May 26th Journey - Day by Day Report

[SheilaNC]

Whew…the bitter sweet end of every vacation is upon us…looking forward to picking up our little schnauzer and seeing the family, but sad to leave our relaxing and beautiful Sky Suite and ending our vacation. We decided to be ‘served’ all day today and asked for and got our favorite waiter and good table locations each time. We had ordered OJ and coffee early so we really had 2 breakfast…but even oatmeal tastes good when it’s served with a smile. After breakfast we went to the pool deck, DH in the shade and me in the sun. We read and relaxed until 11 AM when we went to the Martini Bar for the complementary Chardonay blending seminar for Captain’s Club members. The tables were nicely set up with multiple glasses, napkins, etc. Justin, 3 Sommeliers and a Maitre D’ and the two of us. After about 10 minutes, when no one else had joined us, Justin gave us the choice of a ‘one on one’ seminar or a bottle of wine with dinner. We chose the wine and thanked the group. As we were leaving, Justin pointed out that one of the Sommeliers was from Australia. He knew that we are sailing on Mercury in Feb from Sydney and looking forward to a winery tour while there. We asked the Aussie if he could recommend a wine tour and chatted with him for a few minutes.

After a light lunch, we went to the Chef’s Culinary class which was terrific. The Exec Chef and Dominic had an entertaining repartee going between them; they were very funny. Audience members asked questions and the Chef introduced members of his staff such as the Pastry Chef and Senior Asst Chefs. He demonstrated how to sear and prepare a Filet Mignon, Polenta, veggies and sauce. Then everyone got to sample the food. We really enjoyed this and stayed afterwards to tell them so.

 

Then the final Battle of the Sexes; a large crowd showed us this time with raucous participation from the younger members who had just completed a funfilled Kareoke session. Misty was in charge again and kept the momentum going…ended with a tie and a Bonus round with the question being answered correctly by a retired school teacher – a WOMAN! Guess we showed them – by gender and age!! It was a lot of fun and I have a certificate to prove that I get the last word for a year!

 

I spent most of the rest of the afternoon finishing up our packing and leaving out our travel clothes for the AM. We then finished the last of the two bottles of wine we had brought onboard with us and dressed for our last pre-dinner drinks in the Looking Glass. We were supposed to meet fellow cruisers there and have dinner with them, but, unfortunately we didn’t have their last names or cabin number, so when they didn’t show, we couldn’t reach them to see if we had the wrong time. So…we laughed it off, finished our martinis, said good-bye to Mario and Maria (the other bartender/waitress in the Looking Glass) and went to dinner. We stopped for music at Cova and then found that we had a long wait for dinner…which wasn’t bad since I wasn’t at all hungry. We bumped into the honeymoon couple with whom we had breakfast one morning and offered them one of our 2 bottles of champagne (one in the room when we arrived and the other sent by the CD) since they were driving and we couldn’t carry bottles onboard and had no room in our luggage. It was fun to give them a bottle with a Celebrity Label as a momento of their honeymoon cruise. Didn’t eat much for dinner…after ordering the Grilled Salmon that is on the menu every night. It was cooked exactly as I liked it, too. After dinner, we wandered around the ship visiting some of our favorite spots and then went back to the cabin and put our luggage tags on and the bags in the hall.

 

Saturday AM

 

Somehow I awoke spontaneously at 5:30 AM –I went out on the balcony just as we passed under the Veranzano Bridge. The sky was pale pink and there was a light mist over the city…breathtaking! I grabbed my camera and woke Art to see the amazing scene. I stayed on the balcony until we were almost at the dock taking some lovely sunrise pictures and enjoying see the Statue of Liberty welcoming us back against a blurred skyline!

 

We dressed and went to breakfast in Discoveries…taking the last bottle of champagne with us to give to someone who was driving home. The majority of our fellow cruisers seemed to be from NJ, PA and NY so a lot of folks drove or had cars drop them at the port. We sat with 2 couples from NJ and they were happy to take our little gift home. Had our final meal with our trusty waiter, retrieved our carry-ons and went to hang out in the Cova Café until our ‘color’ was called. We met our honeymoon couple who thanked us for leaving the champagne outside their cabin door. Disembarkation was a snap…short wait, picked up luggage, short bus ride, quick customs’ check and a walk dragging our luggage to the taxi area. We were given a town car for the same price as a taxi and in 15 minutes we were heading to the check-in point for our flight. We had several hours until our flight so were in no hurry…and, of course, getting through security took no time at all J. Our flight was delayed by 45 minutes but was uneventful. Our shared sandwich of airport food was not what we had come to expect!

 

We spent the waiting time talking about our favorite times on the trip and looking forward to our next cruise in Feb. 2008. It was a very good cruise for us; not perfect or the deluxe trip we had anticipated, but fine all in all. We look forward to sailing Azamara in the future when all of the kinks are ironed out. The people we met (crew and passengers) always influence our travels more than anything else and they were wonderful!

[JPH814]

Outstanding writing. Thank you so much for sharing and providing so much infomration to all of us who will follow in your wake.

[corona5657]

thank you sheila. u have provided me with some valuable info for when i leave on 6/23. well thought out and very truthful. i have a pretty good idea of what to expect now and i think i will have a great time! like you said, the friends and memories u make will stay with u always!!:)

[SandyR5]

Sheila - Bravo for a wonderful, detailed review. Now who is this wonderful waiter? We still have 5 1/2 months 'till our Journey journey, (couldn't help that :D ) but he/she might still be onboard.

[cruisingdelt]

Shelia,

 

Thank you for the review. 32 days to go!!!

[JkyLovesRuss]

Thanks Sheila! I certainly enjoyed reading your detailed day to day reviews! Sounds like you had a great time! Thanks for all the great tips.

 

Happy cruising to you!

 

One question, how much were the martinis?

 

Thanks again!

[SheilaNC]

So glad that you learned from our experiences. Please let me know if you have specific questions. I purposefully left out the content that has been well covered by some of our shipmates on other threads but would be happy to give you my read on the same issues.

 

My take on all of the comparisons being made is that those who prefer a more active nightlife and lots of games/activities by the pool will not be happy with Journey. Just because it worked for us and met our needs doesn't mean that I think it will (or should) be the same for others. Each of you knows best what is needed to make a great cruise for you. So shop for what you wish so that you won't be disappointed when you don't find it.

 

It's been fun searching through my notes and sharing our experiences.

[cjgrammy]

Hi Sheila,

I loved your reviews. It told exactly how Jim and I felt. We had a wonderful time. Hope we meet again sometime on a future cruise.:)

Arlene

[Andy]

Hi Sheila !

 

Thanks again for taking the time and effort to write such a great review. I am sure it's safe to say we all enjoyed it very much. I know I did :).

[SheilaNC]

Thanks, Arlene. I'll look forward to seeing you on the seas in the future.

Andy, as always I appreciate your input and look forward to your comments..

[smdubowsky]

Thanks so much for the reviews. I almost feel that our cruise to Bermuda in August (11th) will be our second time around.

[wwb_ca]

Sheila,

Thanks for sharing your experiences on board ship and on land. Your first-hand accounts and reports of 'how things went for you' during this voyage are most useful and greatly appreciated.

During some of our past cruises, we really enjoyed the CC Service on the Millenium series of X ships and the relaxing and rejuvenating times in the Thallassotherapy Pools.

What info can you provide about the Journey's Spa Pool connected to the Spa area? Is it only accessible in connection with booked Spa sessions? How about visiting the Gym and then, relaxing in the Spa Pool - is that possible? Any info on the use of this pool area is helpful.

Thanks again for your extensive reporting - perhaps, our paths will cross during one of the many voyages you enjoy. Our next one is on the Journey (Dec. 23, 2007 - Jan 10, 2008) from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso (X-Mas, 40th Anniversary, and New Year celebration - might it be, that people will 'dress up' a notch during that cruise?).

All the best to you both - enjoy your travels.

WWB (wwb.ca) or http://sie.vcc.ca/coi

[patpaul]

Thanks so much for the reviews. I almost feel that our cruise to Bermuda in August (11th) will be our second time around.

Was on the ship the week of the 26th.,very nice but still have lots of kinks to work out. They seen to be getting better with each cruise from what I've read so by Aug. they should be almost done. Found the cabins small but very comfortable and the food and service excellent. The onboard activities and entertainment need to be improved and hopefully by the time you cruise the singer by the pool will have been replaced she is awful.

Pat

[SheilaNC]

We did not use the spa facilities so I can't speak much to your questions. I did do the spa tour on boarding day. The Thalasotherapy pool is very small - more like a hot tub size - in a nice location in the aft section of the spa. The cost is similar to fees on other X ships. The gym is quite nice with good equipment and open to all with locker space and a steam room that are complementary. Hope that helps.

[twin123185]

My wife told me her spa experience was wonderful !

 

Larry

 

 

Too bad she came out looking the same.

 

(oh am I bad !!)

[wwb_ca]

Thanks for the added comments on the Spa Pool - on the other Celebrity ships the Thalassotherapy Pool is open to all at NO additional cost.

If anyone else can offer more info on the use of the Spa Pool, it would be helpful.

Thanks, WWB

[fog1]

Thanks for the added comments on the Spa Pool - on the other Celebrity ships the Thalassotherapy Pool is open to all at NO additional cost.

If anyone else can offer more info on the use of the Spa Pool, it would be helpful.

Thanks, WWB

 

The spa therapy pool runs $75.00 per person per cruise, and the water is around 80 degrees. I understand the kids aboard the May 19th sailing used it as their own, since no one else was present due to the windy conditions.

[Zenithfan]

Shelia,

It was wonderful to read your account of our cruise. It made me feel like I was still there. I can’t believe it’s over; it seems like yesterday that we had 100 days to go.

The people sailing after us are very fortunate to have such an excellent and detailed report to read.

It was a pleasure to meet you and Art. You’re top notch people.

Art joined us in windows café one morning while you were still not up and about.

We had a fantastic time on the Journey. The ship is beautiful, the food was great and the crew is wonderful.

Its funny how reading your account, I find that we just missed you at the Swizzle Inn (you’re right, nothing great there) and we seemed to mirror a lot of the things that you did. When I woke up on the last morning, (I was sleeping facing the veranda) I opened my eyes exactly as we going under the Verrazano.:)

Russ

[nlvc12]

Thanks for the added comments on the Spa Pool - on the other Celebrity ships the Thalassotherapy Pool is open to all at NO additional cost.

If anyone else can offer more info on the use of the Spa Pool, it would be helpful.

Thanks, WWB

 

I'm sorry to contradict you, wwb_ca, but I don't think the above statement is true. While I don't use this service myself, I believe there is a charge for it on some trips. Perhaps in certain cabin categories, Concierge class, or suites, etc, this policy may apply. But I believe it is NOT true that no other Celebrity ship charges for the Thalassotherapy pool.

 

nlvc12

[SheilaNC]

The T pool is complimentary on the Millennium class ships but not on Mercury, Galaxy, etc. and I understand it's been removed from Century. So....it that's of interest, need to check before booking.

 

Russ,

We enjoyed meeting and talking with you and wish that we could have spent more time together. Wishes for smooth sailing in the future and hope that our paths will cross again.

[Shaco]

Hi Sheila,

 

Could you please answer some questions about your sky suite?

 

What was the charge for sending your laundry out? How large was the laundry bag?

 

Was bottled water and soda free to suite passengers?

 

Do you recall the approximate dimentions of the bedside tables and if there were any open electrical outlets near these tables?

 

Thank you so much for your excellent posts.

 

Sharon

[SheilaNC]

:) Here are pictures of the sail out of NY Harbor, into St. George through the Cut and around St. George. Click on slideshow to see them all or on the thumbnails to see individual ones... Enjoy! More to come

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/spengle/NewYorkHarborAndStGeorgeSIsland

[SheilaNC]

Hi Sheila,

 

Could you please answer some questions about your sky suite?

 

What was the charge for sending your laundry out? How large was the laundry bag?

 

Was bottled water and soda free to suite passengers?

 

Do you recall the approximate dimentions of the bedside tables and if there were any open electrical outlets near these tables?

 

Thank you so much for your excellent posts.

 

Sharon

 

Sharon,

There was no charge on our final bill for laundry...we didn't think to ask so don't know if it was an error or routine. Obviously, we would have sent more if we had known :p

 

Bottled water was complimentary - we didn't drink soda

 

The tables by the bedside were quite small and we used the only outlets we found (under the desk and a bit difficult to reach).

 

Hope this info helps...

[cjgrammy]

Hi Sheila,

I really enjoyed your pictures.:D I sent them to Jim and our daughter Rose who was on the cruise with friends. I didn't take that many picutres but Jim did, but he used a 35mm camera, so I have to wait for them to be developed. He is having a CD made, so I will post them when I get them.

 

Sharon, as Sheila said the bedside table is very small, and did not have drawers, only shelves. There was a catty-corner closet in the room that probably held a TV at one time (we had a flat panel on the wall) and now held our ice and water pitcher, and that is where we kept our wine and scotch that we had ordered for the room. It is wide open, with no doors. Well, there were 2 outlets in there; I used one for a night lite. The bottom of this cabinet is where the safe is (behind doors) and most likely a refrigerator will go.

 

Arlene

[SheilaNC]

Thanks, Arlene, I am uploading the rest of the pictures now, so you can go to picasaweb.google.com/spengle to see them in a few minutes. The Album is Hamilton to Cape Liberty. Enjoy!

 

Now I think I'm ready to focus on our down under cruise next February :)