Feb. 11, 2016 a day at sea before landing at Ft. Lauderdale.

Since this is our last day at sea there were some extra activities for the guests. One of them was a bridge tour and small groups got to see the equipment used in navigating and docking the ship along with explanations by Capt. Matthews.

Later we went up to the Lawn Deck to see it for one last time. This is where lawn games like croquet and bocce were played during the cruise.

Corning had the hot glass show during the day where one could see different items made by the staff.
This is one of the five Celebrity ships that has the hot glass show.

There was a talent show in the afternoon and we found out that the Greek band which played at our Greek nights was selected to perform. Usually it is crew members who perform but our band was given permission to play and some of our group got up and danced.!
They got a standing ovation after their performance.!

Feb. 11, 2016 our last port George Town, Grand Cayman Islands

George Town is our last port before we sail back to Ft. Lauderdale.
We have never been here and are excited to visit the island as we heard so much about the Grand Caymans as an important trade center and banking center.

 

The weather yesterday and today has been very windy. This is a tender port so getting ashore is tricky enough without the wind. The Captain's announcement this morning told us the winds are so strong that we will be landing on the other side of the island and that there were six cruise ships scheduled and the place where we are landing can only accommodate 3 ships. Consequently 3 ships were turned away and sailed towards their next port.

Later we found out from the Staff Capt. that the reason our ship and the other Celebrity ship were allowed to land guests is that the cruise line hired all the buses and shuttles which did take us to and from town for free.

Our shuttle bus ride to George Town took about 10 minutes and we could see nicely kept homes, schools, markets, and churches on the way. A big difference compared to the cities of the  ports we just visited as well as most other Caribbean islands we visited on previous cruises.

We were dropped off in the center of town. We stopped for a photo by the welcome sign and were amazed by the rough surf/waves splashing on the promenade.

The downtown was very colorful as the buildings were painted in bright pastels and well kept. We were going to shop for rum cakes and rum and gifts for our sons here. Shopping at the other ports was not so good and this was the place to find the best gifts. In addition to the rum, rum cakes and gifts we even bought a bamboo shirt and a set of bamboo sheets.

We had lunch at the Hard Rock cafe which was full of other tourists and had a nice lunch.

The all aboard for the ship was 4:30 and since we knew it took at least an hour to line up for the tenders to get back on board we got the shuttle at 1:30 to go the the port. When we got there, there were long lines waiting for the tenders. One line for ea. of the 3 ships there. Fortunately because of the heat the ships crew was handing out glasses of water to people in line.

There was also food booths and hand made souvenirs available for travellers to buy for last minute gifts.   

Feb. 7-8, 2016 Cartagena, Columbia an overnight stay

Celebrity Cruises has added overnight stays in ports on most cruises now. At the time we booked this cruise we wondered why Cartagena and after we got back I figured because it was mid cruise and the other ports did not warrant a two day visit.

Since we stopped here on our Panama cruise in 2008, we had seen most of the tourist sights as we took the all day comprehensive tour then.
Our plans for today are to take a taxi and sightsee in the center old city on our own.

We docked at the cruise terminal and walked off to the shops and terminal. I remember that this port had a great cruise terminal and it seems they upgraded it since then.
There were fenced off lawn areas with ducks, geese, rabbits and peacocks. At the exit there were parrots and macaws and other tropical birds. Very scenic.

The taxi service was pretty organized- get in the line and tell the dispatcher where you want to go. Published prices are around $20 for new and old town (although we found out later locals pay $10 or less). We asked for a cab ride to the center of the old city and after a 15 min ride we were there by the tall clock tower which is the drop off and pickup point for taxis.

Since today was Sunday some stores were closed and there were only tourists wandering around. It is hard to get lost here since the walls contain the old part of town. We saw local artists displaying their art as well as musicians playing guitars and drums. We walked to the wall by the ocean and climbed up to get a view of the city  as well as the ocean. After taking some photos and walking the wall we climbed down in search of a place to have a refreshment.

It was hot and somewhat humid today and we had to be careful not to get dehydrated.

Near the center of the old  city we found a Juan Valdez cafe which sold Columbian coffee beans as well as different coffees and snacks. When we went to pay the cashier said no dollars so we ended up charging our coffees which was not a problem. We rested in the A/C cooled cafe and checked our emails.

Next we proceeded to walk towards the large old church to take some photos and sightsee.

 We thought we would have lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe but it did not look very appealing when we went inside so we decide to head back to the ship for lunch.

We went out to the clocktower to get a cab which took us back to the cruise terminal. We looked at the souvenirs and took photos of the birds and then boarded the ship.
The rest of the afternoon we spent on board- using the hot tub and pool and relaxing.

Monday Feb. 8

We talked to the ship concierge and she recommended going to the new part of the city for a visit. There was supposed to be a shopping st. and a small mall. We went to the terminal and got a cab and asked the driver to let us off near the tip of the peninsula by the mall. Well I remember the mall from the last visit and when I saw it again remembered that the tour bus brought us here because it had recommended shops but other than the the two shops there was nothing of interested. We started walking back in the direction of the old city on the main street and saw some international brand stores and some nice hotels as well as small souvenir shops.

We took a detour and went towards the beach to walk along the water for a while but it was very windy. We saw locals sitting under umbrellas and vendors going up and down the beach selling drinks and food.

After a few blocks we headed back to the main st. where we discovered another Juan Valdez cafe. Perfect timing for  a coffee break.! As with the other store we could only charge our purchase since we did not have local currency which was ok.

Since it was getting late we decided to start back to the ship. We walked as far as we could and then the sidewalk ended. We stopped a cab and asked to go to the terminal.  $10.00
Once we got there we went back through the shops, bought some coffee beans to take back home and then boarded the ship.

Cartagena is a scenic city but once one sees the main sights not much else to do except go to the beach.

This afternoon we were invited to the helipad for a private party to see the sailaway from Cartagena. There must have been 50 guests and lots of ships' officers to mingle with and enjoy mimosas and champagne and to see Cartagena fade away and the sunset. This was a wonderful experience.

Tomorrow is a sea day. One good thing about this cruise is that there are several sea days which offer us the opportunity to relax.