• Darlene Rodillo
  • Darlene Rodillo

Caribbean Celebrities 🏝️

First time trying out Celebrity Cruises out of Port Everglades. Flying to FLL the day before to relax at the Marriott Resort and Spa before the cruise departs the next day. Read more
  • Trip start
    May 16, 2024
  • Early flight, but worth getting to FLL!

    May 16, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F

    We lucked out on our Southwest flight to get seats together in the exit row and our Marriott room ready by 11 AM. I guess it pays to be an Elite Member! We toured the resort and walked up the beach. We noticed a difference in the texture of the sand, it was thicker and coarser than our SC beaches. Another difference was that the water was very clear walking down from the resort.Read more

  • Intracoastal Waterway Taxi

    May 16, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 90 °F

    A last minute decision to try the HOHO Intracoastal Waterway Taxi. We started at Stop #5 near the Bahia Mar Marina and got off at #9 for Shooters Waterfront Restaurant, which was recommended by our boat captain. During the ride, they pointed out the yachts and mansions owned by business owners and celebrities.Read more

  • Shooters Waterfront Restaurant 🐟🍣

    May 16, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 88 °F

    Stop #9 on the Water Taxi Route was Shooter’s Waterfront Restaurant on the Intracoastal Waterway. I tried the grouper and Sydney had the ahi tuna salad. Both dishes were delicious and had a beautiful presentation and bright colors. Our favorite
    was the ahi tuna tower appetizer.

    After dinner we waited for the water taxi at the pier to pick us back up and saw the drawbridge open and close for a large yacht to pass under. The yachts and homes on the waterway are spectacular!
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  • Goodbye Marriott, Hello Celebrity 😊

    May 17, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    We enjoyed breakfast at Riva in the resort. I had a tasty avocado toast while Sydney enjoyed the smoked salmon and cream cheese platter. We had a little time to finish rearranging our stuff before taking our non-English speaking Uber to Port Everglades where we would board the Celebrity Reflection. Thankfully the check-in process was super quick and easy and we had access to our room immediately.Read more

  • Reflections on the Reflection

    May 17, 2024, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    Our first order of business was to get some lunch at the buffet which had a variety of cuisines. I tried a mix of Indian and Greek cuisines and then had a jumbo croissant 🥐 and a cream puff for dessert.

    We found the adults only area, the Solarium, and spent the afternoon napping, reading, and relaxing as the ship 🛳️ left Port Everglades.
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  • Blending at Bahama Barrels

    May 18, 2024 on the Bahamas ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F

    During this excursion, we were able to blend our own wine concoction to bring back home. This exciting experience was so memorable and fun! My 2024 vintage was Haute Mama in the Bahamas and Sydney named hers Feelin’ like Fine Wine.

    It only took Sydney 6 times to seal her bottle, while the professional over here, got it on the first try…lol!!!
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  • Droppin’ the dollar at Effy

    May 18, 2024 on the Bahamas ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F

    I got roped into modeling a rose gold feather necklace and earring set and I really should know better…the last few times I’ve walked into Effy, I have been unable to walk out without purchasing a souvenir. This time Sydney got lucky too and found a ♠️ necklace and earring set.

    I think Effy has a new fan!
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  • Boyband kind of night 🎶

    May 18, 2024 on the Bahamas ⋅ ☁️ 84 °F

    After picking up my ring that was being sized and asked to model again, we had dinner and then listened to Boy Band Evolution at the Reflection Theatre. What an incredible tribute to popular boybands including The Beatles, Boyz II Men, N’ Sync, The Backstreet Boys and many more. Looking forward to hearing them again on the last night, too!Read more

  • The last night

    May 19, 2024, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    After a full day of fun in the sun at Bimini, we got gussied up for dinner and the Boy Band Evolution show in the Foyer. Since our MDR time was an early 6 PM, we almost always had a second dinner at the buffet. With this only being a 3-night cruise, we didn’t have a sea day to explore the ship, so even on the last night, we found a few places that we had never seen before.Read more

  • Back in Ft. Lauderdale

    May 20, 2024 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 79 °F

    We woke up to the Celebrity Reflection cruising into Port Everglades early in the morning. Since our flight wasn’t until 8:30 PM, I made arrangements for us to have a day room at a local hotel to relax instead of waiting at the airport.

    I found a Hampton Inn near the airport and once we got settled we found a hole in the wall Mediterranean restaurant called Mini Pita and had the best Greek gyro salad. It was in a strip mall with a Dollar Tree and a Big Lots, and since we had some time to kill we bought spa products and had a mini spa day that afternoon in the hotel.

    The hotel provided a free shuttle and we arrived with plenty of time to make it through security to get back home.
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    Trip end
    May 20, 2024