I had an awesome experience on the Celebrity Ascent for the Naming Ceremony! It was a very cool experience. The Ascent had two God Mothers Captain Sandy Yawn from Bravo’s “Below Deck” and her sister Michelle Dunham, founder and executive director of a non-profit school for children with autism. I was able to meet Captain Sandy along Chef Dave and some NFL players from the Buffalo Bills.

This is the first time I have ever been on a Celebrity Ship and it did not disappoint. The food was wonderful all the areas throughout the ship were very welcoming and warm. The ship will carry 3,260 passengers at double capacity, up from 2900 on the Edge and Apex.

The ship has 32 food and beverage experiences, 14 café’s, bars and loungers, 8 specialty restaurants, 4 main dining rooms, 4 complimentary casual dining venues and 2 exclusive restaurants. The two exclusive restaurants are for those that are booked in The Retreat or Aqua Class, which are Laminae at The Retreat and Blu. One of our favorite areas was Craft Social, a bourbon bar in the atrium. They serve a drink called the Smoking Bull 19; this is made with Brugal 1888 rum, Carpano Antica vermouth, Aperol and orange spice tea. It is then finished in a smoke box that reminds you of campfires. The ship also offers the Magic Carpet platform, Eden Restaurant and a high-tech theater with oversize movie screens.

We were in an Edge Stateroom with Infinite Veranda. I wasn’t too sure if we would like this, but it was rather nice being able to open your window have it as part of your stateroom. I would stay in this type of stateroom again. The bathrooms where quite large and the staterooms had tons of storage. Celebrity does now offer Edge Single Staterooms w/Infinite Veranda for your single travelers.

I would highly recommend booking a drink package. From looking at the drink prices, they were high. The drink package certainly adds value.

Prior to sailing on Celebrity we stayed at the Hilton Marina Fort Lauderdale. I have stayed here several times. The last time I was there they were starting to refurbish the public areas. This has now been completed. They no longer have their outdoor patio bar, they now have a small area where they have a cart to serve drinks, it is nice but the patio bar was much better. They do have a new dining venue called Olive and Sea; it offers awesome intercostal water view.

We did do the water-taxi which I highly recommended. They have a stop right at the Hilton Marina which is very nice. To purchase tickets www.watertaxi.com they have the Fort Lauderdale Route and the Hollywood Express Router. We did an all-day ticket which is valid from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm. The cost for the two of us was $82.56. This is a very fun way to explore Fort Lauderdale.

The Ship is sophisticated and is geared towards adults. The ship does have some children programs but does lack children’s areas like Royal Caribbean, so I would not offer this to a family. I would sail with Celebrity again.

The ship: WOW is all I can say. This is a game changer for NCL. All the public spaces are open-wide and the colors are very light, airy and an earth tone colors. Creams, light blues and light tans/browns. Just beautiful, you had an elegant feel for the ship! The ship holds 3099 guest with a crew of 1506. NCL says they are not out to be the least expensive, they are here to be the most valuable with many inclusions they offer. The Prima is one of six ships in this class.

We stayed in a Club Mini Suite, cabin 9950. Nice and large, with a nice size balcony that had 2 chairs and a small table. The bathrooms where quite large with a very large shower. All the cabins had the same color scheme however the studios had light blue walls vs the cream/tan colors like the other cabins, very spacious for the solo traveler.

Out of all the cruise lines that I have sailed with I think NCL has some of the best food and choices. One new feature is the Indulge Food Hall. They have several dishes from around the world that you order right from your own tablet that is located at the table and your food is then served up in a very timely manner. This is complimentary. We also ate in the one of the two main dining rooms, The Commodore and at Nama Sushi & Sashimi-a Specialty Restaurant. In total they have eight specialty restaurants that are for an additional charge and 6 restaurants that are included, so anyone will be satisfied with the choices they offer.

We were unable to confirm any of the entertainment offered on board but from what I heard it was all excellent. At some of the bars on board they did have live entertainment for those who were not able to go to the shows. The entertainment at the Penrose Bar was outstanding. Also keep in mind for your solo traveler they do have the Studio Lounge that caters to exclusive Studio Guests.

While sailing we went to Great Stirrup Cay. Fun Island-they have 3 beaches, 4 bars, 3 restaurants along with several activities. We decided to do a shore excursion here and we swam with The Pigs. What an experience and it was actually very fun. The cost was $64.00 per person.

NCL caters to all travelers. You have The Haven for your upscale travelers, Family Suites for your families and multi-generational families to couples and your singles with the Studio Cabins. I think with the Prima Class, NCL is raising the bar for other cruise lines. 

Inaugural - Nov 11-13 2021
Requirement- Vaccinated travelers must take a Rapid Antigen test 2 days prior to sailing. I ordered our test from https://store.optum.com/royal-caribbean/  Very easy to do and took about 20 minutes or so.

Masks are required in the terminal. When we boarded masks were then optional.

Stateroom: We stayed in cabin 8208 a Connecting ocean view balcony (Cat. CB) 182 sq. ft. + 55 balcony. I was very surprised at how spacious the cabin was along with the balcony. The cabin actually had a true king bed. Lots of storage space, seating area as well.

SeaPlex
Has virtual reality games (Virtual Adventure Zone) , basketball, pickle ball, you name it to bumper cars. You can watch all the action from above at Playmakers which is a sports bar and arcade. Fun place for the adults while the kids are checking the sports complex out.

Chill-Pool Deck
This is a resort style area that includes a 2 story bar call The Lime and Coconut and Splashaway Bay (water park area) Rock Climbing wall, outdoor movie nights.

Kids and Teens
Adventure Ocean-Ignites kids imagination
Social180 is the teen area.

Solarium-Adults Only
Beautiful area of the ship located at the front, features tranquil swimming pools, whirlpools, cascading lagoons and wonderful views.

Thrills
Flow rider, Rip Cord by IFLY, laser tag and Sky Pad.

You can also take the North Star observation capsule with take you 300 feet above sea level.

They have Paris and las Vegas-inspired shows like Showgirl. Another show is Showtime that is it at Two70 that futures aerialist and robotics. Other shows are The Effectors, which you follow a band that is trying the world. There is also the Music Hall that features live music nights. There is also the Bionic Bar and Boleros to just name a few of the bars on bar. They also have Spa and Fitness Center, Shopping, and a casino. The ship is laid out nicely. Almost everything is touchless.

Perfect Day at Coco Cay

A much larger than Great Stirrup Cay with many things to do. Tram Service is available on the island. The tram runs every 15 minutes between Thrill Water, South Beach, Coco Beach Clun, Up, Up and Away, Oasis Lagoon and Chill Island. They also do offer beach access wheelchairs. These are on a first come first serve and can be picked up at 3 locations.

Thrill Water Park
Dare Devils Peak-135 ft.-
Tallest waterslide in North America (they should have a bar at the top after climbing all that way)
Dueling Demons
Twin drop slides launch riders 75 feet from a vertical position
Screeching Serpent
50 Foot tall fully vertical speed slide
Green Mamba
50 Foot tall slide with many twists and turns
Manta Racers
Riders race down twin open flume sides

Splash Summit Waterslides
Sling Short
4 riders soar on a raft into a zero gravity moment before plummeting
Twisters
Two riders slide down a winding tube on a tandem raft
Splash Speedway
Four racers race each other down individual 40 foot tall mat racer slides

Splash Zones-Wave Pool and Adventure Pool
Beaches
Chill Island
Harbor Beach
South Beach
Breezy Cay at Chill Island

Dining
Snack Shack
Skippers Grill
Chill Grill

Pools
Oasis Lagoon with 3 swim up island and a swim-up pool bar.

Bars
Captain Jacks
Oasis Lagoon Bar
Wacky Seagull
Floating Bar
South Beach Bar
Coconut Willie’s Bar

Activities and Rentals (additional charge)
Shore Excursion
Kayak Tour Station
Snorkel Shack
Beach Rentals
Beach Games (no fee)
Sports Pavilion at South beach
Sports Pavilion at Breezy Bay (no fee)

Coconut Beach Club-Additional Charge
They offer a bar and restaurant for guest in this area.
They have an oceanfront infinity pool and floating cabanas.

Perfect for families and multi-generational travel.

I recently had the opportunity to attend T+L Travel Academy in Charleston, SC.  It was a great experience and a perfect destination for a long weekend or even a full week stay.  My host hotel was the Belmond Charleston Palace located in Historic Charleston. This property is a Forbes 4-star Hotel with all the amenities you might expect.  

We also visited The Dewberry which is a member of the Historic Hotels of America. A repurposed 1960’s Federal office building it too is located in Historic Charleston.

Zero George, The Spectator (Very cool property) and Wentworth Mansion were also visited and each has its own unique style and amenities.  And of course, The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort was fabulous.  This is a Forbes 5-Star Hotel with a Luxury Spa and five Championship Golf courses on the island including the famous Ocean Course.

As you would expect, dining in Charleston is awesome.  Some of my recommendations include; Charleston Grill located at Belmond Charleston Palace, Rue De Jean, Halls Chophouse and Wentworth Mansion.

Charleston is a very easy walkable city. I would not recommend a car unless you plan on touring outside of the city, for example visiting the nearby beaches. If you are looking for a week stay I would suggest spending three to four nights in the city then head out to one of the five beaches in the area. Charleston has something to offer everyone.  I can’t wait to go back and would be happy to assist you with your travel plans.

BonaireI sailed on the I sailed on the Caribbean Princess from San Juan to St. Thomas, Dominica, Grenada, Bonaire, and Aruba.  San Juan is a hustling and bustling city. They have a huge festival in Old San Juan that occurs each weekend until Christmas. 

While in St. Thomas we just visited the several shops that right at the pier. They had several jewelry shops, duty-free shops along with a market. St. Thomas is known for being the place to buy Fine Jewelry at a reasonable cost. 

Dominica was not one of my favorite Islands. The ship docks outside of the city center.  The location where Princess docks, is outside the city center so you can either grab a cab or walk into town. When taking a cab, remind your clients to first agree on a cab fare. I would recommend on this Island to do a shore excursion that you can actually get the feel of the Island.  On arrival to Dominica, one might think they were in Hawaii - the Island is very mountainous.  Grenada is very comparable to Dominica and I would suggest a specialized shore excursion here. 

Bonaire was one of my favorite Islands to visit. The city of Kralendijk is very clean and is Dutch influenced. The ship docks right in the heart of the city. You can walk from the pier right into town.  The cost of food and beverage were actually reasonable compared to other Islands we visited. Bonaire has the most pristine beaches and water that I have ever seen compared to anywhere else that I have been. 

Aruba was quite fun. Lots of activity with a new fashion mall with all high-end stores like Louis Vuitton. The mall is located near the Renaissance Resort. The Renaissance is located right in the heart of Town. Across from the resort is their Marina with a Casino that is for resort guests only.  A perfect place to do a post cruise stay. from San Juan, to St. Thomas, Dominica, Grenada, Bonaire, and Aruba.  San Juan is a hustling and bustling city. They have a huge festival in Old San Juan that occurs each weekend until Christmas.