Celebrity Reflection Again

Ron and I have been on a lot of cruises, so people sometimes ask us which is our favorite ship. That’s impossible to answer because even when I’ve gone on the same ship twice, it’s been a different experience. Back in January, we took a 3-day cruise on Celebrity Reflection with our friends Mike and Audra. Unfortunately, we were hit by a strong winter storm and our trip to Key West and Bimini turned into a cruise to nowhere. Despite the horrible weather, we had a blast and decided to book again – same ship, same itinerary. This time I was really hoping we’d make it to the ports!

Fort Lauderdale

We left for Fort Lauderdale at 6:15 so we could get to Port Everglades for our 11:30 boarding time. As we drove down Alligator Alley, Zac Brown Band’s Where the Boat Leaves From played on the radio. “See the problem is that you’re out there. There’s a perfectly good island somewhere. Where a ride that floats, and don’t grab your coat. You won’t need it where we are going.” We’d needed our coats in January, but we definitely didn’t need them this time. It was August and it was HOT.

The first thing we did after we got onboard was head to our cabins to drop off our bags. We had booked two balcony cabins next to each other on Deck 8. The cabins were still being prepped, but we met our cabin attendant, Adarsh, in the hallway and asked him to open the divider between our balconies. That way we didn’t have to lean around the divider to talk to each other. Then we went to the Sunset Bar at the aft of the ship where I ordered my traditional Welcome Aboard mojito. The cruise had officially begun!

Since we’d just been on Reflection six months before, we didn’t need to spend time figuring out our way around the ship. We spent a lazy afternoon hanging out in the Sky Lounge as the ship left Fort Lauderdale and slowly sailed down the coast. As we passed Miami, three more cruise ship joined the parade.

After dinner in the main dining room, we hit the casino. I started off losing at Blackjack but when I got down to my last hand, my luck turned and I slowly made my money back. That seemed like a good time to quit. Audra and I had been looking forward to staying up for the Silent Disco, but the guys were ready for bed, so we went back to our cabins. Ron immediately went to sleep but I stood out on the balcony for a little while, watching the lightning flashing over South Florida. It was so cold on our last cruise that we’d hardly used our balcony. This time I took advantage of it whenever I could.

Key West

I woke up early and couldn’t go back to sleep, so I texted Audra to see if she wanted to meet up for coffee and croissants at Café Al Bacio. We’d both fallen in love with the almond croissants on our last cruise and had been looking forward to eating them every day. Café Al Bacio was such a warm, inviting space with its bright yellow chairs. Reflection is supposed to undergo a major renovation in a few months and I know that several of the public spaces are going to change, but I hope they keep those yellow chairs. :-)  We watched a beautiful sunrise while we ate our croissants and then went to retrieve the guys for Second Breakfast. I was happy to find that they still had an Eggs Benedict station in the Oceanview Café!

the Grand Foyer

Audra had never been to Key West Before. For her first visit, I’d plotted out a walking tour that started at the Southernmost Point and wound back to the ship, hitting several historic sites and bars along the way. Key West is small and walkable, but it was August so we had to take the heat into account. The first thing we did when we got off the ship was call an Uber to take us to our starting point at the Southernmost Point Buoy. There was already a long line of people waiting to take pictures, but it moved fast.

the Southernmost House

From there, we walked up Whitehead Street to see the lighthouse and the famous six-toed cats at the Hemingway House and Museum. We spent about half an hour petting the cats and shopping in the gift shop. Audra bought a print of a black and white cat sitting on the steps of the house. The label on the back of the print said the cat’s name was Rita, so Audra asked one of the docents about her. Turns out that Rita was a real Hemingway cat who had passed away last year after a long and happy career. There are definitely worse places to be a cat!

We were ready for a cold drink by that point, so we continued up Whitehead to the Green Parrot Bar, which had started as a grocery store in 1890. Somehow, in all our trips to Key West, Ron and I had never been there. The laid-back dive bar vibe was reflected in the eclectic artwork and the large sign on the wall the read “No Snivelling”. Chickens wandered in and out of the open doorway. Iconic Key West.

Hemingway Home

the Green Parrot

For lunch, we decided on First Flight, where the first Pan American Airways tickets were sold in 1927. Besides having an interesting history, the restaurant also had air conditioning! I ordered the ahi tuna poke and a mojito. Whenever we’re in Key West, I like to try the mojitos from different places and end my trip reports with a “mojito review”. We were only in port for a few hours, but I figured I’d have time for two or three. :-)

Of course, no first-time visit to Key West would be complete without a stop at Sloppy Joe’s Bar. We moved on to Duval Street where a Lobsterfest street party was going on. Sloppy Joe’s was packed with people wearing lobster hats, but we found a table along the back wall and listened to the live music. We also made a quick stop at Captain Tony’s Saloon, Hemingway’s original hangout until the rent got too high and his friend and bar-owner, “Sloppy Joe” Russell, picked up and moved across the street. Captain Tony’s was built around a large, live tree that according to legend was used for hanging pirates in the early 1800s. The last time we were in Key West with our friends E and Stacey, E fell over the roots of the tree and we still joked that the ghosts had tripped him. :-)

the "hanging tree" at Captain Tony's Saloon

Our final stop was Mallory Square for a great view of the ship and cigars from El Meson de Pepe for Mike and Ron. I had my first ever mojito at El Meson de Pepe and it usually ranks at the top of my mojito reviews. Unfortunately, our bartender was having a very bad day and kept cussing at his co-workers. We went on vacation to forget about work problems, not hear someone else’s. Dude! At least my mojito was good.

It’s impossible to experience all of Key West in one day, but I thought we’d been able to give Audra a pretty good overview in the short time that we had – historic buildings and bars, roosters and six-toed cats. We didn’t have a chance to get down to the seaport, but that gives us an excuse to plan another trip!

That night was Chic Night so we dressed up and took pictures in the atrium before going to dinner. There was poolside dance party at 10 o’clock, but it had been a full day and we were all tired, so we just sat out on our balconies and talked before going to bed.

Mini Mojito Review

Here is my ranking for our day in Key West, starting with the best:

1. Sloppy Joe’s Bar – made with Papa’s Pilar rum from the Hemingway-inspired distillery
2. El Meson de Pepe – the mojito was refreshing, the bartender was grumpy
3. First Flight – a little too much lime, but I liked the crystalized sugar stick

Bimini

None of us had been to Bimini, so before our January cruise I did a lot of research on where to go and what to see. One popular option was renting a golf cart and exploring on your own. That sounded perfect. I was so disappointed when we missed the port last time, but now I could finally put my research to use. One thing I’d learned is that there was a free tram that circled between the ship, the Resorts World beach club, the casino, and Fisherman’s Village Marina, where the golf cart vendors were located. What I wasn’t sure about was which stop came first.

We got off the ship around 9:30 and boarded a waiting tram. When we got to the end of the pier, the tram slowed and we were immediately surrounded by golf cart vendors yelling and haggling. Chaos! Were we supposed to get off here? Ron got off but I hesitated and suddenly the tram started moving again with me, Mike and Audra still on it. I yelled at Ron to stay where he was and we’d find him when the tram came back around, but of course he couldn’t hear me. As I grabbed my phone to text him, Mike said “Ron’s in a golf cart!” What?? I looked back and sure enough, one of the vendors had picked Ron up and they were in hot pursuit. Everyone on the tram was dying laughing.

When we stopped at the beach club, Ron rejoined us and we rode back to Fisherman’s Village together. Our plan was to rent a golf cart from Sue and Joy’s, who got good reviews online, but first we needed a pit stop and some refreshments. And there was a bar! Ron said, “if I’d known there was a bar, I would have just waited for you here.” Live and learn. :-)

After we’d cooled off with a drink, we located Sue and Joy’s but unfortunately, they were out of 4-seaters. The lady at the counter directed us to Cordell next door, who picked out a nice, newish cart for us and filled it up with gas. And then we were off, with Mike at the wheel. First, we rode all the way to the south end of the island where there was a natural, unpopulated beach with the most beautiful blue water. Yes! This was why I wanted to come to Bimini! Audra immediately got into the water while I walked around taking pictures. At the far end of the beach, the remains of an old ship rested against the rocks. What a gorgeous spot.

Ron in his element

remains of the Gallant Lady

We all floated around in the water for a while, then climbed back into the cart and drove north to Radio Beach, a small public beach with several food shacks and beach chair rentals. We found four seats at a bar called the Conch Fu Shack and ordered beer and Sky Juice. Sky Juice is our favorite Bahamian drink, and Ron and I try to find it every time we’re in the Bahamas. It wasn’t listed on the menu, but the bartender said she could make it. She topped off our drinks with a little coconut rum and it was delicious. Ron and I also shared an order of whole snapper with peas and rice, mac and cheese, and fried plantains. Yum!

Before returning our golf cart to Fisherman’s Village, we drove all the way past the Resorts World beach club to another beautiful beach for one last dip in the ocean. As we floated around in the crystal-clear water, Audra and I marveled that so many people chose to stay on the ship when they could be doing this instead. It was a perfect day! I’d been afraid that Bimini would be a little too rustic for Mike and Audra but they both loved it.

Radio Beach

Back on the ship, we cooled off with iced lattes from Café Al Bacio and relaxed on the balcony until it was time to go to dinner. I didn’t think the food and service in the main dining room were as good this cruise as on our last one. Maybe it was because they kept seating us with the traditional early-seating diners even though we had Any Time Dining. Our waiters kept disappearing or there would be no one to take our drink orders. For whatever reason, the rhythm just seemed off. But dinner on our last night was really good. I had escargot and beef carpaccio, the chef’s special (salmon with a teriyaki glaze) and Cherries Jubilee. Audra and I both decided that the beef carpaccio was the best thing we’d eaten the whole cruise. I mentioned to our waiter how much we liked it, and he brought us each a second plate.

Opus Restaurant

We went back to the casino after dinner, but we didn’t stay very long. We needed to pack and get some sleep before our early morning wake-up call. I wasn’t ready to go home yet! Our second cruise on Reflection was just as much fun as the first but in very different ways. On the January cruise, we’d basically been stuck on the ship for three days, so we’d had lots of time to participate in the ship activities - going to the dance parties, taking the Mixology class, trying out all the bars. This time we’d had two full days in port so we’d barely seen half the ship. But I’d loved spending time on our balcony, sampling the mojitos in Key West, and experiencing Bimini for the first time. The ports were the best part of the cruise, and Audra and I were already talking about another trip to Bimini. Maybe we’ll take a third cruise on Reflection after the renovations are completed so that we can see all the updates. But probably not in January. :-)