I tried to fit in each of the 3 Broadway Shows on board, since they had great dancers, and great dancers, and I'm boggled at how they can navigate the waves in heels while pirouetting. Unfortunately, we kept falling asleep at 9:30 after dinner, so that put a wrinkle in our wild night life. Something I hadn't considered about sailing with Celebrity was that most passengers get a package with drinks included, and as a result, most passengers seem to be feeling very merry. Often this is great. But it can be weird being the only sober person at the party. At least we weren't the designated driver, that was the Captain's job.
And thank goodness he was sober. On our 2nd night, around 10:30 the boat suddenly slowed down and stopped and the Captain made an announcement that the ship was involved in a search and rescue mission. Sure enough, off of our starboard side, a small, maybe 25 foot cigarette boat with no lights was drifting. It was laden down with people, almost sitting at the waterline, all waving and whistling. The Millenium dispatched a lifeboat and brought on board 35 migrants, including 2 children who were headed to the Virgin Islands, likely from South America, who had run out of gas before making it to shore. Humbling to watch, for sure.
Fun fact - our friends kids wake up at 5:45. Follow up fact - there is suprisingly little competition for the Pickleball court at this time in the morning.
I'm being facetious, they were very good and never called our kids before 7 am, and even then it never affected me since our kids were in a separate cabin next door to ours. Truly though, each morning when we saw Harrison for the first time, he had usually had a game of pickleball and breakfast in the buffet before I even had brushed my teeth. Very impressive.
Port #2 - Phillipsburg, Sint Marten
We took a taxi over to the French half of Saint Martin to do a morning of zip lining. It was almost a disaster, as the website hadn't indicated there was a height restriction that our shortest member might not have passed if he hadn't been so darn close. In the end it all worked out - the course we went on included a ropes/obstacle course and was a ton of fun. We even saw monkeys!
Next, we took a taxi from a great guide names Phillipe over to Maho Beach - the famed Airplane Beach of internet fame. We got sand blown in our faces from the jets and had as much fun people watching and laughing at people taking ridiculous selfies and instagram photo shoots as we did frolicking in the waves.
Always keen to experience local culture, we tried Guavaberry Coladas. Our taxi driver had said this was the traditional Christmas drink. Every day is Christmas in Sint Martin!
The wild thing about this picture/moment in time is that the kids aren't in it. This is on the dock, just a stone's throw from the boats. The children didn't feel like waiting for us (they wanted to get back on board for more pickleball and cheeseburgers), so they took their SeaPass room key cards, left us and checked themselves back on. If it hadn't been for excursions and dinner, I'm not sure I would have seen my kids on this cruise. I think they really enjoyed the sense of independence they had on the boat and it was small enough that they could find their way around after only a couple of days. When did they get so big?
Harrison wanted desperately to sit in the front row for the magician's show in case he needed volunteers. But it was our neighbour Jay who got called up on stage as the star of the show.
Port #3 - Dominica - With a total population of 72,000 (comparison - the total passenger population of our ship was just under 3000), and no international airport, Dominica really felt like a secret destination. We took a taxi tour up to the north end of the island to do a horseback ride from a woman who turned out to be from the Stratford area. Small world! It was an exercise in expecting the unexpected, and not being dissapointed when plans change, but in the end it afforded one of my most memorable moments. As we gently ambled along the waterfront, through a 5 star resort, under the view of a cloud topped peak, surrounded by spectacular tropical flowers, it's easy to remember why travel makes me grin.
Yup, that's a 2 day old baby goat. Yup, it fell asleep with it's chin resting on my collarbone. Yup, I want one now. I think Roxy would love a goat.
Just when I thought my bucket was full, Dominica handed me another memorable life moment. We went to a site called the Titou Gorge, where a waterfall plummets into a narrow, dark gorge it has carved into the rock. For $2 you can rent a lifejacket from a local and swim through the river up to the waterfall. Absolutely stunning. Thank goodness for waterproof phone cases.
Another artful creation by the Celebrity Millenium team. Seared branzino with parsnip puree, lentils, spinach and pomegranate.
Next stop - Barbados!
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