Well, sort of. We are doing the behind the scenes tour aboard ship. We’ve seen how Carnival works, and how Royal Caribbean works. So now we will see how Celebrity does it.
Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Sunday, November 14, 2021
Saturday, October 9, 2021
Sunday, May 16, 2021
Thursday, April 29, 2021
so ....
Lots of chatter on the web about when the CDC will allow cruising again. Some lines have stopped waiting for the CDC and moved ships into the Caribbean where they don't need CDC permission to sail, and are requiring all adult passengers to be vaccinated. There is legislation in Congress, which isn't going to pass, and a lawsuit by the State of Florida that has a snowball's chance. However, the CDC is modifying its orders again, and it looks like cruising may be back sometime this year.
But we decided that 2022 is a better bet. We are both fully vaccinated, but if I am going to pay that much money for a cruise I want to be able to fully enjoy it...
Reactivated y Cruise Critic account yesterday. What a sad place that site is right now.
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
has it really been 5 years?
Yeah, we haven't cruised since the waning days of the Obama administration...
But we are now thinking of a cruise. Assuming the cruise industry ever recovers from the pandemic, that is.
This time we are thinking of Celebrity Cruise Lines, the Celebrity Constellation. It's a sister line to Royal Caribbean. The cruise we are considering is called the Ultimate Caribbean &the Americas, sailing out of Tampa and making port in Grand Cayman, Colombia, Panama , Costa Rica and Cozumel. 11 nights, starting December 12, 2022, a year and a half from now. We've both been vaccinated, we're ready to travel, but we want to give the cruise industry time to get back on its feet after Covid.
We've been to Grand Cayman and Cozumel, of course, on the Carnival Valor and again on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas. The other ports would be new to us. Celebrity gears a little older than Royal Caribbean, but we're not exactly babies anymore. I like that WIFI, beverages (including soda and alcohol) and tips to the crew are all included in the price of the cruise, leaving the only travel to and from Tampa, excursions and souvenirs as additional expenses.
Day 1, depart from Tampa
Day 2, At Sea
Day 3, George Town, Grand Cayman We've been here twice. First time we took excursions, went to Hell and the Turtle Farm, and took a ride in a sub. Second time we just did some shopping.
Day 4, At Sea
Day 5-6 Cartagena, Colombia. An overnight, something we have never done before.
Day7, Colon, Panama
Day 8 Puerto Limon, Costa Rica
Day 9, At Sea
Day 10, Cozumel First time we were here, this was our beach day. Second time, we took the ferry to the mainland and went to Chichen Itza
Day 11, At Sea
Day 12, Tampa
Ship has a casino, art gallery, fitness center, shops, a basketball court, a movie area, kids' camp, adults-only solarium, pools, a spa, numerous restaurants, lots of shows and live music
There are two classes of cabins that have private restaurants.
I just reactivated my Cruise Critic account.
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
10/30 - debarkation and Canaveral
Musical Cue: Jimmy Buffett, "It's Been a Lovely Cruise"
Debarking from Freedom of the Seas was fairly easy. We waited in the theater until our number was called, walked right off the ship and collected our luggage. Paid a porter to take all the bags, which meant we cleared customs fairly quickly.
Our plan was to pick up our rental car, drive across the state, and spend a few days with our friends who live outside Tampa.
But first ...
Musical cue: David Bowie, "Space Oddity"
When we cruised out of Port Canaveral back in 1987, our vacation package included admission to the Kennedy Space Center. We decided it was time for a return visit.
You can tell where you are even from the parking lot:
Admission is expensive, but includes a bus tour of the campus as well as all the major exhibits. We paid an additional fee for a guided bus tour, which includes additional stops. Our tour guide, John, gave us lots of insights into the comings and goings at Kennedy Space Center, as well as the projects that NASA and private contractors are working on for 2018. We're going back to the moon! And that will be the first step in going to Mars.
Vehicle Assembly Building, as viewed from the bus:
Launch pad:
And up close:
The various missions:
Musical cue: Frank Sinatra, "Fly Me To the Moon"
The bus tour ends at the Apollo-Saturn V building, where it's 1968 again.
One of the best displays in this building has you seated in the control room during a rocket launch. It includes news footage of the launch as well as activities you'd find in the control room during countdown.
You'll see the rockets, the lunar module, suits worn by the Apollo astronauts. You can even touch a moon rock.
We grabbed a couple of burgers here, then took the bus back to the main complex.
Musical Cue: Elton John, "Rocket Man"
The bus drops you off at the entrance to the building that houses the Atlantis Space Shuttle, the largest exhibit in the main complex. Outside the building you will see a full-scale model of the rockets that were used to launch the shuttles. Inside you will find Atlantis, as well as numerous exhibits explaining the shuttle program, and saluting the men and women who flew the shuttles. There's even a simulator that allows you to experience a rocket launch.
The rockets:
Atlantis:
We'd seen the shuttle prototype, Enterprise, at the Intrepid Museum in NYC, but that display did not allow us to see inside the space craft. This was fascinating.
Next we walked to the back of the complex to see the memorial:
We realized, at that point, that we'd spent the entire day at the space center, and yet had not seen all of th amazing exhibits they offer.
We paid a visit to the rocket garden on our way out.
Debarking from Freedom of the Seas was fairly easy. We waited in the theater until our number was called, walked right off the ship and collected our luggage. Paid a porter to take all the bags, which meant we cleared customs fairly quickly.
Our plan was to pick up our rental car, drive across the state, and spend a few days with our friends who live outside Tampa.
But first ...
Musical cue: David Bowie, "Space Oddity"
When we cruised out of Port Canaveral back in 1987, our vacation package included admission to the Kennedy Space Center. We decided it was time for a return visit.
You can tell where you are even from the parking lot:
Admission is expensive, but includes a bus tour of the campus as well as all the major exhibits. We paid an additional fee for a guided bus tour, which includes additional stops. Our tour guide, John, gave us lots of insights into the comings and goings at Kennedy Space Center, as well as the projects that NASA and private contractors are working on for 2018. We're going back to the moon! And that will be the first step in going to Mars.
Vehicle Assembly Building, as viewed from the bus:
Launch pad:
And up close:
Musical cue: Frank Sinatra, "Fly Me To the Moon"
The bus tour ends at the Apollo-Saturn V building, where it's 1968 again.
One of the best displays in this building has you seated in the control room during a rocket launch. It includes news footage of the launch as well as activities you'd find in the control room during countdown.
You'll see the rockets, the lunar module, suits worn by the Apollo astronauts. You can even touch a moon rock.
We grabbed a couple of burgers here, then took the bus back to the main complex.
Musical Cue: Elton John, "Rocket Man"
The bus drops you off at the entrance to the building that houses the Atlantis Space Shuttle, the largest exhibit in the main complex. Outside the building you will see a full-scale model of the rockets that were used to launch the shuttles. Inside you will find Atlantis, as well as numerous exhibits explaining the shuttle program, and saluting the men and women who flew the shuttles. There's even a simulator that allows you to experience a rocket launch.
The rockets:
Atlantis:
We'd seen the shuttle prototype, Enterprise, at the Intrepid Museum in NYC, but that display did not allow us to see inside the space craft. This was fascinating.
Next we walked to the back of the complex to see the memorial:
We realized, at that point, that we'd spent the entire day at the space center, and yet had not seen all of th amazing exhibits they offer.
We paid a visit to the rocket garden on our way out.
Musical Cue: Willy Nelson, "On the Road Again"
And then it was time to drive across the state to Tampa, and the second half of our vacation.
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