First timers on celebrity - reflection 2/28 sailing!

[labates629]

We walked as far as we could along the beach, then we got back on to the road and a bus stopped for us for the final mile back to the ship. The bus system is so easy in GC, they literally just stop anywhere you want, and always see if people walking need a ride. There was a tender almost ready to go so that was good timing, I think it was about 5pm by the time we got back to the ship. In our now typical routine, we headed up to the Solstice Deck to relax before heading back to the cabin to get ready for the show/dinner.

 

 

 

The show that night was Solomon Jaye, who was in fact my least favorite. He was kind of a singing/tap dancing act. Watchable, but not that great. I thought he was a little unprofessional/unpolished, especially when he changed his shoes in the middle of the act! We enjoyed the band/orchestra though, who were accompanying him, they were great all week, especially big Mike on the brass section. We enjoyed seeing him in a ‘Cocktail piano’ session a couple of times during the week as well.

[labates629]

Day 4 – Ocho Rios (least favorite port this cruise!)

 

 

We had been to Jamaica a couple times before on land based vacations (Couple Ocho Rios, Hilton Rose Hall) and had already done the typical touristy things like Dunn’s falls etc so we had no real plans. We briefly contemplated doing a zip line excursion, or tubing, but just decided we were too lazy! The weather was not that great in the morning either, it was raining first thing, and then overcast for most of the day until we got back on the ship.

 

 

The port area is supposed to be greatly improved, so I hate to think what it was like before! You have to walk a little way down to get to the typical cruise area shopping, and there is quite a large police presence, presumably to prevent the locals from pestering the tourists. This did seem to work, as we did not feel threatened in any way, or harassed, although we were constantly asked if we needed a taxi (like 20 times on the way down to the shopping area), and offered drugs at least 3 times.

There are 3 different shopping areas, in close proximity – usual Diamonds International and souvenir shops. We usually avoid these but we had a brief look around, mainly to shelter from the rain, and DH wanted to check a few work emails. Here’s a pick of some Jamaican ladies in traditional dress (photos for tips only!), you can see DH in the background studying his email!

 

 

[labates629]

We also walked further along into the main town of Ocho Rios, which we never visited when we stayed in Ocho before. There were a few obvious tourists around, but we didn’t feel adventurous (brave?) enough to venture too far into town. It’s quite run down and very chaotic, but it was good to see some local culture.

 

 

 

Despite the weather we had decided to walk to Turtle Beach which is close to the port/town (now called Ocho Rios Bay beach). There is a $3 each entrance fee, $5 each for lounge chairs. There are relatively clean restrooms and changing blocks to use, and several locals and cruise ship visitors were on the beach. The vendors on the beach were less aggressive, offering beer/water/soda etc, as well as glass bottom boat rides etc. There is also a bar on this beach with stools that you can sit at and enjoy a drink. We chatted to one vendor for a while, he was telling us that they have to offer beer at $4 because the bar sells it at $5! He also told us that a new Moon Palace All Inclusive is about to open at the end of the beach, there is an older hotel in the process of renovation, as well as two new blocks being built. He and the other vendors are not happy as they are concerned the new hotel will impact their business. We have been to the Moon Palace in Mexico, and I have to say I was surprised they would pick this spot to build a hotel, as the beach was quite a limited area at the end that they are building, and the view is directly of the cruise ship port! The beach is ok right there at the port, but there are way more beautiful scenic beaches in Jamaica.

 

 

We returned to the ship via a bar close to the port called Ocean’s 11, so I could hopefully take advantage of some free wifi and touch base with the kids, and enjoy a cocktail of course! Here’s a view of the ship from the bar.

 

 

 

[wareagle98]

Great review thus far! Thanks for sharing!!

[upwarduk]

I am loving this review, we will be on Reflection for the first time in October.

[labates629]

I'm very jealous of you guys who are going to be on the Reflection soon!

 

The wifi was basically useless (slow) at the bar, so we did not stay long after our drinks. I had some Jamaican $ from our last trip to Jamaica, which I gave to the unsmiling waitress and she was not happy, telling me they were for souvenirs only! I had already paid the bill in US $, I just gave them to her for an additional tip. When back on the boat, we asked one of the Jamaican bartenders (Warren) if that was true, as it had been a couple years since we were in Jamaica, but he confirmed Jamaica $ were still legal currency and that the waitress probably just wanted/preferred US $. This was the only day I was very glad to get back on the ship, I think I would not bother getting off if we take a cruise which included Ocho Rios again, unless we had planned an excursion.

 

 

 

Here’s a view up the coast from the ship, the weather did brighten up considerably soon after this, so we enjoyed the sunshine on the Solstice deck as we sailed away.

 

 

 

 

 

The show tonight was a ‘musical madman’ Dave something… He was amazing, probably my favorite show, he was very talented. Dinner again was at around 8pm (we had a reservation), we were out of the MDR by 9pm and enjoyed listening to Walker Black for a while as well as some casino time.

 

 

 

We also went to something called 'Bed' on the pool deck, which I think the cruise director said was a new thing maybe? It started at 10.15pm til about 11pm. They had set up 'beds' on the pool deck around the stage (complete with pillows/sheets and blankets!) using the cushioned wicker beds, and there was a duo called Skylab sounds playing some chilled out music, almost meditation style at one point, plus some reggae! It was certainly different, the music was pretty good, I think we even fell asleep at one point. It was quite well attended, all the 'beds' were taken at one point. The girl singer was very good, and played the flute too, the guy was Jamaican born (but from Canada), hence the reggae influence. Would definitely recommend this for a chilled out end to the day.

[kprice1218]

Thanks for the review, we are sailing on the Reflection 3/28/15 and are really looking forward to it, it will be our first cruise on Celebrity.

[relaxatsea]

Thanks so much for your great review and photos!

 

We will be on the Reflection for the first time in December, so are very interested in everything you have to say.

[Iamthesea]

We also thought the Foyer area on the 3rd floor was just too small for some of the events/activities that were held there (bands/dancing with the Reflection Stars etc) – there just wasn’t enough room to gather round and watch, people were hanging over the 4th floor balcony to watch below and the area seemed very crowded at times. I think some of the events would have been better if they were held in the Sky Observation Lounge, more space/better viewing ability from several seating areas. For such a large ship, it seemed strange that one of the main entertainment areas was so small! Although it was still a good atmosphere in that central foyer area most days, so I think it does work, you just have to get there early to get a good spot if you really want to see something with a good view.

Agree!

 

Same thing with the Ensemble lounge a little bit – it seemed like it became a kind of ‘corridor’ or walk through between the bar and the seating areas on one side for people getting to the specialty restaurants which obstructed the view of the musicians, and lessened the intimacy of the lounge. The Ensemble lounge was one of my favorite places though so i'ts not a bit issue or a criticism, just an observation. The comparison I have is to the Serenade off the Seas, which had truly separate lounges where events were held (such as Bolero/Schooner Bar etc) which just seemed to flow better and accommodate people more comfortably.

Great people watching area, though. :D And we are also watched when walking through to get to Blu.:rolleyes:

 

I think the Solstice deck was one off my favorite spots on the ship, especially when we were able to get one of the wicker padded loungers, although all the loungers were comfortably padded. There is a great buzzer system for drink service. A note on loungers – chair saving appeared to be happening in full force with no regulation at all that I noticed. There are no signs that I saw telling people not to save chairs, although it was mentioned on the daily newsletter. I noticed some chairs left unattended for hours with personal items on them – where are these people?! I wish Celebrity would take action regarding this process. Here's a pic from later in the day when it was virtually empty:

 

WOW...the Solstice deck is set up differently from the same decks on the other Solstice class ships. Not nearly as many chairs on the Equinox, Sillie or Eclipse. We don't like that lounge chair crowding, and why we loved that deck on the other cruises.:( What do you mean about "great buzzer system fro drink service"? Never heard of that on the other ships, either.:confused:[/size]

 

kprice1218 - We will be on the same cruise. Come on over the Roll Call for this cruise. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1917857

Edited March 9, 2015 by Iamthesea

[freddiebud]

Can't wait until the end. Need to know. Did hubby enjoy himself?

[labates629]

Agree!

 

 

Great people watching area, though. :D And we are also watched when walking through to get to Blu.:rolleyes:

 

 

 

WOW...the Solstice deck is set up differently from the same decks on the other Solstice class ships. Not nearly as many chairs on the Equinox, Sillie or Eclipse. We don't like that lounge chair crowding, and why we loved that deck on the other cruises.:( What do you mean about "great buzzer system fro drink service"? Never heard of that on the other ships, either.:confused:[/size]

 

 

 

kprice1218 - We will be on the same cruise. Come on over the Roll Call for this cruise. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1917857

 

There's a little buzzer on several of the lounge chairs, that you can 'ring' or 'buzz' I guess! to get the server to come up to the Solstice deck. To be honest, there was a always a server coming by anyway so we never needed to use the buzzer system. There is a sign at the top of the stairways indicating that you can ring for service. I agree there were a lot of chairs crowded in, but not many people seemed to sit on them because they were so close together, other than seas days when they were pretty much full!

[labates629]

Can't wait until the end. Need to know. Did hubby enjoy himself?

 

He actually did! More than he thought he would. Definitely said he would cruise again, and even a longer cruise. but in a balcony at least. So I'm already planning :D

[labates629]

Day 5 - Labadee!!

 

 

We had never been to Labadee before, only Coco Cay, so we were looking forward to this port as it would be an easy beach day. I liked the way this itinerary was spaced out, with Labadee and then a sea day at the end, very relaxing! Not that we did much other than relax on the other days really lol!

 

 

We were in the gym as we were approaching the pier, and had a great view of the sail in/ docking from the area outside the gym after our workout. It was a beautiful sunny day, and we arrived ahead of schedule at around 9.40am. There was an announcement stating that disembarkation would not be allowed until after provisions etc were taken to the island, I think it was about half an hour later that people were allowed to disembark.

 

Here’s some shots as we sailed in:

 

 

 

 

It was going to be a beautiful day!

[labates629]

We did really enjoy Labadee (me more than DH), the scenery is absolutely breathtaking with beautiful beaches/ clear water. I know most people love it as well, but we did think it was just a little bit ‘disney-fied’ if you know what I mean! I just made that word up I think. I realize it’s an area of Haiti just for the cruise line, but I’m not sure a roller coaster/zip line etc are really necessary?

 

 

 

We were also a little concerned about the number of security guards/police that were present. Was it really going to be that unsafe? We did notice some locals behind the barbed wire fence at the edge of the dining area at Columbus Cove sitting on the rocks peering over, so I wonder if that’s why there is a big security presence hanging around. It wasn’t a huge deal, or really that threatening in any way, but just something we noticed I guess.

 

 

 

We found the vendors in teh shopping areas to be quite insistent, not really aggressive, just a little annoying but I guess they are just trying to make a living.

 

 

 

That aside, the views were beautiful, we enjoyed just watching the water, the palm trees etc and swimming was great. After we arrived, we wondered down to Columbus Cove and an attendant got us some chairs under a palm tree for shade – here's the view - idyllic:

 

 

What could be better?!

 

 

[labates629]

I had read on the newsletter not to ‘pay for chairs’ or reserve, so when the pool butler appeared to be hanging around after he got our chairs for us I realized he just wanted a tip. Presumably this is normal – we weren’t paying for the chairs, so hopefully I wasn’t breaking any rules by giving him a few $$!

 

 

 

We really enjoyed relaxing by the beach, it was pretty quiet at first until more people arrived. I wouldn’t say it was overcrowded that day (just us in port) but I suspect it would be if 2 ships were in port including a larger ship like the Oasis for example. Unfortunately a very noisy group sat next to us, yelling to each other and playing their own music very loudly which was quite annoying. The more they drank, the louder they got…. I really don’t know why people can’t use headphones, do you really think we all want to listen to your taste in music?!! OK, rant over! They did go off on a jetski tour later so it did quieten down again which was nice.

 

 

 

The BBQ lunch was better than I was expecting, very nice fish and chicken. There were also steak, ribs, burgers and hotdogs if you wanted them (I didn’t) plus salads/fruit and cookies/cakes for dessert. For those that haven’t been, there are 3 different areas serving food, so it did not seem crowded at all, really very civilized (unlike my experience at Coco Cay). We found a quite spot to sit easily and enjoyed lunch. We noticed the security guards filling up plates of meat, then packaging them up to take with them, presumably to their families. That made me feel kind of bad about the excesses of food we have, and the wastage that was evident on the ship. We forget how lucky we are sometimes I think.

 

There was also a musical group playing some local tunes which was nice to listen to over lunch. And later there was a local dance group at the dock as well.

 

After lunch we took a walk around and checked out the shopping areas and the other beach areas (Barefoot Bay, Nellie’s beach etc), but decided Columbus Cove was our preferred area, with a great view of the ship (see photo above).

[labates629]

There really is no need for a tram to get around, as it’s totally walkable (except for the less physically able of course).

 

 

 

Despite my comments above which could be considered a little negative, we really did enjoy our day relaxing on Labadee, and in fact I think we were one of the last few people to get back on the ship. We took a little detour on the way back to the pier to a little lookout point on our way back. Here’s a couple pics from that lookout:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[labates629]

We definitely preferred Labadee to Coco Cay, all things considered. Here's one more photo of that beautiful water:

 

 

 

 

Back on the ship, we decided we had enjoyed enough sun for one day, and stopped for a drink at the Passport bar as we pulled out of the port. Then we hiked the stairs up to the 10th floor to our cabin. We made it our rule not to use the elevator all week, and we stuck to that the entire time other than the first/last day with our carry ons! On most port days it was tough going from floor 2 up to the Solstice deck :).

 

 

Today was the 2nd formal night, so we dressed up even though we were going to the Tuscan Grill for dinner after the show. The show tonight was the Reflection Stars, and this was my favorite of their 3 shows with some amazing acrobatics/athletic prowess. Very impressive!

 

 

 

For the formal nights we probably noticed about 5-10% of people in tuxedos and gowns, the majority of men had jackets/ties and ladies wearing nicer dresses. Also about 20% people didn’t bother to dress up at all, not sure where they were having dinner, hopefully not in the MDR! I won’t go over the food again as I mentioned this in an earlier post, but we did very much enjoy our meal at the Tuscan Grill, great dinner after a perfect day!

 

 

 

There was also a ‘Dancing with the Stars’ type competition (with the Stars of the Reflection) in the Foyer that night which we watched for a while, although I can’t remember exactly if it was actually this night or the night before! That was kind of hilarious to watch, a lot of fun. They had the ‘musical madman’ Dave judging, and CD Alex and Jamie (Activity Director?) leading it. But it was a little hard to see much to be honest as that area is kind of small and crowded as I mentioned earlier.

 

 

 

Another thing that happened on this day was that we won the raffle in the casino (with the little tickets they give you to enter the raffle while playing BlackJack all week). We won $200 of slot machine credits/a casino t- shirt (not sure what I will do with that!)/2 free drink coupons/3 $5 match play coupons. Not bad considering we only had 3 entry tickets for the raffle, when some people had dozens! We then proceeded to win about $100 with those slot credits that night and the next! So we felt very lucky :D

Edited March 9, 2015 by labates629

[Bimmer09]

Thanks for such a well written and generously-detailed review. The photos are excellent and really help tell your story.

 

I've been to Ocho Rios 44 times as I used to work for RCCL (RCI) in the mid 80's on the Song of Norway.

 

It was a ramshackle shanty town then and the people were obviously poor. A cruise ship docking regularly was a great opportunity for them to improve their lot long-term, but they chose to be aggressive and pushy which may be their way among themselves, but they misjudged their visitors and even then there were repeat cruisers who would rather stay on the ship. The only way to really relax there was to take a taxi-and remind the driver not to drive like an idiot- to a hotel such as the Sans Souci where a private beach would ensure you weren't bothered by aggressive sellers of stuff you had no need for. I feel sorry for the locals that they killed the goose that laid the golden egg through being insensitive to visitors.

 

On a happier note....

 

We have booked our first X cruise for next January on the Silhouette so reviews like this really help to give me the flavor of the experience.

 

Cheers!

 

Norris (Brit in Chicago)

[labates629]

Day 6 – Last sea day (boo hoo!)

 

 

Once more, another lazy day J. We got up and worked out before breakfast. What with that and all the stair walking, managed not to gain any weight! Plus all the walking we did in ports instead of sitting at my desk all day. Might be a good reason to be on a permanent cruise – good for your health perhaps?!! ;)

 

 

 

We were a bit late getting up and out today, and couldn’t find anywhere to sit on the Solstice deck that had shade, or on 15 or the pool deck either, but we didn’t try too hard as we wanted to go to the galley tour at 11.30am. So we just sat in the Solarium for a while which was nice, although a little stuffy as it was very warm that day. I went in the hot tub for the first time, which was enjoyable, not too hot.

 

 

We went back to the cabin to put closed toe shoes on (which were apparently required for the tour according to the Daily), and headed down to deck 3 MDR where the tour was starting from. When we got there, half of the participants had on sandals/flip flops! Yet another example of Celebrity not enforcing their own rules/dress code. We were offered mimosa/sparkling wine/white wine on the way in which was a nice surprise. They showed a little video of the different restaurants etc and the food/beverage director (I’m sure he’s called something more official than that!) held a short Q & A session then we split into 2 groups (about 15 in each approx.) to tour the galley.

 

 

 

It was very interesting to see the flow of food and how they organize everything in different stations, and also great to see everything was very clean, no clutter anywhere. Even the dishwashing area was spotless! They were in the process of making the fancier desserts for the ‘sea day brunch’ or enhanced buffet as they call it (in place of the traditional sea day brunch in the MDR which used to be held). We enjoyed the tour, but it was kind of hard to hear our guide (one of the chefs) as he spoke quietly and his English was not great and or course it was loud in the kitchen!

 

 

We then found a spot to sit in the shade behind the Porch (which did not seem very popular, probably because it was so hot in there!) and relaxed for a while before lunch.

[labates629]

We had lunch in the OV café, and it was kind of an ‘enhanced’ buffet for want of a better word with ice sculptures/melon sculptures. However, this was one of the times it felt really overwhelming (# of people) in there, not helped by the fact that people were taking lots of photos, and the opening hours for lunch were quite short (12-2pm). The desserts were the best feature, very nice selection of nicer cakes than usual, with a chocolate fountain (not self service, thankfully!). Surprisingly, even though the buffet lines/area seemed crowded, it was easy to find a quiet table, I think lots of people were taking their plates back to their lounge chairs to eat.

 

 

That afternoon, we once again lazed around on our loungers, reading and enjoying the live music by the pool. They had what they called a ‘Musical Explosion’ with all the bands/musical groups playing together, which was really very good. There was also some ‘pool olympics’, officers vs guests volleyball but we didn’t really pay attention to any of that.

 

 

Then – (after a final Happy hour drink of course!) the dreaded packing, which didn’t take too long. We put our cases out before we left for the show at 7pm in case we weren’t back by 11pm to do this (we weren’t!).

 

 

 

The show tonight was another comedian, AJ Jamal (who apparently was a TV star but I had never heard of him!). He was better than the first once, but still not great, some of the jokes were kind of old. But he was funny enough and we enjoyed it. Although definitely not very 'PC'!! I think it would be better to end on a higher note though – perhaps the Reflection Stars?

 

 

 

Dinner in the MDR was good on our last night, I had the Veal parmigiana and DH had the flank steak (I think!). We had the same table for 4 (for just the two of us) that we had had for 3 nights, so had built up a bit of a rapport with the waiter Eldho and his assistant Larry.

 

We finished up our last night listening to Walker Black in the Ensemble lounge, which was wonderful, then headed to bed around 11.30pm. To be honest the ship seemed kind of empty on the last evening, maybe everyone was packing? This surprised me a little, we really wanted to enjoy our last evening and make the most of it!

[labates629]

Day 7 – Disembarkation

 

 

I thought it was a little odd that the cabin steward had removed our toiletries from the shower the night before (I probably should have written this under Day 6 I guess!), and put new robes in the closet, as well as rearranged some of the cabin information that I had put out of the way. Were we not supposed to take a shower on the final morning?! I see there is a separate thread on this, and I have to agree with the OP on that thread, that while I understand the need to get ready for the next guests, I thought this was unnecessary. I also didn’t like the fact that our robes would have been hanging in ‘someone else’s cabin the night before we arrived and they could have inadvertently used them. The new linen was also in one of the overhead cabinets (which I didn’t touch). That aside, as I said earlier, we received great service from our cabin attendant and had no complaints.

 

 

We went up for breakfast around 8am, leaving the ‘do not disturb’ sign on. Surprisingly the Oceanview was not really busy at all, so we enjoyed a last leisurely breakfast, and headed back to the cabin to pack a few final items, leaving about 9.15 I think. We were scheduled to leave at 10.10am (we had a 12.45pm flight back to Chicago from Miami) and waited by the Molecular Bar but there was an announcement just before 10am that all luggage was off and everyone should proceed to the gangway. We retrieved bags literally right away, sand Customs/immigration was a breeze, minimal wait times.

 

 

 

There was a HUGE line for taxis, literally 300 people I would estimate. We used our Uber app and were picked up in about 5 minutes, arriving at MIA around 10.45am. Cheaper than a taxi too, at around $13. Too soon we were spotting the snow covered fields as we landed at O’Hare – vacation was over!

[labates629]

Summary:

 

 

We loved this cruise! We thought the ship was amazing, and really enjoyed the Celebrity service and general atmosphere/feel of the ship.

 

 

 

We really enjoyed the entertainment, particularly the live music. Some nights it was tough to decide what to do there was so much choice! We would definitely cruise again with Celebrity and on a Solstice class for sure, it really does suit us.

 

 

We thought the captain was very personable and informative (at the Captain’s Club invite held in the Sky lounge), and the Cruise Director was kind of fun, I know he is not to some people’s taste, but we thought he was fine. His choice of suits was certainly interesting! He did tend to say the same things every night after the shows though, which I believe is a common criticism – he needs to learn some new jokes! It must be a tough job though. All the staff seemed genuinely happy and helpful, we didn’t really encounter any that weren’t. The MDR Select hostess seemed a little stressed at times, and could smile more, but her job is probably one of the toughest on the ship!

 

 

Favorite places on the ship: Solstice Deck, Café al Baccio/Gelato are, Gym (yes really), Ensemble lounge, Sky observation bar.

 

 

 

Least favorite places: Hideaway, Library, Aqua Spa café (we did not find this a great place to sit and eat). Probably because this was a ‘sunny’ cruise and we preferred to be outside.

 

 

More than happy to answer questions any one has! Happy cruising :D

[labates629]

Thanks for such a well written and generously-detailed review. The photos are excellent and really help tell your story.

 

I've been to Ocho Rios 44 times as I used to work for RCCL (RCI) in the mid 80's on the Song of Norway.

 

It was a ramshackle shanty town then and the people were obviously poor. A cruise ship docking regularly was a great opportunity for them to improve their lot long-term, but they chose to be aggressive and pushy which may be their way among themselves, but they misjudged their visitors and even then there were repeat cruisers who would rather stay on the ship. The only way to really relax there was to take a taxi-and remind the driver not to drive like an idiot- to a hotel such as the Sans Souci where a private beach would ensure you weren't bothered by aggressive sellers of stuff you had no need for. I feel sorry for the locals that they killed the goose that laid the golden egg through being insensitive to visitors.

 

On a happier note....

 

We have booked our first X cruise for next January on the Silhouette so reviews like this really help to give me the flavor of the experience.

 

Cheers!

 

Norris (Brit in Chicago)

 

Hello fellow Brit in Chicago! Thanks for your comments on Ocho Rios, I feel sorry for the locals too, especially after chatting with the one (non agrressive) vendor on the beach. They really are just trying to make a living, but like you say could do it in a better way.

 

You will love your Silhouette cruise I'm sure!

[kpkcruiser]

Awesome review!!! Thanks !!!!!!!

[Zoey1]

Summary:

 

 

We loved this cruise! We thought the ship was amazing, and really enjoyed the Celebrity service and general atmosphere/feel of the ship.

 

 

 

We really enjoyed the entertainment, particularly the live music. Some nights it was tough to decide what to do there was so much choice! We would definitely cruise again with Celebrity and on a Solstice class for sure, it really does suit us.

 

 

We thought the captain was very personable and informative (at the Captain’s Club invite held in the Sky lounge), and the Cruise Director was kind of fun, I know he is not to some people’s taste, but we thought he was fine. His choice of suits was certainly interesting! He did tend to say the same things every night after the shows though, which I believe is a common criticism – he needs to learn some new jokes! It must be a tough job though. All the staff seemed genuinely happy and helpful, we didn’t really encounter any that weren’t. The MDR Select hostess seemed a little stressed at times, and could smile more, but her job is probably one of the toughest on the ship!

 

 

Favorite places on the ship: Solstice Deck, Café al Baccio/Gelato are, Gym (yes really), Ensemble lounge, Sky observation bar.

 

 

 

Least favorite places: Hideaway, Library, Aqua Spa café (we did not find this a great place to sit and eat). Probably because this was a ‘sunny’ cruise and we preferred to be outside.

 

 

More than happy to answer questions any one has! Happy cruising :D

 

Thank you so much for your wonderfully detailed review , really felt like I was there while reading it, and this of course made me more excited for out turn!