ASCENT..1/28/ 24 not quite live!

[keesar]

On 2/6/2024 at 3:20 PM, hcat said:

we managed a few breakfasts and first day lunch.. they had variety but lots of rice, noodles  carbs .and spicy food.

 

The 1st day beef carving was very chewey & tough!  The made to.order Omlettes  and poached eggs were good, and  also the waffles if they were not sitting out in a pan.  The bagel guy  had an attitude as did some others!   Like the Seinfeld Soup Meanie!   The gluten free desserts were available close to where we sat and tasted great!

 

I do  not in general care for the disorganized layout..To get fruit and veggies  I had to forage.   There was no tableside coffee service...... Lavazza is not our favorite anyhow! .But we managed.   

 

Much prefer breakfast in BLU..but on excursion days buffet has the early hrs.

 

  Never made it to the Seafood Buffet so cannot comment.

 

We rated it "POOR"

 

We preferred lunch at Raw on 5. which was excellent, (15 % off for E +),   something from Solarium (severly limited hours..),  sandwiches at the  Bistro,  and eating in port.   We tried Cosmopolitan for lunch one day..good service & food.. table for 2!

 

The hamburger place was always packed... and was just not very appealing. 

 

But  we certainly did not go hungry..Just wish the Buffet  better suited us...

 

 

Unfortunately, you went to the Oceanview at probably the worse two times.  First day and breakfast.  The breakfast in Blu is excellent and better than Luminae in my opinion.  I really enjoyed the selections and quality at the Oceanview.  But I usually went before or after the craziness.   

[blueslily]

On 2/4/2024 at 7:05 PM, hcat said:

I think it floats.  hard to predict!

 

Thanks. I attended and it was nice. Thanks

[Kelownadon]

On 2/4/2024 at 3:43 PM, ijscheer said:

Yes.  We used it on our 1/28 disembarkation.  Cost is $29 pp, but since we had only 2 bags,we only were charged for one person.  It was a godsend to us, since we had a late afternoon flight and FLL is now warning about a 2 hr pre-flight limit on checking baggage.

Your comment is making me nervous as we have a 3:30pm flight out of FLL and we plan to get off the Ascent on the same day as our flight this October. If we take the shuttle transportation option offered by Celebrity to the airport do you see us having any issues. Thanks for any help you can provide. 

Edited February 10 by Kelownadon

[keesar]

26 minutes ago, Kelownadon said:

Your comment is making me nervous as we have a 3:30pm flight out of FLL and we plan to get off the Ascent on the same day as our flight this October. If we take the shuttle transportation option offered by Celebrity to the airport do you see us having any issues. Thanks for any help you can provide. 

 

You are not able to check your own luggage until 2 hours prior to your flight's departure.  But if you used the Luggage Valet,  you will not see your luggage until you arrive at your final destination.  All is taken care of.  Well worth it.

[kwokpot]

38 minutes ago, Kelownadon said:

Your comment is making me nervous as we have a 3:30pm flight out of FLL and we plan to get off the Ascent on the same day as our flight this October. If we take the shuttle transportation option offered by Celebrity to the airport do you see us having any issues. Thanks for any help you can provide. 

What do you have to be nervous about? We disembarked the Ascent 3 weeks ago and not only made our 9:46 am flight from FLL but had 30 minutes to have some breakfast at the AMEX airport lounge. Are you afraid you're not going to make a 3:30pm flight? 

Edited February 10 by kwokpot

[Liao]

52 minutes ago, Kelownadon said:

Your comment is making me nervous as we have a 3:30pm flight out of FLL and we plan to get off the Ascent on the same day as our flight this October. If we take the shuttle transportation option offered by Celebrity to the airport do you see us having any issues. Thanks for any help you can provide. 

Not understanding why you are nervous about it?  If you are not flying until 3:30 you're going to have plenty of time to get to the airport and you'll not be rushing at all.

[Kelownadon]

24 minutes ago, keesar said:

 

You are not able to check your own luggage until 2 hours prior to your flight's departure.  But if you used the Luggage Valet,  you will not see your luggage until you arrive at your final destination.  All is taken care of.  Well worth it.

 

16 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

What do you have to be nervous about? We disembarked the Ascent 3 weeks ago and not only made our 9:46 am flight from FLL but had 30 minutes to have some breakfast at the AMEX airport lounge. Are you afraid you're not going to make a 3:30pm flight? 

Thanks. Yes my concern was not being able to make the 3:30pm flight. I am no longer worried. Now the worry is what to do with all that extra time haha 

[hcat]

glad  this thread did not die..and there are more recent threads about ASCENT. with great pics and dining perspectives.

 

I hope to finish my review in next few days.. I want to  highlight St Kitts/Nevis.. lunch at Raw on 5...the lectures on early US Space missions and Cap's lecture! 

 

Reason for the delay...Sal and I came down with flu a day after our return.. could have picked it up locally or a gas stop on on drive home.   Not COVID but  nasty..and we had flu shots. Feeling better but still not 100%!

[hcat]

We passed this everytime we took the elevator..we knew to turn left at the then right!

 

[hcat]

thanks for the smile Jim.. Have to look her up in my  Ascent Art book..but her lovely posterior  pointed the way!

[hcat]

Raw on Five for Lunch!

 

We pre booked our Specialty  Dining dinners,  but knew we had to work in Raw on Five.   We were able to get a lunch res and also use our 15% E+ discount towards the bill.

 

Ordering and pricing is a la carte..They offer a  great menu..not just sushi . Some interesting drinks too..( some above our Classic plan).

 

Service was outstanding..Happy we could enjoy it!

[hcat]

more pics.. We each ordered a roll..Sal is new to this so went with Calif Roll and really enjoyed it. Forgot which one I ordered but it was tasty & fresh!

 

We both ordered a terriyaki entree..chicken/ beef. 

 

Quite a feast for lunch!

[hcat]

We made general cruise conversation with a mother and dtr. who were seated next to us  They were from a  family of long time cruisers, and apparently friends with the Captain..

 

All of a sudden,  he stopped by the restaurant   As unobtrusively as possible...he  took them out someplace for a photo he had promised!  Just a great guy!

 

[hcat]

Our next cruise will be on Silhouette.

 

Hope we will enjoy Sushi on 5 as much as Raw on 5..diff menus from what we recall!

[mac_tlc]

Your previous comment about lectures about early US space missions has me intrigued. We were on the sailing before you and there were no "Beyond the Podium" type speakers. And, unless I missed it, there was no "Captains Corner" type event. We were disappointed that there were neither. 

 

 

mac_tlc

[calicakes]

@hcat

 

I have no way to contact you.  Just wanted to let you know we had to cancel our Edge cruise for the 25th.  I broke my ankle/tib/fibula on Saturday.( dogs slammed into me at the dog park)  Had surgery. Beyond disappointed is putting it mildly. 

[hcat]

15 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

Your previous comment about lectures about early US space missions has me intrigued. We were on the sailing before you and there were no "Beyond the Podium" type speakers. And, unless I missed it, there was no "Captains Corner" type event. We were disappointed that there were neither. 

 

 

mac_tlc

That's  up next..space serues and Caps lecture...Amazing!

[hcat]

2 minutes ago, calicakes said:

@hcat

 

I have no way to contact you.  Just wanted to let you know we had to cancel our Edge cruise for the 25th.  I broke my ankle/tib/fibula on Saturday.( dogs slammed into me at the dog park)  Had surgery. Beyond disappointed is putting it mildly. 

omg.. so sorry.. hope your rehab goes well..   Hope you had good ins  and were able to cancel easily.. Magbe you can book a future cruise on EDGE..or another E Class..highly rec Ascent!

 

Our  good friend had a slip & fall at a Golf Club..similar injury..(? )  It  happened in NY &  she had emergency surgery there,   but was able to do rehab in Fla.. walked  alot in her community pool! Doing great now..walking fine. But it did not get to 100% overnight!

 

My neighbor here in Fl,   minds pets & sometimes they are too frisky!  Most owners here walk in groups..so they help her with the more exurberant ones.

 

I  think theres a pvt message feature on CC..will try to  see how it works.. maybe someone can explain!

 

Hope you feel better..Happy Val Day!

[hcat]

photo mis-indexed from the  ART  tour..but a nice organic way to end the day!

[hcat]

CRUISE HIGHLIGHT!

Lecture Series by  Dr.  Ken Stein.. Early .Space Program and  to the Future!

 

This was by  far one of the best lecture series we have enjoyed on Celebrity.  We could not get there in person  but watched the presentation on our TV..one of the few worthwhile items offered on that system..other than check ur account and Navigation positions.

 

We met Dr Ken at a Sailaway party and knew it would be great! Easy friendly manner of explaining complex info  along with many insider tidbits!

 

[hcat]

 

 

 

Kenneth Stein, Ed.D. CRC  (excerpt Linked In)

Cruise Shop Lecturer:

"As a lecturer on cruise ships my goal is to provide the passengers with an educational and fun experience. Understanding the purpose of the cruise, demographics of the passengers, other venues on the ship, and single vs. series lecture content all contribute to success. I have demonstrated the ability to bring these diverse considerations into a concise, focused, entertaining, and informative event. Of course being a successful lecturer is more than successful presentations. It also involves interaction with the passengers across the entire spectrum of the cruise. Engaging in pre and post conversations, joining discussion groups, supporting colleagues in their lectures, following cruise line guidelines and ethical behavior all contribute to a total professional presence. I believe that audiences sense and react to the sincerity and attitude of a lecturer. My various lecture series have been well received"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 14 by hcat

[hcat]

Sorry for all that white space. I am hopelessly lo tech!

 

BTW..Sal and I grew up with the "Space Race",   and are  still avid followers of  it all.  Love NOVA, Discovery and NASA channel  and SPACE EX too..  so this might be a bit dry . 

 

Sal knows alot more than I do but  we both learned so much in  a fun way from Dr Ken.  Q and A.. guessing encouraged.  Great Power Point  including data, photos  and so much more!

Edited February 14 by hcat

[hcat]

The presentations were in 6 segments.. image below shows how they appeared in the Cruise Daily.

 

The segments included! 

1) the Wake up Call- Sputnik & Mercury

2) Gemini..the Race to the Moon

3)  Appollo...final journey to the moon) cont next post)

 

[hcat]

4) Red Star rising..Soviet triumphs Tragedies and Firsts in Space..Sputnik and Continued Race to the Moon with a number of Firsts

5) Mamnals, Machines & Mischief: the Lesser known heroes  Discoveries  and Follies in Space.

 

Stories abt dog in Space and the Monkeys..Astromauts got to move into a hotel b/c monkeys housed near their quarters smelled  so bad!  Who knew that?

Edited February 14 by hcat

[hcat]

6)  Return to the Moon, Artemis, Gateway and the Journey to Deep Space  Journey With the Astronauts as they return to the Moob, on to Mars and further in to Deep Space

 

stock image Artemis