Celebrity Reflection TA Nov 12

[Richard&JohnSTX]

Hey Guys,

 

We will be joining this cruise.

 

It's refreshing to see so many people on a roll call as our most recent cruises have all been on much smaller ships and the roll calls have not been anywhere near as active.

 

Although we have been cruising for a number of years this will be our first Trans-Atlantic crossing and with so many sea days we thought it something best experienced on a larger ship. As I'm not good at "relaxing" I'm not sure how I will handle so many sea days and any tips on keeping busy would be greatly appreciated ;-)

 

We look forward to meeting you all onboard.

 

D&D

 

You are right - the roll call has been superb - thanks to all who have been maintaining it!

 

This will be our 5th crossing - 3rd westbound which is our favorite because you gain an hour most days instead of losing on the way east!

 

There are lots of activities during the sea days- movies, lectures, games (we are not so much inclined though John is great at trivia ) No worries you will not be bored!

 

See that you are from Melbourne - our favorite Australian city - you are so lucky to live there, we have visited twice on our various Australian vacations.

 

Looking forward to meeting you in November!

 

Richard

[Richard&JohnSTX]

My name is Joe. I will be on this Reflection TA cruise along with three friends. All of us are from San Diego. This will be my third TA, however, it will be my first Westbound. The FOD get togethers on the TA cruises are my favorite.

 

Looking forward to meeting everyone.

 

-Joe (along with Cliff, Tom and Jeff)

 

As I posted to D&D you will love the westbound TA - more hours of sunlight!

 

Will be nice to see you and your friends at the FOD get togethers.

 

We are fans of San Diego - first time was Nov '89 - we had survived Hurricane Hugo on St Croix and after a month of no power - no phone etc said to American Airlines where is the farthest and cheapest place you can take us so San Diego it was! Stayed at the Sheraton on the bay - cool crisp nights and sunny days what a nice getaway from the humidity and destruction of the hurricane! But we are still on St Croix all those years later!

 

Looking forward to seeing you on the Reflection - we were on the Inaugural westbound TA's on the Eclipse and Silhouette so any questions you may have let me know!

 

Richard

[Richard&JohnSTX]

Hi guys, My partner and I just booked for the Nov. 18 Barcelona to Miami cruise. Other than sailing trips this is our first major cruise, so I need help and recommendations (restaurants; drinks packages; can we get away with just a sports jacket and slacks, etc etc.). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

We look forward to meeting everyone.

Cheers,

Allan and Isaac

 

Glad you have joined the cruise - you are going to love it!

 

Restaurants - I assume you are dining in the Main Dining Room?

 

Dinners in the MDR - good idea to follow your waiters suggestions for the

evening entrees - they are usually very good at that. There are also everyday options on the left of the menu that stay the same every evening - I have found the onion soup, escargot, salmon and caesar salad are good choices. From the changing menu the lamb has been very good - the lobster entree has been upgraded recently - very good on our Century cruise to Hawaii in April. If you like steak there are a lot of choices but always order more rare than you want usually - the steaks are put on heated plates in the galley and continue to cook before getting to your table. I always order rare and it is medium rare to medium by the time it is served - on another roll call someone said order it blue and it comes rare. So much for blood talk! I try not to eat much bread but the breadsticks are made fresh everyday and are worth the calories!

 

You had asked about sports jackets - even though the official Celebrity dress code for the MDR is a suit or tux on Formal nights if you wear a sports jacket and tie I don't think you will have any problem. The other option on those evenings - 3 on our TA is to go to the specialty restaurants or the Oceanview Cafe - and then you don't even need the sport coat.

 

Specialty Restaurants:

 

Qsine - fun quirky tapas style food - huge servings and best shared with others in our opinion. $40pp

 

Tuscan Grill - fabulous aft views - upscale Italian Steakhouse. Go before sunset! $30pp. I think.

 

Murano - Beautiful French inspired restaurant - very formal and very rich

cuisine - a great spot for a special occasion and if you can afford like 3000 calories!!! $40pp.

 

Lawn Club Grill - on the top deck next to the 1/2 acre lawn - grilled dinners of steaks and seafood and kabobs starting with a salad bar and toss yourself flatbreads - and you can grill your own meats or let the chefs do it. Also $40pp.

 

Beverage Packages - we are lucky to have sailed enough in the last 5 years to be Elite Celebrity members now so with our perks we don't think we need to buy a package but even before becoming Elite we were happy with the coffee, tea, lemonade, fruit juice comp offerings during the day and then just paid for cocktails and wine at night. That said just an espresso at Cafe Al Bacio and fresh juice in the morning, a a bottled water to take ashore, afternoon pool drink, pre dinner cocktail, glass of wine with dinner, and a drink at Molecular bar after dinner and you are way ahead even on paying for the premium package!

 

See that you are from Ontario - I spent first year of university in Ottawa many many years ago!

 

Any other questions my e-mail is richardpharris@att.biz.

 

Richard

[Kiwifruit]

For those guys that have sailed Celebrity recently, when and where are the FOD meetings? It looks like we will have quite a contingent onboard;-)

 

Richard and John, we'll look out for you at the trivia as I imagine on the TA there will be a few trivia sessions to punctuate the sea days. We always enjoy the quizes and find them to be quite social and a good way to meet people that you wouldn't ordinarily come in contact with although I'm always surprised just how competitive the trivia can be.

 

The restaurants sound great so we are looking forward to trying them all out but looks like we will need to get acquainted with the gym too and balance out the calories.

 

Look forward to meeting everyone onboard.

 

David & Dougal

[Richard&JohnSTX]

For those guys that have sailed Celebrity recently, when and where are the FOD meetings? It looks like we will have quite a contingent onboard;-)

 

Hi guys - the Fod Meetings can vary by time and location Last fall on the Silhoutte TA it was in the Martini bar at 7:45. This worked for early seating to come after dinner and late for pre-dinner cocktails. The only problem was that it was already pretty packed with others and the music was too loud to converse easily. The year before on the Eclipse TA it was held in the Molecular Bar - easier to hear and fewer regular patrons. We will see for this trip - just check out the board next to Guest Relations. First night there is a large sailaway part at the Sunset Bar so that is where we will be!

 

Richard

[trail.sport]

Hey Everybody... just booked this one last minute. Solo traveler on my first TA sailing. Really relieved to discover that there are more of us on board. Sounds like we should have a great time. Looking through the posts, I'll try to figure out where ya'll are on the first night!

 

See ya all soon!

 

Brent

[qualicuman]

Hey Everybody... just booked this one last minute. Solo traveler on my first TA sailing. Really relieved to discover that there are more of us on board. Sounds like we should have a great time. Looking through the posts, I'll try to figure out where ya'll are on the first night!

 

See ya all soon!

 

Brent

 

Welcome aboard Brent! Look forward to meeting everyone as well.

 

Wayne

[ivlah]

Welcome Brent. I think it will be wonderful cruise and a opportunity to meet the great men who have contributed to these posts. See you In November.

Allan

[trail.sport]

thanks for the warm welcome guys... see you on board!

 

- Brent

[albany cruisers]

Hi everyone, doing the TA on Nov 18 with a few crazy female friends, Partner couldn’t make it on this trip. Looking forward to the cruise. Have done several TA's but never Westbound. It’s going to be great to turn the clocks behind for a change. Hope the weather is warm and sunny on the way across.

[euroman]

Hi guys... My partner and I are doing our second TA on Celebrity.. Sailed the Solstice East bound last April and had an amazing time. Lots of FOD... still friends with a many of the guys we met . Sure this cruise we be just as good.

[Richard&JohnSTX]

Hi guys, only about a month to go!

 

Richard

[mcd1411]

Hi guys, only about a month to go!

 

Richard

 

yes only 4 weeks now not long till we are on board.

 

Barry.

[Kiwifruit]

Four weeks and the final countdown has begun .... not looking forward to the long flight but hanging out for those lazy sea days .

 

Richard & John, I see you are doing the B2B and boarding in Venice so you will be able to give some first hand tips when we get onboard ;-) When do you leave for Europe?

 

Look forward to meeting everybody onboard !!!

 

Cheers, David & Dougal

[Richard&JohnSTX]

Four weeks and the final countdown has begun .... not looking forward to the long flight but hanging out for those lazy sea days .

 

Richard & John, I see you are doing the B2B and boarding in Venice so you will be able to give some first hand tips when we get onboard ;-) When do you leave for Europe?

 

Look forward to meeting everybody onboard !!!

 

Cheers, David & Dougal

 

Hi D & D!

 

We leave St Croix the 29th - overnight Miami - fly to Heathrow and overnight, then to Venice arriving Nov 1st. Three nights at the Olimpia. ( about forty other CC'Rs there too! ) We have not been to Venice before so really excited - just hope the weather doesn't turn rainy and it floods! Then we board on Nov 4th - two weeks from today!

 

We did the inaugural westbound TA's on the Eclipse and Silhouette so will be interesting to see the changes!

 

See you all soon!

 

Richard

[mcd1411]

Hi D & D!

 

We leave St Croix the 29th - overnight Miami - fly to Heathrow and overnight, then to Venice arriving Nov 1st. Three nights at the Olimpia. ( about forty other CC'Rs there too! ) We have not been to Venice before so really excited - just hope the weather doesn't turn rainy and it floods! Then we board on Nov 4th - two weeks from today!

 

We did the inaugural westbound TA's on the Eclipse and Silhouette so will be interesting to see the changes!

 

See you all soon!

 

Richard

 

 

Hope you have a good flight Richard, looking forward to meeting everyone. You can let us know where they have the FOD meetings once your on board. The martini bar is where they usually are however can become very busy and noisy.

 

Barry.

[Richard&JohnSTX]

Hope you have a good flight Richard, looking forward to meeting everyone. You can let us know where they have the FOD meetings once your on board. The martini bar is where they usually are however can become very busy and noisy.

 

Barry.

 

Thanks Barry, with three flight segments anything can go wrong but that's one of the reasons we did three nights in venice prior - even serious screw-ups can happen and we will still make the ship!

 

Great news about Andrea being the Maitre D in Blu - we had her on the Silhouette last fall when she was the asst. and she was great.

 

See you soon!

 

Richard

[Kiwifruit]

Richard & John,

 

Hope you have a safe and uneventful flight.

 

Like you we always plan to arrive a couple of days before a cruise just in case there are problems with the flights. We are flying via Singapore and London so it will take us 26 hours before we reach Barcelona and we envy your short flights by comparison ;-).

 

See you all onboard!!

 

D & D

[mcd1411]

Thanks Barry, with three flight segments anything can go wrong but that's one of the reasons we did three nights in venice prior - even serious screw-ups can happen and we will still make the ship!

 

Great news about Andrea being the Maitre D in Blu - we had her on the Silhouette last fall when she was the asst. and she was great.

 

See you soon!

 

Richard

 

Hi Richard, we always fly out early also, wouldnt like to miss the ship. better to be safe than sorry. Ewan fly a lot with work and the times he is delayed or has flights cancelled.

 

Andrea is fantastic she has done very well for herself in a short time.I seen her last in June on silhouette, so i knew she would be on Reflection just not which restaurant.

 

are you in AQ for both cruises?

 

Barry.

[Richard&JohnSTX]

Hi Richard, we always fly out early also, wouldnt like to miss the ship. better to be safe than sorry. Ewan fly a lot with work and the times he is delayed or has flights cancelled.

 

Andrea is fantastic she has done very well for herself in a short time.I seen her last in June on silhouette, so i knew she would be on Reflection just not which restaurant.

 

are you in AQ for both cruises?

 

Barry.

 

Absolutely! AQ is now our favorite - we were 23 nights on Silhouette last fall - the last Holy Land cruise and then the TA - we loved AQ - mostly for Blu and Andrea - we are of the exercise sucks just eat healthy sorts! ( A drink or too is OK?! ) We are now booked SYD - HNL 18 nights on the Solstice AQ in April and on Summit Sept 21 Canada - New England 14 nights and snagged cabin 1040 - the premo AQ Aft with the double balcony! Of course with my luck the weather will suck and we won't ever be able to use it!

 

John says enough already - we are still both working and the bank balance is dwindling - please step back for a bit - OK if I must but those Martinis in the Elite Lounge are free - and not too bad either!!!!

 

See you guys soon!

 

Richard

[mcd1411]

Absolutely! AQ is now our favorite - we were 23 nights on Silhouette last fall - the last Holy Land cruise and then the TA - we loved AQ - mostly for Blu and Andrea - we are of the exercise sucks just eat healthy sorts! ( A drink or too is OK?! ) We are now booked SYD - HNL 18 nights on the Solstice AQ in April and on Summit Sept 21 Canada - New England 14 nights and snagged cabin 1040 - the premo AQ Aft with the double balcony! Of course with my luck the weather will suck and we won't ever be able to use it!

 

John says enough already - we are still both working and the bank balance is dwindling - please step back for a bit - OK if I must but those Martinis in the Elite Lounge are free - and not too bad either!!!!

 

See you guys soon!

 

Richard

 

Hi know how you feel we usually do around 3 cruises a year also. However only usually one big one a year. However we seem to be spending more ever year on cruises. I do think no other holiday compares to it though. Longest we have spent on a ship is 14 nights. Ewan says he couldn't spend any longer than that. But I would like to give it a go for sure. We both work also so time is limited to what we can take off. Maybe once we are retired we can do a world cruise on Cunard. How friends we travel with usually rave about the queens grill on the ships and say that celebrity is just as good for the food and service. Anyway we will have to stick to our 14 night cruises just now.

 

 

Barry.

[Kiwifruit]

Three cruises a year while still working is impressive;-)

 

We try and do a couple of cruises a year but we prefer cruising the Mediterranean to the South Pacific so we loose a lot of time travelling back and forth.

 

John, interesting to hear your feedback on Blu as we were unsure as to whether we would enjoy it or not as sometimes healthy eating equates to bland food but we will give it a try if we get the opportunity. We certainly intend to eat there for breakfast as we generally just prefer something light in the morning.

 

Barry when are you flying to Barcelona? We are flying via London and have a flight with British Airways on 16 November.

 

See you all soon.

 

D&D

[mcd1411]

Three cruises a year while still working is impressive;-)

 

We try and do a couple of cruises a year but we prefer cruising the Mediterranean to the South Pacific so we loose a lot of time travelling back and forth.

 

John, interesting to hear your feedback on Blu as we were unsure as to whether we would enjoy it or not as sometimes healthy eating equates to bland food but we will give it a try if we get the opportunity. We certainly intend to eat there for breakfast as we generally just prefer something light in the morning.

 

Barry when are you flying to Barcelona? We are flying via London and have a flight with British Airways on 16 November.

 

See you all soon.

 

D&D

 

Hi we are flying on Saturday morning via London to Barcelona. We arrive around 2:30 on Saturday afternoon. We are having 4 days at the other end in Miami.

As for Blu are you guys in an AQ cabin. You need to be to eat in the BLU restaurant. The food is not bland at all. It is fantastic and the service amazing we don't book anything other than AQ just so we can eat in blu. We love everything about it. Can't wait to see Andrea again when we are on board also. She is real funny. And I sure she has brought the best staff on board to blu also.

 

 

Barry.

[Kiwifruit]

Hi Barry, we are in suite for this cruise as we managed to get a really good deal. I think this allows us to dine in BLU subject to availability as AquaClass guests are given priority so we'll have to see how busy it is but given everyone's comment we are certainly keen to try it out.

 

After the cruise we are going down to Cancun for a few days while we are so close as we rarely get the opportunity to visit that neck of the woods.

[mcd1411]

Hi Barry, we are in suite for this cruise as we managed to get a really good deal. I think this allows us to dine in BLU subject to availability as AquaClass guests are given priority so we'll have to see how busy it is but given everyone's comment we are certainly keen to try it out.

 

After the cruise we are going down to Cancun for a few days while we are so close as we rarely get the opportunity to visit that neck of the woods.

 

How nice never had a suite on celebrity. Ewan always says for the amount of time we spend in it and would rather have more holiday. I keep telling him maybe I can get a suite for my 40th birthday cruise. A while away yet though. I am sure you guys will get in to BLU as some quests to other restaurants and the MDR also.

Looking forward to meeting you guys.

 

Barry.