Saturngrl

I start with Meclazine (Bonine) 25 mg twice a day, starting at 48 hours before embarkation.  This helps acclimate me to the medication without drowsiness.  Once on board, I also supplement this medication with other Central Nervous Suppressants (CNS) otherwise known as adult beverages paid for in the beverage package. 

Park n Go is my favorite place to park near Port Everglades.  Being local, we drive down to South Florida the night before our cruise and have a reservation guaranteed for parking there.  Advanced payment is much less than paying there and their shuttle takes you directly to the pier and is ready when you disembark. 

There are lots of great restarants near the hotel.  You may want to find out if the hotel has a shuttle or you can Uber to them.  I don't advise walking in that area as there are too many cars going to too many restaurants and hotels there. 

Oh, take me back to the days when our worst cruise-related disease was Norovirus.  Seriously,  I have had a LONG-standing habit of utilizing hand sanitizer all over the ship,  wiping down my cabin when I first enter with antibiotic wipes and not touching my face after touching a hard surface.  I am a healthcare professional and find mask-wearing to be mostly ineffective, as masks get wet after a few minutes' wear and most people don't know how to don and remove masks.   

We live in Central Florida and are not "beach" people.  We have done an Oasis Lagoon cabana and the Beach Club on separate visits.  Both are wonderful experiences, but not worth paying to do again.  On our next cruise, we plan to stay on the ship when docked at Coco Cay and enjoy the uncrowded hot tub and bars.  

I have a Belkin outlet that is approved for cruise ships and has power plugs as well as several USB ports.   The electric plugs in current Reflection cabins are few and this outlet has been a relationship saver! 

We have done two Celebrity cruises post-pandemic and neither had the welcome glass of bubbly.  We were on the 3rd post-pandemic Reflection cruise with only 800 passengers and were told the absence of welcome bubbly was due to COVID restrictions.  Now, I'm sure it's just a cost-savings measure.  

As noted above, the Concierge Class/B2B/Zenith embarkation luncheon in the MDR is exclusive to those passengers.  The luncheon has a very limited menu, but it is nice to be served there rather that fight the Oceanview Cafe crowd.  

I agree Mast Grill and Sushi on 5 are both great alternatives on embarkation day.  I'm glad the OP is willing to flex plans and meet up with friends after lunch that day.  Happy sailing! 

Lawn Club Grill, if you are on Silhouette or Reflection.  Murano is a close second. 

I am also enjoying your posts!  We love Reflection!  Sadly, we had to cancel our February 2024 cruise on her for medical reasons and re-booked for November 2024.  Your photos are helping me miss the ship a little less, lol! 

Did you have the Classic or Premium beverage package?  I'm glad to see some of these offerings for our next sailing! 

We were on the Allure in January 2020 during Yeshiva Week.  I did a lot of homework before boarding.  I know the Solarium Bistro would be closed to us.  I knew one of the elevators would be programmed to stop at every deck on Shabbat.  I knew they would not want to interact with us and their dress code.  What I didn't know is they allow their children to run around in all venues to express their energy and joy, even during worship services. 

No more Yeshiva week cruises for me....

The Concierge embarkation luncheon is nice, albeit with a limited menu.  It's really pleasant to receive the free glass of bubbly and be served, versus fighting the buffet crowd.   Additionally,  there is a dedicated disembarkation day waiting area with caffeine, juice and pastries.  Sometimes, Concierge passengers will be invited to the helipad for sailaway from a port.   That's a nice event to attend too! 

Thank you for the update!  This is a cool feature! 

We always purchase The Key on RC.  The embarkation lunch and disembarkation breakfast, combined with being escorted off the ship after breakfast, are so worth the price! 

On Celebrity, we sail Concierge, so we get the embarkation lunch.  No need for show reservations/seating on Celebrity.  If this new Pass featured the MDR disembarkation breakfast and escort off the ship, I might purchase it.  This perk, plus having a dedicated space in the terminal to find your luggage, makes the worst day of the cruise much less painful.  

I received and completed the shore excursion survey yesterday.  My guess is there has been a reduction in bookings for Celebrity-sponsored shore excursions and a rise in independent operator excursions.   I, for one, book mostly through independent operators or on my own.  The guarantee to return me to the ship on time is not a factor, since I always return to the ship at least two hours prior to "on board" time.  

3 hours ago, 39august said:

I have read in the past that there is a discount for Sushi on the first day. Did you experience this?

I did this pre-COVID in 2014.  Sorry, my memory doesn't go back that far, but I would gladly pay the price again (whatever it is now).  

We sail Concierge and request the sparkling wine for delivery on a sea day.  It's nice to sit on the balcony and enjoy the view! 

I agree with you all!  Keep the Solarium for adults only! 

A did Sushi on Five on embarkation day when I sailed the Summit.  Sooooo worth the upcharge for a quiet lunch without searching for a table! 

In addition to the above, there is also an Elite and higher Music and Mixology with free drinks from the Elite menu, as well as the Captain's Club gathering and the gathering with the Senior Officers.  Elite members also get a backstage tour in the theatre, which was very informative when we did it.  

Enjoy your cruise...we love Celebrity! 

I'm all for leaders in the Gemba (where the work is done), but it should be done on a regular schedule so that it becomes acceptable and expected by the workers.   This mass landing of senior leaders on one ship was not the norm in a Lean operation.  The Voice of the Customer is likely not the main strategic focus here.  Sad....

I will continue to evaluate each Celebrity cruise I sail and offer feedback to their corporate office.  I focus on process flow and service level, as well as other experiences and views expressed by my fellow passengers.   If their leadership won't do it, I am happy to fill in! 

DH and I did the Jack Daniel's tasting on Reflection two years ago.  We tried four different versions of JD, including the Sinatra version.  There were only 100 bottles of JD Sinatra created, so it was a treat to taste this rare version.   It also convinced me that Gentleman Jack and JD Single Barrel are much smoother than JD Black.  

The tasting was held in Vintages and the sommelier read from cards.   Our group knew more facts about JD than he did, which made for an interesting information exchange.  

For us, it was a one-and-done deal, but fun regardless. 

Not yet.  Most of the massage places have prices comparable to our ship's spa.  Enjoy your cruise! 

5 minutes ago, cbfb said:

It’s a very good deal and as you saw on the other thread it dipped to $6.99 on some cruises which is honestly unheard of. You can purchase the upgrade and if the price goes down cancel it and rebook. 

I just did that twice over the past 24 hours!  It pays to check the prices daily on Cruise Planner.  Wound up saving big bucks over my original July 4th price for Elite 15% off.