Celebrity Reflection Again

Ron and I have been on a lot of cruises, so people sometimes ask us which is our favorite ship. That’s impossible to answer because even when I’ve gone on the same ship twice, it’s been a different experience. Back in January, we took a 3-day cruise on Celebrity Reflection with our friends Mike and Audra. Unfortunately, we were hit by a strong winter storm and our trip to Key West and Bimini turned into a cruise to nowhere. Despite the horrible weather, we had a blast and decided to book again – same ship, same itinerary. This time I was really hoping we’d make it to the ports!

Our Cruise to Nowhere on Celebrity Reflection

We’ve been trying to take a cruise with our friends Mike and Audra for three years but could never get our vacation times to align. Finally at the end of last year, we picked a date and booked a weekend cruise on Reflection. I was excited about the itinerary, which included full days in Key West and Bimini. Audra had never been to Key West and none of us had been to Bimini, so I spent lots of time researching what to see and do. But then a few days before the cruise, the weather stations started forecasting a strong winter storm with the coldest temperatures in 20 years. Ugh… I didn’t mind if the weather was chilly, but would we even make it to the ports?

Three Nights of Lights

St Augustine’s Nights of Lights is a holiday festival that runs from November to January when the entire historic district is decorated in millions of white lights, meant to represent the Spanish tradition of placing a welcoming candle in the window. I love Christmas lights and have been wanting to see the Nights of Lights for years. This year we finally got to go!  We asked our friends Ronnie and Jamie to join us since we hadn’t been on a trip together in ages.

Anniversary Trip to Sandals Royal Bahamian

We were thinking about taking a short cruise for our anniversary, but the prices had gotten so high! After looking at all the cruise options, Ron said, “if we’re going to spend that kind of money, we should just go to Sandals.” That sounded great to me! Taking advantage of a last-minute deal, we were able to snag three nights at Sandals Royal Bahamian.

We landed at Lynden Pindling Airport at 10:15 AM, flew through customs, and were at the resort by 11 o’clock. Our room wouldn’t be ready for a few hours, but we’d put swimsuits in our backpacks so we could start our vacation right away. After changing out of our travel clothes, we walked around the East Bay side of the resort, checking out the new over-the-water wedding chapel. The East Bay building had also been remodeled since our last trip two years ago. I barely recognized the billiards room. It used to be decorated in British colonial style with formal portraits, warm wood and black accents. Now the room was pink and green with pictures of flamingos and tropical plants. People in the Sandals Facebook group seemed to have a love-hate relationship with the pink-felt pool tables. :-)  I could see both sides. I’d liked the stately, traditional look, but the new look was more cheerful and Bahamian.