5 go on a Caribbean Christmas adventure 2022 Part 1
Having never even been out for Christmas lunch, we decided to escape the stresses of Christmas at home as a special holiday to celebrate our 50ths. I'm a massive Christmas fan, but over the years the sparkle & magic has been replaced with high expectations, hard work & less sparkle & magic than I am happy with! So time for a reset! In the run up to the holiday I didn't feel the need to book numerous activities, fill the cupboards & freezer with copious calorific food or spend hours & a fortune on presents. Instead I could concentrate on making sure we had what we needed for a Christmas at Sea! Here’s how it went….
Day 1 Cracking flight with Virgin extra leg room seats for the ever growing tall members of the team was well worth it. Felt like a movie star in our transfer BMW van with blacked out windows! Arrived at @pelicanbeach to a fab family room, with balcony overlooking the sea. Best view ever. I've never stayed in a room literally on the beach & I love it. A walk along the beach with a glorious sunset & dinner of fish tacos was all we could manage before bed called
Day 2... Mostly lazing around on the lovely sandy beach, swimming in the sea or pool, or floating round the lazy river. Tough life!! We took a stroll along the coast road to explore some of Fort Lauderdale. One yummy dinner later & back for an evening chill on the beach. Gorgeous hotel, right on the beach. Perfect for a night or two pre or post cruise
Day 3... This was the first day of our Christmas cruise. We embarked at Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale onto the fabulous Celebrity Reflection. Getting onboard is really easy...you leave your luggage at the dock, & see it again in the cabin. Check in is online via the app, so all very efficient. We explored the ship, settled into our cabins & got stuck into the sunbathing! We had 2 balcony interconnecting cabins, which is perfect for our needs with 2 teenagers & a 7 year old. To see the schedule of events, your account & itinerary information you just look at the app or have a newsletter left on your bed each night. The highlight of the day was dinner at Le Petit Chef. An animated dining experience with fabulous food. This is one of many speciality restaurants on board.
Day 4... Christmas Eve day at sea.. I had no idea what to expect in terms of how "Christmassy" this trip would be. Well, the ship is beautifully decorated, with numerous gorgeous trees, a central Christmas display & lovely foliage with lights around. The show tonight was a "Holiday Spectacular" (it is an American line) which got us in the Christmas mood. The highlight of the day for Edie was the kids party where she got to make lots of Christmas crafts ..we were the last to leave The highlight for the adults was lying in the 27 degree sun not having to think about food preparation or any chores! Santa did find us on the cruise, Edie had put a map in with her letter, so all was well for the 400 kids on board Sea days are obviously the busiest of all, but we got loungers where we wanted, swam in the pool & ate lunch in the sun Very relaxing Christmas Eve
Day 5... Christmas Day The day started as usual with a very excited girl that Santa had come! More importantly he had found us in the Atlantic Ocean, thanks to the map she put in with her letter. After stockings & pressies, we had a yummy breakfast (the choice on board is incredible). The morning was spent sunbathing whilst sipping Mimosas, enjoying the relaxing view of the ocean. We docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico in the afternoon & had a stroll around the old town & the forts. The town has a real Spanish feel, with colonial buildings but is an American territory. At dusk the Christmas lights came on, & the party started. It seemed everyone came out to meet up & celebrate, so the constant sound of firecrackers & music gave it a special vibe. Back on board turkey was on the menu for dinner, although I was the only one to choose it There was plenty of entertainment available every evening, however the day had proved too exhausting for the youngest member of the team, so that's when having a cabin with a balcony is perfect. It was lovely to be able to have a truly relaxing day & I will never forget my Christmas day in the sun
