:

Thrilled to catch this at the beginning!  Can’t wait to read along!

 

Thanks for reading! We'll be getting you aboard the Celebration later today! 😎

 

1 hour ago, pe4all said:

Along for the ride and cruise!  If you had time you could have caught jai alai - lots of fun to watch.

 

We went to Dania Jai-Alai a couple of years ago and had a great time. We'll be back in January for two nights, so if they're in session we'll check them out again. 

[Jamman54]

1 hour ago, asalligo said:

We were on this cruise and it was one of our best ever. I feel Carnival has changed the game with Excel class and I really disliked their previous endeavors at larger ships. Except for the elevators which I think they did the best they could there, Carnival has hit the mark with this class. 

 

Now if they ever make the mistake of making Chibang and Cucina a paid venue then Excel class would be a giant mess. 

 

We also had an excellent time. We agree on the elevators, they seem very small. If you see yourself in any of the pictures please let us know. 😎

[phoneman69]

14 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

Ahoy, Cruise Critic Family! My beautiful wife Patti and I have just returned after another cruise adventure. This time we sailed aboard the new, big, and beautiful Carnival Celebration, on a seven-day cruise to Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Mahogany Bay.

 

 

How many of you got to sail on the original Celebration? I sailed on her when she was brand new in 1987. The last time I sailed on her was in 2005 with Patti and our boys. I’m feeling nostalgic today, so here are a few pictures from that cruise for old times sake. We’ve come a long way in the last eighteen years!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued…..

WoW DW and I very first cruise was on the Celebration. The photo of the Trolley bar sure hit home. Had the midnight buffet in their. You could go take pictures a half hour before. Great flash back Jamman.  

[TravelGirlinDallas]

15 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

How many of you got to sail on the original Celebration? I sailed on her when she was brand new in 1987. The last time I sailed on her was in 2005 with Patti and our boys.

The original Celebration was my very first cruise in 2001. Your pics brought back great memories!!

Edited May 5, 2023 by TravelGirlinDallas

[Megan_Strick]

Yay. Finally!!

[Megan_Strick]

16 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

Ahoy, Cruise Critic Family! My beautiful wife Patti and I have just returned after another cruise adventure. This time we sailed aboard the new, big, and beautiful Carnival Celebration, on a seven-day cruise to Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Mahogany Bay.

 

 

How many of you got to sail on the original Celebration? I sailed on her when she was brand new in 1987. The last time I sailed on her was in 2005 with Patti and our boys. I’m feeling nostalgic today, so here are a few pictures from that cruise for old times sake. We’ve come a long way in the last eighteen years!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued…..

The Celebration was my first cruise. My gift from my parents for my High School graduation in 1995!

[Jamman54]

26 minutes ago, Megan_Strick said:

Yay. Finally!!

 

24 minutes ago, Megan_Strick said:

The Celebration was my first cruise. My gift from my parents for my High School graduation in 1995!

Glad to have you back on board again! 😀

[RenoNanaOz]

16 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

After getting settled in, Patti gives us a tour of the hotel. Here is the little Fitness Center…..

 

 

 

This is a good-sized Pool and Spa area…….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They have a small Laundry Room…..

 

 

 

To be continued…..

Here for it, love your reviews and Patti’s photos.