Celebrity Reflection Review Feb 1, 2014

[English Tim]

My wife Rosy and I booked this cruise in December 2013, after deciding to cancel a week at a timeshare on Aruba, as having visited the island on a Panama Canal transit, we decided we'd prefer to cruise instead.

 

We had already booked flights from London to New York, for a family wedding in Riverside, CT, so just needed to change the Aruba flights to Miami.

 

We were able to fly Jet Blue from the local West-chester airport to FLL, returning from MIA to JFK to connect with our London flight. The Jet Blue service was so convenient, being just a short drive from Riverside and having English Soccer live on the seatback tv was an added bonus.

 

We were met by the ultra efficient Jiffy Jeff shuttle, who took us very smoothly to Miami port, for $15pp. The driver was very helpful and gave us a lot of useful info. We shared the ride with cruisers for Carnival Breeze and MSC Divina. Carnival Liberty was also in port.

 

We chose Reflection after reading excellent CC reviews and following personal recommendation. The fact that we got the classic beverage included and pre-paid gratuities was also instrumental in our choice.

 

An excellent start to the holiday.

 

 

I had booked the Trans-Atlantic flights using frequent flyer miles, upgrading to BA First Class two days before departure. On the day of departure, the aircraft was changed to one with no 'First' so we were down-graded to what we had originally booked, Club World, and given £500 each as compensation. We were well chuffed.

 

Club World was very comfortable and with a technical fault delaying our departure by 2 hours, we just sat drinking champagne so weren't too bothered.

 

Some fine wines in the LHR CCR lounge.

 

 

We were met at JFK, by SIL & BIL, who then went on to collect eldest daughter and boyfriend from La Guardia, so their Jeep was well packed. It was so kind of them to ferry us around, as they had earlier driven from Durham NC.

 

On arrival at their home, we were re-acquainted with the bride and groom's lively dog, Roxy. Here is Rosy getting friendly with Roxy.

 

 

The next day we went on the train to Manhattan to visit the Superbowl stands around Times Square, followed by a walk to Central Park and back.

 

Friday 31 January was wedding day and we had a wonderful evening at Glen Island Harbor Club.

 

Here is Rosy with the bride's bouquet

 

 

The Cruise

 

After the excellent Jet Blue flight and Jiffy Jeff transfer, we were shocked to find absolute chaos at check-in, with very long lines - we were in line for about an hour, which is much longer than we are used to.

 

Eventually we boarded Reflection and were immediately impressed by her appearance. As it was now about 1.30pm we could go straight to our stateroom 7214, starboard side, with a midship balcony. It was a wonderful room, with decent sized balcony and great bathroom, with lovely powerful shower and fixed screens.

 

Next we had a quick lunch in the Ocean View cafe, which was excellent, apart from not being offered a drink the entire time we were there. The bar staff were clearly somewhere else.

 

Next we checked our dining room reservation and changed from a table for two to one for ten! Then we checked with guest services that the pre-paid gratuities were in place and we were all set! Admin taken care of and relaxation started.

 

After the mandatory safety drill, where the late-comers always seem to get rewarded, by getting away first, we went to the Sunset Bar for a few cocktails. It was a gloriously warm sunny evening and put us in the party mood.

 

Here is a picture of Rosy at San Juan, with Carnival Breeze adjacent.

 

[20pluscruises]

Love the photos!!!

[English Tim]

San Juan

 

After leaving Miami to arriving at San Juan, the first port of call, there was quite a swell and this lead to a late arrival, 16.00 instead of 15.00. This was a pain for some folks who had arranged private tours and also mean't that we had only about two hours of daylight. We decided not to walk around after dark, but made good use of the daylight, in glorious weather, by walking along the shore, then around the point and along the other side (seafront), visiting the two forts, before returning to the ship for sunset cocktails.

 

St Thomas

 

At this port we had pre-arranged a ship tour to Buck Island ($59 pp).

 

This involved a short walk from the ship to the catamaran dock, preceded by quite a long wait, not helped by the jetty being damaged, allowing only one boat at a time to collect or drop off passengers.

 

The tour involved sailing / motoring for about 30 minutes each way to Buck Island, then snorkelling, with tuition and guidance for about 90 minutes.

 

This was an excellent tour despite spending a long time waiting around. Only 14 of us were on our boat, the 'Stars and Stripes', as we should have been joined by a group from RCI's Explorer of the Seas, but they didn't want to risk cross contamination, after so many passengers had been ill on the previous RCI cruise. This enabled us to be thoroughly spoilt by the crew, especially on the return, when liberal servings of pain-killer were dispensed, leading to a jovial atmosphere.

 

Boarding Catamaran

 

 

Setting sail

 

 

Enjoying the sun

 

 

UK crew-member

 

 

[English Tim]

On Day four we visited St Maarten, along with two other ships. We had arranged a private excursion on a powerboat, snorkelling trip.

 

Reflection opposite P&O's Azura (full of Brit's!)

 

 

 

Fellow passengers

 

 

 

 

After a dodgy start, when we couldn't find our driver, we eventually took the 30 minute drive to the boat dock and met our fellow cruisers, who were staying locally.

 

The captain of the very fast boat, was a guy called Simon, who lived much of his life quite near our home town. He went at various speeds through different sea states and it was quite exhilarating. We made two snorkelling stops, but the sea conditions weren't as good as St Thomas and there weren't as many fish. The stops were interspersed with beer, rum punch, fruit and banana cake.

 

After the boat ride were were returned to the port, by taxi. Whilst we enjoyed this trip, the one organised by Celebrity at St Thomas was much better and cheaper!

 

After a leisurely lunch and rest we walked around the port area looking for wi-fi, which was difficult to find and the speed was poor.

 

On day 6 at sea, we attended the Captain's Circle social

 

 

They advertise a dress code, but don't stick to it, which is a shame.

[Sarbear1681]

DH and I took the Buck Island excursion on our 11.30 sailing. The crew was great! I remember the girl from the UK well. She was lovely to chat with and made a great painkiller.

 

Thanks for the review and bringing back some great memories.

 

Sara

[English Tim]

We were disappointed with the quality of the activities. They were more like Carnival. We hoped for more lectures, but we found many events with a fee and the usual spa seminars leading to pushy sales techniques.

 

However, the weather was marvellous and so enjoyed plenty of time in the sun, both on our balcony and on deck.

Food

 

The food was generally excellent and we never felt the need to pay extra to eat at the speciality restaurants. We ate breakfast and lunch in the Ocean View Cafe, which apart from the poor drinks service, was just fine. We always ate outside, loving the fresh warm air. On virtually every other cruise we have been on the bar staff have been falling over themselves offering drinks, but on this cruise there was often quite a wait.

 

For the last two days I upgraded my drinks package to premium, for $10 per day and enjoyed many Martinis and special cocktails. I found the wine choice and service to be excellent in the Opus dining room. We opted for a table for 10 on late sitting, but a max of nine ever showed up. Our waitstaff were top notch.

 

Stateroom

 

Our stateroom 7214 was wonderful, having everything I could want. A fantastic bathroom, with powerful shower and fixed cubicle was a nice change. The flat screen interactive tv was very good and the bed very comfortable.

 

Entertainment

 

We prefer comedians to production shows, so we weren't over impressed, but others felt the shows were fantastic.

 

There was a group of four male singers who did 'barber shop' type singing and they were very popular. The pop band was also good.

 

Disembarkation was excellent and we were through customs in record time. We arrived at the airport before 09.00.

[wpgcycler]

Very enjoyable - thanks!

[uktog]

Interested in reading that you had booked with Avios and then done an upgrade to 1st (though as you say it did not come up due to an aircraft switch)

Any time we have done a miles booking (or more usually we book Premium Ex and upgrading to Club) we have never been able to put a second upgrade on. We have also had an Avios only business flight and could not upgrade it.

We are doing this through BA Exec Gold - any clues you can give us on double upgrades would be very welcome

[drarill]

Great review!! thanks for sharing your cruise with us!:)

[English Tim]

Interested in reading that you had booked with Avios and then done an upgrade to 1st (though as you say it did not come up due to an aircraft switch)

Any time we have done a miles booking (or more usually we book Premium Ex and upgrading to Club) we have never been able to put a second upgrade on. We have also had an Avios only business flight and could not upgrade it.

We are doing this through BA Exec Gold - any clues you can give us on double upgrades would be very welcome

 

It's not strictly speaking a double upgrade, which of course isn't allowed.

 

For the info of those who don't know, with a BA Amex, if one spends a certain amount in a year, there is an entitlement to a voucher, allowing the purchase of two tickets for the price of one, paying with FF miles (AVIOS), also paying taxes and fees.

 

It is the opinion of the FF community, that best value for these vouchers is either in First or Club Class.

 

Once these award seats have been booked, in any class, if higher graded seats become available, then these can be changed (upgraded) by telephoning BAEC. For example, I booked in Club, the only seats available at the time, then looked every day for 8 months hoping seats in First would show. On this occasion they did two days before departure. Therefore I telephoned and booked them using additional miles + £50 change fee.

 

Of course, if seats are purchased with AVIOS, rather than the 2-4-1, these cannot be changed.

[English Tim]

A few further thoughts:

 

A Sommelier, Rita did a fantastic job in Opus D/R. She made it her aim to get me to taste as many wines as possible. Dinner was a great experience and no check to sign at the end!

 

The girls in the coffee bar also worked tirelessly and 'proper' coffee was also available in the dining room and Ocean View Cafe. When I discovered this, each morning I collected my coffee and freshly squeezed juice on my way to may table.

 

I asked the gym instructor about the Kinesis equipment, but he didn't know what I was talking about and suggested I ask reception.

 

The Observation Lounge was a great venue, when it was open! They tended to use it for functions, including the daily 'Elites' cocktails, so 5-7 each evening, it wasn't available which was a pain. They also used it for art auctions, which again removed a decent relaxing venue. I think they have too many retail outlets and insufficient lounges.

 

We missed the ability to wash and iron our clothes.

[English Tim]

Doesn't anyone want to ask me a question?

 

:confused::confused:

[MissBreezy]

Good review! Did you ever make it down to Michael's Club? Most reviews I've read lately remark that it's usually dead or set aside for other events and my husband is particularly keen on visiting it on our cruise.

[English Tim]

Good review! Did you ever make it down to Michael's Club? Most reviews I've read lately remark that it's usually dead or set aside for other events and my husband is particularly keen on visiting it on our cruise.

 

No, we didn't make it there. It's a bit isolated unless dining at one of speciality restaurants. The stern of the ship on deck 5 is almost out of bounds to many people, as most dine only in the main restaurants and don't seem to drink the higher priced beers. I thought I had seen most of the ship, but had forgotten it was there.

[packercruising]

Rats, I was hoping to hear more about Micheal's as it is close to our cabin and has BEER!

 

What were your favorite bars and entertainment?

 

Nice pictures! How did you take a selfie with a drink in each hand?

[English Tim]

Rats, I was hoping to hear more about Micheal's as it is close to our cabin and has BEER!

 

What were your favorite bars and entertainment?

 

Nice pictures! How did you take a selfie with a drink in each hand?

 

I wish I had gone in, but just didn't think of it.

 

Our favourite bar was the Sunset, which on a warm afternoon / evening was simply magical. It got very busy so sometimes best to visit bar rather than wait to be served!

 

Another really nice bar was the coffee lounge on 5, as it overlooked much of what was happening in the foyer. The pool bars were extremely popular.

 

With premium package, you might spend a lot of time at the Martini Bar, which again overlooked the atrium and Molecular Bar for lovely cocktails.

 

Wasn't struck on much of the entertainment, but did like the party band.

[20pluscruises]

I wish I had gone in, but just didn't think of it.

 

Our favourite bar was the Sunset, which on a warm afternoon / evening was simply magical. It got very busy so sometimes best to visit bar rather than wait to be served!

 

Another really nice bar was the coffee lounge on 5, as it overlooked much of what was happening in the foyer. The pool bars were extremely popular.

 

With premium package, you might spend a lot of time at the Martini Bar, which again overlooked the atrium and Molecular Bar for lovely cocktails.

 

Wasn't struck on much of the entertainment, but did like the party band.

 

Was Vibes the name of the party band? (the band that played in the foyer on deck 3) We really enjoyed the female singer and her band! They were great!!!

[English Tim]

Was Vibes the name of the party band? (the band that played in the foyer on deck 3) We really enjoyed the female singer and her band! They were great!!!

 

That's the one. The lead singer is a babe!

[AmberTeka]

Doesn't anyone want to ask me a question?

 

:confused::confused:

 

I want to ask three questions. First, Your review was witty ,and the pictures very tempting.

 

I am a non-drinker, by choice, due to the fact that I never had a problem that a candy bar could not help.. Sugar is my addiction. .....but DH does like Martinis. I am new to the Celebrity board, with just one cruise on celebrity and if you don't mind..............How much is the drink package? And can you order premium scotch? He worked for Seagram's of Canada when a young man, only quitting when he was drafted for Viet Nam. Long time ago.

 

Big Question...............you noted that the activities were a little not to your taste. Were they mostly Trivia, Game sort of things,..like Tri Bon, or scattergories, etc? If so, I am seriously thinking of booking a cruise with celebrity. I remember from my one cruise, about 10 years ago, that they played a lot of brain type games. I am hoping so.....

 

Celebrity had free cookies at the for pay coffee bar. I know cookies. Those were the best cookies I think I have ever eaten. They ranged from plain cookies, you thought, then bit into them, and a yummy chocolate filling was inside, to sandies, to bar cookies, to every kind of cookie you ever wanted to eat. They were different ones each day, fresh from the oven. And before the cruise was over, I discovered they also served them by the pool on that ship. The pastry chef on that ship.............was a genius. So...did you notice the cookies in the coffee bar being spectacular, or did you go?

 

And actually........four questions. did you donate to the casino? And did you like it?

[Diane Rose]

Great review, thank you!

 

Is there a piano bar anywhere? What are the venues used for dancing in the evenings? Did they have the Liar's Club show? I just saw that on the Constellation and it was hilarious.

 

We will be on the Reflection in June and are really looking forward to that cruise.

 

Diane

[English Tim]

I want to ask three questions. First, Your review was witty ,and the pictures very tempting.

 

I am a non-drinker, by choice, due to the fact that I never had a problem that a candy bar could not help.. Sugar is my addiction. .....but DH does like Martinis. I am new to the Celebrity board, with just one cruise on celebrity and if you don't mind..............How much is the drink package? And can you order premium scotch? He worked for Seagram's of Canada when a young man, only quitting when he was drafted for Viet Nam. Long time ago.

 

We got the classic package included, but here are the details of the packages and what they include.

 

Big Question...............you noted that the activities were a little not to your taste. Were they mostly Trivia, Game sort of things,..like Tri Bon, or scattergories, etc? If so, I am seriously thinking of booking a cruise with celebrity. I remember from my one cruise, about 10 years ago, that they played a lot of brain type games. I am hoping so.....

 

They were mostly trivia and games. They did have the Liars Club.

 

Celebrity had free cookies at the for pay coffee bar. I know cookies. Those were the best cookies I think I have ever eaten. They ranged from plain cookies, you thought, then bit into them, and a yummy chocolate filling was inside, to sandies, to bar cookies, to every kind of cookie you ever wanted to eat. They were different ones each day, fresh from the oven. And before the cruise was over, I discovered they also served them by the pool on that ship. The pastry chef on that ship.............was a genius. So...did you notice the cookies in the coffee bar being spectacular, or did you go?

 

The cookies and other pastries were excellent at the coffee bar. I didn't notice any by the pool.

 

And actually........four questions. did you donate to the casino? And did you like it?

 

I donated very little to the casino. There were loads of slots, but when I started losing, I stopped playing.

[English Tim]

Great review, thank you!

 

Is there a piano bar anywhere? What are the venues used for dancing in the evenings? Did they have the Liar's Club show? I just saw that on the Constellation and it was hilarious.

 

We will be on the Reflection in June and are really looking forward to that cruise.

 

Diane

 

Didn't notice a piano bar. They did have a Liars Club (adults only). Dancing was mainly in the atrium, but sometimes on pool deck.

[20pluscruises]

That's the one. The lead singer is a babe!

 

LOL! Yes, she is...and a great singer! :)

[luv-my-kids]

We were disappointed with the quality of the activities. They were more like Carnival. We hoped for more lectures, but we found many events with a fee and the usual spa seminars leading to pushy sales techniques.

 

However, the weather was marvellous and so enjoyed plenty of time in the sun, both on our balcony and on deck.

Food

 

The food was generally excellent and we never felt the need to pay extra to eat at the speciality restaurants. We ate breakfast and lunch in the Ocean View Cafe, which apart from the poor drinks service, was just fine. We always ate outside, loving the fresh warm air. On virtually every other cruise we have been on the bar staff have been falling over themselves offering drinks, but on this cruise there was often quite a wait.

 

For the last two days I upgraded my drinks package to premium, for $10 per day and enjoyed many Martinis and special cocktails. I found the wine choice and service to be excellent in the Opus dining room. We opted for a table for 10 on late sitting, but a max of nine ever showed up. Our waitstaff were top notch.

 

Stateroom

 

Our stateroom 7214 was wonderful, having everything I could want. A fantastic bathroom, with powerful shower and fixed cubicle was a nice change. The flat screen interactive tv was very good and the bed very comfortable.

 

Entertainment

 

We prefer comedians to production shows, so we weren't over impressed, but others felt the shows were fantastic.

 

There was a group of four male singers who did 'barber shop' type singing and they were very popular. The pop band was also good.

 

Disembarkation was excellent and we were through customs in record time. We arrived at the airport before 09.00.

 

 

 

Thanks for your review! You say you were able to upgrade to the premium package the last two days. Where did you go to do the upgrade? Also did they give you any trouble since you only had two days left of the cruise?

 

Thanks!

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.