Jazzbo

You brought up a special memory for me. We were in Venice on my Mum’s birthday in 2005. I took her to Harry’s for a martini. We tried to buy the glass, but the waiter said no. My Mum explained it was her birthday and offered to show him her passport to prove it. He declined. After I paid the check and we we stood up to leave, the waiter presented a clean glass wrapped in tissue paper to my Mum. She passed away in 2021, so many thanks for bringing that sweet memory back.

We did the concierge lunch on the Reflection Med sailing September 30th. Choices were limited and chicken breast was so overcooked it was hard. Waiter incorrectly told my cousin that couscous was gluten-free. She was diagnosed with celiac disease over 30 years ago so she knew better, but that could have been awful for someone recently diagnosed who wasn’t familiar with couscous. Having said that, the maitre’d checked on our table at lunch and made sure she received a copy of the next night’s dinner menu every night so she could select her meal for the following night and could adjust the sides or preparation to avoid gluten. He also booked Murano for us at a decent time and day even though it appeared that 5:30 or 9:00 were the only times still available.

A great Charla live again! We’ll be celebrating my 70th (and my retirement) in January 2025. Charla’s report just increases the anticipation, doesn’t it?

What a kind offer. Not only are you clever, entertaining, and joyful, but it’s evident you have a huge heart! I knew I liked you. 😊

This sounds delicious! I’m a fan of gin and champagne, and enjoy the subtle bitterness of an Aperol Spritz. 😊🍸🥂

Charla — I also do the print outs. I haven’t done screenshots, but that’s a great idea. The French 75 is also one of my favorites — have one for me! 🍸 I’m thoroughly enjoying your live review (as always). Thanks for taking us along with you!

I’m so sorry for your loss, Charla. Condolences to you and your family. As I’m wide awake with insomnia, I got up and decided to check out Cruise Critic — yay! Another Charla live thread! I’ll be following along with great interest. We are doing this cruise on the Reflection next January to celebrate a big birthday and my retirement. I’ll retire (mostly) in December, but will keep working with a few clients (fellow lawyer). I loved your live Med review. We did a similar one on Reflection around the same time as you. Safe travels and bon voyage!

Since you’re an early riser, do you take sunrise photos too? I have a couple of really good ones of Mt. Vesuvius from our sail into Naples in October.

Beautiful sunset photos!

Have you thought about using Brightline? We’re looking at flying out of Miami for our land-based tour in late September. We may take Brightline instead of a repositioning flight. I had friends that did Brightline to Miami for a flight to Rome. They said it was great!

The Elite breakfast is one of our favorite benefits. They have pastries, lunch meats and cheeses, fresh fruit, and smoked salmon plates. Mimosas, Bellinis, and I believe Bloody Marys are included, as are cappuccino and other espresso coffees, regular coffee and tea, and smoothies. It will be in one of the specialty restaurants. It’s quiet and peaceful.

We did a galley tour on one of our Celebrity cruises. They have a separate prep and cooking area for gluten free. We did a Med cruise in September-October with my cousin and her husband. My cousin has celiac disease and had no problems onboard.

What a beautiful and rich experience! Thank you for taking us along. Love the photos and videos.

I hope your DH is feeling better. My brother and SIL were supposed to be here for Christmas but both came down with Covid last week.

I read your review (and some more of your blog). Thank you for posting the link. We are long-time Celebrity cruisers. DH is celebrating a BIG birthday in September 2025, and we wanted to celebrate with family and friends on an Alaskan cruise. After lots of research and with encouragement from our TA, we booked Princess (our first Princess cruise). Either of two Cruise Tours would work for our date, and when I asked DH if he would prefer spending his birthday on land or on the ship, he chose the ship. That meant we would be on the Sapphire instead of the Caribbean, so I booked the Sapphire. I am so pleased that it seems we made the right choice! I know that we are highly unlikely to experience the beautiful weather you had, especially at the beginning of September, but we're good with that. Our one other Alaska cruise was Inside Passage from Vancouver and back, and even dreary, rainy days (the first week of July) did not ruin the beauty that is Alaska!

Great photos! Silhouette is the only S class we haven’t sailed. Looks like we may need to remedy that!

Did you watch and listen video in post #47? The noise is not normal creaking. We were in 15-meter seas on an Eclipse Transatlantic in November 2014 and never heard any noises like that. It sounds like a machine gun.

I’m really enjoying your review. I’m under the weather today, so this is a pleasant diversion. My blood pressure did go up a bit reading and seeing this. I still don’t understand how people can be so inconsiderate. If Celebrity (and other lines) would consistently enforce the 30-minute rule, some of the chair hogs might stop, and at least enforcement would make loungers available for those who want to sit by the pool. And we usually only sit in the pool area on sides in the shade (there are usually quite a few available there). We do like the Solarium, but often cannot find a place to sit. Merry Christmas and enjoy the rest of your cruise!

Great picture of you and Iain!

Thank you for triggering many wonderful memories. My parents lived in Jávea, Spain for about 15 years in retirement. They retired early and moved back to the States when they were 65. We visited them in Jávea frequently. They and many of their friends (who became our friends) entertained at lunch, either in their homes or at restaurants. Inevitably, the 1:00, 1:30, or 2:00 lunches would stretch to 4:00, 5:00, or later. The day after, many of us felt “fragile.” 😊🍷

I am definitely in the “older” category, but still work full time as an attorney. I am computer literate, but it’s easier to research printed code/statute books (even though I do a computer search to find my starting place). I like being able to browse surrounding code sections by flipping pages back and forth. On the other hand, I find it much easier to research case law digitally using Westlaw. I also prefer printed travel books (Fodor’s, Lonely Planet, etc.). I can tear out the pages I want to take on the trip.

Our first cruise post-Covid was the 2nd post-Covid cruise of the Equinox out of Ft. Lauderdale in 2021. I remember wondering if picking up the seapasses at the cabin was a Covid measure. That was a great cruise — crew members greeted the boarding passengers with applause. The ship wasn’t even half full. Everyone, passengers and crew alike, were so happy to be cruising again! We were on the westbound Reflection TA in November 2022, and on a Reflection Med cruise in October 2023. The 2022 TA was great, but we definitely noticed a decline in the quality of the food this year. Staffing cuts were obvious and it seemed like many of the crew were run ragged, especially the cabin stewards. It won’t keep us from cruising Celebrity, but we only have one booked now (January 2025). We have our first Princess cruise booked for August 2025 (Alaska). We will probably do land-based vacations next year.

Finally caught up again! I’m still working full time (for one more year), so I have to catch up on weekends or on those nights when I wake up at 3:00 a.m. and can’t get back to sleep (like now). Your photos of the Sydney harbor are stunning! And yes, great shirts on both you and Iain.

We usually have Thanksgiving with my husband's (and my bonus) family at my stepdaughter and son-in-law's ranch in Texas. Larry had already figured out a gift for all the kids. They begged us to tell them want we wanted for Christmas. After telling them "nothing" several times, we finally said a donation to charity. If they didn't have a favorite, we suggested Heifer International. My late brother-in-law and his wife introduced us to this wonderful charity, but we would be happy with a donation to just about any charity.

Thanks for the information. No, we did not book gty. We booked specific cabins (after doing a lot of research).