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| Lawn Club aboard Celebrity Reflection |
Recently I made the trek from Jacksonville to Miami to board Celebrity
Cruises brand new Celebrity Reflection. Holding 3,030-guests,
126,000-tons and a 2:1 staff to passenger ratio, this ship is sure to
impress. She’ll be in Port Miami until April 2013 doing seven-night
Caribbean sailings.
Once
landing in Miami I took the cruise lines transfer the Celebrity
Reflection. I have to say after numerous sailings and only doing the
cruise line transfer one time – it’s the way to go. The logistics
of having a meeting point, not having to find a cab, and not worrying
about if you’re going to get gouged is all worth it. The shuttle
ride from Miami Airport to Port Miami is about 30 minutes.
Embarkation
was fairly easy and I was able to get right to check-in after
security. Of course there were people trying to sneak booze on and
they got caught, always fun when they hold up the line.
When
you board the ship you’re greeted with champagne and mimosa’s.
The staterooms weren’t ready til one but there was plenty to check
out and see on this brand-new ship. There first thing I did was went
to the Oceanview Café and grabbed some lunch. I can appreciate the
café because there are plenty of little food islands and it isn’t
like a cattle call when you want to eat. Rarely are there lines.
Cruise lines are slowly started to morph into this food-island
concept. We saw it last year on Allure of the Seas and Carnival Magic
and on a lot more ships this year.
I
wouldn’t be what you consider a foodie but a cruise ship buffet is
a buffet, nothing thrilling about it. Quick service and good food.
I
went and checked out the lawn club and the outdoor area on the ship.
The pool was very nice and plenty of chairs around it facing both
directions. The lawn club seemed to be a huge hit. It was funny
watching the reactions on people’s face when they were stepping on
the grass for the first time – like they’ve never saw grass
before. The Alcoves on the lawn club (which were introduced on
Silhouette) seemed to be a big hit but people are worrying about the
price. They aren’t for everyone but a great idea and concept. In
case you’re wondering about the price, it’s $99 port day and $149
sea day.
The
stateroom (#1658) is on deck 11, aft, and is an AquaClass stateroom.
The amenties in the room are pretty nice and I thought it was quite
spacious with the deep drawers, nice size bathroom, the cabin itself
is 194 square feet and the balcony is 54 square feet. The stateroom
is located close to the AquaSpa and the shower is really cool with
five jets of water spraying at you simultaneously.
Dinner
was in the Opus dining room, the main dining room located on decks
three and four. The food was great and they served dishes like
filets, lamb shank, halibut, salmon, and Tuna Carpaccio. The menu
also offered gluten free options.
There’s
still so much to explore on this ship like the specialty dining
venues, the Art Studio, the Alcoves, Michael’s Club and the
Hideaway. Which will be all done tomorrow!
cruiseradio
