Transatlantic Sunset

CRUISE ITINERARY: Transatlantic Sunset

Ship Name: Marella Celebration

Departure Date: 7th March 2018

General Comments

Sadly, the general tone of the ship has diminished further this year. I did not like the changing of the piano bar and cinema into a cake and cocktail area.... but now there are no cocktails there either. Rumour has it that the shakers were taken by guests, so they no longer do the cocktails that were served in that area.

The food quality, however, is high, as is the variety. The bread is beautifully fresh and the presentation is excellent. The waiters and wine stewards are courteous and friendly. The beds are comfortable and the cabins large and airy. The cabin stewards work very hard to ensure the cabins are spotless and well equipped.

So I still love the Celebration.

• All of the bar prices have increased (Brexit effect I suppose) and very few drinks are included on an all inclusive tariff.
• The pool towels used to be large and heavy - good quality egyptian cotton. They have been replaced by smaller, thin, lightweight towels, nowhere near as absorbent as their predecessors, but much cheaper to launder.
• The towelling robes in the suites have also gone. They have been replaced by lightweight, quilted fabric robes, which are functional and cheaper to wash, but remind me of care-home robes, not my cup of tea! However they are still useful to have of an evening.
• There were no flowers on the dining tables, although napkins are now folded properly.... when we were on board a couple of years back they were not pressed or properly folded, but this has been rectified.
• No ice sculpture for Captain’s Night. There was a demonstration of the staff's 'food art' skills on deck one day, but nothing like the outlet for the creative displays of the crew’s talents of yesteryear. It is a shame because I know they loved doing creative masterpieces and receiving the appreciation of the passengers
• No food sculptures on display (see previous comment) but in the serving areas they have been replaced by plastic food and plasticine woven breads - not impressed. I used to love to see the wonderful displays they made... and you could see the staff on duty enjoyed the opportunity for creativity.
• No ice buckets for white wine at dinner, instead they cool the wine at the wine station. However, at lunchtime we were given an ice bucket for our rosé wine...
• Horizons was too brightly lit, and there were no candles on most of the tables until halfway through the cruise... and even then the outer tables did not have them.
• No background music in Horizons before the band.
• The ship was not full, so getting a seat, bed or table was rarely a problem. It was even possible to get a seat in the shows at the last minute.
• The guests were in general older than us.... many obviously Brexiteers! They tended to congregate in passageways and put several chairs in gangways. Some were quite rude if you asked to get by, and some were very noisy, but the majority just wanted to rest and read a book.
• Toiletries were not generally given to you as before. We usually have two sets of the high quality Clarins toiletries and a couple of flannels waiting in our cabin at the beginning of the cruise. Now you get one set and have to put the empty bottle in the sink to get a replacement! And you had to request a flannel! I understand that the Clarins lotions are expensive and wonder whether the staff now have their trolley contents closely monitored. The trolleys in the corridor no longer have a general supply, the steward has to bring just what he needs to a cabin.
• The staff seem stressed compared to how they were ten years ago, they rarely have the time for a chat or joke with each other. They do talk to clients, but the ship ambiance is not as friendly as before.... but staff are very courteous and still generally friendly to us... I just feel the sense of a ‘happy crew’ has gone.
• On top deck there is not the waiter service for drinks as it used to be... but most people are on the sundeck near the bar and those of us elsewhere can go to get a drink from that bar if we need to.
• Food quality was still very good in the Meridian and much improved in the Lido. It would have been helpful if the breakfast menu for the Meridian had the specials posted outside so you could choose whether to go in there or go to the Lido.

Diary Entries

Day 1 Wed 7/3/18 Port: La Romana - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Departure time: 20:00.	The Airport experience was very good for a change. I had a Costa Coffee hot chocolate and a muffin at Birmingham, and by the time we had ‘toileted’ they called the flight. No time to get water or a newspaper. La Romana had a pretty cruise terminal area, a few shops, stalls and cafes.... no pushy sales people, saw a lovely pendant, but wasn’t sure if it was a good price, so I didn’t buy it.... which was a shame. We bought an onboard wine package 7 bottles (we usually drink half a bottle at a meal), as it worked out that we would save money - it averaged out at £14 per bottle.
Day 2  Thur 8/3/18 At sea	Sunbathed for a couple of hours, then went for a drink in Hemmingway’s after lunch, making use of the spirits we bought with us. Captain’s meal.... no flowers or ice sculpture! Got a table for two, had sparkly wine.
Day 3 Friday 9/3/18 Willemstad - CURACO ($) Arrive: 08:00 Depart: 18:00	Beautiful place, very clean and friendly. Lovely architecture, bright colours. Pontoon bridge linked the two parts of the town. Very breezy weather. Waterfront bars sprayed mosquito repellant? Sundown was very, very windy on the top deck.
Day 4Saturday 10/3/18 - Oranjestad - ARUBA - arrive 08:00 - depart 22:00	dollars. Lively! Found a great bar, had Caribbean breads and cocktail.... walked past a wonderful hotel with crabs in the trapped sea water pools... and tame iguanas just strolling around. Breezy and beautiful weather. Went out a second time for more cocktails and stopped in the bar in the shopping complex.... best ever mojito! Watched the sun go down and lights come on. Kim.... bartender, Andre server Casa Tua... Aruba
Day 5 Sunday 11/3/18 Kralendijk - BONAIRE Arrive 09:00 Depart 18:00	dollars. Very breezy. Trip to Klein Bonaire - no cafes or bars - just a deserted beach, lots of fish, white sand (you got sand blasted unless you were in the water)! I saw a turtle. Very enjoyable trip - Pete even went in the sea. Once back, had lunch then walked round the town. It was pretty and very quiet. Pete bought his headscarf. Went to a sea-view bar and had cocktails.... best ever Margarita!
Day 6 - Monday 12/3/18 - at sea.	Very breezy... blew my hair back and my hairline got burnt... unaware til the evening. Only had three hours in the sun, then sat on the promenade deck and watched the birds dive. Bought three rings and a couple of hair grips from the ship shop. Met a nice young Scottish couple at dinner. Painful night.... and super-snorers either side. Pete’s leg painful.... had to get up and have a lemsip.... dreadful night!
Day 7 Tuesday 13/3/18 Castries - ST. LUCIA Arrive: 08:00 Depart: 17:00	Rough outside the port area.... shops couldn’t accept $50 or $100 bills.... Visited the cathedral and bought some paracetamol.... Nice bar - Rum Therapy.... rum punch x 3 and reggae music.... dollars.... Pete bought local rum, his watch, bottle and T-shirt. The effect of rum punch! Very humid, swollen feet.... hot night.... almost missed the boat! On a table for six, nice meal, but really tired after. Hot night, snoring disturbed my sleep.
Day 8 Wed 14/3/18 St. John's - ANTIGUA Arrive: 09:00 Depart; 18:00	- lots of shops! Far from the shopping area.... shuttles. Sat on deck as there was a crew drill, therefore sitting on the promenade deck was not an option. Went to Nelson’s Dockyard - a trip, on the afternoon. Saw just how poor the people are. Dodgy bus, cramped, no seat belts, but friendly driver and informative guide. Very hot and sweaty. 33% youth unemployment, elections coming up, many homes just tin roofed shacks.Tried a non-alcohol cocktail with mango juice...added rum from Pete’s bottle.... really nice, had two!Only time I ever left a meal.... veal schnitzel. Nice Scottish couple from Dundee on the table with us.Just a ginger beer in Horizons.... slept better.
Day 9 Thursday 15/3/18 Philipsburg - ST. MAARTEN Arrive: 08:00 Depart: 15:00	Dollar....The damage from the hurricane was evident, but had not affected the spirit of the people. Fantastic day.... bought my pendant.... $100.... and Pete bought the lion hematite necklace. Great water taxi ride. Lovely beach, where I had a piña colada in a pineapple last time! Best Long Island Iced Tea ever from the Blue Bitch. Virgin Pina Coladas with added rum when back on the ship. Then a big breezy sunbathe, watching our bird friend.... Great dinner.... met the Nottingham couple.... she had been bought chocolate diamonds, he was an ex-merchant sailor. Bought another wine package. Quite breezy on deck, lovely stars, moving quite fast... bit rocky. Horizons later - had a tonic...
Day 10 Friday 16/3/18 Clocks go forward an hour at noon today.	Days 10 - 15 will be at sea. Good night, gentle rocking, next door guy snoring though! Smoked salmon and cream cheese croissants for breakfast... a good start! Very sunny and breezy, made a turban from my Egyptian Wrap to protect my hair, then sat on the prow sundeck until noon. After the noon announcement, when the clocks went forward an hour, we changed for lunch and had a leisurely lunch in the Meridian Restaurant, downing a full bottle of Californian Pinot Noir! Pete had burnt his leg so he stayed in the cabin on the afternoon while I sunbathed on the top deck. After changing for dinner we went up top to watch a spectacular sunset. We then had dinner and went to watch the Las Vegas show.... some good dancing, but mixed singing. We then finished off the day with a walk around the deck.
Day 11 Saturday 17/3/18 Clocks go forward an hour at noon today.	Good night, slept well. Had hoped to get up and see the sunrise.... but was too late! Bit cloudier today, but Pete’s leg is not good, so that is probably fortunate. On deck til noon... soon brightened to clear skies, had lunch then sat on deck in chairs for a hour or so. Afterwards I went up on the top deck for an hour or so, while Pete watched TV. My vacuum drink mug works really well... it kept my can of tonic cool until the last drop! After a shower we went to Hemmingway’s. Had a fruit smoothie (after a mix up that resulted in our getting the wrong drink). Met some northern lasses who had been on the 25 day package.... not what you would expect on board. Nice sunset at about seven, then dinner, table for two and Bottle of Verve de Vernay.... then Horizons.... ankles very swollen tonight.
Day 12 Sunday 18/3/18	Slept quite well, but woke early with a headache as Pete was snoring. His leg is still painful. Had a horrible dream of Sable needing to be put down again.... and packet food containing pigs trotters! Lol. Went up on deck, the sun already up and quite a lot of people about. Had some iced water while sitting on deck. After breakfast we settled on the smoker’s deck because it was in the shade. It is cloudy and cool but very calm seas, an opportunity for Pete’s leg to recover .At noon it rained so we changed and had lunch. It was then too cloudy to go on deck so we had a day in the cabin... made coffee, drank tonic water and watched Smallville. After dinner (big Brexit discussion!) we walked around the deck. It was cool and pleasant. We then watched Smallville while drinking tea. Guy next door was snoring before we settled down for the night. Pete’s leg still very red.
Day 13 Monday 19/3/18 Time change again today, clocks forward one hour at noon.	We had a reasonable night. Pete snored a bit, but not too bad. His leg is still very red. The bill arrived for us to look at. It seems okay, £200 on trips, £160 on jewellery for me, £200 on wine at dinner and £80 on other drinks and water. It had been forecast that today would be cloudy and wet, but it was bright and breezy. It was, however, noticeably colder. After a smoked salmon breakfast we got two sun-beds on the Promenade Deck. Pete sat in the shade I sat on a chair by the sea rail. Fantastically breezy, lovely morning in the sun. We then went to lunch, spoke to a nice couple who said they wouldn’t sail with P&O again because of poor service and how much better it was on this ship. After dinner we had coffee in the cabin and watched Smallville, then went on deck 10.... incredibly windy! Stayed for an hour then went for a shower. Watched Smallville while my hair dried, then we had dinner... nice steak. Very windy on deck, and wet from sea spray on the smokers side, so we only walked a little.... needed my poncho... then went to Hemmingways for a smoothie and rum, there was a young man playing the guitar... very good. But it was marred by a group of bullying Glaswegians who tried it on to get us to move from our table! Then back to the room and watched Smallville again.
Day 14Tuesday 20/3/18	Our daughter-in-law Jenna’s 33rd Birthday - we overslept. Pete snored a lot and I had a very disturbed night. We went to breakfast at 10:30 and had a muffin and banana-cake with tea, followed by fresh pineapple. It was very overcast, but not as windy as yesterday. After a shower, hair-wash and a cup of coffee we went to lunch. We then went on deck 10, had rum and coke and the sun did come out for a while. We had a shower and watched Smallville. After dinner we went a walk on deck but it was quite chilly and windy. As it was too late to get a seat in Horizons, so we got some water and returned to the room for tea and Smallville.
Day 15Wednesday 21/3/18	‘Snorey’ night again.... but Pete was a bit better. Woke up feeling exhausted... strange dream about spider crabs.... bright, with a few clouds but quite chilly. The sea is still calm. After breakfast we sat on the Promenade Deck, Pete in the shadow, me at the rail. Then at noon the clocks went forward an hour and we went to lunch. Lovely meal and a whole bottle of Californian White wine! We then looked at the jewellery and I bought the yellow diamond clip earrings. We went on the sun-deck but it was windy and rapidly clouded over. We therefore took our rum and cokes to the cabin, had a coffee and watched Smallville. After a shower and hair-wash we watched a spectacular (but chilly) sun down and went to dinner. We had a table for two and an excellent meal. We were tempted by the show - Africa theme - but it wasn’t starting until 10-15 so we went to Horizons instead and had an early night
Day 16Thursday 22/3/18 Funchal -MADEIRA - arrive 14:00 - depart 19:00	Euros. We were told we will arrive four hours earlier than scheduled on day 14. It is mixed weather as we arrive at Madeira, but it is very cold compared to what we have been used to. Had a nice smoked salmon breakfast. We left the ship about 11 and had a nice walk around Funchal. Saw nice cork and leather hats, but they were pricey. Pete bought me a nice silver filigree cross. Back for lunch then out for cocktails. A South American group were playing and they had stone pendants for sale. I bought a unakite dowsing locator stone pendant, then we went back to the ship to get ready for dinner. After dinner we bought an Anne Kleine watch for Katy - turns out it is dark blue not black as I had thought. Collected water, walked on deck and had tea in the cabin while watching a Rock Hudson film. Didn’t get to the end before we were too tired and went to bed.
Day 17 - Friday 23/3/18 - at sea -	Stephan’s sixtieth Birthday. Dreadful night... Pete did his breath-holding snoring, and next door guy serenaded also. Woke really tired and with chest pains. After breakfast I had a shower and hair wash, as it was so late and we were advancing an hour, I just chilled 'til lunch. Had pains around my hernia area, so took it easy. Lovely lunch and bottle of Mateus Rosé. Then we went on deck. It was raining too much for the top deck so we settled on the Promenade Deck. I listened to Pirates, while wrapped up cosily by the ship rail. Pete played chess. We then went back to the room, watched the rest of the Film and had coffee. The weather brightened up. We had dinner, walked on deck, then returned to watch a film.... but they were two hours out of sync, so we watched Yes Minister and Highlander, then went to bed. Stormy seas lie ahead! There was a windy time at about five in the morning, but I did not feel queasy at all.
Day 18Saturday 24/3/18 Gibraltar - GIBRALTAR - arrive 11:00 - depart 22:00	Sterling. Trip booked for 11:30.... Almeda Gardens and Chairlift, but the weather is too windy so they cancelled it. After breakfast we could therefore chill. They had supplied an incorrect bill to our room... but we saw them at reception about it, and got a correct version. The one side of the deck was roped off as too windy. Luckily the view of the Rock was on the other side. Gibraltar was disappointing. So much construction work going on - noise and road traffic fumes - it has lost some of its charm. But the sangria at Little Rock is very good.... so, after a long trek along streets of shops (none of which caught my eye) and a visit to the RC and Anglican cathedrals, we relaxed with a litre of the Spanish fruit cocktail before returning to the ship. So far we have been lucky with the weather. I miss 'real' flowers in cafes - why bother with fake ones?.... but I do appreciate the patio warmers today... it is a bit chilly! Pete only had 27 emails to deal with....lol....
Day 19 Sunday 25/3/18 Malaga -	Cold and drizzly in Malaga.... but slightly warmer than the UK.... 😳 Total Bedlam in the Lido.... but peace and harmony in the Meridian for breakfast.... then waiting in Horizons for the 'off'.... Flight home