Here's our home for the next ten days or so -- the Celebrity Constellation, at the port of Ravenna where we boarded her yesterday. We took an early bus from Lake Garda with the others who bought our tour package, mostly British, and now we're all just tiny lettuce leaves mixed into the huge tossed salad of nationalities on the ship. Many of the passengers seem to be Americans, at least based on accents. No MAGA hats so far.
We have a balcony room on deck nine, which is pretty high up. We're just beneath the front of the big black funnel on the top of the ship, with the big X on the side. (Apparently that's the symbol of Celebrity Cruises, and one wonders how Elon Musk feels about that.) The deck that looks like a black line is the solid wall of windows in the Ocean View Cafe, the ship's biggest buffet restaurant, which is where I am now. Our "stateroom" is one floor below that. ("'Stateroom' sounds so 'Love Boat,'" Dave said yesterday.)
We were all settled in our quarters by early afternoon, looking over a beach adjacent to the port. There were windsurfers and people parasailing, and this...
...which I believe is technically known as a "big fishing thing."
This is the shipboard martini bar, where I am going to do my best to not spend all my free time, but we did settle in there yesterday for a drink before dinner. Those two women on the barstools talked about how many times before they'd been to Italy, and on how many other cruises. They reminded me of my stepmother, who was always on one cruise or another. It's a way of life for some people, though I can't imagine doing it regularly.
We went for dinner at the Tuscan Grill, a specialty restaurant which I suppose was somewhat Tuscan, and while we were there the ship finally got underway. One minute I looked out the window and saw the concrete pier where we were docked, and the next, the pier was gone and we were moving. It was all very subtle. The ship is so big I couldn't even feel the change.
We had an after-dinner dink in the Sunset Bar at the back of the ship ("aft," as the old salts would say).
And this morning we're off the coast of Croatia, where we begin our adventures.
Unfortunately Dave's Crohn's disease has been acting up, which is why he's been hanging back on some of the trip activities so far. He said he may not go ashore today, but has urged me to go on my own (we have a purchased excursion planned). So we'll see what happens with that.
Two minor criticisms so far: The coffee in the Ocean View Cafe is terrible. It tastes like burned rubber. I might switch to tea for this trip! And I could do without the overloud piped-in modern pop music by whiny, shouty singers.
But the view is pretty darn spectacular.
The views - especially the sunset - will make up for a lot, I think!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear Dave is limited in what he can do on this trip. Hopefully, resting aboard will help, and still make it all a good time away from work etc. for him.
I think he's enjoying just being on the ship, so he's not entirely missing out.
DeleteIt's not quite 'all aboard the Jolly Roger' is it? I hope Dave starts feeling much better soon. It's horrible being ill away from home.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's not ideal. But he insists he's not feeling so bad that he needs any medical attention, so at least there's that.
DeleteThe only thing I like about those cruises is the spectacular views of the open sea. The people who it and compare notes about what ports they’ve hit on every cruise they’ve been on make me crazy. I sat through a dinner with my sister-in-law and one of our English acquaintances in Fuengirola and got the sense that the only reason they cruised was so they could have those conversations. Still, I hope you’re having a wonderful times. The martinis sound good. Sorry about the piped-in music. The bad coffee would be SO disappointing.
ReplyDeleteIt really IS a way of life for some people. I'm surprised by the bad coffee. That seems like a pretty elementary problem to fix.
DeleteI've never wanted to go on a cruise, too many people in a small space for me, so I am reading your adventures with an open mind. Hope Dave is feeling stronger soon and does not miss too much.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't feel confining, though, at least not to me -- I think because the ship is so big.
Delete"tiny lettuce leaves"? I think not - rather two knobbly radishes yanked from the earth.
ReplyDelete"Cruising" - In slang, cruising refers to the act of walking or driving around public locations—such as parks, beaches, or designated spots—or using specific apps to search for an anonymous casual sexual partner. This usage is historically associated with LGBTQ+ culture,.
Gee, I've never heard of that, YP! Thanks for enlightening me! :)
DeleteHope Dave is feeling better! My parents always said they'd sooner die before going on a cruise. Then, they went on one and just loved it. Continued up into their 80s. And I think it was a nice way for them to see a lot of places, w/out the worries of driving themselves, etc.
ReplyDeleteI can see how it's appealing for older people. It's so comfortable and everything is taken care of. There are no logistical challenges.
DeleteRelax and enjoy. I have been on five cruises, and enjoyed every one of them. Number 6 is next May - unless I squeeze in one next winter.
ReplyDeleteThis is our second, but there may be more in our future!
DeleteSo sorry to hear Dave is feeling under par. Sure hope his condition improves so he may enjoy his time at sea.
ReplyDeleteI've only been on one ocean cruise where I spent 90% of my time sitting on my balcony reading and gazing out to sea (bliss). Hope you have good weather, some decent excursions (perhaps you can find decent coffee on land) and are able to avoid the one-ups-man-ship travelers. Enjoy!
Yeah, just being on the water is such a pleasure! I'm hoping to get lots of reading in too!
DeleteHere's to smooth sailing and better coffee!
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed!
DeleteSorry Dave isn't well, that's bad luck. I used to know someone who went cruising alllll the time and talked endlessly about it. And all pictures of her evening dresses, that kind of dress for dinner cruise. But they loved it. So I listened.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised that in Italy of all places, the coffee isn't good. Call for the manager! Or the captain!
I expect to see ocean views now!
The dressing up is kind of fun. After all, we don't have many opportunities for that in our current informal society.
DeleteOn that size of a ship, there has to be more then one place to get your morning coffee ☕️! Have you walked the ship to see what else is available? There must be a physician on-board in case Dave needs to see one while on this cruise! Crohns is no laughing matter so I hope he can get some relief!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to more pictures!
I'm sure there are other coffee places, but I suspect the product would be the same. The problem is, I'm getting my first coffee very early, and it's probably been sitting in the urn all night. Coffee later in the morning is better. (But still not fantastic.)
DeleteCome Sail Away
ReplyDeleteNow I'm going to be singing that all day! LOL
DeleteThey must get their coffee from Starbucks.
ReplyDeleteActually, I don't mind the dark roast of Starbucks. This just tastes kind of old. (See my response to Marcia above!)
DeleteI couldn't go on a cruise ship. It doesn't appeal to me at all. But the views are lovely.
ReplyDeleteI hope Dave feels better soon. It is a shame that Crohn's is spoiling his vacation but at least he can rest and relax.
I wouldn't say it's spoiling it. He's still enjoying being on the ship, and honestly, he's used to Crohn's curtailing his activities.
DeleteOh no. Terrible coffee? I would demand my money back and get off that boat as quickly as possible.
ReplyDeleteNot really. I'd just drink it, probably.
You are so right about the scenery which more than makes up for the bad coffee. I bet you can eavesdrop on a lot of great conversations on the ship. That would probably be my favorite part. I'm sorry to hear about Dave. Not fun at all.
I love the "big fishing thing". Yep. That's what it is.
I'm making the coffee thing work. Maybe Mr. Moon would know what the big fishing thing is! LOL
DeleteThat ship is huge! You'd think good coffee would be a must, even though I'm not a coffee drinker. I'm sorry about Dave's feeling kind of crummy and hope that will resolve so he can enjoy the offshore events too.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I hope Dave's energy levels improve. I think they will.
DeleteGood coffee is a MUST! Are there any coffee making things in your stateroom? I carry my own coffee with me sometimes, like when I was going back and forth to New York. I'm so sorry that Dave is struggling with his Crohn's. I would think that being off a regular schedule for sleeping and eating would be tricky. That sunset photo is stunning!
ReplyDeleteNo, we don't have coffee equipment in the Love Boat "stateroom." I think the answer is to get coffee later in the morning when it's fresher. I'm sure the change in routines is part of what's messing with Dave's system.
DeleteThe ocean views with big blue skies above are wonderful. When you are blue water cursing and see no land that is pretty special too.
ReplyDeleteHopefully Dave recovers and will be able to go ashore for the tours.
"Blue water cursing"?! Now THAT's some kind of Freudian slip. LOL!
DeleteWe do have two days entirely at sea, so that will be an experience.
Beautiful photos and impressive ship. I haven't been to Croatia so I'd love to join your little shore excursion. I'm not a coffee drinker but the vast majority are and I do know that good coffee is pretty much a must. Hopefully they'll fix that.
ReplyDeleteCroatia is quite pretty, at least the parts I'm seeing.
DeleteI sure hope it's just a minor flare-up and Dave starts feeling better soon. I hate for him to have to miss any of this (and you his company)! Sadly I'll be humming the title to your post the rest of the day.
ReplyDeleteHa! Yeah, titling the post gave me that same earworm!
DeleteSome things have to be good on a cruise like that.
ReplyDeleteOh, most of it is overwhelmingly good, I'd say.
DeleteEnjoy! One of the things about cruises is that they enable visiting many locations that would require a lot of driving and hotel reservations. Hope all goes well, sending get well wishes to Dave.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the convenience is hard to beat. As Dave says, our hotel room travels with us!
DeleteWe enjoyed the cruise we did, except for the wretched weather. I doubt we'd do it again, too many people.
ReplyDeleteI don't feel confined or overwhelmed by crowds, though. We can still escape to quiet areas of the ship. I wonder if this cruise is full. There's no ready way to tell.
DeleteThe whiny, shouty singers of the piped music would have me staying away from that area altogether. Good idea to stick with tea if the coffee is under par. The water views are lovely.
ReplyDeleteOh, that pop music is horrible. But I'd still opt for bad coffee over tea!
DeleteYour opinion of the ship, fellow passengers and the facilities interests me. There seems to be a bit of general dread happening when passengers find out most of their fellow travellers are American. I've had a taste of it myself in the Mediterranean.
ReplyDeleteWell, being American myself, I can't really dread them too much. But given the country's political situation I certainly feel a little trepidation!
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