Monday, January 31, 2011

CARIBBEAN CRUISING

We started our Caribbean Cruising Adventure flying to one of our favorite places, San Juan, Puerto Rico. We booked our flight two days before the date we would be boarding Celebrity's beautiful Summit as Enrichment Speakers and part of Celebrity Life. This was also special as Celebrity Cruises was celebrating 20 years of delivering award-winning service, world-class cuisine, and stunningly-designed ships. Congratulations Celebrity!

Cliff and I enjoyed walking the many blue cobblestone streets of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico which takes you back in time. The picturesque colonial buildings where some of the old stone buildings date back to the 16th and 17th century when Puerto Rico was in Spanish possession. Old San Juan was declared in 1983 a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.) We also came across this beautiful Falls on our walk throughout the town. Fun shopping, open air cafes, restaurants (we enjoyed our morning coffee, juice and croissants at 'La Bombonera'), museums, historic sites and the beauty of the architecture and the people! We have been to Old San Juan many times now and have new friends who we look forward to seeing on our next visit. We also will be definitely visiting the Old Fort San Felipe del Morro and the many cats that roam the streets.Another 'must see' is the 'Raices Fountain' which celebrates Puerto Rico's Taino, Spanish and African heritage. Cliff and I were walking along a winding path that goes around the city wall, Paseo del Morro and we were pleasantly surprised and delighted when we discovered the Raices Fountain. We were told that if you would like to have a real romantic experience, wander down Recinto Oeste Street and walk through the San Juan Gate, along the Paseo del Morro path and be at the Racies Rountain close to sunset. This is on our bucket list for our next visit to Old San Juan, along with visiting the Fort.

We discovered another fountain on our walkabout in Old San Juan and promptly threw in our coins and made our wishes!Here we are with new friends Fred and Lydia from Troy Michigan. A wonderful excursion booked with our ship was dolphin and whale watching in Roseau, Dominica. We all shared a joke about a blow up whale being thrown off the side and yelling "Whale!" was hysterical. A lot of fun and this was the most amazing experience, watching the two Sperm Whales decent into the water. Very humbling and no words really can explain the beauty of these magestic and beautiful mammals.!Here I am with our very informative driver and tour director, Andrew. His passion is to share the history of his home and the wonderful island of St. Kitts. A must see for everyone is to enjoy the view of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean sea! This was spectacular and thank you Andrew! We will definitely visit your charming island again.

We also had time to hang out and relax on a secluded beach in St. Kitts. We felt like we were on the television show 'Survivor' with our tiki hut! Cliff and I loved the privacy of this secluded beach, along with snorkeling and watching the green monkeys who roam the island.

On the beautiful island of St. Lucia, which was highlighted on the show 'The Bachelor', we decided to book an excursion through our ship and take a 'High Aerial' tour of the Rain Forest. The untouched beauty and magnificence of the Rain Forest, along with extremely knowledgeable tour guides, created a memorable experience. Here is a picture of a giant fiddlehead! Wow!In St. Martin, Cliff and I literally hanging out with our new friend from the Buddha Restaurant, a short walk from the port. Lot's of fun and just chillin!

On our walk back to our ship, we spotted this tiny little green guy who was so cool! We had to stop and take the picture of this amazing little guy! You never know what you will discover and who you will meet, when you are on an adventure and open to the possibilities!At the Port in St. George's Grenada where Cliff is on duty giving directions! Here he is singing and dancing to the "Cupid Shuffle." and pointing to our beautiful Celebrity Summit. I can hear him now as he shakes his booty! "To the Right - to the Right - to the Right and shake it all out!"

The Sendall Tunnel was built in 1894 and the tunnel provided you with one of the ways to walk to the other side of the rock mountain that divides the town. Another choice is to climb the steep stairs that will take you around the mountain. We decided to walk through the tunnel along with the islanders as they are busy going about their day.

One of our favorite islands is Grenada which is known as the Spice Island. You will discover beautiful white sand beaches; snorkeling, crystal clear waters, friendly people and the colorful and exciting markets. Here I am purchasing spices from one of the lovely and friendly Grenada women. The people welcome you like you are part of their families and I cherished our time on this island.
Relaxing at Anna and Brian's BB's Crabback's Caribbean Restaurant. Anna having fun pointing to an artistic drawing of Brian. Do you feel the energy and fun in this picture?! Then Cliff and I enjoying one of Brian's signature dishes at BB's Crabback's restaurant. Anna also created a herb concoction for a special complimentary christmas drink for Cliff! Thank you Brian and Anna for your wonderful hospitality and Nigel we loved your steel drum music. This was the perfect way to complete a perfect day in paradise! Please enjoy our short interview with Brian and Anna and the island music played by Nigel. island interview.

Cliff and I with Simon from Kent, United Kingdom and who was the Port and Shopping Expert aboard Celebrity Summit. Thank you for sharing your many talents and information on where to shop and special places to visit at each Port of call. We will miss you on our next cruise, as we know you are now on another one of the beautiful Celebrity lines. Wishing you continued success and thank you for introducing us to 'BB's Crabback's Caribbean Restaurant' a secret in the Caribbean!
A BIG thank you to all the staff and the special people who we came to know. Here we are with our 'James Bond' team as we came to know them. They moved about with such skill and passion for what they do and how they looked after each guest, so each guest felt special. Russel, who got us the perfect table each night and also our James Bond (yes I think that is his name!), who talked discretely into his hidden away on his wrist and out of sight walkie talkie. This was like we were watching the art form of ballet, as tables were cleared and voila another person was welcomed into the dining room and whisked away to their beautiful table. WOW!
Please enjoy the many pictures of the staff who looked after us every evening. Hugs and thank you from Cliff and myself for creating such a lovely experience on all fronts!Here I am here with Predrag, the Matre'D in the lovely Cosmopolitan Restaurant. Predrag was also very funny as you can see in the above picture, dashing in front of the camera shot! We all laughed so hard and always had fun!
Dinner with our new friends Bob and Deborah from Fullerton, California. We loved getting to know you both and what fun your stories on the cat! A cruise experience is so wonderful that you have the opportunity to meet new people from around the world and make great friends!
Our beautiful dinner companions Tammy and Laura from the U.K. What a beautiful way to end the evening and I even think that we closed the restaurant that evening!One of the beautiful creations from the Chef and staff on board the Celebrity Summit. A true art form and just beautiful! You almost choose not to eat these art forms...NOT! Just joking, we dove into many of these lovely delicacies and yum yum!The team in the Shopping Emporium Gift Boutiques! What a young and dynamic team you are! We loved joking around with all of you and of course you looked after us with our shopping spree! We can't wait to see you on our next cruise with you!Here I am with Pablo on one of our evening ventures! To all our new friends: Sebastian; Mireqa; Suzana; Zore; Rodger; our Cova bartender, Sapaat and Florentina, hugs to your all. If I have missed anyone, please know that you are all special to us and part of our new family. You are always welcome in our home in Canada. One of our nightly visits to the Cova Cafe de Milano for a late night coffee or glass of wine and enjoying the classical music. You guys rock! During the day we also loved playing chess in the games room which is beside the Cova Cafe. You can enjoy a latte or expresso and enjoy flaky croissants, special cookies and exotic snacks. We thoroughly enjoyed our latte and thank you Zore for taking the time to add smiles and hearts to our coffee. What a delight and you truly are an artist!

Another place you could relax was at the Aft of the Ship, the Veranda. Have a cool drink and listen to the music of Guitarist Charlie Butler, who was great! You could also visit the Piano Bar in Michael's Club and listen to Tammy Rafferty. So much to do in so little time! We enjoyed our dinner one evening on the Veranda enjoying the Caribbean breeze and stars. How romantic!Spending time in the Celebrity iLounge and catch up on what is happening at home through internet. You can also participate in the iLearn Enrichment series of pick up the latest high-tech gadgets from the first Apple Reseller at Sea. The staff are talented and knowledgeable staff. Thank you Warren and Cedric for all your help in the iLounge. Next time I will be taking some of your wonderful classes which will also help me back home on my Mac!
Happy faces wherever you go and the great staff at the Concierge Desk. Keep smiling and we look forward to seeing all of you in 2011!
The brilliant Cruise Director Keith Cox and Casey, who was filling in for Kirsty, the Activity Manager. To all of you, we just love you to bits and keep smiling! Again there goes those smiles! Our little insider joke!
I thought I would leave you with this picture where I am hanging out with my guys! Relaxing on the Veranda, having a glass of wine and listening to some great tunes from Charlie. By the way Charlie, next time we will take you up on the offer and join you at the Sunday Party Barbecue!

Wow, it has been a long time since I visited 'The Passion Source' blog! I wanted to share with you all of these pictures from our amazing one month Caribbean Cruise on the Celebrity Summit. The crew and staff became family to us and we met so many brilliant people who have also become our friends. This is our thank you to honor each one of you and we can't wait to see you again on our next cruise in 2011! By the way, yesterday was Family Day in Ontario, so from our family to yours and to our new family, Happy Family Day!

So, please enjoy the pictures and imagine yourself on your dream vacation, and if you sail on the Celebrity Summit, say a BIG hello to our new friends and family from Cliff and myself. You can also add in some great hugs from us!

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