Departing from the West Coast made it necessary to fly in the day before. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Port of Miami Downtown and were very pleased with the hotel. We didn't see much of the area but it was right across the street from Bayside and we could have had all the shopping we wanted had we been able to stay awake after the red-eye flight out of LA. After a good night's sleep, a quick shower and an excellent room service breakfast, we were ready to go cruising! (HOTEL IMAGE)

A $10 taxi ride got us to the ship at around 11:30 AM and despite warnings concerning delays, we were checked in and on board by 12:15 PM. Having sailed on the Solstice, we had high expectations for the Reflection and we were not disappointed! The ship's layout is virtually identical to its sister but it had touches here and there that made it unique. (ALCOVES) The alcoves on the grass of the Lawn Club were new to us. They were cute but the heat and humidity of the Caribbean make them less attractive than they would be to people who actually enjoy the heat and humidity. The rest of the ship was a marvel of elegance and tasteful design. Our only disappointment was slight and purely a matter of personal taste. (FLOWER ROOM) The entryway into Michael's Club and the specialty restaurants was decorated with floral designs on the ceiling, floors and walls with bell tones ringing at random intervals. It was actually very intriguing, but to me it didn't hold a candle to the Golden Ant Room on the Solstice.

Since this was our first Aqua Class cruise, it was our first experience with Blu (the restaurant). We didn't eat there until the second night since there was a 2-for-1 offer if you booked a specialty restaurant for the first night. We choose Qsine and were glad that we did. (QSINE IMAGE) Each tiny tapas portion was different and delicious and they just kept bringing them until you told them to stop or you exploded...whichever came first. Highly recommended, even at full price! Read more