Live from Celebrity Reflection: Quick 4 day Getaway 9/16/2024

[jam19872016]

Speaking of search parties.... @princess76021 where are you 👀

[princess76021]

3 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

Speaking of search parties.... @princess76021 where are you 👀

here i am!!  not bad only page 2!

hugs and happy cruising!!

(thanks for looking for me 😊)

[cruisetonowhere10]

9 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

For anyone who did not read my last review, I've been on a weight loss journey that started in August 2021 when I hit 300 LBS. I've always been big, but that was a pretty startling number to see staring back at me from the scale. I'm also not getting any younger and am becoming more aware of the looming health problems if I don't take control of the situation. 

 

I don't try to watch my weight when cruising. I live it up for the week and deal with it after the cruise is over. 

 

I actually finally hit my target weight of 178 the day I boarded my last cruise. My final goal is 170 so that I can have room to fluctuate, but that was a pretty significant milestone especially as it has become increasingly difficult to take the weight off as I get closer to my ideal weight based on height.

 

Of course I packed a lot of weight back on during those seven days on my last cruise. At the end of it I gained 15.8 coming in at 193.8. The first several pounds come back off pretty easily but inevitably I have this a brick wall again. I am currently at 179 so one pound to go to undo the damage from the last cruise. I will have a busy last few days at work and that helps keep my mind off over eating so hopefully I can get that last pound knocked off and maybe even shave another pound or two off.

That is impressive!!!!  Job well done.

[TommyD3]

We are on this cruise also. Not a free casino cruise but AQ for about 1/3 what they charge on the longer cruises. LOVE Blu which still has Filet Mignon (the first night) and Rack of Lamb (the second night), both removed from the MDR menu post pandemic. Have fun !!!

[jam19872016]

5 hours ago, princess76021 said:

here i am!!  not bad only page 2!

hugs and happy cruising!!

(thanks for looking for me 😊)

You made it! Hooray 🥳

 

Glad you made it and you even got here before I boarded!

[jam19872016]

30 minutes ago, cruisetonowhere10 said:

That is impressive!!!!  Job well done.

Thank you!

 

21 minutes ago, TommyD3 said:

We are on this cruise also. Not a free casino cruise but AQ for about 1/3 what they charge on the longer cruises. LOVE Blu which still has Filet Mignon (the first night) and Rack of Lamb (the second night), both removed from the MDR menu post pandemic. Have fun !!!

There have been some great bargains to be had on Reflection. Shorties don't seem to be as popular as Celebrity was probably hoping for. Maybe it won't be a fully sold out cruise and we will have some extra elbow room onboard! 

 

Enjoy your time on Reflection! Just a couple more days now 😄

 

[jam19872016]

Stalking the cruise planner pricing for any last minute deals.

 

Premium beverage package is down to $72.99. Tempting, but I always end up regretting it when I purchase a drink package. Classic is $62.99 but that is a pretty useless package for what's included.

 

The one I am really wanting to try is the Unlimited Dining. Cost is $256.99. Please help me make this make sense. I could book specialty dining each night for $212.96. It says it includes lunch on sea days, so one extra lunch valued at $30 bringing the total cost to book separately at $242.96. I truly thought that despite the verbiage that I could eat lunch every day not just sea days as that is how Royal does it, but I saw a post on here of someone complaining they could not get lunch, and it was post after post of flaming that they did not read the rules.

 

So why would anybody book this? And that math is like this on every cruise I have booked, worse on the three days which do not even have lunch included since there are no sea days and I would drop La Petit Chef from the rotation since there would be more restaurants than days and that is the most expensive choice. Who is buying this and why?

 

I don't need that much food anyway, just like the drink package, I end up regretting buying the dining package, although I can say I ALWAYS get my money's worth on the dining package 🤪

[princess76021]

20 minutes ago, jam19872016 said:

You made it! Hooray 🥳

 

Glad you made it and you even got here before I boarded!

and i found it all by my lonesome!!! no one told me you were looking but i'm glad you did and i'm glad i did!!

 

i see mom didn't have her surgery yet.  i know that's a bummer.  wishing her well. we don't want to take the button out before you board now do we? 

 

hugs from texas!!

[jam19872016]

1 minute ago, princess76021 said:

and i found it all by my lonesome!!! no one told me you were looking but i'm glad you did and i'm glad i did!!

 

i see mom didn't have her surgery yet.  i know that's a bummer.  wishing her well. we don't want to take the button out before you board now do we? 

 

hugs from texas!!

Hopefully we won't need to take it out at all....I did just realize tomorrow is Friday the 13th. 

[princess76021]

14 minutes ago, jam19872016 said:

Hopefully we won't need to take it out at all....I did just realize tomorrow is Friday the 13th. 

shhhh!!!

[kluv2cruz]

14 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

thanks to the new competition feature in my step counter app

Which app is this please? 

[exlondoner]

5 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

Stalking the cruise planner pricing for any last minute deals.

 

Premium beverage package is down to $72.99. Tempting, but I always end up regretting it when I purchase a drink package. Classic is $62.99 but that is a pretty useless package for what's included.

 

The one I am really wanting to try is the Unlimited Dining. Cost is $256.99. Please help me make this make sense. I could book specialty dining each night for $212.96. It says it includes lunch on sea days, so one extra lunch valued at $30 bringing the total cost to book separately at $242.96. I truly thought that despite the verbiage that I could eat lunch every day not just sea days as that is how Royal does it, but I saw a post on here of someone complaining they could not get lunch, and it was post after post of flaming that they did not read the rules.

 

So why would anybody book this? And that math is like this on every cruise I have booked, worse on the three days which do not even have lunch included since there are no sea days and I would drop La Petit Chef from the rotation since there would be more restaurants than days and that is the most expensive choice. Who is buying this and why?

 

I don't need that much food anyway, just like the drink package, I end up regretting buying the dining package, although I can say I ALWAYS get my money's worth on the dining package 🤪

Surely all packages are like this, as cruise lines must offer them to benefit themselves, not the passengers, but even so this seems pretty blatantly a waste of cash.

[jam19872016]

Gained 1.6 today. Ouch, but sort of expected as that tends to happen when I weigh this early in the morning.

 

 

[jam19872016]

4 hours ago, kluv2cruz said:

Which app is this please? 

The app is called pacer. Highly recommend 👌 

[jam19872016]

2 hours ago, exlondoner said:

Surely all packages are like this, as cruise lines must offer them to benefit themselves, not the passengers, but even so this seems pretty blatantly a waste of cash.

For my seven day package on Royal the cost was $245 before gratuity and included lunch every day and multiple dinners if I could have possibly managed it. Wider selection of restaurants and I still felt the package was priced high and only got it as a splurge.

 

$256 for four days is outrageous. At that cost I feel like the only people who purchase it are not paying attention and it crosses the line from being a for profit company into shameless money grab territory. 

 

But, they are saving me from myself because I would purchase it if it was even remotely well priced.

[cruisetonowhere10]

14 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

For my seven day package on Royal the cost was $245 before gratuity and included lunch every day and multiple dinners if I could have possibly managed it. Wider selection of restaurants and I still felt the package was priced high and only got it as a splurge.

 

$256 for four days is outrageous. At that cost I feel like the only people who purchase it are not paying attention and it crosses the line from being a for profit company into shameless money grab territory. 

 

But, they are saving me from myself because I would purchase it if it was even remotely well priced.

I sometimes think they just hope ppl just sign on for everything. I get it but…there’s a cost/benefit analysis that should happen..  

[jam19872016]

23 hours ago, princess76021 said:

shhhh!!!

I made it! Fourteen hour day at work and the worse I encountered was a mystery cut on my finger that refused to stop bleeding until I put a band aid on. This is two times in a row I hurt my finger just before a cruise. I am going to need to start wearing bubble wrap on my hands.

[jam19872016]

1 hour ago, cruisetonowhere10 said:

I sometimes think they just hope ppl just sign on for everything. I get it but…there’s a cost/benefit analysis that should happen..  

I would agree that Celebrity definitely benefits from passengers who don't suffer from sticker shock. Coming from Carnival, I thought with the higher price tag to get on the ship, onboard expenses would be more reasonable. Imagine my surprise to find highly inflated onboard prices too. 

 

I try not to dwell on it, I enjoy the experience enough overall to keep coming back but I would spend more if I felt I was getting a fair deal for my purchases.

[jam19872016]

Past performance does not indicate future results certainly applies to how well I did dropping weight right before my last cruise.

 

0.0 today so no gain at least.

 

Closing in on my steps competition 

 

 

 

Another 14 hour work day maybe I can take over first place!

 

Two more days till we cruise 🛳  🤗 

[jam19872016]

+ 0.4 🙄

 

 

[NCTribeFan]

Following along.  Will be on Reflection-Beyond side-to-side in November.

 

Having only sailed X once (5 nights on Summit a couple of years ago), I was surprised to suddenly start receiving casino offers (I'm definitely NOT a high roller).  Mine were "only" freebie for me, pay a deeply-discounted fare for the non-existent other cruiser (I'm solo) interior offers. I'm not getting free for 2 interiors and free for 1 OV or Balcony but my cruise calendar is pretty full for the next 1-1/2 years.  The add-on prices were definitely a shock.

 

I've been Diamond on Carnival and never purchased the drink package.  Lately, I've sailed HAL where I typically add on their Have-It-All package which is sometimes as low as $55/pp/day.  That includes basic drink package, wi-fi, some specialty dining, some shore excursions credit.  If you book extra-early (and I have), you get upgraded to premium drinks and wi-fi plus gratuities on top of the other perks.  Imagine my shock to see the 35%-off basic drink package was that price.

 

So, it's ala carte for me the whole way.  I'll carry on 1 bottle of wine and get drinks while in the casino.  Hopefully, that will actually be possible.  I've read that it's often difficult to get service.

 

Looking forward to more!

[jam19872016]

I feel pretty good about my lead...I think i am going to skip my evening walk tonight.

 

 

Unfortunately it won't show me the final scores tomorrow just how I placed. If I end up not being first, whoever gets it deserves it for the come from behind win.

[jam19872016]

7 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

Following along.  Will be on Reflection-Beyond side-to-side in November.

 

Having only sailed X once (5 nights on Summit a couple of years ago), I was surprised to suddenly start receiving casino offers (I'm definitely NOT a high roller).  Mine were "only" freebie for me, pay a deeply-discounted fare for the non-existent other cruiser (I'm solo) interior offers. I'm not getting free for 2 interiors and free for 1 OV or Balcony but my cruise calendar is pretty full for the next 1-1/2 years.  The add-on prices were definitely a shock.

 

I've been Diamond on Carnival and never purchased the drink package.  Lately, I've sailed HAL where I typically add on their Have-It-All package which is sometimes as low as $55/pp/day.  That includes basic drink package, wi-fi, some specialty dining, some shore excursions credit.  If you book extra-early (and I have), you get upgraded to premium drinks and wi-fi plus gratuities on top of the other perks.  Imagine my shock to see the 35%-off basic drink package was that price.

 

So, it's ala carte for me the whole way.  I'll carry on 1 bottle of wine and get drinks while in the casino.  Hopefully, that will actually be possible.  I've read that it's often difficult to get service.

 

Looking forward to more!

Celebrity definitely has the easiest to earn comp sailings right now! I ain't mad at it. I have almost always had good luck getting a drink in the casino without much of a wait. They are really on the ball and unlike Carnival, they don't seem to take 15 drink orders before finally going to make them. I order a drink, and they go get it. I;ll be sure to report my experience this week!

 

You can also order liquor to the cabin. It's obscenely expensive at $135 and up per bottle, but compared to buying per drink, it's not a bad deal if you just want a simple mixed drink.

 

When in November? I'm eyeing Beyond in November. Would be my first Edge class.

 

Thanks for following along!

[jam19872016]

Well after two 14 hour days, this 11 hour just flew right on by.

 

I've got a few last minute things to do in the morning, most of which don't really HAVE to happen as all my packing is done except for one or two loose ends. 

 

The plan is to be on the road between 8-8:30. I have no stops that I need to make and I have been getting there a few minutes too early (doors don't seem to open until just before 10AM) so I don't really need to leave until 8:30, but with weekday south Florida traffic to contend with, maybe a few minutes early would be ok so that I have some cushion if I get suck in rush hour traffic..

 

Laying down maybe I can fall asleep early tonight. If I sleep for 12 hours tonight, well that will be ok I am pretty tuckered out right now.

 

Thanks for following along, next up is CRUISE DAY!!!  😄😄

 

 

[jam19872016]

Good morning everyone. Slept almost 11 hours, felt glorious.

 

Traffic check shows that "traffic is slower than usual" so I think I will aim for being out the door closer to 8 than 8:30.

 

Just a couple things to do then it is time to get this party started!