CruzerDeb

3 minutes ago, hiccups said:

I feel a little embarrassed that you did so much more on this cruise than we did... it's like we were on a different trip!  LOL.  We just did some walking around in the ports.  After you told us about the Cozumel ruins excursion, we're filing that one away for the next time we're there.

 

It was nice to meet you onboard, and thanks for the review to remind us of our cruise!

Everyone gets out of their cruise what they need, whether it’s pure relaxation or a little bit more. I hope you enjoyed every minute of it! It was nice to meet you! Happy cruising …

I absolutely LOVED this cruise! The ship was beautiful, the crew were amazing and so grateful to have us on board, the food was plentiful and delicious. I loved having the concierge snacks every day; our balcony was huge. 
 

I will definitely cruise Celebrity again in the future!

Day Six - Costa Maya

Costa Maya was a last-minute substitution for Grand Cayman. We loved it! We booked an excursion thru Celebrity - the “ATV Jungle and Beach Adventure”. The description of said adventure said you would “careen” thru the jungle and, boy, did we! It was pretty rocky and rough, but still a lot of fun. My first time ATVing, but definitely not my last. After the ATV ride, we were taken to a beach area, where we had beach chairs, an umbrella, endless free drinks and food to purchase. It was a perfect day. 
 

We made a little stop on our way back to the ship for another beverage. 
 

Day Five - Cozumel

We booked Celebrity’s excursion “Mayan Ruins of San Gervasio with a Local Expert” for today. We met at the pier; small group of about 8 people. Drove about an hour to the site. Very interesting Mayan ruins and knowledgeable guide. 
 

Day Four - Sea Day

Breakfast at the Oceanview cafe, followed by time by the pool. Could it get any better?? Sorry, apparently I was too relaxed to take poolside pictures, but managed to get a few looking aft and from our balcony. 
 

Back on board, we paid another visit to the Martini Bar and tried the Martini flight. Yum. 

More Queen’s Staircase: 

Day Three - Nassau, Bahamas

Today’s excursion was “Funky Nassau Jeep Adventure” and we loved it. We boarded a 6-person open-air Jeep and traveled thru Nassau, learning some history and getting to sample rum cake and a little rum. This tour included lunch and a fun museum. 
 

Day Two - Bimini, Bahamas

Bimini was substituted for Key West. We did a beach excursion thru Celebrity. Pick up at the pier. Drinks and lunch were included. 
 

Our first stop was the Martini Bar! 
 

Followed by great burgers, a beverage and Ice cream at the Mast Grill

 I didn’t take many pictures around the ship, but here are a few: 

Embarkation Day!!

It’s FINALLY here! Embarkation Day!! This is my first cruise on Celebrity and I can’t wait to board Reflection and check her out!

We got to the port at 11:00 and were ON BOARD by 11:15!! So quick! Turns out there were only about 875 passengers (and about 970 crew) this week. 

We were in Concierge class room 2169. 

Okay, here goes!

Like cruises for many of us, this cruise was re-scheduled from a 2020 booking. So happy to finally set sail on the Reflection! Our (changed) itinerary is: Bimini, Nassau, Cozumel and Costa Maya. We are so excited! “We” are Debbie and Kevin. 
 

We flew in the day before and stayed at The Ramada by Wyndam Ft. Lauderdale. Sorry, no pictures of the room. It was a nice hotel, but nothing fancy.

We got to the hotel too early to check in, and I arranged an Everglades tour with with hotel pickup. Absolutely perfect! 
 

Anyone interested in a review of our recent Celebrity Reflection cruise? We returned home and a day later went on a month-long trip to CO. Happy to provide a review of the cruise, if anyone is interested. 

2 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

In reading the latest protocols for embarking in Italy, it seems that we absolutely need to get tested one day before... It was 2 days until last week [that is, for those of us who are "up-to-date"....].

 

Of course, things can change until your cruise.

 

Ours is just 8 weeks away, boarding on a Monday, seems we'll have to test on a Sunday... in Rome... bummer.

 

Princess will test you free of charge on embarkation day. 

I traveled with my mom to Alaska a few years ago, and found the Sanctuary was definitely worth it. It was more expensive on Glacier Bay day. Enjoyed the service, food options, blanket, etc. 

For my upcoming cruise on Regal Princess, I have an aft balcony on the Dolphin Deck. I had assumed this was a good choice (Princess actually "upgraded" my prior balcony to this location). Now I'm hearding that Dolphin is a quarantine deck or right above the quarantine deck on many ships. Should I be worried?

My cruise ends in Athens and our time in port starts at 4:00 am. Is it reasonable to assume that I will be able to meet up with an independent tour operator at 8:00 am? Not everyone will be ending their cruise in Athens and IDK how many will. Does Princess disembark all those whose cruise is ending before they allow those who are continuing on, but have shore excursions, to get off?

Thanks for any info!

Is there a tour operator who will pick us up at the port after our cruise and provide a tour through Athens and then take us to our hotel?  The operator would need to be responsible for our luggage, etc.  Would like to do at least a few hours with Athens highlights. My mom (81) is not up to strenuous activity (not a lot of walking or hills).

Thanks!

Can’t you use the money to book a cruise that sails in 2023 or do you have to sail by the end of this year? FCC for cancelled cruises shouldn’t expire IMO. 

39 minutes ago, fbgd said:

However little this service is I can guarantee it's a waste of money.

 

Terminal 8 at JFK is my "home terminal". It isn't that big and distances aren't huge. You'll literally walk from one gate to the next. No security, no baggage recheck etc. 

 

You're better of taking the money you'd put into this service and buying Admirals Club access. Frankly, setting the money on fire would be better use than this service in this instance.

Thank you!! I’m going to cancel. I won’t start a bonfire with the money I save, but I might buy a sweet souvenir. 

Layover is 2 hours and 15 minutes. Mom can walk, just not briskly. 

5 hours ago, Zach1213 said:

 

Not usually. Most airlines have interline agreements for baggage, but if you're flying American the whole way, they will absolutely transfer it CVG-JFK-FCO. You won't see it between CVG and FCO. Nor will you re-clear security at JFK. Or even change terminals, it should all be in Terminal 8. This will be very simple for CVG-JFK-FCO. My comments were all about FCO-JFK-CVG, which I misread as your direction of travel. 

Thank you! I’m feeling better about this. 

7 hours ago, Zach1213 said:

I have never heard of them before, nor do I have any idea how much they cost. Also not sure what your physical health is, but a couple of things to think about:

 

1) JFK isn't really that hard to navigate...signage is pretty easy, and transferring terminals is simple via train

2) Are you bringing that much luggage that you need someone to help you "retrieve" it? And if so, do you need to bring that much luggage? Obviously, health concerns may determine that one. 

3) Security is hit-or-miss at JFK. It's sometimes absolutely dead, and sometimes a zoo. If you have access to something like TSA Pre-Check, airline status, or a priority lane, that may negate any advantage this service claims to offer. Depending on the cost of this service, spending that money on TSA Pre-Check or US CBP Global Entry (which leads to Pre-Check) may be worth it as it lasts several years. 

 

Again, only you know your situation, and I know nothing about this company or its cost. But JFK, despite how busy it is, is fairly simple to get around. 

Thank you. I’ve only traveled to Europe once and it was hectic! Made the newbie mistake of not allowing enough time between flights and my daughter and I had to run thru O’Hare and had problems finding the train from domestic to international terminal, then thru security again (which I didn’t know we’d have to do), then more running to our gate. Barely made the flight. Return home was easier. 
 

Anyway, I’ll be traveling with my 81-year-old mom, so running is out. Trying to relieve some travel anxiety by having good plans in place. Will try to review JFK terminal maps and make sure I know what’s happening before we get there.