Leeward Ho
(or Many a Long Walk)
09.26.2025 Down in the Banana Republics*
Hey Now! Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends. Just small pauses for capital improvments. Hopefully these small inconveniences end soon. One more year. More or less. This is a combo trip. Sweet Ti went down to FLL a few days before me to spend the week with an old friend of hers, Marie François. Marie François met Ti at FLL and they drove to Marie Francois house in West West Palm Beach. I flew down on Friday the 26th and picked up a rental at FLL. you have to take a shuttle from Terminal 2 to the rental center. I rented thru Hertz and skipped the counter. I noticed they have upgraded my rental. it's a gigantic Ford Expedition XXL. I can't even figure out how to open the tailgate. Or find the keys. Screw this. I make the long hot walk back to the counter and sort it out.
Chicken Hawk
Seriously? From insult to injury. At least I found the keys. I fire up our Chicken Hawk and right away idiot light come on about this and that. About what I expect from a Willys. I brought my own EZPass and GPS. The GPS cant find any sats so I just follow my instincts leaving the airport. I stumble upon Griffin Rd. which was just the road I wanted. I'm headed for the Hollyrock Hard Rock. You know, the guitar shaped tower? Celebrity's Blue Chip Club has a nice perk that I qualified for by playing enough in their ship's casinos to have earned Sapphire, the uppity blue card. An Annual 3 night complimentary stay at either the Hollyrock or Tampa Seminole Hard Rock along with 300. in resort credit. No resort fees either. Easy enough to find the resort with a 450' instrument sticking up. This place is HUGE!
big ol' Box
I pick a random parking lot and proceed into the bowels of the resort. This place rivals anything I've seen in Vegas. And I've been to every casino there- at least those built before 2020. The casino is very smoky. But very open and spread out. I succeed in locating a front desk. There are 3 towers here and my comp is for the run of the house. With limits. I have booked an Oasis Tower room. Seemed like the quieter choice. I queue up and end up having to explain how this particular comp works. I got that sorted and he let me go ahead and check in even though it was early. So I set about yet another long walk. Very long walk. To the other end of the property. Found it!
Stretch
It's a beautiful room. I was hoping for something overlooking the pool complex, but alas all those rooms are suites which were all sold out. I made the long walk back to the Chicken Hawk and found another car park slightly closer and hauled my luggage aloft.
This is the entrance from the guitar tower valet. Pretty damned impressive.
Jim????
I called our Sweet Ti. Marie François is having AC issues and her house is steaming. I mean all of south Florida is always steaming, but it's worse inside. Someone is supposed to be working on it. I had a rather disappointing session in the casino and had a sandwich at Rise and called it a night. Great start to our Leeward Ho adventure.
09.27.2025 Down to the tropical sun
Hey Now! Not too much luck sleeping. I decide to take the Hawkster out for a chip run. There's a Seminole Classic Casino right down the street. Action shots!!
It's a long walk to the Lucky Street Garage.
Street puddy
Well, I guess Classic is as good a term as any for this joint. If the Hollyrock reminded me of Las Vegas, THIS place reminds me of North Las Vegas. So much smoke for so many years that it's penetrated everything. I bought a chip and was gone in a flash.
Tribal Po Po
I went back to the room and finished my sandwich. The game plan for today is to Head 60 miles north by northwest and pick up Sweet Ti and have a visit with Marie François and then later on go to Ziggy's in Boyton Beach. I was hoping to hear from Ziggy as to our plans but he hasn't touched base yet. So I make an executive decision to head on up north. It's still pretty early, but there's another chip run along the way. The gigantic guitar is actually situated in Davie on the west side. It couldn't be easier to get to the airport or the Turnpike from the property. I am headed for Coconut Creek Seminole Hard Rock Casino.
I'm impressed by this place. I thought it would be much smaller. It's really nice. Since there's not a hotel on the premises that's just more room for gaming and landscaping. I self pared within feet of the bridge to the casino. Lots of smoke. Seems to be really bad around here. They all do have non smoking slots- I never saw a non smoking pit. I headed for the cashier. So Ziggy and Bo's son Sebastian works the cage here. I ask for him but the nice boothling informs me that he won't be in till later. He works afternoons. We have a nice chat about the Tolczyenski clan. She knows them all bless her heart. She doesn't have any chips, so I thank her and proceed to the pit. Purchase said chip. Then various slots ate my lunch. And they were hungry too! I got a call from Ziggy and he wants us there at 3 pm. I kinda thought we would see them earlier, but that's cool. Then Sweet Ti calls and I give her the lowdown. The AC did get fixed so at least the house is cooler. She says to get my butt up there, Yes Ma'am!! Other than some construction on the turnpike, it was a pleasant drive. Everyone here says to take I 95 instead but with our EZ Pass I don't see the problem. And she lives pretty far out west. The neighborhood is straight out of the 70's playbook. Acre ranchettes for the most part.
Sisters from different Mothers
What a lovely person our Marie François is. I hadn't met her back when Sweet Ti and I went a'courtin' in Kendal around 2000. We have a tour of her shire and a lovely visit. Marie bought this place back in 1995. She is from Haiti. She has a couple of siblings living in south Florida. The girls went to have dinner with Marie's brother at his house a couple of days earlier. They used to work together at American Airlines. Alas too soon it was time for us to leave. Back on the road before too long the turnpike lives up to it's reputation. It's stop and go for miles. We had decided to go back to the room and take Ti's bags up so she could change for dinner. By the time we finally got back to the guitar, we only had 15 minutes to catch our breath from yet another long walk before it was time to head to Boynton Beach. This time the turnpike was clear ad we pulled up to their house right on time. Which is important if you know Ziggy.
This is our first time seeing their home in B.B. They followed their 2 sons here from Henderson NV. We went out there about 15 times to see them between 2004 and 2019. Good times. It's remarkable how similar their house here is to their old one in Vegas. 2 different locates with remarkably similar architecture in housing. They are doing well. Tomas, their younger son and his wife welcomed their 2nd child last winter. We tour the place and Zig puts out a bit of oatmeal for the local ducks. We share some wine and charcuterie. Then we head for SanTo's Buffet. Killer joint!. Everything from sushi and raw bar to a carving station with several types of freshly grilled meat and everything in between. Plus decadent desserts. Quite a lovely repast. We booped back to the Tocyznski's and hung out for a bit before bidding them adieu till our net trip down here in Jan. No traffic heading south. But we spot a problem right away in the Lucky Street Garage. There's some event going on here this evening. We went all the way to the uncovered top floor and still no spaces. We finally found one miles away from the elevators. Yet another long walk. Crash.
09.28.2025 Go the expatriated Americans
Hey Now! Are we having fun yet? There's a lovely coffee joint here named Constant Grind. Perfect for coffee Elizabeth.
Service JJ?
I was in line whenever they finally opened at 7 a.m. I scored a really nice coffee carrier that will absolutely make it's way onto the ship. I leave Sweet Ti's caffeine and carbs aloft and grab the keys to the Hawkster. Errand time. First stop is Aldi's for some of their best Fine Wine. Winkin' Owl Moscato. $3.95. Then Dollar Tree for some beauty supplies. Then one last stop for fuel. Drink up Chicken!
Sleepyhead Ti finally woke and we broke our fast. Today is all ours. No plans except to relax, look around the place and enjoy a lovely dinner at Abiaka. Here's a bunch more pics because there's just so much to this resort!
This is where the Jackpot Gents play.
We have dinner reservations at Abiaka. We get all gussied up and take the long walk. This place is great, overlooking the pool complex.
We were greeted and seated quickly. Good timing too, the place started filling up presently. We will be Emma's guests this evening. Emma is a jewel. She's from Canada. Eh? She hooks us up. I love the open kitchen concept. Raw Bar too.
yum!
A really tremendous dining experience. Of course the fact it's comped makes it all the better. Mt Sweet Ti is done for the evening so I put her to bed and descend for a last VP session. I really like the choices of VP machines they have here. Just hate the smoke.
Bit of a rally today but overall the bankroll took a right good hit here. We shall see if my limited play scares up some offers here.
09.29.2025 Go the expatriated Americans
Hey Now! Almost time to put out to sea. Meanwhile, Sweet Ti is having hip issues. ¡Pobrecita! The Hawk soares over to the nearest Wally World to stock up on Unguents and Potions to hopefully alleviate her hip pain. I stop by Constant Grind on the way back for some breakfast. I can't say enough about this coffee shop. Really friendly crew, nice food and beverage choices, and 1:1 comps. Beauty.
We shared a bagel and some pastries. Then we are ready to checkout. We have Prime Access boarding on the Reflection today, so we are shooting for arriving at Port Everglades around 11 a.m. We tried checking out using the TV but the figures weren't adding up. I have been keeping up- at least dollarwise, and we used maybe $10. over the $300. resort credit we started with. Fortunately there's a front desk on our way out. I attempt to explain the nuances of the annual Sapphire the uppity blue card benefit to the desk clerk. The manager gets his ass involved, and finally a verdict is rendered. We went $14. over $300. and the clerk deemed it a push. Works for me. I leave Sweet Ti and our gear at the Guitar Valet and take yet another long walk to retrieve the Chicken Hawk. Griffin to Perimeter Rd. Been driving here 3 days and know more than my GPS. Turned out that the rental return is on the far side of Perimeter Rd. So we made the Terminal Tour and finally end up at rental return. But the Hertz lot is really full. We are on the far side of the floor from the skybridge to the rideshare lot. One of the Hertz lot agents, Wes, walked up and directed us where to stop and park our vehicle. I explain to him about Sweet Ti's hip bothering her and the distance. Oh, and by the way- that Chicken Hawk you rental us has a light show going on the dash. Today's local, Wes was ever so handy and offered to take us to the skybridge. Or so I thought. I asked him how the rideshare I hadn't reserved one service was as in I hadn't reserved one ahead of time. So Wes drove right past the Hertz counter and skybridge and everything. He's taking us to Terminal 25. So Wes is originally from Haiti. He and his wife have 2 daughters who are in college in Orlando. He's been working for Hertz for 27 years. I took notes. Great dude. He brought us right up beside the ship. We tipped him most generously.
We actually saw Prime Access lines, but the Port crew were clueless as could be. It wasn't too crowded yet as it was right at 11 a.m. We made it to the ship in minutes. Another long walk up the stairs. I told Sweet Ti we could rent her a Rascal© but she demurs. First stop- muster. Second stop the long walk to the room to drop off our luggage. We are the next to last room before you get to the aft cabins in the starboard side. As far away as you can get from the elevators. Hump style veranda. V2. Luggage stowed, long walk. To El Bacon!!!
:HINT: On Boarding day Celebrity puts out trays of champagne out in various bars but it's usually just self serve. So we did.
makin' friends already!
so is Guest Services
The rooms were ready a bit after 1:30.
Room 7354
09.30.2025 Hopin' to find some fun.
Sea day
Hey Now! Slept in and then Bacon Elizabeth. One of the other free perks other than Early boarding and luggage delivery, we get free room service. We ordered a full breakfast. Nice to hang in the room and feast. Especially with our sweet Ti's ailments. It's a 10 day cruise. Hopefully Ti can make it to the Solarium. I'm going to work on earning our fare. It's a new tier earning year so my points went from 22k back to 00. They have a few Super Star II machines. But it's 10. per point rather than 5. a point.
The Reflection is an S class ship. I took a solo 3 day cruise last July. Reflecting. Lots of quiet out of the way places.
10.01.2025 Some of them go for the sailing
Sea Day
Hey Now! Rabbit. Gotta say it's nice to have 2 sea days right at the beginning of the cruise. Get those pesky tier points out of the way. I hit up Guest Relations for more George Washingtons. I've already tipped out fifty of them at least. The over to Shore Excursions to cancel a couple of upcoming outings. Our Sweet Ti isn't up to them. That's fine with me. I just want her to be as comfortable as possible. One of them was in St. Lucia. We actually did this particular excursion- catamaran trip to see the Pitons- on our West Indies Sorcery trip. The other one was a boat ride in St. Kitts. No biggie. Cancellations in place and refunds issued, I make my way up to the Spa. I inquired about pain management treatments. Pamela from Zimbabwe assisted me. We set up a series of 3 treatments over the course of the rest of the cruise.
El Bacon dine in
Nap Central
10.02.1025 Caught by the lure of the sea
Tortola
Hey Now! Prime Access rocks. Not having to go up and fight the buffet crowds. I mean that everybody gets a continental breakfast, but we hit them up for a more or less full English every morning. We have coffee on the veranda as we pull into port.
So our Sweet Ti has her appointment with Pamela for her first treatment this morning so we head up and I drop her off. The Reflection is just a bit too big for my taste. A super-sized S class ship. She's a beaut. I have to admit it felt a bit crowded the last couple of days. I made my way down to the gangway. My objective is the same as it always is. Cheap swag. So off I go.
Road Town is the financial, business and municipal capital of the British Virgin Islands. But the swag inside the confines of Romney Pier Park really sucked. I refuse to pay $7. for a fridge mag. I even went around the fringes to find some out of the way kiosk. No luck. I'm contemplating going into town or biting the bullet when I hear a voice. "Santa!" I turn and see a dude carrying some food and smiling. I say Hey Now! and inquire as to procuring cheap swag. "I will take you there for free. It's a bit of a walk. I have a taxi". I guess that I kinda looked at him sideways and he said. "Don't worry Mon, I won't roll you". Sounds great. I told him it wouldn't net him much anyway as I've only got a few dollars on me. So we are walking along and instead of going straight ahead to where the busses and taxis are, he ducks thru an opening in a chain link fence and I follow him into what looks like a car junk yard. There's some cars missing parts and others with plants coming up thru the windscreen. "Here we are". Early 2010's Kia. The door handle is broke, no AC. There's one of those old style desk signs on the dash that says For Hire. What's your name my friend? "Gadget". Perfect. Off we go.
Gadget and Santa
Typical Caribbean town layout. Chaos. Narrow streets with parking seemingly random. We are chatting. Today's local, Gadget is truly a local. The village he was born in is right up the road. He has lived on many other islands around the area, but always came back home. He has a son in Puerto Rico. I ask if he is married. "Freelancing". Our first stop is at a quaint little shop known as Little Denmark. We park and walk around the corner to the front of the shop. Along the way we pass by a lady in the driver's seat of a car whom Gadget introduces me to as the proprietor of the shop. This place is perfect. Dirt cheap. And plenty of different choices. I got the entire swag spectrum covered for under $20. We head back to the taxi and I ask about a $20. island tour. "Money doesn't matter to me ". I like his philosophy. "I have to drop off this food and then go and pick up Samantha's sister. You can ride along". So we cruise around town and stop for food delivery. "Tortola Dash". Then we head up the mountainside to Samantha's. "I need to get the muffler fixed". As long as the brakes work.
We stopped along the way and picked up a wanderer and took him to the gap. No charge. Then we got to Samantha's. She yelled hello to Gadget. I yelled Hey Now to Samantha. "What's that white boy doing in your car Gadget??".
Sam's sister and niece
We dropped Sam's niece at daycare and our next stop is down the mountain to Samantha's sister's job and then to her Doctor's appointment.
Ahoy!
We finished our tasks and still no money changed hands. Well that will change. Gadget actually pulls up to the cruise terminal gate and gets us in. We pull up as close as possible to the pier. I generously tip our Gadget and he provides me with his direct number in case I need his services in the future. 5474036. Call him the next time you want to experience the local culture of beautiful Tortula, BVI.
Back on the Reflection I find my Sweet Ti in the Solarium well massaged and we go down to the room for lunch and a nap.
Sailaway
turn these damn things on already!!
What a run.
10.03.2025 Tryin' to find what is ailing
Antigua
Hey Now! Yet another fine room service breakfast. We watched from the veranda as we pulled into St. John's.
This is a great little town. We were here previously on our West Indies Sorcery trip. So swag has already been secured although additions to the collection are always welcome. I am venturing out solo once again. I do have a plan. First stop is to secure some of the local currency, the Eastern Caribbean Dollar. I head downtown to the local Western Union office.
Really iffy office.
Next stop the chemist. I'm looking for a remedy to help with our Sweet Ti's hip. Just down the street as it turns out. Small local joint. I enter and inquire . The clerk got the pharmacist who was very helpful. Instead of grabbing something off the shelf she recommended 500 mg. ibuprofen. She makes me a packet with enough to get us thru till we get home. 4. ECD. I also inquire as to a jewelry store. Ti left some jewelry at Marie Françoius' house - including the only necklace that she brought. The helpful pharmacist said to try Dylan's place a few doors down. Thanks!
Dylan showed me a couple of nice chains. They were stainless steel which is fine because Ti wears silver jewelry. I decide on a nice box chain one but it is too short. So he goes in the back and adds a few inches of chain to it. I think it's still too short so he adds a bit more. Perfect. He charged me $40. ECD. Which is around 15. USD. Great deal! Thanks! Next stop is for a bit of swag after all.
really cheap swag
I mean it's like a Dollar Tree for swag! Really nice people too. OK. Chores accomplished I know just where I'm headed.
Hey Now! Still with me? Here we go. 3:2 Blackjack. 6 decks. Favorable rules. 10. ECD min. I bought in for 50. Played heads up with the dealer as I was the only patron in the joint. I played for over an hour. But I did have to buy in for another 50. USD this time.
Quietest casino ever. Like a frillin' library.
We rendezvous and lunch at the Spa Cafe. Then it's time for a bit of afternoon delight- a nap. We have bigger and better plans for the evening. We have reservations at Tuscan Grille. One thing about these Celebrity ships during a voyage. It's like running a gauntlet of time share salesmen getting by the specialty restaurant salespeople nee servers every time you head for the buffet. Plus they will come by the table while you are eating if there's a hint of eye contact. It's always 30% off. We bit. Time to get puritied up.
We had the best table in the restaurant. Although it was a bit dark. We were Eli's customers and he made sure that we were well taken care of. We pretty much ordered most of the menu thinking that the portions would be rather on the smaller side. We couldn't have been more wronger. Absolutely. We enjoyed everything, but left just so much food on the table it was a shame. Fish food now!! As we were leaving one of the cruise photographers was set up at The Celestial Garden. We had promised the photog we would pose for her. And for the first and only time this entire trip, I have on long pants. Let's do this.
Yet another benny of Sapphire, the uppity blue card is 2 free digital pictures per cruise. We made the long walk back to the room and changed into our gaming attire for a bit of wagering.
only decent hit of the evening
10.04.2025 Livin in the land of the free
Barbados
Hey Now! Land of flying fish and potatoes. Once again, it's our second time being here. Hence limited swag patrol. Our Sweet Ti is still nursing her ailing hip. Her second massage is scheduled for tomorrow. She's gonna hit the Solarium hot tub while I go ashore.
The Bridgetown Cruise Port is fairly isolated at least as far as walking distance anywhere else. But then there's an enclosed kiosk mall just steps away from the Barbados sign and it's actually air conditioned. Which is a good thing since it's nasty hot and stormy out. I swagged judiciously and just made it back to the ship as the skies opened.
.