Live on Reflection: 14 Nt Exotic Southern Caribbean (Jan 4)

[SeaGams]

Thanks for all the wonderful photos and commentary.  We will be boarding Reflection in 31 days with another group of Harley riders, our 9th year in a row.  Looking forward to meeting another Chicagoan on our 1-31-20 Silhouette 14 night cruise.  

 

Toni

[mahdnc]

3 minutes ago, SeaGams said:

Thanks for all the wonderful photos and commentary.  We will be boarding Reflection in 31 days with another group of Harley riders, our 9th year in a row.  Looking forward to meeting another Chicagoan on our 1-31-20 Silhouette 14 night cruise.  

 

Toni

And what if the Bears make it to the Super Bowl which is in Miami on Feb 2?

[SeaGams]

58 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

And what if the Bears make it to the Super Bowl which is in Miami on Feb 2?

We watch the game onboard and frequent the bars.  And of course wear our Bears jerseys.  May help their chances if they get a new kicker next season.

 

Toni

[jagoffee]

1 hour ago, mahdnc said:

And what if the Bears make it to the Super Bowl which is in Miami on Feb 2?

Then, it will be a great Super Bowl party for us.

[SeaGams]

Chicago fans are eternally optimistic.  And even if they don’t go to the Super Bowl we will be on a wonderful 14 night cruise in the warm and sunny Caribbean, instead of cold, snowy and gloomy Chicago.  It will still be a great Super Bowl party.  What part of Chicago are you from?  We’re in the NW suburbs.

[mahdnc]

1 hour ago, SeaGams said:

What part of Chicago are you from?  We’re in the NW suburbs.

 

Far southern suburbs. We're south of Orland Park and south of I-80.

[mahdnc]

Our Calabaza sailing trip went very well. The weather was perfect, the food was scrumptious, service was awesome, and the boat ride was smooth. 

 

We stopped twice for some snorkelling. Once to see sea turtles and a stingray. The second stop was over at a coral reef and a shallow wreck. 

[mahdnc]

There are the ships at Bridgetown today.

 

MSC Prezosa

Edited January 8, 2019 by mahdnc

[mahdnc]

Costa Magica

Edited January 8, 2019 by mahdnc

[mahdnc]

And Reflection

[memoak]

Those black jack rules are pretty much the same that other lines have been using for several years.  This is really not a surprise

[Canuker]

May I ask what you are using to take these excellent photographs.
You have a very good eye for composition.
Thanks for sharing with us.

[pna]

Can you use cash in the slot machines in the casino?

 

[mahdnc]

The Bridgetown harbor is very compact with little maneuvering room.  We have to reverse out of port and then execute a 90 degree turn as we back out.

 

The evening sky is beautiful. 

Edited January 8, 2019 by mahdnc

[mahdnc]

1 hour ago, Canuker said:

May I ask what you are using to take these excellent photographs.
You have a very good eye for composition.
Thanks for sharing with us.

 

Thank you. Most of my photos are taken with my iPhone X. Underwater photos are taken with a Canon S120 in an underwater housing. I also have a Nikon D5500 that I use for a few telephoto pictures like the one of Celebrity Edge sailing by us

[mahdnc]

We are eating at The Lawn Club Grill tonight. My son is trying his hand at "making" the flatbread with his older sister cheering him on...

[mahdnc]

Here he is inspecting his masterpiece...

[chamima]

22 hours ago, mahdnc said:

I usually wait until the second week to play blackjack at the casino. Today I strolled through there just to check things out because the casino seemed to be busier than normal. 

 

I was a bit surprised at what I saw. It appears most of the tables now pay out a natural blackjack at 6:5 instead of the traditional 3:2 (a trend that I've seen in  Las Vegas). Tonight there was:

 

1. A single deck game, $5 min, 6:5 for a natural blackjack. Two players at the table. 

 

2. A multiple deck game, $5 min, 6:5 payout. There were two tables and they were full. 

 

3. A multiple deck game, $15 min, 6:5. No players

 

4. A multiple deck game $50 min, 3:2. No players

 

5. A multiple deck game, $100 min, 3:2. No players. 

 

So you now have to play at the $50 tables or higher to get the traditional 3:2 payout for a natural (2 card) blackjack. 😔

 

 

 

 

10 hours ago, chamima said:

 

My husband enjoys playing blackjack when we cruise but has pretty much stopped playing on Celebrity because of this change.

It'll be interesting to see if they change back to 3:2 on the $5 and $15  tables after a few nights of no players with the 6:5 .

 

1 hour ago, memoak said:

Those black jack rules are pretty much the same that other lines have been using for several years.  This is really not a surprise

 

 

Just off a Princess cruise - they are still doing the 3:2

 

As I said - if the tables remain empty I expect they'll change on this cruise. The house still has the advantage at 3:2 .

[chamima]

29 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

Here he is inspecting his masterpiece...

 

That flatbread looks really good!

(And your son looks just like Mark Consuelos!)

[jonsmom]

We are booked on Calabazza as well.  Was this your first trip with them? Did you enjoy it?

[mahdnc]

Warm chocolate chip cookie, Lawn Club Grill's signature dessert....

[mahdnc]

1 hour ago, jonsmom said:

We are booked on Calabazza as well.  Was this your first trip with them? Did you enjoy it?

 

We did Calabaza one other time in Jan 2015. Both trips were excellent. They only take 12 passengers per boat. The service is friendly, attentive, and accommodating. The whole experience is very very very relaxing. Of course, good weather helps, too. 

 

They carry all the snorkeling equipment on the boat and either the captain or first mate go in the water to guide you to the points of interest. They are accommodating of people with different snorkeling abilities.  The time in the water at each of the two stops is not overly long. Entering and exiting the water is made easy with short ladders at two different locations at the beck of the boat. 

 

Alcohol, sodas, and food are available immediately at the start of the trip. Lunch is very good, too. I was by myself for a while sitting at the front of the boat. Gina (owner) and her crew would come out to bring me drinks, bring me second helpings and bring me dessert which was really nice because I was too lazy to get up and get it myself. 

 

They take photos of you and the sea life and pay them for you to download for free a few days after the trip. 

 

The excursion price also includes transportation from the pier and back which is great because of the traffic hustle and bustle at the port. 

 

Calabaza offers the rare combination of low price, more time, and low passenger count compared to buying something similar thru the ship. 

 

One of the CCers on our roll call, tallcva, was on board and it was his sixth time.  Calabaza it's extremely popular on Cruise Critic (and highly rated on TripAdvisor) and they often sell out a year or more in advance.  

 

Gina (owner, on the left) and tallcva (6 time customer) discuss the power plant visible from the boat on the way back to the dock. 

Edited January 9, 2019 by mahdnc

[jonsmom]

Thank you for taking the time to write such an informative response.  I did book last April for this April's trip.  Sounds like a wonderful day.

[mahdnc]

Dinner at The Lawn Club Grill tonight was excellent. This was the first time we have eaten there. All four of us enjoyed our meals. The flatbread was great. The steaks are terrific and are much better than what we've had in the past at the Tuscan Grille. The lobster mac and cheese was very tasty. I also enjoyed the grilled kebabs. 

 

You can order as much as you want of the menu. They also allow you to order more food if you're still hungry. 

 

The salad bar is very ordinary. Dessert  selection is also unimpressive and it becomes inadequate if you don't like their prized dessert, the warm chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream (we liked it). 

 

It was nice to be seated outdoors although it is well sheltered. It's just too bad that the sun sets so early at this time of year which robs you of any views. 

Edited January 9, 2019 by mahdnc

[jagoffee]

7 hours ago, SeaGams said:

Chicago fans are eternally optimistic.  And even if they don’t go to the Super Bowl we will be on a wonderful 14 night cruise in the warm and sunny Caribbean, instead of cold, snowy and gloomy Chicago.  It will still be a great Super Bowl party.  What part of Chicago are you from?  We’re in the NW suburbs.

We are in unincorporated Lake county.  We are near RT 176/RT 60/83.

Near the Target and Home Depot.

 

How about you?