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

[Marvy Mare]

With reguard to your post about towels being on chairs to save them at 6am. I too am an early riser & like to run then walk early, I have seen people at 6:30am putting towels, books, clothing on chairs to save them. When I see this I look at my watch ( at that time there are no crew members around ) & note the time, 30 min. later I just gather all the stuff up & put it where the towel dispensers are then got a cup of coffee & watch the show. Just to let you know my next cruise is on the EQUINOX guess when??

 

george35

 

Hi George

 

I like your plan. Don't think I'd have the nerve to do it. When the chair police remove towels, etc. in the afternoon is good enough entertainment for me. We did actually meet some very nice people who chair saved for a few hours. It takes all kinds. The people watching on sea days can't be beat though.

Your next cruise. I can't guess. 2020?

 

Maris

[Marvy Mare]

ST. MAARTEN - (cont)

 

The cruise port in St. Maarten was very nice. Wide open with the requisite diamond store & t shirt shops. There was a bar in the middle of it all. Not sure I'd want to sit at that bar, surrounded by pavement in the heat of the day when you could enjoy a drink by the pool on your ship or walk to a beach.

 

All the private cruises were met by the 'sandlot' parking lot & the cruise ship ones just a little closer to port. It was all very civilized and anyone we talked to was most helpful. No harassment at all.

 

We were directed to wait in the shelter of a tent - there were two large white tents by the parking lot - for our Party Bus. Other people were waiting for their tours in the same area. A number of others just walked into town or to the beach. We also noticed that vehicles were driving on the right side of the road. We met one woman waiting who didn't look like she was anxious to party. But who am I to judge? She may have enjoyed herself. There was also an older woman with a cane. I was really wondering what she was doing doing on a Party tour. She was actually great. Cruising with her daughter and she enjoyed every minute of our tour and didn't hold anyone up.

 

The bus arrived right on time. I think it was 10?. I didn't save the literature but I remember that they were on time.

 

There were 4 employees on the bus; the driver, the bartender, the trainee and our tour guide Juicy. The trainee and the bartender are in this photo. She looked somewhat horrified much of the time or maybe just nervous. I guess the bartender also acted as the DJ.

 

There were about 15 passengers. Mostly from the Reflection, but at least 2 or maybe 4 of the people were from the Silhouette. Three couples were from Australia. Much less inhibited than us Canadians and I've always heard that Australians know how to party. There was also a young couple from California and the Silhouette. By the end of the tour, they were fast friends with the Australians and were probably wishing they could stow away on the Reflection and extend their vacation.

 

 

 

 

Juicy - Our enthusiastic tour guide on the right. Ken really wanted a t shirt but all they had available were XL.

[miched]

I keep reading them advertise that it is the worlds only drive in volcano. Totally false. People tend to forget and I think that it is because of the size that Yellowstone National Park is a crater of a volcano and you can’t definitely drive in and thru it.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[Slugguts]

Hi Maris

We had a blast on da party bus and enjoyed the tour stops .( and the rum)

Most of all I have enjoyed your review as it has taken me back to our cruise.

Glad I mentioned the party bus was up and running - we shared 4hours on da bus but It feel like you were our professional photographer for our entire Caribbean cruise.

 

Cheers

Grant the dancer

[Marvy Mare]

I keep reading them advertise that it is the worlds only drive in volcano. Totally false. People tend to forget and I think that it is because of the size that Yellowstone National Park is a crater of a volcano and you can’t definitely drive in and thru it.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

Well, it’s the only drive in volcano in the world that I have ever been to. And I think St Lucia needs the tourist dollar more than the US, so I don’t blame them if they’re stretching the truth.

[Marvy Mare]

:*

Hi Maris

We had a blast on da party bus and enjoyed the tour stops .( and the rum)

Most of all I have enjoyed your review as it has taken me back to our cruise.

Glad I mentioned the party bus was up and running - we shared 4hours on da bus but It feel like you were our professional photographer for our entire Caribbean cruise.

 

Cheers

Grant the dancer

 

I have more photos of you guys coming up. Thanks for being my models & contributing to Da Party & yes thanks for letting me know that the bus was up and running. I don’t think I could have gone through another dry (double meaning) tour like the St Lucia one.

 

Maris

[Marvy Mare]

ST. MAARTEN

 

This photo is of a condo development being built. The view would be great, but I don't know if the land was stripped due to the hurricane or for construction, as is often done in Canada.

 

 

Our first stop was a scenic lookout.

 

Just like the kids at home. On their cell phones instead of looking at the view. I know - they are just checking their photos.

 

How's that for a selfie portrait?

 

Ken and Da Party Bus. I'm not sure where he found the water.

 

Urban sprawl.

 

[Marvy Mare]

I climbed to the top of a hill to get a better view.

 

 

 

Ken checking out the traffic and the road conditions.

 

 

 

Back to the bus. The addition on the back is the bar. The windows were all taken out and seating was along the sides. It was really quite comfortable. I did sit on the wrong side for photos, but isn't that always the way.

[Marvy Mare]

Trying to refresh my memory of our stops on this tour, I reread the original literature. The plan had obviously changed. Probably because many of the stops were in the process of being rebuilt or were gone forever. When I looked at the beautiful landscape and the buildings crowded together I tried to imagine what these people went through. Yet everyone we met was so friendly and upbeat. From a 2009 report, (I know kind of out of date) but probably still applies & I want to work on this not search the internet; Labour force - agriculture 1%, industry 15%, services 84%. So they need the tourist dollar and are glad to see us back.

 

We drove around a statue in a roundabout a few times. I didn't get a good photo. It was Lady Liberty and represents emancipation. If I recallcorrectly to story Juicy told was that it was originally to be the US Statue of Liberty but was obviously a black woman and went to St. Maarten instead. The statue in St. Maarten was unveiled in 2007. The Statue if Liberty, of course much earlier. But there is some truth in the story. The original Statue of Liberty was representative of a black woman to represent emancipation. I don't know what happened to her.

 

We stopped at a market on the French side of the island. Possibly in Marigot. This gentleman walks around all day with his 'best friend' and of course photos for donations. He was very nice and Ken being a former horse farmer could talk horse with him.

 

 

 

The outdoor market was huge. I didn't take many photos as we were too busy shopping. There were many beautiful things for sale. Not just your average t-shirt & tropical dress market. The market may have been inside at one time but all of the buildings were still closed. The one in this photo was completely under water. So the damage wasn't just from the wind

 

Coffee's done. Dogs are hungry. Until later

Maris

[poffles]

Thanks. I have a few more.:D It’s finally spring in Ontario? Are you getting all that rain?

 

Not so bad in Nova Scotia Halifax, New Brunswick is getting hit hard though, People actually being evacuated. Mother Nature can be harsh sometimes. :(

[Marvy Mare]

ST. MAARTEN (cont.)

 

Back on Da Party Bus & on to our next destination. When we first got on the bus our first job was to take a shot of coconut rum. 10am I think but the rum was actually kind of good. I sipped quickly, but managed to taste it. After that our drinks of choice were water, juice? or rum punch. I don't know how rummy it was, but the rum punch was good.

 

We were headed to a beach for lunch. Saw lots of damage on the way. No artistic shots here, just what I could capture through the window of Da Bus. It was over 5 months since the hurricane & I think a lot of rebuilding had been done, but there was a lot more to do and probably some things that never would be fixed. How many people would have insurance?

 

 

 

 

 

This was a floating restaurant.

 

It looked as if the vegetation had been stripped from the hill in this pic. Never having been there, I don't know if the lack of vegetation in some areas was just the way it is there (like Antigua) or caused by the storm?

[Arzeena]

 

CELEBRITY REFLECTION

MARCH 23, 2018

 

This was only my second cruise and my first attempt at a review. I'm just going to start with our itinerary and post a few pictures to see if this works and then I will get more organized. I need quiet time early in the morning or late at night to concentrate. I was up most mornings on the cruise by 4:30am so did not make it past 10 or 10:30 at night. No reports on late night activities.

Day 1 March 23, 2018 -Departure - Fort Lauderdale, Florida - 5pm

Day 2 March 24, 2018 - at Sea

Day 3 March 25, 2018 - at Sea

To be continued later tonight.

 

Looking forward to reading your review. Your pictures are great!

[Marvy Mare]

Looking forward to reading your review. Your pictures are great!

 

Thanks. I wasn’t too sure what I was doing there & a couple of photos disappeared. I think I deleted them from Flickr. It gets better. Thanks for reading.

 

Maris

Edited May 5, 2018 by Marvy Mare
error

[Arzeena]

Fort Lauderdale, Florida - March 22, 2018

 

It was cool again. We were up and out early after a quick breakfast in the snack bar/Starbucks downstairs. The Starbucks in the Westin(?) was closed so the snack bar in the Hilton sold some Starbucks products. Therefore it was quite expensive. We were greeted by Jorge, the friendly server who also worked in the poolside restaurant. He had family coming to visit from New York and was worried about the stormy weather on the east coast.

 

I stepped outside to check the sunrise and to see if there were any ships coming in.

 

 

 

I went for an early morning walk down the beach. It was still very cool. Your feet really sink into the sand on the beach so it was a good work out. With my feet, I find that walking barefoot in the sand really helps with the pain. I asked my doctor for a Beach Rx. He laughed, so I had to do it myself.

 

Maris

 

WOW Maris,

I have seen a LOT of pictures on these boards, but yours are #1!

[Marvy Mare]

WOW Maris,

I have seen a LOT of pictures on these boards, but yours are #1!

 

Thanks so much. I love to take photos & the Caribbean offers lots of opportunity to take beautiful ones. The ships are amazing too.

[ronews]

ST. MAARTEN - (cont)

 

The cruise port in St. Maarten was very nice. Wide open with the requisite diamond store & t shirt shops. There was a bar in the middle of it all. Not sure I'd want to sit at that bar, surrounded by pavement in the heat of the day when you could enjoy a drink by the pool on your ship or walk to a beach.

 

All the private cruises were met by the 'sandlot' parking lot & the cruise ship ones just a little closer to port. It was all very civilized and anyone we talked to was most helpful. No harassment at all.

 

We were directed to wait in the shelter of a tent - there were two large white tents by the parking lot - for our Party Bus. Other people were waiting for their tours in the same area. A number of others just walked into town or to the beach. We also noticed that vehicles were driving on the right side of the road. We met one woman waiting who didn't look like she was anxious to party. But who am I to judge? She may have enjoyed herself. There was also an older woman with a cane. I was really wondering what she was doing doing on a Party tour. She was actually great. Cruising with her daughter and she enjoyed every minute of our tour and didn't hold anyone up.

 

The bus arrived right on time. I think it was 10?. I didn't save the literature but I remember that they were on time.

 

There were 4 employees on the bus; the driver, the bartender, the trainee and our tour guide Juicy. The trainee and the bartender are in this photo. She looked somewhat horrified much of the time or maybe just nervous. I guess the bartender also acted as the DJ.

 

There were about 15 passengers. Mostly from the Reflection, but at least 2 or maybe 4 of the people were from the Silhouette. Three couples were from Australia. Much less inhibited than us Canadians and I've always heard that Australians know how to party. There was also a young couple from California and the Silhouette. By the end of the tour, they were fast friends with the Australians and were probably wishing they could stow away on the Reflection and extend their vacation.

 

 

 

 

Juicy - Our enthusiastic tour guide on the right. Ken really wanted a t shirt but all they had available were XL.

Maris, looking at the trainee on your tour reminded me of an old line from an old movie she looks like she is sayin "Who Dat, that says Who Dat, When I say Who Dat? " Please don't come up with racist things about me ...it's just an old funny line

Bill

[Froxfield]

In answer to your questions. The mystery island on approaching St Maarten looks a lot like Saba. The St Maarten market does indeed look like Marigot. Marigot market was always largely outside but the whole port area was completely trashed by Irma and flooded. The old ferry terminal for Anguilla crossings was basically destroyed.

 

Great report and photos!

[Marvy Mare]

In answer to your questions. The mystery island on approaching St Maarten looks a lot like Saba. The St Maarten market does indeed look like Marigot. Marigot market was always largely outside but the whole port area was completely trashed by Irma and flooded. The old ferry terminal for Anguilla crossings was basically destroyed.

 

Great report and photos!

 

Thanks. And yes, I think it was Saba. Marigot was one of the originally scheduled stops and we were told the area had been under water. I think the only building open housed the washrooms.

Maris

[Marvy Mare]

ST MAARTEN - THURSDAY (cont)

 

We passed a few buildings still awaiting repair on our way to lunch at the beach.

 

There are cars parked in the garage?

 

It looks like this may have been a mall?

 

Condo?

 

Another condo?

 

The internet is a lot slow today. The neighbours are all home. I'll try again later.

[AidenL]

Nice review, thanks for posting.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Pepsi36]

I'm loving your reviews and photos Maris. It is bringing the memories of the cruise back so vividly.

[Marvy Mare]

Nice review, thanks for posting.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

And thank you for following along.

[Marvy Mare]

I'm loving your reviews and photos Maris. It is bringing the memories of the cruise back so vividly.

 

Glad you are still with me. My memory is fading so I've got to get this done:D.

Edited May 7, 2018 by Marvy Mare
correction

[Marvy Mare]

ST MAARTEN, (cont)

 

Another beautiful beach with turquoise water.

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There were a few people on the beach.

 

A food stand was set up at the back of the beach. They had a plate of assorted items. It looked like a lot of food. You could also order hot dogs and maybe burgers. I opted for the BBQ hot dog.

[Marvy Mare]

I stood behind the young man in the grey t-shirt while waiting in line. He told me that he was deployed to South Korea. I had actually been there, so we started to talk. He was on vacation with his finance. Daniel & his finance Rive joined us at our table for lunch and were very excited to share their story.

I should have taken a photo of the two of them but I wasn't thinking at the time.. I'm not sure if I managed to copy the link properly below, so you can just click on it, so I'll tell the story. No wonder they were so excited. Less than a week before we met them Daniel decided to surprise Rive. She thought that he was still overseas. He arranged for Rive and her parents to be at the Penguins game. They are huge fans of the team. In the You Tube video Rive is wearing a Penguins jersey. Rive was called up and on the Jumbotron to be 'part of a promotional game'. Daniel was hiding under a very large gift box and when the box was lifted, there was Daniel on his knee with an engagement ring. Fortunately for our hero, she said yes! They celebrated with a vacation in St. Maarten.

 

http://www.wfmz.com/news/lehigh-valley/woman-engaged-in-more-than-just-a-game/722288875