Another Reflection review - long with pre and post cruise rambelings

[north49th]

Hello,

 

There have been a number of Reflection cruise reviews recently, most notably librarylady19’s great review. I thought I’d add mine to the mix. We recently finished the Reflection Feb. 16-23 sailing.

 

Warning: If you’re looking for a lot of negative comments and complaints, you won’t find them here. We had a GREAT cruise.

 

Rather than a day by day account, I’ve organizing my review into three sections; pre-cruise; the cruise and; post-cruise. I should note up front that parts of this review (primarily pre and post cruise) primarily deal with my experiences traveling with a wheelchair. I don’t normally think of myself as physically disabled but the wheelchair gives me away).

 

I’m posting this review here because:

 

- The majority of the actual cruise observations should be applicable to all Celebrity Reflection cruisers;

- I suspect a fair number of disabled Celebrity cruisers frequent this board for information more than the Disabled Cruise Travel board (I am posting a link to this review on the other board);

- Some of my fellow non-disabled cruisers may get a chuckle out of my recent pre and post cruise travel experience.

If you get board at any point reading this review, skip to the post cruise section. That’s where things take a twist from the usual trip home.

 

Setting the scene: I normally travel in a manual wheelchair. Given a recent bout of sever laziness and to give my GF a break from having to push me around in some ports I decided to travel, for the first time in 30+ years, with my power chair. I decided to take my brand new chair as opposed to my old beat up one because smart casual and formal in a worn out beat up chair would be akin to slapping new paint on a rusted old K-Car ;-))

 

Pre Cruise

 

We had a 9:05 AM direct Westjet flight from Ottawa to FLL the day before our cruise. Arrived at the airport at 6:50. The line wasn’t too long so we grabbed a coffee. By the time we returned 10 minutes later the line was really long. Westjet only had two agents assigned for people who had pre- checked in on-line for two flights leaving within minutes of each other. By the time we re-confirmed our check in and cleared security I didn’t even have time to use the bathroom before we had to board. Funny thing was the line up for people who didn’t bother checking in on-line in advance was short and quick. Lesson learned.

 

While my GF stripped everything off the chair that could be damaged in transport (joy stick, pedals, etc.) they got me in a straight back and to my window seat in row three, right where I could watch luggage being loaded. My new chair was the last item being loaded. I watched in horror as a coupe of luggage handling apes tried to move the chair with the clutches/brakes engaged, try to rip off the bolted in battery compartment; tear one of the locked arms out of its sockets and flip and roll the chair sideways on the baggage conveyor. I don’t recall the exact explicative that left my lips as I watched but it was enough to get the co-pilots attention. As I pointed to my chair laying on the belt he said he would go down to talk to them. When he came back he assured me the chair was right side up in the cargo bay and the arm could be reseated in its sockets. After a delayed departure for de-icing (and a lot of angst over whether or not my chair would work for the cruise) we arrived in FLL around 1:00 (during the flight I killed time trying to come up with new words for the United Breaks Guitars song… Swissport breaks wheelchairs).

 

I watched my chair come out of cargo on its side now with both arms off. I was transferred off the plane and into an airport wheelchair and pushed by porters to the baggage area where my chair was waiting. We collected our bag and got the chair back together and it worked to my relief. The only casualties so far were one broken arm clip and one missing locking pin and tie.

 

Not being sure if accessible cabs would be readily available and because I couldn’t fold my chair up and get into a regular cab, I decided not to chance so I booked an accessible shuttle via Go Airport Shuttle.

 

Got to the Go booth and was informed that they don’t have those types of vehicles I was told they had and that they’ll call me a cab. After waiting 30 - 40 minutes watching other accessible cabs leave from the taxi station, ours finally arrived and we were off to our hotel. In the future if I fly into FLL I’ll take my chances with the taxi stand as opposed to going through a middleman.

 

We stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites Miami/Brickell-Downtown last year before our cruise and chose it again for this one. It’s a very nice and clean place in a fairly active area with lots of dining options. Accessible rooms are well laid out and comfortable. They also have a very nice complimentary breakfast spread in the morning. Self serve omelets, french toast, waffles, cereals, juices, etc. I have no reservations about recommending this hotel for a pre or post cruise stay.

 

Cruise morning we had a wheelchair van booked with Super Shuttle. It arrived early and was perfect for my power chair. We had a comfortable uneventful trip to the port and the driver thanked us for the pre-paid tip. A nice contrast to the day before.

 

We arrived at the Port of Miami at 10:45 as people were still leaving from the previous cruise so it was a bit of a zoo with people arriving and leaving at the same time. Our driver looked for a spot to lower the chair lift and opted for location beside and slightly behind a shuttle van and trailer from another company. I guess the driver of the other shuttle got ticked off when another shuttle pulled ahead of us and blocked him in. As the wheelchair lift was being deployed he backed up his vehicle so his trailer was blocking the lift from going down. He was determined to make us wait until he could leave. It was too funny; he’s going to give himself an aneurism if he can’t deal with traffic in his profession.

 

Our Cruise

 

Miami Embarkation

 

Registration was a breeze and we were on the ship with sparkling wine in hand by 11:10. We were still full from breakfast so we took a quick look around and headed up to the Sunset Bar for a cool drink. We were greeted by Bailey who took our drink request and we settled in waiting for the room ready announcement. Turned out Bailey was a regular fixture at the Sunset Bar and was always ready to serve you with a smile. He got to know our drink preference, a Raspberry Daiquiri. Through out the cruise he tried to maintain a supply of raspberry mix at the bar for us… I guess it’s limited in supply on board!

 

 

The staterooms were ready at 1:05 so we headed down to drop off our carry on bags and meet our room stewards. Wondered around the ship a bit more, had another drink, unpacked and got ready for supper.

 

Our Room

 

We were booked in an accessible Aqua Class stateroom, 1538 on deck 11.

 

We had fresh fruit, sparkling wine and a decanter of fruit juice and ice waiting for us when we arrived in the room.

 

The room was basically the same size and layout as our veranda stateroom on the Eclipse last year. The bed seemed bigger than our previous veranda bed. I’m pushing six feet and my feet hung off the bed last year. This year, no problem. Maybe someone can confirm that the standard veranda beds are queens and the AQ beds are kings? Regardless, the bed was the most comfortable bed I’ve slept on for some time. Never found the “Pillow Menu” but didn’t really want it. The pillows were as comfortable as the bed.

 

 

The shower was nicer than what we remember last cruise. It had a hand held as well as overhead nozzle… no one hand showers if you choose. The rest of the bathroom was pretty much the same as last year.

 

 

 

The balcony was equipped with chairs as well as footrests with a table. The footrests are a nice touch.

 

I have read reviews and comments about there never being enough clothes hangers in the rooms. This definitely wasn’t an issue in our room, we had 25. Sort of made us feel under packed.

 

 

When we booked we were a little concerned about the room location under the gym. The first night between 10:30 and 11:00, a wall rattling thumping started. I headed up to deck 12 to see what was going on. Turned out nothing was going on in the gym. We were below an area used for yoga or some other non noisy stuff. Headed up to deck 14 and as soon as the elevator doors opened I figured it out. Bass from the sound system in the Sky Observation Lounge.

 

We heard the thumping every night but fortunately it didn’t last too long. I guess the party crowd turned in early on our cruise.

 

Given that we could be rocked by the disco two floors down off to the side, I can imagine that suite guests beside the Lounge would be rocked out of their beds if they weren’t elsewhere when the parties were underway!

 

The Reflection

 

Overall, the ship is beautiful.

 

 

The art work throughout is… interesting.

 

Having the Oceanview Café on the same deck as the pool is nice. It’s convenient to pop in for a quick bite or take out if you’re not into the burger and hot dog offerings at the Mast Grill.

 

The new Sunset Bar layout is nice and allows for a lowered more private area on the sides. The wrap around bar also provides an area to sit and talk with other guests.

 

The infamous Alcoves. OK, they looked comfortable and seemed to be a nice retreat from the masses on hot sea days for those that booked them. IMHO, they do take away from the open lawn lounging area at sea. It was nice being on the lawn and having unencumbered views on the Eclipse. Seeing as they were full most days and Celebrity is profiting from them I expect to see them added to other ships. Sad.

 

One place we didn’t frequent on our previous (first) cruise was the Ensemble Lounge. Too bad, it became my favorite inside location on the Reflection. Very comfortable atmosphere and the entertainment always seemed to be low key and relaxed. I think it’s the best venue to enjoy some of the talented performers on the ship.

 

Being a wheelchair user, I really appreciated that deck 15 fully wrap around. I especially appreciated being able to get to the forward area in front of the basketball cage. On the Eclipse (and other Solstice class ships?) you can’t go between the forward to aft top decks without taking stairs or taking an elevator down one floor and up at the other end.

 

Being a new ship I didn’t expect to see a lot of maintenance work. I was wrong, Celebrity definitely wants their newest ship kept in A1 condition. Cleaning was constant 24 hours a day. Throughout our cruise crew were re-varnishing woodwork and touching up paint. In port, crew were scrubbing down the hull and cleaning windows. Unlike other ships we saw from other lines, the Reflection always looked pristine. It sort of makes you feel special re-boarding in port.

 

Our Crew

 

Prior to our cruise we had read about some teething issues with new crew members. We’re not high maintenance and generally roll with the punches so we weren’t too concerned. Maybe it was the luck of the draw but we always received top notch friendly professional service throughout the ship regardless of who we were dealing with.

 

If you held a gun to my head and asked me to come up with our worst experience; all I would be able to come up with would be an obviously brand new bartender at the Pool Bar our first night. There were three of us ordering drinks and the poor guy looked overwhelmed looking all over for drinks, mixes, napkins etc. Wow, poor us, it took an extra 30 seconds to get our drinks.

 

We talked to one passenger who was dining in the MDR and there seemed to be some significant issues there. They had different servers each night, long waits between courses and some hot dishes served less than hot.

 

I understand that Celebrity has a policy of having its Officers visible and approachable throughout cruises. They definitely adhered to policy on the Reflection.

 

I mentioned earlier that we had a positive experience with all crew members but I would be remiss if I didn’t highlight a few that made our cruise memorable.

 

Our room steward and his assistant, Leslie and Magnu, were great guys, can’t imagine any better. Aside from discretely attending to our stateroom in a quick and thorough manner, they took care of minor requests such as swapping the sparkling wine for a Chardonnay, arranging a cheese plate instead of canapés and changing the bed linen after a bone head guest (me) spilled a drink mid afternoon. It was always a pleasure bumping into them when we left our room in the morning and throughout the day. We’d always be greeted with a cheerful good morning, afternoon etc. and a warm smile. I hope we have the fortune of meeting them again on a future cruises.

 

I mentioned Bailey at the Sunset Bar earlier but it’s worth repeating that he’s a warm friendly guy you should introduce yourself to. Always a smile.

 

Being AQ we were assigned Blu as our dining room and after first night in Blu we were placed in Keith and Marina’s section. When they introduced themselves Keith informed us that we were family and they were going to take care of us. It may sound campy but true to his word, he and Marina made us feel welcome and as if we were the most important table in the place. Given my disability, I have difficulty cutting my meat portions and it can be a bit embarrassing having your server cut your food for you indiscreetly. Marina was the definition of discretion, she stood at our table chatting like nothing out of the ordinary was going on, all the while cutting my chicken, steak etc. I doubt anyone ever noticed. Heck, once I looked at my plate after a brief chat and hadn’t realized she had done it right in front of me without me noticing! A true pro!

 

One night mid cruise I was joking with Keith that they must be cutting back because we hadn’t seen Filet Mignon on the menu since night one. Unbeknownst to us he mentioned we liked filet to Jonny the assistant Maitre D’. The next night we were informed that filet was on “our menu”. They proceeded to serve us each a huge filet perfectly cooked. Nice!

 

Being greeted by Ante, our Maitre D’ and escorted to our table was always a nice beginning to the meal.

 

We booked Qsine one night and had the pleasure of being served by Evica. What a fun lively lady. She definitely has the personality to match Qsine’s spirit. We laughed quite a bit throughout the evening. I’ll touch on the food later but for us, Evica was our Qsine experience.

 

Bar service throughout the ship was fast and friendly (OK, the pool bar was a bit slow once).

 

The crew in the Oceanview Café did an excellent job keeping stations stocked, cleaning up and assisting guests. No signs of unfriendly, untrained or poorly trained staff, everything seemed to run smoothly.

 

Finally, all crew about the ship always had a smile when eye contact was made. Whenever I engaged them in conversation they always took the time to stop and have a brief chat. I personally love to talk with people from different backgrounds and cultures, I think it’s one of the unrecognized benefits of cruising; a boat full of interesting people (passengers and crew) from places you may never get to experience otherwise.

 

Food and Bars

 

We had a Classic drink package via the 1,2,3 promotion. On our cruise we did not notice any degradation in service at the bars. Actually, I found the bars less busy than on our Eclipse cruise last February. Maybe it was just the demographics on our cruise or the fact that it’s soon after the promotion was offered and the masses of package holders haven’t kicked in yet. Regardless, the bars were busy but not crazy. We also never had to wait for a coffee at Café al Bacio.

 

We were in Aqua Class so we were assigned to Blu. Blu the first night was a bit crazy. I imagine it’s like that most first nights as they can’t anticipate when guests generally prefer to show up. They definitely got their groove back the second night on, impressive. I’ve already commented on the service so I’ll add that we were very happy with the menu variety, food quality and presentation. Due to my own per-conceived notion of what Blu would be like, I was a bit surprised at how busy it can get and the noise level. Don’t get me wrong, it is definitely a nicer dining venue/experience than the MDR and the service is very personal. I guess due to my warped mind I envisioned a small 25 table intimate restaurant. I did say warped mind.

 

We never made it to Blu for breakfast. We were told casual dress was fine for breakfast but I wouldn’t have felt comfortable showing up and being served by formally dressed people while we were in shorts, sandals and a casual summer shirt. Ya, I’m crazy.

 

Qsine was a fun experience. For us the service and presentation was the experience, not the food. To be fair, my partner is an excellent cook and we’re both very adventurous in the kitchen so the food wasn’t the wow factor for us. Would we recommend it, absolutely, everyone should try it at least once.

 

We had reservations in Murano’s on night 6 but after thinking about the menu for a few days we decided to cancel. I’m sure it would have been an excellent experience but we were content with Blu. We gave them two days notice so I’m sure we made someone on the wait list happy. Apparently all the specialty restaurants were booked solid the last few days.

 

We ordered room service breakfast twice. Our first morning we ordered fresh squeezed OJ, a carafe of coffee, ham and cheese omelets, hash browns, toast and some fruit. The food arrived on time, as ordered and hot. Our omelets were spongy and our hash brown patties were pretty stiff and over cooked. We decided fresh cooked breakfast in Oceanview was a better option for us. The second time we ordered we just got fresh squeezed OJ and a carafe of coffee to enjoy on our balcony before we headed up to OV café for breakfast.

 

After reading rave reviews about Bistro on 5 we had to give it a try. I’m happy to report that it is as good as we heard. The hot and spicy steak crepe was great. I highly recommend it! Well worth the $5 charge.

 

The Oceanview Café, on the positive side, had a wonderful assortment of food to satisfy most any preference. In addition to the salads, cold cuts, cheeses, breads etc. the Mexican, Indian, Pasta, etc. etc. stations made it hard to decide what to eat.

On the negative side, meats were dry. From fresh carved ham, the taco chicken through to the beef in the Indian curry, the meat was chewy and dry. I’m a bit of a nut when it comes to food safety but surely the OV chefs should be able to cook meats to safe temperatures and hold them while maintaining moisture. It’s probably just teething pains and they’ll get it right soon.

 

The Mast Grill is what it is, a place where they pump out burgers, dogs and factory fries to fill empty stomachs. Burgers are burgers and dogs are dogs. I think Celebrity could make the Mast Grill a must spot to eat if the pumped it up a notch and offered chip wagon style fries. Just my humble opinion.

 

We didn’t eat at the Lawn Club Grill and after seeing it, I’d much prefer a glass show or other entertainment venue in the location. I never understood the appeal of paying extra for pizza called flat bread, mediocre sides and grilled meats you could get in other venues. I did talk to another cruiser who said it was worth every cent. The value for him was the opportunity to interact with the chefs and learn how to grill a steak properly, something he admitted he never did well.

 

Ports

 

San Juan: Given our 3:00 arrival, we didn’t really plan on doing anything other than hop off the ship to pick up a few t-shirts for my GF’s daughter. We spent the majority of our time that day enjoying the weather on the ship and dining in Qsine.

 

I didn’t bring my tablet with me when we popped into town but I was able to pick up a weak but consistent connection from my forward balcony. I think it was from San Juan Hotspot. It cost $5 per hour. I decided cool fruit drinks at the Sunset Bar were more compelling than email so I never tried the service.

 

Sint Maarten: Prior to cruising we vacationed on this dual state Island many times so we’ve pretty much been there done that. As I was in my power chair we weren’t able to hop in a cab and visit old Island friends outside of the Philipsburg area. We got off the ship around 10:30 and headed into town to pick up our annual supply of Guavaberry Liqueur from the Gauvaberry Shop in town, check on an old acquaintance and grab a drink at a beach bar to check our email.

 

It’s not hard finding free or included with the purchase of a beer hotspots around town. We opted for the Get Wet Beach Bar. Drinks were cheap and their Wifi access was adequate for checking email. If you’re looking to “maybe” make voip calls, I’d suggest you try the Greenhouse restaurant/bar at the end of the beach closest to the cruise port. They seemed to have the most robust access but it will cost you a meal if you want the password.

 

Note: if you’re buying anything from the Guavaberry shop it’s cheaper to buy it in town than at the shop in the port area. You don’t need to worry about carrying it around while in town as they deliver to the ship before you depart.

 

St. Kitts: Again, because of my power chair our options were pretty much limited to Celebrity’s accessible tours (which didn’t appeal to us) and shopping around the port and exploring Basseterre.

 

If you’re looking for hotspots I’d highly recommend the Internet shop at the end of the first right in the port shopping area. For $3 you can get a one hour Internet card. Very few people were connected and signal strength and speed were great. I could easily use voip to check my messages back home.

 

While I was sitting by a bench having a cold Carib checking my email I was approached by a colourfully dressed gentleman. He asked me about how I found getting around the port in my chair and whether I’d be interested in using a wheelchair accessible tour van on future visits. Turned out he operates a Taxi and Tour service and had recently purchased a 2nd hand accessible vehicle from the US. He was currently having the lift moved to the other side of the van due to the fact that they drive on left in St. Kitts. He was hoping to start offering the new service in the very near future.

 

Obviously I can’t vouch for his service but I’ll give it a shot the next time I’m in St. Kitts. If you are interested here’s a link to his card http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8511/8515750335_e597f9dd2c_z.jpg

 

Ship Wifi / Internet

 

Dropped by the iLounge the first day to check out Internet access. After asking a few question about how billing worked and whether discounts or extra minutes were being offered the first day (they were not), I decided to opt for tapping into hotspots when in ports.

 

I talked to a few passengers that had Internet packages during the trip and they seemed happy with the signal strength and speed.

 

Fellow Passengers

 

There was a pretty good mix of age ranges on our cruise. I’d say the majority fell into the 40 – 60ish range.

 

Overall, everyone was courteous to both fellow passengers and crew and seemed to be enjoying themselves.

 

Of course there was a fair share of chair hogs around the pool but the pool butlers seemed to have a good handle on it. Note: if you’re looking for a deck chair in the sun and not set on being by the pool, there seemed to always be open chairs on deck 15 forward by the basketball cage.

 

I will admit that one group of passengers really bugged me; the inconsiderate (dare I say downright ignorant) ones that refused to use hand sanitizer when entering the Oceanview Café (even when approached by Crew with dispensers). I’d like to see Celebrity institute a policy to strictly enforce hand sanitizing before entry.

 

While I’m the topic of Oceanview, on the very slim chance the woman who literally climbed over the back of my chair to get to the salad station, PM me, I felt we shared a special moment. Seriously, you’re on a cruise, relax they won’t run out of food!

 

There were more young children and young teens onboard than we recall on our previous Cruise at this time last year. From what we observed, Celebrity does an excellent job offering activities for pre-adult cruisers.

 

Events / Entertainment

 

Planning for our trip we were both determined to take in as much of the activities and entertainment as we could, something we didn’t get around to on our first cruise. Well it didn’t take long for us to get into vacation veg mode once we boarded. Most of our time was spent outside on upper decks, leisurely dining and taking in some live music around the ship.

 

We did catch the James Allan iMagician show which we really enjoyed but that was it. We did hear rave reviews about Reflection, The Show and regretted missing it.

 

We received an invitation to the Captain’s Club Celebration but chose not to attend. It was scheduled for 12:30 on Monday and the dress code was smart casual. We couldn’t bring ourselves to trade in sun, shorts and sandals to attend the event.

 

Misc. other things

 

The sea was a bit rough the first few days and you really noticed the motion. Things calmed down for the rest of the cruise but we still felt the ship sway now and then. Nothing that caused us any discomfort but it was noticeable.

 

Surprisingly, given the number of passengers, we rarely encountered packed elevators and we never really had to wait long for one. Different from our experience last year.

 

Be sure to get down low and check your room safe before you leave. We found a case full of credit and bank cards a previous guest left behind. We dropped it off at Guest Relations of course.

 

As I’ve already mentioned our only other cruise experience was on the Eclipse last year. On this cruise we found that the photographers were less in your face and pushy about snapping your picture. Maybe Celebrity has instructed their photographers to tone it down or maybe the group on our cruise were just more laid back? Regardless, it was nice not having to deal with a camera in your face when boarding, in port, at dinner etc.

 

Admittedly this is a minor gripe but the sales voice messages on our stateroom phone bugged me. I count on my stateroom phone for emergency messages from home and it is irritating having to check messages that are sales pitches. I know, suck it up princess; it’s better than constant PA system announcements like I’ve read happens on other lines.

 

At the risk of derailing this review and fanning the smoking debate, I’d like to offer a few thoughts on smoking on-board. We’re both smokers (trying to quit!) who try to avoid subjecting non-smokers to the distasteful side effects of our habit. We primarily restricted our smoking to the Sunset Bar port side and deck 5 aft port side beside the inside shops / restaurant areas (I’ll confess we also smoked by the Mast Bar area one day). Aside from the Mast Bar area, both other areas offer good airflow and minimize impact on non-smokers. Even as smokers, we strongly suggested on our comment card that Celebrity eliminate the Deck 14 port side smoking area by the Ocenview Café entrance/exit. Quite frankly, even as smokers, we avoided the area because the cloud of smoke caused by the overhang was disgusting. In addition, there were at least a dozen cigar smokers on board who drove other smokers away from the Sunset Bar when 5 or 6 lit up. We suggest Celebrity limit cigar smoking to one table for two at the far aft port side of the bar.

 

As a side note, come hell or high water, we’ll both be non-smokers on our next cruise!

 

Miami disembarkation

 

We had an 11:50 flight out of Miami and Super Shuttle booked for an 8:50 pickup. After reading about masses of passengers self disembarking and long delays, we requested an early self disembarkation. We were assigned to the Café al Bacio area at 7:15.

 

We set our alarm for 6:00 and got up to do our last minute packing and room check. We had a quick coffee at Café al Bacio and disembarked at 7:15 on the button. By 7:20 we had cleared Customs and were in the bus area wondering what the #### the rush was for? No delays, no massive lines, no Customs glitches.

 

We found an out of the way spot to have a cigarette and regretted not taking the time to grab a bite on-board before we disembarked.

 

After waiting for a bit I headed off to find the Super Shuttle Rep. When I approached her she said Mr. …? I’ve been watching for you. She radioed our van while I informed my GF we’re ready to go. Fifteen minutes later we were on the way to the airport.

 

Based on our experience, don’t sweat disembarking. Also, Super Shuttle is a class act, I highly recommend them.

 

Post cruise

 

We arrived at Miami International early. We grabbed a piece of really bad pizza to tide us over and hit the airport bar for our last pre 5 PM Bloody Mary for the year. In case you’re wondering, the Bloody Marys were as bad as the pizza slices. We soaked up some Florida sun and checked in an hour and a half before departure.

 

Security went smoothly. I received the standard thorough TSA body pat down and my chair and shoes were swabbed and checked.

 

We had an indirect flight back to Ottawa via Toronto.

 

I was pre boarded at the gate and placed in the same row 3 window seat as I was in on the trip down. Not that I was overly worried about my chair as we were heading home and I had a backup, I was impressed that the Swissport luggage handlers knew how to disengage and engage the clutches to move the chair. They loaded my chair right side up and intact without an issue.

 

Our flight departed on time and we arrived in Toronto 20 minutes ahead of schedule. My chair came out of cargo right side up intact and the handlers knew how to move/transport it… whoo hoo, smooth sailing! Our connecting flight to Ottawa was an hour and 20 minutes later. When Westjet staff were getting me off the plane I asked if rather than putting my chair together and me taking it through customs only to be dismantled again in 40 minutes to get on the next leg, I could use an airport chair and they could take my chair through customs to load on the Ottawa bound jet. They checked with CBSA (Canadian Border Services Agency) and there was no issue.

 

We cleared Customs in a breeze and had enough time to have a smoke, grab a coffee and get to our gate. This is where a smooth trip home went off the rails.

 

Five minutes before boarding we were approached by a Westjet agent who informed us that CBSA told them to deny our boarding and that we had to report to an CBSA Agent immediately. Totally confused we (my GF, myself and a Westjet Agent) headed down to the CBSA Customs Security area. I figured it had to be some minor problem because they didn’t send Agents to nab us before we boarded.

 

We (me and an equally confused Westjet agent pushing me) entered through a restricted access door and we were directed to follow a hallway past interrogation rooms and holding cells to where CBSA Agents question suspect passengers. After waiting a few minutes we were waved over to an Agent where my chair was waiting. After giving me the once over I was questioned about where I had been. I was then informed that they swabbed my chair and Ecstasy levels were off the scale! The Agent informed me the residue was so strong she had to flush the equipment five times to reset it. She said it was less tan 24 hours old. I informed her that my chair was in my possession from the time I left FLL to boarding in MIA. Anything relating to Ecstasy on my chair happened between Miami and Toronto luggage handling.

 

Turned out the only part of the chair that was contaminated was the outside back of the battery compartment. She swabbed the area and showed me the results… alarms went off and the screen flashed red positive warnings, wild!

 

I offered to let them check other parts of the chair we were carrying and our luggage but she said it wasn’t necessary, they didn’t think I was responsible and they just wanted to meet me face to face. Before we were allowed to leave the CBSA Agent apologized for delaying us and informed me that they think they got the chair reassembled OK. I guess they stripped it down to check it.

 

I figure:

 

a) a baggage handler who handled my chair previously came into contact with contaminated luggage;

b) a contaminated bag on our flight came into contact with my chair in cargo; or

c) someone in handling tried to smuggle drugs in my battery compartment but couldn’t get it open because it’s bolted in. If so, the new bolting in battery compartment design on my chair (which I thought was stupit) may have saved me a lot of grief!

 

We, of course, missed our 4:15 flight.

 

Westjet representatives apologized left right and center for our delay that was obviously not their fault. We were given two seats on the next flight to Ottawa at 10:45 and Lounge passes, nice touch. I know they had to rearrange pre-arranged seating on the 10:45 flight because the law requires I have to be placed by a window in case of emergency so I won’t be in the way during an evacuation. I suspect they took some flack from a couple of other passengers to accommodate us in a situation beyond their control. Kudos to Westjet, based on my recent experience I’ll use them before other carriers.

 

We arrived in Ottawa to wet snow. Got home, unpacked a few things and were in bed by 2 AM dreaming about our next cruise.

[Cruiser21]

Nice job, great review.

[DEBnGAB]

HI...really enjoyed reading your review! Well balanced and well written.

 

Loved the part of about the lady at the salad bar! :D Amazing how some folks just cannot seem to wait another 10 seconds.

[wednesday]

Great review! I have a question, what types of coffee drinks did you get? I am still trying to figure out what will be covered with the classic alcohol package.

[ellie1145]

What a great review, thank you so much for posting it! :)

 

We were somewhat underwhelmed by our cruise on Solstice, but your review has reminded me of how lovely our bathroom was and how comfortable the bed was!

 

I might even be tempted to consider a cruise on this beautiful ship - you have certainly 'sold' it to me!

 

Mind you, we would be eating with the plebs, and booking an outside cabin I guess, so maybe our experience would not be quite so good as yours. Ha!Ha!

 

Really enjoyed your pre and post cruise reports too. Many thanks!

[waterbug123]

We met Bailey on the 2/2-2/9 sailing loved him as well. He took good care of us all week! And we also really enjoyed Evica at Qsine. You're right- her personality just seems perfect for that venue. Our group of 8 really hit it off with her and ate there twice, with her serving us both times.

[vickila]

Thanks for posting the St. Kitts tour guide's info. Will contact him in the future. V.:)

[north49th]

Thank you all for your kind comments.

 

wednesday, we're not coffee experts so we pretty much stuck with Americana coffees. I did briefly look over the menu one day and I don't think any coffee (beyond maybe a custom blend including alcohol) exceeded the Classic package limit. I'll leave it to others to who may have more experience with the menu.

 

vickila, like I said, I can’t vouch for him but he seemed like a decent guy. He told me he's been lobbying the Government to improve accessibility to island attractions and provide accessible bathroom facilities. I'm fairly good at judging peoples characters and he struck me as a genuinely nice guy (and colorful dresser :p).

 

[wednesday]

Thanks!:)

[yaya]

Northth49...what a terrific .. detailed review...have sailed most Celebrity Ships, and will be on the Reflection on March 16th...I thank you for taking the time to give your own perceptive review...

I have been on the sister ship ...Silhoutte.. last year and look forward to all the many favorite things I love...thanks...we also have AQ access.

[sabookkeeper]

Great review...thanks. We will be on the Reflection in 2014 and are looking forward to it after reading your review.

[north49th]

yaya, thank you.

 

I'm envious, I'd love to be on your cruise!

 

Based on our experience, I suggest you head up to the Sunset Bar when you board and introduce yourselves to Bailey. Tell him the Raspberry Daiquiri guy in the chair sent you. He'll take good care of you.

 

Next, head to Blu and introduce yourselves to Ante, the Maitre D'. Request that you be seated in Keith and Marina's section, you won't be sorry. Let Keith know you're related to his older brother Keith in the chair... I'm sure you'll have a great time!

Edited March 1, 2013 by north49th

[baby]

how was the food in the main dining room

 

carol

[north49th]

baby, we didn't dine in the MDR.

 

I did check out the menu on day 5 I think and it looked like they had a nice selection to suit most tastes.

 

Based on comments from one discussion with another passenger who was dining in the MDR, there appeared to be some major service issues. Mind you, it could very well have been an isolated case and not the norm.

 

I'll leave it to other cruisers who dined in the MDR to comment.

[shanebbb]

..concise, informative, with a little humor. I love the "lighten up Princess" line, made me laugh.

 

I hope there are people like you on our cruise in a couple of weeks!

 

Upon finishing I somehow guessed that you were NOT someone who has posted 5,000 times! And I was right.

 

All the best to you...

[Cruiser21]

North49th

 

You seem to have enjoyed the Sunset Bar, can you tell me if you can find a seat in the afternoon on sea days? Thanks

[Cybercsp]

Thanks for an enjoyable review! Especially happy to hear nice comments about the staff. We have found that their warmth and excellent service makes our cruise even more enjoyable. We sail next month...can't wait! I am expecting to log some time at the Sunset Bar!

[rosegrower]

Thanks for the great review! We will be trying on of those Raspberry Daquiris at Sail away on Saturday!

[JanineM]

FANTASTIC review! I'm not sailing on Reflection, nor am I going to the Caribbean but I was fully entertained. Good job!!

[librarylady19]

Great review; glad you enjoyed your cruise on Reflection Nice of you to take the time to post some positive comments!!

[Emiliqua]

Thank you for the wonderful review! You did a great job of including your main points.

 

I am baffled by your airport experience with the ecstasy detected on your chair! :eek:

[cruiseguys2009]

Absolutely and Positively loved your Review. Thank you for taking the time and energy to post a concise and narrative story. We enjoyed your humor and laughed out loud at several points.

 

How fun you are, and we look forward to sailing on the Reflection in 43 days.

 

JW and Jerome.

[north49th]

Thanks everyone, I'm glad you found my review a good read.

 

Cruiser21, we did spend a good amount of time at the Sunset Bar. It's my favorite outdoor location. A great place to relax, get some sun, watch the ships wake and chat with other passengers. It did get really busy on sea days but we never had trouble finding a spot (I did bring my own chair though :D).

 

Emiliqua, yes, the whole ecstasy on my chair thing was quite bizarre. I guess since they only found it on the outside of the battery case they never really considered me suspect. They didn't come to get us, they didn't check our bags and weren't interested in talking to my GF. I suppose they had to meet the chair owner to cross some T's and dot some I's on their paper work.

[marysb]

Thanks for the great review. You brought back some great memories of our cruise.

[Cruiser21]

Thanks everyone, I'm glad you found my review a good read.

 

Cruiser21, we did spend a good amount of time at the Sunset Bar. It's my favorite outdoor location. A great place to relax, get some sun, watch the ships wake and chat with other passengers. It did get really busy on sea days but we never had trouble finding a spot (I did bring my own chair though :D).

 

Emiliqua, yes, the whole ecstasy on my chair thing was quite bizarre. I guess since they only found it on the outside of the battery case they never really considered me suspect. They didn't come to get us, they didn't check our bags and weren't interested in talking to my GF. I suppose they had to meet the chair owner to cross some T's and dot some I's on their paper work.

 

Good one, haha.