Pics/Review: Celebrity Reflection 7 Night Western Caribbean

[skipole0]

Just wanted to share some thoughts about a 7-night Western Caribbean cruise my fiancee and I recently took on the Reflection. We departed Feb 28 from Miami, and stayed in an AquaClass suite (cabin 2109). This was our third Caribbean cruise and first with Celebrity.

 

The Ship:

Beautiful, clean, great layout. Absolutely no meaningful complaints about the ship... hot tubs were pretty small, could've used more bars on the outer decks, but overall a fantastic, modern ship. My fiancee hit the spa for a manicure/pedicure and said it was very nice, as was the "Persian Garden" area that suite guests get complimentary access to. The fitness centre was fantastic, very modern and well maintained (and great views from every treadmill!).

 

 

 

 

The Cabin:

What's not to like about a 300sq/ft cabin on a nearly-new Celebrity ship? Our room was less than 1 minute walk from the spa, cafeteria, main pools, and concierge. The balcony was massive, bed was comfy, bathroom was very nice and spacious, and overall everything felt modern/clean/well maintained. Noise was never an issue whatsoever.

 

 

The Service/Staff:

Overall, service was good, with a few exceptions... housekeepers were amazing, servers/sommeliers were great. All the bar staff -- literally every single bartender we spoke with -- was either unfriendly, unhelpful, or obviously disinterested. Our concierge was fairly useless as well, but we were happy to deal with Guest Services or our butler (who was good) instead. The captain kept passengers well informed (including a lengthy PA announcement where he described in detail how the ship stopped the previous night to rescue a drifting raft with 10 Cuban migrants onboard and later transferred them to the USCG). All the officers all seemed very professional, and overall -- bar staff aside -- the service was good.

 

The Food:

Almost all meals were outstanding. The buffet was actually quite good -- excellent selection -- and we enjoyed all the dinners we ate in the main dining room. The premium restaurants we tried (Qsine & Murano) were both pretty good but we didn't think it was any better than the main dining room food. Room service was not great, but not horrible (as you'd expect). The menu options were good every night, lots of selection. Overall, the food was perhaps what impressed us most about Celebrity.

 

 

The Drinks:

We did not buy a drinks package -- partly because I'm a Celebrity n00b and wasn't aware that beverage packages were often thrown in as special offers for booking -- but I'm glad we didn't. None of the packages made financial sense, and we found it very difficult to get a drink at any of the busy bars around the pool or casino. Overall, we didn't enjoy the process of ordering drinks and were quite shocked at how much effort was required to get Celebrity to take our money. More bars and poolside bartenders is absolutely necessary, but then of course they'd have to fill more drink orders from those who did opt for a beverage package...

 

The Entertainment:

Only went to one show, and it was awesome.... can't remember the guy's name, but it was a standup comedian from Georgia... black guy who many people seemed to know from his skits on the Comedy Channel. Anyway, he was hilarious and we enjoyed the whole hour-long show. We weren't really interested in most of the on-board activities/shows, but also noticed that we barely heard from the cruise director and often weren't aware of things happening until the last minute (or after they'd happened).

 

The Shore Excursions:

Generally speaking, our shore excursion experiences were crap. This was not totally unexpected, as my fiancee and I prefer to do our own thing in ports and find a bit more adventure than the cruise line excursions can provide. Both excursions we booked had problems. This further reinforced my belief that it's almost always better to arrange tours/activities privately and skip the cattle-herding of cruise-organized excursions.

 

The snorkel tour in Grand Cayman was running 30 minutes late, which was announced after we'd arrived at the cruise terminal. It was hot, crowded as hell, and there was a serious lack of information being provided. We bailed on the tour immediately upon learning about the delay, and booked a private boat tour instead... it gave us time to enjoy 7 Mile Beach and have lunch at a funky beach bar (which would've been impossible had we stuck with the cruise line excursion due to the delayed start and overall poor organization). Forfeiting the excursion cost us $160, but I don't regret it, and I won't be doing any more Celebrity excursions.

 

The second excursion we booked onboard was for Labadee -- a boat trip out to a nearby sandbar island for an hour of relaxing on the beach and hanging out in the water. We only booked this because there are no other options in Labadee... it's cruise-line excursions or no excursions (ugh). The trip was very brief, but the sandbar was gorgeous and the boat crew was friendly and laid back. Sadly, all the information that was provided about this tour in advance was either incomplete or blatantly inaccurate... for instance, the brochure said that "guests must be able to walk 250ft on level ground," which was just completely wrong as getting to the sandbar island involved jumping off the back step of the boat into waist-deep water. There was an elderly man on the tour who relied on a walker to get around, and it took a good 5 minutes for all the boat staff to help him slowly and awkwardly board the boat. Absolutely shameful on the part of Celebrity not to provide proper info about their excursions, in my opinion. They also told us everything in Labadee could be charged to our onboard account, but the excursion boat was operated by a third party charter company and they only accepted cash for all purchases.

Edited March 24, 2015 by skipole0

[skipole0]

The Ports of Call:

I'm hesitant to say much about each port, because one day simply isn't enough to properly evaluate an island (even a tiny one). A rainstorm, a bad tour guide, a busy day with lots of ships in port... any of these things can taint one's experience at a particular port of call, so I think it takes several visits to properly evaluate a port. That said, here's my brief summary:

 

Cozumel -- somewhat disappointing, with beaches that didn't live up to expectation and a whole lots of tourist traps around the island (ie. "mayan ruins"). We had to bribe a cop who was pulling tourists over in a very sleazy scheme that I'm sure made him quite rich. I know the underwater scene in Cozumel is probably excellent and the town looked pretty cool, but overall I wasn't that impressed.

 

 

 

Edited March 24, 2015 by skipole0

[skipole0]

Grand Cayman -- immediately jumped into my top 3 favorite Caribbean islands. Friendly, welcoming people... spectacular world-class 5.5 mile long beach... minimal poverty, easy to get around, safe... and incredibly warm and clear water (great visibility) with a well-protected reef and lots of marine life. We enjoyed the Stingray sandbar (very cool/weird), and the snorkeling was some of the best I've seen in the Caribbean. Just an awesome, awesome place and we can't wait to go back.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 24, 2015 by skipole0

[skipole0]

Ocho Rios -- although this is a touristy spot, what I liked about it was that you can tell Jamaica is a "real country" with a distinct and interesting culture. Many other Caribbean islands feel as though the people and attractions simply exist to draw tourists in, but Jamaica is a cool place with an interesting history/culture. Unfortunately, it also has downsides: everyone in the tourism industry seems to be hustling cruise passengers from one of their buddies to the next, trying to get every last dollar out of your wallet. It's also not a place where we felt particularly welcome (although Ocho Rios definitely didn't strike me as unsafe). We did a private day tour (our guide wasn't great), and enjoyed the "Blue Hole" stop (some waterfalls and river pools with cliff jumping and other fun stuff). Driving through the mountains was cool, the scenery is very lush and the houses/buildings area all adorned with amazing colorful murals. The beach we visited to finish our day here was crap, hopefully there are better beaches nearby that we didn't get to visit.

 

 

 

 

Labadee -- Despite the breathtaking scenery of the lush green hills and clear green water around this port, I really did not enjoy it at all. I don't really care about the ethical side of Royal Caribbean buying a chunk of private Haitian land and not allowing passengers to leave this fenced-in area... at least they're employing a few dozen locals. We also enjoyed the sandbar excursion we did here in the morning, it was beautiful and a great way to escape the public areas where most passengers spent the day. The beaches near the jetty weren't great, and the best beach in Labadee is reserved for guests staying in a suite... but apparently AquaClass suites don't count, which was rather irritating. Other beaches were either packed with people (kids, drunks, etc) or not suitable for swimming (big surf, coral/rocks). Signage was poor and we struggled to find a place to buy drinks or food. There were at least 15 people in line at the one bar we did find, so we never had a chance to buy a drink, which I find absurd. The local staff were completely disinterested and offered zero help. Many areas of the port seemed abandoned or disused, which gave the place a bit of a neglected feel. The zipline was not operating as far as we could tell, and very few if any parasailing boats or jet skis left the dock all day. Overall, this port simply exists so that Royal Caribbean and Celebrity can add another port of call to their itineraries but keep 100% the money that passengers spend onshore. Bleh.

 

 

 

The Verdict:

The Celebrity Reflection is a beautiful, modern, well-appointed ship... no-one can deny that. The service was generally good, the food was excellent, and shore excursions were crap. This was our first Western Caribbean itinerary, and although we adored Grand Cayman we felt that the Southern and Eastern itineraries we've done on previous cruises were better suited to our particular travel preferences. Would we sail with Celebrity again? Sure, although I wasn't blown away and will probably continue to choose future cruises based more on the itinerary and value rather than the cruise line.

 

 

Thanks for looking!

Edited March 24, 2015 by skipole0

[gopro63]

ah thanks for the vacation. pics. awesomeness

[kprice1218]

Thanks for the review, beautiful pictures and very eye opening as we are doing the Western Caribbean sailing this week and have the classic beverage package..I guess we will have to wait and see how it all works out.

[portofrome]

Thanks for your great pics and review.

[flyingv4me]

Thanks for posting. I prefer the eastern route over western. I still need to try the southern.

[Barwick Cruiser]

Just wondering why you didn't eat in Blu for your meals as that is supposed to be the dining venue for Aqua Class.

 

We prefer the Southern and Eastern routes as well although we have stayed a week in Cozumel at an AI but it was primarily chosen so our group could go diving...which they said was amazing btw!

 

Amazing photos from your trip, especially the one of your wife (gf?) kissing the stingray...great memory for her!

Cathy

[Iamthesea]

Thank you for the review. Will be onboard the reflection this coming weekend.

 

Beautiful photos! :)

 

I am also curious why you did not eat in Blu or the new Suite dining, Luminae?

 

Also, I am surprised that the AQ Suite did not have access to the Suite beach on Labadee. Does anyone know if Sky Suites are allowed? I thought they were, but because they are basically the same as an AQ Suite, I am beginning to doubt that. :(

Edited March 24, 2015 by Iamthesea

[FRMPEI]

 

I really like this photo of Reflection docked in Labadee. Thanks for sharing your comments on your recent cruise.

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

[kenevenpar]

Is the guy with your DW giving you the one finger salute while laughing. Sure looks like it.:eek:

[Bimmer09]

Thanks for the review-a great read.

 

I don't like the sound of having to wait at a bar for a drink on deck- I seem to get mighty thirsty on a cruise ship.

 

I like your photos-very sharp and crisp. Can you tell me what camera and editing software you used?

 

Thanks again!

 

Norris

[kenevenpar]

I like your photos-very sharp and crisp. Can you tell me what camera and editing software you used?

 

Norris

 

I was going to ask the same question. Nice photos!

[TeaBag]

Your photography and eye for color is outstanding. Some of the pictures looked suitable for enlarging and framing. Really lovely. Sorry you thought the excursions were crap. We always join the roll call for our cruises and we book private excursions with other members on the roll call. They are so much better, cost less money and have less people in them.

[bvocruise]

I enjoyed your review. I'm tired of hearing how difficult it is to get drinks on the Reflection and hope they fix the problem soon. We are sailing on the Reflection in May and have upgraded to the premium beverage package. We plan on getting at least two drinks a day and hope the wait isn't too long.

 

I've been on other cruise lines where they actually hunt you down for drinks. Then again, the other lines I've been on haven't been giving away beverage packages as part of the cruise.

 

I do hope Celebrity adjusts to the high demand the beverage packages are putting on their bars. In this case it frustrated customers who did not have a beverage package and were ready to spend money for drinks.

[micmacmissy]

Great photos- and your review was spot on.

 

The ships are gorgeous but boy, do the itineraries need help (with the exception of Grand Cayman which is also one of our favorites). It stinks that unless you can sail out of San Juan, it's the same old, same old with the ports.

 

Labadee used to be great and unspoiled and they've totally ruined it with excluding some beaches for suites, building cabanas, adding jet skis, etc. We went there years ago and it was just beaches and lounge chairs- lovely. They also had some artisans there selling stuff in an outdoor market- which is now greatly expanded. Now it has a Disney like atmosphere, slides and playgrounds and trams, oh my!

[micmacmissy]

Is the guy with your DW giving you the one finger salute while laughing. Sure looks like it.:eek:

 

Nope, I think he just didn't want to drop his....joint??? :eek:

[miched]

Thank you for the review. Will be onboard the reflection this coming weekend.

 

Beautiful photos! :)

 

I am also curious why you did not eat in Blu or the new Suite dining, Luminae?

 

Also, I am surprised that the AQ Suite did not have access to the Suite beach on Labadee. Does anyone know if Sky Suites are allowed? I thought they were, but because they are basically the same as an AQ Suite, I am beginning to doubt that. :(

 

I would also like to know.

 

happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

[Iamthesea]

Nope, I think he just didn't want to drop his....joint??? :eek:

 

Haha...I at first thought it was a joint, but upon closer inspection, I wonder if it is a tag of some type. Almost looks like a zip tie. See the orange color?

 

Can someone answer my question on the Suite limitation in the private beach area of Labadee, please?

[EagleRocker]

Thank you for your review and gorgeous pictures. I have never had in interest in a Caribbean cruise (on the West Coast, we fly to Hawaii when a tropical vacation beckons) but your pictures are so beautiful, I am truly tempted. The water color is spectacular in your pictures. Seriously fantastic pictures, which made me excited for our April 27 cruise on the Reflection. I had 2109 booked (lucky assignment on a suite guarantee rate) but switched to the aft corner S1 on Deck 12, 2217 - perhaps I made a mistake :)

[Iamthesea]

I hope the OP comes back and answers our questions. ;)

[skipole0]

Thanks to all for the compliments on the photos, I didn't take as many as I normally do so I was pleased to end up with a few decent ones.

 

For those who were asking, all pics taken with a Nikon D7100 and Nikon 18-300mm. Used a tripod for the two photos of the main lobby / elevator shaft inside the ship, but otherwise all hand-held. Edited in Photoshop.

 

Just wondering why you didn't eat in Blu for your meals as that is supposed to be the dining venue for Aqua Class.

 

Sorry, I didn't mention it in the original review but yes we did eat in Blu. We only ate at Blu once, it was near the end of our cruise and we had initially thought it was another specialty restaurant, so we didn't get a chance to go back. I enjoyed it, but I liked all the other restaurants we ate at as well.

 

Also, we actually ate several dinners in Luminae... but, since it's brand new (opened while we were onboard), apparently the menu was identical the one in Opus (main dining room)... so aside from the setting, the food was the same (excellent). Pretty subtle decor/ambience, but he service in Luminae was also very good, and it was super quite (but not completely anti-social). Not sure when Luminae will switch to its own new menu, but I'm sure it'll be awesome.

 

Also, I am surprised that the AQ Suite did not have access to the Suite beach on Labadee. Does anyone know if Sky Suites are allowed? I thought they were, but because they are basically the same as an AQ Suite, I am beginning to doubt that. :(

 

We were told that we had to have a 'silver key card' by the rude man who told us to leave (our AquaClass one was light blue). If your suite gets you a grey/silver card or above, then you're good at the nice Labadee beach. The rest of us will be onboard at the pool. :-)

Edited March 26, 2015 by skipole0

[skipole0]

Haha...I at first thought it was a joint, but upon closer inspection, I wonder if it is a tag of some type. Almost looks like a zip tie. See the orange color?

 

It's definitely a joint. :D

 

Not sure about the orange thing in his hand, I think maybe a leaf...?

 

Thank you for your review and gorgeous pictures. I have never had in interest in a Caribbean cruise (on the West Coast, we fly to Hawaii when a tropical vacation beckons) but your pictures are so beautiful, I am truly tempted. The water color is spectacular in your pictures. Seriously fantastic pictures, which made me excited for our April 27 cruise on the Reflection. I had 2109 booked (lucky assignment on a suite guarantee rate) but switched to the aft corner S1 on Deck 12, 2217 - perhaps I made a mistake :)

 

Thanks! We're also from the West coast (Vancouver BC), so it's a long 12-hour day of flying and connecting flights, I feel your pain there.

 

I'm also a huge Hawaii fan (I was in Maui just a few months ago and was reminded of how beautiful it really is)... but in my personal opinion, the Caribbean is on another level and worth the 7+ hours of flying to get there.

 

Not all islands have beaches and water as beautiful as Grand Cayman does, although all of the best beaches I've ever experienced have been in the Caribbean.

 

Grand Cayman offers by far the best diving/snorkeling I've seen in the Caribbean. The only place I've been with better reefs and marine life is the Great Barrier in Oz. If you've been to Molokini in Maui, the visibility is similar where we were in GC.

 

Anyway, you will love the cruise.. the water really is that colour! And no, your cabin will probably be excellent, so don't bother to change. All the AQ suites looked nice. Have fun!

Edited March 26, 2015 by skipole0

[skipole0]

I hope the OP comes back and answers our questions. ;)

 

How's that for timing? Ask and thou shalt receive... :)