Celebrity Reflection B2B 12/4 - 12/11 - 12/18

[DaKahuna]

I am not a prolific writer and do not even try to meet the quality and thoroughness of the life bloggers that have gone before me but I told someone on this board that I would try and follow in their shadow and do a live posting on our cruise that start tomorrow. 

 

This was originally planned to be a seven day cruise followed by a change of cities / ships to a RCL cruise out of Miami on Symphony of the Seas.  However, as I mentioned elsewhere my wife informed me that packing, fliying, boarding a ship, unpacking, sailing, packing, debarking, Ubering to Miami, boarding, unpacking, and packing again seven days later was not her idea of a vacation.  So, thanks to my gracious TA we cancelled the Symphony of the Seas and booked the 12/11 - 12/18 sailing on Reflection.  Unfortunately we were not able to get the same stateroom, this being very last minute, for both legs of the B2B but we'll survive.  

 

We departed from Washington Dulles this afternoon, actually departing ahead of schedule, and arrived, ahead of schedule, in FLL this afternoon.  We took Lyft from the airport to the Renaissance Ft Lauderdale Waterfron and after an hour wait beyond our 4 PM checkin time, managed to get to our room.  

 

Dinner reservations had been made last week at the Boatyard and we enjoyed a nice dinner with no wait at all. 

 

I am hoping that other that will be on these two sailings with us will add their comments/pictures as well so that those of you who may be interested end up well informed of how things progressed on this cruise. 

 

 

[Purplsmurf]

We sail with you on the second leg. Could you do me a favor and see if they can let you know how many might be on the 12/11 sailing? We have a cabana booked, but don’t think we will need it if the numbers are low. We need to cancel before sailing if we decide to go that route. Thank you! See you next Saturday!

[DaKahuna]

1 minute ago, Purplsmurf said:

We sail with you on the second leg. Could you do me a favor and see if they can let you know how many might be on the 12/11 sailing? 

Will try finding out and will post here. 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

Just coming along for the ride. We'll be on her starting Feb 5 for a B2B. Thanks for sharing some of your experiences with us when you find the time. 😎

[h20cruzer]

Can’t wait to follow. Like you not a life long blogger but tried my best. I did have a good time doing it. People on the cruise will come up and say hello. Make sure to post a pic of you snd your wife so people know who you are, good luck.

Norma

[harrywpb]

7 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

I am not a prolific writer and do not even try to meet the quality and thoroughness of the life bloggers that have gone before me but I told someone on this board that I would try and follow in their shadow and do a live posting on our cruise that start tomorrow. 

 

This was originally planned to be a seven day cruise followed by a change of cities / ships to a RCL cruise out of Miami on Symphony of the Seas.  However, as I mentioned elsewhere my wife informed me that packing, fliying, boarding a ship, unpacking, sailing, packing, debarking, Ubering to Miami, boarding, unpacking, and packing again seven days later was not her idea of a vacation.  So, thanks to my gracious TA we cancelled the Symphony of the Seas and booked the 12/11 - 12/18 sailing on Reflection.  Unfortunately we were not able to get the same stateroom, this being very last minute, for both legs of the B2B but we'll survive.  

 

We departed from Washington Dulles this afternoon, actually departing ahead of schedule, and arrived, ahead of schedule, in FLL this afternoon.  We took Lyft from the airport to the Renaissance Ft Lauderdale Waterfron and after an hour wait beyond our 4 PM checkin time, managed to get to our room.  

 

Dinner reservations had been made last week at the Boatyard and we enjoyed a nice dinner with no wait at all. 

 

I am hoping that other that will be on these two sailings with us will add their comments/pictures as well so that those of you who may be interested end up well informed of how things progressed on this cruise. 

 

 

We’ll be on the 12/4 leg 😁. Smart move to go BTB. We’ve had to previously change rooms. Celebrity made it seamlessly.  

[Lighthousepointdream15]

I am on the 12/4 leg. This will be my third cruise since the restart. I was on the Edge in July and August. It’s a girls trip this time. Can’t wait for some down time!

[DaKahuna]

Good morning -- unfortunately there is no view of the Reflection from our hotel room so no early morning pictures to post.   Most likely I will not even start posting until we get aboard later this morning.  For now, we are just preparing for breakfast at the hotel and then it's a matter of watching the time go by until it is time to head to the ship for boarding. 

 

[deliver42]

I'm jealous. Enjoy your cruise. The Reflection is a beautiful ship.

[DaKahuna]

2 minutes ago, deliver42 said:

I'm jealous. Enjoy your cruise. The Reflection is a beautiful ship.

We've not sailed on Reflection.  Our previous S Class sailings were on Equinox, Eclipse, and Silhouette.  Edge in February 2020 was our last sailing before COVID stopped all cruises.  

 

[dateacher]

Have a great trip, fellow NoVa traveler.  Living vicariously until Feb.  We sailed the Reflection in Europe and once in the Caribbean.  Loved the ship. 

[parrothead33]

Looking forward to hearing all about your experience. Have a great B2B.

Cheers.

[floridatravelersforlife]

Enjoy.  I'm curious to find out how many pax are on the ship.  Please let us know.

 

 

[DaKahuna]

1 hour ago, floridatravelersforlife said:

Enjoy.  I'm curious to find out how many pax are on the ship.  Please let us know.

 

 

 I have been told by someone who is onboard Reflection sailing that ends today that the expected passenger count for the 12/4 sailing is approximately 800.  Will know not for sure until the ship departs port this evening what the actual headcount is for this sailing. 

 

 

[papaflamingo]

Looking forward to your review.  We are on Reflection on Dec. 26 so will be good to get your impressions.  Have a great cruise.

[countess5]

Thanks for posting! 

 

Will be following in the mornings with my coffee. ☕️

 

Sailing Reflection B2B in February

 

Cheers! 

[countess5]

13 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Just coming along for the ride. We'll be on her starting Feb 5 for a B2B. Thanks for sharing some of your experiences with us when you find the time. 😎

Will be joining you on the B2B! 

Will be coming off Silhouette B2B prior. 😀

 

Cheers! 🍸

[Jim_Iain]

I just pulled up a chair and look forward to your Live report.   Fantastic start.   Have fun and enjoy the beautiful ship.

[DaKahuna]

We are aboard and just getting our stateroom organized.

 

Lyft picked us up promptly at 1045 as I had made a reservation ahead of time.  Arrived at the port, pier 29 is at the far end so hardly any traffic at all. 

After turning our bags over to the porter, we walked around the corner, entered the RIGHT hand side where it was marked retreat.  Went through security, we were the only ones in the Retreat reception at that time, had a short wait after having them view our passports, vaccination records, and antigen test results.  The was done once and once only. 

We had a short, less than 5 minute wait until the Retreat Host greeted us and told us we were cleared to enter the ship. 

Went to the next check point, showed our boarding passes, was informed our room was ready, and proceeded to board the ship, taken an elevator up to deck 11 and walk all the way aft to our suite.  

We were in the suite by 1115.  

I took some picture of the suite and will post then later once I have transferred them to my computer.  

 

Now it's time to go to our muster station, Blu, and then to either Luminae or to the Retreat Lounge/Michael's Club. 

 

it's been a long time since February 2020 and I am thankful to be back aboard Celebrity!

 

p.s. according to the business card left in our suite, our Personal Retreat Host is Chairul. 

 

 

Edited December 4, 2021 by DaKahuna

[39august]

Thanks for taking the time to do this review. We will be back on RF in Jan. for a B2B.  Would you please find out if it is possible to send mail while on the ship? Many years ago I did this. Both my DIL and best friend will have birthdays while I am on board, so would love to mail the B-day cards from the ship. 

[DaKahuna]

2 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 I have been told by someone who is onboard Reflection sailing that ends today that the expected passenger count for the 12/4 sailing is approximately 800.  Will know not for sure until the ship departs port this evening what the actual headcount is for this sailing. 

 

 

An update -  I just overheard the Luminae Manager tell another passenger they are expecting 1100 passengers on this sailing. 

[DaKahuna]

Here are some pictures of our stateroom, including one showing the "block view" from the window washing machine and a 'panoramic' view of the room. 

1 hour ago, 39august said:

Thanks for taking the time to do this review. We will be back on RF in Jan. for a B2B.  Would you please find out if it is possible to send mail while on the ship? Many years ago I did this. Both my DIL and best friend will have birthdays while I am on board, so would love to mail the B-day cards from the ship. 

 

 In the past there has been a mailbox drop by Guest Services but I will ask and find out if that service is still available and how it works. (what postage is needed).  I know you can mail using the local mail for the ports we visit as we have sent postcards home before from various ports of call. 

[TeaBag]

Thank you for the lovely pictures.  Reflection is the only S class we have not sailed on so I will really enjoy reading your review.

Have a great time.  I am jealous too as we woke up this AM to a skiff of snow with more promised.

[DaKahuna]

As I said previously, this is our first sailing on Reflection but not the S-class. 

 

Lunch in Luminae was very nice.  There were only four other couples when we walked in shortly before noon.   The lobster roll was as delicious as I remember it.  The kale salad was also good, although I am not a huge fan of quinoa.

 

Both paired well with the Cherry Pie Pinot Noir .. 

 

[Azulann]

Will be following your report . Love the pictures of your suite!