The line-ups to get in were so long that Celebrity extended visiting time by an hour. The line-ups, however, were not for the restaurants, they were for…the Reflection Suite.

Ever since Celebrity announced this one-of-kind suite would have a clear-glass shower hanging off the edge of the ship, there has been a titillating buzz among the cruise community. There is only one Reflection Suite on this ship or anywhere else, and it’s a beauty, glass shower notwithstanding. Two hot tubs, two bedrooms, a dining room and another bathroom with two showers in the same stall, giving a whole new meaning to showering with a friend.

Oh yes, the cost. As unique as it is, the Reflection Suite is not sold out. The fact that it costs about $25,000 for six people on a seven-day cruise to stay in it may have something to do with that, even if you split the price equally (and who gets the master bedroom).

It’s just one of the unique suites on this ship. The Aqua Class suites afford the kind of privacy that money can buy and are complete with a butler, spa privileges with extras and access to the private restaurant named Blu, where at least the hors d’oeuvres are understandably superb.

By adding an entire deck, Celebrity had to widen this Solstice Class ship by 60 centimetres to stabilize. That and making better use of space that wasn’t popular enabled Celebrity to add 89 cabins and accommodations for 114 more passengers than can on the fourth Solstice ship, the Silhouette. As with all ships in this class, at least 85 per cent of the cabins have balconies.

Murano, a staple on Solstice ships

The two that are new are The Lawn Club Grill ($40), where you can cook your own dinner, and The Porch ($5), open for breakfast and lunch and where panini is the main offering. The other specialty restaurants — Murano (French), Tuscan Grille (Italian) and Qsine (eclectic and crazy) — are unchanged from previous Solstice ships.

Of the 14 bars, the most significant change is Michael’s Club. It’s now a beer specialty place — don’t call it a beer joint — with 50 international craft beers and flat-screen TVs on every wall. The Celebrity Life Series also features beer and food pairings (now that’s new!) and an International Beer Challenge where guests can test their brew knowledge.

Celebrity’s people made a point of mentioning the Sunset Bar among the changes, but that’s mostly because of the drink menu, and the Alcoves — cabanas by The Lawn Club that can be rented — pointing out they have doubled in number to eight since the Silhouette’s arrival last year.

This is a line that’s getting more into what it calls “dynamic packaging” to enable its upscale customers to combine shore excursions or specialty restaurants for one price to save a few bucks.

In this era of “fiscal cliff” and “modern luxury”…is this just another pair of buzzwords to confuse us?

This is the final report from my Ports and Bows colleagues, Bob and Nancy Dunn, who are in Florida this week to see Celebrity’s new ship, the Reflection. Not only can you read accounts of their cruise on this final Solstice Class ship here, but there’s more at cruisingdoneright.com

Five days into this Mediterranean cruise, the question is: How do I feel about the Breeze now?

Well, just fine, thank you.

Now that’s rather benign, isn’t it? But in order to be relaxed on board a ship, you have to feel a flow, a blend from section to section. It can’t  jerk you around.
Carnival and its new interior designers have achieved that.

So today, I’m dealing with some of what’s new and improved aboard the Breeze.

The Lido main pool area:This is a winner, with drinks at Blue Iguana and RedFrog Bars and food from Guy’s Burger Joint and outstanding Mexican fare from Blue

The outside Tandoor restaurant serves Indian food

Iguana. Comfort food from The Tandoor and the Pizza places at the stern of the ship are first-rate. Very seldom do you see a thin-crust pizza on a cruise ship.

Punchliners Comedy Club: Yes, it’s entertaining, funny at times. The idea is great but I’m sure Carnival will find comedians who can reach beyond the obvious humour. To have a comedian put on a family show early and an adult show late is tough. Possibly two are needed, specializing in one or the other. Young comedians, too, ones who could turn into the next Seinfeld.

The Blush and Sapphire Restaurants:They’re much more appealing as venues than restaurants with the décor of the past. The food is good and I hasten to mention

The Blush and Sapphire dining rooms

this is one of the friendliest-staffed Carnival ships I’ve been on — and it shows wherever you are on the Breeze.

The Lido Marketplace: This wins the brightness and openness category. Deli sandwiches are fresh and made to your order. The same goes for the Mongolian Wok and breakfast omelettes. Sweets are freshly cut and parcelled — no digging around to help you.

The Ovation Theatre:It has four 30-minute, high-tech and high-jump shows featuring

One of four high energy shows, all aimed at pop music and high technology

music from Detroit, England and more. The shows move but the technology overwhelms the talent.

Kids area: All I can offer here is that it looks hip and, according to passengers with children, the kids were happy.

The Serenity:This area is a peaceful getaway…an adult place and, compared to

The Serenity area, with hammocks, wraps around bow of ship

other cruise lines, you don’t have to pay to get into it.

Sushi: You do have to pay for this new restaurant, $1 to $15 depending on the number of a la carte dishes you select.

Fahrenheit 555: The popular steakhouse has a new look and here you will pay $35

The Farenheit 55 Steakhouse

for a four-course dinner.

Cuccina del Capitano: Also, in my opinion, worth the $12 charge for excellent Italian food.

The night life, as expected on a Carnival ship, gets its grove later in the evening. With

The Atrium, three stories with entertainers above offices and shore desk

so many ports, look for it to run really late on the Breeze when the next day is a sea day.

The new 2.0 is everything it’s advertised to be.

Tomorrow, where the Carnival Breeze is sailing, and lots and lots of pictures. By the way, temperatures all around the Mediterranean have been close to 30c for the past week. I know…but somebody has to be here on your behalf.

All for now.

Today at cruisingdoneright.com: Something special for West Coast cruisers

Five days into this Mediterranean cruise, the question is: How do I feel about the Breeze now?

Well, just fine, thank you.

Now that’s rather benign, isn’t it? But in order to be relaxed on board a ship, you have to feel a flow, a blend from section to section. It can’t  jerk you around.
Carnival and its new interior designers have achieved that.

So today, I’m dealing with some of what’s new and improved aboard the Breeze.

The Lido main pool area:This is a winner, with drinks at Blue Iguana and RedFrog Bars and food from Guy’s Burger Joint and outstanding Mexican fare from Blue

The outside Tandoor restaurant serves Indian food

Iguana. Comfort food from The Tandoor and the Pizza places at the stern of the ship are first-rate. Very seldom do you see a thin-crust pizza on a cruise ship.

Punchliners Comedy Club: Yes, it’s entertaining, funny at times. The idea is great but I’m sure Carnival will find comedians who can reach beyond the obvious humour. To have a comedian put on a family show early and an adult show late is tough. Possibly two are needed, specializing in one or the other. Young comedians, too, ones who could turn into the next Seinfeld.

The Blush and Sapphire Restaurants:They’re much more appealing as venues than restaurants with the décor of the past. The food is good and I hasten to mention

The Blush and Sapphire dining rooms

this is one of the friendliest-staffed Carnival ships I’ve been on — and it shows wherever you are on the Breeze.

The Lido Marketplace: This wins the brightness and openness category. Deli sandwiches are fresh and made to your order. The same goes for the Mongolian Wok and breakfast omelettes. Sweets are freshly cut and parcelled — no digging around to help you.

The Ovation Theatre:It has four 30-minute, high-tech and high-jump shows featuring

One of four high energy shows, all aimed at pop music and high technology

music from Detroit, England and more. The shows move but the technology overwhelms the talent.

Kids area: All I can offer here is that it looks hip and, according to passengers with children, the kids were happy.

The Serenity:This area is a peaceful getaway…an adult place and, compared to

The Serenity area, with hammocks, wraps around bow of ship

other cruise lines, you don’t have to pay to get into it.

Sushi: You do have to pay for this new restaurant, $1 to $15 depending on the number of a la carte dishes you select.

Fahrenheit 555: The popular steakhouse has a new look and here you will pay $35

The Farenheit 55 Steakhouse

for a four-course dinner.

Cuccina del Capitano: Also, in my opinion, worth the $12 charge for excellent Italian food.

The night life, as expected on a Carnival ship, gets its grove later in the evening. With

The Atrium, three stories with entertainers above offices and shore desk

so many ports, look for it to run really late on the Breeze when the next day is a sea day.

The new 2.0 is everything it’s advertised to be.

Tomorrow, where the Carnival Breeze is sailing, and lots and lots of pictures. By the way, temperatures all around the Mediterranean have been close to 30c for the past week. I know…but somebody has to be here on your behalf.

All for now.

Today at cruisingdoneright.com: Something special for West Coast cruisers

On this video, I have more video footage than photographs. I captured a sighting of a porcupine – I’ve never seen one before, therefore, I was so happy to get that on video! I also show the specialty restaurants, and a little of the entertainment. Also, you get to see the Solarium, and my favorite breakfast place on the ship – the Park Cafe.

ON THE MEDITERRANEAN — After the highly successful Marina was introduced to the deluxe premium cruising public last year, Oceania made 727 changes before launching its sister ship, the Riviera, last week.

None appear to have anything to do with food.

Like the Marina, the Riviera has the hand of master chef and world-renowned Jacques Pepin in just about everything you eat. Like Marina, there is an entertaining and informative culinary cooking class, conducted by Chef Kathryn Kelly. And the Riviera also has menus liberally decorated with lobster.

Oceania is founded on providing food par excellence, as the French say, to establish its reputation for gourmet menus at affordable prices. That starts with lobster and upper-class comrades like caviar, steak, escargot, truffles and foie gras.

Adding a new ship to the fleet only feeds the reputation.

The ever-popular “Jacques bread”

The Riviera has 10 places to eat, and eight of them are accessible to all without a fee. The exceptions are Privé, a dining area exclusively for private functions, and La Reserve, which seats only 24 and therefore commands a cover charge ($25).

Jacques (named after guess who?) and Red Ginger are perhaps a cut above the rest, and on the lowest deck of all restaurants, Deck 5. The master chef’s influence is greatest in “his” restaurant, even on the bread with his name baked into the crust, and the servings seem uncommonly large. Our best meal of many great ones was at Red Ginger, where Asian cuisine has been taken to a different level…and this was not just our observation.

The Grand Dining Room, one level up on Deck 6, has been surprisingly underused during this Christening Cruise in the Mediterranean — one evening we were welcomed by a dozen waiters lined up at the entrance. The food is equal to any of the restaurants and it was there that we had the best lobster dish.

On Deck 12 are the Terrace Cafe and Waves Grill. The first is the buffet and what’s different from most cruise lines is you don’t serve yourself, a good idea considering the dangers of spreading norovirus on ships. There is no shortage of staff, which is the

At Polo Grill, called Quintet

norm everywhere on the Riviera, and it’s more compact than most buffets on ships. That also is the norm everywhere on the Riviera.

On Deck 14 are the Polo Grill (can you say steak?) and Toscana, for Italian food lovers, like us. The Italian dishes — osso buco — and veal scaloppine were outstanding. At the Polo Grill, the servings were king-sized and we had trouble finding anyone who finished one. The best touch was the Quintet of desserts, five small samplers that a couple can happily split as the perfect ending.

And on Deck 15 is Horizons, a catch-all place that has special receptions with food at any time and high tea on most afternoons.

If you look hard enough, you can find Baristas, a quiet little expresso stop for maybe a dozen people, with biscotti and assorted pastries to bridge the gap between meals. It’s a gem.

Kathryn Kelly, Chef and Teacher

Take the class with Kathryn Kelly, a dynamic and fascinating graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, and you get to eat what you cook. Passionate about healthy eating, she chooses dishes and uses products from markets where the ship is sailing.

And then there’s the lobster.

A colleague counted 13 different lobster preparations every day on Oceania. There were times we felt like we ate that many!

Here’s how much of a signature item lobster is to Oceania…

On one cruise, the company president took a phone call in the middle of the night

Lobster, lobster everywhere on Riviera

because an entire shipment of lobster on one of the ships was ruined, and the ship was between ports. What to do.

“You cannot be on an Oceania ship and have no lobster,” recalls President Kunal Kamlani. “We spent a fortune getting lobster ready to be picked up at the next port.”

As the Master Chef himself might put it: “Mais oui!”

Jacques, the Master Chef’s place