20260118 Celebrity Constellation Western Caribbean Day 8 - The end of the trip

Celebrity Constellation Western Caribbean Day 8 – Back home again

It was another dark morning get-up. We were up at 6:30 this morning because we needed to clear the room by 7:30. 

We always get a kick out of cruises. "Thanks for sailing! We loved having you! We hope to see you again! Get out!  Get out now!" Ha!

We met Tom and Donna for a quick breakfast, returned to the room, brushed our teeth, tossed the toiletries into our suitcases, and met them again at the elevators. Since we didn't have much luggage, carrying our own bags off the ship was a lot more convenient than having the crew take the bags the night before. There's no finding your bag in the sea of bags, or waiting for others searching for their bags.

We rode down to deck four and walked outside to the exit.

There was a long line from both directions, but it moved quickly

We walked up the gangway, down a couple of escalators, and to Customs. We expected a line, based on the number of people ahead of us. To our surprise, as we rounded the corner, we saw four facial recognition cameras with no line. Why? As soon as you walked up to the camera, the light turned green, and the screen said to walk out. No passport, no talking to anyone. It literally took five seconds. Nice! That line was reserved for people with passports, so folks traveling with only a RealID or birth certificate had a much longer line.

We walked across the street to the parking ramp, rode the elevator to deck 3, and then quickly discovered that our truck was on 4. Whoops! We got back in, rode to four, loaded the truck, and drove out. The Tampa traffic was nonexistent early on Sunday morning, as was the I-75 traffic. We left the parking ramp at 7:52 and were in Tom and Donna's driveway at 9:16. We drove around the corner to our house, and were fully unpacked before 9:40 with a load of laundry in the washer before 10:00. Cruising from close to home is awesome.

So, let's wrap up the trip.

The main mission for this trip was to see Chichen Itza, and that was a resounding success. We had terrific weather, the place was interesting, and the architecture was impressive. We're looking forward to our visit to Rio next February to see Christ the Redeemer and complete our tour of the seven modern wonders of the world.

The snorkeling in Belize was top-notch. Standing among the rays and nurse sharks was also a big bonus. It was another day with picture-perfect weather.

Costa Maya was nothing special, especially due to the crowds, but we still enjoyed our walk around the port, again with perfect weather.

The three sea days were fun, and we did come away with a trivia win. The weather on the way back was a little cool, but nothing to ruin the day.

The part we had not planned on was our friends, Tom and Donna, coming along. That happened late in the planning, back in November. Traveling with friends adds another dimension of fun to a trip, and this was no exception. We didn't spend every minute together, but we did share at least one meal and some activities every day, and it was great.

The cruise itself was good, not great. We've been spoiled lately, cruising smaller ships where the service is impeccable. It's not fair to expect that on a mainstream cruise line like Celebrity. As a rule, the crew was friendly, welcoming, and provided good service. The food was good, and occasionally great. The activities were plentiful and fun. The ship was nice, albeit old. It was well-maintained, but it lacked modern conveniences such as multiple power outlets and USB ports in the rooms. The weather was overall good, and the seas were smooth. If I had to rate the trip as a whole, I'd call it 7.5/10. 

The one thing that turns us off is the constant selling on the ship. The stores having special "sales" that aren't really sales. The art auctions. The photographers. The casino. The Deal or No Deal card sales. We can do without that. But most of that can be avoided, and it obviously appeals to a large number of people.

So that wraps up our Celebrity Constellation trip. Time to start looking forward to our next adventure, a pair of back-to-back Viking Ocean cruises, In Search of the Northern Lights from Bergen, north through Norway to Tilbury, England, and Viking's British Isles Explorer from Tilbury, through England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland, back to Bergen. We'll take the train to Oslo, so Arlona can see what she missed on our Viking Homelands cruise when she was in Covid jail on the ship. That's coming in March 2026. We'll see you there!

20260117 Celebrity Constellation Western Caribbean Day 7 - Sea Day #2 back to Tampa

Celebrity Constellation Western Caribbean Day 7 – The last day at sea before this trip ends

As we leisurely cruise along a northerly route on our way to Tampa, we'll spend our final day on the ship doing ship activities like trivia, art, eating, and drinking. Today, we also got to do one of our favorite things, watch flying fish. 

I already mentioned that this ship is essentially full, with 2,130 passengers out of a possible 2,170. That is most evident in the morning and at noontime in the buffet. Once again, it was packed today with people milling about in random, often changing directions, and hardly a table to be found.

 Still, we were able to get a seat and had a nice breakfast. Arlona and Donna left for a color-by-numbers art project. We met up afterward for general knowledge trivia. We did alright, coming in just behind the winners. Our misses:

• In what year did the United Kingdom's lease on Hong Kong expire?
• We thought it was 1999, but it was 1997
• The ancient city of Carthage is in what modern-day country?
• We guessed Greece, but it was Tunisia
• How many nautical miles are in a league?
• We guessed 12 - it was 3
• What type of animal is an Oryx?
• I said antelope as we saw them in Africa, but was overruled for cat - it was antelope
• How long is a quadrenium?
• We thought millennium and quad, do 4,000 - nope, it's just 4 years
• What mountain range extends from California to British Columbia?
• We guessed the Olympic Range, but it was the Cascades
• What is a group of hummingbirds called?
• We guessed a flutter, but it was a charm

We followed that with food trivia. It all seemed to be going well until question #6.  We got three right after that. Wow. I'll skip our silly guesses and just give you the whole quiz.

1. What is the chemical compound that creates heat in spicy food?
1. Capsasin
2. What is the Japanese term for the savory 5th taste?
1. Umami
3. What is the French dish with snails in garlic butter?
1. Escargo
4. What specific nut is baklava filled with?
1. Pistachio
5. What does proof measure in liquor?
1. Alcohol content by volume
6. The wheels came off here...What enzyme in pineapple breaks down protein, making it great for marinades?
1. Bromelain
7. What is the French technique of cooking slowly in its own fat called?
1. Confit
8. What is the thick yeast residue left in the bottom of wine and beer containers called?
1. Lees
9. Gin, lemon juice, sugar, and soda water make what cocktail?
1. Tom Collins - I knew this, but was talked out of it for a Gimlet, but that has lime
10. The dish, Feijoada, comes from what country?
1. Brazil
11. This question was removed by the trivia host
12. What gives turmeric its yellow color?
1. Curcumin
13. What is the main ingredient in hummus?
1. We know this one - chickpeas
14. What spice is actually dried flower buds?
1. Clover
15. What is the French dessert that translates to burnt cream?
1. Creme Brulee - we knew this one
16. What does AQI mean on a fine dining menu?
1. As quoted - sounds classier than Market Price, I guess, but I couldn't find any support for this online
17. What liqueur is used in Black Forest Cake?
1. Krischwasser
18. What liquor is in a Moscow Mule?
1. We knew this was vodka
19. Preserving food in vinegar or brine is called what?
1. Pickling - we should have known this
20. What vitamin is destroyed through cooking?
1. Vitamin C

We learned something.

At 11:00, they held a Parade of Flags on the pool deck. Crew from more than 90 countries paraded around the deck, waving their home country's flag, and smiling at the waves and cheers from the passengers.

There have been more African crew members than we have seen before - we've met crew from Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and South Africa

We returned to the room for a bit. Arlona read on the balcony. The pool towels wrapped around her are evidence that the temperature is dropping as we head north.

Flying fish were out in droves this morning. They are always fun to spot.

See them all?

Here is the same photo with at least 28 flying fish labeled

This afternoon, a member of the entertainment team, Wagner, who is also an aspiring magician, had a show in the theater.

The magic wasn't anything exceptional, but it didn't matter. Wagner was a master showman who was engaging, funny, and put on an outstanding show.

He asked for a couple who was in love to come on stage

We qualified!

We had a great time at his show. It was a great way to spend an hour on our last afternoon.

Not all the art on the ship is weird - some is cool and engaging

We hit the Martini Bar for pre-dinner cocktails before having our final dinner in Blu. Tonight's dinner was very good, with Arlona having prime rib, and I had a filet mignon. After dinner, we returned to the Martini Bar. Arlona had a Bananas Foster martini.

But it was personalized for that special experience.

We were also there for the evening performance. It was entertaining, as always.

We'll be up early tomorrow to get breakfast. We have to vacate the room by 7:30 am, so we'll disembark at that time, walk to the truck, and head home. Tomorrow, I'll write a wrap-up to comclude this trip.

20260116 Celebrity Constellation Western Caribbean Day 6 - Sea Day #1 back to Tampa

Celebrity Constellation Western Caribbean Day 6 – Sailing north back to Tampa and the chill

Have I mentioned that there is unusual art on this ship? We walked through the Solarium pool area and saw this.

The only thing I can come up with, since this is near the spa, is that it is a warning for those considering taking that third and fourth plate at the buffet and getting the second or third lobster tail at dinner

We knew that a cold snap was headed toward home, so I checked our home weather station.

Yikes - 26.1°F overnight and still under 30°F at 8:00 am

Arlona participated in a couple of art projects today. First was a small macrame plant holder.

The second was another round of dot painting.

Arlona's interpretation of a sunset at sea

We took part in a couple of trivia games today. We won the first, scoring a pair of pop socket phone holders.

We placed second in the second one, missing by only one answer.  Here are our collective misses.

• What animal's tongue is twice the length of its body?
• We guessed frog - it was a chameleon
• What is a group of parrots known as?
• We said a flock - it was pandemonium, although flock is actually also correct
• Where do sea otters store spare food for later?
• We said on their stomachs - they actually tuck in into a skin flap near their armpit
• How many species of sea urchins exist
• We guessed one, thinking it was a trick question - there are 950
• What is the only big cat that doesn't roar?
• We guessed jaguar - it was cheetah
• What is a group of camels called?
• We guessed herd - it was a caravan, although herd is also correct
• How many facial expressions can a horse make?
• We guessed zero, again thinking it was a trick question - they can make 17
• Who was the first celebrity host of Saturday Night Live?
• We guessed Steve Martin - it was George Carlin
• Who wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz?
• We had a brain malfunction and couldn't come up with L. Frank Baum
• What was the setting for the movie, Ladybird?
• We had no idea - it was Sacramento

Our friend Donna was with us for the first win, and we were in second by a single point, just the two of us. We made a respectable showing.

We showered and got ready for dinner. Tonight was the second formal night. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, we opted not to participate in formal night, instead wearing a dress shirt and slacks for me and a nice dress for Arlona. We were not alone. While there was the occasional tux, suit, sport coat, or fancy dress, it was more the exception than the norm.

We also opted to skip the special reception by the Captain and senior officers, choosing instead to be social at the Martini Bar. Speaking of social, I met a nice man from New York named Steve earlier today. In talking, he said he was taking a Viking cruise from Bergen to Tilbury, England, in March. Hey - we're taking a Viking cruise from Bergen to Tilbury in March. He didn't know the trip details, and his wife was asleep by the pool. Viking has two ships doing the same itinerary a few days apart, but it could very well be that we will run into cruisers on another ship, as we've done in the past. Most recently, it was a New Zealand couple we met when cruising through Asia on our Viking Vancouver to Sydney cruise, who we met again on our Seabourn Africa circumnavigation cruise. Once again, small world.

We enjoyed pre-dinner cocktails at the Martini Bar before walking up a flight to Blu for dinner.

As is the typical menu for the final formal night, Celebrity pulled out all the stops with all the good stuff on the menu. Blu featured Veal Scallopini, phyllo-crusted chicken paillard, oven-roasted lobster tail with lemon burre blanc, Angus beef stuffed pasta shells, mushroom risotto, pan-seared filet mignon, and more. The main restaurant menu featured herb-crusted haddock filets, broiled lobster tail, duck a l'orange, roasted leg of lamb, and more. They stack all the really good entrees all on one night, so you can't have all of them.

We both opted for Blu's oven-roasted lobster tail with burre blanc and the filet mignon with chimichurri. They were, in a word, fabulous. By far, it was the best meal we've had on the ship. We started with Blu's crab cake, and that was fabulous, as well. Arlona pulled out her cruise experience and asked for chocolate mousse for dessert. It's not on the menu. But...it's on a kid's menu, and that was good enough. We both topped off the meal with nice and light, but tasty chocolate mousse.

Diners near us were looking, as we suspect there were a few more chocolate mousse orders tonight, thanks to us. We also advised neighboring diners on how to get surf & turf, even though they were separate entrees. Tonight was all about helping other guests get a better dining experience. We had fun, along with a terrific meal.

We had thought about doing the pub quiz at 8:45, but we went back to the room. Arlona started reading, and I got to work on this blog, and that's where the night ended.

Tomorrow, we have more sea day activities and the final activity - packing. It seems like we just unpacked, probably because we just did. That's the problem with seven-day trips and why we don't do them often. But this one had a purpose and we succeeeded there.

Until our final sea day tomorrow - that's a wrap.

20260115 Celebrity Constellation Western Caribbean Day 5 - Costa Maya, Mexico

Celebrity Constellation Western Caribbean Day 5 – Costa Maya, Mexico - Apparently, "Costa" means "Crowded"

Before we get into today, I had some time and did another edit on the underwater footage I shot yesterday. If you're interested, there is lots of really cool footage in the video, but it is 11:41 long. Baracuda, nurse sharks, rays, lobster, and more. I'll add it here so you don't have to go back to yesterday's entry.

We docked this morning in Costa Maya, Mexico. After two extremely long excursion days, we didn't book anything for today. Instead, we planned to just walk into the port and wander. That was also the plan for about 12,000 of our closest friends.

We were docked across the walkway from the Carnival Miracle. As we walked down the walkway, we were looking at Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas directly in front of us.

Walking the ship tunnel

At the end of our ship, we could see our Celebrity Constellation on the left, the Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas right behind, Harmony of the Seas next to it, and the Carnival Miracle on the right.

A lot of seagoing tonnage in one photo

Why is this important? Contellation, Miracle, and Rhapsody are all roughly 2,100-passenger ships, give or take. Harmony is closer to 6,000, or more, depending on whether the rooms that can support three or four passengers are full. In any event, it meant that 12,000 people all descended on Costa Maya all at once.

Turning to make the long walk down the pier into port - they did offer a free shuttle every few minutes, especially for the mobility-impaired

The main port area is on the left with eateries, bars, and shops

Approaching the port

Just inside the port, passengers who booked excursions were meeting their tour groups. The bulk of the people were just walking into the port. There are a lot of folks who cruise the Caribbean extensively and often. It means that they have been to most or all of the ports multiple times. They typically don't do excursions and head into port. That seemed to be the case today.

They were demonstrating a Mayan ritual in the port. Four climbers scale the pole and attach themselves to it with long ropes. The ropes are wound around the pole. 

The pole was quite tall

All at once, the four drop from the top, hanging prone or upside down. They swing around the pole, completing 13 revolutions as the rope lowers them to the ground.

One of them was playing a flute and drum as he was suspended upside down

Four performers times 13 revolutions equals 52 - the same number of weeks in the Mayan solar calendar - a significant number in Mayan culture

We browsed the shops with our 12,000 buddies

They had a pond for flamingos in the port

There is also a large pool available for swimming, complete with bars all around it

There is a beach available, but the "launge" chairs are only for those willing to pay for food and drink

We were briefly captured by Mayan warriors, but they took pity and allowed us to leave with our heads

Walking back along the pier, we could really see the difference in Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody (left) and Harmony (right) of the Seas - Harmony holds three times the passengers as Rhapsody

All four ships, sort of - our Constellation is hidden behind the Carnival Miracle

There it is

We headed to the buffet for a light lunch. While there, we got the opportunity to chat with the Captain (left) and the Staff Captain (right).

Both of them were very gracious and welcoming

The Captain confirmed that we are sailing with 2,130 passengers, only 40 shy of the full double-occupancy capacity of 2,170, or essentially full capacity. That certainly explains the crowds in the buffet at breakfast and sometimes lunch. It also explains what I have begun to call the slowest elevators at sea. There are times when you can stand for several minutes waiting for elevators on this ship. 

The rest of the afternoon was lazy, with Arlona reading on the balcony, staring across the way at the Miracle, and me getting a jumpstart on this blog.

Speaking of the Miracle, as we walked past it, we asked one of their disembarking passengers if the dining room was still ugly. She laughed and said that yes, it still has the ugly purple grape-like lights all over the ceiling. Nice to see that some things never change.

We tried our hand at trivia again this afternoon, partnered with a very nice U.K. couple. We scored 14/20, just missing the win at 16/20. Our misses are below.

• How many anchors did the Titanic have?
• We thought it might be a trick question and guessed zero - it was three
• When was the first Macy's Thankgiving Day Parade?
• We had no idea - it was 1924
• Who was the first U.S. President featured on the cover of People Magazine
• We guessed Nixon - the answer was Ford, but subsequent research showed that it was Nixon, but he wasn't president at the time, so a technicality
• Who starred as Bond in The Spy Who Loved Me?
• We guessed Sean Connery, but it was Roger Moore
• In what 1955 musical did Marlon Brando sing?
• We had no idea - it was Guys and Dolls
• What country borders Germany, Czechia, Slovakia, and Ukraine?
• We thought Romania, but it was Poland

We still had fun and learned something.

From there, we enjoyed time at the Martini Bar and talked with several interesting folks. We headed to Blu for a quick dinner before heading to the theater for Shaun Jay's headliner magic show.

It was another entertaining show, and we enjoyed it.

One of the benefits that we get with our status on Celebrity is a free scoop of gelato at the gelato bar. We opted to take advantage of that tonight. We took the sweet treat back to the room and enjoyed it.

Tomorrow and the next day are sea days, so we'll be taking it easy with shipboard activities. We did have some oddities that we dealt with today. Mysteriously, a random shore excursion charge of $114.75 showed up on our account, as well as $5 non-resident tax charges from Mexico. We questioned them. The shore excursion team investigated and figured out that we were somehow incorrectly charged for a shore excursion. They reversed the charge for that. The Mexican tax is new, since July 2025. Mexico now imposes a $5 non-resident tax for all non-residents visiting Mexico. We were only charged once, even though we visited Mexico on two different days. Weird, but it's free money for Mexico.

That ended day #5 for us.