CHICAGOPAUL - LIVE!!!! - Finally heading back to sea!!! - Celebrity Reflection Nov 27th

[chicagopaul]

Hi Everyone!

 

Now that I am back at home after the cruise I can recap everything for you. Unfortunately due to some login issues I was having from my phone (cruise critic related, not a Celebrity wifi issue) I got frustrated and figured I would catalogue everything and then just get back to you on here when I got back. The good news is we got some great photos and great video too so I’m excited to share with you. So let’s start the recap of the cruise.

BOARDING PROCESS

 

I already mentioned this, but just to quickly remind you, it was awesome. We were docked in what I believe is the oldest passenger terminal at Port Everglades but the staff was fantastic, there was zero line, and everything was handled extremely well.

 

Have the Celebrity Cruises app downloaded and be logged in! Wear your mask when in the port and port terminal.

 

Make sure you have the following ready even before you walk into the terminal (they will want to see all multiple times)

 

- Xpress Docs
- Passport
- Vaccination Card
- Negative Covid test within 2 days of sail date

 

There are limited little trays to put your stuff in going through security and they’re asking everyone just to put stuff in their bags. So save time and have your big watches, etc. put in your carry on bag. Then once you get into the terminal you can toss your phone in your bag and breeze through security.

 

You’ll then be directed to someone with a tablet. They’ll check you in with the tablet. Scan your passport. Verify your vaccination card and negative covid test. Once check in is done you will walk a few football fields (haha) over to the ship. They’ll scan your Xpress Docs card from the app and you can then head to your room and grab your sea pass cards. That simple.

 

COVID POLICIES ON BOARD

Once you arrive on board you can remove your mask and never need it again until you get off in any of the ports. If you want to wear it on elevators you of course can. We saw a few people doing this, but 99% did not.

 

Crew must wear their masks at all times, even outside. The good news is that they’ll still pull their mask down for photos or to show their faces to the people they know.

 

Crew is of course fully vaccinated but I was shocked at how many of the crew already had their boosters. They’re pushing for that for all crew. Also all crew is tested weekly.

 

SHIP CLEANLINESS

I’ve always found Celebrity ships to be very clean. No question about that. But this cruise it was definitely over the top. Everything was spotless. Now granted it is only the 4th cruise back after Covid, but still. The upkeep everywhere, especially in the public restrooms was exceptional.

PASSENGERS & COVID

I was curious how fellow passengers would be on the cruise. Would they not want to sit too close? Would they want space in between barstools? Would they be worried about getting too close on the elevator?

 

Everything felt completely normal. I can only remember once instance when there was 4 of us on an elevator that people chose to wait for the next one.

 

SHIP CAPACITY FOR OUR CRUISE

Final number was 738 passengers. Suites: only 35 suites occupied. 31 were booked and 4 were upgraded on board. Total number of crew on board I believe was just under 1200.

 

WHAT IS IT LIKE SAILING WITH ONLY 738 PASSENGERS?

Absolutely amazing. We were spoiled, haha. No lines whatsoever. But guess what, the martini bar was still packed much of the time? We usually had no issues getting seats but sometimes we had to wait a bit for a seat and stand with our drinks.

 

You have no issues getting a lounger by the pool. No issues finding a seat at any outdoor bar. No issue getting back on the ship, no line at all. Getting off is quick in any port.

 

The Best Part of 738 Guests

You get to know so many more people. Sounds counterintuitive right? You would think that with less people you’d find less people to “mesh” with but that is the exact opposite. We made more friends on this cruise than any other cruise before. Never have I ever exchanged more phone numbers added more friends on social media than I did on this cruise.

 

The Worst Part of 738 Guests

There really isn’t much. The biggest one that stood out to me would be that there was only 1 theater show per night and usually held at 9:15pm.

 

OK now let’s get into the best parts of everyday on the Reflection….

[chicagopaul]

Before I go into any additional comments about the cruise I want to answer the question of "how I felt" on the cruise from a safety perspective as well as did it feel the same as it did before.

 

1) I felt completely safe the entire time. As a matter of fact it is the safest place to be in the world. That is not opinion, but it is one of fact. No where else is everyone fully vaccinated & fully tested, plus with the best sanitation protocols in the world. As we know the sanitation protocols on a ship far outweigh any land based restaurant, bar, or hotel. 

 

2) Did it feel the same as before? No, it felt better. We appreciated everything so much more. The passengers were all in a state of bliss as was the crew. I'll touch more on this in detail later with specific examples, but if any of you are reading this and contemplating whether you should book a cruise now or wait until later, I cannot stress enough that you need to book now. As much as I'm obsessed with cruise travel, I have never been more obsessed with it than after this cruise.

[lola2013]

1 hour ago, chicagopaul said:

Before I go into any additional comments about the cruise I want to answer the question of "how I felt" on the cruise from a safety perspective as well as did it feel the same as it did before.

 

1) I felt completely safe the entire time. As a matter of fact it is the safest place to be in the world. That is not opinion, but it is one of fact. No where else is everyone fully vaccinated & fully tested, plus with the best sanitation protocols in the world. As we know the sanitation protocols on a ship far outweigh any land based restaurant, bar, or hotel. 

 

2) Did it feel the same as before? No, it felt better. We appreciated everything so much more. The passengers were all in a state of bliss as was the crew. I'll touch more on this in detail later with specific examples, but if any of you are reading this and contemplating whether you should book a cruise now or wait until later, I cannot stress enough that you need to book now. As much as I'm obsessed with cruise travel, I have never been more obsessed with it than after this cruise.

Thanks Paul...we felt the same on Edge in September...just about 850 passengers...AMAZING!

I did my online check-in this morning for my upcoming Reflection cruise in January.  If possible, your review made me even more excited.

Welcome home.

Susan

[grandgeezer]

1 hour ago, chicagopaul said:

Hi Everyone!

 

Now that I am back at home after the cruise I can recap everything for you. Unfortunately due to some login issues I was having from my phone (cruise critic related, not a Celebrity wifi issue) I got frustrated and figured I would catalogue everything and then just get back to you on here when I got back. The good news is we got some great photos and great video too so I’m excited to share with you. So let’s start the recap of the cruise.

BOARDING PROCESS

 

I already mentioned this, but just to quickly remind you, it was awesome. We were docked in what I believe is the oldest passenger terminal at Port Everglades but the staff was fantastic, there was zero line, and everything was handled extremely well.

 

Have the Celebrity Cruises app downloaded and be logged in! Wear your mask when in the port and port terminal.

 

Make sure you have the following ready even before you walk into the terminal (they will want to see all multiple times)

 

- Xpress Docs
- Passport
- Vaccination Card
- Negative Covid test within 2 days of sail date

 

There are limited little trays to put your stuff in going through security and they’re asking everyone just to put stuff in their bags. So save time and have your big watches, etc. put in your carry on bag. Then once you get into the terminal you can toss your phone in your bag and breeze through security.

 

You’ll then be directed to someone with a tablet. They’ll check you in with the tablet. Scan your passport. Verify your vaccination card and negative covid test. Once check in is done you will walk a few football fields (haha) over to the ship. They’ll scan your Xpress Docs card from the app and you can then head to your room and grab your sea pass cards. That simple.

 

COVID POLICIES ON BOARD

Once you arrive on board you can remove your mask and never need it again until you get off in any of the ports. If you want to wear it on elevators you of course can. We saw a few people doing this, but 99% did not.

 

Crew must wear their masks at all times, even outside. The good news is that they’ll still pull their mask down for photos or to show their faces to the people they know.

 

Crew is of course fully vaccinated but I was shocked at how many of the crew already had their boosters. They’re pushing for that for all crew. Also all crew is tested weekly.

 

SHIP CLEANLINESS

I’ve always found Celebrity ships to be very clean. No question about that. But this cruise it was definitely over the top. Everything was spotless. Now granted it is only the 4th cruise back after Covid, but still. The upkeep everywhere, especially in the public restrooms was exceptional.

PASSENGERS & COVID

I was curious how fellow passengers would be on the cruise. Would they not want to sit too close? Would they want space in between barstools? Would they be worried about getting too close on the elevator?

 

Everything felt completely normal. I can only remember once instance when there was 4 of us on an elevator that people chose to wait for the next one.

 

SHIP CAPACITY FOR OUR CRUISE

Final number was 738 passengers. Suites: only 35 suites occupied. 31 were booked and 4 were upgraded on board. Total number of crew on board I believe was just under 1200.

 

WHAT IS IT LIKE SAILING WITH ONLY 738 PASSENGERS?

Absolutely amazing. We were spoiled, haha. No lines whatsoever. But guess what, the martini bar was still packed much of the time? We usually had no issues getting seats but sometimes we had to wait a bit for a seat and stand with our drinks.

 

You have no issues getting a lounger by the pool. No issues finding a seat at any outdoor bar. No issue getting back on the ship, no line at all. Getting off is quick in any port.

 

The Best Part of 738 Guests

You get to know so many more people. Sounds counterintuitive right? You would think that with less people you’d find less people to “mesh” with but that is the exact opposite. We made more friends on this cruise than any other cruise before. Never have I ever exchanged more phone numbers added more friends on social media than I did on this cruise.

 

The Worst Part of 738 Guests

There really isn’t much. The biggest one that stood out to me would be that there was only 1 theater show per night and usually held at 9:15pm.

 

OK now let’s get into the best parts of everyday on the Reflection….

Excellent write up should address most of the questions people would have if they haven’t cruised since the pandemic started. A couple of numbers stuck out to me as they try to get back to normal. The number of guests, 738, I think capacity is close to 3100. Second is number of suites occupied 35, I counted 79. This is their highest profit category.

Last thing, number of crew 1200, for 738 guest. That might be the reason service was so good and the ship was so clean. I understand the crewing level, they can’t adjust level week to week. This brings up the paying of crew, especially if they are in the tipping pool. 738 contributing and how many extra could qualify for it. Does Celebrity subsidize it?

[DaKahuna]

Amazing, even with the 1071 passengers on the 12/4 sailing we are finding everything is as you say.  We are really getting spoiled by what seems to be individualized attention everywhere.

 

We are really enjoying ourselves. 

[chicagopaul]

BAR SERVICE AROUND THE SHIP

 

Bar service was excellent. This is of course to be expected when you are at 30% capacity. All bars seemed well stocked throughout the ship and we didn’t hear the usual complaints of “really, you don’t have…”

 

It was great to be able to always grab a seat at Cafe Bacio if we wanted or just walk up and get a quick espresso. No lines. No waiting.

 

Sunset Bar - We were there every morning! I'll talk about the staff in a separate post, but this was our favorite morning place. I'm missing it so much right now. From a service standpoint, we barely needed to ask for a drink. They just kept coming until we cut them off.

 

Michael’s Club was not very busy at all, but during peak times there was a small steady group that was loyal and kept coming in.

 

Casino Bar actually had a decent late night crowd, but late night being defined at 1am, nothing really too later than that.

Martini Bar - Ummm…my favorite place right? It always is! We had a wonderful crew on this ship. Service was stellar. Again, yes I know, with only 738 passengers on board it is easy to give good service. But I will counteract that statement with saying that the staff was SO appreciative of the guests. They truly were (more will come below as I describe each crew member) happy. Just that, they were happy and that made all of us happy.

 

FOOD

 

So let’s talk food base on venues we were in

 

MAST GRILL

 

They’re not partially cooking the burgers to order which takes a few minutes. But the quality is much better than before. Less people allows them to do this and it turns out great. They are putting all the toppings on for you with the exception of Mayo / Mustard / Ketchup / Hot Sauces (those are self serve). Hot dogs were good as usual. Fries were cooked very well. Plenty of extras such as bacon, mushrooms, onions, sauerkraut, etc.

 

The service at Mast Grill was excellent. Again I’ll attribute this to the smaller crowds, but the attitudes of the staff here were beyond amazing. They were laughing and chatting with you while you waited. They were extremely nice.

 

OCEAN VIEW CAFE

 

No more self service here! They serve you everything. BUT, the setup was excellent. They would mostly serve you from behind the buffet. Meaning you were completely free to look around and get up close to the food to see what you want. They were more than willing to give you as many spoonfuls as you want and even ask you which pieces you wanted when it came to things like chicken, etc.

 

We only ate here a couple of times. The Indian food I had here was great. We had fried chicken which was surprisingly good. The pizza was excellent with a great crust. We had some pasta late at night and I wasn’t thrilled with the alfredo sauce (a bit more salt and some more cheese mixed in would have been ideal), but the noodles I had were cooked perfectly.

 

One of the best items I had was actually the pasta salad. I loved it.

Most importantly the staff in ocean view could not have been nicer or more accommodating.

 

ROOM SERVICE

 

We ordered room service for breakfast (see video posted in the threads below). It was great. Scrambled eggs on Celebrity have never been my favorite. Probably should have asked for them under done (that is how I like them). Bacon was great. Edward said the pancakes were wonderful. We also had steak and eggs and the steak cook point was a perfect medium rare. Not bad! Now remember we were in a suite so we had our butler checking everything so that also helps.

We did order late night room service one night. Around 2 am. Somehow we ordered 3 ceaser salads…yes 3. 1 with chicken because well why not. Then we also got a pizza and a turkey club sandwich. Yes, we at it all except for one piece of pizza because after eating all of that food the last piece of pizza is clearly a challenge. Timing for our late night drunken order was suppose to be 45 minutes. It arrived in around 20 minutes. Again the wonderful benefits of 30% capacity.

 

LUMINAE

 

Luminae this cruise was excellent. Definitely one of the best Luminae experiences we have had not only in service but in food quality. The food came out quick. Service was extremely attentive. The quality of the products being used was excellent. A couple highlights (again keep an eye out for a bunch of photos in the posts below).

 

The filet - The filet in Luminae was excellent. At least a 10oz filet, cooked exactly as we wanted (medium rare) with perfect seasoning. Quality of the beef was great.

 

Salmon - We had a wonderful salmon dish for lunch served over a succotash of corn, lima beans, tomato, bacon, and lots of other wonderful goodness. Truly one of the best dishes I’ve had on a cruise ever. So simple but so perfect.

 

Sirloin Steak - Believe it or not on the last night we had the sirloin steak and it was wonderful. Cook point was on point (see what I did there). Even better was they had steak diane in the MDR so our waiter brought out mushrooms with the steak diane sauce to pour over the top and it was exactly what I wanted and needed that night for dinner.

 

Halibut - Halibut was served over sticky rice with bok choy with a ginger sauce. Excellent as always. One of my favorite dishes in Luminae.

 

Turkey Gyro - We had this at lunch. It was amazing. Some great spice on the grilled turkey. Excellent sauce. The pita was fresh. I could eat that all day long. A little more tzatziki sauce would have been nice so if you order this ask for some extra on the side!

 

Desserts - We are not huge dessert fans but we tried a handful in Luminae and all were really good. My favorite part of dessert was my double espresso which always came out quick. The staff was always on top of this each night.

 

Wine in Luminae - I was not overly impressed with the wine we were given but not disappointed either. I do blame myself for not pushing our sommelier a little more to get us glasses over the package cost. Happy to pay for whatever by the glass to try something new, so that falls on me. We didn’t have any bad wines however and everything was paired very nicely. Our sommelier (named Siraz - ironic huh?) was extremely attentive and very nice. We never ran low on wine. As a matter of fact I don’t think our glass was ever less than half empty. He was amazing. He also never hesitated to even bring out a small glass of white for our one fish appetizer that he knew we’d be done with in 30 seconds. Can’t complain there.

 

[Stem to Stern]

Welcome home Paul.  Your summarization of your cruise so far is wonderful.  Just off the Summit and witnessed a much larger percentage of passengers wearing face coverings indoors compared to almost none on Equinox back in October.  Also on Summit Mast Grill condiments were not self service.  I could not access Cruise Critic on included Surf internet plan.  Back in October on Equinox in Retreat there were zero internet issues with Stream plan.

Edited December 8, 2021 by Stem to Stern

[HMR74]

17 hours ago, chicagopaul said:

BAR SERVICE AROUND THE SHIP

 

Bar service was excellent. This is of course to be expected when you are at 30% capacity. All bars seemed well stocked throughout the ship and we didn’t hear the usual complaints of “really, you don’t have…”

 

It was great to be able to always grab a seat at Cafe Bacio if we wanted or just walk up and get a quick espresso. No lines. No waiting.

 

Sunset Bar - We were there every morning! I'll talk about the staff in a separate post, but this was our favorite morning place. I'm missing it so much right now. From a service standpoint, we barely needed to ask for a drink. They just kept coming until we cut them off.

 

Michael’s Club was not very busy at all, but during peak times there was a small steady group that was loyal and kept coming in.

 

Casino Bar actually had a decent late night crowd, but late night being defined at 1am, nothing really too later than that.

Martini Bar - Ummm…my favorite place right? It always is! We had a wonderful crew on this ship. Service was stellar. Again, yes I know, with only 738 passengers on board it is easy to give good service. But I will counteract that statement with saying that the staff was SO appreciative of the guests. They truly were (more will come below as I describe each crew member) happy. Just that, they were happy and that made all of us happy.

 

FOOD

 

So let’s talk food base on venues we were in

 

MAST GRILL

 

They’re not partially cooking the burgers to order which takes a few minutes. But the quality is much better than before. Less people allows them to do this and it turns out great. They are putting all the toppings on for you with the exception of Mayo / Mustard / Ketchup / Hot Sauces (those are self serve). Hot dogs were good as usual. Fries were cooked very well. Plenty of extras such as bacon, mushrooms, onions, sauerkraut, etc.

 

The service at Mast Grill was excellent. Again I’ll attribute this to the smaller crowds, but the attitudes of the staff here were beyond amazing. They were laughing and chatting with you while you waited. They were extremely nice.

 

OCEAN VIEW CAFE

 

No more self service here! They serve you everything. BUT, the setup was excellent. They would mostly serve you from behind the buffet. Meaning you were completely free to look around and get up close to the food to see what you want. They were more than willing to give you as many spoonfuls as you want and even ask you which pieces you wanted when it came to things like chicken, etc.

 

We only ate here a couple of times. The Indian food I had here was great. We had fried chicken which was surprisingly good. The pizza was excellent with a great crust. We had some pasta late at night and I wasn’t thrilled with the alfredo sauce (a bit more salt and some more cheese mixed in would have been ideal), but the noodles I had were cooked perfectly.

 

One of the best items I had was actually the pasta salad. I loved it.

Most importantly the staff in ocean view could not have been nicer or more accommodating.

 

ROOM SERVICE

 

We ordered room service for breakfast (see video posted in the threads below). It was great. Scrambled eggs on Celebrity have never been my favorite. Probably should have asked for them under done (that is how I like them). Bacon was great. Edward said the pancakes were wonderful. We also had steak and eggs and the steak cook point was a perfect medium rare. Not bad! Now remember we were in a suite so we had our butler checking everything so that also helps.

We did order late night room service one night. Around 2 am. Somehow we ordered 3 ceaser salads…yes 3. 1 with chicken because well why not. Then we also got a pizza and a turkey club sandwich. Yes, we at it all except for one piece of pizza because after eating all of that food the last piece of pizza is clearly a challenge. Timing for our late night drunken order was suppose to be 45 minutes. It arrived in around 20 minutes. Again the wonderful benefits of 30% capacity.

 

LUMINAE

 

Luminae this cruise was excellent. Definitely one of the best Luminae experiences we have had not only in service but in food quality. The food came out quick. Service was extremely attentive. The quality of the products being used was excellent. A couple highlights (again keep an eye out for a bunch of photos in the posts below).

 

The filet - The filet in Luminae was excellent. At least a 10oz filet, cooked exactly as we wanted (medium rare) with perfect seasoning. Quality of the beef was great.

 

Salmon - We had a wonderful salmon dish for lunch served over a succotash of corn, lima beans, tomato, bacon, and lots of other wonderful goodness. Truly one of the best dishes I’ve had on a cruise ever. So simple but so perfect.

 

Sirloin Steak - Believe it or not on the last night we had the sirloin steak and it was wonderful. Cook point was on point (see what I did there). Even better was they had steak diane in the MDR so our waiter brought out mushrooms with the steak diane sauce to pour over the top and it was exactly what I wanted and needed that night for dinner.

 

Halibut - Halibut was served over sticky rice with bok choy with a ginger sauce. Excellent as always. One of my favorite dishes in Luminae.

 

Turkey Gyro - We had this at lunch. It was amazing. Some great spice on the grilled turkey. Excellent sauce. The pita was fresh. I could eat that all day long. A little more tzatziki sauce would have been nice so if you order this ask for some extra on the side!

 

Desserts - We are not huge dessert fans but we tried a handful in Luminae and all were really good. My favorite part of dessert was my double espresso which always came out quick. The staff was always on top of this each night.

 

Wine in Luminae - I was not overly impressed with the wine we were given but not disappointed either. I do blame myself for not pushing our sommelier a little more to get us glasses over the package cost. Happy to pay for whatever by the glass to try something new, so that falls on me. We didn’t have any bad wines however and everything was paired very nicely. Our sommelier (named Siraz - ironic huh?) was extremely attentive and very nice. We never ran low on wine. As a matter of fact I don’t think our glass was ever less than half empty. He was amazing. He also never hesitated to even bring out a small glass of white for our one fish appetizer that he knew we’d be done with in 30 seconds. Can’t complain there.

 

A couple questions on Luminae:

1) I heard its open for all 3 meals now, vs lunch used to be just at sea? True? or False?

 

2) Overall I am hearing the food quality, quantity  and prep are  improved all over the ships, including Oceanview Cafe, but hearing it mostly on reviews of Apex. Any Subjective or Objective views on that?

 

Thanks in Advance.

[Ipeeinthepools]

4 minutes ago, HMR74 said:

2) Overall I am hearing the food quality, quantity  and prep are  improved all over the ships, including Oceanview Cafe, but hearing it mostly on reviews of Apex. Any Subjective or Objective views on that?

 

Thanks in Advance.

 

Not sure what you were reading, but I'm not sure how the food quality on the Apex could improve since she just started sailing?

[HMR74]

36 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

Not sure what you were reading, but I'm not sure how the food quality on the Apex could improve since she just started sailing?

I heard one report that Oceanview has Tommahawk steaks now, Edge or Apex.Perhaps on Edge as it is new and it will only be there for a short time.

 

And on a report on Blu as usual Breafast and Dinner, and Luminae Lunch too all the time, not just the embarcation day and days at sea.

 

 

[DaKahuna]

3 hours ago, HMR74 said:

A couple questions on Luminae:

1) I heard its open for all 3 meals now, vs lunch used to be just at sea? True? or False?

 

2) Overall I am hearing the food quality, quantity  and prep are  improved all over the ships, including Oceanview Cafe, but hearing it mostly on reviews of Apex. Any Subjective or Objective views on that?

 

Thanks in Advance.

1.  Completely False.  Luminae is open for lunch only on sea days on Reflection. 
2. I cannot say enough good things about the quality of the service and food we received in Luminae.

 

[HMR74]

Here is a link of youtube video of Apex when new, the Oceanview Cafe, with Tommahawk steaks featured  early on.

 

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=celebrity+apex+buffett

 

Kind of hard to believe it given the prices I see at meat markets.

 

Beginning to think dining on board X is more dangerous (from quantity/choices  of real good stuff perspective) than Covid.

Edited December 9, 2021 by HMR74

[Mr Sea Gull]

Hope all is well with chigagopaul as he was mid post cruise review then suddenly stopped posting, very unlike him.  Fingers crossed all is okay and he will update this review soon, looking forward to finding out more as due on Reflection later in 2022.

Happy New Year !

[pooh/tigger]

ChicagoPaul,

 

Did you do the test kit from Celebrity for your Covid test? Or did you go to a local place in Fort Lauderdale? 
 

Has anyone used an IPad to do their test? That’s all we have to use. I read that laptop is better to use but there was no mention if a IPad was good or bad. 
 

Thank you. 
 

 

[Newbury newbie]

16 minutes ago, pooh/tigger said:

ChicagoPaul,

 

Did you do the test kit from Celebrity for your Covid test? Or did you go to a local place in Fort Lauderdale? 
 

Has anyone used an IPad to do their test? That’s all we have to use. I read that laptop is better to use but there was no mention if a IPad was good or bad. 
 

Thank you. 
 

 

I’ve been looking into this and an iPad would be fine. If you go on YouTube you’ll find plenty of videos showing the process.

I’m waiting to order test kits through the Celebrity site and get them delivered to my Fort Lauderdale hotel (waiting for my arrival).

 

[pooh/tigger]

14 minutes ago, Newbury newbie said:

I’ve been looking into this and an iPad would be fine. If you go on YouTube you’ll find plenty of videos showing the process.

I’m waiting to order test kits through the Celebrity site and get them delivered to my Fort Lauderdale hotel (waiting for my arrival).

 

I’ve looked at a lot of videos but they always end up using a laptop. These old eyes haven’t been able to find ones using an IPad. 

[lhsail]

39 minutes ago, pooh/tigger said:

ChicagoPaul,

 

Did you do the test kit from Celebrity for your Covid test? Or did you go to a local place in Fort Lauderdale? 
 

Has anyone used an IPad to do their test? That’s all we have to use. I read that laptop is better to use but there was no mention if a IPad was good or bad. 
 

Thank you. 
 

 

We have used iPad as well as iPhone. A bit clunky trying to figure out how to use the camera, but it works. 

[pooh/tigger]

9 minutes ago, lhsail said:

We have used iPad as well as iPhone. A bit clunky trying to figure out how to use the camera, but it works. 

Do you remember how you used it?

[lhsail]

19 minutes ago, pooh/tigger said:

Do you remember how you used it?

There are steps during which the proctor needs to see something: identification, that the test is still sealed, the condition of the test pac, etc.  That requires the use of the camera. It especially tricky when your trying to do something with the swab and using the camera at the same time. 

[Newbury newbie]

47 minutes ago, lhsail said:

There are steps during which the proctor needs to see something: identification, that the test is still sealed, the condition of the test pac, etc.  That requires the use of the camera. It especially tricky when your trying to do something with the swab and using the camera at the same time. 

One question. If you buy a pack of two for two people how do you show that the pack is sealed for the second person? Or can you do a couple in one video call?

[Ipeeinthepools]

7 minutes ago, Newbury newbie said:

One question. If you buy a pack of two for two people how do you show that the pack is sealed for the second person? Or can you do a couple in one video call?

Each test is packed in a separate box with a seal.  Each test requires a separate call

 

Edited December 31, 2021 by Ipeeinthepools

[lola2013]

On 12/31/2021 at 10:27 AM, Mr Sea Gull said:

Hope all is well with chigagopaul as he was mid post cruise review then suddenly stopped posting, very unlike him.  Fingers crossed all is okay and he will update this review soon, looking forward to finding out more as due on Reflection later in 2022.

Happy New Year !

Paul has been active on Instagram. 

[chicagopaul]

I'm still alive, not dead, haha! Wanted to follow back up with all of you as I never completed the review!

 

During the cruise, mid way through, I started to have login issues with the Cruise Critic website. Nothing to do with the wifi on the ship, just had to do with cruise critic itself. It was quite frustrating and even with clearing my browser history on my phone I'd run into the same issue moments later. 

 

From a work perspective it was my first time ever pulling away from work more than 90%. It was awesome. So with that being said, when I started having issues with the website I just said screw it and wanted to make sure I could enjoy the cruise as much as possible, especially being the first one back. 

 

When I got home my job, which should have been slow at this time of year, was insane! I was hoping most of my brokers were going to take some time off and relax, but nope they were working through the holidays! It wasn't until one of my friends happened to notice people were missing updates that I remembered I need to get back to updating you all!

 

I'll take this time to jump back in and update you on the remainder of topics I didn't cover in the cruise and will start posting some photos tonight. 

 

Let's jump in with staff we met on the cruise. I'll throw some names out there and maybe you all remember them or will see them on an upcoming sailing! 

 

Bar Staff 

 

Name: Komang

Bar: Martini Bar & Pool Bar 

 

Truly awesome guy. One of my absolute favorite bartenders because he is so genuine. When he first saw us walking on the pool deck on day 1 he ran out from behind the bar and gave us a huge hug! It was an amazing feeling. He is one of the happiest people I have met on a cruise and if I could pick one bartender to see everyone cruise it would be him, hands down. If you see him on a future cruise send him some love from us.

 

Name: Anom 

Bar: Martini Bar & Pool Bar 

 

Great flair bartender. Always a smile on his face and he LOVES putting on a show. He is one of those bartenders that if it is ever slow behind the martini bar he is practicing something and giving everyone a little show. He never needs to be asked to put on a show, it is seriously natural for him. He reminds me a bit of old school Putu who is the "godfather" if you will of the martini bar. 

 

Name: Tada

Bar: Martini Bar & Any other bar they shove him at

 

Tada actually switched to the Apex a week after our cruise so that is where he resides now. Tada is a very tall guy. He is HYSTERICAL. If you are from Jersey, please have some fun with him. Your personalities will mesh so well, haha. Sarcastic humor is his specialty. He does great magic too! My favorite memory of him was when he was stuck at the Sunset Bar one afternoon. He said he didn't like the music so he pulled out his phone and started his own playlist and messing with people as they came up to the bar. He also is a great mixologist in the true sense of the word. He was enjoying the slow time at Sunset bar and experimenting with different drinks. He moved to the Apex because he was promoted to Senior Flair bartender. 

 

Name: Barrington

Bar: Sunset Bar

 

Barrington is from Jamaica, as are most of the bartenders at the Sunset bar right? Seems to be a theme among all ships. He is a solid guy. Knows your drink order and card number from day one and after a day you'll never have to ask for another drink. They just show up. He can be a little shy at first but opens up once he knows you. He remembers everyone and their names, he is great at that. On the second day you will notice everyone who walks by he seems to know. He also was extremely gracious. On multiple occasions he would talk about how thankful he was that we were cruising so he could be back on the ship. He said that to many people and you could tell he truly meant it. 

 

 

Name: Ansel

Bar: Sunset Bar & wherever they sent him! 

 

Remember, Ansel runs Sunset Bar. It is his bar, that is what he will tell you. When you first see Ansel he exudes a bit of a tough persona, as if he is coming off the streets of Kingston. Seriously, that was my initial impression. Something about that way he carries himself. Then he jokes with you. Then you see and hear him laugh. Ansel is methodical about the way his bar is set up. He has a system and it works. He also makes the specialty drinks for the porch. Grass is Greener is one of them (one of my favorites!). We'd watch him make it almost daily trying to get it just right and changing it a bit here or there and we'd always get a little taste. We didn't see Ansel a ton because he was moving around a lot whether it was pool bar or mast bar. Ansel was truly awesome and if any crew member gave him attitude...well he could give it right back. 

 

Name: Cranston

Bar: Michael's Club (Retreat Lounge)

 

Cranston worked in Michael's while we were there. We didn't pop into Michael's much but we really did enjoy him. He treated the bar and the entire club as his own. If we needed anything, for instance, scheduling a time to meet with a future cruises rep, he would pick up the phone and totally take care of it. He had no problem at all solving any issue you had if he heard about it. He also made sure the bar was stocked with whatever anyone wanted. He knew ahead of time we wanted Ketel One and he made sure we had it and knew who we were when we got there. Very nice guy!! 

 

Name: Olympia

Bar: Michael's club (Retreat lounge) & Pool Bar 

 

Olympia is from England. When we saw her she was probably heading home in a week. She was very engaging and extremely professional. She really enjoyed working in Michaels and loved getting to know all the guests and what makes them tick, etc. She loved talking about her job on the ship and what she liked and what she didn't like. We didn't really get to know her until the last two days and really wish we had met her much earlier in the cruise. She was absolutely lovely. 

 

Other Staff

 

Name: Alfred

Position: Waiter

Location: Luminae

 

Alfred was awesome!! We had him from day 1 in Luminae and was phenomenal. He really went out of his way to always make great recommendations and explain the menu. He took time to understand what we liked and when he found out we loved Indian food he made sure to bring out small portions of Indian food throughout our cruise. He was extremely attentive, very genuine, and was always in a good mood. We got to know about his family, what he loved about being on the ship, and what he worried about being so far away from his family. 

 

Name: Sam

Position: Maitr' D

Location: Luminae

 

Sam was awesome! He actually went home for the holidays. It was a surprise he wasn't expecting. BUT, he will be back at the end of January. He is from England. He is a very funny guy. Extremely energetic. He'd actually make a great Cruise Director in my opinion. He made sure to stop by at least once each meal to see how things were going and more importantly he took time to chat. I never felt as if he was just quickly stopping by and running. He always made his conversation feel genuine. 

 

 

Name: Chairul

Position: Butler (Personal Retreat Host)

 

I mentioned him before plenty of times so you should know who he is. We've known Chairul since he was a bartender at the Martini bar around 8 years ago. We've cruised with him at least 5 or 6 times but this was our first time cruising with him as a butler. He was waiting for us at our concierge class room on day 1! We chatted and he made a passing comment that upgrades were available so we took him up on it and got an awesome corner sky suite in the aft of the ship. He was our butler and we didn't need or want for anything. We are very simple when it comes to our needs in the room, but what is important to me is knowing that if anything does come up that someone is there to take care of it. That to me is where the value is in having a butler. I always felt like Chairul would literally do anything we needed. It was great seeing him again. We even facetimed with him and his wife on the last day of the cruise! 

[DaKahuna]

We were on Reflection the week after you left for two weeks. 

 

We also had Chairul as our Personal Retreat Host and he was amazing.  We were thrilled when he made arrangements to take care of us on our second leg even though we changed rooms to another part of the ship.  He kept me well supplied with diet tonic for the occasional drink I enjoyed on the balcony. 

 

I cannot add anything to what you have already said about Cranston and Olympia in Michael's Club.  They both were quick to make sure we were well taken care of starting from the time we walked through the door until we left.  I managed to put a nice size dent in the Kettle One after you left.  Kettle One and diet Tonic is my afternoon refreshment of choice.