Another Live Onboard the Reflection! Mar 4th - 11th Easter Caribbean

[helen haywood]

I thought the same thing about "Easter!" Dang! That snuck up quickly!! Then I realized I think he meant "Eastern Caribbean."

[JaniceB]

Thanks for posting the Celebrity Today. That pool was deserted, love the people in the hot tubs. It kind of reminded me of my Alaskan cruise.

[hcat]

I thought the same thing about "Easter!" Dang! That snuck up quickly!! Then I realized I think he meant "Eastern Caribbean."

 

Ooooh...I am feeling so dumb!i

 

It immediately conjured up memories years back when we booked a March cruise out of Miami on Royal C. It turned out to be an early Easter cruise ..Our college age dtr was furious b/c she had to go to her friend's house for holiday dinner, and there were many many children on board..not all well behaved!

Thanks for catching my silly misunderstanding

[Russterus]

Sorry about the rough seas...

BTW Easter is April 16th...

 

Funny, I was trying to figure out what this was about. Then noticed my typo on the the subject line. Ahh well...

[Russterus]

Monday night was our first port of call, San Juan. We ended up being three hours late due to the weather. Once we got there, it began to pour rain on top of it. No matter for us, we had decided not even to get off the ship, instead booking a reservation at LCG. We arrived and found we were the first people there. They were filming a commercial as well, so had to walk around that. With the wind and rain, it wasn't perfect conditions, but only a few drops snuck through for us. The wind was fairly well blocked out as well. Each seat had a blanket with it and many of the women ended up wrapped in them, although I thought it was quite pleasant, and of course no men were going to wrap themselves up!

 

The food was of course very good. We had a sausage and pepper pizza, but being forwarded about the amount of food, only ate a bit of it. Salad bar was your basic salad bar although definitely super fresh ingredients. I went with a rib eye for my main, DW had the red snapper. Steak was very good, maybe not the best I had, but well worth the price of admission. DW's snapper was good, but I generally think you go to a steak house for what they specialize in (true of most restaurant genres I believe). I had the lobster and mac, and creamed corn for my sides. The mac and cheese was good, I think it would have been outstanding if a little creamier. The star of the night was that creamed corn. If ever I am on death row and have a last meal, it would definitely include a bowl of that. Better yet, just throw me in a pool of it and let me die drowning in such deliciousness.

 

Everyone had recommended the cookie and ice cream for dessert. I went for the blueberry cobbler with ice cream instead, although my wife got the cookie. We were just going to get one, but the waiter insisted. Both were good, but I really loved the blueberry cobbler. Not too sweet and delicious.

 

The rest of the evening was spent attending the show and listening to music. We sat for awhile in the Grand Foyer listening to the house band, Blind Vinyl playing class rock. They really are a good party band, they are all very talented and enjoyed that. The main show was Reckless In Vegas. A trio playing an almost bizarre mixture of Sinatra, Elvis and various 60's act with an almost modern rock slant to it. They were good and only saw a couple of people leave early.

 

The night ended with a Motown party played by Blind Vinyl again. Had to be moved from the pool into Sky Lounge which was just packed. Again, they were really good.

[Russterus]

Commercial in progress

 

 

Half and half pizza

 

 

Major food porn faux pas. Forgot to photo until we had already started eating. Oh well.

 

 

DW covered in a blanket. It really wasn't bad!

[LongJohn99]

Enjoying your updates and photos so thank you for sharing. Hopefully you see sun the rest of the way!

 

 

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[benjaminhuf]

Wonderful review. Thanks for sharing. By any chance do you have any pix or videos of the waves?

[RickT]

Thanks for the updates. Sorry to hear your weather hasn't been improving.

 

Tuscan Grill used to be my favourite but now that they have their new menu I prefer LCG. Will definitely eat there once or twice when I'm on board in 10 days (not that I'm counting).

[Russterus]

Thanks for the updates. Sorry to hear your weather hasn't been improving.

 

Tuscan Grill used to be my favourite but now that they have their new menu I prefer LCG. Will definitely eat there once or twice when I'm on board in 10 days (not that I'm counting).

 

It has been really good last two days since San Juan, RickT. Absolutely beautiful today!

 

We ate at Tuscan last night and absolutely loved it. More on that later.

[Russterus]

Wonderful review. Thanks for sharing. By any chance do you have any pix or videos of the waves?

 

I do. With two sea days, I'll try and get a video posted, but it may have to wait until we get back. The Internet is pretty good considering we are on a ship, but sometimes a bit slow.

[Russterus]

Enjoying your updates and photos so thank you for sharing. Hopefully you see sun the rest of the way!

 

 

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Thanks LongJohn69. It's fun to do. Falling a bit behind with the port days, but I'll catch up.

[Russterus]

Can you post which day and where the "silent disco" is held, please?😂

 

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WillCruiseAnyThyme Another one tonight in the Sky Lounge. I am not a dancer, but I may stop by for a laugh.

[willcruiseanythyme]

WillCruiseAnyThyme Another one tonight in the Sky Lounge. I am not a dancer, but I may stop by for a laugh.

Yes, I'm all about the veauyerism in this case as well! I've never seen the silent disco personally but you can bet your bajeebies that I will be nearby when this happens on our upcoming cruise!! Haha! 10 days and counting!

 

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[Greeneprn]

Celebrity posted on their website that a daily Catholic mass is offered during Lent. We will be sailing on the Reflection in a little over two weeks and are hoping this is true. Please let me know if this is listed in any of the dailies. Thanks!

[Pier290]

Celebrity posted on their website that a daily Catholic mass is offered during Lent. We will be sailing on the Reflection in a little over two weeks and are hoping this is true. Please let me know if this is listed in any of the dailies. Thanks!

Where did did u see this posted on the website? We,are on the Equinox Good Friday...also looking for Catholic Mass info....[emoji4]

 

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[Russterus]

Celebrity posted on their website that a daily Catholic mass is offered during Lent. We will be sailing on the Reflection in a little over two weeks and are hoping this is true. Please let me know if this is listed in any of the dailies. Thanks!

 

Hi Greeneprn,

 

No, nothing mentioned in any of the Reflection dailies about this. I'll keep my ears open.

[Russterus]

Tuesday was St. Maarten day. We visited the island on our last cruise and had booked an off ship excursion with Captain Bob. It was a great tour, taking us around the island by boat, stopping in different places to snorkel and beach visit. Captain Bob was great and had helped set up for my son to propose to his then girlfriend, now wife and made it even more special for them. The problem with that tour is we saw nothing of the island itself. Although we did not plan a tour, last minute booked the Island Tour excursion and set off with a group to visit different spots. The tour included a stop in Marigold which was all too short, but our tour guide was great and gave us a good history of the island and it's people.

 

We returned to the ship and spent the bulk of the afternoon relaxing. DW had another spa visit while I caught up on my reading and enjoying the improved weather.

 

For dinner that night, we booked the Tuscan Grill. Really enjoyed it. Had their Bacon w/Pepper as a starter which is the one thing I did not enjoy. I love bacon in general, like most people, but this just felt like an undercooked piece of fat. DW had calamari which was good. It got a lot better though. For an entree, I went with the Grilled Bronzino and a half order side of Ricotta Gnocchi, both of which were delicious, the fish cooked perfectly, and DW Short rib Pappardelle Ragu which she didn't like, but I loved the bite or two I had. For dessert, had maybe my favorite thing to date on the cruise; a simple fig gelato that was divine. Service was excellent and I definitely would go back here, maybe go for a steak next time.

 

We were tired afterwards so skipped the show. Wandered around a bit to check out some music then called it a night. When we got back to the room, had a surprise. There was a form for luggage valet. I had heard through Cruise Critic that the Eclipse (I believe) was testing it out so had no expectations for it to be here. It is. $25 per guest, bags picked up and checked through to your airline. Sign me up! We filled out the registration and are set up for pickup. We have a late flight so dumping the bags sounds good to me.

[dgparent]

Tuesday was St. Maarten day. We visited the island on our last cruise and had booked an off ship excursion with Captain Bob. It was a great tour, taking us around the island by boat, stopping in different places to snorkel and beach visit. Captain Bob was great and had helped set up for my son to propose to his then girlfriend, now wife and made it even more special for them. The problem with that tour is we saw nothing of the island itself. Although we did not plan a tour, last minute booked the Island Tour excursion and set off with a group to visit different spots. The tour included a stop in Marigold which was all too short, but our tour guide was great and gave us a good history of the island and it's people.

 

We returned to the ship and spent the bulk of the afternoon relaxing. DW had another spa visit while I caught up on my reading and enjoying the improved weather.

 

For dinner that night, we booked the Tuscan Grill. Really enjoyed it. Had their Bacon w/Pepper as a starter which is the one thing I did not enjoy. I love bacon in general, like most people, but this just felt like an undercooked piece of fat. DW had calamari which was good. It got a lot better though. For an entree, I went with the Grilled Bronzino and a half order side of Ricotta Gnocchi, both of which were delicious, the fish cooked perfectly, and DW Short rib Pappardelle Ragu which she didn't like, but I loved the bite or two I had. For dessert, had maybe my favorite thing to date on the cruise; a simple fig gelato that was divine. Service was excellent and I definitely would go back here, maybe go for a steak next time.

 

We were tired afterwards so skipped the show. Wandered around a bit to check out some music then called it a night. When we got back to the room, had a surprise. There was a form for luggage valet. I had heard through Cruise Critic that the Eclipse (I believe) was testing it out so had no expectations for it to be here. It is. $25 per guest, bags picked up and checked through to your airline. Sign me up! We filled out the registration and are set up for pickup. We have a late flight so dumping the bags sounds good to me.

 

We are on her on the 18th, yeah!!, and have Capt. Bob Cass booked as well, we were a little concerned with getting to his boat on time did you have a problem finding the place where his boat is ?

 

We did this exact cruise a few years ago and had some rough seas too, nothing like you experienced though !!

[Russterus]

We are on her on the 18th, yeah!!, and have Capt. Bob Cass booked as well, we were a little concerned with getting to his boat on time did you have a problem finding the place where his boat is ?

 

We did this exact cruise a few years ago and had some rough seas too, nothing like you experienced though !!

 

 

 

Easy to find, unless he has changed location. Go out through the gate like you are walking into town. He is in back of a little shopping center like thing with a marina. Just a little ways down. Have fun, that trip may be the funnest excursion I have been on. Hope you get Captain Bob himself, he is a hoot.

 

 

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[Greeneprn]

Where did did u see this posted on the website? We,are on the Equinox Good Friday...also looking for Catholic Mass info....[emoji4]

 

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The reference to mass can be found on the Celebrity website under "Already Booked" section and "During Your Cruise" FAQ.

[Greeneprn]

Here's the link:

http://www.celebritycruises.com/frequently-asked-questions

Scroll down to see "Relious Service" reference.

[Russterus]

St Kitts is definitely a beautiful place, although most of what we experienced was just staring out from the ship. We didn't book any tours and just got off and walked around a bit. Of course the area just off the ship is pretty much the same as any cruise port area you find. Tremendous deals (or so they say) on Tanzanite, tourist souvenirs, tours, cab rides, and getting your picture with monkeys or iguanas. One particularly funny guy had a monkey with Donald Trump like hair on top. He was enticing tourists to hold the monkey and going on how Donald Trump monkey was making America Great Again.

 

If there has been one thing that I have found annoying on this cruise, it's the constant push to sell things on ship. Aforementioned tanzanite (not even sure what it is), watches, drink packages, spa treatments, you name it. The thing is, I found the St. Kitts hawkers and sellers to be less annoying than the ship's personnel. I find myself purposely bypassing the gauntlet of shops on deck five just to avoid the constant push. It's probably my only real complaint of the cruise and it is the one thing that seems to have become worse over the years.

 

We actually tried to jump aboard the train tour on the way back to the ship that was leaving. Yes, totally last minute spur of the moment, however they couldn't do it at that point. So after an hour of DW buying some of those touristy shirts, mugs and so forth, we ended back on the Reflection for a relaxing rest of the day.

 

One thing I have very much enjoyed on this trip had been the live music. Blind Vinyl is the party house band and I find them quite entertaining and enjoyable. Willian is a solo guitarist from Paraguay is quite good and have sat and listened to him quite a bit. The string duet and the jazz band are equally good. When I write my final review, the live music will be a highlight.

 

We opted for the early show and late dinner. Robbie Printz was the comedian for the show. A bit of a slow start, but he had us in stitches by the end. He has a late night show Friday that we will probably catch.

[Russterus]

Ahhh sea days. Anything better after three hectic port days? Wake up with nothing to really do. I got up a bit early and joined in the mile walk on deck 15. Got in a few thousand steps. The weather since St. Maarten has been wonderful. Walking the decks in the morning with the ocean so beautiful, sunny skies and most people still not up and about is great.

 

After breakfast in Blu, went around taking some ship photos, and general prowling about. We caught a Navigation lecture of the Navigation Officer which was good. Again being a sea day, an after lecture nap was called for.

 

For lunch, hit up Sushi on 5 finally. Had an assortment of nigiri and a rainbow roll and it was quite good, surprisingly good. The fish on the nigiri was of ample size and well made. Really enjoyed it. It is a bit pricey, we ended up paying $50 plus tip, but well worth it.

 

Spending the afternoon on the patio was great. I was fully entertained by two birds floating around looking for their lunch. Every so often, they would dive down into the water to catch their prized little fish. Maybe sounds boring, but sipping some wine and watching them was just about as relaxing an experience you can have. I did wonder if they were riding along with the ship as we were currently a long way from any land. I am writing this Friday morning from my patio and haven't seen them, but a couple of darker birds have taken their place.

 

The show that night was Broken Strings, cast show. Story was a bit difficult to follow as there really wasn't any dialogue, but then again there is no really point in it beyond watching young people dance and sing. They did that quite well and a good time was had by all.

 

It was our final dinner in Blu as we are going to do QSine on Friday. Actually wanted Murano, but we waited to long and nothing available to very late. Same with Tuscan, but the QSine Maitre'd came through for us and got an early time after originally saying he had nothing until late to. Didn't even bribe him!

 

This was also the second Celebrity Chic night. The first night was in the midst of the wind and waves and DW did not want to go anywhere so we had room service and never went out. So this will probably be controversial to some of you, but before the cruise I had opted to not bring my suit or tux this time. Gasp. We just didn't want to pack heavy and if a suit was no longer expected, then who was I to argue? I did bring a nice shirt and a tie so dressed up and headed out to the show wondering if I would be out of place.

 

I was. While there were a very few tux wearers, and a few suits, most men either just wore the same as during the week, a collared short, or a couple had jackets. Very few had ties on. I wasn't really out of place, but I would have been just fine ditching the tie. In the end, I really could care less what everyone else wears. If they starting allowing t-shirts and swimming shorts on Chic Night, it would be fine with me. I know many of you probably would disagree and I get that. Just my thoughts.

[Russterus]

Current Tuscan Grill menu

 

 

Blu Menu Wednesday. We both had the halibut which was excellent.

 

 

Branzino from Tuscan Grill. So good.

 

World Class Bar. Haven't had a drink here, but was a regular at the old Molecular Bar on the Silhouette.