Celebrity Ascent Part 3: Exploring the Ship After Dark, Valletta and the Journey Home

After an amazing week sailing around the Mediterranean aboard Celebrity Ascent, it was time for the final chapter of our adventure.

Part 3 of our cruise series focuses on something many cruise reviews don’t spend enough time covering – what life onboard is actually like once the sun goes down.

Celebrity Ascent After Dark

Celebrity Ascent is an impressive ship during the day, but at night it transforms into something quite different.

The public spaces take on a completely different atmosphere, with carefully designed lighting, live music, entertainment and some genuinely stunning views from the upper decks. One of my favourite things to do on any cruise is simply wander the ship in the evening with a camera and capture the atmosphere when most passengers are enjoying dinner, a show or a quiet drink.

The ship feels elegant rather than busy, and there’s always something happening somewhere onboard.

Entertainment Onboard

One of the highlights of the cruise was experiencing the entertainment venues.

The main theatre featured some impressive productions with talented performers, excellent staging and the kind of technology you’d expect from a modern cruise ship. The quality of cruise entertainment has come a long way over the years and Celebrity certainly delivers.

We also spent time in Eden, one of the most unique venues at sea. During the day it’s a relaxing observation lounge overlooking the ocean, but in the evening it becomes something completely different. The combination of music, lighting and atmosphere makes it one of the standout features of the entire ship.

A Day in Valletta

Our final port call was Valletta, Malta.

Valletta is one of those places that immediately feels special as you arrive. The historic fortifications, honey-coloured stone buildings and spectacular harbour views make for a memorable entrance.

We spent time exploring the city, taking in the architecture and soaking up the atmosphere before heading back to the ship for our final evening onboard.

For anyone considering a Mediterranean cruise, Valletta is definitely a destination worth looking forward to.

Cruising with Lauren

As always, travelling with Lauren brings a different perspective to the experience.

One of the things I hope comes across in these videos is that accessible travel is entirely possible with some planning and flexibility. Celebrity Ascent generally provided a very positive experience and it’s always rewarding seeing Lauren enjoy new places, new experiences and meeting new people along the way.

Of course, she still finds it highly amusing when people recognise us from Facebook posts and cruise groups.

The Return Journey

Eventually every cruise comes to an end.

There’s always a mixture of emotions on disembarkation day. Excitement about getting home, but also that feeling that the holiday has gone by far too quickly.

The journey home gave us time to reflect on everything we’d experienced during the trip – from the windy tender operation in Mykonos and the scorching temperatures in Turkey, to the fantastic onboard entertainment and the beautiful ports we visited along the way.

Special Guest Appearance

No travel series would be complete without a special appearance from Penny Prickles.

Lauren’s famous hedgehog companion once again managed to find the spotlight and make an appearance in the vlog. Regular viewers will know that Penny has developed something of a following of his own.

Final Thoughts

Celebrity Ascent delivered a fantastic cruise experience, combining excellent entertainment, beautiful design, interesting destinations and some memorable family moments.

Most importantly, it gave us another opportunity to create memories together and share them through the channel.

If you’ve followed the series from the beginning, thank you for coming along for the ride.

The next adventure is never too far away.

Watch the full video on YouTube and let me know what your favourite moment from the cruise was.