Our 50 Night Reflection Odyssey

[C 2 C]

Friday Nov 2nd Cruising north in the Adriatic.

Today we were blessed with an extra hour of sleep as clocks fell back one hour. The downside of course is that the sun will set at 4:50 this afternoon and there will be no opportunity to gaze at the sea flowing by in the Sky lounge as we enjoy a “quiet” pre-dinner drink. Presently the skies have only an occasional cloud but temperatures are beginning to dip. The mid seventies of yesterday have been replaced with a mid sixties temperature that is much more pleasant than the 30’s and 40’s we would be experiencing at home.

I had a wonderful muesli table side preparation this morning in Blu followed by Tuscan Elite specialty coffees. The waiters in Tuscan in the morning are among the friendliest ever even when stressed at times during a sudden influx of elites that is greater than the ability of espresso machines to keep up.

The waiters, servers, room stewards on board have all been fantastic. In the seaside cafe, when I decided to pick up a bowl of soup as well as my salad selections, an assistant waiter immediately offered to carry my plate to the table. Extra servers seem to look for passengers with two plates. It is the junior staff in every location that makes it joy to sail on a Celebrity ship as often as we do. We normally stay in the Elite lounge till about 7 and arrive in Blu about 7:15 to 7:30 prior to the rush. As we leave the Blu experience I will miss the friendly greeting of Andrea, the helpfulness of Johnie “Blu” and all the waiters and their assistants. The service is a bit more rushed than I like but I cannot fault anyone’s attitude or attentive service during our two cruises so far. Andrea will soon move to Qsine “across the street” and be replaced with big Ante who we have known from Century cruises over the years.

Over the last billion years or so certain ‘funguys’ got together and mixed a witch’s brew of viri (as opposed to viruses) that would eventually play havoc with anyone who thought that they can enjoy life to the fullest no matter how carefully one avoided them. There are quite a few people with sniffles and coughs onboard and I think that one of them left a sample that perfectly matched my vulnerability. Fortunately someone on the former cruise recommended that I pick up a bottle of “Black Ouzo” while in Rhodes and its soothing affects on sore throats are truly magical. It is ‘Anise di Cafe’ (with 30% active ingredients) and over ice cream or ice cubes it would be a wonderful concoction even when there is no medical excuse.

Evening Attire for tonight is “Cocktail”. A summary Celebrity TODAY:

· 8-8:45 A photo op to have one’s picture taken with the Master of the Vessel

· Time Change from Thurs to Fri... (Strange but those that don’t read Tomorrow’s TODAY yesterday (if that makes sense) would have gotten up an hour before they thought they did.

· Tonight’s Show: Momentum, a blend of different genres of music, visuals and dance.

· Late Night Comedy: Brad Mastrangelo 10:00 and 11:30 pm in Celebrity Central

· Beyond the Podium: “American Madams 1870 to 1910” by Lisa Didier

· 11:00am Secrets to a Flatter Stomach (yeh, right. I have yet to be on a cruise where I shared that experience)

· Sea Day Brunch 10:00am – 1:00pm

· Oceanview Cafe Seating: At peak dining times, seating...may be limited. For the comfort of your fellow guests we would like to ask that once you have finished your meal, that you kindly relinquish your seat to accommodate guests who have not yet enjoyed their meal. (Translation: please don’t play games in the cafe when others can’t find a seat to eat)

· Important Health Information: Stay happy and healthy. The best way to spread the flu & illnesses is to wash your hands and to cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing. (The viri are happy and doing what they were designed to do. Bring meds or your favourite treatment)

Note: Jefferson Ang warmly greets his Cruise Critic fans and will be on board till mid-April.

Access Failure..

No internet availability for at least the last hour

[Cruiser Susie]

Good to hear all your updates, Arno, and I hope the Black Ouzo does the trick... if not, have one of the bartenders make you a hot toddy just before you head to sleep tonight... always helps me with bad colds and coughs. Feel better quickly, please.

 

Cocktail attire? I must have missed that somewhere... is that another way of saying formal? Glad you enjoyed your muesli this morning, and I will continue to look forward to your updates. Hopefully you got more sleep last night. Hello to Joanne, and keep enjoying your voyage!

[travelberlin]

Arno and Joanne,

Best regards from Venice. Today the weather is very nice. It is completely different than yesterday when it was cloudy, cold and raining. Yesterday we had the opportunity to see Venice floaded. Very interesting how Venetians manage to clean up so fast after such a situation.

This is a lovely city with excellent food. We are enjoying it :)

[cruiseacecat]

Arno,

 

Hope your cold is short-lived, unlike mine. On the positive side, I did not come down with this until I got home and than it hit us both. Another piece of bad luck for you. Things have just got to improve for the two of you. You have so many people wishing you well.

 

Thank you so much for asking Jefferson how long he will be on board. Looks like I will get to see him. :) Lucky me. He is just such a good musician and nice guy.

 

Anne

[seasearider]

Thanks Arno for your response on Blu. We'll plan to arrive closer to 7:30 than 8:30.

 

Hope you are feeling better and the black ouzo has helped.;):D

 

Be better and enjoy the rest of your 50 day Odyssey.:)

[C 2 C]

November 4th Venice

It is a dreary, dismal, dreadful, drizzly day in Venice for those wishing to visit the city. When the ship is the destination, weather is not as important a factor for enjoyment but visual memories of our visit will not be a good as last year’s Solstice port call.

Just before 8:00am this morning we made our first visit to the Seaside Cafe for breakfast. What a zoo! Few people were in a hurry to catch flights and finding an empty seat required some intense searching. The people occupying our cabin on the previous cruise would not be leaving the stateroom until 8:30 so we just picked up a coffee and tea to pass the time. With Celebrity offering a free lunch in Bistro on 5 for back to back guests, a full breakfast would just spoil our appetite. Our new cabin 1063 is a concierge cabin with the bed near the bathroom, a setup that we prefer. A crew door leading to the service elevators is opposite our cabin and we are keeping our fingers crossed for limited traffic.

At 1:00 we submitted our free internet voucher set up our internet account. For some reason a back to back guest has more problems setting up a new account on the subsequent voyage.

The Captain’s Club letter setup the following timetable for Elites:

· Enjoy a delicious continental breakfast for frothy cappuccinos in a relaxing coffeehouse environment in Tuscan Grille from 8:00am - 10:00am.

· Captain’s Club Social Hour 5:00pm-7:00pm Sky Observation Lounge

· Wine tasting Nov. 6th 10:45am (we arrive in Dubrovnik at noon)

· Captain’s Club celebration Nov. 7th 2:15-3:15pm Port side cabins

· Elite Elegant Tea Nov. 7th 3:00-4:00pm

· Senior Officer’s Cocktail Party Nov. 11th 5:15-6:00pm & 7:45-8:30pm (No elite lounge)

Wine savings discount of 20% apply only on wine costing over $40. There used to be a savings on all wines when 2 bottles were purchased but that perk was inflated/deflated depending on your personal taste.

[Wj420]

We just returned from the 10/21 sailing! A full review will follow once we adjust to the time change but I had to mention the last day sale of the shops that was held in an enclosed, small conference room! Complete madness!! People crushing around tables for t-shirts , gift items.... Then back to the actual shops to pay.... Why is the reflection using these enclosed spaces instead of the hallways?

 

The art auctions were also in small spaces that made it feel very uncomfortable.

 

Ps: we both came home with sore throats and colds too..... Where's the black ouzo now?!!!

[C 2 C]

Nov 5th Venice

The day started off in heavy fog but winds cleared the sky and sunny but cool temperatures (mid 50-60’s) will allow plenty of photographic opportunities throughout the day. We are required to be back onboard by 3:45pm in order to attend a mandatory boat drill at 4:15. There are over 500 elites eligible for the Sky lounge social hour tonight a time that coincides with our sailaway at 5:00pm, after the sun has set. I am sure there will be many irritated cruisers who cannot view the transit of the Grand Canal from this lounge. This will also show how the new suites obstruct the best view from the Sky Lounge. St Mark’s Square, which will pass on the port side, will be best viewed from the seaside cafe or port side balconies. We are so happy that we experienced the sailaway during daylight on Solstice last year.

We have a table for two in the MDR during early dining. The menu last night offered a Shrimp Louis (baby shrimp and guacamole) appetizer, mushroom soup, prime rib for meat lovers, halibut that I picked because it was so wonderful in Blu but a disappointment last night. (I only like very mild fish that does not smell like fish, so others might have enjoyed it.) The cold tangerine soup was my dessert!!

Park West has been moved from deck 5 into the conference center to make room for another sales center for Omega and Breitling watches. Some more decorations have been put up on blank walls on the way to Tuscan and new riddles offer serious contemplation for men in the restrooms. I believe that the alterations to the original Solstice class design will provide a real challenge for scheduling events. Whereas the majority of state rooms are the same as other S-class, this ship feels more crowded as a result of additional suites and passengers.

Welcome to Celebrity Wi-Fi

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

[durante]

We were on the previous cruise, and am really enjoying your posts. Since getting off in Venice I also have developed the dreaded cough and cold, but at least survived the disaster zone which is the pre-check-in area at Venice Airport!

 

We had a great cruise, however I do agree with you about the ship feeling more overcrowded. Also the loss of the entire port side window section of the Sky Lounge is really felt. It looks unbalanced, and has no charm, and we avoided it except for going there for the Elite drinks a couple of times. We loved going to Tuscan Grille for the coffee mornings for delicious smoked salmon bagels, fresh fruit and smoothies, also loved everything about Cafe Bacio. We thought Blu was a bit hit and miss but some nights the food was good.

If I had to pick one thing to complain about, it is the really loud live music played by the group with the young woman vocalist down in the 3rd floor atrium. It was so loud that you had to shout at the Guest Relations staff for them to hear you, quite funny actually as at the time, I was trying to tell them that the music was too loud, yet they couldnt hear me properly! Also you could not carry on a conversation in Cafe Bacio either while that band was playing. We were on the 11th floor on the hump, and could hear the music from our room with the door shut. Also really loud music blaring in the pool deck at 7am? No one around, apart from a few walkers/joggers so why not have a bit of peace and quiet instead.

 

Despite all this, I would love to be back onboard instantly, and am so envious that you are staying on all the way to the US.

[Gitte]

Finally we had the chance to meet Joanne and Arno on the Reflection.

Picture in honour of the Captain Club celebration for them.

 

Gitte :)

 

[dpryo319]

Finally we had the chance to meet Joanne and Arno on the Reflection.

Picture in honour of the Captain Club celebration for them.

 

Gitte :)

 

 

 

Thats my boyfriend, Rory, playing the piano :) Thanks for the photo!

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Arno - We met a year or two ago on the Century (in Murano) when you were doing a B2B2B2B2B2B (or similar)!! :D

 

Do you know if they are offering a Chef's Table on the Reflection? If so, have you tried it? What about on other ships?

 

We've tried it on other lines, and am interested how the Chef's Table experience is on Celebrity.

 

 

THANKS,

 

Tom

[trustee55]

Hi!

 

Have a great trip, Arno and Joanne!

 

Happy Sailing,

 

Carol Ann and Richard

[C 2 C]

Nov 6th Dubrovnik

Passengers returning to the ship yesterday afternoon in Venice were welcomed to one hour long line ups at the entrance to the port. Italian immigration and customs officials were causing unanticipated delays. Many passengers were not in possession of their passports despite ship announcements that they were required to be carried when going ashore. Boat drill was delayed to the consternation of all elites onboard when they realized the social hour would be curtailed. The corridor leading to the Sky lounge was packed prior to the doors being opened about 5:20pm and the rush was on to find a seat prior to sailaway. There are nearly twice as many elites as last cruise and first night attendance indicated a much thirstier bunch as well. I believe the lounge will be a serious challenge this cruise and I might have to plan camping out in front of the door to get a seat on a sea day.

Today is a beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the low 70’s, perfect for our walking tour of Dubrovnik. We purchased the X shuttle for $12 pp but a taxi advertises 10 Euros for a ride to the old town. A return taxi trip at 13 Euros is more however, but a roundtrip would be cheaper if traveling with another couple. There is also a local bus at a great saving for the more adventuresome having local currency.

Last year’s arrival and departure on Solstice offered a much more spectacular viewing experience than one arriving before sunrise and departing after sunset such as Reflection.

 

“Invalid Login. Account has been disabled or you have typed an invalid username or password.

 

I was unable to access the internet yesterday. In the morning I had called customer relations because our account was not viewable from our stateroom. In the afternoon our account balance was available but the correction of one problem disabled the other. This morning the problem was resolved. (I thought that the computer system on board was monitoring reports in the disruptions of service and Big Brother was not happy with my posts.)

 

Last night’s elite gathering was predictably crowded with the line up beginning before ten to five (when we arrived). Within half an hour the lounge was full and many people had no place to sit. On somber reflection, I can only guess that the Elite Lounge will be “Eclipsed” next cruise.

 

The highlight of my meal last night was the butternut squash soup. The walnuts and pears it included was a culinary delight for me. By the way the onion soup on board is well stocked with savory onion, the best compared to offerings on other ships that we have sailed over the last few years (Other than the incomparable Tuscan version).

 

This morning the clock was advanced one hour as we head east. While in Tuscan for breakfast coffee this morning, Reflection changed course to investigate an inflated lifeboat along our route to Rhodes. A rescue boat was launched to investigate if someone was on board but it proved to be empty. Let us hope no one was actually lost at sea!

 

Today is the Captain’s Club Celebration at 12:30 and 2:30, Elite formal tea at 3:00pm and a formal evening, truly a very busy day requiring several changes of attire. Tomorrow night at 7:30pm is the Cruise Critic Connections gathering.

 

From my balcony overlooking the Adriatic, bye for now.

[Ships R Great]

Arno, your posts are really informative. Thanks. We do the spring TA and Med following---on Reflection.

 

Can you tell me if Capt. Pagonis will be on board 4/20-5/17? I truly hope we do not miss him. Patty

[seasearider]

Arno, did you meet with Michael Bayley on the Inaugaral cruise?

[richsea]

Thanks Arno, for your informative posts. It is enjoyable reading!

 

I am however, perplexed as to why you would knowingly book a room under the gym??:eek:

[rubrrick]

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:)

 

Claude, thanks for the note, and sometimes I don't put everything about dates in my writing here.

 

Yes, we were all together on the December 2006 Panama Canal cruise, and I probably have pictures of you in 1057, with some of the officers and us. You have an excellent memory!!

 

We just arrived home tonight, and this cruise, with Bobbie's parents was not what our 2006 cruise was, as he is in bad health, and they wanted one last cruise. We got them an RS, and we took the SS next to the Penthouse, and must say that SS's are not our cabin of choice, but we did enjoy a much larger space than most SS.

 

As I mentioned before, we booked this one for me just 5 days before sailing. So I got very lucky that we were able to switch cabins just 3 days before sailing to 6146.

 

We have a few issues that we will send off to Celebrity about the Infinity, but overall, it was a great cruise.

 

Rick

[C 2 C]

Nov 8th Rhodes cancelled.

Last evening we were to have dinner at the captain’s table with the Master but there was a last minute substitution. It seems that something happened last night that required attention. A letter which arrived this morning states:

“Yesterday evening, we experienced a technical alarm that is causing us to continue our journey at a slower speed. Since we became aware of the problem, our engineers have verified that there does not appear to be any technical issues, but rather a faulty alarm.... Regrettably, as a result of our reduced speed we will bypass Rhodes... and will sail directly to Kusadasi where we will arrive at 6:00pm. We will stay overnight until 6:00pm Friday.”

We are currently sailing at 9Kts with winds at 23Kts giving us a rolling ride through rough seas. The sky is totally overcast, temperature above 70 with intermittent rain. This incident is a total disaster for me since I had planned to pick up some “medicinal stores” to sooth my throat. Friends on board Azamara in Venice stated that crew were not allowed to visit Reflection because of the large number of staff and crew suffering from colds. Spraying continues daily in the hope of reducing the spread of this outbreak. Anyone who is boarding in Barcelona should be prepared.

[jdr93]

Nov 8th Rhodes cancelled.

- snip -

Spraying continues daily in the hope of reducing the spread of this outbreak. Anyone who is boarding in Barcelona should be prepared.

 

Spraying? what are they spraying? and where?

 

jjohn

[C 2 C]

Thursday, November 9th Kusadasi

Strong winds prevented us from entering the harbor last night so docking did not occur until this morning. Today we are enjoying bright sunshine and a temperature from the mid 60’s this morning to an almost balmy 70 this afternoon. We spent the day shopping and I finally found a watch and a leather jacket at a price that we think were bargains. It seems that prices are more attractive when you arrive on one of the last ships of the cruising season. (yes, no misprint, shopping success for me!)

We have received no more news about the status of the “warning device” that caused us to skip Rhodes but we are keeping our fingers crossed that the rest of the cruise continues as planned.

 

 

The guys spraying wear masks, spreading a mist over all floor surfaces.

[Bugeye]

We will be joining the ship for the transatlantic. We have been on too many cruises to count and many, because of their low costs, on Celebrity.

 

I feel for your problems. I have never been on a ship, except in a great suite on the QM2, where I would be Able to stand more than 14 days. At least in the Queens Grill, you have your choice of food and can eat whenever you like, breakfast, lunch or dinner.

 

Regarding Internet. It will only get worse on the TA crossing. We have had many. Dead spots

Crossing the Northern Atlantic and it is worse going towards Miami. Get your Internet use done now. At least it becomes more reliable the 24 hours before Miami and you can print

Your boarding passes.

 

I had a question on about your cabins. Did you select them or were you given them through some misfortune with Celebrity. We always carefully select our cabin and look at what is above and below the cabin. We stay away from elevators and doors to crew areas.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

...

The guys spraying wear masks, spreading a mist over all floor surfaces.

 

That mist is probably as much for the benefit of the guests (to witness them doing "something") as it is to actually address a virus - if not more so.

 

Tom

[lilbit]

My apologies up front as I have not read all the posts. Sailing on her the end of January and would love to hear your comments on the ship. THANKS!

[chessbriar]

My apologies up front as I have not read all the posts. Sailing on her the end of January and would love to hear your comments on the ship. THANKS!

Then you need to go back and read all posts by Xcellent. He's onboard and been making regular comments. Enjoy