thefouramigosblog

Well actually a boat ride from a ship. Today we went on an excursion out to see dolphins and then to go snorkeling.

It was a very warm day but the sun was out and we were off to have a bit of fun. Fury Management Inc. was the tour company.

The first stop was to look for dolphins. There were quite a few people who never saw dolphins in the wild so were really hoping to see them. Apparently, in the Key West area they don’t always swim in pods. We did find one. I didn’t get a shot and I’ve seen dolphins many times, most memorably in St. Vincent and the Grenadines where we had a pod of roughly 60 to 100 who swam around our boat and under it.

This little house in the water is a rental property. Apparently you can rent it nightly and the owner will boat you out there. You must be at the house before dark.

Snorkeling was a little rough. Too many waves but it was nice to be in the water.

It was a nice day on the water but we needed to be back on the ship by 2:30 so no venturing out in key west.

We played in the casino tonight and I had my first hand pay ever. $1563 on a 75 cent bet. It wasn’t a major or anything.

It was a fun day on Celebrity Reflection.

#celebrityreflection#casino#snorkle#dolphins#furymanagementcompany#handpay

Bruce and I usually spend days at sea on long cruises across the Atlantic, Pacific, or around South America.

This is our first short cruise together on the Celebrity Reflection. This is our third time on this ship

Our first time was back in 2016 when we took a Transatlantic from Fort Lauderdale to Rome. It was such a fabulous trip that we were hooked on cruising.

This trip is a four-nighter with stops in Key West and Royal Caribbean’s private island. It was basically a free trip. We paid the port charges and $78 to upgrade to a balcony. It was a little over $300 for the two of us. You can barely get a decent hotel room for that amount.

Last night we ate with 3 other couples. One of the things I like about Celebrity is escargot on the menu every evening. And of course, I had that and prime rib.

We played a bit in the casino later on. I’m not a big gambler so I don’t get a lot of the perks but I get discounts on cabins. There are some really high rollers in the casino.

Second day on board and we enjoyed morning coffee on the balcony.

Bruce hit the gym while I went to a womans pamper party. We spent some time having coffee with friends and had an early dinner.

We saw a group called Rebel. We’ve seen them before and they were excellent.

This morning we arrived in Key West. Our beautiful view from our balcony.

We will be off in a little bit for our snorkeling excursion.

#cruising#celebrity#reflection#rebelshowlive#keywest#ports#vacation

We travel the world but Bruce wanted to celebrate his 75th at Universal Orlando. We originally were set to go on his birthday but decided to wait a few weeks hoping the kiddies would be back in school.

For accommodations we stayed at the Loews Portofino Hotel which is in Universal. One of the perks of staying here is getting the skip the lines pass.

We arrived on Sunday afternoon and went to the park after we checked in. We arrived early and they were ready with our room.

We were here in January and had a harbor view. Not so lucky this time. It was also under major construction, not just one section like last time. But waiting the two weeks our room was about $150 a night less.

We ate at Universal City Walk at the Chocolate Emporium. I had quiche and salad and Bruce had quiche and soup. No desserts but they sounded amazing.

After dinner, we returned to the park to see the light show at the Harry Potter section. It was the last night.

We woke early to go to the park. There’s a water taxi from the hotel.

Having season passes, we had a special entrance area with far less crowds.

We saw lots of shows, rode the Haggards Motor Bike first thing before the two hour wait. This ride doesn’t accept the express pass.

And after walking 9 miles and riding lots of rides, we headed back to the hotel. We spent a bit of time in the hot tub and then the pool before going to dinner at the Trattoria del Porto. I had a Caprese salad and Bruce had tortellini.

We love the Harry Potter rides at Universal. The employees were friendly. The park is clean. If you haven’t been to Universal, give it a try.

#universalorlando#loewsportofinobayhotel#harrypotter#seasonpasses