Reflection 1/14/17 Sailing – Live Blog, Photo Blog, Cat Blog?

I love your review style! DH & I are sailing with my best friend and her DH on the Reflection in 3 wks. Can hardly wait to read how your week goes!

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Following along - love the way you write! Let me know what cruise you book next because we would get along fabulously!

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I love this! Our cats become very depressed as soon as the luggage comes out. It's the only bad part of cruising! :-)

Quick question as I am reading conflicting information. I understand they have brought back luggage valet on the Eclipse. Do you know if this is now being offered on the Reflection too?

Thanks so much and enjoy... cheers!!

... May we ask one favor? Please notice (and mention here) whether or not the "Premium Non-Alcoholic Beverage Package" is being openly offered for a discount on Embarkation Day -- and, if so, what is the per-diem rate being asked.

Ordinarily, the PNABP is $22 per day (plus 18% service charge) [when purchased from home, in advance]. Much obliged.

JG51 - All over your question - will report back shortly!

...

--I still have not yet solved the mystery of the pre-cruise non-alcoholic premium beverage package purchase price. We had dinner with the ship's Engineer last night and I can now tell you how fast this vessel is capable of going in both Knots and Fathoms (which I think is a thing), but the package price continues to elude me. ...

Still elusive, David, or have you "corraled" it yet? Thanks.

Following along...we are sailing 2/4 on the Reflection Superbowl cruise. We are not football fans, but will partake in the game and festivities onboard. :D

Following along...we are sailing 2/4 on the Reflection Superbowl cruise. We are not football fans, but will partake in the game and festivities onboard. :D

You are going to enjoy! We were on last year's Superbowl cruise and they really did a great job with lots of fun food. Lots of cruisers wore jersey's and supported their team of choice and you can even bet on the game down in the casino! We aren't big football fans either, but it made for some fun.

We are on the Reflection over the Oscars this year, so I am hoping they do some fun things for that.

Enjoying this thread... getting excited for our upcoming cruise next month.

Good Afternoon All!

Here is the first half of our Sea Day. I'll hit questions next and then try to finish up by this evening. I'm still fighting my Canon-to-iMac-to-Photobucket upload issue but, somehow, I'll get pictures uploaded...or ask my wife to do it. Marry young, my friends, marry young.

But before that, let's see what the Furry Menace has found to complain about this morning:

Ok Kitty, allow me to describe my day which included far, far more than a Grass Lawn:

--We were up at 7am and straight in to Luminae where XZ ordered the Toast with Avacado and I sneered at her green paste-fruit-bread concoction and had the Wrap. From there, we head to Michael's club because the Sommelier, responsibly, doesn't pair eggs with wine choices.

--In Michaels we met yet more wonderful people who I SWEAR were not on the ship yesterday. This will become a recurring theme as the increased number of Suites means a continuously circulating group of guests instead of the smaller number in the M class Michael's Clubs, most of whom we are on a first name basis with by the end of the Cruise. And speaking of the end of the cruise, or lack thereof, Arno was nice enough to introduce us to a lovely woman who is on the Ship for the next *8* weeks!

--10:30 was the Roll Call and BOY was it. In the past, Roll Calls have been oddly disappointing - the staff puts out a ton of food and 14 officers show up and like 9 guests bother to attend. This time the place was packed - tons of people and good company. I apologize to everyone whose name I have forgotten from that initial meeting because, immediately following the Roll Call, we have the Cabin Crawl which is really hilarious in its own right.

--A number of people had signed up for the Cabin Crawl at the last minute so we weren't quite sure exactly what rooms we had lined up. We all gathered up, must have been about 20 of us, and we go over the list: Veranda, Concierge, Balcony, PENTHOUSE, Aqua, Sky...wait, I'm sorry, did someone just volunteer a Penthouse? Yes, of yes, they did. So off we go! It was great to see all the rooms and it was kind of a blur - you can definitely tell the Reflection is a "newer" ship - all the furniture and furnishings look like the plastic just came off them. The Penthouse is a doozy. Wow. I have never been in one and it is...impressive! One might say you'd have to be struck by lightning to get to see a Penthouse on a Crawl, but that's an inside joke and a story for another time :)

--Rushing out of the Cabin Crawl we stumbled over to Sushi on 5 - the replacement for the oft-empty Bistro on 5 (lunch at Luminae is always the same menu and we're BIG Sushi fans). Loved it. The Lead Chef is currently on board, teaching the staff how to make a premium Bluefin Tuna Nigiri that isn't even on the menu yet but which, due to some clever insider information, we were allowed to order off menu. I tend to enjoy the food on Celebrity - from Luminae to OceanView I never find it lacking it quality or variety but, at the same time, I can't, for instance, tell you what I had on the first Sea Day when we were on the Infinity 2 years ago. Well. I will forever be able to tell you what we had for Lunch at Sushi on 5 because the Blue Fin Tuna was simply that good. In the past I've spent way too much time in Asia and I'd go so far as to say this is simply the best piece of Nigiri I have ever tasted. Also! We had the fresh ground Wasabi add on - if you've never experienced it, which I hadn't, I would definitely recommend you have it once - it makes the sad Green paste they call "Wasabi" pale in comparison. Surprisingly, despite the Blue Fin ($12) and the Wasabi ($10) the total fare only came to $59. I know this will drive a lot of Cruise Critics nuts - paying for an up-charge on food after it's already included - but I feel this was a tremendous value. The service was beyond attentive - truly a unique experience.

--After Lunch we explored the ship some more - lots of interesting places like the Hideaway which we had never seen before, and the Library which overlooks the Elevators so you can literally watch the flow of guests move around the ship while you sip drinks.

--Between wandering around and Michael's Club it rapidly became 5:00pm and we got dressed for dinner which was kind enough to be hosted by the Chief Engineer at the Tuscan Grill. XZ and I have an odd synchronicity with this cruise line at times, and one seems to be getting invited to the Cabin's Table by the Chief Engineer - we're 3 for 3 so far! We really enjoy not only hearing about the Ship but also the excellent company of the other couples who snag the invite. It was a splendid dinner and here's a fun fact - guess how many Engineers are on the Reflection? Give up? I thought it would be, like, what? 10? NOPE. *70*. Engineers. Sometimes I just need to take a moment and appreciate the grandeur of this fantastical endeavor.

--Coming up - the first Cast Show and the Greatest YouTube Channel you'll ever see.

Ok, I wrote down the Usernames. Let's see what we have here:

Jules815 - 2109 is interesting. There is almost no foot traffic because you are WAY up front at the end of the long corridor - everyone just takes the fore elevators to the Aqua Spa. I would call this a "late night" cabin - if you like to haunt the small hours it's perfect because it's one flight down from the Sky Lounge where all the late night parties (until about 2am) happen. Your balcony has a small flex back cut-out, so you can see all the way from the front to the back of the ship - gorgeous view. There are two tricky bits; 1 - you are far away from things like Michael's Club and Luminae, not just by length but also by height. You'll do a lot of walking to meals. However, because you are so high up, you're on level with the Lido deck and Mast Bar/Grill/Pool Bar. 2 - the bathroom will try to kill you. Seriously. The tub/shower has a...1 foot? 18"? lip on it. As one does not simply "walk into Mordor", one does not just "get out" of the shower. Once carefully exits after securing your climbing harness. And THEN there is another 4" step down from the bathroom into the room itself - you'll find this one at 3am when you forget it's there and literally fall into the closet. Aside from that, the room is QUIET - silent. We play loud, loud punk music at 6:30am and our neighbors said they couldn't hear a thing. It's so quiet we didn't even know we HAD neighbors! I'll post extensive pictures of this room...eventually.

LastDance: I have not seen a small white dog, but I did fly down here with a Service Pug behind us. ALSO! At Cozumel, when you walk through security, they have a gorgeous Golden Lab. Odd choice for a K9 unit, right? Nope, it's there to check disembarking guests for food, which can't be taken into Cozumel. Best. Choice. Ever. for a food-sniffing doggie.

Alainamarie: Next cruise for us is the Summit the last week of August. From there we'll book ahead, probably for Jan. 2018?

Lovesealife: I'll check on the luggage valet.

JG51: Sadly, the Engineer didn't know about the beverage package. I'll hit up the...what do you think? Captain's Club host tonight? and try to get an answer. If that doesn't work I'll just ask the Cast - we see them everywhere on the ship and seem to be pretty knowledgeable...maybe?

Happy to hear the great review of the Hampton Brickell. We will be staying there the night before our cruise. I think we will order an UberX to take us to the port the next morning and try to get there before the hotel shuttle. That way we may avoid some of the line up. ;)

Following along...we are sailing 2/4 on the Reflection Superbowl cruise. We are not football fans, but will partake in the game and festivities onboard. :D

Hi Kim, have you stopped by the roll call to say hello?:)...I will be on

the same cruise.

Here is a link if you want to pop in;)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2283212

David, loving your review:) and I agree with the other folks who say it is refreshing:D.....looking forward to reading the rest of it.

Oh my word, I laughed for at least 5 min straight after reading your description of the shower! I can hardly wait for your next installment.

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Hi Kim, have you stopped by the roll call to say hello?:)...I will be on

 

the same cruise.

 

Here is a link if you want to pop in;)

 

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2283212

PS Hi, Lois! :) looking fwd to meeting you - & you too Kim - on the Super Bowl cruise!

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Ok, I wrote down the Usernames. Let's see what we have here:

 

Jules815 - 2109 is interesting. There is almost no foot traffic because you are WAY up front at the end of the long corridor - everyone just takes the fore elevators to the Aqua Spa. I would call this a "late night" cabin - if you like to haunt the small hours it's perfect because it's one flight down from the Sky Lounge where all the late night parties (until about 2am) happen. Your balcony has a small flex back cut-out, so you can see all the way from the front to the back of the ship - gorgeous view. There are two tricky bits; 1 - you are far away from things like Michael's Club and Luminae, not just by length but also by height. You'll do a lot of walking to meals. However, because you are so high up, you're on level with the Lido deck and Mast Bar/Grill/Pool Bar. 2 - the bathroom will try to kill you. Seriously. The tub/shower has a...1 foot? 18"? lip on it. As one does not simply "walk into Mordor", one does not just "get out" of the shower. Once carefully exits after securing your climbing harness. And THEN there is another 4" step down from the bathroom into the room itself - you'll find this one at 3am when you forget it's there and literally fall into the closet. Aside from that, the room is QUIET - silent. We play loud, loud punk music at 6:30am and our neighbors said they couldn't hear a thing. It's so quiet we didn't even know we HAD neighbors! I'll post extensive pictures of this room...eventually.

Hi David, thanks for the info about 2109.

I think I know what you mean about the tub. We've had similar situations in suites on RC ships. Those tubs are raised and difficult to get in and out of. We'll make sure to watch that step down out of the bathroom. Is there a nightlight in the bathroom?? (I think we had one in our SS on Connie, but not sure if that's fleet wide.) I'll be traveling with my 27 year old daughter for this trip, so a long walk anywhere won't be a problem. We're both active, and will probably welcome some extra walking after all the meals and cocktails we'll be consuming!

About the balcony. Is there a lounger, or just a table with 2 chairs?

Thanks again for all the info. Enjoy your cruise!

Love the Cat!

We just got off and handed the ship to you. I thought you might like another view of your sail away party. From a few thousand feet over Miami.

Paul

 

p.s. if your looking for scotch head to World Class Bar and ask Nik and Lazar for it. I spent a good bit of time between there and Michael's Club.

 

full size

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPTgZzlAkb-/

Awesome picture! :)

David - laughing along with your review! Yes embarkation for the Reflection was BUSY but after the initial madness, it actually didn't take long to board the ship.

Very fond memories of the Reflection and would love to sail Solstice class again but realistically I say that next time for me will hopefully be an Edge class experience which no doubt will earn glaring looks from my 2 cats who din't like me going anywhere ether!

Good Afternoon!

While I continue to fall behind on my posting schedule due to a shellacking (given and then received) at Bocce and Ping Pong, in that order, I'll attempt to conclude Day 2 with the promised Best YouTube Channel ever.

We left off having finished dinner, cycled through Michael's Club, and were bound for the first Cast show - Broken Strings. Here's where its gets interesting:

We enjoy searching for Celebrity Cruise videos on YouTube. Around September we came across an odd "Reflection" mention from someone named "Jeroen Walraven." Turns out he's absolutely brilliant and a member of the cast. His Channel is documenting his work on the Reflection, from the initial training sessions down in Miami to actually performing, complete with all sorts of glimpses into ship life you really never get to see. We were completely enthralled.

His episodes start in Dutch so you'll have to use the YouTube translate closed captioning function (which is hilariously awful) for the first four, but then he switches to English and from there you follow him and the rest of the Cast boarding the ship, going on the TA, and then visiting all the Eastern and Western Caribbean ports.

The Channel is here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyfzvV8yZKLGGVfLJwCjXIA/videos

The awesome part for us was that by watching his posts we got to know pretty much the entire cast and it greatly enhanced our enjoyment of the Shows. He lets you see just enough of each production so you know what is going on, but there are tons of surprises just waiting for you - it's no longer "some random person singing" it's Jeroen, or Issac, or Grace or Samantha or Rosie.

We don't like to make suggestions but, if there is someone from Celebrity who reads thee Boards - THIS is how you virally market!

Anyways, after broken strings we got to spend a little time speaking with the cast and then went off to the Martini Bar for many, many, many drinks.

XZ called it a night at this point while a Scotsman (complete with Kilt!) and two Norwegians helped me hunt down the small hours until around 3am.

Tomorrow we disembark at Cozumel, I fall 25 feet off of a Water Apparatus, and we finally have a dinner in Luminae!

In reply:

JG51 and Lovesealife: There is a Senior Officers reception tonight...someone there will surely know about the package and luggage valet details.

Jules815: I...don't think there is a nightlight in the bathroom - I'll double check. The desk has two loungers and a round table plus plenty of space to stand.

Thank you for posting. I will be following along. Not only are we sailing on Reflection in April, but we will also be in 2109!! :D

Now THAT'S planning ahead !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the fun review. I'll be boarded on Saturday when you return!

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Just stumbled on this thread and now subscribing. Love the cat's view. We have two of our own; who act like they have disowned us when we arrive home from vacation.

David,

Thanks so much for your efforts on the ever elusive luggage valet. We are enjoying the review, you certainly have a talent there! LOVE the cat and I was laughing out loud on the shower exit description.

Cheers from chilly NY, we are living vicariously through you!

One of a kind! Love reading your review!

What happened ? Did Kane mutiny ???