Live Blog: Reflection, Italy, Croatia and Montenegro. September 16-September 26.

[calicakes]

Our first port tomorrow is Corfu Greece. We had a lovely private excursion booked with 15 other people from our cruise roll call. That was canceled by the operator due to high winds and they didn’t feel they will be able to get us back to the ship on time. We were taking a Nautilis cruise with private barbecue lunch made by a chef, different beaches to swim and snorkel. Plan B was a beach swim and sail through the ship, using OBC. . That was also canceled. Plan C is now aCorfu town for shopping and eating and another beach swim. Fingers crossed that one won’t be canceled.

[39august]

I always specify "no saltines" on my cheese plate from the butler and ask for other crackers instead. There is always a selection of good  crackers on my plate. 

[calicakes]

Dinner. I had lobster salad. They didn't have hearts of palm. No biggie.  I also had French onion soup it seems different to me. The onions were very finely diced and the soup was a little bit artificially thickened..  I did not want the Alaskan halibut as prepared on the menu, it was an Asian style. I asked for it simply grilled and mashed potatoes and vegetables.  Julie had the ribbon she wanted it medium but it was more like well. Desserts were Mascarpone  cheesecake and a chocolate palet. Desserts are very good.  I'm curious why doesn't luminae show up on any of the schematics on the ship.

[Purplsmurf]

Just caught up……we did this same cruise in May, it was AMAZING! Be up at 6 am for sail in to Kotor. It is so worth it and absolutely incredible……..I noticed that you said you paid $9500 ish for your SS. Was that after FCC? We had a SS booked on Reflection next May for our 30th anniversary, but I couldn’t justify paying $14k for a ship that hasn’t been revolutionized, so we moved to Aqua which, at the time we switched, was cheaper than a veranda. Have a great cruise!

[Jim_Iain]

In case you miss breakfast they have a pretty good setup in Retreat until 10:00.    Since Iain doesn't get out of bed until 9:30 we generally have our continental breakfast there -- They have great Almond Croissants, OK, Greek and Regular Yougurt, Berries, meats, cheeses and an array of sliced fruit.   They usually have fresh OJ and coffee and tea made to your request.

[calicakes]

10 hours ago, Purplsmurf said:

Just caught up……we did this same cruise in May, it was AMAZING! Be up at 6 am for sail in to Kotor. It is so worth it and absolutely incredible……..I noticed that you said you paid $9500 ish for your SS. Was that after FCC? We had a SS booked on Reflection next May for our 30th anniversary, but I couldn’t justify paying $14k for a ship that hasn’t been revolutionized, so we moved to Aqua which, at the time we switched, was cheaper than a veranda. Have a great cruise!

Thanks for the tip. We did not pay any extra, we actually got money back from the December 2020 and September 2022 cruise we had booked. 

[calicakes]

33 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

In case you miss breakfast they have a pretty good setup in Retreat until 10:00.    Since Iain doesn't get out of bed until 9:30 we generally have our continental breakfast there -- They have great Almond Croissants, OK, Greek and Regular Yougurt, Berries, meats, cheeses and an array of sliced fruit.   They usually have fresh OJ and coffee and tea made to your request.

Thanks. I set an alarm for today so we can go to luminae before our excursion in Corfu"

[calicakes]

Breakfast. BTW,  I asked how many people were on board.approx 1850 passengers.

[dritan]

19 hours ago, calicakes said:

Our first port tomorrow is Corfu Greece. We had a lovely private excursion booked with 15 other people from our cruise roll call. That was canceled by the operator due to high winds and they didn’t feel they will be able to get us back to the ship on time. We were taking a Nautilis cruise with private barbecue lunch made by a chef, different beaches to swim and snorkel. Plan B was a beach swim and sail through the ship, using OBC. . That was also canceled. Plan C is now aCorfu town for shopping and eating and another beach swim. Fingers crossed that one won’t be canceled.

I guess you're probably in Corfu Town by now, but for anyone reading this at a later date, there is a hop on hop off option at the small terminal building. The building is a 10 min walk from where you are likely to be docked.  There are two routes - one that goes around the town and one that goes out to the Achillion Palace which is nice and has lovely gardens.  Corfu town is very walkable and a good way to spend a few hours.

 

Hope you're having a good time despite the bumps on the road. 

[MR_T]

Don’t know who’s correct but the cruise director said there was 2306 pax onboard (I think) the first night at the show… I’m going to say it feels more like the higher number but who knows for sure 🤷🏼‍♂️ 

[hcat]

Enjoying the review and pics.. Thanks.

 

So far the Luminae plates do NOT look amazing ( fish looked nice) . How is the taste and flavor? How were the veggies cooked, were the potatoes pre made ? Did you enjoy the salad? Any special breads?

 

We will be  assigned in Luminae on BEYOND and hope it will be okay for us food wise and .not too crowded.  We are used to the BLU menu and loved the 4 mdr plan on EDGE .

 

If you are Elite, that is another option for a light bkfst.. 

E N J O Y !

[calicakes]

54 minutes ago, MR_T said:

Don’t know who’s correct but the cruise director said there was 2306 pax onboard (I think) the first night at the show… I’m going to say it feels more like the higher number but who knows for sure 🤷🏼‍♂️ 

The waiter told me, but I think you're right.

[calicakes]

Afternoon canapés in our room.  I thought we were getting cheese and crackers because that's what I asked for, but this is what we received.. I had to scrape off the caviar.

[calicakes]

There seem to be a type of issue getting us unhooked from the pier.  We are all out here watching.. There are lots of passengers cheering for them.

[calicakes]

4 hours ago, dritan said:

I guess you're probably in Corfu Town by now, but for anyone reading this at a later date, there is a hop on hop off option at the small terminal building. The building is a 10 min walk from where you are likely to be docked.  There are two routes - one that goes around the town and one that goes out to the Achillion Palace which is nice and has lovely gardens.  Corfu town is very walkable and a good way to spend a few hours.

 

Hope you're having a good time despite the bumps on the road. 

Hi.  In hindsight, I wish we would have just taken the 10.00 round trip shuttle into town.  We just cancelled the Dubrovnik excursion so we can take the shuttle and then take a taxi to the beach after a little walk around. 

[calicakes]

3 hours ago, hcat said:

So far the Luminae plates do NOT look amazing ( fish looked nice) . How is the taste and flavor? How were the veggies cooked, were the potatoes pre made ? Did you enjoy the salad? Any special breads?

Every night they have served soft rolls, crispy flatbread crackers, olive bread and baguette.  The halibut I had last night was good.  It was a touch bland( not seasoned).  I used some of the béarnaise sauce.  The filet mignon from the kids menu was good.  I believe the mashed potatoes are actual potatoes and not instant. The fresh veggies have been very tasty( they are steamed).  I'm not a fan of fish skin so when its presented skin side up, I usually flip it over and not eat it.  The desserts have been really good.  I bake ( and used to work as a pastry chef) and the desserts have been impressive.  Much better than in Blu or at the regular buffet.  I've never eaten a dinner at the MDR, so I can't compare those.      The beet salad had a tasty dressing, but a minuscule amount of beets.  The lobster salad was tasty, but so little lobster.   When I saw " Macadamia white chocolate cake", I was expecting a piece of layer cake.  LOL.  I would have loved that.  I love a good old fashioned cake. 

 

I had the gastric sleeve surgery 9yrs ago, so I still keep my portions small.  I hate wasting food.  I've asked for small portions.  I did ask for a small amount of risotto, but it was still too much.   From what I've eaten so far, I think the food is tastier than in Blu.  All of our previous cruises on X have been in Aqua Class.   

[calicakes]

The excursion today was not what I thought it would be.  It was pretty windy when we got off the ship.  We were met by a guide who took us in an airconditioned coach to Paleokastritsa Beach.  We were met by small boats who took us into sea caves.  I would have loved to go swimming off the boat, but the water was cold.  The boat captain was wearing a sweatshirt.  We had about 30 min to swim on the beach or walk around the tourist shops before we had to get back on the Bus.  We were then taken to the Old Town Corfu.  We only had about 30 min to "shop".  It was super crowded, I wanted to go to a restaurant, but there wasn't enough time.  The guide told us we could catch the shuttle back, but I was starving and just wanted to get back to the ship.  I had no clue where the shuttle picked up.   I did pick up some Greek spice, a small bottle of oil and a souvenir key chain for a friend.  I bought another friend some kumquat marmalade and I bought some halva for myself. 

[terrydtx]

1 minute ago, calicakes said:

Every night they have served soft rolls, crispy flatbread crackers, olive bread and baguette.  The halibut I had last night was good.  It was a touch bland( not seasoned).  I used some of the béarnaise sauce.  The filet mignon from the kids menu was good.  I believe the mashed potatoes are actual potatoes and not instant. The fresh veggies have been very tasty( they are steamed).  I'm not a fan of fish skin so when its presented skin side up, I usually flip it over and not eat it.  The desserts have been really good.  I bake ( and used to work as a pastry chef) and the desserts have been impressive.  Much better than in Blu or at the regular buffet.  I've never eaten a dinner at the MDR, so I can't compare those.      The beet salad had a tasty dressing, but a minuscule amount of beets.  The lobster salad was tasty, but so little lobster.   When I saw " Macadamia white chocolate cake", I was expecting a piece of layer cake.  LOL.  I would have loved that.  I love a good old fashioned cake. 

 

I had the gastric sleeve surgery 9yrs ago, so I still keep my portions small.  I hate wasting food.  I've asked for small portions.  I did ask for a small amount of risotto, but it was still too much.   From what I've eaten so far, I think the food is tastier than in Blu.  All of our previous cruises on X have been in Aqua Class.   

Unless they have a new beef provider since last month, stay away from the beef steaks in Luminae.  The NY strip and rib eyes were totally inedible, full of gristle and so tough they couldn't be cut with a steak knife. This became a running joke among the Luminae guests, we all accused Celebrity of buying old milk cows for the steaks.  The Maitre D told us that Celebrity was using a new beef provider and were having many many complaints from guests in Luminae.  However, we did steaks one night in the Lawn Grill and the steaks were delicious, but we were told the LG buys their beef from a different provider than the MDR and Luminae.

[terrydtx]

1 minute ago, calicakes said:

The excursion today was not what I thought it would be.  It was pretty windy when we got off the ship.  We were met by a guide who took us in an airconditioned coach to Paleokastritsa Beach.  We were met by small boats who took us into sea caves.  I would have loved to go swimming off the boat, but the water was cold.  The boat captain was wearing a sweatshirt.  We had about 30 min to swim on the beach or walk around the tourist shops before we had to get back on the Bus.  We were then taken to the Old Town Corfu.  We only had about 30 min to "shop".  It was super crowded, I wanted to go to a restaurant, but there wasn't enough time.  The guide told us we could catch the shuttle back, but I was starving and just wanted to get back to the ship.  I had no clue where the shuttle picked up.   I did pick up some Greek spice, a small bottle of oil and a souvenir key chain for a friend.  I bought another friend some kumquat marmalade and I bought some halva for myself. 

That sounds like the same excursion we did last month in Corfu.

[scrapcreator]

In Dubrovnik, we took the ship shuttle, and then walked the walls of the town on our own. There was a little window to purchase a ticket inside. Great views!

[calicakes]

2 hours ago, terrydtx said:

he NY strip and rib eyes were totally inedible,

Julie said the rib eye was very tough.  She had filet again tonight, she said it was tender.  I'll take her word for it since I don't eat beef. 

[terrydtx]

2 minutes ago, calicakes said:

Julie said the rib eye was very tough.  She had filet again tonight, she said it was tender.  I'll take her word for it since I don't eat beef. 

My wife tried to order the fillet from the Children's menu and was told they were out of them, this was in Luminae too. There were no fillets on the main Luminae menu for the whole cruise.

[calicakes]

11 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

My wife tried to order the fillet from the Children's menu and was told they were out of them, this was in Luminae too. There were no fillets on the main Luminae menu for the whole cruise.

When was this?  Julie has had 2 thus far. 

[terrydtx]

23 minutes ago, calicakes said:

When was this?  Julie has had 2 thus far. 

The August 5th sailing.

[hcat]

3 hours ago, calicakes said:

Every night they have served soft rolls, crispy flatbread crackers, olive bread and baguette.  The halibut I had last night was good.  It was a touch bland( not seasoned).  I used some of the béarnaise sauce.  The filet mignon from the kids menu was good.  I believe the mashed potatoes are actual potatoes and not instant. The fresh veggies have been very tasty( they are steamed).  I'm not a fan of fish skin so when its presented skin side up, I usually flip it over and not eat it.  The desserts have been really good.  I bake ( and used to work as a pastry chef) and the desserts have been impressive.  Much better than in Blu or at the regular buffet.  I've never eaten a dinner at the MDR, so I can't compare those.      The beet salad had a tasty dressing, but a minuscule amount of beets.  The lobster salad was tasty, but so little lobster.   When I saw " Macadamia white chocolate cake", I was expecting a piece of layer cake.  LOL.  I would have loved that.  I love a good old fashioned cake. 

 

I had the gastric sleeve surgery 9yrs ago, so I still keep my portions small.  I hate wasting food.  I've asked for small portions.  I did ask for a small amount of risotto, but it was still too much.   From what I've eaten so far, I think the food is tastier than in Blu.  All of our previous cruises on X have been in Aqua Class.   

Thanks  for  all the  details..feeling a bit  better abt Luminae.  Although the  .presentation seems  "no frills".  Desserts looked great but I am type 2 so I usually limit myself,..1 bread, 1/2 of dinner carb ( potato or rice, etc)  and double veggies. Sometimes  just a dinner salad and soup usually excellent on X..

 

We always bring our own assortment of snack crackers....too many yrs of stale saltines!