Our 50 Night Reflection Odyssey

[Host Anne]

Hi Arno

 

Thanks for your updates. Despite the bad weather and slow Internet, I'm still officially jealous and wish we were there.

 

Happy to see Jefferson on board. Not surprised to hear about the great service and food as you are sailing with some of Celebrity's best crew.

 

Enjoy leg 2 and hello to Joanne

[CQG67]

Xellent (Arno)- thank you for the wonderful updates on the inaugural cruise. I look forward to hearing your travels on part 2 of your adventure. I hope the weather improves. We are looking forward to the transatlantic crossing and meeting everyone who has been so wonderful on our CC thread for that cruise.

I am very surprised that Celebrity didn't mark this cruise as something special - they should have. I can't imagine cruising for 50 days. After 18 days I get antsy and am ready to get back home. That is not to say this is out of the question in my future! I am somewhat envious. The ship's photos show her as very modern and sleek - and big. We will be on deck 9 - midship - so hopefully the noises mentioned in previous posts won't be an issue by the mid November cruise.

Someone on our thread mentioned the fact that November 14th Spain has declared a workers' general strike. My husband says that has to do with the union workers over there. Next time you are back in Barcelona, see if you can get more info on that.

Basaltine - I see you are on the transatlantic but have not seen your name on our roll call. We have lots of things planned for that cruise. Check us out.

Hope you all have a great cruise!

Go Gators!! Barb ;)

[Blue Skies]

Thank you for your updates we hope the weather is improving for you and even better when you arrive in Venice where we join you.

Out of interest could you inform us where the social hour is taking place.

Happy and sunny Travels.

Ruth and Mike

[C 2 C]

October 22nd, Toulon France.

Today started off with dark leaden skies and a threat of rain. There were a few sprinkles today but the sun on the starboard side chased me from the balcony mid afternoon.

A few comments about the last couple of days: On the last day of the previous cruise, an elite cruiser, unable to hold his liquor, spewed over the bar in the Sky lounge, necessitating the cordoning off of a section and the appearance of the hazmat team to clean up the mess.

As I settled down to read in the cabin last night, I noticed a THUMP-A-thump, sound, much like a runner on a treadmill. It was loud and bothersome and since I’m a light sleeper I called the front desk asking for another room if possible and I was told that the ship was full but that I would be put on a waiting list... as if a number of people would leave mid voyage to make room for us. Within m8inutes an assistant house keeper came to check up on the noise. As we stood on the balcony, the noise slowly diminished. Fortunately half an hour later the thump went away and I had a peaceful night’s sleep. A day later it is now 9:30 pm and the noise is back but again it again went away after 30 minutes. I would suggest that this forward area of deck 11, at least starboard side be avoided until someone posts that the noise is permanently gone.

This morning we made it to the elite breakfast in Tuscan shortly after 9am. Unfortunately my DW felt extremely weak and just wished to go back to sleep and has spent the rest of the day in bed. I spent the day reading in various public places, first around the pool since the temperature was so pleasant and then in the Sky Lounge. The music level in public places has been greatly reduced, but why do some people have to talk to the people next to them as if they wish the whole deck to hear their conversation. I have found the most pleasant place to hide out is the quiet area at the front of the Aqua Spa. There are about a dozen comfortable sofa/chairs perfect for snoozing, reading or staring at the sea in front.

During the elite social hour, a waiter from the Tuscan was offering 50% off dining for the Grille tonight. With Joanne under the weather, I skipped the formal attire and had a pleasant meal in a near empty Tuscan.

There are more than 3,000 passengers on board and announcements are made in English, German, Spanish and French. Prior to sailaway at 6pm Eva Peron was asked to contact guest relations...????

The bar tenders in the Molecular Bar are Barbara and Vasil.

“Welcome to Celebrity Wi-Fi

Internet link is down. Please try again in a few minutes.

[mcd1411]

October 22nd, Toulon France.

Today started off with dark leaden skies and a threat of rain. There were a few sprinkles today but the sun on the starboard side chased me from the balcony mid afternoon.

A few comments about the last couple of days: On the last day of the previous cruise, an elite cruiser, unable to hold his liquor, spewed over the bar in the Sky lounge, necessitating the cordoning off of a section and the appearance of the hazmat team to clean up the mess.

As I settled down to read in the cabin last night, I noticed a THUMP-A-thump, sound, much like a runner on a treadmill. It was loud and bothersome and since I’m a light sleeper I called the front desk asking for another room if possible and I was told that the ship was full but that I would be put on a waiting list... as if a number of people would leave mid voyage to make room for us. Within m8inutes an assistant house keeper came to check up on the noise. As we stood on the balcony, the noise slowly diminished. Fortunately half an hour later the thump went away and I had a peaceful night’s sleep. A day later it is now 9:30 pm and the noise is back but again it again went away after 30 minutes. I would suggest that this forward area of deck 11, at least starboard side be avoided until someone posts that the noise is permanently gone.

This morning we made it to the elite breakfast in Tuscan shortly after 9am. Unfortunately my DW felt extremely weak and just wished to go back to sleep and has spent the rest of the day in bed. I spent the day reading in various public places, first around the pool since the temperature was so pleasant and then in the Sky Lounge. The music level in public places has been greatly reduced, but why do some people have to talk to the people next to them as if they wish the whole deck to hear their conversation. I have found the most pleasant place to hide out is the quiet area at the front of the Aqua Spa. There are about a dozen comfortable sofa/chairs perfect for snoozing, reading or staring at the sea in front.

During the elite social hour, a waiter from the Tuscan was offering 50% off dining for the Grille tonight. With Joanne under the weather, I skipped the formal attire and had a pleasant meal in a near empty Tuscan.

There are more than 3,000 passengers on board and announcements are made in English, German, Spanish and French. Prior to sailaway at 6pm Eva Peron was asked to contact guest relations...????

The bar tenders in the Molecular Bar are Barbara and Vasil.

“Welcome to Celebrity Wi-Fi

Internet link is down. Please try again in a few minutes.

 

Are you by any chance in cabin 1520. We were in that cabin 2 cruises ago on silhouette and we had the same issues. It always went away around 10pm. We aren't early to bed so wasn't a huge issue for us. However I understand it is a terrible noise coming from the treadmills in the gym.

 

Thanks for the update. Looking forward to hearing more from you in the coming weeks.

 

Barry.

[librarylady19]

We had the same issue in 1520 on Eclipse. It started at 5 a.m.:( Definitely recommend avoiding that area below the Gym. Supposedly, additional insulation was added but I don't think it helped.

[Linda-E]

Hi Arno,

 

Thank you so much for allowing us to live vicariously through your travels. Few of us can be gone for 50 days at a time!

 

We're just off Summit and the M class is still our favorite, particularly with the addition of new venues such as Qzine and Bistro on Five. Summit retains the same cozy welcoming feel with a few modern touches.

 

Hope JoAnne feels better soon. Enjoy the rest of your 50-day adventure!

[rubrrick]

Arno, and JoAnne, after 6 long years of being away from Celebrity, we leave tomorrow on the Infinity. I think that the 4 of us toured the ship in Juneau in 2001, but I could be wrong! I've been wrong before!!:D

 

So, we will follow your travels as we head south and east! If you say it's OK for me to post a picture or two of us from six years ago, or earlier, we have one captain that is now running an olive grove farm in Greece, and the other is now the captain of the Connie.......I do believe.

 

We sure do miss the two of you, and in your honor, tomorrow night, in the Martini bar, we will toast to the both of you.......to your continuing good health, and missing you.

 

You mentioned the last time that we communicated, that you would like to see something like the Pinnacle Club.......for top members of Celebrity. I'm sure that you have met Michael Bayley, and probably have already put a bug in his ear about a different group.

 

How many cruises are you with Celebrity now? 240? Probably more.

 

We will experience Michaels for the first time ever, as it has been set up for cocktails and appetizers.

 

I left my farm intact, so that JoAnne and others can munch off of me. I should have dismantled it, as you did, but something else interested me.

 

My hat is off to you, as you keep doing what you love, and telling your story as only you could tell it.

 

I'm proud of you......and this kneejerk back to Celebrity starting tomorrow (I decided to do this cruise on Wednesday of last week!) and I could not get an RS.........but have a fun SS, at least for now. Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky............:);)

 

With Mr. Bayley in charge..........we will be back on Celebrity once again. Let us know your schedule for next year, as we would love to cruise with you two again.

 

Rick

[travelberlin]

Hi Arno, is Joanne feeling better today? Lets hope she recovers quickly...

[h20cruzer]

Where can I find the link to the spreadsheet you keep on cabins?

Thanks

Norma

[chessbriar]

The bar tenders in the Molecular Bar are Barbara and Vasil.

“Welcome to Celebrity Wi-Fi

Internet link is down. Please try again in a few minutes.

Thanks Arno. I was really hoping for Brian Hendricks from Canada. He brought out Solstice, Equinox and Eclipse. I don't know about Silhouette. I guess not Reflection.

 

We'll still have fun

[librarylady19]

Where can I find the link to the spreadsheet you keep on cabins?

Thanks

Norma

 

Here you go:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0AtHczoNeooladEEyVmQwWmJhaGItbFZPUFNudTFZcEE

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

That is a great trip ..

[c-legs]

Arno, and JoAnne, after 6 long years of being away from Celebrity, we leave tomorrow on the Infinity. I think that the 4 of us toured the ship in Juneau in 2001, but I could be wrong! I've been wrong before!!:D

 

So, we will follow your travels as we head south and east! If you say it's OK for me to post a picture or two of us from six years ago, or earlier, we have one captain that is now running an olive grove farm in Greece, and the other is now the captain of the Connie.......I do believe.

 

We sure do miss the two of you, and in your honor, tomorrow night, in the Martini bar, we will toast to the both of you.......to your continuing good health, and missing you.

 

You mentioned the last time that we communicated, that you would like to see something like the Pinnacle Club.......for top members of Celebrity. I'm sure that you have met Michael Bayley, and probably have already put a bug in his ear about a different group.

 

How many cruises are you with Celebrity now? 240? Probably more.

 

We will experience Michaels for the first time ever, as it has been set up for cocktails and appetizers.

 

I left my farm intact, so that JoAnne and others can munch off of me. I should have dismantled it, as you did, but something else interested me.

 

My hat is off to you, as you keep doing what you love, and telling your story as only you could tell it.

 

I'm proud of you......and this kneejerk back to Celebrity starting tomorrow (I decided to do this cruise on Wednesday of last week!) and I could not get an RS.........but have a fun SS, at least for now. Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky............:);)

 

With Mr. Bayley in charge..........we will be back on Celebrity once again. Let us know your schedule for next year, as we would love to cruise with you two again.

 

Rick

 

Hi, Rick

Welcome ''back '' to Celebrity.:p

Just to juggle with your memory a bit....but the last time you met Joanne and Arno is more recent then 2001. We were on Mercury,Panama full transit ex SanDiego, December 2006...so were you. ...and so were Joanne & Arno :D. We all shared some good times at various staterooms social gatherings ( we had SS1203 and you were in 1057 I seem to recall )...you were courteous enough to host a group of us one evening....Lovely time was had by all.

Hope you're well.

You'll enjoy Infinity !! We sailed her sister, Millie, twice already....

Cheers:)

[C 2 C]

October 24th

We are in AQ 1518 and a repeat of the noise has not occurred in the last two days.

Yesterday in Cannes we were blessed with sunshine and I spent the day on the balcony reading and watching local tenders shuttle passengers to shore and back. At 5 both Joanne and I were able to toast our friends on Celebrity ships everywhere. Although there are 500 more passengers on board this cruise, the Sky Lounge is less crowded with Elites, perhaps a less thirsty bunch this cruise. After a very quick dinner in Blu, we returned to the Sky Lounge at 7:45 for the Cruise Critic Connections gathering.

Livorno today welcomed us again with a wonderful sunny day. A complaint that I have against Celebrity policy is that they no longer, for several years now, offer a free shuttle service to the edge of an industrial port. Basically pax are held captive in port by taxi drivers who turn down fares of less than 50 Euros, or Celebrity shuttles which charge a nominal fee of 5 Euros in Livorno but 15 Euros in Zeebrugge. In Toulon a “scenic boat transfer” to the city was $20 pp. We generally stay onboard our yacht but many cruisers wonder why an obligatory fee to get to town is not included in the cruise price.

So far there have been no bridge (not the card game) tours and I have been led to believe that they have been discontinued. I participated in two trivias yesterday but without Joanne there to correct my errant thoughts my score was less than satisfactory. Today, Joanne, fully recovered after sleeping around the clock, was able to fill in the huge gaps in my memory and we defeated everyone else on board in the lounge... (ok there were only three other teams, a total of 6 people). For those who like to dance:

· Disco Line Dancing at 4 in the Entertainment court yesterday

· Lady Gaga Let’s Dance at 9:30pm

· Shakira’s Waka-Waka at 9:45pm today

· This of course is not quite to our taste but these must be offered for some reason..

 

 

H

[C 2 C]

Arno, and JoAnne, after 6 long years of being away from Celebrity, we leave tomorrow on the Infinity. I think that the 4 of us toured the ship in Juneau in 2001, but I could be wrong! I've been wrong before!!:D

 

With Mr. Bayley in charge..........we will be back on Celebrity once again. Let us know your schedule for next year, as we would love to cruise with you two again.

 

Rick

 

Hi Rick:

 

Our best wishes for a grand experience.

We'll be in touch when we get home.

 

C-legs.. Mercury it was... much too long ago

[donnaw]

Hi, Rick

Welcome ''back '' to Celebrity.:p

Just to juggle with your memory a bit....but the last time you met Joanne and Arno is more recent then 2001. We were on Mercury,Panama full transit ex SanDiego, December 2006...so were you. ...and so were Joanne & Arno :D. We all shared some good times at various staterooms social gatherings ( we had SS1203 and you were in 1057 I seem to recall )...you were courteous enough to host a group of us one evening....Lovely time was had by all.

Hope you're well.

You'll enjoy Infinity !! We sailed her sister, Millie, twice already....

Cheers:)

 

Must be old home week! Rick glad to see you found your way back to X! Claude, sure you can't sneak the TA in with the rest of us? Actually, Joe just asked about both of you last week.

 

Arno, glad to hear Joanne is back to her normal keep you on track self! Stay healthy and happy!

[donnaw]

Oops, one of those days, too many screens, try this again:

 

Arno, glad to hear Joanne is back to her normal self and keeping you on track!

[Ships R Great]

Hi, Arno (and Joanne),

If we had been there to take Joanne's place at Trivia you would have won hands down!!!!!

Glad you are breaking in the ship for all of us. We will be on the April TA, followed by the Med. You are making me more anxious for time to pass.

 

Can you answer one question for us? Will Capt. Pagonis be on in April/May or will he be on vacation then?

 

Continue to have a grand cruise.

 

Patty

[Towncar T]

Hey Arno & Joanne

 

Only 2 more days until we go off on Equinox. I'll wave if we pass you on the hih seas. Not sure where you are going, but there's always a chance we'll be in port at the same time. Take care!!

[CruiseImage]

Hey Arno & Joanne

 

There seems to be quite a few Martini Bar lovers joining you in Barcelona for the TA, and we're seeing some reviews about the bartenders appearing as NOT wanting to be there. I've never experienced anything like this in the bar, and it also appears that the names currently working in the MB nobody has really heard of.

 

Question/task from me (as a MB lover) I hear that Marko is due to leave around the 4th Nov and possibly being replaced by Putu from the Silhouette (who we love to bits).. Could you possibly try to put any substance to this chatter, and find out if Putu is coming and will he be on BEFORE or AFTER the TA (if at all?)

 

Many thanks and keep up the good work on the daily updates..

25 days to go for us, I'm sure by then you'll have had enough and want to go home by then -- NOT !! -- HE.HE (*_*) ;)

 

Oh and if you use the Michaels Club please say Hi to Karen from Ade and Anita....

[mcd1411]

Hey Arno & Joanne

 

There seems to be quite a few Martini Bar lovers joining you in Barcelona for the TA, and we're seeing some reviews about the bartenders appearing as NOT wanting to be there. I've never experienced anything like this in the bar, and it also appears that the names currently working in the MB nobody has really heard of.

 

Question/task from me (as a MB lover) I hear that Marko is due to leave around the 4th Nov and possibly being replaced by Putu from the Silhouette (who we love to bits).. Could you possibly try to put any substance to this chatter, and find out if Putu is coming and will he be on BEFORE or AFTER the TA (if at all?)

 

Many thanks and keep up the good work on the daily updates..

25 days to go for us, I'm sure by then you'll have had enough and want to go home by then -- NOT !! -- HE.HE (*_*) ;)

 

Oh and if you use the Michaels Club please say Hi to Karen from Ade and Anita....

 

 

Interested to hear whats going on also, we both enjoy the atmosphere at the martini bar. I hope that the waiters improve also.

 

Barry.

[USVI-4-me]

Xellent,

Thank you for posting that your wife is better.

 

-Marisa

[bigmohes]

Interested to hear whats going on also, we both enjoy the atmosphere at the martini bar. I hope that the waiters improve also.

 

Barry.

 

I am starting to panic we decided on the reflection because the martini bartenders thought they were going to her. Nueman and Ocho are great! Hopefully they make on board before we get there!!

:eek:

[travlDR]

Question for you---- The cruise director on your trip- Nick Weir--- do you know him?? The picture looks soooo familiar, and I wonder if you would know, or if you could ask him for me. Many years ago I brought a group of 20 or so on a cruise on the Costa Romantica- and we had a cruise director, that I thought was the most terrific ever, and even after many many cruise later, I still think so. I always thought he reminded me a little of Tom Hanks-and now that I see the picture of Nick Weir-- I am wondering if it was him. Could you find out for me---and if it is true- let him know that one of his biggest fans has been wondering about him for years!