My wife and I enjoyed an amazing 5 day, 4 night cruise on the Celebrity Reflection September 16-20, 2024.
We drove from our home in Jacksonville the day before the cruise and stayed at the Fairfield Inn and Suites, Airport and Cruise Port. This is a great pre-cruise hotel that serves a full breakfast!
The shuttle at the hotel left at 10:15 a.m. however my boarding time was 12:30. I was concerned they wouldn’t let my wife and I in Terminal 25, however, I was pleasantly surprised that when we arrived around 10:45 a.m. we went straight into the terminal, breezed through security, sat in the waiting area for about 15 minutes then we were on the ship about 11:30 or so.
So what about the muster drill?
It was great! While I was still at the hotel, I was on the Celebrity App and was able to complete 2 of the 3 steps. I had to watch a short video about the safety procedure, and another video with the sound of the loud short and loud blast of the ship’s horn. The 3rd and final step was as soon as my wife and I stepped on the ship, we walked to our muster station at the Ensemble Lounge on Deck 5, checked in with a member or the crew. He showed us how to use the lifevest, said a few words, then we had completed the muster drill. Special note, we didn’t need our cabin room card key to check in at the muster station! All we needed was our printed out boarding pass! Easy!!!
Were we able to drop off your carry-on luggage in the cabin?
Yes, we were in cabin 8304 (aft balcony) and not only did we drop off our luggage, our cabin was ready and our cabin steward said we could stay in our cabin without having to come back later!
How was cabin 8304?
The cabin is totally old school. No usb outlets, only 2 US outlets and one European electrical outlet. Keep in mind she was launched way back in 2012 and did have a recent refurbishment, but you don’t need your card key inserted to keep the cabin lights on!
I love the layout of the Oceanview Cafe. Free hand scooped ice cream, lots of food choices, lots of seating and even outside seating at the very back of the ship.
Because of my “Select” Captain’s club status, we were able to choose anytime dining. The food was amazing! We had Beef Wellington, Escargot, French onion soup and some great desserts. We passed on the Specialty Restaurants, but I remember when I sailed on Solstice many years ago, Murano (the French Restaurant) and Tuscan Grille (Steakhouse) had amazing food. Blu is another great restaurant reserved for the Aqua Spa folks. Lastly, the Mast Grill up on Deck 15 had great burgers, hotdogs, fries, etc.
We didn’t go to any of the shows in the Theater. When I looked at the daily planner, nothing really jumped out at me. I will have to say that the traditional Pool VolleyBall Tournament between the officers and some guests was the highlight of the entertainment we saw.
What about the DJ and music down there in the atrium. How was that?
That was one of my big complaints that I mentioned on my online survey after the cruise. The sound of the music was deafening. I love Elton John, Abba, etc, but they had the music on so loud in that Atrium we just kept walking. It’s a shame because it would have been a great experience.
So this was a 4 night cruise, left on a Monday and returned on a Friday. What were the ports of call?
We left Port Everglades on Monday, Tuesday was a seaday and on Wed we arrived in Coco Cay. On a scale of 1 to 10 it was a 20. Absolutely perfect weather! We took the free tram over to South Beach which is one of the free options on Coco Cay. Plenty of stuff to do there for young and old, basketball court, table tennis, etc. You can also rent a jet ski over there. Also free food at the snack shack, burgers, hotdogs and the very popular funnel cake.
Then we arrived in Bimini on Thursday. I’ve been to Bimini twice, once on Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady and on the Carnival Liberty. My wife want to take a tour, so I reached out to Bimini Island Tours. Max was our tour guide and my wife and I really experienced the culture of Bimini. We went to a local bakery, had some local soda, went to the famous Dolphin Museum and saw a live Conch demonstration. Again, perfect weather and we had a great 2 hour tour of Bimini.
How was debarkation? Did you do self-debarkation or did you leave your luggage outside the door?
Because my wife was with me, yes, we left two bags outside the door. Debarkation was perfect. We had tag number 35 so our time was like 9:30.
We ate a relaxing full breakfast at the Ocean Cafe, then later, our number was called. They have that Face Recognition technology, so we didn’t have to show our passports. We then asked a porter to help us, tipped him $20 and he escorted us to a cab. Only $25 to go back to the Fairfield Inn.
Would you go again?
Absolutely! We loved the ship, the service, the food, and our balcony cabin. I’d go again tomorrow. The boarding and debarkation process was perfect.
Search Scott Lara on YouTube for all my videos. Special thanks to the Fairfield Inn and Suites, Bimini Island Tours and GigSky.com.
Email me at slara1961@gmail.com to book your next cruise!
DISCLOSURE: This was not a complementary cruise. I received a travel agent discount and I paid tips.
