Hi Gang:
Hedy and I just returned from a seven-day cruise to Bermuda on the Summit
(Celebrity Cruise Lines) and although the ship didn't compare to RCCL's
Oasis (what ship possibly could!) we had a nice time and thoroughly enjoyed all
that Bermuda has to offer, including chilling out on the beaches at Elbow
and Horseshoe Bay. The ship is small and older but the food was good, the
entertainment excellent and we had a comfortable Concierge Class balcony
cabin.
The cruise out of Bayonne (15 minutes from our home) was a freebie from
Celebrity's casino folks (The Blue Chip Club) and turned out to be a nice
relaxing seven-day respite for us.
We were pleasantly surprised to learn that the onboard casino was totally
smoke-free (we believe that this is now the case fleet-wide with Celebrity)
and, although the casino was small, it offered all the usual games as well
as an automated poker table.
We didn't play much but, interestingly enough, showed a profit for the
second straight cruise. When we got onboard we collected close to $1,000
cashback from our two previous RCCL/Celebrity Cruises (on the Oasis and Equinox)
and we immediately started scouting out the video poker offerings. As
usual, it was slim pickin's but we did find 9/6 DB on triple play dollars. We
decided to give it a try with the money we picked up and, fortunately, we
enjoyed instant success. Hedy started playing and after about five minutes
she hit quad 3's for $400. About five minutes later she was DEALT 4's for
$1,200, then I took over and got 3's again for another $400.
We cashed out an even $2,000 while marveling at our good fortune.
We played minimally over the next couple of days then while we were docked
at King's Wharf (for three days) the casino was closed.
On the final sea day heading home I won the blackjack tournament ($316
first prize and an eight-inch trophy displaying a royal flush in hearts!) and
we managed to hang onto the majority of our profit for the trip. The onboard
host, Jayson, comped our drinks in the casino, gave us a couple of Blue
Chip Club polo shirts and picked up our dinner surcharge at the ship's
specialty restaurant (the Normandie) for us and a friend who was traveling with
us.
So, all in all, it was another successful trip, gambling and otherwise.
We're back in AC this weekend at Harrah's, then next Monday we fly to
Vegas on Hedy's Seven Stars trip. We'll be staying at the Rio and South Point fo
r seven nights and I'll be trying my hand again in the World Series of
Poker.
Regards,
CoachVee & Hedy
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