Celebrity reflection 10 night ultimate caribbean cruise - march 23, 2018

[Marvy Mare]

Can I ask what hotel that is that you stayed in.... thk u

 

It was the Hilton Beach Resort - 505 N Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd. The only complaint I had about our room was that it was on the north side of the building so we didn’t get sun on our balcony which wouldn’t have been an issue if it was warm.

[charliesmitheringale]

Thank you. You have something to look forward to next February and tomorrow morning I should have some Reflection photos posted for you to check out before work.

 

 

 

Maris

 

 

Been on Reflection last year love her, really enjoyed The Porch, The Lawn Club and Quisine are you going to try Le Petite Chef looks wonderful. Julie (SocaQueen)

 

 

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[charliesmitheringale]

We are staying at The W in Fort Lauderdale next February looking forward to that. Julie

 

 

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[Marvy Mare]

Been on Reflection last year love her, really enjoyed The Porch, The Lawn Club and Quisine are you going to try Le Petite Chef looks wonderful. Julie (SocaQueen)

 

 

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We didn’t try Le Petite Chef. It looked interesting. We did enjoy the Tuscan Grille and Murano.

[lilghallinsf]

We are staying at The W in Fort Lauderdale next February looking forward to that. Julie

 

 

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You will Love the W. Stayed there many times but the prices have gone through he roof

 

 

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[maggieq]

We stayed at the new Conrad (using points). We usually stay at the renaissance on 17th but they wanted almost $400 back in February. It’s very nice and rooms are beautiful. However we like the renaissance, restaurants choices that are in proximity.

[ronews]

It was the Hilton Beach Resort - 505 N Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd. The only complaint I had about our room was that it was on the north side of the building so we didn’t get sun on our balcony which wouldn’t have been an issue if it was warm.

 

Hi Maris! Enjoyed waving to you guys on the plane from TO lol. Sorry we didn't connect on the cruise. Hilton Beach looks very nice and will check it out next time. You said it was reasonable. We stayed at the Court Yard Marriot . Nothing special but great location. Just got Visa bill $900 CDN for 2 nights!! Yikes! Spring break rates. Thanks for the review. It was a great cruise!

Bill and Chris

[Marvy Mare]

March 23, 2018 Embarkation Day (Cont.)

 

Our Go driver Eliot arrived right on time at 9:45. Check in went smoothly and we were on the Reflection. A glass of some kind of bubbly wine and we were ready to go. We decided to forgo the Concierge Luncheon & just hang out on Deck 15 without having to fight for seats.

 

Air Canada Rouge (the airlines we took to Florida last spring) flew right over us.

 

We won't see the pool deck like this again during our trip. Well, maybe at 6 in the morning, but even when I was up there in the early morning darkness, I saw people saving chairs, before they went back to bed

 

 

When I go into Cruise Critic, I still see my post asking if you could swim lengths in the pool. :'). What was I thinking?

 

The track on Deck 15, where I walked every morning. Pretty difficult to navigate it in the middle of the day, but people do try.

 

Saved chairs. Just missing the large clips.

[Marvy Mare]

March 23, 2018 (cont.)

 

We grabbed a bite to eat at the Oceanview Cafe and brought it back to our chairs. It was still cool but we sat partially in the sun. After the Muster Drill, a fairly entertaining video in the Opus Restaurant, we went up to the Sunset Bar for sail away. I had been chatting with a group on Cruise Critic and that is where they were meeting.

We talked to a few people in the group from the states and Canada. When we went to refresh our beverages we happened to meet a gentleman from Lindsay, Ontario. It's a town about 40 km from where we live and where I worked for much of my career. We had lots of friends in common. Since our room was on port side, we decided to do sail away from there.

 

I think these flags are only up at Embarkation and Debarkation? But I'm not sure about that. Can anyone enlighten me?

 

The view from our room. I think I see my suitcase!

 

I wonder if that was enough water for the entire trip?

 

I think that employees arrive or depart on this bus? Just a guess.

 

If you look really carefully, you can see Fort Lauderdale in the background.

 

And we're on the road. Very excited!!!

[Marvy Mare]

Hi Maris! Enjoyed waving to you guys on the plane from TO lol. Sorry we didn't connect on the cruise. Hilton Beach looks very nice and will check it out next time. You said it was reasonable. We stayed at the Court Yard Marriot . Nothing special but great location. Just got Visa bill $900 CDN for 2 nights!! Yikes! Spring break rates. Thanks for the review. It was a great cruise!

Bill and Chris

 

Hi Bill - The pub crawl guy, right? We meant to talk to you at the airport, but our bags were first off the plane & we grabbed them and ran. Last year (our first cruise), we waited about and hour for a cab. This year we booked a car, but we weren't taking any chances. Fortunately, there was a car waiting. The Hilton in general wasn't that reasonable. We booked through Booking.com & some company called Airbub(?). I was a little worried. When we were unsure of our booking I thought of canceling. I checked to see what it would be to book a room through Hilton. I think it was $500 a night Cdn. so we took a chance. The room was spacious but fairly plain. The building was gorgeous. I think there was some issue with some of the condo owners not approved by Hilton(ours being one) but we had no problem. Can't beat $175US a night for a WF condo in a luxury building.

We never did find the group doing the cabin crawl. I think they were hiding on us. Should have signed up with you.:D

 

Maris & Ken

[helencruising]

Thank you for your review. I’m enjoying it and looking forward to reading more. :):)

[CLT_Deac]

Thanks for your review! Great pictures of the trip and your gorgeous dogs! We are on a similar itinerary on the Summit departing this Saturday. Hope you get some warmer weather soon. It’s even chilly here in NC!

 

 

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[Marvy Mare]

Thank you for your review. I’m enjoying it and looking forward to reading more. :):)

 

Thanks for following. :D

Maris

[Kilo November]

Loving your review...can't wait for more!

[Marvy Mare]

Loving your review...can't wait for more!

 

:D Thanks! So many photos to organize!

 

Maris

[Marvy Mare]

Loving your review...can't wait for more!

 

Wish I had kept better notes. The days are beginning to blend together. :')

[Marvy Mare]

March 23 Embarkation Day (cont.)

 

Another look at the Fort Lauderdale skyline.

 

We finished unpacking and sat and enjoyed some quiet time on our balcony. Our room was on the 'hump', so there was more room out there. It was still cool out but we were heading south.

 

Dinner was at the Opus Restaurant. We had select seating with reservations for 7:15. We were seated quickly but in the very back corner, so Ken could stare at me & the wall. We both had the prime rib. It was excellent. Ken had the prime rib when on the Silhouette last March and has raved about it since. It was only served on the first night then, so I didn't want to take a chance and miss it. I often have seafood when we dine out. Ken's adage is 'If it swims it's cat food'. Needless to say, we don't often have seafood at home. We felt rushed through the meal. Maybe they knew that we often go to bed early. That was the only time that we felt rushed, but we moved to another area of the dining room for our next meal.

 

After dinner we wandered up to the pool deck to get some night photos. The area was deserted. It was COLD! and windy.

 

 

 

The Oceanview Cafe was almost deserted as well. We were looking for cookies to have with our morning coffee.

 

 

 

Off for our morning dog walk. We've been up since 3am. The old guy Dexter isn't feeling well. Some cold air might do him good. More later.

Maris

[Marvy Mare]

March 23, 2018 Day 1 (cont.)

 

On every floor by the elevators there are guides so you don't get lost. I'm sure Cruise professionals don't need them, but we found them invaluable. I developed them in black & white because they are easier to see.

 

 

 

We went to the Opening Night show, a comedian called Darrell Joyce. He was funny but I can't remember too much of the show.

After the show I took a few more photos.

Looking down the central elevator area from the 11th floor.

The Library. There is a fairly good selection of books but I think there were a lot more on the Silhouette.

 

I think I took this from the 9th floor.

Starting from the bottom of the photo; the Hideaway on 2 levels, the Games Room (it was quite busy in the afternoon), the Library (from about 6am on there was always at least one person sitting in a comfy chair reading) and the Concierge & Captain's Club office.

We headed back to our room. It was still too cool to sit our on our patio. Read my Overdrive book for a little while and asleep by 10;30. 4:30 comes early.

[Tedw]

I am really enjoying your review. As a photographer I may be enjoying your photography even more. You have a great knack for both good light and composition. I'm curious, what camera format and lenses you are using? Tripod for some of these?

[Marvy Mare]

I am really enjoying your review. As a photographer I may be enjoying your photography even more. You have a great knack for both good light and composition. I'm curious, what camera format and lenses you are using? Tripod for some of these?

 

Hi Tedw

 

Thanks so much. Photography has become a real passion for me. I’ve always taken all our family photos. Our photo collection makes it look like our children are motherless. For Christmas 2 years ago, we bought a Nikon 3300. This past Christmas I really wanted to upgrade. I had a few lenses already. I seriously considered a full frame but the only Nikon full frame in my budget was the 750. Apparently there were some issues with the camera and the only lenses I’d be able to use with it were my 50 & 85 primes. I research every purchase extensively. The Nikon D500 is a crop sensor, so I can use my lenses with it. I found a gently used one in a local store. It is an amazing camera. Good in low light and in optimum light the photos are incredibly clear. I purchased a Gorilla travel lens for the trip but only used it the last couple of days.

Up until then all photos are hand held. I took 4 lenses - Sigma 10-20, Nikkor 16-80, the 55-200 Nikkor kit & a 35 prime. Never used the prime. The 16- 80 was great for a walk around, the wide angle for landscape & kit I used when coming into a port. I shoot in Raw and edit in Lightroom. Norris who does amazing cruise reviews and is a fantastic photographer gave me clear directions on how to add photos from Flickr.

 

Maris

[jimbri]

Wonderful photos! Looking forward to the rest of your review.

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[Marvy Mare]

Wonderful photos! Looking forward to the rest of your review.

Thanks, Something to do on these early mornings.:D

[Marvy Mare]

Thanks for the review.

 

:)Maris

[Marvy Mare]

March 24 - Day 2 Sea Day

 

I woke up at 4am but managed to stay in bed with my book on Overdrive on my iPad. Great for traveling. You can borrow books from the library and have them for 2 weeks then they just disappear like magic. I had one more day to finish my current read, a mystery.

Couldn't stay in bed too much longer so I was up and at the Oceanview by 5. There were actually a few other people getting coffee as well. We were on the 10th floor, so only a quick walk up to 14. So glad they did away with 13.

I brought a coffee back for Ken but he was still sleeping, so I drank 2 coffee on the veranda (I think that's what they call it in the literature). It was still disappointingly cool. Not Canadian winter cool, but cool for a Canadian wanting to wear shorts and a shirt. After my second trip and 4 coffee, I brought one more to leave with Ken.

I headed up to walk on the track. So beautiful. I managed to get about 1/2 hour in before I realized that I had to go back to get the camera. The sunrise was so gorgeous I've split it into 2 days. Cheating a bit, but I didn't take many pictures our second Sea Day.

 

On my way out, I couldn't resist one more photo of the Library from our floor.

 

Now the sunrise. One of the reasons that I'm not a night owl.

 

The path that goes by the Lawn to the sunset bar. Not quite sunrise yet.

 

No crowds by the pool yet, but if you look carefully I bet you can see saved chairs.

 

6:45 am

 

 

 

That's it for now.

Maris