Celebration! / Live! / Solo! Dec-4-11-2022...

[sid_9169]

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beeeeeeeeeeeeeep!!!... 

 Seven short blasts followed by one long blast means that it’s time to grab your life jacket and make your way as quickly as possible to your assigned muster station, AKA: your laptop computer or mobile device… There’s no time to grab any of your luxury items, as this is an extreme emergency!... I hope you still have some of your “smuggled on board” contraband leftover, so you may want to pour yourself a tall strong drink before the ship goes down… 

 

Of course, the ship that I speak of is the brand new Carnival Celebration, and with a bit of luck, I won’t be “going down with the ship” this coming week. But, just in case there’s an iceberg out there in the middle of the sunny Eastern Caribbean, I invite all of you to assist me in eating and drinking everything on board before she sinks to the bottom of the ocean… (*** If this had been an actual emergency, you would have been instructed on how to don your life jacket and led to your designated lifeboat…)

 

 

[sid_9169]

[kpark895]

Looking forward to this!  I've been missing in action for a few months - long story - but have still been following along.

[sid_9169]

 

Wayyy back in December of 2020, I was looking at booking a future cruise, and ran across bookings for the still under construction Carnival Celebration… It would be the second in Carnivals’ Excel Class of ships, and was almost a full two years from completion. The itinerary included a couple of “new to me” destinations, and the ship itself was mostly a complete mystery, other than the standard offerings expected on CCL. At the time, the “pause in operations” was still pausing, so I needed something “new & different” to look forward to once cruising ramped back up. I was still nearly a year away from sailing the new Carnival Mardi Gras, which had been delayed due to the ongoing pandemic, so I found a suitable inside cabin, and clicked the “Book Now” button. It was still a lonnng way into the future, and I had already experienced several cancellations that were related to the pandemic, but I hoped that everything would be in the rear view mirror by then… 

 

Fast forward to the summer of 2021, and cruising FINALLY started anew, and I would finally get myself “back on board”, first upon the brand new Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady, followed a couple of months later on the new Carnival Mardi Gras… It felt sooo great to get back to what I love best, and by Christmas time of 2021, I would have to wait another 6 months until my next sailing, again on the Scarlet Lady… Yes, it was definitely worth a second look, but I also much looked forward to what Carnivals’ new Celebration had to offer. What would replace The French Quarter neighborhood, and what other surprises were in store? I guess that I would have to wait awhile longer, and find out when those details were released.

 

 

[jbhcw]

Following Sid....stay well!!

[pcvtmom]

Excited for another Sid review!! Great opening, by the way...😁

[sid_9169]

It seems that whenever I'm getting closer and closer to vacation that life gets even more stressful and frustrating than usual... My job hasn't been going too well, and I've been dealing with some (hopefully) minor health issues which compound my anxiety, and at times overwhelmes me. To add on top of that, I've got two sick coworkers that I've been trying to avoid, but for the time being, I'm stuck here with them. I just want these next couple of days to go by quickly, and with a bit of luck, lead me into an unforgettable cruise...

 

 

[sid_9169]

Last night, just by chance, I ended up catching my all time favorite Christmas show on television: Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer... I suppose that I've seen it about 53 times now, but it's still great after all these years.

 

 

 

 

[TravelGirlinDallas]

Here for this!

[zencruisers]

I finally caught one from the beginning. Looking forward to following along. 

[Jamman54]

I'm with you James! 😁

[sid_9169]

Now it looks like another one of the guys at work is coming down with something... God please don't let me catch whatever these inconsiderate people are carrying!...

 

 

[sid_9169]

I always purchase my flights and hotel months in advance, so I got that out of the way early in 2022. This may have turned out to be a terrible idea, as the war in Ukraine was in full swing, and fuel prices were at all time highs. My Delta flight ended up costing a hundred bucks MORE than I’ve ever paid for a comparable flight, but either way, my transportation was secured. I also booked one of my “usual” Miami hotels, the InterContinental downtown, which puts me in close proximity to the port, as well as a stones throw from the free Metro Mover… The Metrorail will take me directly from MIA to downtown, and a train change at Government Center will put me within sight of my hotel. 

 

 

 

[sid_9169]

I've been eating these like M&Ms for the past couple of days, hoping that the "circular firing squad" of sick people don't infect me...

 

 

[sid_9169]

1 hour ago, kpark895 said:

Looking forward to this!  I've been missing in action for a few months - long story - but have still been following along.

Thanks for following, kpark895... Hopefully I can keep it interesting enough to keep you on board for the duration...

[sid_9169]

55 minutes ago, jbhcw said:

Following Sid....stay well!!

Thanks, jbhcw... I'm trying!

[sid_9169]

48 minutes ago, pcvtmom said:

Excited for another Sid review!! Great opening, by the way...😁

Thanks, pcvtmom... I always "try" to come up with something good to kick things off!...

[sid_9169]

23 minutes ago, TravelGirlinDallas said:

Here for this!

Thanks for being here, TravelGirlinDallas... 

[RenoNanaOz]

Looking forward to this, but please do take some time for yourself once on board to just relax.

[sid_9169]

18 minutes ago, zencruisers said:

I finally caught one from the beginning. Looking forward to following along. 

Thanks for jumping on board from the beginning, zencruisers... Hopefully I can entertain you till the bitter end.

[sid_9169]

18 minutes ago, Jamman54 said:

I'm with you James! 😁

It wouldn't be a real review without you on board, Jamman54... 

[sid_9169]

1 minute ago, RenoNanaOz said:

Looking forward to this, but please do take some time for yourself once on board to just relax.

That's the plan! I'm going to try and strike a balance between a good review and a great vacation...

[sid_9169]

[nccruzencouple]

Following. Ready for another awesome review. 

[maluhia87]

4 minutes ago, sid_9169 said:

I was the remote control.