Les43

Hi folks - we spoke to Cranston earlier. He has two more cruises on this contract and then 2 months off. He isn’t sure where he will be after that but his preference is to stay with Reflection which will be headed to the Caribbean. That’s not confirmed though until he gets his new papers.

Saturday evening and Sunday in Santorini Just catching up with questions - I think I have answered most - apologies if I have missed any! The ship left Rhodes town just after 4.30pm yesterday and set sail for Santorini. We were sad to hear news of terrible wild fires in Rhodes and in fact today BBC news is reporting that they are stopping flights going in to Rhodes. We didn’t see anything when we were there or smell any smoke but sad for the locals and those trying to evacuate. Anyway, we headed to Michael’s Club for our customary pre-dinner G&T and enjoyed a chat with the incredible Cranston. His songs are hilarious and his droll chat is very funny. We then headed to Luminae for dinner and we managed to get a window seat. There were plenty of waves to it was nice sitting watching the ocean swirl by! Dinner was very nice - I had the Hake starter and the sirloin steak main course. Both very good. I then finished with the cheese ( I wasn’t in the mood for anything too sweet). My DH had the quinoa barley ragu and the turkey from the MDR menu. We shared the homemade fettuccine..He then had the chocolate custard dessert. I don’t think he was keen on the starter and he said the turkey was nice. He thought the dessert would be light but…..well….. that was not to be the case. Our sommelier Arvind was his usual very helpful self and brought us a very tasty Cabernet Sauvignon and then our customary dessert wine. After dinner we wandered through the shops and ended up in the martini bar. It was really busy and lots of people had buzzers and were clearly waiting on tables in the MDR. The band were playing and it was pretty loud (#oldage) - we then passed by Al Bacio for a decaf americano. We finished the evening back in Michael’s club and chatting to Cranston. Sunday We slept very well and awoke just before 9am by which time the ship had docked off Santorini and the tender boats were underway. We could see the line for the cable car from our stateroom and it looked very long. It will be interesting to hear later what it was like from the top. We got ready and headed to the OVC for some breakfast. The OVC was quite busy and lots of folks were getting ready to head off the ship. As an aside, I am really surprised at the number of people who walk past the staff at the entrance to the OVC and don’t sanitise. 🤢🤢. During breakfast we reviewed the plan for the day and decided to stick with our original plan to stay onboard the ship. We were concerned about the many reports of huge lines for the cable cars and of course, we have been to Santorini before and that had been our experience at the end of a celebrity tour some years ago We have had a quiet day so far - lazing around in the Solarium, a swim and a dip in the hot tub then we thought we would try the Mast grill for lunch. We both had a hot dog and it wasn’t great. We then stopped by the OVC for some ice-cream and then came back to our lovely stateroom to sit on the balcony and read. Clocks will go back one hour tonight and we don’t sail-away until 10pm. Tomorrow is a sea day and we have a busy one planned - more on that later / tomorrow.

It was the Terrazzo Marco Antonio Suites.

Sorry just catching up on questions. We had already paid to upgrade from a SS Veranda to a SS sky suite which had premium drinks / Wi-Fi etc included. Those then transferred when we were successful with the Moveup to the CS

There was nothing apparent in Rhodes town yesterday and no smell or sign of smoke. I believe the fires are in the middle / north of the island. There was nothing mentioned onboard but hearing today that several airlines are cancelling flights in to Rhodes and focussing on evacuating those staying close to the fires.

Glad you are having a good time too. We have been offered the MDR menu in Luminae if we want it. The service is excellent and the staff really do everything to please.

Yes that’s correct. We have $800 and have spent very little of it. I have new sunglasses and am not keen on speciality dining. I wasn’t sure if suite OBC was refundable or not and our invoice and account doesn’t say.

A very hot and sunny day in Rhodes. The old town never disappoints albeit that the heat is incredible. We went for a wander around the shops and had a drink and then came back onboard to cool off and have some lunch in the OVC. Just hearing on another forum that there are still 15 staterooms where passengers haven’t got their luggage. Apparently there were issues at Rome at departure where the baggage handlers were on a go slow after the strike. Those folks were encouraged to head to the ship to avoid missing it and their luggage would follow. Alas we are now on day 6 and quite a number are still without their bags. What a nightmare and a sure-fire way to spoil a cruise. Hope they get reunited with it soon. All aboard is 4.30pm today and then we will be en route for Santorini. A few photos from today:

So we are on our way from Mykonos to Rhodes - ETA 8am tomorrow. As we didn’t sail until after 8.30pm, there was a different /quieter vibe to the ship. Luminae was quiet and I wonder if those on tours and late back perhaps went to the OVC. We enjoyed our meal and have decided to retire early tonight. Perhaps unsurprising to find a note in the stateroom tonight noting that there will be 4 other ships in Santorini on Sunday (plus Reflection). We have done this port before and did a Celebrity excursion and the line for the cable car was awful and there was only one other ship in port. We may stay onboard on Sunday!

I suspect it is supported by the cruise companies. Enchanted Princess was also docked at the new pier albeit tendered and were using the shuttles.

We didn’t see the Pelican this time but my SH claims t have seen it when we were last in Mykonos 6 years ago.

If you don’t use all of your OBC on your cruise do you lose it? We are mid-cruise with quite a bit left and just trying to decide the best plan! Grateful for any advice. 🙏

Day 5 - Mykonos The ship docked in Mykonos before 8am this morning. I think I was vaguely aware of the engines stopping and the lack of movement. I didn’t actually get out of bed until 8.50am it seems that the R&R is working! The ship was travelling at a slower speed overnight as there was not so far to travel from Piraeus to here and we hardly felt any vibration in the stateroom. We have both commented that the ship does not feel crowded and at times seems quiet. For example, last night we were at the Martini Bar just after 9pm and there were only another 2 couples in the vicinity. I am not sure what the passenger count is for this cruise but it’s certainly not full and I suspect the fact there is also a large Abraham Hicks group on the ship, that they will be following a programme of activities in other spaces on the ship. Anyway, back to today - it’s another scorcher in Mykonos - around 38C but the fact that it’s a windy island helps a bit with the temperature. We had no plans for today -we have visited before so we knew we could just stroll around the town at our leisure. The only issue is that we are one of four ships in port so the town is very very busy. First, we had a light breakfast in the OVC. It was really crowded and very few spare tables. I was also surprised and disappointed to note that the restrooms just outside the OVC were in pretty poor shape and obviously had not been cleaned or monitored for a while 🤢. Once we got off the ship, we took the complimentary shuttle bus in to town. We enjoyed a stroll around and a beer in a cafe and then got the water taxi back to the new port. It only cost 2€ so very good value. We came back on board and headed back to the OVC for lunch. This time it was really quiet and I had my usual salad and pizza! We are now having a quiet afternoon reading on our balcony in the shade and enjoying the breeze! Tonight we will be back in Luminae and getting ready for our next port day tomorrow in Rhodes. We will do that on our own too as the old town is very walkable from the port. A few photos from today below.

As promised, a few photos of our dinner in Luminae last night.

Day 4 - Athens A brief update on our day in Athens with more photos to be added tomorrow when my phone syncs with the Wi-Fi! 🙄. Despite the serious vibrations last night, we slept very well. We awoke around 8.40 and after a quick shower, headed to OVC. One of these days we will ,make it to Luminae! We had a light breakfast and then because we had a tour booked for the afternoon, we headed to the solarium pool for a while before our tour. The ship was very quiet and we enjoyed a quiet time at the so.atrium in the pool and jacuzzi and then we ventured to the pool bar for a cool drink. Temperatures were very high today - as high as 47 C in Athens so need to keep hydrated. We then went back to our room to get ready for the tour. We then went to OVC for a light lunch. I enjoyed some salad and some pizza. At around 1.e0pm we ventured off the ship to meet our tour in the terminal building( except the group were meeting outside in the heat! 🥵). We had reserved the shortest tour to the funicular of Mount Lycabbetus to see the view. We meet he guide and our minibus - there were 17 on our bus. We drove through Athens with the guide pointing out various sights en route. The air- on was struggling on the bus as it was very hot. Others on the bus were complaining. When we reached the funicular we joined another group and stood around for bout 20 mins waiting for a few to visit the gift shop 🙄. We then headed on the funicular to the top On the way up,there was no view as it’s all a tunnel. Once at the top, we visited the cafe for complimentary coffee and Greek pastry and then went outside to look at the views. Temps were so high that you couldn’t be in the sun for long. Views of the Acropolis were fab. We thought the tour was a bit chaotic - we joined with another group and despite the descriptor saying ‘ small group’ there were around 40 of us. We got back to the ship just after 4.30pm and it was still very hot. Once back onboard., we had a quick shower and headed out for a pre-dinner drink. We ate in Luminae again and it was much better. More on that with photos tomorrow A brief update on our day in Athens with more photos to be added tomorrow when my phone syncs with the Wi-Fi! 🙄. Despite the serious vibrations last night, we slept very well. We awoke around 8.40 and after a quick shower, headed to OVC. One of these days we will ,make it to Luminae! We had a light breakfast and then because we had a tour booked for the afternoon, we headed to the solarium pool for a while before our tour. The ship was very quiet and we enjoyed a quiet time at the so.atrium in the pool and jacuzzi and then we ventured to the pool bar for a cool drink. Temperatures were very high today - as high as 47 C in Athens so need to keep hydrated. We then went back to our room to get ready for the tour. We then went to OVC for a light lunch. I enjoyed some salad and some pizza. At around 1.e0pm we ventured off the ship to meet our tour in the terminal building( except the group were meeting outside in the heat! 🥵). We had reserved the shortest tour to the funicular of Mount Lycabbetus to see the view. We meet he guide and our minibus - there were 17 on our bus. We drove through Athens with the guide pointing out various sights en route. The air- on was struggling on the bus as it was very hot. Others on the bus were complaining. When we reached the funicular we joined another group and stood around for bout 20 mins waiting for a few to visit the gift shop 🙄. We then headed on the funicular to the top On the way up,there was no view as it’s all a tunnel. Once at the top, we visited the cafe for complimentary coffee and Greek pastry and then went outside to look at the views. Temps were so high that you couldn’t be in the sun for long. Views of the Acropolis were fab. We thought the tour was a bit chaotic - we joined with another group and despite the descriptor saying ‘ small group’ there were around 40 of us. We got back to the ship just after 4.30pm and it was still very hot. Once back onboard., we had a quick shower and headed out for a pre-dinner drink. We ate in Luminae again and it was much better. More on that with photos tomorrow

We had already upgraded to a sunset Sky suite and having upgraded the drinks package before then, we had it refunded. We gave premium drinks and Wi-Fi in our CS

Glad you have enjoyed Murano. I would like it but the menu does not appeal to my DH. Luminae was good tonight.

No explanation on vibration. Although last night we had circa 300 NM to reach Piraeus so we think the ship was full throttle. Tonight no vibration but only 90 NM to get to Mykonos.

Athens was very hot. They were reporting temperatures of 45C+. We did an afternoon tour up the mountain which was ok (ish)

Evening all. Just a quick update from this evening. We had a pre-dinner aperitif in Michael’s club with Cranston and we were somewhat surprised at the ‘canapés’ - crisps, nuts, cheese and charcuterie. If we had eaten all of it then there would have been no space for dinner! We ate again in Luminae and it wasn’t quite as good as previous nights. I had the short rib -(delicious) and the chicken tagine from the Daniel Bouloud menu - it wasn’t great. Very salty and dry. My DH had the turkey soup - he said it was ok and the chicken breast - it was very small and nothing special. When Vishal came back to the table he realised that we hadn’t been too keen on the mains. He brought us the NY strip steak - it was ok. We then had the chocolate dessert - it was good but not great. All in all a bit of a Luminae disappointment tonight. After dinner we had an after dinner drink in Michael’s and then a decaf Americano in Al Bacio before calling it a night. Back in our stateroom now and the vibration is really bad. I spoke too soon!! Athens tomorrow so will report back after our tour tomorrow afternoon. Night all!

When we visited the OVC this morning they were trying to direct you to the pre-made ones.

They had a plate with the macaron and a few other sweet nibbles delivered to your table just before dessert but no ‘cart’.

Thoughts on Reflection"" I know that the condition of Reflection has been the subject of another review so I thought I would add our thoughts here. As I said previously, we sailed on her 6 years ago in the Mediterranean in n AQ class stateroom. Overall, we are very impressed with how well she is looking. As usual, staff are doing a fantastic job in cleaning and maintaining her. We haven’t seen any rust so far and even although she hasn’t been revolutionised yet, they are updating some areas eg the sunset bar has new tables and chairs. Our Celebrity suite is lovely ( deck 10, midship) and we like the original colour scheme. I have noticed that there are some marks on the lounger on the balcony and on the floor of the balcony too. The bathroom is fine but there is some discolouration on the grouting and around the shower screen seal. Other than that, everything is good. We do think the staff are hard pushed an we noted that on embarkation day, there were a few things missing eg.no bar of soap in the sink in the bathroom, the bottles of body wash etc hadn’t been filled up (and still haven’t) and there was no form for the laundry bags. The staff work so incredibly hard that this is no criticism of them, only an observation of a few noticeable things from our perspective. All public areas look grand and we really haven’t noticed any major post pandemic changes. We have been surprised by the lack of reminders to wash hands and sanitise and only the member of staff outside OVC with the sanitiser bottle we at washing and sanitising as we go though just in case.

Update on Tuesday evening and first port of Katakolon ( sorry it’s a bit long!) Slightly behind with the review so hope to make up time now - Yesterday afternoon after lunch we relaxed on our balcony and enjoyed the bottle of champagne from embarkation day and some afternoon ‘nibbles’ left by our Butler, Kate. Last night was Evening chic night and there was a real mix of those passengers who were dressed in formal attire and those who were more casual. I wore a longer dress and my DH wore a button down , no jacket. As an aside, someone tried to enter Luminae for dinner in shorts and was turned away. The staff there have been fabulous. The right blend of attentive but not OTT. We enjoyed a pre-dinner Martini and enjoyed some people watching. We noticed only one photographer at work and very few people having photographs taken. This has been a big change for us. Our last cruise 4 years ago always seemed to have photographers around, this time we have seen hardly any and no-one has approached us (thankfully). The MDR appeared to be very busy with long lines of passengers from as early as 5.30. We went to Luminae around 6.30 /6.45. It seemed relatively quiet and the staff were as attentive as ever. I had the lobster salad and the Halibut and my DH had the Jerusalem Artichoke soup and the pasta. Vishal also brought along the cauliflower steak for us to try and it was very tasty. We enjoyed all of the food as well as sampling all of the desserts (again!). We also enjoyed a glass of the Cabernet Sauvignon along with a nice dessert wine. All in all a very nice meal. After dinner we had a stroll via the shops and I purchased a new pair of Ray Bans with the OBC. We then saw the officer soirée in the grand foyer before heading to Ensemble for an after dinner drink and to listen to the music. Ensemble was pretty busy but mainly with folks heading to the speciality restaurants. (There is also a large Abraham Hicks group onboard although we have seen very few of those guests other than those wearing badges in the elevators and corridors). We had intended to try the silent disco but we decided to retire for the evening before 10pm. Our fantastic stateroom attendant had prepared our room for turndown. We were a bit perplexed that when we got back to our room, the people in the next cabin had the TV on very loud but to be fair they switched it off just after 10. Wednesday So fast forward to today - we both slept very well and awoke at 8.40am to find we were already docked in Katakolon. We are next to the Norwegian Breakaway which looks like it’s more of a party / family oriented ship with flumes etc. We had breakfast in the OVC (our first visit) and found the selection to be very good. We did notice that pancakes and omelettes are no longer made to order and are already pre-made. After breakfast, we headed ashore for a wander around the village of Katakolon. It was already very hot and we enjoyed a stroll along the Main Street followed by a cool drink in one of the sea-front tavernas. The shops are mainly tourist type shops with Greek souvenirs and clothes along with a few jewellery shops. After our wander and drink we headed back to the ship to cool off. We headed up to the sunset bar and sat in the shade where there was a bit of a breeze. I had a key lime daiquiri and my DH had a sangria. We then headed to the OVC for a light lunch. The selection was excellent with all of the usual items along with some Greek specials. We had a glass of rose wine with lunch and then headed back to our room to relax on the balcony and read for the afternoon. All aboard is 3.30pm and then we will be set for Athens tomorrow. In my next post I will say a bit about Reflection and her condition etc.

We had both - very nice!