11 Night Ultimate Caribbean Cruise Photo Review - Celebrity Reflection

[Marvy Mare]

March 11 - DAY 10 - Georgetown, Grand Cayman

 

 

Very quiet in the Solarium at 7am. People were actually able to swim lengths.

 

 

 

 

I did return a little later for a swim.That's not me. I was taking the pictures, but it could have been. It was still pretty quiet in there and I was able to do a few lengths. Always enjoyable. 

 

The person on the right isn't me either. But when I swim, I do get my hair wet. A funny story about that. One afternoon I was in the solarium pool. It was too crowded at that time to actually swim, so I was just walking around. I stopped to talk to someone that I knew and while we were talking another woman jumped into the pool splashing everyone. "*****!," said my companion, "I paid $60 for this hairstyle. That's why we don't let kids in here." If  the jumper in the pool had been paying attention she may have noticed that many of the ladies were doing their utmost to keep their hair dry and probably makeup intact too. Anyway, my companion apologized to the pool jumper for her outburst. I didn't hear an apology in return. As I was getting leaving the pool area shortly afterwards I turned to see people crowded around someone at the edge of the pool. She had fallen getting out of the pool. That part wasn't funny (I don't know if she was injured) but I think the person who fell was the one who jumped in. Maybe a few too many margaritas.

 

 

Edited April 5, 2020 by Marvy Mare
correction

[frteach]

Thanks for keeping up with your review, Mare. You have many who still follow, but don't always comment. The weather has been nice for the last 3 days here too,  so we're getting out and doing 'spring cleanup' of a very large lawn. As far as swimming in the pools, I make a point of going in all of them and the hot tubs too, every trip. Looking forward to your Grand Cayman and disembarkation comments. Bet you were glad that your cruise went ahead, even though the end was certainly stressful. This will be our first year in several without any cruise at all. 

[Marvy Mare]

Next time I’ll try the outside pools too. The hot tubs aren’t as appealing. Just got out of ours here at home. I don’t have too much to report about Grand Cayman. Just a little too crowded.
I’m very glad that our cruise went ahead. A week into our cruise someone asked, ‘ Would you go on this cruise if it was leaving today?’ I said Yes & Ken said No. He’s a realist & I’m an optimist. A few days later, I just wanted to go home. 

It was cool here today and windy. The sun just came out. Back to yard work tomorrow. 
 

Maris

[cruisingxpert]

Still following and appreciate your efforts.

[Perky1]

I’m still following too!  This is the cruise we should have been doing on Apr. 13 and Cartagena, Bonaire and Grand Cayman (solarium) we’re our excursions we had planned.  Also had Irie Tours (colorful buses) booked for Curaçao and just going to beach in Aruba.  So sad we missed this but will try to book another once cruising is back up and running safely.  Thank you

[CruiserFromMaine]

Still here too. Hoping we get on in December...

[Marvy Mare]

8 hours ago, Perky1 said:

I’m still following too!  This is the cruise we should have been doing on Apr. 13 and Cartagena, Bonaire and Grand Cayman (solarium) we’re our excursions we had planned.  Also had Irie Tours (colorful buses) booked for Curaçao and just going to beach in Aruba.  So sad we missed this but will try to book another once cruising is back up and running safely.  Thank you

Barb & Kevin

April the 13th, that's too bad. Exactly a month after we returned to Fort Lauderdale. I will get beyond the solarium and actually into Georgetown.😂. When I start this in the morning, I never know what the day will bring. A beach in Aruba is a good choice. I do hope cruising is back up and running safely again.

 

Maris

[Marvy Mare]

Thank you for letting me know that you're still with me. I realize that people follow along and don't comment. I do it myself all the time. But it's nice to hear from at least one person each day. I do enjoy doing this and it's like a diary for myself, but I also like to share and connect. Especially now, when most our connections are digital. Will we spend less time on our cell phones when this is all over?

 

March 11 - DAY 10 - Georgetown, Gand Cayman (for real this time)

 

Georgetown came into view around 10:30am. Starboard side got the best view this time, so we stayed up on deck. I stood by an opening to get photos. There was a man with a digital camera standing next to me and next to him a man with a Canon camera and I think he had a 70-200 lens. I would love one of those but I think I will have to get a job first. I'll figure something out. 😁. That lens could travel on vacation with me. Fairly large in size but not ridiculous. Ken could leave some stuff at home to lighten the load. I would have loved to ask him about it, but I'm kind of shy and you just never know about photographers. Anyone I guess, but some people are more approachable than others. He might have just thought that this crazy old lady was trying to pick him up. I'm sure that he got some great photos.

 

 

 

 

 

Look at all those ships - I think I can count 5 cruise ships in this photo.  

 

Norwegian Breakaway I think

MSC Meraviglia (now that's strange - auto correct corrected me correctly on that word -Meraviglia?, Carnival Sensation

 

Probably visitors arriving for March Break. I wonder how long they stayed?

 

We could see tenders running back and forth. Looks like they would be letting us on the island. We worried about that every stop. The Breakaway seems to be using it's own tenders.

 

By 11:15 we were almost parked.

 

Royal Caribbean - Liberty of the Seas

 

I think this is a Windstar - It's not on the list I had ahead of time.

 

It's called the Club Med 2

 

[Marvy Mare]

After the ship got all settled in place we relaxed in the shade for awhile. I believe that I read somewhere that at one time there were docks in Georgetown that were destroyed in a hurricane and never replaced. The fact that there are only tenders in Grand Cayman, doesn't seem to hurt it's popularity. It must be the location too. A stop off point for those coming and going. Personally I don't like waiting in line to get on or off the boat. 

We were waiting for Open Tender (when they had finished calling all the numbered tickets that people picked up). We had lunch in the cafeteria as usual and then headed back to our room to change into go to shore clothes and wait on our deck. 

This time in port, our view was of the sea.

 

 

 

 

It was probably around 2:30 when they called open tender. Our shipboard friends decided to stay onboard. Ken liked that idea too. But I wanted to go ashore, just to walk around. We don't get to Georgetown everyday. We had been there on our last cruise and just did a walk around. I was thinking of booking something but with all those boats in port, I just wasn't too sure.

As mentioned Ken wanted to stay onboard. I may have threatened to go alone, I'm not sure but Ken acquested and we soon found ourselves at the front of the line waiting for a tender. We had just missed the last boat. It really wasn't too long a wait for the next one. The crew that was working there were enjoying the break. I don't think they get many of those during the day. Two young crew members were sent out on our tender as well. They looked so excited, I thought that they were getting a break ashore. But no, they were just the shore hand sanitizer guys. I'm sure I mentioned before but I'll mention again; the ship was kept scrupulously clean. Crew were constantly wiping down every surface. No matter what time I got up in the morning I encountered cleaners. The tender was no different. They sanitized the entire boat after every trip. 

 

The Norwegian Breakaway from the tender.

 

Liberty of the Seas

 

Carnival - not many balconies on that ship. The few on the side look like an afterthought.

 

 

I think that's from the Norwegian.

 

 

 

Ken was right. Ken was right. I said that twice because every time I say that, he asks me to repeat it. Often up to three times. OK - Once more - Ken was right. He will be reading this. The town was so crowded. Walking around wasn't even a pleasant option. I didn't take pictures of the crowds but it was crazy. Most of the other ships were sailing away earlier than us so I guess all the people were gathering to get back to their ships.

I suggested that we go for a walk along the shoreline and find a bar somewhere near the water, grab a beverage and relax for a few minutes. We did manage to find a waterside restaurant. There were no seats by the water but there were a couple of spots at the bar. We each ordered a local beer. It was quite expensive. Can't remember how much but we were surprised. There was a young woman sitting next to Ken. She seemed to be a local. The bartender made her some kind of a drink. He mixed up too much and she offered my the extra glass. I took it. It was good. The young woman started talking to us and asked where we were from. When someone asks, you go down the list - Canada - Ontario - Toronto - Peterborough - Lakefield. She knew all those places. Turns out she was from Collingwood, Ontario and went to university in Peterborough (the small city close to us). Her sister is currently teaching (well was at that time) French Immersion in a school about 15km. from our house. Small world again. The young woman was spending 6 months in Georgetown and was considering returning to Peterborough when her 6 months was up. Small, small world. She told us that her dad was coming for a visit the next week. I wonder if her made it. I wonder if she is still there or returned to early to her family in Canada?

Edited April 6, 2020 by Marvy Mare

[hcat]

We don't tender unless it's a smaller port.  Or if we must go we sign up for a short early excursion that gets us off the ship at a decent time...and can return early without waiting on  long lines in the sun.

 

When were on Reflection,  enjoying a leisurely  lunch in Bistro on 5, the open tender call was around 2:30. We  had no plans to go but wondered  if folks going ashore would find it worthwhile.. So yes Ken was right!

 

G C is overbuilt ( poor zoning and planning controls),  and overcrowded.

We have been lucky in past yrs to tour, swim, snorkel, visit resorts,  beaches, flea markets, enjoy lunches out,  and shop etc.  First port where we paid over $20 for a tee shirt ...yrs ago.

 

Weather  and rough  sea conditionsd also can be a factor at GC..so  now we pass it by and enjoy a quieter ship!

 

I did like your photos!

[Marvy Mare]

Ken will love to hear that he was right again. That's 3 times. Coming back to the ship, we really didn't have to wait at all, so that was a bonus. If we ever go there again, we will probably plan a ship excursion.

 

Maris

[Marvy Mare]

This is way off topic, but this was our view across the lake two days ago and the photo below was from early this morning. I took a break from my report to catch a photo. Views like these make me realize how lucky we are and this too shall pass.

Maris

[sadie8]

Maris, Loving your review and fantastic photos of our Reflection cruise.  Janet

[Bimmer09]

2 hours ago, Marvy Mare said:

This is way off topic, but this was our view across the lake two days ago and the photo below was from early this morning. I took a break from my report to catch a photo. Views like these make me realize how lucky we are and this too shall pass.

Maris

 

Maris, your review is helping us all take our minds off the unparalled and uncertain times we find ourselves in and along with Noreen's Silhouette review reminding us of what we are now missing-the freedom to travel on wonderful ships to explore this amazing world we are lucky to live in. Cruising creates happy memories that can last a lifetime.

 

We all hope to sail again and when we come home we hope to share our memories as you have so generously done. I have my fingers crossed for the cruise lines...

 

My thanks for your continuing posts and stellar photographs that take us away to a better place at a better time!

 

Kudos!

Norris

[GeorgesGal]

4 hours ago, Marvy Mare said:

This is way off topic, but this was our view across the lake two days ago and the photo below was from early this morning. I took a break from my report to catch a photo. Views like these make me realize how lucky we are and this too shall pass.

Maris

These two photos - WOW!  Your lake photo is gorgeous, Maris.  How blessed to have that view every day, with the water mirroring the sky.  And that sunrise is fantastic!  Wish I had a decent camera to capture those, but even a decent camera would not improve my photos.  And besides, I'd never be up in time to catch the sunrise.

Donna

Edited April 6, 2020 by GeorgesGal

[Summer1961]

Beautiful view from your home.

 

Yes, I am also still following and relieving our cruise.

 

Grand Cayman was just too crowded and although we wanted to get off just to get off and had no real plans, we decided if we ever go back to GC we will be staying on the ship unless we book an excursion.  I think this was our 3rd or 4th time there and really there isn’t much to see.  Also, after returning on board we thought about the number of people in town, the number of ships in port and how it may not have been a great idea to join them this time around.

 

Tim loves taking pictures too but hardly took any shots this time in GC.  Too many people.

 

I love the fact that you accidentally just bumped into a Canadian.  It is a small world.

[Marvy Mare]

16 hours ago, sadie8 said:

Maris, Loving your review and fantastic photos of our Reflection cruise.  Janet

Thanks Janet

I've been thinking a lot over the last few weeks how lucky we were to have that time to spend Just chatting with people in person. It was great spending time with you guys. Maybe our paths will cross on a future cruise.

 

Maris

[Marvy Mare]

14 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

Maris, your review is helping us all take our minds off the unparalled and uncertain times we find ourselves in and along with Noreen's Silhouette review reminding us of what we are now missing-the freedom to travel on wonderful ships to explore this amazing world we are lucky to live in. Cruising creates happy memories that can last a lifetime.

 

We all hope to sail again and when we come home we hope to share our memories as you have so generously done. I have my fingers crossed for the cruise lines...

 

My thanks for your continuing posts and stellar photographs that take us away to a better place at a better time!

 

Kudos!

Norris

Hi Norris

 

Thanks so much for your kind words, encouragement and assistance. Writing this has been fun and takes my mind off the world out there for a little while. I love taking photos and what a great way to share them. 

 

My fingers are crossed for the cruise lines as well. 

 

Maris

[Marvy Mare]

12 hours ago, GeorgesGal said:

These two photos - WOW!  Your lake photo is gorgeous, Maris.  How blessed to have that view every day, with the water mirroring the sky.  And that sunrise is fantastic!  Wish I had a decent camera to capture those, but even a decent camera would not improve my photos.  And besides, I'd never be up in time to catch the sunrise.

Donna

Hi Donna

This time of year is great for photos in central Ontario where we live. Calm water and clear sky unfortunately comes with cool temperatures. It's 32F here this morning. Hardly any snow left on the ground though. I had to mention this as I noticed that you live in Florida. I imagine you are having warm sunny weather, but as it's 4:20am you won't be up yet.

Thanks

Maris

[Marvy Mare]

10 hours ago, Summer1961 said:

Beautiful view from your home.

 

Yes, I am also still following and relieving our cruise.

 

Grand Cayman was just too crowded and although we wanted to get off just to get off and had no real plans, we decided if we ever go back to GC we will be staying on the ship unless we book an excursion.  I think this was our 3rd or 4th time there and really there isn’t much to see.  Also, after returning on board we thought about the number of people in town, the number of ships in port and how it may not have been a great idea to join them this time around.

 

Tim loves taking pictures too but hardly took any shots this time in GC.  Too many people.

 

I love the fact that you accidentally just bumped into a Canadian.  It is a small world.

 

Hi again Summer

I think I've asked you before where in Canada you are from. Can't remember if you answered.

 

I agree about Grand Cayman. No way to avoid crowds there. As you can see from my posts here, I didn't get many shots in Grand Cayman either. Tim doesn't happen to have a Canon camera, does he?

 

And the Canadian we bumped into wasn't just any Canadian. Her sister teaches at a school not far from here. The little girl who lives next to us goes to that school and if our children had been in the French Immersion program, they would have gone to that school too.

 

Maris

[Marvy Mare]

March 11 - DAY 10 - Georgetown, Grand Cayman

 

 

A rare quiet spot in Georgetown.

 

 

 

We were back on the ship by 4 or so. Departure was at 7. We spent time chatting with friends again. People were beginning to get more and more nervous about the virus. We felt that the fact that all those people were allowed off the ships in Grand Cayman was an indication that it was still just media blowing things out of proportion. But then the WHO had declared a pandemic. Scary stuff.

Melanie and Jeff (a couple that had joined us for dinner at Passions) were on their first leg of a back to back to back. They were still debating whether they should continue on until Melanie spoke to her insurance agent. If they stayed on the Reflection they wouldn't have any travel medical insurance coverage. So fortunately for them, but still sad, that made the decision for them.

 

By late afternoon we were back on our veranda (I think I've been calling it a balcony all this time, but it's a veranda cabin isn't it?) enjoying our afternoon canapés. We contacted our dog caregiver, Kelly and she sent a few dog photos to reassure us that both dogs were well. Actually (notice I use that word a lot?) our younger dog, Stella pined for Kelly for awhile after we got back. Kelly loves to walk and walked her more than I do. Kelly also sat outside with her even in cold weather. She may have been pining for our first week sitters too. Dennis and Joanne have loads of energy. I'm sure they kept her happy and busy too. Our older dog Dexter mostly wants to be fed, walked a bit and cuddled but only on his terms. He's more like a very large cat, personality wise. 

 

We caught up with our family too. They were no longer hiding the fact that they were worried about us. I (who me worry) was getting concerned too. On this cruise, if you happened to cough or hear someone else cough you had a minor panic attack. 

 

Our dinner was to be back in the Opus at our normal time of 7:15. I caught a few sunset photos from our veranda before heading to dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sail away was at 7. I didn't really care if I got photos of Grand Cayman fading into the distance. We would have been just as happy to have skipped Georgetown and head straight back to Fort Lauderdale and home . It may have been dark by 7 anyway. I can't remember.

We realized that we hadn't stopped in at the Ensemble Lounge on this trip. Mainly because the weather was so consistently perfect that we spent every possible moment outside. During our past two cruises we visited the Ensemble Lounge a few late afternoons for a drink before dinner. It's quiet and dark and often there is a group playing classical music or a singer accompanied by a guitar or two. Relaxing!

 

After a glass of wine at the Ensemble, we kept our 7:15 dinner reservations. We rarely had to wait to get our favourite seats in the dining room. The table in the very back corner wasn't being used for diners. I guess other people didn't like looking at the wall either. We both had Beef Bourguignon. Mmm! I'm still thinking about how good it was.

 

Entertainment that evening was Tom McTigue. I was curious to see who he was after reading the blurb in Celebrity Reflection Today and fully intended to go to the show. I'm not sure what happened. It was almost a month ago and I don't take good notes. Seems to me that it may have been the evening we stopped by the ping pong table and I rediscovered my long lost talent. By the time our game was over, the show had started and we just got our cookies from the cookie girl, waved good night to the hand sanitizer girl and wandered around the ship for awhile. Deck 14 and 15 were always quiet in the evening. We never went back to the Sunset Bar. It was open until midnight, so I imagine a few people were there for a nightcap.

 

Early to bed again. One more Sea Day and then back to Fort Lauderdale.

 

[Summer1961]

Hello again,  we live in Gatineau. 

 

No, Tim does not have Canon, he uses Olympus. Why?

Edited April 7, 2020 by Summer1961

[awhfy]

Maris, I look for your review every morning with my coffee, can you just continue it?  I’m not ready to have your voyage (that we were also on) end. 

[hcat]

Can you give more info about this little  beach ( sorry if I missed it).

Also the pier to the right..Is that a restaurant?

Might be easy for folks who just want to get off the ship and put a toe in the water???

[Marvy Mare]

2 hours ago, Summer1961 said:

Hello again,  we live in Gatineau. 

 

No, Tim does not have Canon, he uses Olympus. Why?

That’s right. You told me that about Gatineau. I was just wondering if I saw Tim taking photos on board. 
 

Maris