Reflection 4/13/24 and 4/21/24 B2B Live Review

[Kteacher]

   I know, not another live Reflection review 🙃. This started out as just an 8 night cruise for us, but then last summer Celebrity switched Reflection to shorter sailings and stops at Coco Cay. We’ve been to Coco Cay many times, but not since it was revamped as “Perfect Day”, and the 4/21 Reflection sailing is the first time the ship is visiting. Once I saw that the cabin we were booked for the 4/13 leg was available for the next sailing the decision was made.

   Our first time on Reflection was 10 years ago for our 30th anniversary, and here we are, 10 years later celebrating our 40th on the Reflection. We’re booked in a CS, so will be dining in Luminae for most of our meals. I have Le Petit Chef booked for one night (don’t judge, I think it’s cute 😂), and Murano for dinner during the second part of the B2B. We may do some lunches at specialty restaurants but haven’t booked anything yet. Shoreside concierge contacted me by phone a few weeks ago, but the only things I was asked about was arrival time, any special occasions, and extra pillows or hangers. Suitcases are stuffed to the breaking point so extra hangers will definitely be needed.

   Speaking of suitcases, these beauties will be coming with us even though it is not May the fourth- We have a ridiculously early flight tomorrow and will be spending a few nights at the Kimpton Shorebreak in Ft Lauderdale. We haven’t stayed at this particular Kimpton property yet so are looking forward to checking it out. 

  

[buzz031]

Looking forward to following your posts, even though we’ll be on the same cruise (at least the first one). Safe travels!

[Sharkette76]

Those suitcases are the best!

[Kteacher]

9 minutes ago, buzz031 said:

Looking forward to following your posts, even though we’ll be on the same cruise (at least the first one). Safe travels!

Feel free to join in and post 👍

[hcat]

hotel looks interesting.. hope you enjoy it

[buzz031]

4 hours ago, Kteacher said:

Feel free to join in and post

We will be flying in on Friday from Phoenix and will be in an Aqua Sky Suite. It’s our first time in the Retreat. So excited!

[Kteacher]

One extremely early wake up call (2 am!) later, we are relaxing at the Kimpton Shorebreak in Ft Lauderdale. The bonus to an early flight was a dear friend who works for JetBlue out of Hartford messaged me to let me know she had just scanned our bags onto the plane , so I got to see her briefly before we took off. There’s a very chill vibe here. We arrived too early for our room to be ready but there was still free coffee and tea off of the lobby, and enjoyed a nice light lunch at the rooftop pool. The room price came with breakfast vouchers (20.00 pp), as well as other amenities. Some photos of the room, amenities information, and lunch. It’s a beautiful breezy day here, so we are off to the pool for a snooze. Our room was ready by 12:30, which was great!

[Kteacher]

One of my favorite things about CC is reading reviews because it helps me in my own planning. We always fly in a few days early before a cruise. This trip I was looking for a pre-cruise hotel that was a little more chill, had a good location with restaurants and the beach within walking distance, and had some character to it. So far the Kimpton Shorebreak has checked off all of these. Here’s our room, 222 (IYKYK), and a nice little car I wouldn’t mind owning in front of the hotel:

[Kteacher]

We had dinner last night at the hotel’s restaurant, La Fuga, which is advertised as coastal Italian. The service was very attentive, and the food was phenomenal as were the cocktails. I asked if the bartender could make me a carajillo- if you are a fan of espresso martinis you need to give it a try-

[Kteacher]

Dinner continued…

   I had caprese salad to start, the gnocchi for main course, and finished with an affogato with Nutella gelato. The pasta at La Fuga is all made in house as is the limoncello ❤️. We may consider dining here another night this week just so we can try their veal chop per due.

   Photos from dinner-

[hcat]

All very nice ..Much nicwr look than most cruise food .  We'd love to have dinner at this place but are staying on 14th st Causeway.. and our car will be parked there.  Maybe we could get a taxi! ?

[Kteacher]

14 minutes ago, hcat said:

All very nice ..Much nicwr look than most cruise food .  We'd love to have dinner at this place but are staying on 14th st Causeway.. and our car will be parked there.  Maybe we could get a taxi! ?

I would say it’s worth it. This hotel is a little bit further down, but it’s also much quieter here. Our room rate included breakfast vouchers at the same restaurant, 20 pp allowance. I’ll post photos of breakfast.

[Georgia_Peaches]

Happy to be following along on your adventure!  

[Ciaranaman]

Dinner looks so good!  The in-house limoncello would be the icing on the cake for me!

~Bernadette

[Kteacher]

Breakfast this morning-

[hcat]

 a hidden gem!

our  Holiday Inn hotel is  towards the end of 17th st near the Convention Center... so it looks like taxi would   just have to curve over to the beach road.  

[Kteacher]

One thing I want to mention before I forget- I received an email from Celebrity with a link to a pre-cruise survey. The survey was based on our booking of the 4/21 sailing on the Reflection as all of the questions referenced the stop at Coco Cay, essentially asking if we booked the cruise because of its stop there. 

[Kteacher]

1 hour ago, hcat said:

 a hidden gem!

our  Holiday Inn hotel is  towards the end of 17th st near the Convention Center... so it looks like taxi would   just have to curve over to the beach road.  

The service in the restaurant has been outstanding!

[peanut head]

Thank you for taking us along.  Bon voyage!

[Kteacher]

So sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. We had a very mediocre dinner at The Wild Thyme, which is not far from our hotel. Dried out red snapper, mediocre service 😑 and a tab for over 150.00. I won’t add photos because they are too depressing. The good news is we are now enjoying dessert and drinks at La Fuga ❤️. Un carillo with a delicious tiramisu for the win 👍

[Kteacher]

It’s a beautiful day for the beach ☀️. Guests at the Kimpton Shorebreak get 2 beach chairs (umbrella is extra). Here’s breakfast photos from this morning, everything delicious again-

[Lastdance]

I really enjoyed my two cruises on Reflection.  It must be nice celebrating on the same ship for another lovely and important anniversary.  Lots of remembering going on, along with staying in a CS this time must bring on the excitement.  Thanks for sharing with us!

[retired dude]

just got off of the reflection sunday the 7th. Beautiful ship, great entertainment, great cabin, great bar service, food not so good in the oceanview cafe or the main dining room...Oh well, you can't have everything...After 30 cruises with rccl and celebrity, we expected better, buy it is what it is. wish everyone a great cruise.....B&B in florida

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I'll be joining you for your second leg which is the first leg of my B2B.  Maybe see you in The Retreat.

[Kteacher]

The beach is packed, but the water and weather are perfect!