The Brilliant Reflection - A Review of 1-12-2013 Sailing with Photos (Very Long)

Xcitdcruiser · January 30, 2013

Oh & i forgot to mention, that resort 'La Samanna' a lazy $50k per week.

Lois R · January 30, 2013

Hip Hip, Horray:D....Hip Hip Horray...:)...Hip Hip Horray....:D

librarylady19 · January 30, 2013

Thank you Sandi for your review - I really enjoyed it.
A couple of questions...

The Persian Gardens - are the loungers there so that one can simply relax?

The Tea Forte in Cafe Al Bacio, do you recall the cost? Would they be covered under the Classic package?

The manicure & pedi, were they 'standard or Shelliac & how much did they cost?

Many thanks again!!

The Persian Garden loungers are heated, so it is a wonderful place to relax and enjoy the ocean view, or snooze!

Tea at Cafe al Bacio was $4.00 I believe so that would be covered in teh Classic package.

Here's a link to the menu:

http://www.celebritycruises.com/onboard/level3Type1.do?pagename=onboard_celebrity_restaurants_cafes_cafe_al_bacio&parentpage=onboard_celebrity_restaurants_cafes

Fire & Ice Mani was $50, pedi $70.

See here for details:

http://www.celebritycruises.com/onboard/level3Type4.do?pagename=onboard_celebrity_spa_fitness_signature_treatments&parentpage=onboard_celebrity_spa_fitness

Edited January 30, 2013 by librarylady19

librarylady19 · January 30, 2013

Simone had asked about MDR menus, which I do not have as we were Aqua. I found this link in my bookmarks. Someone could verify of these are the current menus:

http://s1073.beta.photobucket.com/user/Patricia_Lenhart/library/

librarylady19 · January 30, 2013

Whew....it has been quite a journey....

I hope some of you gleaned some useful information from my experiences onboard this beautiful new ship.

Highlights:

Food - never less than 4 star, we didn't have one nasty item all week! Blu was definitely the best ever on this cruise.

Service - fantastic cabin steward in Aqua, and the best waitstaff in Blu. Staff were always friendly throughout the ship and greeted us.

Bars - excellent service at Sunset Bar (Toobee) Michaels, Molecular Bar and Passport Bar.

Entertainment - Loved Reflection-The Show and the Concert on the Lawn.

Ship Design/Decor - Love the changes to the Sunset Bar and the addition of the Hideaway and Game On! The Art Collection is impressive.

As noted, I did not find the ship at all crowded for my needs; there was always a quiet spot to be found.

Aqua Spa - Persian Gardens nice as ever; very happy with my spa services (Tandy).

Areas for Improvement:

Bar Service - many of the bartenders (esp. at the Pool Bar) were not very adept at making basic drinks; more servers are needed in the Theatre and Solarium (nonexistent).

Michaels - please, please add some entertainment and open earlier in the day.

Entertainment - more musical numbers geared to the under 60 crowd. More concerts on the Lawn.

Cafe al Bacio - service was not as friendly as on other ships but seemed quite efficient.

Find another spot for Zumba - very annoying at the Pool!!

Alcoves - these must go! They really box in the lawn area, ruin the view and limit the activities in this area.

I will be happy to continue to answer questions and will post the links to my full photo albums soon. Thanks for reading!

Edited January 30, 2013 by librarylady19

GigiAnn · January 30, 2013

Whew....it has been quite a journey....
I hope some of you gleaned some useful information from my experiences onboard this beautiful new ship.

I will be happy to continue to answer questions and will post the links to my full photo albums soon. Thanks for reading!

As I have already said, this was a fantastic review. A lot of work went into it. I just don't know how you could document all this information and still have time to relax and enjoy the Reflection.

I do have a question. I do not think it was asked before, but I could have missed it.

We will be in Aqua Class for the first time on 2 March. Could you please tell me what, if anything, is included at the spa, without additional cost.

Thank you again for all your time and your expertise.

GiGiAnn

cal516 · January 30, 2013

A great review. We will make plans for early March Reflection cruise based upon your observations. Thanks!

Freq Traveler · January 30, 2013

We are on Reflection in 3 weeks. Can't wait. You gave an excellent review that many, many people have enjoyed! We appreciate all the work that has gone into your informative and enjoyable review! Happy travels to you and your husband.

whitelilly · January 30, 2013

Thanks for the great review. We are on the Reflection in 10 days! Can't wait!

Decpl · January 30, 2013

Sandi, thanks so much for all your work. You should be a travel writer with your attension to details. We head out on the Refection on 2-23 have a 1c balcony, can't wait for warm weather to be on veranda and have coffee and danish and watch the waves in the morning!

Thanks again

K and J

casandbliz · January 30, 2013

The prices seem to be between 7 and 9 dollars- but I forgot to ask about the size! From your pictures I thought I would get six of them, three for each shelf above bed. Closet Maid and similar have different sizes, yours looks like the perfect fit, so I want to be careful and do the same. Anita

:rolleyes:

I'm interested in the size also. From the picture, they look fairly big- was just at Target, and they carry a couple of different sizes.....

librarylady19 · January 31, 2013

Here are links to my photos:

Activities and Entertainment

Bars of Reflection

Restaurants of Reflection

Reflection Food and Drink

More to come...thanks again for all the kind words.

reefisher · January 31, 2013

I'm interested in the size also. From the picture, they look fairly big- was just at Target, and they carry a couple of different sizes.....

These "bags/totes" seemed like a good idea, so DW went to buy some for our upcoming Reflection cruise. When she brought them home I remarked on how heavy they were for fabric bags. Any way I weighed one and it weighed as much as one pair of my Chinos. Hmm, do I need a small bit of neatness for seven days or do I need a couple of pairs of pants. Back to Target they went. Not taking more than 45 lbs total, suitcase and all.

Edited January 31, 2013 by reefisher

librarylady19 · January 31, 2013

As I have already said, this was a fantastic review. A lot of work went into it. I just don't know how you could document all this information and still have time to relax and enjoy the Reflection.

I do have a question. I do not think it was asked before, but I could have missed it.

We will be in Aqua Class for the first time on 2 March. Could you please tell me what, if anything, is included at the spa, without additional cost.

Thank you again for all your time and your expertise.

GiGiAnn

Thanks, you are quite welcome!

Aqua Guests have free access to the Persian Garden (and the various steam rooms) and the Relaxation Lounge as well as the changing rooms and fitness center that are open to all guests.

All aqua spa treatments are at cost (there was a 10% discount t in the Elite coupons).

librarylady19 · January 31, 2013

These "bags/totes" seemed like a good idea, so DW went to buy some for our upcoming Reflection cruise. When she brought them home I remarked on how heavy they were for fabric bags. Any way I weighed one and it weighed as much as one pair of my Chinos. Hmm, do I need a small bit of neatness for seven days or do I need a couple of pairs of pants. Back to Target they went. Not taking more than 45 lbs total, suitcase and all.

Tell your wife to leave home a pair of shoes. :):)

librarylady19 · January 31, 2013

For those interested in the fabric cubes (which are readily available at Target) heres a link so you can see the dimensions.

http://www.amazon.com/ClosetMaid-894600-Fabric-Drawers-2-Pack/dp/B001UU0M8O/ref=pd_bxgy_hg_img_y/180-2960497-8323424

I will be buying more for my next cruise for sure.

Thanks again to Becky (loster129) from our roll call for this fantastic tip.

Edited January 31, 2013 by librarylady19

AlaskaGolden · January 31, 2013

For those interested in the fabric cubes (which are readily available at Target) heres a link so you can see the dimensions.

http://www.amazon.com/ClosetMaid-894600-Fabric-Drawers-2-Pack/dp/B001UU0M8O/ref=pd_bxgy_hg_img_y/180-2960497-8323424

I will be buying more for my next cruise for sure.

Thanks again to Becky (loster129) from our roll call for this fantastic tip.

Thank you for the link. Love Amazon! For some reason, the blue ones are less expensive than the other two colors. That's a good thing for us since we like that color the best! :)

harleybug · January 31, 2013

What kind of storage is in the room? Like for luggage, etc.

u2cruiser · January 31, 2013

What kind of storage is in the room? Like for luggage, etc.

Luggage fits nicely under the bed harleybug :)

ncgael · January 31, 2013

Thank you for absolute BEST review I've ever read. DH and I have enjoyed traveling with you guys :) ... We will be taking the Reflection on its TA cruise April 20th. Since we will be spending 16 days onboard, reading your review has opened up ideas and answered so many of our questions. We will do our best to pay it forward. Thank you again.

cadburysmom · January 31, 2013

GREAT review!!

Love the photos and maybe I missed some but did you post photos of the jewelry you made?

I remember you made a bracelet and earrings towards the beginning of the cruise and then another bracelet later on. Any photos to share?

Thanks!

cruiseonly · January 31, 2013

librarylady69

Excellent review.

Does Reflection have the Valet Luggage Program.

Thanks

librarylady19 · January 31, 2013

GREAT review!!

Love the photos and maybe I missed some but did you post photos of the jewelry you made?

I remember you made a bracelet and earrings towards the beginning of the cruise and then another bracelet later on. Any photos to share?

Thanks!

Wow, you really were paying attention!! I will take some pics and post.

keywest22 · January 31, 2013

I am still confused about the comment regarding eating at BLU the first night, is that not a good idea? Is it too crowded?

Also what was the deal with ordering at Quisne? Should we ordered more or else that suggested? I am a big foodie and it looks like I will want to taste everything..... and you said you knew better not sure what the means.

Thanks so much-:)

kim

indycrew · January 31, 2013

Thanks a lot. I am happy to help others learn the "tricks of the tirade." It always surprises me how many people cruise without doing any research at all, and then they complain when things aren't to their liking.
I will be posting links to all my Reflection albums in the next few days - just need to make sure they are all properly organized (almost said cataloged - librarian joke!!)

Leaving next week for an awesome 7 days on the Reflection. So enjoyed your review and photo tour...(our son is a librarian, I see the signs...!)

Loved it all...

Barb

The Brilliant Reflection - A Review of 1-12-2013 Sailing with Photos (Very Long)

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