Reflection LIVE 2/3/24-2/11/24: 8 Crazy Nights of ABC Islands

[mchell810]

You make that dress look fabulous!   💃💃

[Stem to Stern]

16 minutes ago, GenerationX said:

My white evening gloves are still sitting on top of my chest of drawers at home.  Oh well. 🤷🏽‍♀️

Va va voom!!  If you were in the YC there would be plenty of white gloves to borrow from the butlers, but sadly they would not necessarily be your preferred length.

😂😂😂

Edited February 5 by Stem to Stern

[CHEZMARYLOU]

IMO you can never have too much duck, unless you cook it daily when home.

[Mickey22]

Always love reading your reviews!   You look fabulous in that dress! 
 

[LisaLeone]

That dress is 🔥🔥🔥!

[Loucat]

I-lost-my-husband-one-year-ago-2/13/23.

We-loved-cruising-and-racked-+34-cruises-from-2004-2022.

I-have-stayed-away-from-the-boards-as-the-joy-I-knew-cruising-was-too-hard-to-revisit.

Thank-you-Charla-as-you-are-an-inspiration-for-me-to-possibly-cruise-solo.

I-honor-your-strength, kindness-and-ability-to-share!

[Dawnya00]

Hi! New follower here! Your writing style has made me smile and chuckle more than once. I’m on the Reflection, my first X cruise in April and I’m loving all the tips! 

[hcat]

We are just back from Ascent..so I can now enjoy reading your review to help with cruise withdrawal! 

 

I know it will be a great adventure..glad u are back on Celebrity!

[Rika1]

Really enjoying following you on your trip! We're on Reflection starting 2/17, and like you, we'll be suite-less for the first time in a long time, so I appreciated your notes on some extra things you brought (the ice water thing especially). Looking forward to more!

[sbsmutoni]

On 1/31/2024 at 8:59 AM, GenerationX said:

Hi CC!  

 

Well, it’s been a little under 4 months since my husband Jeremy and I wrapped up our incredible 2 week Mediterranean adventure on Beyond, but with everything we’ve gone through in life since then, it feels more like 4 years.

 

After surviving a hectic end of year for both of us at work and a tragic loss in our family over the holidays, we found ourselves in a deep funk that we’ve been struggling to shake.  We decided what maybe what we need to reset is to get away asap for a week of sun and sea!

 

Quick Intro:  I’m Charla and the tyrant who changed the password on our Amazon prime account to try and stop me from buying any new cruise outfits (well played sir) is my husband Jeremy.

 

We’re in our early 40’s and live on a hobby farm an hour outside of St. Louis, Missouri. 

 

We have an 11-year old daughter who I’m pretty sure is even more addicted to cruising than I am (and is in the throes of indecision between Celebrity and MSC as we start to make plans for our summer mommy-daughter cruise) but she will be spending our week away on land getting spoiled rotten by her Nana.  My mother has already let me know that as we’re preparing to board Reflection, they’ll be celebrating National Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day (I ask you, is that even really a thing????)

 

Since this is a somewhat last minute vacay and we already had a land spring break resort trip booked in March, we didn’t want to break the bank.  For our budget and dates, the choice came down to either a basic veranda on this Reflection sailing (Aqua and concierge were already sold out) or a Yacht Club suite on MSC Divina.  

 

We also got a very good quote from a TA for an Ascent sailing, but I did quite a bit of cruising on E-class last year and decided that if we were going Celebrity, I really wanted to get some S-class time in. I’ve been experiencing symptoms of Murano lobster withdrawal.

 

For the MSC vs Celebrity decision, I much prefer the overall ship experience on Reflection over Divina and Jeremy wasn’t excited about spending most of the week only in suite areas.  Plus the itinerary for Reflection was much more appealing.

 

For about a week, we did have some moveup bids in for the handful of suites left available on Reflection when we booked, but we ended up cancelling them. We decided that with all the Retreat and Aqua cruising we’ve done the past few years, this is a good time to go back to our roots so to speak and see if we still enjoy the simple onboard life that first made us Celebrity loyalists without concierges, private dining rooms, butlers, etc. and save some cash for bigger, badder cruising goals this fall (and ok probably a little more onboard spending by me).

 

We’ll be flying into Miami a day early and staying in Fort Lauderdale the night before the cruise. 

 

In the next day or so I’ll do a post sharing our plans on the ship and in port. For now it’s time to start my last day of the fiscal year, last day of observing Dry January AND last day in the office pre-cruise!  

 

In my mind, I’m already 2 cosmos deep listening to live music in the Ensemble Lounge…

 

 

I've only read your first entry and I already can't wait to read the rest of the review!

 

[sbsmutoni]

On 2/1/2024 at 4:34 PM, GenerationX said:

Well, that’s it, it’s official. Winter 2024 is the absolute, complete, WORST.  

 

As I was finishing my (delicious) pre-spa breakfast at the Four Seasons this morning, I got a text message.  Since we booked this trip so last minute, our usual house sitter who we LOVE wasn’t available.  So we went with someone we know but haven’t used before but had glowing references from a couple of our friends.  Unfortunately he was texting to cancel on us due to a serious illness in the family.

 

Especially given the December we had, we have total sympathy for what he and his family are going through.  

 

But as you can imagine, the following half hour of texts and phone calls with Jeremy was not our finest half hour of keep calm and carry on.  

 

To give some context, we have 4 dogs and 4 cats.  Boarding them for 10 days would cost more than the cruise and put some of them through horrific stress (they’re rescues and have residual kennel trauma).  We also have hens, rabbits, parakeets and a bearded dragon all of whom require daily care by someone who is experienced with handling them.  In other words, animal care at our house is a full time job.

 

Because we live in a rural area, we also aren’t comfortable leaving our house unattended for days at a time.

 

In other words, finding someone to just stop by a couple of times a day isn’t really an option.  Nor is hiring a complete stranger on 24 hours notice to live in our home with our babies for a week.

 

After racking our brains on who among our friends and family might be able, skilled enough and willing to drop everything tomorrow and run our farm for a week and coming up with blanks, I said the words I’ve always feared having to say “I guess we’ll have to cancel the cruise.”

 

I started to pull up our annual travel insurance policy on my phone and scan through it but I was already pretty sure that “house sitter fell through” is not a covered reason for cancellation.

 

Then Jeremy said absolutely not, that I’ve been in worse shape and need this time away more than he does and that he is staying home to take care of things and I am to go to the ocean and start healing my heart and mind…I really wish it wasn’t too late to go back and edit the part of my intro post where I called this Incredible man a tyrant. 😭

 

Of course then I started panicking about whether with Celebrity’s crazy recent solo pricing scheme, I’m going to end up getting charged like 2K more for the cruise when I show up Saturday without Jeremy.  But I did a dummy booking for our cruise (BTW apparently there’s a couple of inside staterooms and a sky suite that have opened up if anyone in the FLL area wants to come sail with me last minute!) and it looks like the solo pricing for our cruise does NOT have the over 200% charge.  So we’re not saving any money by him not being there.

 

I’m just finishing up at the spa then I’m going to go take Jeremy out for a nice big steak and a big glass of good bourbon to thank him for being the most amazing husband in the world.

 

If anyone has suggestions on what to buy in the ABC islands for a man who sacrificed his vacation for his wife, please share!

 

I just can’t believe this, this cruise is going to be so different from everything I planned. I love a good solo cruise, but I’m struggling a bit to handle getting one by surprise.

 

I feel you on the house sitting situation.  We too have a small farm.....dogs, cats, goats, donkeys and chickens.....mostly rescues.  And like you, only certain people are qualified to manage the house and the animals, so if their schedule does not work for us, it's very stressful to find alternates!

 

[cruisebeachgirl703]

Charla, nice to see you onboard. sorry for your family's loss. how was the champagne they are serving by the glass? how were the escargot? keep the beautiful i\pics of yourself coming. thanks.

[vickykay]

Your dress is beautiful and looks amazing on you!

[cruisebeachgirl703]

48 minutes ago, cruisebeachgirl703 said:

Charla, nice to see you onboard. sorry for your family's loss. how was the champagne they are serving by the glass? how were the escargot? keep the beautiful pics of yourself coming. thanks.

 

Edited February 5 by cruisebeachgirl703
typo

[raudacruise]

13 hours ago, GenerationX said:

There’s a duck dish on the  menu tonight too, but is it too extra to have duck twice in one day???

When I was in Sweden I had herring three times a day.  (I think they keep all the good herring.)

 

Ordered a copy of The Widow Clicquot.  Arriving just in time—headed to Fort Lauderdale tomorrow.  Two Silhouette cruises coming up.😎

[ecslady]

20 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

I'm amazed that 9215 was the last cabin available.  That's definitely a deluxe veranda (formerly a 1A) and, as first off the hump, has the largest balcony.  I normally get the ones on the aft of the hump, so I will be interested to hear how the forward-facing one is for wind.

I was also amazed that 9215 was available.  Someone must have cancelled and it opened up, or opened up due to a move up.  In any case, from personal experience, the winde are definitely more of an issue on the forward hump cabins as to the aft hump cabins. I've stayed in both and do prefer the aft hump cabins. But in any case, I love the larger balconies.

 

Enjoy your cruise Charla!

[GenerationX]

Good morning from sea day #2!  I made a cruising rookie mistake this morning. 

 

When I set my alarm last night, I forgot to also change the time on my phone forward to ship time (in spite of the big message on my TV with music playing behind it telling me to do so).  As a result, I slept in today well past MDR breakfast closing time.

 

No worries though, for a few cruises now I’ve been meaning to check out the captains club loyalty breakfast for Elite Plus and above level.  It’s offered in Tuscan Grille every morning until a much more lazy Gen X friendly 10am closing time.  

 

I was treated at the door by our Captain’s Club concierge who asked how the cruise is going and if there’s anything onboard that I need assistance with.  It’s really nice starting the day with a view of the wake, and the lighter fare is much more conducive to my big dinning plans for the rest of the day.

 

Speaking of, here’s today’s agenda:

 

-Hit the casino to visit a lose slot machine I found last night (full report to come)

 

-Go by the vintage handbag shop to see if a bag I fell for last night is still there (part of the reason I flaked on changing my clock is that I was busy before bed doing my research on the model and what it’s going for through other authenticators and the price is about right!)

 

-Lunch at Lawn Club Grill

 

-Poolside reading and a nap

 

-Start the evening with a wine flight at Cellar Masters

 

-Daniel Boulud Chef’s Table dinner

 

Sharing CC breakfast menu pics below. I think someone also asked about our captain for the cruise so sharing the senior officer sheet, info on captains club events and laundry special offers as well.

 

More to come after I make my donation to the Blue Chip Club and see a woman about a Gucci bag.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RedneckBob]

52 minutes ago, GenerationX said:

Good morning from sea day #2!  I made a cruising rookie mistake this morning. 

 

When I set my alarm last night, I forgot to also change the time on my phone forward to ship time (in spite of the big message on my TV with music playing behind it telling me to do so).  As a result, I slept in today well past MDR breakfast closing time.

 

No worries though, for a few cruises now I’ve been meaning to check out the captains club loyalty breakfast for Elite Plus and above level.  It’s offered in Tuscan Grille every morning until a much more lazy Gen X friendly 10am closing time.  

 

I was treated at the door by our Captain’s Club concierge who asked how the cruise is going and if there’s anything onboard that I need assistance with.  It’s really nice starting the day with a view of the wake, and the lighter fare is much more conducive to my big dinning plans for the rest of the day.

 

Speaking of, here’s today’s agenda:

 

-Hit the casino to visit a lose slot machine I found last night (full report to come)

 

-Go by the vintage handbag shop to see if a bag I fell for last night is still there (part of the reason I flaked on changing my clock is that I was busy before bed doing my research on the model and what it’s going for through other authenticators and the price is about right!)

 

-Lunch at Lawn Club Grill

 

-Poolside reading and a nap

 

-Start the evening with a wine flight at Cellar Masters

 

-Daniel Boulud Chef’s Table dinner

 

Sharing CC breakfast menu pics below. I think someone also asked about our captain for the cruise so sharing the senior officer sheet, info on captains club events and laundry special offers as well.

 

More to come after I make my donation to the Blue Chip Club and see a woman about a Gucci bag.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the info. We board the Reflection in several weeks and very much appreciate your reviews and info!

[catgirl411]

I see that Dave Clark is your cruise director. We were on a TA on Reflection in October. His wife Angela was CD and he was assistant. They were so much fun. We just loved them.  It was an awesome cruise with great entertainment. It didn’t hurt that it was our first experience in the Retreat ( we got an awesome deal..sigh…may not ever be able to repeat …loved those pistachio danish in Luminae).

 

As always I am loving your posts…keep up the great work!

[georgiaguy]

22 hours ago, GenerationX said:

(Jeremy needn’t be jealous…how shall I put this…these men were wearing pastel Versace, were talking about how they scored tickets for the Eros Tour and had better hip moves on the dance floor than I do…I was at zero risk of any improper advances) bad!

 

 

 

 

The “fancy gentlemen” always throw the best parties! Enjoying your review. 5 weeks til we sail on Ascent  and this helps pass the days!

[twins_to_alaska]

Your look so pretty in your outfits! I pack the bare essentials and just use dinner-time-only black pants with changing top but fun to see folk dress up. Looking forward to hearing about more mocktails. I'm on 9296 first aft cabin off the hump starboard in Apr. You got a great room!

[GenerationX]

20 hours ago, sbt518 said:

 

Have you ever tried the Bitter French cocktail?

I, like you, adore all things bubbly and drink a lot of sparkling wine, champagne, prosecco, cava, basically whatever I can get!  And I adore a French 75 but the Bitter French is delicious too and if you make friends with any of the bartenders around the ship (which, of course, being your effervescent self, of course you will) they will make you one assuming they have the ingredients.

Bitter French

Ingredients

1 ounce Plymouth gin

1⁄4 ounce Campari

1⁄2 ounce fresh lemon juice

1⁄2 ounce simple syrup (1:1 sugar:water)

Champagne

Garnish: 1 grapefruit twist

 

Basically mix all the ingredients and top with champagne serve as a French 75 or other champagne cocktail.

 

Again, thanks for sharing your trip with us and I had to laugh at GenZ's breakfast with your mom, because as an overindulgent aunt myself, I've definitely fed my niece ice cream multiple times a day when she visited.  But as my sister said, that's why it's called vacation and you don't do it every day!

 

Thank you for this suggestion!  This cocktail sounds like it’s right up my alley! 🥂

[Jim_Iain]

On 2/4/2024 at 7:36 AM, GenerationX said:

he asked if I might be interested in the last spot for an activity being offered on the last sea day that I’ve never seen on my cruises before.

Fantastic.   Do it.   It is one of those hidden treats.   There are only about 8-10 slots and is great fun.   We did one in Murano Kitchen and one in the old Olympic Kitchen.    While we all did mess up along the way, our lunch was professionally made.    It is a fun event.

[GenerationX]

Celebrity Cruise Math:

 

1 decent morning in the Casino 

 

+ 1 Burger the Size of my Face (swimming in English cheddar cheese and topped with more thick, juicy, smoky bacon than maritime law should allow) 

 

+ Herb Parmesan Chips 

 

+ 2 Glasses of Malbec 

 

= Check, please. It’s nap time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[zitsky]

Sorry about your family.  Love your reviews.  I'm having Amazon trouble for the first time in 20 years.  But it's not my husband causing the trouble.