We are not your typical cruisers.  We don’t own cruise wear, we cringe at the amount of food consumed at the buffet, we don’t quite get port shopping, and we will never be caught standing on or near a treadmill or running on “the track” while on vacation.

What we do love is lounge chairs, cocktails, unobstructed views, fancy dinners, and naps.

We cruise when we are tired, stressed, and completely drained from the long hours we put in at our jobs each day.

It is a relaxing escape and it’s easy.  And while we love to completely immerse ourselves in other cultures and places, there are those times when we just want to be still and quiet.

There is only one cruise line we look to when we need a quick exit from our daily dose of reality:

Celebrity

Our most recent sailing, a spring break escape for a week in April, was on the Solstice Class ship, Celebrity Silhouette.  Upon our arrival to the dock at Port Everglades, we were surprised with a complimentary upgrade to a Deluxe Veranda Stateroom, complete with a fruit platter and a bottle of bubbly on ice.  Since we booked the most inexpensive rate available, the Guarantee Rate, we were beyond grateful for this generous gift.  We will never even consider booking an inside room again.  Private balconies are the only way to cruise and the best places for a much-needed afternoon nap.

Our ship sailed to several Caribbean ports: Cozumel, Mexico; Georgetown, Grand Cayman; Falmouth, Jamaica; and Labadee, Haiti.  While all of these ports offered many excursions, we were perfectly content to stay on the ship with our feet in the pool, enjoying the calm left behind when the other passengers disembarked on their daily shopping and sightseeing extravaganzas.  We did get a chance to swim in the beautiful turquoise waters of Labadee, a private island owned by the cruise line.  We spent our day floating on beach mats and feasting at the beach barbecue.

Our evenings were spent at the back of the ship, watching the bright blue water churn as we sailed away to our next destination.  We even enjoyed sinking our bare feet into the grass at the Lawn Club.  Real grass on the top of a cruise ship?  What will they think of next?

Our fancy dinners were spent at the Tuscan Grille, a specialty restaurant offering a variety of delicious Italian meals.  Our table for two was set right up against the windows at the back of the ship, a perfect view to enjoy a romantic evening dining on incredible risottos, pastas, and a good bottle of red wine.

Of course we found time for dancing and mingling and meeting people from all over the world.  We avoided the buffet as much as we could, except for the one evening we decided to bring dinner to our private balcony.  We assembled a big, healthy salad, a pasta dish with sautéed fresh vegetables, and a few slices of pizza, and using our best juggling skills picked up a bottle of wine along the way.  While this dinner wasn’t what we’d call fancy, it was just what we needed after a day of fun in the sun.

We’ve heard it all about cruising, everybody’s opinions and fears, from seasickness to the Norovirus.  We can honestly say, we’ve never had any of these problems.  Celebrity is beyond careful about germs and one of the cleanest cruise lines we’ve ever seen.  The staff is always pleasant and accommodating and the food is always good.   This is why we are happy to call ourselves Captain’s Club Members of Celebrity Cruise Lines.  We’ve cruised on many other brands, but there is only one we come back to time and time again.  From the Celebrity Century, now retired from the fleet, to the new Solstice Class of ships, we will remain loyal to the brand that makes us their celebrities, ever time.

© Paul and Michelle Shappirio and Bringing Down the White Picket Fence, 2007-2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Paul and Michelle Shappirio and Bringing Down the White Picket Fence with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.