Celebrity Reflection sailing next month

[dgreenie28]

I just read a bunch of threads about the Celebrity Reflection. I'm getting mixed reviews as some people loved it, some people hated it, some just didn't care about it.

I've only been on Celebrity once for 12 days on the Equinox, but I have been on Royal Carribean ships a bunch of times: Majesty, Liberty, Freedom, etc. I've also been on Holland America, MSC, and more.

So here's my question: comment below your experience on the Reflection either if you loved it or hated it, let me know! What are some pros, cons?

So tell me what I should and shouldn't do! Tell me about your vacation and how great or horrible it was!! Thanks :-)

[az_tchr]

Dgreen - I see you are new to Cruise Critic. There are several dozen recent reviews in the ship section of Cruise Critic. There are also at least 4 recent threads about the Reflection where MANY MANY posters have discussed their cruise experiences which as mostly good.

 

If you look at bad reviews they tend to have something go wrong that then colors their review. The overwhelming number of reviews on Reflection are positive. I also note that this board has recently turned very negative. Things like no more free water in AQ and the proverbial "fresh" OJ has turned some to writing things that seem to be written just to gripe. Also remember that some 99% of cruisers have either rated Reflection either positive or said nothing at all.

 

You also must remember many things are very subjective. DW and I are super critical over sushi and sashimi and fine MDR food just fine. Others complain portions are too small (order another my suggestion) and lower quality than in the past. The issue is people want cheap and ever cheaper fares while operating costs rise every year and thus complain when something we received for years is removed, not matter how trivial. The other big complaint is drink package inclusions. Want completely fre booze cruise on Oceania and pay 3X as much. Very easy to solve.

 

Overall Celebrity is a very good to excellent experience and a great value for the money.

[countess5]

DW and I have sailed on Reflection twice. The first time was in the Caribbean when she first came out. We had an Aqua suite and loved the accommodations. It is a Celebrity, as you can see we are Diamond with Royal Caribbean so sail them most the time.

 

The second time was on an Eastern Med cruise. We were upgraded to a Celebrity suite and was able to enjoy the perks of the suite life. Michaels was included but did not use it as much.

 

Again, fantastic ship, staff and food. The only thing that we feel lacks is the entertainment, but again it is Celebrity. When in Europe we didn't care because that was port intensive, but in the Caribbean we would of liked more of the Royal Caribbean entertainment. Did that make a negative to us, no. We just accommodated ourselves in other ways.

 

People have different expectations and some can bitch for the smallest thing. If you look for the positive and just let it happen life is good.

 

Take the plunge and make your own opinion of the ship!

 

Sail on!!

[helen haywood]

The Reflection is our favorite S-Class ship! We especially love the redesigned Sunset Bar. We just sailed a Caribbean B2B on her.

[VideoTech]

Having just come off our first Celebrity cruise (Reflection's Caribbean Christmas cruise) here are a few of my observations:

 

First, Celebrity is a "Foodie" cruise - at least if you're in a suite. The Luminae dining perk is wonderful, food is excellent and varied, and as a bonus you can order off the MDR menu if you can't find something you like on the Luminae menu.

 

We also ate once in the MDR, and I felt the food quality surpassed that of NCL's MDR food, which has become decidedly average. On the other hand, the Ocean Buffet on Reflection was mediocre at best, except for breakfast, which is hard to do wrong.

 

I've read the complaints about portion size. IMO, they are just right. They are smaller (I'd call them "European" portions). Our portions sizes in the United States have gotten absurdly huge.

 

We ate once in the Tuscan Grille. Food there was excellent, service surprisingly not so good. Because of the Suite-Luminae perk, we felt no real need to try any of the other specialty restaurants, and also felt that the surcharges for those restaurants were higher than we're used to.

 

The ship itself is very nice, well kept, and comfortable. Our cabin, a "Sky Suite" was equivalent in size to the Penthouses we've cruised in on NCL. It was a very nice cabin, but with one major problem. It was right under the Ocean buffet, and the noise from above was constant, 24 hours a day. Also some might not like it that the balcony receives no direct sunlight because of the huge overhang from the deck above. (cabin #2184)

 

Celebrity still feels to me like a "dressier" cruise line, even though they have removed the two Formal nights on the 7 day itineraries, and substituted "Evening Chic." In spite of that, I felt a larger portion of the cruisers chose to dress more in the evenings. Kind of a nice change.

 

I can't comment on the entertainment, as we don't usually attend the shows or hit the clubs. However, the small Jazz combo that played some nights in the atrium was very good.

 

I liked having both indoor and outdoor pools, and having the indoor one restricted to 16 years old and up. Makes for a quieter, more relaxing environment. The outdoor pool deck quickly fills up, particularly on sea days. It looked like competition was fierce for lounge chairs by the pool, but there were always some available on the deck above.

 

The ship has a lot of nice little corners, both inside and out, so that you can always find a quiet place to sit and read or snooze if you want.

 

The itinerary was no different than you can get on any other cruise line, but getting on and off in ports was smooth and quick. Only downside to me was docking at Crown Bay instead of Havensight in St. Thomas.

 

All in all, I'd put Celebrity at a cut above average. We enjoyed the cruise (aside from the cabin noise), and whether we cruise with Celebrity again or not will probably depend on what offers we get from them.

 

 

I just read a bunch of threads about the Celebrity Reflection. I'm getting mixed reviews as some people loved it, some people hated it, some just didn't care about it.

I've only been on Celebrity once for 12 days on the Equinox, but I have been on Royal Carribean ships a bunch of times: Majesty, Liberty, Freedom, etc. I've also been on Holland America, MSC, and more.

So here's my question: comment below your experience on the Reflection either if you loved it or hated it, let me know! What are some pros, cons?

So tell me what I should and shouldn't do! Tell me about your vacation and how great or horrible it was!! Thanks :-)

[keesar]

You will have a great time on the Reflection. The food is excellent and the staff is very hard working. There have been a number of changes since we cruised on the Reflection but they will not be noticeable to you.

 

We have enjoyed the variety of foods served as well as the terrific ice cream bar. That is not to be missed. Make sure you hit the Aqua Spa cafe which is open for breakfast and lunch. This is included in your cruise fare and is located in the Solarium area. We like the Solarium as it is quiet and you can read and relax. There is a pool and a couple of hot tubs there.

 

We did not care with the reduction in number of activities which we had been used to. Plus, the staff has been spread thin in some departments. But they try their best and are able to pull it off. The evening shows in the Main Theater are not to be missed. The in house singers and dancers are very good and generally do 3 shows I believe on a 7 day cruise. The guest entertainers that come aboard are hit and miss.

[dgreenie28]

Wow! Thank you everybody! We are worried about noise by our cabin. We have a 2c balcony (6302) and have read that there is a lot of noise?? Has anyone had this?? Help!

[bigbenboys]

Wow! Thank you everybody! We are worried about noise by our cabin. We have a 2c balcony (6302) and have read that there is a lot of noise?? Has anyone had this?? Help!

 

Check out this Sticky at the top of Celebrity message board you can download and do a search of your cabin. Also go to Celebrity website and see what cabins might be available in your category. Call Celebrity if you booked with them or your Travel Agent about getting a different cabin.

 

S-Class Cabin Information Compilation - PLEASE - DO NOT POST CABIN QUESTIONS HERE!!!

[TMaine]

Just curious if you stayed in 6302 on your reflection cruise and what your thoughts were? Thanks!

 

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[mvaughan]

Just curious if you stayed in 6302 on your reflection cruise and what your thoughts were? Thanks!

 

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I've stayed in 6262 and actually am staying there again on an incoming sailing in march. Did not mind the room at all. The lifeboats were at our feet level. No issue looking out to the horizon when we were sitting eating room service breakfast every morning.

 

 

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[cruisin lady ca]

Sailed on Reflection last September and had a great time on board. We were in Aquaclass which gave us access to Blu for breakfast and dinner. Really enjoyed the food and atmosphere. Also loved the shower and Persian Gardens.

 

We had dinner at the Lawn Club Grill in the first and last night's of the cruise. We were offered a discount for dinner on the first night while lunching in the Oceanview Cafe on enmarkation day; originally offered 30% off and sweetly joked about getting a better discount which resulted in a 40% discount. When we made our reservation for the last night, we were given 25% off for being a "repeat" diner. Loved the food and will definitely enjoy Lawn Club Grill on our next Reflection cruise.

 

We had the Classic beverage package. Daily stops at Cafe al Bacio for coffee drinks - lattes in the AM and alcoholic coffee drinks in the evening - were one of my favorite things about the ship. You can enjoy the sweets - cookies, pastries and cake - without a beverage package as those items are gratis.

 

The entertainment was Good but not great overall. There were a few stand out shows - all were guest performers. The production shows were OK.

[motherchic]

We loved the Reflection. Great service. Food was good. Great time, great memories. We did a Transatlantic on her.

Several weeks ago we sailed on the Silhouette, we had a great time but just commented between my husband and myself that we liked the Reflection better.

So you never know. But go, enjoy the Reflection and enjoy