drychi

Good morning. I believe you can walk around the ship on deck five, but you have to go through the ship at each end of the walk. There is no place where you can easily run or walk the entire circumference of the ship on the outside that I saw. I might be wrong about the deck, but it was the deck with a smoking area outside the door and the lifeboats. There is also a run/walk area near the pools, but it was hard to use because it makes you weave through sun loungers and people walking to and from the sun loungers on the deck. Very hard to use except very early or later in the evening when the pool deck area was not busy.

Thanks for the kind comments. Those booked on the Reflection are going to have a good time! The comment on the start of a river cruise line in Europe was interesting.

My wife and I were in Aqua Class so we had priority boarding. Stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel before the cruise began. Left the hotel at 10:30 a.m. and were sitting in chairs in front of Bistro on Five at 11:05 a.m. Fastest embarcation I have ever had. Hope it happens for you on your next cruise.

My wife and I just returned from our second wonderful cruise on the Reflection. We were in Aqua Class Cabin 1584 for the second time as well. The ship and this cabin are in great shape and we noted no significant differences from our 1/3/13 cruise. That earlier cruise review is also available under member reviews if you wish to read it.

Since the Reflection has been reviewed and photographed so much since it's launch in the Fall of 2012, I thought it would be more helpful for me to address a few things about our recent cruise or future Celebrity plans that you might find helpful or would add our information to current discussions on this board.

OFFICERS AND CREW: At various times my wife and I met or spoke to the following Officers: Captain Athanasios G. Peppas, Staff Captain Nigel Smyth, Guest Relations Manager Christian Comiria, Hotel Director Julian Brackenbury Captains Club Host Ti-Ann Aure and Cruise Director Alexander Yepremian as well as several junior officers whose names I did not get written down. I mention them for two reasons, one to show how accessible the officers are to passengers on the ship, and two, to congratulate them on the wonderful work their crew does onboard. The crew of this ship was uniformly courteous, friendly, and professional in their duties throughout our cruise. Our cabin steward Sherwin, Our waiter in Blu Gode and his assistant, the personal shopper on board Kelecia, and the Dance Captain Jen were just some the examples we personally experienced.

BLU: This was our second time dining in Blu. The breakfast menu appears to be exactly the same as last year's breakfast menu. It is very good, but does not have Eggs Benedict, which I enjoy, so we did eat breakfast in the main dining room one morning. It was also a pleasant experience. We usually dined between 5:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. for dinner. No wait and were usually seated by a window or one table in from a window. The menu is varied and allows you to try different dishes which are not normally available in Columbia, Missouri where we live. Since food is so subjective, that is all I am going to say about Blu except, to re-state we enjoyed our experience and having the opportunity to meet and talk with fellow diners from the United States and other countries.

THE ENTERTAINMENT: The production shows are all excellent in our opinion. The cast of singers, dancers, aerialists, and specialty acts were the best we have seen in one show on any cruise line. The three production shows are referred to by the cast as the Broadway show, the Rock show, and the Circus show. You will enjoy aerialists, contortionists, and special stage effects which are amazing, particularly when you consider they are being done on a moving ship at sea. Don't miss these shows!

The days of the cruise without a production show still had entertainment in the main theatre. On San Juan night we had Bronkar Lee who was described as a rhythm comedy and beatbox juggler. Hard to describe his act, it was mostly him using his voice to make sound effects, and some very good juggling. We appreciated his effort, but it was not a show we were excited about. The ship also had Gareth Oliver do a show on Wednesday night. He was described as an unconventional ventriloquist. We did not see that show. During the last two sea days the Cruise Director also had two additional shows scheduled on the afternoon in the theatre, which featured the A Cappella group on board in concert on Thursday, and the Main Show Singers and the Cruise Director performing Broadway Music that they chose to sing. Both of these concerts were wonderful, and well worth the hour. We really liked the Broadway set on the last day. Just the 4 main production singers sitting on stage talking to the audience and singing with minimal staging.

I would also like to mention that prior to the Broadway show on the last sea day, the production cast and cruise director answered questions from the audience for almost an hour about the shows, their careers, and life on the ship. This was also very entertaining and informative.

OTHER MUSIC ON THE SHIP: My wife and I tried to hear as much of the music on the ship as we could. My wife has a doctorate in early childhood education and one of her courses is art and music integration, so we like musical entertainment. The premier act on board for us was the Kelly Broadway Quartet which normally played in the Ensemble Lounge. This talented performer performs in a cabaret style and performs jazz, American Standards, and even some pretty recent tunes. The quartet consists of a drum set, bass, and a piano along with Kelly's outstanding singing. She is also very funny, and between songs worked hard at interacting with her audience. Don't miss her performances.

We also enjoyed the A Cappella Group onboard. It was called Uncommon Ground. They performed in several of the lounges and on the big stage in the Reflection Theatre as a group and in the production shows. Other acts onboard that we heard included Vibes, the party band, which is based in England. They played mostly current top 40 tunes from current artists. They were good musicians, but they did not play the older style rock and cruise music that we have heard from other cruises. The Toucan Duo was an unusual act for a cruise ship. This duo played the flute and piano. We only heard them briefly, so not sure what style of music they played, the one we heard was classical in nature. The Reflection Band also played big band and popular music in the Grand Foyer on one night of the cruise. This band is under the direction of 3 time Grammy winner "Big Mike" and is worth your time.

The only music we did not like on board was the Miami DJ's Live who played in the Martini Lounge at an amazing volume each evening. We are not the demographic they are trying to reach, so no complaints from me, just a personal preference. I did not hear rap music as such, but their songs are what you would expect from a dance club in a major metropolitan city or even in my college town of 125,000 people which is home to the University of Missouri and it's 35,000+ students. It did not seem to dampen the enthusiasm of the people in the Martini or Molecular Bars, so I guess just stay away from them during their performances, if you don't want to listen to their music mix.

One final word about the entertainment. My wife and I also heard Andrew, our cruise director, state several times that Celebrity has made a corporate decision to try to present a more "edgy" and "modern" cruise experience which would attract a young professional audience to their cruise line. Andrew himself is very young for a cruise director, and comes from an entertainment background both in the United States and England. I believe that his presence as cruise director on the Celebrity Flagship is not an accident, but clear proof of this corporate initiative. He is smart, funny, and represents his generation's ideas about what they want in cruising. I also think Celebrity is trying to balance this with some of the other musical acts on board, such as Kelly Broadway and Uncommon Ground. Time and future bookings will tell if this is the correct mix. We had a great cruise.

SIN CITY: This has gotten some discussion on the boards. Here is what we experienced. We attended the Monday night show. It was very full with people kneeling in the aisles as well as standing in the back. The show consists of a "host" who tells a few jokes. He then introduces a dancer who comes on stage and does a five minute strip to a G-string and bra which is what I am assuming she normally wears when she is doing a show as a dancer on the Las Vegas strip. The featured comedian then comes on and does about a 20-25 minute Las Vegas style comedy routine. The show girl then does another routine, the host wraps it up and show is over. The comedy is typical of what you can see at the comedy clubs in my city or in any major comedy club, or on Showtime Adult Comedy shows. The dancer is more covered than some of the women on the pool deck.

THE SPA: I used the Persian Gardens every day. They are well maintained and I enjoyed them. I usually went between 1:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. on sea days and got a heated lounger each time with no wait. On port days it was less crowded so any time seemed to work for me to get a heated lounger.

During the Cruise Critic meeting on board, I asked Hotel Manager Julian Brackenbury about the change from Steiner. He confirmed the change is going to occur and stated that it was the result of Celebrity and Steiner being unable to agree on the future direction for the delivery of spa services and products on board Celebrity ships. "Creative differences" if you will. He did not state who the new spa company would be, but he did state the new spa management will take over on Reflection beginning in April, 2014. After an acclimation period on Reflection, the changes will be migrated over to the other ships. He also made it clear that no physical plant changes would be made, but new spa procedures and treatments are expected to be available. The Steiner personnel on-board Reflection at this time will be moving to different cruise lines if space can be found for them. That planning for these re-assignments is already underway according to a couple of spa employees I talked with on Reflection.

NEW SHIP PLANS FOR CELEBRITY: During his question and answer period at "Behind the Stage Door" on Friday afternoon, Andrew, our cruise director, answered a question about Celebrity's future plans for new ships. He said that Celebrity had built the 5 S-Class ships over a very short period of time and as they opened each new ship, Celebrity would assign experienced persons from the existing ships to the new one and that resulted in staffing and performance problems in some of the other ships. Celebrity realized this problem and has decided not to embark on any new ship construction projects for the next 3-4 years at least. Instead they are concentrating on improving the ships that are already in the fleet with better crews, better on-board entertainment, and new cruise destinations.

Andrew then went on to say, (I am not quoting, this is my memory of what he said) I know this might not sound exciting, but I can tell you that within the next year Celebrity is going to make a very exciting announcement that will make our loyal Celebrity cruisers and our shareholders very happy. It will be a significant event in Celebrity history. He gave no further hints or information despite a couple of follow up questions from the audience. So something else we can have fun speculating about on the boards for the next 3 or 4 years as we know that it is what 1 year means in Celebrity time, right!

I am always happy to answer any questions, and my wife and I have already booked our next cruise on Eclipse for January, 2015 so Happy Cruising to All!!

. My wife and I enjoyed the Thenford Grey tour of the island. Highly recommend him for a good look at this interesting island. Happy Cruising!

My wife and I enjoyed Reflection so much last January, we are sailing again on her January 4th 2014 cruise in the same AQ cabin. My tip is the relaxation room which has a great view of San Juan forts and downtown as the ship enters the harbor. Comfortable seat, great views, and it is quiet what is not to like? Happy Cruising!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You and Yours! I appreciate your attention to and care for the members of this Celebrity Board throughout the year, including your helpful replies to my occasional question.

Just wanted to say my wife and I were on Reflection the first week of January, 2013 and are on the January 4, 2014 sailing in same cabin as last year. Hope this voyage is as good as last years. It was one of our favorites, so we booked it again. If you have not been on the roll call for this voyage, it is active. Also thanks to TenderPaw for his review.

Thanks for the wonderful pictures and review of Reflection. My wife and I are on Reflection January 4, 2014 for the second time. It is great to see the Reflection continues to shine as it did in January, 2013. That was one of our all time favorite cruises and we are counting the hours until we leave next week for Miami. We also appreciated a chance to look at up to date ship activity materials. You have provided all of the Cruise Critic community a valuable service through the years.

Good morning. I am sure you will enjoy your upcoming cruise. My wife and I are taking the same cruise on January 4th, 2014. I would suggest you check out the Ports of Call-Caribbean- St. Thomas board on Cruise Critic. You will get many ideas for food and shore excursions. We find this board to be full of good advice on both these issues. You should also enroll in your Celebrity Connections Roll-Call for your specific cruise. Some roll calls book excursions together and they frequently discuss joint activities during the cruise for all roll call members.

I was not sure about your second question. When I fly Southwest I get the Early Bird Check-In service so I do not have to worry about it. If you don't wish to do that, the ship has internet service that you can use to check-in yourself while at sea. Hope this information helps. Happy Cruising!!

Just reading about this and am considering it. Any thoughts or experiences about it would be appreciated. Have cruises set in January, 2014 and January, 2015 already. Thanks

As far forward as possible on the highest open deck which are decks 15 and 16. This allows you to see both sides as you leave the Port of Miami. If not your cup of tea then Sunset Bar is nice at the rear of the ship or if bad weather (god forbid) then the relaxation room on deck 11 or the Sky Observation Lounge on deck 14. Happy Cruising!

On the Reflection for the January 5th, 2013 Eastern Caribbean trip

Deck -11

Cabin # - 1584

Class – AQ1 Aqua Class

Starboard or Port Side - Starboard

Bed near?(balcony or bath) – Balcony

Quiet Cabin (With comments on problems. Note if connecting. ) – Quiet. Well located amidships. No problems. Already booked it again for next year.

Balcony View - Standard unobstructed mid-ship view.

Balcony Size? Normal or over-sized for class? - Normal balcony with 2 lounge chairs, table, and 2 foot stools

Was wind a problem? No

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? N/A

Any specific problems with this cabin? None at all.

Deck - 11

Cabin # 1584

Class – Aqua Class

Starboard or Port Side - Starboard

Bed near? Balcony

Quiet Cabin Yes. Only heard a banging noise once or twice a day. Could not determine source. Seas were calm, no deck noise to speak of, was not door slamming or hall noise. No idea what it was. Would rate the problem a 1 on a 10 scale.

Balcony View - No obstructions.

Balcony Size? Normal.

Was wind a problem? No Just make sure the balcony door is fully sealed when closed.

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? N/A

Any specific problems with this cabin? Very satisfied with cabin.

Any other comments? Good location near the main bank of elevators. A reasonable walk to the Aqua Spa entrance and Relaxation Lounge. Was stay in the cabin again.

Welcome to Cruise Critic Bandits 7. My wife and I are also sailing on Reflection in Aqua Class on Jan. 5th. Hope to see you at the roll call sail away party or the Celebrity Connections party or about the ship.

Thanks for the recommendations for Padrino and Cary's Limo service. Will investigate. Had a bad experience recently with Limousine from Limousines of South Florida not showing up on time, so wanted other alternatives for my next cruise.

Need a car with a private driver for 4 persons and their luggage. Not sure I know the difference between a private car and a limo.

Would like user recommendations for limo service from MIA to Downtown Miami Hotel and from Port of Miami to MIA. Thanks