Another Reflection Review

[mac66]

Hey, everybody's doing it. We were on the March 9 sailing.

 

General Info:

First cruise on Celebrity, 9th overall. We booked last minute ("hey, lets go somewhere warm") in February and got the 123 Go promotion as an incentive. Good deal, couldn't pass it up. As such we had to take a balcony to take advantage. We opted for the drink package (upgraded to premium) and our cabin was on deck 8, port side, just aft of amidships.

 

Overall impression was that Celebrity is first class all the way. We are obviously their target market, baby boomers. We had a very good time and were impressed with the service and ship.

 

Food: We ate all dinners in the Opus dinning room. We are a married couple and they put us with three other married couples about our same age and interests and we had a ball dining with them through the week. Saw no need to spend money on other restaurants. The food in the Opus was good to very good, not great. To get great food on a cruise you have to spend extra (which is why they have the specialty restaurants) but "good to very good" was good enough for us since we had so much fun at dinner otherwise. Service was very good.

 

We spent a lot of time in the Solarium on sea days and it became our favorite hangout. The Aqau Spa Grill (no extra charge) had healthy selections, salmon, fruits, salads etc. and it was in the Solarium so we ate there a couple times rather than walk to the other end of the ship for the Ocean View Cafe. The Mast Grill has very good burgers and was right up stairs so a burger/hotdog and a beer became the convenient choice for lunch. Tip: ask them to grill up some onions for your burger/hotdog.

 

We did eat most of our breakfasts in the Ocean View Cafe and one lunch. We also frequented it for the late night pizza and pasta. Overall the selection and the food were good.

 

It became a habit to drop into the La Bracia for a cup of coffee and a pastry in the afternoon. They have all kinds of specialty coffee (covered by the drink plan) Tip: the pastries are free. BTW, I liked the ships regular coffee.

 

Bars: Spent the first couple days working our way through the concoctions at the Molecular Bar, very cool. Tip: ask for some of their not-on-the-menu drinks. Spent the next couple days working our way through the selections at the Martini Bar, very very cool. The Sky Lounge was rocking every late night and was pretty fun if you have the energy to hang. Spent a considerable time on the various good scotches, wine and beer (Micheal's) that were available. The drink package allows one to explore the range of spirits without guilt. It was fun and easy to use.

 

A word about the drink package. We opted for it as part of the 123 Go deal. We upgraded to the premium for around $130. We felt the upgrade was well worth it, since it included the coffees, bottled water, fresh squeezed juices, soft drinks, non alcoholic specialty drinks as well as all the specialty drinks, high end scotches, wines etc. In regard to the drink package in general, we would not buy it outright. We are not big drinkers, though we did drink a lot more because of it on this trip.

 

Shore Excursions: We walked ashore in San Juan (been there, done that) only to get a cell phone signal/wifi to check in at home then back on board. We went to Maho and Orient Beaches on our own in St. Martin. Waves were high and we had a fun time beating ourselves to a pulp in the surf. We booked the Catamaran Sail and Snorkle through the ship on St. Kit. The sail and snorkle were fun and included beer and rum punch. Just about the right length of time for sailing and snorkling.

 

Entertainment: The shows were generally very good. Did not see the comedian, it was packed every night and we couldn't get seats. It is curious why they don't put that show in the theater instead of the small Central amphitheater it was in. The party band was very good and kept things rocking all over the ship. The acoustic duo, Ben and Riley were good and could be found all over ship. If you can't find something to do just about all the time you are in a coma. Our big regret is that we no longer have the energy (in our late 50's) to hang to the wee hours.

 

Ship areas: As mentioned the Solarium was our favorite hangout. We did use the workout room and walked everyday. We did not use the spa, go to any classes or special events. We did not pay for any special treatments, services or meals. We did not use room service. We did no gambling or shopping. Been there, done all that. I did go to a couple lectures on pirates which were ok. We laid around and swam, used the whirlpools in the Solarium during the days. We drank, ate, danced, went to shows, met up with our table mates in the evenings. Our balcony Cabin was nice, appreciated the large bathroom and shower. Out cabin attendant did a good job.

 

We just, well...cruised. We had a ball.

 

PS, Tip: sign up for the cruise critic roll call and meet and greet/sail away. Good way to meet people right off the bat, get good tips on board and a friendly faces to say hi to throughout the cruise.

[dbarj]

Great review! Sounds like you know how to have a good time and go with the flow! Thanks for posting.

[Negrilgirl]

Nice review. Thanks for posting. A few more weeks until we sail. :)

[K-Roo-Zers]

Nice review. Thanks for posting. A few more weeks until we sail. :)

 

Hi,

 

Thanks for the review. Glad to hear you enjoyed your cruise.

 

We are flying from Australia, and as part of our travels, have booked 7 days on the Reflection in January 2014. We have cruised with Celebrity before and were happy. This time we will be trying Aqua. Glad to hear the spa food is still good.

 

Nicki

[Texed]

Hey, I was on this cruise also. ;)

Thanks for posting. :)

[hansolosmom]

Thanks for sharing, sounds like you had a great time.

[El_aurens]

Great review, thanks for sharing!

[portofrome]

Thanks for the review.

[mac66]

Great review! Sounds like you know how to have a good time and go with the flow! Thanks for posting.

 

Yes, we flow nicely on a cruise. ;)

 

One thing we noticed was a lot of management types around. We picked up a burger at the Mast Grill one day looked around and the small tables nearby were empty but had plates, glasses on them. A guy in a tie walked by and saw us standing. He immediately cleared the tables and about 20 seconds later had three people out bussing tables. We were surprised to see him later on stage, introduced by the captain as the head guy in charge of all food operations. We saw the captain and other management types out and about constantly and they always stopped and said hello.

 

Here is my one complaint:

I saw three smoking areas on the ship. One is on deck 5 port side midships. Another is deck 14 port side aft near the Sunset lounge and along the grassy area. Both those areas are relatively open and I didn't see any problem with smoke. The third area is a smoking area on Deck 14 on the port side right when you exit the glass doors to go on deck near the pools. The area is covered and sheltered and you have to walk through the smoke every time to go on deck and it is always full of smokers except late at night. There really is no reason to have a smoking area there. I mentioned it to several management types who said they would look into it. The more people who complain the more likely that area will be moved.

[Wine-O]

 

Here is my one complaint:

I saw three smoking areas on the ship. One is on deck 5 port side midships. Another is deck 14 port side aft near the Sunset lounge and along the grassy area. Both those areas are relatively open and I didn't see any problem with smoke. The third area is a smoking area on Deck 14 on the port side right when you exit the glass doors to go on deck near the pools. The area is covered and sheltered and you have to walk through the smoke every time to go on deck and it is always full of smokers except late at night. There really is no reason to have a smoking area there. I mentioned it to several management types who said they would look into it. The more people who complain the more likely that area will be moved.

 

It used to be up forward across from the Pool Bar area on the port side, but I see many people must have complained as the smoke would draft in to the Solarium when the automatic doors would open.

 

It's really the only covered outside area on the ship for smokers to go, but they should open up a couple of windows for the smoke to draft out.

[George C]

Very nice review, thanks

[fredflint]

they should have a spot towards the very back of the ship so that it would not go anywhere but off the ship

[Wine-O]

they should have a spot towards the very back of the ship so that it would not go anywhere but off the ship

 

They do -- it's up at the Sunset Bar, but it's not a covered area.

[Chicagocrooza]

thanks for the review.

May I ask you about the concert on the lawn, do you remember which day they had it? :)

[mac66]

thanks for the review.

May I ask you about the concert on the lawn, do you remember which day they had it? :)

 

There was so much going on we missed the lawn concert. Don't remember when it was but it would have to have been Thursday or Friday which were sea days.

 

There was always music somewhere and the groups rotated around from the main lobby, to the rear lobby, various bars, poolside, the lawn etc. Sometimes they would play in one place for 45 minutes and then go somewhere else. It was hard keeping track of what was going on where.

[mac66]

they should have a spot towards the very back of the ship so that it would not go anywhere but off the ship

 

There are a number of places to smoke (Sunset Bar and the lawn area around the corner for example) they don't need the one right outside the doors.

[gelo7]

Great review.

[librarylady19]

There are a number of places to smoke (Sunset Bar and the lawn area around the corner for example) they don't need the one right outside the doors.

 

Totally agree with that! Also, the cigar smoking area in the Sunset Bar got pretty nasty once you had more than a few cigar smokers...permeated the entire bar area:(

[phinn]

Thanks for the review. Will be back on Reflection in two weeks and I appreciate your thoughts on how you spent your days. I am looking forward to the Molecular Bar this time around and of course, can't miss the Martini Bar. Solarium is my favorite place as well. Again, thanks so much for the review.

[sabookkeeper]

Thanks so much for the review. We will be on the Reflection in February. Since we have been to all of the ports, we will stay on the ship and relax around the pool in the solarium. We will need to try the Aqua Spa this time.

[Viva_la_Vida]

Awesome review, very very helpful. We also got the 1,2,3 drink package and are thinking about upgrading because of your great review. Was it $130 a person or total? I would assume the former, but just wanted to check.

[mac66]

Awesome review, very very helpful. We also got the 1,2,3 drink package and are thinking about upgrading because of your great review. Was it $130 a person or total? I would assume the former, but just wanted to check.

 

My wife informs me that the upgrade was actually $11.50 per day per person which comes to $161 which includes the gratuities. That was total for the both of us. As I said, I probably wouldn't buy the drink package, but on the 123 thing with the upgrade for all you can drink is well worth it IMO. The drinks at the Molecular and Martini bars alone are like $10 and $12 each.

[DEBnGAB]

My wife informs me that the upgrade was actually $11.50 per day per person which comes to $161 which includes the gratuities. That was total for the both of us. As I said, I probably wouldn't buy the drink package, but on the 123 thing with the upgrade for all you can drink is well worth it IMO. The drinks at the Molecular and Martini bars alone are like $10 and $12 each.

 

 

Great review! Swim, lay around, drink ,eat and relax...I like it! :D

 

Doing our first Celebrity cruise on the Reflection next March and also did the upgrade on the drink package..cant beat it!

 

Glad to hear there is action at night..even if you didnt hang too late ;) We usually stay out til the wee hours as long as there is music, casino, a bar, etc.

[Chicagocrooza]

we did not have a package however we found that the drinks at molecular bar was awesome. Even at $12 a cocktail They are well prepared and very enjoyable. If I had the package. I would definitely go down the list and turn it over a few times. My favorites were the coming out roses and the ginger mojito wow !!!