Danny and I just got back from a seven day Caribbean cruise. We went with our Aunt and two family fiends to honor our late Uncle Charlie on his birthday. Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Chuck are avid cruisers, I mean Elite status over 60 cruises and counting. This was the perfect thing to do to celebrate him and a great getaway after a tough year.

Sunday Feb 09

We all met at the Charlotte airport and flew down to Ft. Lauderdale together. We were boarding on the Celebrity Ascent for a week! I have been on quite a few cruises my self, this will make number 12, but I had never done Celebrity- let me tell you it did not disappoint.

The terminal was unlike any other, they grabbed our bags and once we registered we walked right on. The feeling of stepping on a cruise ship is just BEYOND. We were all on different floors so we explored each one, changed into sandals and headed to the pool deck. We settled at the Magic Carpet Bar. This was really cool and exclusive to this ship. The Magic Carpet is a bar the sticks out from the ship so you are basically floating over the water. It can move up and down so it will be stationed on different floors throughout the week. We actually stayed in a Magic Carpet room so we could watch the bar pass by from time to time.

The vibe was orange and white, so I obviously grabbed a drink to match. We had lunch from the burger bar as others arrived on the ship. From there we started to explore a bit more, met some of the staff and took it all in. It was time to set sail so we headed to the top deck, listened to the live music and watched Florida drift into the background.

We did a quick change and headed to dinner. We were all staying in the Celebrity Suites which was beyond incredible. The suites gave us access to a private dining room, pool deck, lounge and more. It was really next level service and made the entire experience even better. We chose to dine at the Luminae Restaurant almost every night. This was treat only, so there was no waiting, no specific time slots to dine and a special menu. The views, service was incredible. Our first night was Super Bowl Sunday, after dinner we headed to the pool deck where they had an entire Super Bowl spread and the game showing on the big screen.

Monday Feb 10

We arrived at our first port, Bimini, Bahamas. Coffee service in the room to watch the sunrise and breakfast at Luminae. Danny and I got off the ship by ourselves to explore the island. As soon as we stepped off the boat we could rent a golf cart and we jumped at the chance. $100 for the day- best part, they drive on the left side of the road just like we did in the Virgin Islands. As we drove through the island I was instantly in tears missing our home on St. Thomas.

We drove until we found a bar by the water. We rented chairs, ordered a rum punch in a coconut and relaxed. The water was the perfect shade of turquoise, crystal blue and we had a view of the ship off in a distance. After a few hours on the beach we ventured out to find lunch. We sat on the water and indulged in conch fritter and Bahamian lobster tacos. We explored the island a little more, on the other side was a resort and casino. We popped in, played the roulette and left ahead 😉!

Back to the ship and straight up to the pool to meet the rest of the crew. A few cocktails and more sun then it was time to get ready for dinner. Danny and I ventured out after dinner exploring the casino, game shoes and bars around the ship.

Tuesday Feb 11

Our first day at sea! These are the absolute BEST. Everything on the ship is up and running, casino, shops, spa, etc. We spent the majority of the day by the pool, soaking up way too much sun. At around 1 pm Danny and I were invited to tour the bridge. It was SO COOL. there were about 18 people that were chosen on the ship to do this, so it felt like a huge honor. No bags, or phones were aloud in, but we got to see all the navigation technology, meet the crew and ask all the questions.

At sea days are typically formal nights, so I got all dolled up in as much glitter as possible for dinner and game shows! We also saw the comedian in a late show and it was SO much fun!

Wednesday Feb 12

Welcome to Cozumel. We docked early- this was the hit the wall day after 72 hours of sun, and cocktails. We popped off the boat for a margarita and game back pretty quickly. But let me tell you the experience of getting on and off the boat was amazing. they provided spa water, ice cold towels as you came in from the heat and welcomed you back with a quick and easy process.

For lunch we ordered room service, watched a few movies and took a cruise ship nap- the best nap of all time. We did a little time at the pool at the end of the day and got ready for dinner. After dinner we went to the Retreat Lounge Silent Disco. Aunt Carolyn had been RAVING about this so I was very excited. Basically everyone puts on headphones, there are three different stations of music: oldies, latin and the live DJ. It was hilarious, everyone is dancing around and singing but the room is silent- we danced for an hour straight and couldn’t stop laughing.

Thursday Feb 13

Another day at sea and we started it at the spa! 75 minute Swedish massage was just what the doctor ordered then up to the pool! We had lunch at Luminae which was a great break from the sun, and an afternoon glass of wine and a nice lunch was perfect. We headed back to the room around three and Danny had appetizers and wine waiting to enjoy on the balcony. We relaxed and got ready for formal night number two. After dinner we headed to the club for game shows and dancing.

Friday Feb 14

Happy Valentine’s Day and welcome to Grand Cayman. We decided to get off the boat for lunch on the water. We started the day at the pool for a bit then tendered into port. We did some shopping for the girls here and found an incredible restaurant for lunch, we had lobster lollipops, conch fritters and loco ceviche. The restaurant had the most incredible view. We spent the rest of the day by the pool and with cocktails on our balcony. We got all dressed up for valentines day and had special reservations at Fine Cut, the steakhouse on board. It was a step above the rest. Everything was served a la cart with all the classics. I had the Surf and Turf with truffle butter, truffle fries and sautéed spinach. The meal was INSANE and so much food so we went straight to the room after. Danny and I watched a movie and rejuvenated for our final day on the boat.

Saturday Feb 15

The last day at Sea, Danny and I watched the sunrise and reserved chairs on the pool deck as early as possible. We had breakfast in the dining room and spent the rest of the day soaking it all in as we headed home. Burgers for lunch, painkillers by the pool and salty tears as it was almost time to go. We packed and got ready for dinner.

Today was Uncle Charlie’s birthday so we met early at the Sunset bar on the back of the ship for a little toast to him. It was really special, and exactly how he would have wanted to spend his birthday.

We had one last hoorah in the dining room then hurried to the club for Friends Trivia- unfortunately I didn’t win, but we had the best time. We finished with another silent on the main level of the ship- Cupid Shuffle as the final song!

Sunday Feb 16

We got off the ship with ease, we chose to walk off with our bags which saved SO much headache. It was efficient and easy, but hard to say goodbye.

It was a fabulous trip and just what we needed! Take me back!

XO,

Kelsey