Celebrity Reflection January 14 to 21 2017

[billybob57]

We are in our suite and immediately at home as it is the same as the Silhouette and immaculately prepped by our Room Steward, Boban.

 

 

 

It's starboard this time as opposed to port on the Silly and I didn't take pics of it until the last sea day so for expediency sake I'll use the Silly photos to enhance my silly review/report/ramble/journal. It will be a mirror image.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I bet that pole by the bed gets some use Norris

Enjoying the blog hope we both have finished by the 11th march for my cruise

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Walt fan]

Norris! I have been gone a bit and was way behind. Wishing you a late Happy Birthday!

 

Am so loving this review. Love the pics of you and Carol in Murano. The food porn! And here I am with very little lunch.

 

Glad Labadee was good to you. We did not enjoy our stop in Labadee quite some time ago on a RC ship. There was a large market with very persistent sellers we seemed to keep running into; and for lowly balcony cabin people you had to fight for a spot on the beach. The food was awful as well so we quickly returned to our cabin. I never saw any excursions through RC, as I probably would have took them up on it.

 

Our most interesting show on a rolling ship was on the RC Voyager when they did an ice skating show. There was quite a lot of movement on the ship that evening and there quite a lot of falls. I felt so bad for the performers.

 

Following along and enjoying every minute. Thank you Norris!

[Bimmer09]

I bet that pole by the bed gets some use Norris

Enjoying the blog hope we both have finished by the 11th march for my cruise

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Hey Billybob, I only bumped into the pole once-the first time I woke up in the dark on the ship and I made a mental note ..."don't bump into the pole".

11th March is doable as I have a couple of days off before then but a lot of photos and video still to come. I always take a lot of last minute ship photos on the last day so they will come very soon. I have worked 25 hours over the last two days so am not getting as much computer time as I had hoped.

Which cruise are you taking?

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Norris! I have been gone a bit and was way behind. Wishing you a late Happy Birthday!

 

Am so loving this review. Love the pics of you and Carol in Murano. The food porn! And here I am with very little lunch.

 

Glad Labadee was good to you. We did not enjoy our stop in Labadee quite some time ago on a RC ship. There was a large market with very persistent sellers we seemed to keep running into; and for lowly balcony cabin people you had to fight for a spot on the beach. The food was awful as well so we quickly returned to our cabin. I never saw any excursions through RC, as I probably would have took them up on it.

 

Our most interesting show on a rolling ship was on the RC Voyager when they did an ice skating show. There was quite a lot of movement on the ship that evening and there quite a lot of falls. I felt so bad for the performers.

 

Following along and enjoying every minute. Thank you Norris!

 

Hi again and thanks for the birthday wishes.

As you read we didn't explore much in Labadee so didn't get to meet any persistent sellers in the market. Sounds like my old Ocho Rios experiences and I'm sure for the same reasons;they may only see you once and are desperate and have probably never seen another way to retail as I imagine they don't travel freely as we do.

We went to a shop at the "port" looking for a fridge magnet but it was all beach stuff and a small selection of that.

Labadee is there for us to explore next time.

Glad to see you here again!

Norris

 

[Bimmer09]

My last memory after dinner in Murano which took just under two hours (but we're not complaining!) was walking to our cabin and seeing CD Maarten in a huge black Afro wig amidst a crowd of dancers in the narrow atrium before the balloon drop which we didn't wait to see. We saw it later when Carol bought a DVD of our cruise. we buy these on Princess but it often looks like it was recorded a week before but this was our cruise as I saw myself in it walking along the dock in Grand Cayman. It of course had Maarten leading the crowd in YMCA and going up in the elevator with a radio mic. The crowd was having fun. Very lively!

 

 

Another deep but short sleep of 5 hours and I was up again with the usual mission of coffee taken at Sunset bar in the dark facing the stern, sitting in one of the banquettes trying to keep out of the wind. I would usually have my laptop with me to use Lightroom. Wi-fi speed when I did use it was satisfyingly fast. We had unlimited use of it included in our fare.

The first glimmers of a sunrise had me pack the laptop away...

 

I get excited when the clouds are revealed as this could be a good sunrise, full of drama. I would have put the camera away if it was cloudless and all I had to look forward to was a blinding ball of light in an empty sky.

 

 

 

 

 

The colors are changing by the minute so there is no walking away, even for more coffee

[Bimmer09]

 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

HERE COMES THE SUN

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

There's a blue sky waiting for us today

 

[silkismom]

Beatles--do I win?

[Bimmer09]

GOOD MORNING! GOOD MORNING! GOOD!

 

 

Worth my wait ?



 

 

Now I could get another coffee! I'm on deck 15 and just one deck below is this



 

 

Entrance art



 

 

Pub table dining for a group



 

 

The nearest drinks station to the Sunset Bar

[Bimmer09]

Beatles--do I win?

 

Yes, but then we ALL win if it is the Beatles.

Norris :cool:

[Bimmer09]

I can never get over how stunning your pictures are Norris!

getting more and more excited for my cruise aboard the Allure...we're taking newbie cruisers with us again this year. should be interesting!

 

Crystal, today on the cruise would be a busy day of taking photos. Glad you like them!

I would be excited to be going on the Allure too. When and where are you going?

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Entering from the outdoor dining area

 

 

Fruit, ripe for the taking



 

 

Mass quantities



 

 



 

 

Eggs cooked to order

 

 

[long time lurker]

GOOD MORNING! GOOD MORNING! GOOD!

 

 

Worth my wait ?



 

 

Now I could get another coffee! I'm on deck 15 and just one deck below is this



 

 

Entrance art



 

 

Pub table dining for a group



 

 

The nearest drinks station to the Sunset Bar

Good morning from Singing in the Rain?

[Bimmer09]

Good morning from Singing in the Rain?

 

Alas no.

It's the line the Beatles sing over and over at the end of Good Morning ,Good Morning from Sgt. Pepper while the animal noises play.

Norris

[jules815]

Enjoying all the early morning pictures. Also an early riser, even on vacation, and I love walking around the ship when it's waking up.

[Walt fan]

Had to chime in as those pictures of the sunrise made my whole day. I love to see the sun come up with the promise of another day, but with that color and on a cruise ship, life is very, very good.

 

One of our cruises was on the Oasis, the sister to the Allure. It was really incredible how big that ship is and how often you could get lost. The entertainment was spectacular.

[perfect match]

Beautiful sunrise pictures!

[Bimmer09]

Enjoying all the early morning pictures. Also an early riser, even on vacation, and I love walking around the ship when it's waking up.

 

Jules, we seem to be birds of a feather when it comes to sunrises and the stillness of a world where most are still asleep. Early is my norm since I came to the USA and particularly since we began cruising in 2011. Sunrises at sea are special as unlike on land there are no buildings in the way and unlike in a car you aren't zigzagging through traffic and catching glimpses. That most recent one on the sea day was right astern of the ship so I was able to stay with it. I published about half the photos I took as I take a lot for insurance . I under-exposed them to get richer color, using a faster shutter speed (1/640th of a second). Camera nerd alert!

Lots of empty ship rooms and art without people in the way coming up tomorrow.

Cheers!

Norris

[billybob57]

Hey Billybob, I only bumped into the pole once-the first time I woke up in the dark on the ship and I made a mental note ..."don't bump into the pole".

11th March is doable as I have a couple of days off before then but a lot of photos and video still to come. I always take a lot of last minute ship photos on the last day so they will come very soon. I have worked 25 hours over the last two days so am not getting as much computer time as I had hoped.

Which cruise are you taking?

Norris

 

Sorry Norris

I got to page 18 and my eyes are sore, set off for Miami at 4am so will catch up when I return.

sailing on MSC Davina on the 4th and jump on the Reflection on the 11th,

to far to travel for a one week cruise

[Bimmer09]

Oceanview buffet continued

On each side of the buffet is one of these large beverage stations for your coffee, tea and fruit juice selections. Early in the morning when I go there is usually just one open to make maintenance easier for the skeleton crew at that time. The coffee is ground Lavazza from Italy. There are to-go cups and melamine mugs.

 

 



 

 

Before the hot food comes out at 7 a.m and the breakfast crowd arrives there are pastries and muffins, croissants etc to enjoy with your first cup of coffee.







 

 



 

 

Due to some of our early excursions on this cruise I didn't get as many buffet lunches as I would have liked as I was on shore but any meal I've taken from the Oceanview Cafe has always been eaten outside.

[Bimmer09]

Once the sunrise is over with I have time before my Luminae breakfast to wander with the camera. It's Friday January 20th and our last full day on the ship. The portside lawn has been recovering since it's Monday morning mow as we approached Cozumel. I've watched the grass grow (literally) ever since and by the time the new passengers get on in about 28 hours it will be green and welcoming once more.

 

 

 

Time to wander.....

 

 

It's just a few minutes after 7



 

 

A men's restroom



 

I love the linen hand towels-a nice Modern Luxury touch. And the electric door openers save touching the handles.

At this time in the morning the people I would see on deck were mainly runners, someone to talk to over a cigarette at the Mast Bar and a quartet of young film makers shooting video for an unknown project. I never saw them catch a sunrise though. Maybe you also saw them out and about? I used the Mast Bar area when the sunrise was ahead of the ship but have never actually sat there with a drink, besides our disappointing Mast Grill burger lunch. I'll give the grill another shot on our next cruise.

[Bimmer09]

Outside the Reflection Theater is a video screen which slowly changes to show you events aboard the ship that day

 

 

10 pm Grand Foyer with Blind Vinyl an excellent rock band on board who always filled the dance floor but it's a small space and you're dancing on marble which doesn't lend itself to Moonwalking or Breakdancing or the Charleston or Lindy Lou and those other modern dances I have yet to learn the steps of.

Rock it till we dock it- I love that!

 

 

Social Media will help spread the brand name



 

 

Art is found throughout the ship



 

Lots more interiors to come

Norris

[floridaag]

I love the electric doors and the constantly staffed public bathrooms that are cleaned round the clocl

[Cruising from Mississauga]

I'm walking from the theater located forward deck 5 on my way aft to the smoking section closest to the Speciality Restaurants. I pass by a really eye-catching store where I look at the store fixtures and decor and ignore the watches pretty much as fancy watches aren't my thing so no Rolex aspirations for me. I own 3 watches; a Movado, a Kenneth Cole and a Fossil (a company that sells watches that are 50,000 years old I think) and they keep good enough time when the batteries don't die after a year and anyway my motto is "Always be early" so it doesn't matter if the watch is fast or slow as I am always prepared to wait in situ.

 

They only sell to Handsome Fighter Pilots apparently which must limit the company growth somewhat. Oh-here's the World Class Bar and I guess I'll have to take their word for it as I don't often order a cocktail.

 

 

As always on an S Class the design-the furniture and lighting is very appealing

 

The yummy-looking cakes at Cafe al Bacio which I have never tried. Note to self on next X cruise-stop and eat more often. Seriously-on Princess I have two breakfasts, a lunch then afternoon tea and a big dinner. I seem to skip a lot of the good snacks things that are there for the taking on X.

 

 

I also don't partake in the 50% off sales that pop up frequently as I am trying to unclutter my life (except when it comes to cameras) and really only buy the essentials in life (lobster, lenses, Guinness, cool ties, nice hotel rooms)

Next up- Murano dinner in photos and video. FOOD PORN

 

 

I'm no expert, but I think the marketing angle is "Buy this watch and you can pretend to be a handsome fighter pilot". Or something like that.;)

[Bimmer09]

Not until September again unfortunately. Heading to Orlando and Tampa at the end of this month for a week long vacation..will be first time at Universal, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios!

The cruise goes to Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Kitts....from everything I've read I'm not too excited about Nassau, but the other two sound enticing!

 

Crystal I have stayed in the Animal Kingdom lodge in 2000 and loved it there, sitting on my balcony at dusk with a drink and a view of giraffes and zebras. Magical place. There was a great African restaurant there called Juko I think. Epcot is always amazing too with all the different ethnic eateries.

I haven't been to Nassau yet but imagine it can be good if you go on an excursion away from the crowds. I wouldn't be interested in Atlantis much -to be fair I haven't yet looked at it on their website but I know it draws a cruise crowd. I think our Equinox cruise in January 2019 goes to Nassau.

Have fun in Tampa and Orlando!

Norris