number one eagles fan

If you boo'k your flight with Celebrity does that include airport to port transfers? Also, do the flight charges include bags or is that charged separately?

Can't wait to sail again!

Heather

Does anyone know if Captain Kate will be returning the Edge after her break? Hope to be cruising with her on September 7th our of Rome.

What was your cabin number? We have 8314 in September and heard it may be a little bigger because it is dead center. How did you get a coveted lounge chair for your balcony?

So excited for you. If possible can you get a good picture of the stern of the ship. I have a sunset veranda with the "old school" veranda and would like to see what it looks like. 

Enjoy!

Heather

On ‎10‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 8:30 PM, cruisestitch said:

November and December -- Celebrity might open the new itineraries sooner, but usually they roll out over a two month period at the end of the year.

Thank you! I'll keep checking!

When will Celebrity release their sailing dates for the summer and fall of 2020? Very interested in Greek Island cruising.

I hope you had a great time. We sail on June 30th. How did you handle your excursions? And did you do them independently?

Ok, I'm convinced. I just booked this excursion.

-Heather

Thank you so much for posting. It really builds our excitement for our June 24th sailing on the Solstice. We are considering doing the cruise excursion in Tracy Arm Fjord where you board a catamaran from the Solstice and are returned directly to Juneau after viewing the glaciers.

If you hear of anyone taking this excursion I would love to hear their opinions. I did read somewhere that the excursion is sometimes not offered in early May depending on the conditions.

Thanks again and make some wonderful memories this week.

-Heather

Your pictures are making me drool. Just beautiful.

We did this for week 2 and just went to one of the speciality restaurants to do it (Muranos) as the people at the tables located as you go in and at the buffet were busy... We didn't have any problems getting the tables we wanted in all the restaurants so you will be fine! [emoji5]

 

 

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I can't thank you enough for all of your responses and information. Enjoy your evening and have a drink for me. :)

At any Kisok when you enter the ship- many employees with lap tops. Also by the entrance to the Buffet. We want to do the same thing- I hope that our times are available as we also are waiting until we board. The downside is that sometimes your ideal time will not be available. Will find out on Saturday!

.

Thanks and good luck with your reservations...and don't forget to make the bed. We're on the Reflection the week after you.:)

I'm hoping to book my specialty restaurants once I board so I can use my OBC to offset the charges. Where should I go to make my reservations? Is there a central location where I can book all of my reservations at once?

Thanks!

We can't thank you enough for posts this past week. It really does help excite us even more about our cruise in two weeks. We will be on the Western itinerary so I will be very curious about your posts this week.

Quick question... Celebrity has rolled out their new "shows" on board, right? What was your impression?

:)

I can almost smell the salt air.:) Thanks for posting a picture of the aft of the ship. I could actually pick out "our" cabin that will be our home in two weeks.

We were on Reflection 1/30-2/6 and had the BEST unlimited internet package for booking a suite. It was the standard speed internet. I was told by the iLounge staff that gmail accounts retrieved mail much faster than other services. I was satisfied with the speed, but I only use gmail, and I don't Facebook or FaceTime.

 

He(I don't recall his name) also said the iLounge is going away. As most people are bringing their own devices these days, Celebrity is going to eliminate the room full of iMacs for passengers to use. I had my iPad along, but I'd still rather type on a keyboard. I guess that means I either get a keyboard for the iPad, pack my macbook pro, or maybe spring for a new macbook. He did say there would still be a couple public use computers somewhere on board, I don't recall where. Not a development I like.

 

He also went on about authentication and accounts that will need to be set up prior to boarding, but I don't remember what he was on about. He seemed to indicate that lots of people were going to be very unhappy when they wouldn't be able to get their email because they hadn't done something with their account before they boarded. If anyone is on Reflection right now, perhaps you could go the iLounge and ask about future requirements and get back to us? It might be helpful to clarify the waters I've just muddied.

Thanks for the info. I don't think I explained myself well. I booked my cruise with ultimate drink package, tips, on board credit, and internet package. I think Celebrity referred to it as their "Best" promotion, by choosing all four options. So with this promotion will I be on the "standard" internet plan or "xcellerate?" I'm sorry for the confusion.

I'm currently onboard and purchased the upgraded unlimited package at $140 for the week... As for the speed it's been great all the time and a lot better then on the other ships! [emoji4]

Can you ask if the internet package that is in the packaged "BEST" offer is the standard speed internet or the Xcellerate?

Thanks!

I'm curious, the picture of the wake, was that taken from an aft cabin or the sunset bar? Hubby and I have an aft cabin in two weeks and can't wait.

Looking forward to your posts. We'll be on the Reflection in three weeks.:)

It is activated but at an additional cost. There is the standard internet which comes with all packages and you can upgrade from there.

That's disappointing. I didn't know they had two service tiers of internet. I thought the service that was included in my package would include the xcellerate.

We just returned from a top notch cruise on the Reflection cruising the Western Caribbean. This was our 3rd on the Reflection. The crew and fellow passengers were very friendly on this cruise. People seemed to go out of their way to be friendly which has not always been the case. The weather was fine especially South of Cuba with unusually calm seas and mostly sunny skies. We had to bypass Coco Cay for Nassau due to strong winds and high seas.

 

We went on the ship at 12:30 and breezed right through. Our room was ready early. We were in 1601 with the larger balcony. Our attendants were just fantastic! They were Michael and Flavio. Both very friendly. We received 2 welcome bottles of water, flowers, fruit, daily flavored tea and canapés, lip balm, those beautiful slippers, a bottle of sparking wine, and a pillow menu.

 

There was a 50% discount for any Specialty Restaurant on the first night for Aqua Class cruisers. 20% for others. We went to Lawn Club and it was fantastic. Very few dining there on the first night. We also ate at Tuscan Grill and that was outstanding as well.

 

Food around the ship was definitely improved since our last cruise on Reflection. The chocolate cakes were moist and the offerings at Cafe al Bacio. were improved. Our breakfasts in Blu were very good, especially the table side muesli. Blu was the only restaurant offering this as we had several cruisers from Luminae come to Blu for this. Blu was real busy for dinner and the staff had their hands full. Our waiter and assistant were responsible for 11 tables of 2 and 1 table of 6. Not an easy task but they pulled it off. We did not have an "average" meal in Blu as they all were excellent. Fantastic chef!

 

Entertainment was also improved. We had live music by the pool and the dj was real good as he played party music. At night, he had the venues packed with his choices of high energy but recognizable music. There was a solo guitarist, a duo, a jazz band, Big Mike's orchestra band, and the house band, Blind Vinyl. Very talented and enjoyable groups. The production shows were very good and they will be winding down in March as Celebrity takes over from the current company. We have really enjoyed those shows over the years. The dancers were excellent on this cruise. The choices of comedians were much better than most cruises and were very entertaining.

 

The Activity Staff has been increased to two. They were real fun individuals. There was plenty of trivia, events, and we really enjoyed the free dance classes sponsored by the production dancers.

 

Bar service was quick and the staff was friendly. We needed a drink or two to accompany our burger at the Mast Grill with grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, and bacon. They are GOOD!

 

Internet connection. OMG. The first two days it was slower than slow. Slower than years ago. I went on twice and in 35 minutes, I could only retrieve one e-mail. I was not the only one. There were many of us. Information technology person tried to sell us an upgrade service but I declined. He told us that only Google mail accounts worked well. It did get better on Port days. Forget about sea days. Most people went into the free WIFIs at the ports and checked their mail while having a drink or two or three.

 

Also, for those taking planes home, the liquor stores on board no longer carry those cardboard boxes for your purchases. Our bottles made it home safely packed in our clothing and we were very fortunate.

 

Leaving the ship was a breeze. We left the ship at 7:00 carrying out luggage and were outside in about 5 minutes.

 

We really enjoyed our cruise! I will try to answer questions.

I thought the new lightning fast Xcellerate high-speed internet was activated on the Reflection. Hmmm.

This may sound trivial but is it possible to swap out the "complimentary" bottle of champagne found in the cabin upon arrival with a bottle of Asti Spumante? My husband and I are not fond of champagne and it usually goes to waste.

Supposedly new internet has been installed! Also we have a new band! No more LAX. Blind Vinyl. Heard a bit of them on our way to Sunset bar. Meh. I will keep posting if internet is good.

Thanks! I'm really interested on your internet experience. Have fun!

Can you find out when the Reflection will roll out the newer, faster internet? I think they are going to call it "xcelleration."

Thanks!

Hi Paul!

Thanks for the live reporting. My husband and I are sailing on the Reflection in March and have an aft cabin, 2 decks directly below the sunset bar. We have always loved our aft balcony cabin, watching the wake of the ship. My question is about the number of smokers at the sunset bar. I hear this is one of the smoking areas on the ship. Should I be concerned with a vast amount of smoke drifting down the back of the ship or does it appear that the smoke drifts up and away? I know it sounds silly but I really hope to enjoy my balcony with the smell of the sea and not the smokers just above me.

Thanks!