Reflection Eastern Med Review

[JordanF]

We sailed on the Celebrity Reflection for an eleven night Eastern Mediterranean cruise in May, 2014. We also tried out Aqua Class. All in all, the cruise was excellent.

 

Our cabin was on the 12th floor, right below the pool deck. This did not lead to any extra noise. We were on the bump, so the balcony was a bit larger. The cabin was nice, and not really all that different from a normal balcony cabin. One notable exception was the shower, which sprayed water out at you from the side if you wanted it to.

 

The main attraction of Aqua class is that you eat in Blu. This is a nice restaurant, with good food and good service. They did struggle a bit with vegetarian options for my wife, but I was in steak heaven! You also get access to the Persian Garden, which was nice but not overly special. Was Aqua Class worth the extra money? Yes, it was. However, I am sure I would have enjoyed the cruise just as much without it. I would say—go for it if you want to treat yourself, but you will be fine if you decide not to.

 

On the issue of upgrades, it has become more overt that Celebrity (as with other cruise lines) is trying to monetize every inch of the ship. There are lots of places to pay extra for food, cabanas for rent, etc… Still, everything that has always been included is still included, so you can just ignore all of this and have a great time.

 

The entertainment was some of the best I can remember on a cruise. Normally, I have trouble staying awake when there is just a bunch of singing and dancing. Not on this cruise! The shows were great, with great music (although I wonder if I am just “aging” into the primary passenger demographic!). The comedian, Steve Caouette, was funny. The solo singer, Jayne Curry, was excellent! The singers, dancers and associated acts were terrific.

 

The ports were interesting on this cruise. Our first stop was Santorini and we took the ship’s tour that went to Oia before dropping us in the main town. This excursion was mainly transportation—tender early off the boat, bus to Oia, stop at a winery, and then drop us in the main town with a cable car ticket to get down to the tender back. Fine with me. I just want to see Oia with its cliff-side white and blue buildings. We took some great pictures. Back in the main town (Thira), we poked around, and had dinner watching the sunset over the caldera.

 

Next was a day and a half in Istanbul. We hired a private guide as we wanted to see all the main sites as well as some of the Jewish ones. We found Yusuf BarDavid (bardavid73@gmail.com), who took us all around and was very nice to spend the day with. We ended the first day with a cruise up the Bosporus, which was delightful. One tip for Istanbul—when you get in a taxi, point at the meter and have them turn it on. On two occasions the driver refused and quoted us a high price. We just got out and found another cab.

 

In Ephesus we took a ship’s tour of the ruins, including the apartments, which was all interesting. It was pretty cool to see the Library of Celsius. In Mykonos we were on our own and just walked around, shopped and ate. Another very pretty Greek island. In Athens we took a ship’s tour of the Acropolis and the New Acropolis Museum, and well as some free time on the Plaka. Again—very cool to be at the Parthenon.

 

Our last port was Naples, where we took the ship’s tour to Capri. For first timers, I would recommend Pompeii, but we had already been there a few years ago. Capri was very pretty, with shopping and eating.

 

Celebrity did its usual excellent job, and this was a fantastic trip.

[TexSea]

Thanks for the review. We will be sailing on Reflection in three weeks. Glad to hear everything was good!

[sunluva7]

Glad to hear you had a great time. We are also in Aqua Class, Deck 12 on the hump, for our upcoming August cruise, having upgraded ourselves with a price drop. Sounds nice!

 

A few questions about Santorini - how was the wait for the cable car down the hill at the end of the day, or did you do the donkey path? How much time did you get to spend in Oia? We're booked on the ship's tour, but I would prefer to skip the winery for more time in Oia.

 

For your Bosphorus cruise, did you do the ship's Bosphorus night cruise or a private one? I'm looking for reviews of the ship's tour, but haven't been able to find one.

 

Looking forward to my turn!

[CruisingGatorGirl]

We sailed on the Celebrity Reflection for an eleven night Eastern Mediterranean cruise in May, 2014. We also tried out Aqua Class. All in all, the cruise was excellent.

 

Our cabin was on the 12th floor, right below the pool deck. This did not lead to any extra noise. We were on the bump, so the balcony was a bit larger. The cabin was nice, and not really all that different from a normal balcony cabin. One notable exception was the shower, which sprayed water out at you from the side if you wanted it to.

 

The main attraction of Aqua class is that you eat in Blu. This is a nice restaurant, with good food and good service. They did struggle a bit with vegetarian options for my wife, but I was in steak heaven! You also get access to the Persian Garden, which was nice but not overly special. Was Aqua Class worth the extra money? Yes, it was. However, I am sure I would have enjoyed the cruise just as much without it. I would say—go for it if you want to treat yourself, but you will be fine if you decide not to.

 

On the issue of upgrades, it has become more overt that Celebrity (as with other cruise lines) is trying to monetize every inch of the ship. There are lots of places to pay extra for food, cabanas for rent, etc… Still, everything that has always been included is still included, so you can just ignore all of this and have a great time.

 

The entertainment was some of the best I can remember on a cruise. Normally, I have trouble staying awake when there is just a bunch of singing and dancing. Not on this cruise! The shows were great, with great music (although I wonder if I am just “aging” into the primary passenger demographic!). The comedian, Steve Caouette, was funny. The solo singer, Jayne Curry, was excellent! The singers, dancers and associated acts were terrific.

 

The ports were interesting on this cruise. Our first stop was Santorini and we took the ship’s tour that went to Oia before dropping us in the main town. This excursion was mainly transportation—tender early off the boat, bus to Oia, stop at a winery, and then drop us in the main town with a cable car ticket to get down to the tender back. Fine with me. I just want to see Oia with its cliff-side white and blue buildings. We took some great pictures. Back in the main town (Thira), we poked around, and had dinner watching the sunset over the caldera.

 

Next was a day and a half in Istanbul. We hired a private guide as we wanted to see all the main sites as well as some of the Jewish ones. We found Yusuf BarDavid (bardavid73@gmail.com), who took us all around and was very nice to spend the day with. We ended the first day with a cruise up the Bosporus, which was delightful. One tip for Istanbul—when you get in a taxi, point at the meter and have them turn it on. On two occasions the driver refused and quoted us a high price. We just got out and found another cab.

 

In Ephesus we took a ship’s tour of the ruins, including the apartments, which was all interesting. It was pretty cool to see the Library of Celsius. In Mykonos we were on our own and just walked around, shopped and ate. Another very pretty Greek island. In Athens we took a ship’s tour of the Acropolis and the New Acropolis Museum, and well as some free time on the Plaka. Again—very cool to be at the Parthenon.

 

Our last port was Naples, where we took the ship’s tour to Capri. For first timers, I would recommend Pompeii, but we had already been there a few years ago. Capri was very pretty, with shopping and eating.

 

Celebrity did its usual excellent job, and this was a fantastic trip.

 

Thank you so much for the report! I have 2 questions for you, if you do not mind :)

 

With the Celebrity tour in Santorini, how much free time did you have? We really want to rent ATV's and explore the island.

 

Also, how were the seas/winds/weather? We are taking an Eastern Med. cruise on the Equinox this time next year. Was it more "pants" weather or "shorts?" Did you encounter any rough seas? I have read that sometimes the wind can pick up pretty bad and turn up the seas?

 

Thank you in advance! :D

[Philomath]

Thanks so much for posting your great review! We will be visiting similar ports on the Equinox in two weeks and your review has me even more excited, if that was possible :)

 

Did you find that the ship tour in Santorini gave you enough time in Oia? We like the idea of priority tender for ship's excursion but are a little concerned that there won't be enough time to enjoy Oia's beauty. Did the winery you visited have a view also? Thanks a million in advance for your answer!!!

[JordanF]

Thanks for the questions.

 

We had about an hour and a half in Oia. A little longer would have been nice, but it was enough. The winery was good for a snack and a little break, but we did not particularly like the wine. The winery does have nice views. We were let off in Thira with many hours to go. The last tender did not leave Thira until 9:15. We were on the 8:45 tender, and had spent a lot of time in Thira--time to walk around, time to linger over dinner as the sun set, and plenty of time to get through the cable car line and down to the tender. While I do not remember the exact time we arrived in Thira, I would say we spent 3-4 hours there. The cable car line varied in length--it was longer earlier in the evening, and shorter later. It was not a problem at all. If you were to rent ATVs to explore the island, though, I am not sure I would take an excursion.

 

As to weather--we had perfect weather. We were not sure if we would be more warm or more cool. For us, it was more warm, but not so hot that the tours of Ephesus and Athens were hard. We did wear shorts in every port except Istanbul, and that was more for going into mosques than for the weather. We were concerned that going later in the year it could be really hot, and in truth, we really lucked out. It was even warm enough to lie out by the pool on the sea days. A typical day was blue skies and 72. Calm seas the entire time.

 

We did not take the ship's Bosporus cruise. We took one that sold tickets and left from the area between the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia. It was the Grand Boat Line, and it cruised the Golden horn and the Bosporus up to the second bridge. Our reservation voucher refers to Bezak Travel. Looking back, this was a highlight of the entire trip.

Edited June 2, 2014 by JordanF

[drarill]

Thanks for your review, we are doing this itinerary in a couple of weeks. Can you share with us, when did you have the formal nights? Thanks again, for sharing your cruise with us!! Looking forward to cruising on the Reflection. :)

[JordanF]

There were two formal nights--the first was the second night, and the second was towards the end. If I am a little vague it is because the dress code in Blu is always "smart casual," so we did not participate in formal nights.

[Lois R]

Hi Jordan, welcome back and thanks for the review. I originally

started your roll call but ended up changing my plans.....glad you

had a good cruise though:)......I went to the Med back in 2012.....

Maybe I will be able to go again in 2015.

[sunluva7]

There were two formal nights--the first was the second night, and the second was towards the end. If I am a little vague it is because the dress code in Blu is always "smart casual," so we did not participate in formal nights.

 

I was wondering the same. My guess is the second formal night was the last sea day, between Athens and Naples - do you think that was the case?

[JordanF]

Sunluva: It may have been the last sea day, or it may have been the night before. For some reason I think it may have been at the end of the day in Athens, but I would not bank on that.

 

Lois: Hope you make it back next year!

[sunluva7]

Another question ... since you were in Aqua class, did you dine primarily at Blu every evening, or did you also eat in the main dining room at times? Did you have an opportunity to try any of the specialty restaurants?

[JordanF]

We ate in Blu 9 nights. The other two nights we were in Santorini and Instanbul. We skipped the specialty restaurants since we were already sort of in one, and because we did not feel the need to pay again. Having said that, we received offers (typically by voice mail) for discounted dinners at the specialty restaurants (I think about half price), so if you want to eat in them, hold out until you get on board and watch for the flashing light on your cabin phone.

[JordanF]

P.S. to the last post--the voice mails were left by the hostess in Blu, so I do not know if these offers were just for Aqua class passengers.

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Hi Jordan, welcome back and thanks for the review. I originally

started your roll call but ended up changing my plans.....glad you

had a good cruise though:)......I went to the Med back in 2012.....

Maybe I will be able to go again in 2015.

 

You should join us on the Equinox in May next year :)

 

Thanks for the questions.

 

We had about an hour and a half in Oia. A little longer would have been nice, but it was enough. The winery was good for a snack and a little break, but we did not particularly like the wine. The winery does have nice views. We were let off in Thira with many hours to go. The last tender did not leave Thira until 9:15. We were on the 8:45 tender, and had spent a lot of time in Thira--time to walk around, time to linger over dinner as the sun set, and plenty of time to get through the cable car line and down to the tender. While I do not remember the exact time we arrived in Thira, I would say we spent 3-4 hours there. The cable car line varied in length--it was longer earlier in the evening, and shorter later. It was not a problem at all. If you were to rent ATVs to explore the island, though, I am not sure I would take an excursion.

 

As to weather--we had perfect weather. We were not sure if we would be more warm or more cool. For us, it was more warm, but not so hot that the tours of Ephesus and Athens were hard. We did wear shorts in every port except Istanbul, and that was more for going into mosques than for the weather. We were concerned that going later in the year it could be really hot, and in truth, we really lucked out. It was even warm enough to lie out by the pool on the sea days. A typical day was blue skies and 72. Calm seas the entire time.

 

We did not take the ship's Bosporus cruise. We took one that sold tickets and left from the area between the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia. It was the Grand Boat Line, and it cruised the Golden horn and the Bosporus up to the second bridge. Our reservation voucher refers to Bezak Travel. Looking back, this was a highlight of the entire trip.

 

Thank you so much for the answers. Sounds like beautiful weather. I will hope for the best!

[s0479]

We sailed on the Celebrity Reflection for an eleven night Eastern Mediterranean cruise in May, 2014. We also tried out Aqua Class. All in all, the cruise was excellent.

 

Our cabin was on the 12th floor, right below the pool deck. This did not lead to any extra noise. We were on the bump, so the balcony was a bit larger. The cabin was nice, and not really all that different from a normal balcony cabin. One notable exception was the shower, which sprayed water out at you from the side if you wanted it to.

 

The main attraction of Aqua class is that you eat in Blu. This is a nice restaurant, with good food and good service. They did struggle a bit with vegetarian options for my wife, but I was in steak heaven! You also get access to the Persian Garden, which was nice but not overly special. Was Aqua Class worth the extra money? Yes, it was. However, I am sure I would have enjoyed the cruise just as much without it. I would say—go for it if you want to treat yourself, but you will be fine if you decide not to.

 

On the issue of upgrades, it has become more overt that Celebrity (as with other cruise lines) is trying to monetize every inch of the ship. There are lots of places to pay extra for food, cabanas for rent, etc… Still, everything that has always been included is still included, so you can just ignore all of this and have a great time.

 

The entertainment was some of the best I can remember on a cruise. Normally, I have trouble staying awake when there is just a bunch of singing and dancing. Not on this cruise! The shows were great, with great music (although I wonder if I am just “aging” into the primary passenger demographic!). The comedian, Steve Caouette, was funny. The solo singer, Jayne Curry, was excellent! The singers, dancers and associated acts were terrific.

 

The ports were interesting on this cruise. Our first stop was Santorini and we took the ship’s tour that went to Oia before dropping us in the main town. This excursion was mainly transportation—tender early off the boat, bus to Oia, stop at a winery, and then drop us in the main town with a cable car ticket to get down to the tender back. Fine with me. I just want to see Oia with its cliff-side white and blue buildings. We took some great pictures. Back in the main town (Thira), we poked around, and had dinner watching the sunset over the caldera.

 

Next was a day and a half in Istanbul. We hired a private guide as we wanted to see all the main sites as well as some of the Jewish ones. We found Yusuf BarDavid (bardavid73@gmail.com), who took us all around and was very nice to spend the day with. We ended the first day with a cruise up the Bosporus, which was delightful. One tip for Istanbul—when you get in a taxi, point at the meter and have them turn it on. On two occasions the driver refused and quoted us a high price. We just got out and found another cab.

 

In Ephesus we took a ship’s tour of the ruins, including the apartments, which was all interesting. It was pretty cool to see the Library of Celsius. In Mykonos we were on our own and just walked around, shopped and ate. Another very pretty Greek island. In Athens we took a ship’s tour of the Acropolis and the New Acropolis Museum, and well as some free time on the Plaka. Again—very cool to be at the Parthenon.

 

Our last port was Naples, where we took the ship’s tour to Capri. For first timers, I would recommend Pompeii, but we had already been there a few years ago. Capri was very pretty, with shopping and eating.

 

Celebrity did its usual excellent job, and this was a fantastic trip.

 

We are in the 10 night cruise soon so a bit different port wise. Did you need a visa/evisa for Turkey? We aren't staying overnight there on our cruise.

 

Thanks for the great review, we can't wait!

[JordanF]

No need for a visa if you are there as a cruise port stop (as opposed to a cruise start or finish). We did not need one even with the overnight at the port. All you really need once you board the ship is your sea pass for getting on and off the ship, including entering and leaving the ports.

[s0479]

No need for a visa if you are there as a cruise port stop (as opposed to a cruise start or finish). We did not need one even with the overnight at the port. All you really need once you board the ship is your sea pass for getting on and off the ship, including entering and leaving the ports.

 

Thanks for the info- much appreciated! I assume you are from US? I know rules can be different for other countries.

[buffetking]

Thanks JordanF for your review. I'm leaving this morning to board the Reflection for the cruise you recently completed.

 

Nice to hear you had a great cruise!

 

Cheers,

 

Dan

[sunshine nana]

Thanks for your nice review. We did a similar cruise on the Equinox in 2011. Same time of year. I have a question about your boat trip in Istanbul as we want to return there and have already seen the tourist highlights. Did you prereserve your tickets or just buy them the day you were there? How long was the boat trip? Was there a good chance for motion sickness in one inclined to that? What was the price? Thanks.

[bluewhite]

Hi JordanF,Could you tell me if wonderful Johnny is still the chef de cuisine in Blu. I don't know how to spell Matrie 'd.

Thanks in advance for your answer.

[Raschueler]

Thanks for the review!

[JordanF]

Regarding the visa question--yes, I am from the US, but no one seemed to need anything other than the sea pass. There appears to be a good reason for this: Instead of just a magnetic strip, the sea pass also had a bar code. At immigration, the officer would scan the sea pass when we entered the country, and when we returned to the ship. Of course, Celebrity scanned our passports when we boarded. I am assuming that they have linked the passports to the sea pass and have shared the data with the country we are visiting. In other words, I think that you do not need a passport or visa because the cruise line has handled this, and shared all of the info with the country. I also think that cruise lines have special arrangements with the countries to facilitate easy entry and exit.

 

For example, a few years ago we sailed Princess in the Baltic, including a trip to Russia. We did not need a visa. A family member traveled to Finland and wanted to cross to Russia, but could not because he did not have a visa. Hence my belief that cruise lines have an arrangement with most of these countries.

 

As to the Bosporus boat trip--we just bought our tickets at the kiosk about an hour before the trip, and it lasted about 2 hours. They were 15 Euros each. The water was calm, so very little motion for us that day.

 

As to Blu--I do not remember the names. Sorry.

[travellover39]

Regarding the visa question--yes, I am from the US, but no one seemed to need anything other than the sea pass. There appears to be a good reason for this: Instead of just a magnetic strip, the sea pass also had a bar code. At immigration, the officer would scan the sea pass when we entered the country, and when we returned to the ship. Of course, Celebrity scanned our passports when we boarded. I am assuming that they have linked the passports to the sea pass and have shared the data with the country we are visiting. In other words, I think that you do not need a passport or visa because the cruise line has handled this, and shared all of the info with the country. I also think that cruise lines have special arrangements with the countries to facilitate easy entry and exit.

 

For example, a few years ago we sailed Princess in the Baltic, including a trip to Russia. We did not need a visa. A family member traveled to Finland and wanted to cross to Russia, but could not because he did not have a visa. Hence my belief that cruise lines have an arrangement with most of these countries.

 

As to the Bosporus boat trip--we just bought our tickets at the kiosk about an hour before the trip, and it lasted about 2 hours. They were 15 Euros each. The water was calm, so very little motion for us that day.

 

As to Blu--I do not remember the names. Sorry.

 

Thanks for sharing your review.:) I also appreciate you answering the visa question and the details of why we don't need one.

 

Enjoyed your review and happy you had a good time.

[sunshine nana]

Thanks for the info on the Bosporus boat trip. Sounds great!