bigbillfromchicago

Thanks OP!! Saved enough on two excursions on 9/5/20 Constellation Western Med cruise to buy a third excursion for the two of us.

We have taken several of the Native Choice tours out of Costa Maya and they are right at the top of all the tours we've taken in 38 cruises. David and Ivan grew up on one of the sights and they are passionate about the Mayan culture. Don't miss this one.

Love breakfast in Blu and eating it at 9:45 or later would be perfect for us.:)

Yes, there are two different approvals, but if you have Global Entry, you qualify for TSA Pre, so you do not need both.

We love the little niceties like Champagne on boarding, little gifts and fresh fruit in the stateroom, afternoon cheese plate, icy towels and drinks on return to the ship.

Aqua class is great for us - Blu, Persian Garden, shower, etc.

Love the absence of announcements, loud DJs (better than it was, still room for less DJ, more live music).

After 25 cruises on Royal Caribbean we found an even better line for us.

Live music is one of he reasons we love cruising. DW and I like a variety, but classical and acapella alternatives feel more "modern luxury" than other sytles. Glad they're still being offered and hope we'll see more in the future.

Took Uniworld's Portrait of Majestic France this April. This combines the "Paris & Normandy" cruise on River Baroness with the "Bordeaux, Vineyards & Chateaux" cruise on River Royale.

These are two of the older boats and regular staterooms are small, but very comfortable. Food and wine and service were absolutely excellent. The menus include local specialties and wines, different on each cruise and different from our first Uniworld cruise, "Castles along the Rhine".

High water required some itinerary changes, but Uniworld made adjustments to include everything we wanted to see. Really enjoyed the excursions, all but one were included at no additional cost.

We have no experience with other river cruise lines, but don't know how they could do better than Uniworld for us.

We were on this cruise in late April and docking was the same two places. I suspect the better docking site is used by another line on Saturday.

Just got back from a cruise on Brilliance. We had an excellent time at Chef's table. It is located on deck 6 aft, port side just before the Colony Club. It is a beautiful, intimate space that was remodeled from the seldom used card room.

We booked for our group of 10 on the first day at Chops. Never looked for it on line, so maybe the only way to book is on-board.

We have been to Chef's Table on Allure and Radiance and always enjoyed it. Had a different menu this time and everyone in our party raved about it. I think it's fun to be surprised by the choices, so I won't share specifics. Just that everything was first rate including the food, wine and commentary by the Chef and Sommelier.

Let me know if you have other questions.

Let the entertainers sing and the waiters serve.

Thanks for the change.

DW and I did this itinerary on Uniworld's SS Antionette and were really impressed. We loved the all inclusive pricing.

Food and wine were locally sourced.

Tours were all excellent and many were offered at two levels of intensity.

Our cabin had a french balcony that worked great. Also loved the quality of the furnishings, the nice shower, and free self-serve laundry.

Enjoyed the spectacular indoor swimming pool with floor to ceiling windows on three sides.

Crew and on-board entertainers could not have been better.

Lots of nice touches like free water bottles anytime you left the ship and nice cool towels and fruit juice when you returned.

Music volume seemed reasonable to DW and me on Reflection week before last.

Sometimes it was fairly loud on the pool deck, but we expect that. Two complaints:

(1) we did not like the Miami DJ concept. Just not enjoyable. OK, we're old, in our 60's, but we like a wide range of music. And there was one DJ that played a nice mix at the pool deck. But the Miami DJ thing with electronic drum set over strange recordings at high volume was really unpleasant for us.

(2) like others, we really miss a Caribbean, Raggae or Steel Drum pool band.

There absence is not limited to Celebrity. Our recent cruises on RCL have not had that type of band, but at least they had decent rock bands at the pool.

This was our first cruise on Celebrity after 25 on Royal and I am happy to say that the issues with music were outweighed by other very enjoyable entertainment in other venues. In fact, we booked Reflection again on board. Aqua Class amenities and other nice touches have made Celebrity our new line of choice.

SHIP: Reflection

CABIN #: 2107

DECK #: 12

CLASS: Aqua A1

AREA: Forward, Port side

BED NEAR: Closet, but not too close

QUIET?: yes. Cabin is under the Aqua Spa Cafe, but never heard any noise from it.

BALCONY VIEW: on slant so you unobstructed port side and aft views. Not much sun despite less overhang on right side.

BALCONY SIZE: very large. Sloping from standard size to plus 3-4 feet on right side.

WIND A PROBLEM?: no, right side (forward) is a solid wall that blocks the wind

SOOT A PROBLEM?: no

PROBLEMS/COMMENTS: This cabin is right next to the spa reception area. DW loved that it was just a few steps to the Persian Garden thermal suite. Also close to forward elevators.

We liked it so much we booked the same cabin for a cruise in September 2015.

Just got back from Reflection. We got a message each day with the daily menu for Blu in the messages section on the interactive TV. We were in Aqua class.

DW and I did this last year and loved it. They have the timing down. Great experience and a whole lot easier than climbing the hill to El Morro.

It is on an island a good distance from the dock. No way to walk.

And when we were there a year or two ago, the ocean beach was closed and the lagoon beach water level was less than two feet at it's deepest.

These choices look great to me. I love the expanded list of appetizers available every day (especially escargot - I made the "whiners" thread for complaining that they were not available on a recent cruise. Even so, I don't plan on ordering them every day - too many other good choices).

I too have always found something good on the old menu, but some of the new items will add welcome variety. And I think there is an overall improvement in quality.

Add my vote for vadalia onion tart's return, but I won't start a thread about it. In fact, I would trade it for some of the other interesting choices.:)