Live from the Deep Blue Sea on Reflection (Nov 25 - Dec 3)

[themutis]

We board on Sunday.  Thanks for your thoughts.  We are in Blu so I am hoping we have a better experience.  We also have the 3-night dinning, so we will be dining out a bit.

 

Are you able to order from the MDR if you want?

[81Zoomie]

53 minutes ago, themutis said:

We board on Sunday.  Thanks for your thoughts.  We are in Blu so I am hoping we have a better experience.  We also have the 3-night dinning, so we will be dining out a bit.

 

Are you able to order from the MDR if you want?

We have not tried to order from main dining, but it’s seems like the always available options are the same.  

[janetz]

Wonderful review!

Question please

Sailing Jan 6th

I assume all sailings on Reflection are from terminal 29?
I did not realize there was a shuttle involved 

is it easy to just pull up and drop off your luggage and then go to the parking area?
Thank you ahead 😊

[81Zoomie]

It’s easy to drop your bags and then make your way to the “Palm” garage on that side of the port.  However, not all Reflection sailings leave from #29.  It looks like we are returning to Terminal 19 on Dec 3rd, so that sailing will leave from nextdoor to the garage if the assignments don’t change. You can check the terminal/pier assignments on the Pt Everglades website.

[hcat]

5 hours ago, 81Zoomie said:

It appeared there was no sense of urgency getting to San Juan.  We spent a leisurely afternoon on the aft of the Oceanview deck after lunch.  Then we moved to the emptied out pool deck and found some shade.  It has been super windy, and calm spots were hard to come by.  Eventually we wandered up the the Skyview lounge in hope of seeing the sail in.  The ship seemed to be motionless.  At some point a Viking ship departed the channel.  We were waiting for their pilot.  We grabbed our drinks and sat out on the deck in front of the gym.  It’s a great vantage point.  By now, however, it was dark.  The moon was almost full and the lights were beautiful. The ship finally slid into her berth, next to the Silver Sea Nova.  The Nova is a new ship and she looked gorgeous!  It was 19:30, three hours late.

 

Many people did get off the ship.  We decided to take advantage of that and enjoy a peaceful dinner in Blu.  Presto, no wait, and we requested and received a table without others close by.  The menu was pretty uninspiring and I noted there were no Classic options on the menu.  When I asked I was told the steak, salmon and chicken are always available.  DH went with the duck and I had the always available salmon.  I have read about the ice cream scoop mashed potatoes, but I didn’t expect to be served them in Blu. We love vegetables with some texture.  However, the carrots were so hard the first one I tries to spear with my fork went zinging off the plate!  Thankfully there was no one next to us to catch my airborne carrot 🤪.  Oh well, as you can see from the photo, it was a pretty unremarkable meal.  Dessert was Tiramisu.  The wine steward kept our glasses topped off and then offered us some port.  We selected the 20 year tawny as our night cap.

 

Following dinner we went to the illusionist show.  DH said it was good.  I kept nodding off, definitely didn’t need that port wine!  We called it a night and never heard the ship depart.

 

 

very poor look for BLU....looks like what might be served at a weight loss spa! (other than the dessert)

 

everyting including the salmon should have been doubled and the carrots cooked! 

 

I usually order a baked potato and eat half but wonder how tiny that will be.

[janetz]

Thank you 😊

Edited November 29, 2023 by janetz

[brockmom]

2 hours ago, hcat said:

very poor look for BLU....looks like what might be served at a weight loss spa! (other than the dessert)

 

everyting including the salmon should have been doubled and the carrots cooked! 

 

I usually order a baked potato and eat half but wonder how tiny that will be.

lol thanks for,saying that !

I just showed my hubby and said….darling …you would go 

hungry !

[screwsmcernst]

On 11/26/2023 at 2:52 PM, 81Zoomie said:

walking the interior hallways in hot/cold climates or poor weather conditions.  It’s also a great way to get in some stairs when you change decks.

 

DH and I will also walk the main corridors on decks 4 & 5 when it is not optimal conditions on the running track.  I also like to walk outside on deck 5.  

 

Can't wait to read your thread.  We sail on the reflection next month.

Edited November 29, 2023 by screwsmcernst

[TommyD3]

3 hours ago, 81Zoomie said:

It’s easy to drop your bags and then make your way to the “Palm” garage on that side of the port.  However, not all Reflection sailings leave from #29.  It looks like we are returning to Terminal 19 on Dec 3rd, so that sailing will leave from nextdoor to the garage if the assignments don’t change. You can check the terminal/pier assignments on the Pt Everglades website.

Current Port Everglades ship schedule shows Reflection at Terminal 21 on Dec 3.

[Atticus520]

Greatly appreciate your postings. 
My teenage daughter and I are sailing in March - her first cruise, and my first on Celebrity - and your updates are getting me excited for our “big adventure.”
 

[81Zoomie]

56 minutes ago, TommyD3 said:

Current Port Everglades ship schedule shows Reflection at Terminal 21 on Dec 3.

Good to know, thanks!

[81Zoomie]

13 minutes ago, Atticus520 said:

Greatly appreciate your postings. 
My teenage daughter and I are sailing in March - her first cruise, and my first on Celebrity - and your updates are getting me excited for our “big adventure.”
 

That sounds wonderful!  My mom and I did an annual mother-daughter cruise as she got older.  Our last one was when she was 90 years old and it was her 105th cruise ❤️.

[81Zoomie]

A quick update to close out day 4.  We did indeed jump in the pool and enjoy the lighter than normal pool and deck capacity.  DH had a pina colada and I enjoyed a Tequila Tropical. No little umbrella, but it did come with a plastic straw!

 

Sail away from St Thomas was beautiful.  Captain Kirk said it’s 130 miles to Sint Marten and it will take over 13 hours.  Yes, we are creeping through the smooth Caribbean waters under a full moon!

 

We went to the show “Elysium” before dinner.  It was another very energetic musical.  We really enjoyed it.  We met my brother and SIL for dinner in Murano.  No pics since it was a family evening and I didn’t want to have the phone out.  We had a variety of wonderful dishes and lively conversation. Everyone was pleased with the meal.

 

DH decided to go see the comedian, but I was ready to put my feet up and ease my way into bed, Today was so relaxing.  No rigid schedule, no must do, not even the gym.  It’s nice to be carefree every so often 😊

[81Zoomie]

Day 5 - Greetings from Sint Maarten!  We woke up to another stunning tropical vista!  Land of colorful water and large yachts.  The catamaran pictured below is the 200 ft support ship (complete with helo and hanger) for the 100m “mother ship” owned by the cofounder of What’s App.  So far, we haven’t seen the BIG boat.  Our support ship is attached to us as we are bunkering fuel.

 

We had another wonderful elite/CC breakfast in Tuscan.  Just can’t say enough good things about this perk.  It’s so quick, yet quiet, and relaxing.  I am including a pic of the available sugar alternatives for those interested.  
 

The Reflection is nestled in alongside the P&O Brittania.  The two big ships create a lovely corridor of shade.  That is definitely welcome.  It’s rather warm today, 85 deg, but feels hotter in the sun.  We opted to take a taxi into town due to the heat.  Last time we were in this port was right after the major hurricane and the island was struggling.  It is wonderful to see the recovery and resilience of the people. I used to have a favorite little art store with a local artist.  Visiting it was my goal for this visit.  We walked most of the narrow corridors, but never found it.  I’m not sure if it was a causality of the hurricane or Covid.  It was heating up and we were melting by this point.  We found a taxi and came back to the port. It is steamy and we hustled back ship side anticipating the ice water and cool towels that are customary.  It was 1130, but they were not set up yet.  Bummer, but we were only steps away from the A/C!

 

DH recovered quickly and is up at the gym.  I’m a little slower to recover, but there is a bike or treadmill calling me.  Gotta love an empty gym.  6 people and 4 are family 💪💪💪💪  A quick cleanup followed by lunch at the buffet.  It’s been a busy morning, and a nap is in order 😴

 

[39august]

OMG! Is that a pistachio roll I see in the breakfast pic? 

[hcat]

very clear and well composed photos

you also have very creative descriptions of what we are shown..

 

collect small prints, crafts, photos, or small sculptures at Carib ports.. ( locally made)all displayed in our Fla place..sorry you did not find the shop!  did u find anything else?

[81Zoomie]

4 minutes ago, 39august said:

OMG! Is that a pistachio roll I see in the breakfast pic? 

Maybe the coiled one at the top.  It was a little dry, so I quickly moved on to the cherry danish.  The chocolate croissants are my favorite, but none this morning 🥲.  Over the last few cruises 8 have noticed the chocolate croissants in Luminae had 2 strips of chocolate.  Elsewhere on the ship they have one.  In Aqua on this cruise, so I cannot compare.

[cocosmum]

Thanks for posting. We are cruising on  the Reflection in April so reading as much as I can!!    Is the Tuscan Grille breakfast only for CC / Aqua passengers?  We're in a sunset balcony but not CC.  Thanks

[81Zoomie]

4 minutes ago, hcat said:

very clear and well composed photos

you also have very creative descriptions of what we are shown..

 

collect small prints, crafts, photos, or small sculptures at Carib ports.. ( locally made)all displayed in our Fla place..sorry you did not find the shop!  did u find anything else?

We have nothing on the shopping list this cruise.  It was so hot in the downtown area we gave up after we could find the little artist’s shop we searched for.  We usually try to buy something, or have a drink, to help the economy, but not today.  It was just too hot to linger.

 

[81Zoomie]

2 minutes ago, cocosmum said:

Thanks for posting. We are cruising on  the Reflection in April so reading as much as I can!!    Is the Tuscan Grille breakfast only for CC / Aqua passengers?  We're in a sunset balcony but not CC.  Thanks

The breakfast in Tuscan is for Elite and above Captains Club members.  This is the first cruise we have really taken advantage of it.  It’s continental only, nothing hot… except the coffee and tea ☕️

[81Zoomie]

Your definition of cruising is all about perspective.  Three water going vessels within a stone’s throw of one another!

 

[81Zoomie]

The casino was offering a birthday and/or anniversary gift for those celebrating on the cruise. We received $10 pp for use on the slot machines.  It didn’t last long, but we had fun.  It was a nice gesture.
 

We were surprised that the casino was open after 1400 even though we are still docked.  Still in St Maarten even though T-Mobile isn’t certain of my whereabouts.

 

We probably would have donated a bit more cash into the machines, but we could not get the safe open.  Glad we were not in a time crunch.  I ships officer came with a computerized machine and opened it for us.  Of course, now it won’t lock.  First time for everything 😆

[81Zoomie]

And while I have a few minutes to sit and wait, I thought I’s post some random pics from around the ship.  There are some lovely spots if you are looking for a little alone time, or togetherness!

[81Zoomie]

DH was not excited about the BLU menu tonight and put on shorts after his shower.  I’m not a huge fan of the buffet at night.  Guess I have become my Mom who enjoyed being served dinner.  So, a compromise… Wine at Cellar Masters and dinner in the Oceanview. We have been following @Jim_Iain on the Edge and the reported wine shortages.  We continue to see no issues on the Reflection.  Actually, it’s our first X cruise since the pause with no noticeable liquor shortages.  This evening we enjoyed the 2019 Freemark Abbey Cab and a 2020 Emmolo merlot. Well worth the up charge from the premium package.

 

We each took a glass to go to the buffet.  I am posting pics of the dinner buffet.  It’s better than the initial cut backs, but nowhere near the selections and quality of the grill to order meats and veggies of the past.  While not pictured, there is also salad, cold cuts, cake and ice cream.  I had the select your ingredient pasta.  It was warmed precooked pasta with your choice of sauce and veggies.  My pasta was over cooked, the veggies undercooked, and the combo with the sauce runny.  Ranking it with the local options at home, Carabbas and Olive Garden are a cut above.  The praline ice cream was great!  I’m glad we tried so we could judge for ourselves.

 

 

 

Edited November 30, 2023 by 81Zoomie

[81Zoomie]

It was a beautiful evening and we walked the upper decks after dinner.  Here are a few pics with the evening ambiance. We thought the lighting was very attractive.  Moon is just a little past full.

 

We have an independent sailing excursion arranged by someone on our roll call in Tortola tomorrow.  It is an early morning departure.  More to come when we return.

 

Edited November 30, 2023 by 81Zoomie