Husband and I took a cruise earlier this month to celebrate our birthdays. We went on the Celebrity Reflection, which is the largest of the Celebrity ships. Celebrity is owned by Royal Caribbean and is supposed to be a bit classier. We really enjoyed this short vacation, but it went by too fast.
To get to the cruise, we flew out to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. We left early in the morning, around 4:30 a.m., to make sure we didn’t miss our flight. Even though I’ve seen more than a dozen sunrises, this one was still very beautiful. We took American Airlines because it’s my preferred airline. I know it’s a small thing, but I like how AA flies and lands. Delta and United aren’t so bad either.
Sunset as we left Port Everglades in Ft. Flauderdale, FL.
We ported in Key West first. It was a very nice little island. We toured the Trueman Little White House, took the trolley through town with an excellent tour guide, visited the Shipwreck Museum, and ate Key Lime Pie. Both photos were taken from the lookout tower.
Sunset from our cabin deck as we were leaving Key West.
It was early morning when we arrived in Bimini. I got up to watch the sunrise. I always love watching sunsets and sunrises on the ships. They’re so peaceful and dreamy.
I watched the pilot boat as it waited for the ship to get closer. The Bahamas harbor pilot boarded the ship through a door below and to the right of our cabin. The lifeboats blocked the view of the action. I’ve never actually seen a pilot get on the boat…even from past cruises while observing. I just know from the boat that the pilot gets on just before we port and then leaves as we leave port. In the photo, the harbor captain had already boarded.
We spent a day on Bimini Beach. It was nice to relax on the beach and swim in the Atlantic water.
Our last night on the ship as we returned home.
We actually went on two cruises this year. The first cruise was to Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada on the Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas, which is RC’s Quantum class of cruise ships.
I’ve been on a total of 5 cruise ships (2014 – Carnival Victory, 2021 – RC Grandeur of the Seas, 2023 – RC Freedom of the Seas, and two in 2025 – RC Ovation of the Seas and Celebrity Reflection. There’s something about cruise ships that I just love. I think I’m just fascinated by their size.
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Listening to:
“Skyborn” by Ivan Torrent
From My Corner of the Universe 
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