Georgia Peaches Takes Sweet Mama on Her First Celebrity Cruise...Reflection Live 7/29-8/2

[Georgia_Peaches]

12 minutes ago, chemmo said:

Are you in a signature suite? If so how do you find the location? 

Yes, it’s a Signature suite. It’s beautiful and I love the tall ceilings!  Our room is awesomely cool as the a/c works stupendously. The location on deck 14 is convenient to the solarium but not so much to the rest of the ship. This has posed not necessarily a problem but it’s a lot of stairs to navigate when the elevators are packed. We’ve only walked down and have taken them slowly. No accidents on my watch!  

 

I haven’t heard any noise from the public spaces above but I have felt vibration from the movement of furniture (?) and some lead-footed walkers. Perhaps the most off-putting thing was the ooey-gooey remains of someone’s soft serve cone that somehow made its way onto our balcony from the deck above. Even the seagulls were disgusted!

[Scottishclover]

9 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Holy Children, Batman!  There’s more on this cruise than I’ve seen on Celebrity EVER!  Don’t get me wrong, I’m fond of children. After all, I made a career of them.  It’s the parents that annoy me and kids will be kids. If the parents won’t keep them in check, that’s where the whole kid thing goes awry. (Who is this curmudgeon 🤣?). And they are excited no doubt for tomorrow’s visit to the PI. I get it. 

I hear you. It’s very hard not to put your  teacher voice on when you see unruly behaviour on holiday. I sometimes have to really bite my tongue. I totally agree about the parents, what we call in my neck of the woods PPP ( p*** poor parenting)😉

 

On a more positive note, it’s so lovely that you are able to have this special cruise together with your mum. I hope you ladies have a fantastic time😀

[39august]

Library tip: tell mama to look in the "Return" box. I often find several current books donated there. 

[chemmo]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Yes, it’s a Signature suite. It’s beautiful and I love the tall ceilings!  Our room is awesomely cool as the a/c works stupendously. The location on deck 14 is convenient to the solarium but not so much to the rest of the ship. This has posed not necessarily a problem but it’s a lot of stairs to navigate when the elevators are packed. We’ve only walked down and have taken them slowly. No accidents on my watch!  

 

I haven’t heard any noise from the public spaces above but I have felt vibration from the movement of furniture (?) and some lead-footed walkers. Perhaps the most off-putting thing was the ooey-gooey remains of someone’s soft serve cone that somehow made its way onto our balcony from the deck above. Even the seagulls were disgusted!

Thanks…Fulfilling a dream next September, we have booked the Reflection Suite which we have never done before. I was a bit put off with the location but then I realised it was so near the Solarium which is where I tend to go for a swim…It will be a long walk to Tuscan for breakfast (my usual spot) I may have to use the Aqua Spa cafe or the butler…As I am travelling with my son and fiancée the two bedrooms gave it the edge over the PH.

 

Let me know how you find butler service and Michael’s Club…

[Georgia_Peaches]

12 minutes ago, chemmo said:

Thanks…Fulfilling a dream next September, we have booked the Reflection Suite which we have never done before. I was a bit put off with the location but then I realised it was so near the Solarium which is where I tend to go for a swim…It will be a long walk to Tuscan for breakfast (my usual spot) I may have to use the Aqua Spa cafe or the butler…As I am travelling with my son and fiancée the two bedrooms gave it the edge over the PH.

 

Let me know how you find butler service and Michael’s Club…

I know that experience will be special on many levels!  I’m excited for you to fulfill that cruising dream. We haven't spent a lot of time in Michael’s club yet but Sara, one of two concierges, gave us a personal escort onto the ship yesterday. Sweet Mama was a little bashful of all the attention 😊. 
 

Butler service has been so far so good with the exception of one little hiccup with this morning’s breakfast delivery. We gave our butler permission to enter our room to set up without having to wake us. However, he didn’t do the delivery and the person who did, didn’t get the memo. He called us at 6:45 and then insisted one of us get up to let him in. So much for sleeping in. I’ve spoken with the butler to clear up any future confusion. 

[DaKahuna]

@Georgia_Peaches So glad you and your lovely mother are having such a great cruise.  

It's unfortunate that the butler did not get your breakfast delivery correct.  We are always torn about ordering room service breakfast becuase of the decision on whether to let the butler just come in and set it up or for us to get up early in order to be presentable.  90% of the times if we get something delievered in the mornings it's coffee with Bailey's. 

 

 I do not mind kids either but I get very irritated when their parents just let them run wild with out any direction or supervision.  

 

[Iamcruzin]

We are on reflection at the end of Sept. Looking forward to your report. 

 

Bon Voyage!

[Georgia_Peaches]

Wow, what a day!  Yesterday was simply amazing. While approximately 3000 people visited the private island, Sweet Mama and I enjoyed the solarium on our private yacht. 😁 Having the place to ourselves, we had our pick of loungers and the attention of a cocktail server who waited on us hand and foot. Sweet Mama was delighted!  
 

After two glorious hours, a swim and a hot tub soak (the hottest water I’ve experienced on Celebrity, and it was nice), we headed back to our room to freshen up and put on some proper bar hopping clothes. The plan was to get a scoop of gelato and then plot a casino course of action for the evening over a glass of wine in Michael’s club, as most indoor bars were closed. 
 

The gelato was delicious and plentiful although the attendant was not aware that it was a complimentary perk of our stateroom. She was adamant, in fact and I began to doubt that it was included. After some pecking on the computer, the confusion was cleared up and we were on our way. We sat outside on deck 5 to enjoy our afternoon treat and admire the view. 
 

[Georgia_Peaches]

Michael’s Club was very quiet so we chatted up our concierge, Sara and were introduced to a new wine by our bartender. Silver Ghost is a Napa Cabernet and I had not seen nor heard of it on Celebrity (or at home for that matter) until this cruise. It has a very fruit forward flavor and a very deep red color. It reminded me of Bonanza or maybe even Quilt from the Wagner family. I was duly impressed and decided to look it up. 
 

Edited July 31 by Georgia_Peaches

[Georgia_Peaches]

Now here’s where the day gets interesting…

 

After our visit to Michael’s (I don’t think I will ever view it as the Retreat Lounge) we went to guest services to pay off our accrued room charges made the previous day in the casino. It was lively in the GS area as an archery contest was in full swing and good grief Charlie Brown!! It was so loud and SO hard to hear!  I thought Sweet Mama might resort to sticking her fingers in her ears like a petulant child, and frankly, I felt like it too. 
 

With our business complete, we quickly retreated to deck 4 where we planned to stroll the casino and take a better look at the machines on offer and strategize our evening play. To my dismay and utter surprise, the casino was open!  I had told Sweet Mama that it didn’t open until 6 (per the app) and in that moment, our day took a happiness-on-a-stick kinda turn 😊. 
 

More on that later, but first I want to pose an unusual scenario to my CC friends…whose opinions I value. A what would you do…

 

 

Edited July 31 by Georgia_Peaches

[Georgia_Peaches]

Sweet Mama and I love to gamble together!  We aren’t “high rollers” and never venture to the tables because the slots are enough for us. We always plan our gambling purse ahead of time and then pool our money, play together, and split the winnings and the losses. That’s just what we do.  We’ve been using my card on the machines as I am Amethyst in the Blue Chip Club and thought I might someday make it to the next level…although those perks have changed (diminished) but I digress…

We plunked ourselves in front of Timberwolf when this happened:

 

A conservative, yet respectable win that Sweet Mama declared was a result of her turn. I was debating the truth of that declaration when we were approached by a lady who indicated we were sitting at “her machine”. That’s a pretty common joke among slotsters when they see someone with a win so we gave the obligatory chuckle and turned our attention back to the game. The woman held her ground and told us once again that we were playing “her machine”. I started to wonder if we had accidentally scooped her machine while she was in the Ladies room so I double checked to see that it was my card that was loaded into the computer…and it was!  I was certain that there was no money in the machine when we started so I asked, “what do you mean?”  The lady repeated for a third time that we were playing her machine and then added that “we should move to another”. It occurred to us then that she was dead serious….not joking and expected us to cash out and move on. To say we were dumbstruck was an understatement. Sweet Mama looked to me as if to ask is this a Celebrity thing?
 

 

[Galaxy2004]

Wow, sorry you're having to deal with someone like that. Certainly not her machine. And congratulations on the win!

[Georgia_Peaches]

I admit that I was at a loss for words. My mouth opened and closed like a guppie and words wouldn’t form, much less come out!  As if in slow motion, I gathered my whits and said, “so you seriously would like us to move” and looked to Sweet Mama who added, “I think there’s another Timberwolf over there”….indicating some random and elusive area of the casino. But the lady wasn’t budging and quite frankly, she was killing the mojo. The whole scene was mystifying and a complete diversion from any gambling experience I’ve ever had. Feeling no attachment to Timberwolf and having no desire to escalate the situation, we cashed out and moved on. I observed the lady plunk herself down and begin to play. I have no idea how she fared the rest of the day but as far as we could tell, she remained at that machine well into the evening. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

But as the cliche goes, everything happens for a reason, right?  So had we not had this encounter, we likely never would have found our dream machine!  The machine that would ultimately keep us occupied…and pay us handsomely well into the wee hours of the morning!  

 

But first, I had to drag Sweet Mama from the casino to clean up for the 7pm show and dinner in Tuscan. 
 

The show was a Cabaret style of popular diva style song and dance which we enjoyed very much. 

 

Am I the only one who holds my breath during the acrobatics?

 

After the show we headed to Tuscan where we were offered a two top window table with a dead center view of the wake. It couldn’t have been more perfect!

 

 

I ordered for the table creating our own tasting menu that was truly fabulous. Sweet Mama enjoyed it so much that we swapped out last night Murano reservation for another visit to Tuscan. 

 

[chemmo]

23 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I admit that I was at a loss for words. My mouth opened and closed like a guppie and words wouldn’t form, much less come out!  As if in slow motion, I gathered my whits and said, “so you seriously would like us to move” and looked to Sweet Mama who added, “I think there’s another Timberwolf over there”….indicating some random and elusive area of the casino. But the lady wasn’t budging and quite frankly, she was killing the mojo. The whole scene was mystifying and a complete diversion from any gambling experience I’ve ever had. Feeling no attachment to Timberwolf and having no desire to escalate the situation, we cashed out and moved on. I observed the lady plunk herself down and begin to play. I have no idea how she fared the rest of the day but as far as we could tell, she remained at that machine well into the evening. 

With any luck she has filled it up ready for you and Sweet Mama to have another successful play later or tomorrow! 
 

I remember once going into the Diamond Lounge on RC, sitting comfortably with a drink only to be approached by a ‘lady’ saying I was sitting in ‘her’ seat. As I was on crutches at the time movement wasn’t exactly easy and the lounge was pretty full. My polite son moved from chair to a stool leaving two seats for the ‘lady’ and her husband only to have the ‘lady’ complain that ‘There is still no place for our friends and you shouldn’t be in her because you are English and can’t possibly be Diamond’!?!?!? We reassured her we were Diamond and I confess to drinking my drink uncharacteristically slowly…In nearly thirty years of cruising it was the nearest I came to loosing my English calm and charm…

 

So pleased you found your dream machine!

Edited July 31 by chemmo

[Georgia_Peaches]

Our sommelier topped off our wine while our server packaged up our charcuterie board to take with us back to the room for a snack later on. I dropped Sweet Mama off in the ensemble lounge to enjoy some music while I traipsed back to the room to unload our leftovers. 
 

And back to the casino we went. Sweet Mama took up residence where we had left off while I played a coin in the pot machine across the aisle. By golly and by gosh, we just couldn’t lose!  And the cocktail servers kept us “hydrated” so much so, that at one point Sweet Mama had two Manhattans at the same time! one for each hand, I suppose. 🤦‍♀️.
 

Two hand pays later, I managed to convince Sweet Mama that it was time to head up to bed. But before we left, I looked over at Timberwolf and smiled. The lady had left “her machine”… 
 

Sweet mama told me as I switched out the light that it was “the best day ever!”  My heart swelled. 

Edited July 31 by Georgia_Peaches

[dcbiker97]

Looks like Tuscan is spot on. I've already made reservations in Muranos, Tuscan and the Rooftop Grill for 4 of the 7 nights. Tuscan has always been hit or miss for us with respect to the quality of the food. Let's hope it continues and we may never see the inside of Luminae for dinner, which would be a first. 

[jelayne]

2 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Michael’s Club was very quiet so we chatted up our concierge, Sara and were introduced to a new wine by our bartender. Silver Ghost is a Napa Cabernet and I had not seen nor heard of it on Celebrity (or at home for that matter) until this cruise. It has a very fruit forward flavor and a very deep red color. It reminded me of Bonanza or maybe even Quilt from the Wagner family. I was duly impressed and decided to look it up. 
 

It be great if that is one of the new wines being added to the Premium package, but at $40 a bottle doubt we will see on the package.

[Georgia_Peaches]

39 minutes ago, jelayne said:

It be great if that is one of the new wines being added to the Premium package, but at $40 a bottle doubt we will see on the package.

There was no up charge. The sommelier said it was newly added so not showing up on menus yet. Agree… I hope it stays. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

We missed the Elite breakfast window this morning so went to the OVC for a brunch. I typically avoid the buffet and for the first time this cruise I find myself very annoyed with Celebrity. The Purell dispensers stationed at both entrances are empty and nobody was present with a bottle to squirt into our hands. We ducked into the restroom to wash our hands and then entered the chaos that was the buffet. I was behind a woman who sneezed on the splash guard covering the food. Maybe it came on too quickly to cover herself but I was so disgusted that we turned around and left. 
 

The Captain’s Club wine tasting is at noon and I wanted a little food on our stomachs so we had a pastry at Al Bacio instead. Come on Celebrity, do better!  And yes, I said something to the floor manager as we left. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

1 hour ago, dcbiker97 said:

Looks like Tuscan is spot on. I've already made reservations in Muranos, Tuscan and the Rooftop Grill for 4 of the 7 nights. Tuscan has always been hit or miss for us with respect to the quality of the food. Let's hope it continues and we may never see the inside of Luminae for dinner, which would be a first. 

It’s been hit and miss for us in the past as well. Here’s hoping this trajectory continues for your cruise!

[DaKahuna]

38 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I was behind a woman who sneezed on the splash guard covering the food.

 

 This is something that anoys me as well.  At least you saw it and therefore could avoid it.  Think of someone that showed up a minute or two later. 

 

 

[kluv2cruz]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

The Captain’s Club wine tasting is at noon and I wanted a little food on our stomachs so we had a pastry at Al Bacio instead. Come on Celebrity, do better!

Is Tuscan open for light breakfast? I can never get to sit down breakfast on workout mornings and so Tuscan is a calm oasis to have a light-ish breakfast and latte and mimosa.

[hcat]

5 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Wow, what a day!  Yesterday was simply amazing. While approximately 3000 people visited the private island, Sweet Mama and I enjoyed the solarium on our private yacht. 😁 Having the place to ourselves, we had our pick of loungers and the attention of a cocktail server who waited on us hand and foot. Sweet Mama was delighted!  
 

After two glorious hours, a swim and a hot tub soak (the hottest water I’ve experienced on Celebrity, and it was nice), we headed back to our room to freshen up and put on some proper bar hopping clothes. The plan was to get a scoop of gelato and then plot a casino course of action for the evening over a glass of wine in Michael’s club, as most indoor bars were closed. 
 

The gelato was delicious and plentiful although the attendant was not aware that it was a complimentary perk of our stateroom. She was adamant, in fact and I began to doubt that it was included. After some pecking on the computer, the confusion was cleared up and we were on our way. We sat outside on deck 5 to enjoy our afternoon treat and admire the view. 
 

great photos. Coco Cay....best enjoyed at a distance  while you have ship to yourselves! ...brilliant strategy..

 

glad you showed the long walk to the facility..that would make it  NOT for us in the hot sun!

[hcat]

4 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I admit that I was at a loss for words. My mouth opened and closed like a guppie and words wouldn’t form, much less come out!  As if in slow motion, I gathered my whits and said, “so you seriously would like us to move” and looked to Sweet Mama who added, “I think there’s another Timberwolf over there”….indicating some random and elusive area of the casino. But the lady wasn’t budging and quite frankly, she was killing the mojo. The whole scene was mystifying and a complete diversion from any gambling experience I’ve ever had. Feeling no attachment to Timberwolf and having no desire to escalate the situation, we cashed out and moved on. I observed the lady plunk herself down and begin to play. I have no idea how she fared the rest of the day but as far as we could tell, she remained at that machine well into the evening. 

Wow.. What a nervy  person she was!  (def not a lady)... Put her in same category or worse than chair hogs and other self entitled piggies!

 

You held your ground as a true lady and then moved but on your terms!  Kudos!

 

Glad you got your just reward.. And I loved how you tell the story!

Edited July 31 by hcat