Caribbean Cruise on the Celebrity Ascent
♦ Routes (free): Detailed travel itineraries in USA
Introduction
The Celebrity Ascent of Celebrity Cruises was launched in early December 2023 and was then the newest ship from Celebrity's wonderful Edge series.
About two years later, the fifth ship in this successful series, the Celebrity Xcel, was launched. When I sailed on its twin sister, Celebrity Beyond, on a transatlantic cruise and heard that the charming Captain Dimitris and the best cruise director of all, Luigi, were moving to the new ship - I immediately booked a cruise on it, this time to the Eastern Caribbean on a week-long itinerary from Fort Lauderdale. I arrived with very high expectations and to my delight - everything was perfect, beyond expectations, it really wasn't felt that this is only the third cruise of the ship. Without malfunctions, everything active, new and of course decorated for Christmas.
The ship is very impressive with unique statues and artworks in every corner, a large variety of restaurants, great large pools and plenty of additional facilities and the main thing: impressive and invested shows both in the main hall, in the huge space called "Grand Plaza", in the two-story "Club" and in the most successful "Eden" complex.
Boarding the ship is fast and convenient. In less than ten minutes from the moment we arrived at the port we were already in the room! The first ones board at 10:45. We boarded at 11 and everything was already active. After a slow and late boarding I experienced on a Virgin company ship, this was a restorative experience. A whole day to enjoy the perfect and photogenic ship. No need to book shows in advance and also all meals could be booked calmly in advance in the app or on the website. The room (the standard with balcony) is charming and comfortable and the bathroom is spacious. The room is cleaned twice a day and of course they don't forget to put chocolate on the pillow in the evening…
Shows and entertainment programs on the ship
One of the reasons to sail on Celebrity Ascent is the successful and varied shows and entertainment programs in it. First of all in the main theater on floors 4-5. A state-of-the-art theater where you see wonderful from everywhere thanks to the most advanced technology installed in it which makes even a show of one singer or musician become a spectacular audio-visual show thanks to the many huge LED screens making up the main screen which can move and additionally lighting with unique effects, rising and falling stages and more.
Every show in this hall is an experience and especially the three grandiose productions of the ship's singing, acrobat and dancing team.
Additionally in the "Eden" complex there is another team of singers, dancers and acrobats (others) who have three different shows. More intimate but they too are at a high level and sometimes involving the audience.
In the "Club", which is a state-of-the-art club also spanning two floors, music shows, karaoke and popular TV games such as: Deal or Not Deal, "The Majority Rules", the "Yes and No" game, etc., are held. In each of the cruise days - at least one game, most of them with the cruise director and some with his amusing team members.
Additionally, in the large central plaza, the "Grand Plaza" spanning over 3 floors in the center of the ship, parties, music shows and receptions are held.
All this in addition to deck parties, musicians in various bars and in addition to extensive activity for children and youth. Often 3 different events are held simultaneously and it's really hard to decide what to choose. No a dull moment!
Food on Celebrity Ascent
The food on Celebrity Ascent is another wonderful reason to choose to sail on this successful ship.
Similar to its previous sisters in the series, instead of regular dining rooms there are four restaurants: Tuscany, Cyprus, Normandy and Cosmopolitan (Cosmo as it's called for short by the ship's employees).
You can eat dinner in any of them without the need for advance reservation (although you can reserve a seat in them in advance in the app).
The menu in each of them is divided into two: the daily menu, identical in all four and changing every evening, and a fixed menu for that restaurant according to its name: Italian, Mediterranean/Greek, French and international menu. You can choose any dishes you want from both menus.
Additionally there is a rich and successful buffet, a hamburger restaurant and a pizzeria and a charming cafe with cakes, cookies and sandwiches - all included in the cruise price with no extra charge.
There are also restaurants open only for breakfast or light lunches (in addition to the other options of the dining room or buffet or cafe): the Spa cafe (adjacent to the indoor pool) and the Eden cafe. Both are with no extra charge.
For an extra charge there is a variety of gourmet restaurants. My favorite: Eden restaurant with a high-quality chef menu and dishes that, besides being very tasty, are also beautiful and designed and amazing service.
French chef restaurant, steak house, Asian restaurant, grill restaurant on the upper deck adjacent to the gardens, and a cute animation restaurant called "Le Petit Chef" (really cool with a completely different menu and animation than in Celebrity's other ships).
There is of course the Blu restaurant - only for those living in Aqua Class rooms and Luminae restaurant for those living in suites.
In short - a very rich variety of high-quality and delicious food in beautiful and designed restaurants and dining rooms, with comfortable chairs and extraordinary service. The only problem: choosing when and what to eat so there's room for the next meal too… It is recommended to take a kitchen tour guided by the head chef (currently held free only for repeat passengers or as part of a comprehensive ship tour for an extra charge) and learn about the amounts of food, number of cooks and employees related to food and drinks, see them in action and be impressed by the size, quantities, order and cleanliness. The head chef on the ship on this sailing, similar to the captain, is Greek, a quite an entertainer and the tour with him is quite amusing.
"Eden" Complex - EDEN
The "Eden" complex on Celebrity Ascent, similar to the other ships of Celebrity Cruises' Edge series, is one of my favorite places on the ship. It is reached through an "ice cave" - a passage with changing lighting and a special scent with sparkling mirror rocks and statues. Everyone passing there for the first time is amazed. You arrive at a paradise full of flowers, swings and a nature reserve atmosphere in the heart of the sea. In the 3-story complex at the aft of the ship there is a restaurant with light lunches and dinner with tables also on the adjacent deck in the fresh air.
On the bottom floor is a gourmet restaurant, in my opinion the best restaurant on the ship.
In Eden there are charming and comfortable sitting areas, varied music shows, a painter painting in front of the passengers different paintings and productions of Eden's entertainment team including singers, dancers and acrobats. On the adjacent deck sitting areas overlooking the sea and plenty of statues and paintings of animals and vegetation. All the complex with unique vegetation preserved in a preservative and in order to give it a fresh look they water it every day. The "Blu" restaurant for Aqua room passengers is located adjacent to Eden as well as a chocolate stall and a luxury shop.
Sunset Bar – Sunset Bar
In many ships there is a bar on the rear deck of the ship called "Sunset Bar".
On Celebrity Ascent they took it one step forward and turned the Sunset Bar area into three charming decks with comfortable sitting areas, plunge pools and of course a large bar next to which there are many hours of live music shows or a DJ.
Adjacent is a magical area named Roof Top Garden with gardens full of vegetation, a huge screen and a plaza that turns into a pickleball court several hours a day.
Nearby is a high-quality grill restaurant for an extra charge. I especially love to spend time in the Sunset Bar while the ship sails and leaves the ports and also of course during sunset.
Artworks on the ship
On the ship there is a great emphasis on art. Throughout the ship, including on the decks, there are plenty of statues and pictures and even many of the chairs and armchairs are designed and impressive.
Every item was purchased with great attention from famous museums and some of the works were located in various sites (like on a mountain top), purchased by the company and a suitable place was found for them on the ship.
It is recommended to take an art tour (for an extra charge) throughout the ship to expand horizons regarding the works and especially to discover a lot of things that aren't noticed when wandering alone on the ship. Even the stairwells are full of unique pictures and so are the corridors on all residential floors. The pictures on each floor are dedicated to an area or continent or a certain topic: Asia, Africa, India, beautiful vessels, underwater and more.
A beautiful and invested ship that is fun to walk through its length and width, to discover, explore and enjoy. I couldn't stop taking pictures…
The ship has wonderful pools, a perfect walking track on the decks, a huge variety of bars and more. Detail of all facilities and information about the rooms with the infinity balcony that exist in all ships of the series can be found in my article about its twin sister Celebrity Beyond.
The ship's route
The ship sailed in the Eastern Caribbean islands on a seven-night cruise with three port days and three sea days. In the winter months the ship sails on seven-night routes in the Eastern and Western Caribbean alternately. In April the ship sails on a transatlantic cruise to Europe and throughout the summer and autumn months will sail on varied routes in the Mediterranean.
San Juan Port in Puerto Rico
After a day and a half in the heart of the sea where you enjoy the ship, its facilities and pampering, you arrive in the afternoon at San Juan Port in Puerto Rico which was the first in a sequence of three port days. San Juan Port in Puerto Rico is one of the popular ports in Caribbean cruise itineraries and also serves as a departure port for Southern Caribbean cruises. The cruise docks, containing many ships simultaneously, are adjacent to the Old City, which is one of the main attractions on the Caribbean island.
You can of course join a guided walking or vehicle tour in the Old City, in the Bacardi factory or for nature lovers hike in El Yunque National Park but it's easy and convenient to wander independently in the alleys of the Old City and its fortresses. It is especially recommended to walk along the city walls from the port to the fortress along a beautiful promenade near the sea.
During the walking tour you get impressions of the city and its buildings and especially from the sea surrounding it. Along the entire promenade there is tropical vegetation, many viewpoints and lots of street cats that the municipality takes care of for water and food.
An impressive experience in this walking tour is watching closely the huge cruise ships suddenly emerging from the port towards the sea through the bay. During this period, in the month of December, the Old City near the port was decorated with many lights for Christmas, which added to its charm.
♦ Much information about Puerto Rico and travel options in it in the article: Travel in Puerto Rico
♦ Tortola Port in the British Virgin Islands
For fans of beaches with turquoise water and beautiful views of green mountains and magical bays - Tortola, the largest island in the British Virgin Islands, is a perfect destination. Many cruise ships arrive at it during Eastern Caribbean cruises and as in most places in the Caribbean, the most successful thing to do in it is to spend time at the beach.
♦ Booking recommended guided tours in Tortola from Viator website:
We took a private guide who took us first of all for a hike on the highest mountain on the island from which you can overlook the smaller British Virgin Islands and also St. Thomas, one of the American Virgin Islands. At the mountain top is a national park named Sage Mountain NP with walking trails in the forest.
We walked for about an hour on a guided tour on the main trail in the forest and finished with a nice picnic. From there we went down on the other side of the mountain through impressive viewpoints.
We finished with swimming at the most popular beach on the island:
Cane Garden Bay Beach with clear turquoise water and soft white sand. Along the entire beach you can rent lounge chairs and umbrellas at a reasonable price.
After returning to the ship it is recommended to overlook from the decks on the photogenic island and of course not to miss the view of the island while sailing from it.
St. Kitts Port
One of the three ports in this Eastern Caribbean cruise was St. Kitts Port. A diverse island adjacent to another smaller island named Nevis, both constituting one country. The island has become a popular destination for cruise ships in recent years.
Since we visited this island on another cruise and did a private guided tour all over St. Kitts, we chose this time a catamaran cruise to a pristine beach on Nevis island. The duration of the sailing is a bit more than an hour each way and during it you overlook the shoreline of southern St. Kitts and half of Nevis, on the Caribbean side of the island (bordering on its north the Atlantic Ocean). During the sailing there is an open bar of drinks and popular Caribbean and American music is played. You arrive at a beach with clear turquoise water and golden sand where you also get a typical Caribbean buffet lunch.
The beach is adjacent to the most luxurious and beautiful resort on Nevis island: "Four Seasons" which is highly recommended to walk through it and be impressed by it. A successful tour for fans of beaches, views and sailing.
Much information about St. Kitts and Nevis, tourist sites, recommended tours, weather and more in my article Travel in St. Kitts and Nevis island in the Caribbean.
After three ports in a row we finished the cruise with two days in the heart of the sea in wonderful Caribbean weather. We were sorry that the cruise didn't continue for at least another week...
