shadowlover

The band is LAX. I did not have any interaction with the kids club however I overheard a parent saying their kids did not want to leave to come to dinner with them! It is new and clean looking and I like that it is near to the spa, fitness and solarium. It's not stuck somewhere hard to get to.

Glad it worked out for you. sometimes ships are delayed, sometimes there are customs/immigration hold ups. I would never count on making a 10:30 flight

I realize that there are many on this board who don't feel comfortable with early flights. My purpose for this post is for those who are like ME. I wanted a reasonable answer as to whether you can make a 10:30 flight from the reflection to MIA. EVERYONE onboard last saturday could have made that flight especially if you walk off. I realize that delays are possible! The reasonable response to "are there delays with getting into port and clearing customs in miami?" is very very rarely. i would love to see the actual statistics on this. The reflection is stated to dock at 7am but in reality pulls in to port well before this.

Again...this is a post for those who are like me and would like a reasonable answer to this specific question...

Thanks for your thoughts. Glad you had a great time. Was your drink package usable on Coco Cay? Also, were you able to find a spot away from the smokers? We are both terribly bothered by smoke as well. That is one of the main reasons that we love Celebrity. Did you snorkel there at all?

 

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Yes the drink package is usable on the island. You don't need any cash at all. You can use your seapass card for any purchase. The island has a lot of space. I most definitely could have moved to an area with fewer people which would decrease the smoker possibility ha! I just didn't bother. They also had record number of people leave the ship to go to the island that day- it was a younger crowd. I was never bothered by smoke on this trip except for a few times on the island, honestly.

Had a very nice week on reflection. Flew in day before to Ft Lauderdale and stayed at Towne Place Suites in Weston. This was near SawGrass mills shopping and we had a ball shopping with our young adult children as we waited for our room to be ready. Chose the hotel as we stayed with points and it was the least amount of points I have ever needed! Hotel was nice and included breakfast. Ate at Sweet Tomatoes which we always try to do when in Florida- such a treat. Rented a car at the airport and dropped off the next day in Miami downtown. We rented from Enterprise- 61 dollars for a full size car for 24 hours and no drop fee. My hubby dropped us off at the port at 10 am and returned the car. As it is one mile from the port, in the downtown area he decided to have a little jog back which he enjoyed! We were on the ship by 1030. The ship is new, clean and the service was just outstanding. We had a drink package so were wondering how this would work as so many have them these days. We have never splurged before so this was such a treat. Never waited more than 5 minutes at a bar. Plenty of servers walking around also. Everyone we encountered was friendly so not sure how I have seen complaints on this board honestly. Food in ocean view was good and plentiful. Very clean, never had trouble finding a table. The drinks in this bar tended to be consistently better than any other bar we tried also.

Cozumel we rented a car and drove to a beach with facilities. Only had to buy a drink or so to use them. Very clean and beautiful- had a great day.

Grand Caymen couldn't tender due to high seas which was a true bummer- love that island. Honeymooned there years ago

Jamaica- ugg hate this port. Got off to walk around and headed straight back to the ship after being accosted a zillion times asking if we wanted a taxi. After the offer for "weed" we decided we had enough!!

Coco Cay was great! So relaxing. Offers for drinks came frequently. Only complaint there was no designated smoking area. Hate sitting next to smokers. Can not understand that filthy habit-sorry...

Felt a lot of motion on this ship but maybe the seas were rough. weather was beautiful the entire time.

Went to every show. Entertainment was fair I would say. Enjoyed the singing group the one night and the comedian the last night. Singers and dancers were pretty bad. The "cirque" like show was pretty good.

House band has gotten a bad review on cruise critic. They were ok I thought, I've seen worse.

Cruise director Alexander was friendly and energetic- I liked him. I was spoiled with Graham Seymour on my first cruise and no one has measured up since then

Main dining room- service was outstanding. Can not say enough about it. Food good to very good. Ate only there every night.

Cabin was 9th deck balcony and BEAUTIFUL. Loved it. Plenty of room and storage for the four of us. Steward amazing

Cafe Baccio- coffee was not as good as I thought it would be. By the last day I realized I needed an extra shot in the take away coffees. Loved the macchiato. Those people work so hard I really could not get over it. Same people all day every day. Treats there are free- no charge for anyone.

Debarkation smoothest yet for us. We walked off at 715am and were at the airport by 8 and our gate by 830 with out any rushing whatsoever. We like to avoid the lines so always walk off but this time had a 1030 am flight.

Was a great week. Happy to answer any questions!

Just off the reflection. Had a discussion on this board prior to the trip that a 1030am flight from Miami would be very difficult if not impossible. I found that hard to believe as the ship docks at 7am and the airport is 15-20 minutes away. I mean if I were staying in a hotel how early would I leave to get to the airport??? Can things go wrong? sure but not likely. The only port that I would not choose to get an early flight from is Tampa because of the fog- this is a usual occurrence. I also like to fly in a day early because airlines are less predictable. Cruise ships in my last 10-12 trips have been super reliable as far as time reported docked and actual time docked.

We did walk off which was the easiest walk off I have ever experienced. There was no line whatsoever. The ship docks around 6am. Walk off began around 615 but we chose to walk off around 7:15. After going through customs (took one minute) we left the ship and were immediately met by several shuttles etc trying to get our business. They tried to charge us 40 bucks for four but I knew the taxi rate so I said nope and they dropped the fee to 30. Took us straight there...We were at our gate by 8am. This includes checking a bag. Miami airport is old and chaotic- I will say that. I could see that later in the day security would be an issue as the line may get long just as it does in other airports. We flew united which had port side check in (which would have been even easier). We chose self assist kiosk and printed our luggage tag, handed the bag over and headed to the gate.

Just decided to post because I know that this is frequently discussed and I just do not agree that you have to book a flight after 12 noon. I HATE sitting in airports especially dingy ones like Miami. Oh also, the ship would have gladly assisted us getting to an early flight had we needed them to. There was a message the night before we arrived telling us as such.

We fly into FLL and stay there the night before. Will drive in that morning, return the car and go to the port. Now wondering if my hubby can drop us off and then return the car?? So many decisions... So excited!

oh dear...two different opinions. If traffic is bad either way then why choose the airport which is further away? I'm a little confused about that unless you mean I can totally avoid driving downtown doing it that way? It will be a Saturday morning, does that make a difference in downtown Miami?

Thanks everyone!

We are renting a car for two days PRIOR to our cruise out of miami. We can return either down town miami or at the airport. I have never been to Miami so I am not sure what decision to make. If we return downtown enterprise tells me to schedule an UBER or take a taxi as they don't shuttle, even though it looks to be about a mile away. The airport has a free shuttle with Alamo however I'm not sure how long that whole process will take. Any advice would be so welcome! We are sailing the Reflection on Saturday Jan 2.

Can anyone tell me the hours of Cafe Bacio on the Reflection? I have early risers traveling with me and wonder what time we can get our coffee :)

I have sailed them all and the only one I really did not like was Norwegian. They all have their pros and cons I guess. All of them are so close in my opinion. My absolute favorite is Allure but I have seen comments from some who didn't like that ship at all so...beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess

I called budget regarding a shuttle and they said they don't shuttle to the port but I could call UBER. I've never used it before but might try it.

Well there could also be a terrorist attack, a measles outbreak onboard the ship, a missed alarm clock that morning, a flat tire on the way to the airport...I mean the list of what ifs are endless! I just don't live my life in the what ifs. I look at what is reasonable and listen to others that have done what I would like to do. My point is, I am not in the same financial situation as someone who has cruised 100 times and I would prefer to choose a less expensive option in regards to flight time. Every single review that I read of those that disembarked the reflection and left the ship in one of the first groups made it to the airport no later than 830 am. I would not plan to be there any earlier than that if I was staying in a hotel with a flight the next morning leaving at 1030....

I have not been on a cruise arriving at Miami that one could leave the ship at 7:0 AM.

 

You will find very few people on this board who regularly post who will tell advice anyone to take a flight at 10:30 AM.

 

Again the original poster asked for a recommendation concerning a flight time that involved no rushing.

 

OK, let's move on.

 

Keith

In case anyone is reading this thread and would like more information please look at reviews from previous cruisers on the Reflection out of Miami. These forums are not just for debate and so that someone can have the final say and tell us to move on. These forums are for information. I have gained alot of information from reading reviews of passengers who have already traveled on a specific ship. The reflection allows disembarkation at 7am at the latest. Many have arrived at the airport at 8. I am not trying to be argumentative, I am trying to give accurate information not information based on fear and ultra caution. If you are a cautious person then great- book a later flight. If you have no choice but a 10:30 or 11 I am telling you that in most cases it can be done.

No, let me know when the odds catch up with you and then you will be one of those who post and say never again.

 

I don't hang around the airport at 8:45.

 

Why? Because I get off the ship leisurely. I don't need to be the first off the ship because we don't push it and I can be one of the last off the ship and have a leisurely ride to the airport. And yes, I give myself extra time at the airport.

 

Oh well. In the end each person can figure out what works for them.

 

After 100 or more cruses I know what works for us.

 

Keith

And this is certainly your right to do so. The question is how early can one book a flight. The reflection allows you to disembark as early as 645 am many times, usually 7am at the latest. How is that such a rush to make it to an airport that is 20-30 min away by taxi? It is annoying to try to scare people out of taking an earlier flight based purely on opinion and "what if" scenarios. Personally I am saving 400 dollars by taking a 10:30 flight and that gives me more joy than hanging around a cruise ship waiting to then stand in line with the masses who also chose a "leisurely" departure.

If you have done this when arriving to Miami and gotten away with it consider yourself lucky. In time, the odds will catch up with you and you will miss your flight. No different than flying in the day of the cruise. It might work out but one time it won't.

 

And the Original Poster mentioned they don't want to rush off the ship.

 

I have sailed in and out of Miami many times. And while things can go right things can go terribly wrong. Same is true of other USA ports. I've been on voyages where passengers were screaming at the crew because they had made early flights and things didn't go so well.

 

Keith

I have cruised many times and hate hanging around at the airport or trying to find something to do for the day after a nice cruise. I have seen plenty of posts where the ship docked at 7 and people are sitting at their gate in miami at 845. If something "goes wrong" with getting into port then it really doesn't matter if I have a 1030, 11 or noon flight...Things can happen when travelling and that's life. I will definitely let you know if I "get away with it" again..

The port location is closer however most of them do not shuttle for free to the port for some odd reason. The miami airport has free shuttle for several but not all companies. What I did was look at prices for both options then call the company directly to see about the shuttle. Hope that helps! The port of miami downtown locations are about 1 mile from the port and one company told me to get an Uber to the port as it would be cheaper.

When I called the downtown office of enterprise, whose slogan is "we pick you up," they told me they don't shuttle to the port. This is weird considering they are one mile away... Anyway he told me to use uber!

I've been using Auto slash with some good results

We booked a 10:30 as we always walk off the ship and try to be some of the first off.

We had set seating on millenium in June and they placed us at a table that was in a horrid spot. It was right next to an area where the waiters place all of the empty plates, glasses etc and in the back of the dining room with absolutely no view but of the waiter station. My husband simply kindly asked the Maitre D if we could possibly be moved and within seconds we were. No one else was placed there for the remainder of the cruise... it was just not a good area for anyone. We also sat there for about 30 minutes without any waiter coming to us so I doubt they put the "best waiters near the kitchen" because we were right next to the kitchen.

Did you also book your cruise at that time, or was your cruise booked many weeks/months prior? :confused: The CSA Custom Luxe policy specifies that the plan be purchased either at the time of booking or within 24 hours of final payment.

We purchased the cruise 6 months prior to this. The insurance we bought one week prior to travel. If worried about preexisting conditions of me, my spouse or any travel companion then I would have had to buy within so many days of booking however I was only concerned about a family member not traveling. This insurance does not look back at the history of family members who were not booked to travel with you.

To the OP,I am sorry for your troubles and do pray for the best. As for insurance here in the US I have been very satisfied with AIG, although if you did not purchase it when you booked your trip existing conditions are not covered. My brother is in insurance and has said he knows of no company that would pay on trip cancelation where as you cancelled on any pre-existing condition for anyone. Sorry, wish I could give you better news.

This is not accurate. I purchased travel insurance late this past summer as my Father in law had lung cancer and it was progressing rapidly. We puchased from CSA Travel Protection Custom which does not have a look back period for preexisting conditions for non traveling family members. I called and confirmed this prior to the purchase. We bought it one week prior to our trip.

I have had to use trip insurance 5 times for cruises. I have never had trouble with them paying my claim. My mother had breast cancer and was diagnosed at time of purchase and died just prior to sailing. My father had known heart disease and had a heart attack right before another sailing. My husband has cancer and we have 3 cruises planned. We decided we need to continue to vacation and enjoy life.

 

We are in the sandwich generation and have to balance what we do as we care for our aging parents as well as dealing with our own health issues. I do always purchase insurance at the time of booking but I know people who find policies before final payment.

 

My advice is to do what makes you feel comfortable an explore your options. Our vacation times rejuvenate us enough to deal with what ever comes our way.

AMEN sister!

I completely agree with everything cle-gle said! We have made an early flight from FLL but definitely needed to hustle to the front of the taxi line. Once in a taxi it was a breeze. We always fly united

I had the same issue as the op before my last trip and I was able to speak to a representative at insuremytrip who gave me the names of several insurance companies that do not have a look back period for NONTRAVELLING family members. I wish I could remember the name of the one I used to be more of a help to you. If you call the number on the website they are super helpful. Also with credit cards I really woul like to hear from someone that filed a claim and was sucessfull in getting money back. I have Barclay travel card and this also seems to have good coverage however I am always the skeptic and buy additional coverage