LIVE (kinda live, maybe live?) REFLECTION 10-night Ultimate Caribbean

[RoLoHa]

I agree...publish all the pics you care to. I cannot snorkel either (husbands disability prevents) and enjoy living vicariously through others!

 

 

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[aring75]

Stopped in for coffee this morning and confirmed that Café al Bacio has no special coffees for the holidays, I’ve attached a picture of the page showing the syrup flavors you can add to your coffee or tea (no peppermint [emoji53]).

 

 

More coffee/tea menu pics:

 

 

 

 

 

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[aring75]

Café al Bacio (cont’d):

 

 

 

And gelato:

 

 

 

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[kris816]

Stopped in for coffee this morning and confirmed that Café al Bacio has no special coffees for the holidays, I’ve attached a picture of the page showing the syrup flavors you can add to your coffee or tea (no peppermint [emoji53]).

 

 

More coffee/tea menu pics:

 

 

 

 

 

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Bummer but thank you for following up.

[aring75]

Celebrity Today - Day 8 (St. Thomas):

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[aring75]

Dinner last night at Murano:

 

 

 

To start, I ordered the diver scallop Wellington style and Mark got the baked Anjou pear.

 

 

Cross-section of my diver scallop because I do these things for you people.

 

 

 

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[aring75]

Mark’s Anjou pear thing.

 

 

Mark ordered the baby greens salad. It had an egg on top. It was runny.

 

 

I got the pork belly. It’s like a big chunk of bacon. Guess who’s was better. [emoji3]

 

 

And then, because I was having a hard time deciding between the goat cheese soufflé and the pork belly, our server (Andrea) brought this to try.

 

 

 

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[aring75]

Mark ordered the lamb chops:

 

 

And (go ahead and start judging me now) I ordered the veal tenderloin:

 

 

Afterward:

 

 

 

 

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[FlorenceItaly]

Loving your LIVE posting. Thank you!

[aring75]

I decided on the Grand Marnier Soufflé.

 

 

But Mark decided to get fancy!!

 

 

 

 

 

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[aring75]

Crepe Ballon Rouge with Balsamic Strawberries:

 

 

This was a delicious meal. The service was slow (it took two and a half hours) but I think all the table side service specialties add to the additional time. If you go, just relax and enjoy the experience. Don’t be in a rush.

 

We loved it and will definitely do it again. Maybe the lobster next time!

 

 

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[aring75]

Loving your LIVE posting. Thank you!

 

 

 

I’m loving it too!! I wish I could do this every time, but the unlimited internet package costs almost as much as the cruise, lol! I’m glad I got it included as one of our “perks” this time. It’s been so much fun. [emoji4]

 

 

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[aring75]

We had booked a snorkeling excursion through the cruise line for St. Thomas, but a few days ago we decided to cancel it and just do Sapphire Beach on our own.

 

We docked today in Crown Bay (which was strange as there were only three ships in port, Reflection and Grand Bahama something-or-other at Crown Bay, and the Viking Ocean at Havensight).

 

We got off the ship and looked for a taxi. It was $11 pp to Sapphire Beach. The roads are undergoing a LOT of construction due to reparations from the hurricane. Traffic is slow in some areas, but overall it wasn’t bad.

 

Our driver took a detour to get around a traffic jam. As we drove through the interior of the island we could see a lot of places that still need repairs.

 

See all that blue? That’s not a hip new trend in blue roofs folks. Those are tarps. FEMA tarps. And there’s a lot of them.

 

 

The port area looks great though. And downtown Charlotte Amalie is getting back to normal. Almost all of the shops and restaurants are back open. Almost. If your ship stops in St. Thomas, don’t stay on board. Even if you just go have lunch, or by a t-shirt, help bring tourism back to these islands.

 

/sermon

 

[emoji4]

 

Okay, so we arrived at Sapphire Beach and the resort looked a little shaken, some of the vegetation had been blown over or stripped, but the beach looked quite nice. And the trees and sea grapes are not completely gone. There’s still shady areas.

 

 

 

You can rent lounge chairs here for $9 and snorkel gear for $5/hr. We only needed fins, so they rented them to us for $2/hr. You will need fins here. You are swimming in the Atlantic and the current gets quite strong.

 

 

 

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[aring75]

More underwater photos because I just can’t help myself.

 

 

 

 

And look!!!

 

 

 

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[tinaincc]

Thank you very much for the alcove info - we are heading on board on Dec 22 and I was wondering about the alcoves. I read that if you book all four days while onboard they will discount the price. Have you been told that?

 

 

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[aring75]

There are three main “sections” of the beach here. As you stand on the beach looking out at the water, the best snorkeling is to your far left and far right (this time we had the best luck to the right).

 

However, the best snorkeling also usually means rocks and reef. Not easy for leisurely swimming. Right in the middle section the bottom is mostly smooth without too many rocks quite a good way out, but then it gets grassy. This attracts turtles and rays. When the water isn’t so churned up (like it was today) this is also a great place to snorkel to look for those guys!

 

Looking back to the shoreline:

 

 

Mark standing in that smooth, sandy middle section:

 

 

This is what the grass looks like. It starts about 50-60 feet or so from shore. You can just barely make out the fish near the bottom of the picture.

 

 

There is a small dive shop / snack shop right on the beach. They have cold drinks and light snacks. There are changing facilities right there. We had arranged for our taxi driver to come back by and it looked like there were others (the guy at the dive shop offered to call a taxi for a young couple while we were there).

 

If you are just looking to swim and sunbathe, you may prefer the calmer beach of Magen’s Bay. Also, many of the ship’s excursions take you to islands that have protected coves for swimming or snorkeling.

 

If, however, you are looking to do a day on your own, Sapphire Beach in St. Thomas is easy to do and very beautiful.

 

 

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[aring75]

Thank you very much for the alcove info - we are heading on board on Dec 22 and I was wondering about the alcoves. I read that if you book all four days while onboard they will discount the price. Have you been told that?

 

 

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I have heard from two different sources (both on CC, not IRL) that if you book for the entire cruise they offer discounts. However, I personally do not know the amount of the discount. Hopefully, someone reading might know the answer to your question. It would be great if you could find out ahead of time!

 

 

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[Sonoma fans]

We rent an alcove for the week and get 20% off which equals a free day...not sure about 4 of 6 or 7 nights but should be at least 10% but ask for the 20.

 

Question about the sommelier in cellar masters...Stafania was ther for our last 3 on Reflection, but not sure she re signed a contract. Do you know the name of the sommelier that is there now?

 

Really enjoying your review....Sonoma Fans

[aring75]

 

Question about the sommelier in cellar masters...Stafania was ther for our last 3 on Reflection, but not sure she re signed a contract. Do you know the name of the sommelier that is there now?

 

 

 

Really enjoying your review....Sonoma Fans

 

 

Not sure, but I will try to find out for you tomorrow! [emoji4]

 

 

 

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[aring75]

Dinner tonight in Blu:

 

 

The basket of assorted breads (one piece is already missing, Mark was hungry):

 

 

Beef short rib appetizer:

 

 

Caesar salad from the “always available” menu:

 

 

Now, when I ordered my entree, I asked about the squab. Our server shook her head and said, “You don’t want this. It’s made with, like, liver and it’s very much like liver, you know?”

 

Well, no I didn’t know. Squab is usually just a small bird (pigeon if done correctly) and it normally just tastes like tender, dark meat chicken. Just a really tiny chicken.

 

But the description she gave me threw me off and I ordered the osso buco . Which was delicious.

 

 

 

 

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[aring75]

Dessert was the strawberry cake for Mark (he didn’t like it because it was too “wet” - it was a texture thing)

 

 

And chocolate lava cake for me:

 

 

 

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[aring75]

Celebrity Today - Day 9 (At Sea):

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[aring75]

Disembarkation information:

 

 

 

Someone had asked me to look out for luggage valet info. We didn’t receive anything in our stateroom. As I walk by the desk on deck 3 tomorrow, I will see if they have anything out that I can photograph.

 

 

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[aring75]

Apologies! I have learned that this is a snake eel, not a sea snake as I said in my previous post. Apparently, snake eels are harmless but sea snakes are related to the cobra and will kill you just by looking at you or something.

 

 

NOT a sea snake:

 

 

 

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[JEH]

Thank you very much for posting such a wonderful recap of your cruise experiences .