Vancouver - Toronto - Rome - Civitavecchia - a bit of a long day, but arrived same time as our luggage (always a concern when going on a trans-Atlantic cruise!).
We had the fastest check-in ever, and enjoyed a great lunch onboard the Celebrity 'Apex', followed by unpacking then wandered around to get our bearings. With four dining rooms to choose from, we started in 'Cyprus' for a taste of the Mediterranean and after that, a comedian - Al Ducharme. All in all, a very leisurely start.
Day 2 was a sea day, so after breakfast we went to see one of the other lecturers (Craig Pilant) before Dale did his first presentation on ‘Jet Flying’. One of the guests was a fellow that had attended Dale's lectures on two previous cruises - and still came to this one! We then participated in a 'Musical Murder Mystery' put on by the cruise staff - they did an outstanding job, great fun! Being a formal night, we got all dressed up and after dinner at the ‘Normandie’ dining room, we were treated to their production show "Crystallize' in the immense theatre. What an amazing performance with acrobats, singers, dancers, gymnasts etc. It was stunning.
Day 3 - Valencia, Spain. Having been before, we just went for a bit of a walk then returned to the ship for a leisurely afternoon (a movie and ice-cream). After dinner at the ‘Tuscany’ dining room, we listened to singer Andrew Derbyshire. It was a great performance. Being Halloween, here are some of the treats available at the buffet!
Day 4 – Malaga, Spain. Another walk around the town in the old section, around the cathedral and through a lovely park. Being All Saints Day, the cathedral didn’t open until later, so we went for a walk on the beach. Not quite swimming temperature for me. Dinner was at the ‘Cosmopolitan’ dining room, with an extra show called ‘Caravan’ at ‘The Club’. It was a thrilling show of acrobatics, strength and balance, singing and dancing – amazing performance in the smaller venue! We then went to watch ‘Guitar Fusion’ in the theatre, which was two very talented guitarists accompanied by the Apex band.
Day 5 – Gibraltar, UK. Up early to walk through town to the base of the Cable Car, then up to the top of the Rock. Got a good view of the town on one side, but could not see Africa across the strait on the other side as the clouds kept rolling in. Walked around the battlements at the top and took a few pictures of the Macaque monkeys. We stayed up on deck for the sail away through the Strait of Gibraltar (at the narrowest point, it is only 8 miles), then out to the Atlantic. Back to the ‘Cyprus’ dining room for dinner and on to the theatre for the magician - Matt McGurk. Very impressive sleight of hand shown up close on the huge screen. One last show (we did get an extra hour coming west) was called ‘Night of Dreams’ and featured an Alice in Wonderland performance in ‘Eden’. Again – more singers, dancers, acrobatics and feats of strength and balance – we were exhausted just watching!
Day 5 – at sea. Dale did his presentation on ‘Top Gun’, then we stayed in the theatre to listen to Craig. There was an afternoon performance by ‘Guitar Fusion’ that was even better than their first show. With all that sitting around, I had to walk, so faced the elements up on the top deck. Apparently, we are sailing south of two hurricanes, but no concerns according to the Captain (and Dale). Went to the ‘Tuscany’ dining room for dinner followed by Andrew Derbyshire singing in the theatre and then Comedian Al Ducharme.
Day 6 – late afternoon arrival into Ponta Delgada, Azores, so Dale was asked to do an extra presentation – this talk was on ‘Air Shows’. Then we walked around Ponta Delgada with a stop at St. Sebastian Cathedral. The outside was quite plain, but inside was ornate and beautiful and the woodwork was phenomenal. Got to talk to Mom on Skype, as the internet at the mall was really good. Nice to catch up a bit. Dinner was back at the ‘Normandie’ dining room followed by a brilliant pianist Tian Jiang, then on to ‘Eden’ for another variety show ‘Night of Enchantment’ – singing, dancing, acrobatics, strength and balance. Such talented people on this ship.
Day 7 – at sea – and what a sea! 14 – 15’ swells, so huge rocking of the ship – a real test of one’s balance. After watching the other speaker’s talk, we watched ‘Top Gun Maverick’ on the biggest screen yet! Got together with George and Sylvia for drinks at ‘Eden’, then had dinner at the ‘Cosmopolitan’ dining room, followed by Tom Stephenson, singing in the theatre.
Day 8 – at sea – and still rocking! The other speaker’s talk was about Gibraltar – then on to lots of activities including archery, a very challenging activity called ‘Lost in Time’ and Matt McGurk doing a magic workshop. After dinner in the ‘Cyprus’ dining room we watched pianist/comedian Tom Franek – he should have had ‘contortionist’ listed in his bio.
Day 9 – at sea – and finally calming down. Dale’s talk was on ‘Accident Investigation’. After lunch I did a ‘Fit and Fun Dance Class’ then had some time off at the pool. Dinner was at the ‘Normandie’ dining room with Jim and Gail, followed by another fantastic production show called the ‘Tree of Life’ – spectacular!!!
Day 10 – at sea. The Captain and his navigational crew did a great presentation on the ship and it’s crew. Dale did his last talk on ‘Amelia Earhart’ followed by the crew talent show – great fun! Gerry and Ernie invited us for drinks and dinner with a very lively and fun group. Along with us, they invited Tom and Hailey from the ‘Eden’ cast, and Stephanie, the onboard artist. It was a delightful evening ending with Wendy Law on the cello in the theatre.
Day 11 – at sea. Our Cruise Director Shawna (Canadian) hosted ‘What You Didn’t Know About Cruise Ship Life’ in the theatre. Fantastic, fun and informative. After a leisurely couple of hours at the pool, we had dinner in the ‘Cyprus’ dining room followed by another show by Tom Franek and then ‘Liar’s Club’ in the theatre.
Day 12 – at sea – back to rocking and rolling as we get closer to the Bahamas. We have been very lucky to have just skirted several weather systems. After listening to Craig’s presentation, the Captain hosted a ‘Vow Renewal’ ceremony which was lovely. In the afternoon we were treated to another performance by ‘Guitar Fusion’ in ‘Eden’ - Will and Ben put on another great show. We then met with some friends for dinner at the ‘Cosmopolitan’ followed by the theatre production show ‘Rockumentary’. Very entertaining.
Day 13 – Nassau, Bahamas. After a wonderful tour of the ship’s bridge, Dale got to participate in a Remembrance Day ceremony in the theatre. It was very well done. We then wandered down to the beach and had a swim – several degrees warmer than at home! Dinner was at the ‘Cyprus’ dining room with Gerry and Ernie, Alex and Donna, Claire and Greg. Gerry and Ernie weren’t feeling well, so unfortunately, they missed our festive dinner. The singer in the theatre was amazing - Leah Allyce Canali.
Day 14 – arrival in Ft. Lauderdale. Kudos to Celebrity for their management of the debarking. We had a quick breakfast and were off the ship before 7am. Took an Uber to the airport and were on the 0830 flight to Montreal – but then our flight to Vancouver was 7 hours later – long day. Had a great visit with Joel all day Sunday – breakfast at Cora’s Place on Robson and it was like we were still on the cruise! Yum! Caught the 10:40am ferry home and now – back to reality! Actually, it is good to be home after such a long time away. Hope to catch up with everyone soon!
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