ccla

Hi Paul and all other Reflection Cruisers,

 

We'll be on the Reflection at the end of May on an 11 Night cruise. We're considering purchasing the $200 Photo package and want to know if there are a lot of backgrounds daily or are there only backgrounds on the days at sea (We only have 2 sea days)? Appreciate any thoughts.

Thanks!

Cat

Hi ChicagoPaul and Fellow Celebrity Reflection Cruisers,

Does anyone recall what floor is the gangway for tenders (Villefranche)?

Also, any suggestions on good meeting spots onboard to assemble non-Celebrity excursion groups (8 people)?

Thanks!

Cat

Hi Paul and all other Reflection Cruisers,

We'll be on the Reflection at the end of May on an 11 Night cruise. We're considering purchasing the $200 Photo package and want to know if there are a lot of backgrounds daily or are there only backgrounds on the days at sea (We only have 2 sea days)? Appreciate any thoughts.

Thanks!

Cat

Hello Everyone! It has been a few months since I've been on here but it is that time again for me to start another live blog and I am thrilled to be doing so.

 

Today is Thursday April 12th and Edward and I will be flying out this evening to FLL in order to join the Reflection tomorrow morning for her Atlantic crossing.

 

This will be our 3rd transatlantic cruise and 2nd one going eastbound. In total this makes our 14th....I think 14th...Celebrity Cruise. For what it is worth, we are Elite Plus on Celebrity. For those of you who do not know us, we are in our 30s which would make us on the "younger" end of the age spectrum with regard to transatlantic cruises. We're from Chicago so even though it might be a little cool towards the end of the cruise in Europe it will definitely be better than the weather we're currently having here.

 

If you followed my last cruise blog in December you would know that we stayed in a Royal Suite. Unfortunately that was not in the cards for us this time and we're staying in a regular verandah cabin :eek:

 

Add Ons Purchased

Premium Drink Package for both of us

9 Night Specialty Dining Package

Once on board we will purchased the unlimited internet for both of us

 

We have not eaten in the MDR in quite some time, but we definitely will this cruise and we will be sure to report back and give you our unbiased opinions. We also haven't stayed in a standard balcony cabin in a couple years so it will be interesting to see if we notice any changes.

 

As usual my goal is to post 10 photos each day along with the daily program as well. I'll also be posting photos and video more instantly to my Instagram account, so if you have Instagram you can follow me. My name on there is PaulKBlackburn if you see a guy in a suit as a main photo and then a bunch of photos of liquor and food you've found the right profile!

 

I want to encourage all of you to ask as many questions as possible! What I have really enjoyed about writing these live blogs is it forces me to sit down and recount my previous day. I find that in doing so I appreciate my vacation more and find that I "slow down" just a little bit to take a look around and realize how lucky we are to be on such an amazing holiday. So please ask away! If you want to know what type of merlot they have by the glass, just ask. If you want to know who is working at a certain venue just ask.

 

If you're reading this and you are going to be on the cruise PLEASE STOP BY AND SAY HELLO! We love talking to everyone and I really enjoy gaining everyone's insights into cruising and of course life in general.

 

Below is a quick little youtube video of me explaining what I wrote above and a good way for you to put a face and voice to this live blog. Thank you to everyone who follows along!

 

 

 

Yesterday afternoon / evening we watched the sail away from the balcony. There was not much for us to see from our side of the ship but we did see a couple oil rigs which I thought was pretty interesting.

 

 

After that we got ready for dinner. We made reservations at Murano for the following night so we could have our steak Diane. We sat with friends at Cafe Al Bacio around 6:15 for a while until the current Martini Bar crowd cleared out on their way to the show or dinner. We did our usual pre dinner martini. Our plan was to just walk into Lawn Club but our new cruise friend Nick, who is traveling alone, was going to head to Murano so we joined him and we were able to get in after only a 10 minute wait. They said we could have a seat in Ensemble while we waited. We ordered some wine and when the table was ready the MaitriD came out with a tray, took our drinks for us and escorted us in.

 

I started with the crab parfait. We then had the split lobster to share in the center and I followed that up with the lamb. I figured I’d try something different. My first bite of lamb was a bit tough but thankfully it was only a fluke. Every other bite was great. Our sommelier was extremely attentive and we enjoyed a couple glasses of various wines and a nice port with dessert (grand mariner soufflé for me).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hi Paul,

We love your detailed blog. We'll be on the Reflection in a few weeks and wanted to know if the specialty dining restaurants limit you to 1 App, 1 Entree, & 1 Dessert? There's only two of us, but we like variety. Do you know if we can order multiple apps, entrees, & desserts (i.e. 2 of each) per person?

We did that a few years back at the recommendation of our table mates. Is that still the case at all specialty restaurants, especially at Murano?

Thanks!

Cat