groryjm

It seems to have changed now anyway...

@DaKahuna I totally agree Some of the best off menu drinks I've had on board have been from the World Class Bar, not that I dislike those on the menu their menu, but if there is a good barman who knows how to make a drink then some of my favourotes I have had there are a Paper Plane, a Boulivardier, a Corpse Reviver No 2, a Division Bell to name but a few. They don't always have the right ingredients but can often find them at other bars given time. They'll often have their own infusions and syrups too More fun is when one of the bartenders makes something off book and their own creation. These are a few of my favourites... Silhouette WCB 2023 Silhouette WCB 2019 Reflection WCB 2023 Silhouette WCB 2019 Silhouette WCB 2023 Silhouette WCB 2019

Jim i totally agree going straight to michaels is usually far more effective and you are served a drink while they confirm😎

Realy? This was a cloudy night on a moving ship!

very unlikely in the summer because it's too light but if you are talking about a cruise from Southampton or Amsterdam then ther is a very slight chance you may on the way there or the way back once the ship is North of the UK. I'll post next week if we see them from Silhouette but I doubt it

I'm a bit late on this thread but agree with you @Moochi that Carpano Antica is far better than the cheap Martini Roso.... Good news we were on Reflection a couple of months ago and they had it in the World Class Bar 😎 and on Shilouette last year they also had it in the World Class 🥃

I have the same problem. my passport shows 3 christian names but I can only fit two into the Celebrity checkin system. It has never been a problem to miss one name off check in. Some times however three names appear on my sea pass my first and second christian names then my surname. This resulted in me being called Mr Jervis on Reflection last month which is one of my middle names but not realy a problem

Delays happen so I go latter. on one cruise last year we were due in Southampton at 6am but didn't actually dock until nearer 8am and were'nt allowed to strat disembarking until 8.30am

We were in an RS on Reflection last week and we got 4 devices each. My daugther and her girlfriend had a corner aft SS and they only had 1 device each.

Regardless of how booked or won the unlimited Internet for upto 4 devices per person is not a perk but part of an upper suite. As is the unlimited dining, unlimited luandry, premium drinks package, bar setup etc So even if you won the suite as a move up these things are your's. Enjoy the upper shite life😎

In an ordinary suite it is the premium wifi for 1 device for each person in the suite. For upper suites, such as an Edge Villa, it's premium on upto 4 devices per guest 😎

So I said I would mention it Beds….. Now apparently I snore so for the sake of a decent night’s sleep for both my Gastrognome and myself I tend to spend the night on the sofa bed and she retains the bed in the bedroom. As a result I have tested the sofa beds on a number of Celebrity M class and S class ships in celebrity suites, royal suites and penthouses and without question they have all aid a comfortable and restful night’s sleep and my Gastrognome attests to the comfort oft the main beds on Celebrity especially that of the PHs. Sofa bed in a royal suite on Celebrity Main bed in a royal suite on Celebrity A lot of guests in these two room suites will share them with children or close family with up to 4 sharing these rooms making them a bit more economical, as we used to with our daughter a few years ago. And why not as all the perks are for every passenger in the room including premium wifi and drinks and these all suites have a walk-in wardrobe and an second wardrobe in the living room. Also in upper suites there are two bathrooms and the unlimited dining covers up to 4 guests in the room. On Cunard however are one experience of the beds in a top suite was to say it kindly disappointing. While my Gastrognome found the bed in the bedroom extremely uncomfortable the sofa bed was almost unusable. In both lines the beds all split so as to become twins rather than double as required and she doesn’t notice the join particularly on Celebrity. On Cunard however the join was very prominent even with a topper she asked for on the second night. My sofa bed was only bearable if one slept sideways as there was a hard bar where the bed folded to become a sofa, something I have never had on a Celebrity sofa bed. Sofa in a Master suite on Cunard not the best sofa and certainly not a good bed Bed in main room on Cunard Bars…..we divided are evenings between the Michael’s Club bar and the World Class. The former for it’s tranquillity and the later for the atmosphere and the best drinks on board. I did try the martini bar and while the flair is fun the drinks were not to my taste. To be fair the quality of available ingredients is better in the WCB and I prefer the consistence of jiggered drinks. The show of an exuberant free pour at the martini but seems to lead to inconsistent and sometimes unbalanced drinks. Also the menu at the Martini bar tends to be on the sweet side or artificial with sweet flavoured vodkas whereas real mixologists at the WCB who know how to prepare classic cocktails along with their own new and interesting ones is much more to my taste for the day time we favoured the Sunset bar with its great wake views but I do miss the revolutionized sunset bar on Silhouette and the retreat sundeck. Comparatively we found Cunard’s bars while beautifully appointed to not be quite the same. Don’t get me wrong the drinks generally were well made but the grills lounge, the equivalent to Michaels was crowded like the other bars around the ship and I felt slightly niggled having spent so much on a package to find that bearlly two thirds of the drinks were covered and those that weren’t would be charged at full price unlike Celebrities pay the difference policy. The one show we went to on Reflection, Elysium, was excellent and we all enjoyed it. The stand-up comedians are not however my thing and while we very much enjoyed catching the musicians at various bars and lounges around the ship did not particularly want to watch their sets in the theatre. That said I felt the entertainment and music around the ship was better, or more to my taste, than Cunard’s. The ship itself is in great condition but I do prefer the less crowded feel of Silhouette. Forgive me my harsh criticisms but these are my personal feelings. I did very much enjoy Cunard but felt far more Nickel and Dimed than on Celebrity and when the itinerary is right might try again but I do love cruising on Celebrity. All in all another great cruise and roll on July for a chance to compare Silhouette to Reflection, Cruising is addictive 😉 😎🍹🍸🧉🥂

Well I’m back at home and once again the real world has taken hold. All those cares and worries that evaporate when one is on holiday and seem a world away take back over when back at home. Such is life. So I apologise for being a few days late so while I sit here in sunny Surrey drinking my coffee with my hoard of purloined pillow chocs here is my summary and conclusions from another excellent cruise. Overall this cruise has lived up to all we wanted and expect from a cruise in the Retreat on Celebrity. There have been highs and a couple of not so’s. The change in itinerary at the end of this cruise, losing Messina, was a real frustration but with the storms in the Straits and the eruption of Etna on Sunday could have made times a little too interesting so overall a good call by Captain Matt. It was a little frustrating at the time but the extra chance to shop in Christmas Alley and a pizza in Naples was a plus we thought we wouldn’t get. The food…… Bearing in mind that our last cruise was only six months ago and in Cunard’s Queens grill we were worried we might not find the food as good as we had gotten used to. On one hand with Cunard the quality of food was extremely high and being in QG the chance to order off menu pretty well whatever you wanted was great. Also on Cunard having the same table available breakfast, lunch and dinner, on sea or port days was nice but after a week I found I craved a change of view, whereas on Celebrity being in an upper suite we were able to eat in a different venue almost every night. The standard of food on Cunard is certainly higher but on a cruise there are days when another Dover sole with caviar to start, included in QG but an extra charge in Murano, does start to pale and all one craves is a ***** burger from the Lawn Club Grill. I am perfectly able to bone a fish myself and have not had a waiter to bone my fish or even cut up my steak on land since the 1970’s but on both lines the tables side show seems unavoidable, Queens Grill…. Murano….. The resulting dish on both lines however was equally good. I would say Murano and Queens Grill have a very similar ambiance the difference being that the Murano menu is fixed and the QG changes daily. The cheeses in Murano, however, are far better and of a greater variety than any we were offered on Cunard. The money…. Both lines are price wise quite similar when looking at the initial cost and a QG suite is very close to a Celebrity upper suite but that is where the similarity ends. On Celebrity in an upper suite everything is covered including Speciality dinning and laundry. In fact it is hard not to book with Wi-Fi , Drinks package and service charge included and even when in non-suite staterooms the upgrade to premium is not huge. With Cunard none of these are included if booked in the UK (On Cunard the premium drinks package equivalent we paid $1,656.00, $480 for the Wi-Fi and $424 for a service charge for two for a twelve day cruise) ………..beds, bars, shows and the ship to follow

We grabbed a quick bite at OBC and refortified ourselves with the shrimp plates Mudit brought at 3 A last afternoon watching the harbour traffic then dinner a LCG. This morning was our sad return to reality and breakfast in the BA lounge at Fiumicino I will type in my conclusions and comparison when I'm back at my pc tonight. For now however I dream of our next trip on Silhouette....... in 52 days😎

Saturday was a early up as we had small group tour booked for Herculaneum. We set off but had the enevitable detour to a cameo factory ... Herculaneum is an incredible archaeological site and far better, in my opinion, than Pompeii.

For dinner on Saturday night we dined together with my daughter and her gf in Luminae. I had the burrato followed by the ricotta cavateli, both delicious. I of course sampled the signature cocktails too Bourbon and peaches Vanilla Mojito Ultraviolet To my daughter's delight (she is 23) on the kids desert menu there was an option for warm milk and cookies I am always surprised by the salts which usually have the many holes for salt and one hole for pepper, which was the case a few days ago in Murano, but Luminae have finnaly got right this time with one hole for salt👍

She is looking good despite her age and quite frankly I prefer the old Michael's and room decor. The balcony furniture an mre comfortable than the "Hoppen" impractical grey. I do however miss the Retreat Sun deck and am very much looking forward to reacquainting myself with it in 7 weeks😎 when we are back on Silly to Iceland. Don't get me wrong I like Reflection but it can be a bit crowded in Luminae and generally about the ship

To conclude a great but tiring time in Napoli, we walked over 5 miles, what better than a lille and soda in the hot tub on the balcony 😎🥂

As this was an unscheduled extra day in Naples we decided to walk to Christmas Alley. The city was full and with a football match between Napoli and a rival team set for Sunday everywhere was blue and white. I deliberately left my camara on the ship so phone pics only Lunch was of course Pizza, mine being with Mortadela accompanied by Campari spritz

Yesterday I rung the changes and went to Luminae for breakfast. While the food and coffee were both good I personally thought the lavazza machine in our suit makes better coffee😎

For dinner last night we opted for Sushi on five so the girls could enjoy a Chic night date night in Luminae without us and fish is not their thing. The food was excellent but the poor waitress was run off her feet an service a little slow. This seems to be a theme in all of the specialities we’ve eaten in, excellent food and service but not just a bit too slow. Luminae however was too quick on the one night we have dined there. The cast were putting on a fun performance in the grand foyer as we headed out to Michaels for and après dinner drink.

These are the products and amenities in the bathroom I'll be honest and say I preffered the individual Bulgari products of the past but these are ok and I do appreciate the less wastefull and more environmentally friendly approach. On Cunnard we had little extras like perfume samples and a sewing kit butno cotton wool or lip balm so in general the Celebrity offerings are better

I followed this by a quick three laps but recorded my track. Five and a quarter miles in twenty minuets !!!!!! We had another little invite for today. A very special visit to the navigational bridge from Captain Matt and as this is my daughter’s girlfriend’s first cruise particularly special for them. We have visited the bridge on seeral other ships but this was our first time on Reflection. There were ten of us, all retreat guests, in the party and after we had been patted down and asked to sign a log were shown through a hidden door onto the bridge. A glass of champagne in hand we were ably guided around the controls and given an insite into the opperations of the ship

Today was a sea day so no alarms. I woke at about 9.30m and nipped up to the OVC for breakfast. It was slammed. The only tables were on the outside which suited me fine so after my eggs I walked up the stairs to the Sunset bar and walked three times around deck 15 before heading down to check on my Gastrognome. Deck 15 is 1600 feet so four laps is 1.2 miles and a nicer stroll than seven laps on the walking track. I measured a circuit on our first day to give a record of the distance. A lazy morning of games followed with a brief interlude to peruse the shops so Mudit and I Wayan coud get to our room. It may be of interest to others on this ship this season as I gather that because of the Spanish there will be no spirits, cigarettes or cigars on sale in the shops until the ship returns across the Atlantic. Cigarettes or cigars are available ijn the passport bar however at certain times Lunch was at LCG and the burgers were excellent. I followed this by a quick three laps but recorded my track. Five and a quarter miles in twenty minuets !!!!!! 🤣 You can see from the speed chart that "I walk slower to the front than walking to the Back"

Yesterday afternoon presented a conundrum of choices, a third helipad sail away invite from the retreat concierges at 5.45 or an captains club elite mixology and music event in the sky Lounge at 5.30. I had ascertained that it would be Joe from the WCB doing the cocktails for the CC event. My daughter and her GF opted for the Mixology and my Gastrognome the helipad. I planned to try and do both!!! The CC event started promptly with three cocktails being made. A Manhattan…. A spiked Pimms….. And A Mai Tia….. While each was made waiters passed around finished drinks for us all to try and the band provided music to Joe’s flair interludes between cocktails. I did promise Joe 😉 not to post the video of his oooops…….. WhatsApp Video 2023-05-18 at 17.57.35.mp4 As Joe was completing his set Captain Matt announced over the ships Tannoy that our next pot Messina was cancelled due to inclement weather in the straights, personally I reckon that Scylla and Charybdis are getting too feisty. I took advantage of the pause in the CC event and headed down to the Helipad to join my Gastrognome for the sail away Then a quick dash back to the suite to change for dinner with more of Mudit’s nibbles and a gin and bitters for my Gastrognome and a Campari Shakeroo for myself. Dinner was up in the LGC and again excellent food but a mix up in the kitchen delayed our mains by more than half an hour. All power to Randy who handled the situation with professionalism and tact. Then back to the room with a Calvados from Cranston for an episode of Bluestone 42 before bed. The chocolate strawberries in our room from Mudit got detoured to the girls suite…..