A great first cruise on Celebrity: Reflection review. Dailies, menus, food and cabin pics. March 2024.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

4 minutes ago, Northern Aurora said:

I am glad that there was no sentimental value. But I suspect that  a housekeeping staff member had no idea that it was some sort of marker for a kiddo.

I agree. 🙂 It was a marker for my husband, who is usually not geographically challenged. Both our kid and I had many amusing moments watching my husband confidently march past our turn.

 

I do hope somebody got it at the end, since it's a pretty magnet and I'd hate for it to sit in a lost and found box somewhere for the rest of eternity. Someone should be able to enjoy looking at it. 🙂

[Itchy&Scratchy]

Curacao

 

We like going to Blue Bay beach club. Taxi is $40 each way. If you get more people, it's will be less pp.

 

The usual entrance fee which includes chaises and wifi is $12 per adult and $6 per child.

 

This time we got there just in time to take the next to last available palapa. If you don't get a palapa, there is some natural shade, but very little of it. This time the beach club also got new first row day beds which were available for additional $$. However, their shade was inconsistent and stripy as you can see. We ended up under the last, very large palapa, sharing it with some people who were already there.

 

 

 

This time the beach was as beautiful as ever, but right there at the end where we sat there was a very strong sewer smell all day. 

 

 

 

 

Lots of wildlife - lizards, iguanas, birds. You can click on my previous reviews in the signature to see more photos of the club and animals.

We usually bring some bread from the ship and feed all the critters, including fish in the water.

 

These were by our palapa:

 

 

 

And this beautiful view could be enjoyed if you walked all the way to the left of the beach.

 

 

 

Gorgeous, isn't it?

 

We shared a taxi back with another family from Reflection.

 

We may try something different next time - I really hated the smell. I'll have to do more research...

[Itchy&Scratchy]

I wanted to add this tidbit of info about taxis in Aruba: there was a long line for taxis inside the port area, so if you don't want to wait, either walk just to the outside of the gate (5 minutes) or take a free shuttle. You can cross the street to the spot where taxis stop. It has a taxi stop sign.

 

The Divi Phoenix hotel staff called us a taxi upon request. The taxi driver lady touched our swimsuits to make sure they are not wet and made sure to ask several times if they are dry. She was driving a brand new and very pretty Kia Sorento. On the way back we got charged $17.

[hcat]

22 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

Bonaire

 

We love going to the Sorobon beach in Bonaire. However, this time was it very crowded with beach goers AND windsurfers. Extremely crowded. Like never before. The photos below where taken right before we left, and at least half the people had already left, so it looks a lot emptier than it was when we got there. At some point, a cruise tour also arrived with quite a few people, and I was surprised that no space was set aside for them like last time. They literally arrived in the middle of the day to a very crowded beach and there were no chaises available to them.

 

 

 

 

No umbrellas for rent. If you are lucky, you will be the first to arrive and get this 4-person spot in the shade: 

 

If not, you will be baking in direct sun. Those wooden "umbrellas" you see in the back don't provide any shade. There is a tiny bit of shade along the fence in the back, but it was ALL taken by the time we got there by 10 am.

 

The sun in Bonaire (and in Aruba) is brutal. I think it's more brutal in Bonaire. We burn every time we are there, despite all the SPF, hats, rash guards and water shoes. The blond Dutch girls who work there as waitresses? Some of them looked like lobsters. And they wouldn't even put a hat on until way after 11 am when the sun is already evil.

 

Taxi was $5 a person. We got to share it with a lovely couple from our cruise. On the way there I talked their ears off and mentioned how much my DH loved donkeys, and how one day (when we have more time in port) we'll definitely go to the donkey sanctuary. Lo and behold, a couple of minutes later there was an unattended donkey standing by the road. The taxi driver was so nice - he stopped and let my DH pet the donkey through the window, and we even gave him a snack. Yay! Happy moments. 🙂

 

When you have had enough frolicking in the water or sitting at the bar, you should walk over to the left to see more of a wildlife scenery. It's beautiful.  Last time we were there it was even more spectacular.

 

This time:

 

just walk that way ->

 

 

 

 

 

I snapped a couple of photos right before we left:

 

Much emptier at the end of the day. Doesn't look like human-surfer soup....

 

We had to wait till the taxi fills up a bit - took about 15 minutes for more people from Reflection to show up. The all aboard time was 3:30, so we went back around 2:15-2:30. Plenty of time.

 

P.S. We may try something different next time. It was just too crowded and lacked any shade this time...

We've been there for a short stop for a drink and restroom on an Island  tour..no.one else was there..but our group.  I recall it  was a windy day thus popular with windsurfers!

 

I see alot of seawead..wonder of they rake it each day..?

 

Not a fan of the lizards They have lots  of those around the pool at Embassy Suites Port Ev.. and in Fl they drop out of trees in  very cold weather..Yuck!

[hcat]

Hope husb and you are feeling better

We use natural honey for a cough...smooths things  but  no idea what   meds would help..

[fac429]

Thanks so much for the reviews and pics!  We'll be on the Reflection in a couple of months and this definitely got me even more excited for our cruise!

[Itchy&Scratchy]

58 minutes ago, hcat said:

I see alot of seawead..wonder of they rake it each day..?

I haven't seen anyone rake them on this beach, like we've seen on many other beaches in other ports of call. So, maybe, not much of it and it gets carried ashore naturally?

 

1 hour ago, hcat said:

They have lots  of those around the pool at Embassy Suites Port Ev.. and in Fl they drop out of trees in  very cold weather..Yuck!

that's pretty funny, sorry!

 

1 hour ago, hcat said:

We've been there for a short stop for a drink and restroom on an Island  tour..no.one else was there..but our group. 

 

on our previous visits it'd get busier closer to noon, but never like this.