February 21, 2025 – St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda – Mostly Cloudy – 85F

Did get some sleep, I think.

Up early and watched the sail in from our cabin.  

This is where we docked in St. John's.

There are three ships here today – Eclipse, big brother Celebrity Beyond, 

and Costa Fascinosa.  

So that will add about 10,000 more people to the population of St John’s and Antigua.

Our tour – “Catamaran Tour to Green Island” has a meeting time of 9:00 AM on the pier – so we had to spend a little less time on breakfast. Besides enjoying my standard breakfast, I still had time to bring Ellen her breakfast, as well.

We met our group, No. 35 on the pier right on time.  This tour was initially cancelled (due to operational issues) and then reinstated the night before.  Maybe, a few more folks signed up.  We walked a short way not to a bus but to a large catamaran.  Because of the sun, we got some seats on the inside at the outset. 

The catamaran sail out was very scenic - we maneuvered between the big ships to get out to open waters and in doing so I got a nice shot of Celebrity Beyond.

As we moved along the shore, I spotted an interesting little dwelling.  It reminded me of the homes along the Mississippi.

Before we got rolling, I got a nice picture of  Ellen on the cat.

And she got an interesting picture of me (sort of)

as well as a more conventional shot.

Once away from the harbor and out into the open water, the cat really gunned the engines. 

At this speed, whenever we hit some wake from other boats, the cat really bounced.  We had moved to the outside group of seats and we could feel every wave – some were so powerful that they sprayed everyone.  Actually, that was kind of fun.

Secondly, it was difficult to understand the guide so it was impossible to know where we were on the island. 

Most of the scenery included fancy homes on the various hills of Antigua.  There were some standout homes such as Oprah Winfrey's compound known as "Mangrove Cove".  I couldn't tell from the what the guide was saying if Oprah still owns this home but I don't think she does.

We passed by another home, "The Lazy Lizard" - pretty impressive.

Green Island, our destination, is off the Eastern Side of Antigua - it is a private island and is just 350 meters from Antigua. A lot of people starting donning their snorkel gear.  There were other boats across the cove - all loaded up with snorkelers. Soon, they were in the water.  The beach looked nice but getting there would almost require a swim - not an option really.

I did my part by watching them and partaking in a Carib Beer (a good beer but better in a bottle than a can).

The snorkeling session ran about 45 minutes and then everyone got back on the boat and we avoided getting second hand water from the people drying off.  

The tour included a buffet lunch. We had pre-ordered a vegetarian option and it consisted of a salad (can’t recall if there was any dressing), a Caribbean rice dish (OK), and the island’s take on a veggie burger (mushed and fried veggies on a bun) (weird but OK).  Cokes, juices, and rum punch were also available.  It was an unusual meal but it did the job. Any off ship meal that doesn’t result in some kind of an issue is a W.

The catamaran started back to St. John's.  Along the way, there were several resorts and luscious scenery.

There was one usual site as we zipped along.  A rock formation called "Hawksbill Rock", for sort of obvious reasons.

On the negative side, on the way home, the music was so loud, you couldn’t talk to anyone and it was actually painful.  I did ask them to turn down the music but they didn’t.  If you wanted relief from the music you had to sit on the outside seats (no speakers out there) and deal with any sun issues.

We finished off the tour with a quick visit to a marina that was home to several huge yachts.

Soon, we could see the three bit cruise ships and we knew we were close to the catamaran pier.

It was an early departure (3:30 PM) and we got there just about at that time.  The original gangway had been taken away and a temporary new one put down to accommodate late arriving tours.  I was so happy to get back on the ship and into a cool quiet stateroom.

We had dinner up in the Oceanview Café – I ordered pasta aglio e olio (olive oil and garlic) and it was very good – simple and tasty.  We watched the sail away from our nice table.

Multi instrument performer, Robert Gall was the headliner tonight but we were simply too whipped to go to the theater.  Besides, Ellen’s ears were bothering her from the noise on the catamaran. Instead, we went to the Ensemble Lounge to hear the Acoustic Duo: Strings Attached.  The group features a small, maybe Filipino, woman with a huge and good voice belting out standards.  She had accumulated a bunch of groupies who danced around her while she was singing. The Ensemble Lounge is a tough venue for singing groups because the foot traffic to the Tuscan Grille is continuous and the place is perfect for chatting.  The background noise takes away from the enjoyment of the singing group but it is what it is.

We called in a day and a fun day at that.

February 20, 2025 – Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas, USVI – Mostly Sunny – 85F

No excursions today – so we will have the ship to ourselves.

Port Information.  We have not been in Charlotte Amalie since 2021, during the pandemic.  We were on both a Celebrity Ship - Apex, I think, and then on an Azamara Ship.  We were operating under COVID rules on those visits.  I don't believe we got off the ship.  

There are two docking options in Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas.  The larger pier is Havensight Pier, which is close to town, shopping, and restaurants.  This is where we docked most of the time in the past - the shopping mall was nice and there were restaurants around the pier. The other option is Crown Bay Dock, where the big ships generally dock. This is where we docked when we sailed on QM2 - mainly because of the size of the ship.  In the distant past, we walked to the city from here but I wouldn't do it now - there is not much on the way.  It is a 10 minute drive to town and there is only a small vendor set up at this dock.  That's where Eclipse is moored today.

Still up early – another nice breakfast in the Oceanview Café.  I have added a tiny bowl of cereal to the menu. Ellen is continuing to have items that I bring from the Café along with Room Service drinks and fruit for breakfast. I did bring her something special today – a freshly made mushroom and onion omelet (right from the griddle to the room).

I had a chance to watch the Wonder OTS pull into the pier.  

At one time, she was the largest ship in the world.  The ship has an amphitheater in the aft section and they were showing movies on a huge screen.

We got off the ship mid morning, passed through the "fancy" entrance 

and checked out the vendors (I'm always looking for an unusual cap - didn't find one).  There were a lot of iguanas hanging out near the water and I did get a nice shot of Eclipse docked.  Eclipse looked pretty small next to the mambo sized Wonder OTS.

I found a rando who took a picture of the two of us withe semi-nice picture of the "island sign", which was not the nicest sign we have seen on our travels.  

It was warm and we didn't spend too much time at Crown Point - there simply wasn't much there.

Once back on the ship, we moved from spot to spot today and lunch was pretty standard up in the Oceanview Café.  I got a beautiful shot of St Thomas from the Sunset Veranda.

Dinner, however, was different.  Ellen spoke to a suit and arranged for two pieces of salmon to be brought to the Café and grilled for us. The fish appeared in about 10 minutes and was cooked perfectly – I had some fries and marinated tomatoes with mine.  

We watched the sail away while enjoying the wonderful dinner.

Tonight's Showtime features “Intimate Broadway Cabaret”, my favorite Production Show on Celebrity Ships.  Even though we got to the theater about 15 minutes early we still got those nice seats against the railing in the mezzanine section.  There were some differences in this show from those in the past.  First, there were only four singers instead of the usual six (three boys and three girls) (there was one American from New York).  The singers spent some time in the audience and the show was shorter.  Some songs were omitted (“The Stars”, “What I did for Love”, for example).  Still the show was entertaining as it always is.  I think, because they only had four voices, that a background track was used in some of the songs, when they needed the volume and sound density.

The song list was pretty much the same, starting off with "On Broadway", 

continuing with an always entertaining medley from "Beautiful" ("You've Got a Friend", "I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet"), 

"Don't Rain On My Parade",

?On My Own" and "Bring Him Home" from Les Mis, "Suddenly Seymour" from "Little Shop of Horrors", an ABBA Medley, and finishing off the show with "You Can't Stop the Beat".  Another great show.

We caught a few minutes of one of the party bands before heading for the room. We have a full day excursion tomorrow.

Seas are smooth.

February 19, 2025 – At Sea – Atlantic Ocean – Mostly Sunny – 85F

Slept OK – Up early again (of course). Maybe a little too early as seen in this pictures from the room.

I watched the sunrise

while enjoying another delicious breakfast in the Oceanview Café.  All the elements are still there and tasty.  I am reading the Smithsonian Magazine at the rate of 1-2 pages a day.  I checked with the Celebrity app and saw that I had received a battlefield promotion to the Eclipse Theater for my second talk.  Attendees will be able to get seats and be comfortable. I prefer the closeness (and superior AV) in Celebrity Central but its just too small a venue in this case.

I got to the Theater at 9:30 AM – Sameer actually called me to remind me to get there early – I was headed out when he called – for “Forensics and History: The Search for the Unknown Titanic Child”.  

The turnout was a pleasant surprise – at about 9:55 AM, a huge crowd entered the theater – someone told me that this was the Celebrity Central crowd that had gone there by mistake.  I would say that the theater was more than half full (lots of people in the balcony).  This crowd was about two to three Celebrity Central’s worth.  So the move was a good idea. With the beautiful weather outside (and people occupying the Pool Deck early) and other activities going on around the ship – this turnout was pretty good.

I was about to get started when Kelly Rose appeared magically on the stage and introduced me (that was nice).  I didn't know she was coming.

The move to the theater posed one problem – the image on the screen was blurry (and off color) and the smaller text was impossible to read.  I stumbled a bit on Joan Allison (granddaughter or grandchild) but the rest of the talk went pretty much OK (I was a little fuzzy with the time change but I’m on cruise control for this talk so I guess it went well).  The talk ran a little over 51 minutes but it was actually shorter due to the Captain’s announcements and Kelly Rose’s announcements and introduction.  A nice round of applause followed and I chatted with a few people afterwards since no one kicked us out of the theater. 

Today was “Taste of Britain” in the Oceanview Café – I had a piece of fish and some chips and the fish turned out to be really good – lots of fish and just the right amount of batter. I should have had more fish but I am pacing myself.

We spent some of the afternoon out on open Deck 5 – nice breeze – not too hot.  Ellen found out that Robert Gal, multi-instrumentalist, was in the Theater doing a matinee.  

We caught the end of it – he’s very good and we will try to catch him during his full show.

I am back to the pasta station for dinner in the Oceanview Café.  There are several people working the station (unlike the last time I was on this ship and dealt mainly with the really nice chef).  The chef continues to make huge portions (even though I ask them for small dishes) that I can’t come close to finishing.  The food is good – there is just too much of it.  A waffle station is the centerpiece of the dessert table today but we are going to come back for it after the show.

Showtime tonight features Ryan Joyce, a comic magician we have never seen before.  He had an easy going style and, even though the tricks were familiar, he framed them differently.  He also used an up close camera when talking to the audience.  He was entertaining and will be back to do his mentalist show, which we intend to miss.

We went directly from the magic show to Celebrity Central to hear Jay, the resident guitarist, do his show.  

Jay is from the Philippines and comes from a long line of guitar vocalists.  The place was full but we did get there in time to get two seats on the aisle.  Tonight’s show was a tribute to “Simon and Garfunkel” but also included some other songs.  Jay has an excellent voice and the show was highly entertaining.  We will catch him around the ship.

We went up to the Oceanview Cafe to get some tea and the Waffle Special.

Back to the room.

February 18, 2025 – At Sea – Atlantic Ocean – Mostly Sunny – 83F

The noise in the room was not an issue and I did get some sleep – I was, of course, up early and got a nice pre-dawn shot through our large window.

I was up in the Oceanview Café when it opened.  Even though the ship is pretty full, I did get a nice table and a nice view.

For me, the first breakfast on a cruise is special.  Can't explain why but it just is.

There is no issue on Celebrity when it comes to sour cream and cottage cheese.  These items are standard on the buffet.  I had a pancake with my usual fixings along with Celebrity’s always delicious scramble eggs.  I also had two coffees in to-go cups so the coffee stayed hot longer.  I can't drink the coffee straight so I make a Cafe Americano (coffee and water, half and half).  A great first breakfast.  

I brought Ellen some lox, cream cheese, cucumbers and a roll to complement the fruit and hot tea she got from Room Service. 

My first talk, “Forensics and History: Identification of the Famous and Infamous”, was at 10 AM in Celebrity Central.  

The place was SRO even though it wasn’t mentioned in the Celebrity Today (it was in the long list of activities so I guess people read that).  Many people left because there was no room and no seat.  I told them that the venues were set by the Entertainment Department.  The talk ran just under 51 minutes.  It started a little late because Captain Morphis and Kelly Rose do their morning announcements at 9:50 AM, which does not end right at 10 AM.

Lunch today was in the Spa Café.  I went to the Mast Grill to get a Veggie Burger.  We did get a rare table in the Spa Café.  The veggie burger was precooked and a little overdone but I did like the Caprese Salad. There is no iced tea in the Spa Cafe - only juices.  They do have very good large breadsticks.

We spent most of the day in the Solarium – one issue there was the fact that the chairs tilt too far back making sitting there uncomfortable. 

We changed for dinner and got window tables in the Oceanview Café.  This time out I tried a combination of one of the vegan offerings and Asian stir fry.  Separately, they sounded good but they did not make a good combination.  I’ll know better next time.  The view at dinner was gorgeous.

We passed on the first production show, “Amade”, which we have seen before.  Instead we got good seats in the Foyer and listed to Pocket Van.  

They were really good and not loud.

Clocks move ahead one hour tonight to put us on Atlantic Standard Time (St Thomas Time).