11 Night Ultimate Caribbean Cruise Photo Review - Celebrity Reflection

[Marvy Mare]

[Marvy Mare]

March 4 - DAY 3 - At Sea

18,000 steps yesterday. It's much easier to add those steps on a cruise. I ate lots but think that I may have lost a few pounds. Way to go Maris.

 

I had a great sleep. I was wide awake at 3:45 am and rocked back to sleep until 5:30. When I stepped out on the deck that wonderful warm humid wall hit me. We were getting there and now heading due south.

 

It was busier than usual at the Oceanview. Probably because I had 'slept in'. My walk up on deck 15 was a little busier too. This morning there were a few runners. Back at the Sunset Bar there were always a few smokers. A few more this morning than other mornings. I kid about holding my breath as I round the smoking area. I have to admit I was a smoker many years ago. I did manage to quit. I got really sick and just couldn't stand even the smell of the smoke anymore. Ken says that he still misses it. Not me.

 

When I noticed that the sunset looked promising I headed back to our room for the camera. Being directionally challenged, I didn't realize until I got back there that the view from our room was to the east.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All taken from the comfort of our own balcony. 

 

[Roger88]

Marvy, your photos are amazing. I love taking pictures of the Sun Dawn. There is something magnificent in it. The way the a huge golden globe is being eaten by enormous sea. gosh. Later I will post photos of my own. To be honest, your photos are very nice (even though there no effects applied and the sun is quite too far away) but they are still very nice 

[Marvy Mare]

March 4 - DAY 3 - At Sea (cont.)

We spent much of the day up on Deck 15 again with our new friends from Peterborough. It was very windy again. People didn't seem to be fighting over chairs like they had on our past cruises. Maybe it was because of the wind. We met another nice couple from Richmond, Virginia. They were a lot of fun and were also renting Golf Carts in Bonaire. We also saw Melanie and Jeff again. They were active on our Roll Call and from Toronto, on the first leg of their back-to-back-to-back. Beginning to get a little worried.

The back patio of the Oceanview Cafe was quite crowded at lunch time. A woman asked if she could join us. She told us that she was from Montreal. She had planned this cruise with her best friend and neighbour. Two days before they were to leave home, her friend cancelled. Afraid of the Coronavirus. At that time, she would have lost all the money she paid out too. When we met the Montreal lady again later in the cruise, she said that she found out she like cruising alone and would do it again. She could do what she wanted, when she wanted. 

 

 

The seas were quite rough. It's kind of difficult to see in these photos how rough it really was but you can notice the changing colour of the water.

 

 

[FRMPEI]

On 3/19/2020 at 6:42 AM, Marvy Mare said:

On another topic. Ken wore his Dirt Shirt, a gift from our son & daughter in law after their trip east, one day.  When he wore that shirt on our 2018 trip he got so many "Are you from P.E.I.?"s, the we were wondering if there was a busload of you fine folks on the ship. This time, I don't think he got any greetings.

 

Okay it is all coming back to me now. Our group of six were on that same 2018 Reflection cruise with you and a good chance it was one of us. I believe we were both on Deck 10. I went back and checked your 2018 Trip Report and of course I remember reading and posting to it. Yes! there were a few other PEI folks on that cruise that we ran into also.

 

This was our crew of six all from PEI on the 2018 Reflection.

 

 

The PEI Dirt Shirt is a staple in my cruise suitcase. (circa 2010 Equinox)

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

Edited March 20, 2020 by FRMPEI

[Marvy Mare]

March 4 - DAY 3 - at sea (cont)

 

Our second Specialty Dinner was that evening. Le Petit Chef. The concept was interesting. The dinner, not so much. There are two sittings 5:30 & 8:30. We chose the earlier one.

I took a couple of cell phone pictures while there.

 

The menu was set but you could substitute. We went with the set menu.

 

Fun lighting

 

Animation across the plate & table.

 

We also had fun seeing how we would look with tattoo sleeves. The staff was very enthusiastic about the whole process. 

I wouldn't rush back. The tomato salad was good, the ravioli was dry, and the steak was kind of tough. 

To add to the ambiance a man at the next table wasn't happy at all. He was downright rude though. He said the steak was as hard as bullets, and the fries were soggy. All of this very loudly. He kept yelling at the staff. They were crowding around him ignoring everyone else. I think he was promised a free meal. Maybe in another specialty restaurant. I guess if you yell loud enough you get what you want. We were left with a bad taste and not because of the food. Why does someone who isn't happy think it is their right to ruin everyone else's experience. 

[Marvy Mare]

2 minutes ago, FRMPEI said:

 

Okay it is all coming back to me now. Our group of six were on that same 2018 Reflection cruise with you and a good chance it was one of us. I believe we both on Deck 10. I went back and checked your 2018 Trip Report and of course I remember reading and posting to it. Yes! there were a few other PEI folks on that cruise the we ran into also.

 

This was our crew of six all from PEI on the 2018 Reflection.

 

 

The PEI Dirt Shirt is a staple in my cruise suitcase. (circa 2010 Equinox)

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

 

Thanks Kevin. Yes we were on Deck 10. It must have been some of your group. All very friendly and I like your shirt.

 

Maris

[FRMPEI]

On 3/19/2020 at 10:12 AM, wrk2cruise said:

If you highlight a part of a post a little box will pop up with "Quote Selection", like in this example.  You can quote parts of multiple posts in the same reply.

 

 

 

 Thanks for sharing this. I did not know that. It worked great. Much easier than Quote whole thing and delete parts you don't want.

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

[FRMPEI]

9 hours ago, Marvy Mare said:

 

 

 

 

Yep! This was the same guy, Ian B. Garcia,  on Silhouette last March 13, 2019. Now I think I am wee bit younger than you guys and was really too young for the Beatles and I am more of a Paul McCartney and Wings fan. I owned "Band on the Run" & "Venus and Mars" LP's. I really enjoyed the show and it was actually my favourite from the cruise.

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

[wrk2cruise]

Did this group play in the Grand Foyer one night as well?   I thought I heard they were going to and the music from the area sounded very good at that time.   I've just never seen a guest entertainer perform outside the theater.

 

I didn't see the show.

Edited March 20, 2020 by wrk2cruise

[long time lurker]

Yes, they did do a performance in the grand foyer one or two nights later.

 

The theater show was one of the ones that we attended.  We really enjoyed it!

Edited March 20, 2020 by long time lurker

[Marvy Mare]

March 4 - DAY 3 - At Sea (cont.)

The entertainment at the Theatre wasn't quite as good as the night before, but the singing was good. I like musicals. I don't have sophisticated taste. I know all the words to Sound of Music and my daughter can sing along with me. It was Elysium. Maybe I've even seen it before. Not sure.

 

Recognize anyone?

Every time we go to the Theatre in the, I'm amazed at the existence of such a large theatre on a ship. Bigger than anything in Peterborough. It's strange now to see all those people in one place. Hoping everyone is healthy still. Thrilling to see people. We don't get out much. 😊

 

Close up of the tech guy. He may be sleeping, along with a few others. And look at all those people on their phones. Not just a vice of the young. 

 

[Marvy Mare]

March 4

 

The Good Guys

 

 

 

I'm not too sure about the dancing there. They don't look in sync. See the guy in the suit - Evening Chic. At least this time I didn't notice anyone in shorts in the Dining Room on Evening Chic night. 

The bad guys! Look at that mean face. I think he's yelling at her and those guys around them look as though they are hurting. 

See that tiny perfect girl. She looks about 12. Like she's up past her bedtime. I think I saw her in a show later in the trip and Cruise Director Rich said "In case you were wondering, she's 20." She was amazing. I love the aerial acrobatics.

 

The Bad Guys again, but I think they're smiling, so they are nice now. The bad guy disappeared through that hole in the floor and when he came back out, he was nice. Kind of like 'The Good Place'.

 

[Marvy Mare]

[Marvy Mare]

March 5 - DAY 4 - Cartegena, Columbia

 

I woke up at 3:45 am. No alarm necessary for me, though we had an early tour booked. By 4:15 I could see lights on shore. I headed out on the patio and the hot humid air hit me. Ahhhh! This was what I had been waiting for. The furthest south either Ken or I had ever been. South American - Wow! A new continent! 

I'm not sure where those lights were but not anywhere that we were going. Since it would be awhile before we got into port and I wasn't going back to sleep, I grabbed my camera and headed out to take some ship interior photos starting at 4:40am. (the time on my photos). As we changed time zones later, I didn't update my camera. But at this point the time stamp was correct. 

 

Floor 9 (our floor) elevators

Open space across elevator shaft on floor 9. It's Game On directly across, the Library up above & the Concierge Desk and Future Cruise Desk above that. 

 

There were cool works of art and photos all over the ship. I meant to take more photos of them but mostly ended up with glare. On our floor, at least near the rear elevators were photos? of a family?. Can't say that I really liked them. 

 

Things were looking up.

 

The Entertainment Court on 4.

 

There was always someone working keeping the ship clean.

 

I loved this painting! I can't quite read the caption. Wish I could.

 

 

[Marvy Mare]

March 5 - DAY 4 - Cartegena, Columbia - Arrival 7am - Depart 4pm

 

 

 

 

The Library. It would be a cozy place to sit on a rainy day. Being inside way to much in the winter in Canada, we preferred to spend our time outside. 

 

 

Looking up at Decks 14 & 15.

 

Looking down.

 

It was so hot and humid, that the pool area was covered in fog.

 

 

[PelicanLvr]

Stuck home "sheltering" just outside New York City  We are about 30 miles from Times Square.  Crazy times!

 

Really enjoying the distraction of your review.  It's a needed break from the news.

 

Please keep it coming.

 

Good luck to everyone out there!

[Marvy Mare]

I have a WebCam App that I've been watching. I probably should stop. There is nothing to look at anywhere. Good to see that people are staying home, but it's going to get more & more difficult. We have one more week of self isolation, but when that's over all we will do is rush out to the grocery store & then back home again. Mmmm. Back to unreality.

 

March 5 - DAY 5 - Cartagena, Columbia

There were only a few people in the Oceanview at 4:50 in the morning. Usually there are a few men, my age and older. A couple of them do crosswords each morning. This morning there was a woman getting coffee. She was as excited at I was about getting to our first destination. 

 

There is already someone working behind the counter. The full breakfast would begin at 6am this morning, rather than  the usual 6am, Continental breakfast. Is that what they call muffins, pastry and fruit?

 

There she is.

 

 

I headed back to 9299 to check on our progress. Still lights in the distance at 5am that we weren't heading for. Barranquilla?

 

 

 

 

Up to Deck 15 for my morning walk. Easy to work up a sweat that morning. The temperature was going to go up to 33C in Cartegena with high humidity on top of that. Woo Hoo! After my walk Ken was wondering why my face was so red. Did I mention before that, I'm competitive. I may not have been able to keep up with those damn runners (just jealous) but I was going to pass any other walker that I could. Total steps that day 15,785 - 10.97km.

That morning I just had a muffin, a croissant and some fruit. Ken doesn't eat before an excursion. Another reason that he's way skinnier than me.

 

By 6am it looked as we were getting closer to our destination. I headed back to our room. Neil, my brother, had told me that sailing into Cartagena, was amazing. Oops - I just realized why spell check was underlining Cartagena every time. I was spelling it wrong. Spell check is usually my saviour but I don't always pay attention to it. 

When I go back to our room Ken had the camera. I have to give him credit for the first couple of pictures here. 

 

 

 Then I ripped the camera out of his hands and continued to take photos. 

[hcat]

Still enjoying all your posts.

Cannot wait to see  and hear more.  Never been to Cartagena but it's a port on our 2022 Constellation  cruise.  Hoping the world is healthy by then!

[Marvy Mare]

hcat

 

Let's hope all is well by 2022. I would do this same cruise over again. Loved it.

 

Maris

[gfkcruiser]

Enjoying your review especially as we had to cancel this cruise on February 26 and not because of the virus.  Would have been our second time on Reflection and first visit to Columbia.  We did the TA on the reflection April 2019 and liked it.  We have been to the other islands a few times.  Next cruises planned for 2021 and 2022.

 

Gail

[long time lurker]

I was up early for the sail in to Cartagena as well.  I lost track of time on my balcony.  One of the prettiest sail ins that I remember (and Kotor, Montenegro is tough to beat)

[hcat]

8 hours ago, Marvy Mare said:

hcat

 

Let's hope all is well by 2022. I would do this same cruise over again. Loved it.

 

Maris

Glad to hear that...your enthusiasm shines through!

We booked Constellation for 2021 and 2022...from Tampa which is close to our winter hangout, diff itins but 10 days each,

[Marvy Mare]

14 hours ago, gfkcruiser said:

Enjoying your review especially as we had to cancel this cruise on February 26 and not because of the virus.  Would have been our second time on Reflection and first visit to Columbia.  We did the TA on the reflection April 2019 and liked it.  We have been to the other islands a few times.  Next cruises planned for 2021 and 2022.

 

Gail

Hi Gail

You were on our Cruise Critic Roll Call. I remember when you canceled. It was a great cruise. But you probably saved yourself some stressful times. Here's hoping things are back to normal by 2021.

 

Maris

[Marvy Mare]

8 hours ago, long time lurker said:

I was up early for the sail in to Cartagena as well.  I lost track of time on my balcony.  One of the prettiest sail ins that I remember (and Kotor, Montenegro is tough to beat)

We could have leaned around the corner and waved at each other. It was incredible. I kept saying that I should get in and get cleaned up, but I couldn't stop watching.

 

Maris