Celebrity Reflection January 14 to 21 2017

[Bimmer09]

I'm moving up to deck 5

 

 

Stairwell art



 

 

Cafe al Bacio



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 

This was a room where at most I saw 6 tables occupied one sea-day lunchtime.

Norris

[griffy116]

Had never seen one of your reviews until this one and I have thoroughly enjoyed "lurking" along. I didn't want to interrupt with questions or comments as I was enjoying your information and didn't want to miss any of your adventure. We have cruised almost exclusively with Royal and are Diamond and through reciprocity, will be Elite on Celebrity. We are going on our first Celebrity cruise in June on the Equinox and can't wait. I've been scourging the Celebrity board to find photos and tips about Celebrity before our cruise. Even though you were on a different ship, I loved seeing the cabin and the FOOD thrilled me to no end. I'm a smoker too and very nervous about being one of the "lepers" on a cruise ship. I've don't expect to be utilizing the specialty restaurants since we are paying for FOUR passengers and TWO cabins. We're taking my Grandson and a friend of his on the cruise to celebrate his graduation from college. We've been to Jamaica several times and agree with your assessment 100%. Because of the poverty there, it's the one place that I absolutely cannot bring myself to haggle with the pushy vendors. I try to purchase something there and I specifically keep small bills for the kids I meet. Life is hard for so many on that island and it breaks my heart. Your humorous take makes your review one of the favorites I've ever read and I'VE LOVED every minute of it. Wish you had been on the Equinox already and could give me all your sage advice (and photos). Thanks for the information and fun read.

[Bimmer09]

With breakfast in Luminae Looming I stepped outside the sliding glass doors on deck five to fill my lungs with fresh Caribbean air.

(Silhouette Photo)

(Port side forward where the smoking area is)

 

 



(equivalent aft looking forward)

 

 

 

A crew member is working briefly and access is barred temporarily

[Bimmer09]

Had never seen one of your reviews until this one and I have thoroughly enjoyed "lurking" along. I didn't want to interrupt with questions or comments as I was enjoying your information and didn't want to miss any of your adventure. We have cruised almost exclusively with Royal and are Diamond and through reciprocity, will be Elite on Celebrity. We are going on our first Celebrity cruise in June on the Equinox and can't wait. I've been scourging the Celebrity board to find photos and tips about Celebrity before our cruise. Even though you were on a different ship, I loved seeing the cabin and the FOOD thrilled me to no end. I'm a smoker too and very nervous about being one of the "lepers" on a cruise ship. I've don't expect to be utilizing the specialty restaurants since we are paying for FOUR passengers and TWO cabins. We're taking my Grandson and a friend of his on the cruise to celebrate his graduation from college. We've been to Jamaica several times and agree with your assessment 100%. Because of the poverty there, it's the one place that I absolutely cannot bring myself to haggle with the pushy vendors. I try to purchase something there and I specifically keep small bills for the kids I meet. Life is hard for so many on that island and it breaks my heart. Your humorous take makes your review one of the favorites I've ever read and I'VE LOVED every minute of it. Wish you had been on the Equinox already and could give me all your sage advice (and photos). Thanks for the information and fun read.

 

Welcome Griffy and thanks for reading this review and thanks for expressing your enjoyment the same! The Equinox is two years away for us. Maybe we'll be on an Edge ship before then?

"Interrupting me with questions and comments?" I welcome both. If I didn't have people responding with both then I would have less motivation to spend as much time on the computer as I do and I am away from the review more than I am writing it. I could never write it in Word and then paste it all into one post as some do. I have to have the photos to tell the story (such as it is-hardly Dickens) and they tell me what to write. I am changing some things for my next review on the Regal Princess-mainly I am going to have all the photos processed before I write the first page-wish me luck with that task as I am talking about 1600 photos at up to 2 minutes each- over 50 hours of slog. It's only doable if I get it done on the ship as I always start writing as soon as I have petted the cat following our cruise.

I like any and every Jamaican I have had the chance to sit and talk with over a beer- London is teeming with them and I lived there for 12 years at a stretch but when visiting the island it's usually shopkeepers that give that first impression of the island. They are just desperate but it puts people off and makes them want to stay on the ship on a future visit-the desperation is self-defeating.

The food pics are the only thing that disappointed me and it is due to the closeness of the plates, the tungsten lighting and the fact that the camera and the lenses weigh over 4 lbs and are hard to hold steady that close to the subject with a slow shutter speed. I'll get it right next time.

I think Celebrity will knock your socks off in June! Nothing wrong with going barefoot!

Cheers,

Norris

 

[Walt fan]

I am loving all of the pics Norris, but especially the art ones; I love to stroll around a ship and see what they offer in terms of art; we have an amazing art museum here in San Antonio that I have never found the time to visit; a must do one day; I loved, loved, loved the Smithsonian Art Museum when we there years ago.

 

Please remind me, did you eat only in Specialty restaurants for dinner; or did ya'll eat in Blu as well? I know the MDR is off your list. When we had the kiddos plus friends we always ate in the MDR as it cost too much in a specialty. Now that it just the two of us I am thinking of more choices.

 

Thank you again!

[Bimmer09]

I am loving all of the pics Norris, but especially the art ones; I love to stroll around a ship and see what they offer in terms of art; we have an amazing art museum here in San Antonio that I have never found the time to visit; a must do one day; I loved, loved, loved the Smithsonian Art Museum when we there years ago.

 

Please remind me, did you eat only in Specialty restaurants for dinner; or did ya'll eat in Blu as well? I know the MDR is off your list. When we had the kiddos plus friends we always ate in the MDR as it cost too much in a specialty. Now that it just the two of us I am thinking of more choices.

 

Thank you again!

 

We ate primarily in the Specialty restaurants and moreso than we do on Princess where there are only two really. There is nothing like Murano or Lawn Club Grill on Princess and nothing like Qsine anywhere I imagine. Only one dinner was taken in Luminae but that can be corrected next time.

We botched a dinner at the Mast Grill and went hungry.

We didn't and haven't dinnered in Blu but would love to.

The MDR we missed but I won't write it off. On Princess we dine at the MDR maybe 5 nights of 7.The food and service there is great. We have picked two very good cruise lines so we are happy. We'll try more at some point.

In terms of art the Silhouette is my yardstick and nothing else comes close so far but I keep an open mind going forward. There will be more pics of art later.

I don't sneer at X using Modern Luxury as a tag line for a mass market cruise line-the S Class are stunning and the feel is upmarket although the price is not. Could a Seabourn experience be worth the money? I don't find the service or the food lacking on X. The cabins are great and the suite experience doesn't leave me wanting for more. The S1 suites are not on par with Princess PH suites aft but they don't cost as much for the room itself. (see my X vs Princess comparison). X has some suite perks that have value like the Butler, Michael's Club and Luminae.

Thanks, as always for your continued reading and enjoying the review. I haven't had as much time lately to write it as life gets in the way.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

It's the morning of our last full day on the Reflection and time to breakfast in Luminae for the penultimate time.

I've been taking photos on deck 5 and take the stairs down to Luminae on 3 to meet Carol.

 

Stairwell art

 

 

One of my favorites



 

 

I won't dwell on breakfast other than to show you a plate of food as it's early morning here in Chicago as I write and I need some breakfast inspiration



 

Being a sea day our plan was to enjoy an Alcove and after breakfast we set off to find ours which meant going around to each one and looking at the names on the reservations.

Ours turned out to be the one closest to the Lawn Club Grill and on the starboard side, farthest point from my smoking area at Sunset Bar. Not ideal. It would certainly be noisy there when the crew set up the tables with cutlery and water glasses (those mason jar trendy things). Then people with empty stomachs would come for burgers and beer. I looked around for the Ukranian guy in charge and asked him if we could move. He got his clipboard and went around to each Alcove and came back with two choices as two had cancelled their booking for the day.

The one on the corner closest to Sunset was free as was the next one away from the corner.

Remembering the corner one to be the scene of several stop and chats we took the next one , hoping for less noise.

 

 



 

 

Every picture tells a story, don't it?





On the table are dishes of food-a fruit plate and a cheese plate and both generous and delicious servings. Bottles of iced water are provided and the Stella was brought over simply by my picking up the phone without even having to exert myself dialing. I am fiddling with my iPhone.





One of the cool things about the Canon 6D camera is that it is wi-fi and with a Canon app installed on my iPhone 5 I can control the camera remotely and in this case take a selfie. The phone shows me what the camera is seeing. I can also download pics to my laptop wirelessly. The camera also has built in GPS to show me exactly where the photo was taken but as I knew it was in the Alcove, somewhere on the sea I had it turned off as it is a battery-suck.



 



 

We booked the Alcove online before sailing at a cost of $149 for a sea day and they are $99 when in port. You have them from 9 a.m to 9 p.m. Drinks are brought to you but you have to go get your own food. Recently I have heard that if you book them while on the ship now the charge is $249 a day- a $100 increase!! Are they worth a $249 spend on a whim? NO, A THOUSAND TIMES, NO! Whomever thought that a good incentive to book had maybe done some shopping with some Jamaican "smoke" providers in Falmouth.





They tend to sit unused in port even though there may be people still on the ship depending on the port.





Next up-pool volleyball.

Norris

 

[watchdiva]

Norris, just popping in to thank you for your comprehensive review. We disembarked 3/4 and your review was so helpful to me in planning. We will be back on Reflection in December and again March '19.

 

 

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[long time lurker]

Norris--

The alcove price has gone up regardless of when you book for sea days. We had already booked ours for our March 2018 sailing, fortunately at $149 for the sea days. They now show at $249 for sea days in our pre-cruise planner. That is quite a jump. I will be curious to see if they still fill up the bookings on sea days.

Edited March 6, 2017 by long time lurker
grammar

[MJSailors]

Hello Norris-

My hubby and I have enjoyed your review of your recent Reflection cruise. We certainly appreciate your creative photography and your keen sense of humor.

I have read your reviews of all the Princess cruises that you and Carol have enjoyed because we are fans of Princess as well.

However, we were thinking of a change in cruise lines for our 2018 cruise vacation when I will be celebrating a special birthday for me ("when I'm sixty-four") plus one and our thirty -fifth anniversary.

So, we looked at the Celebrity web site and chose an Eastern Caribbean itinerary on the Shilouette for March 11. We wanted special accommodations,so we chose a Sky Suite (S1).

When I spoke with the Celebrity rep last night, he said that most of the S1 cabins were sold and there were some S2 avaialable. We always chose a cabin with cabins above and below us to avoid noise. So, the rep suggested Cabin 7309 ,Aft corner on the port side of the ship. The location sounded good to us, so we booked the cruise.

Now,here I am at long story short.....

I Googled the cabin and was very surprised to find a video made by you last year when you and Carol occupied that cabin!

I do remember reading your excellent review of the Shiloutte last year, but I did not remember your cabin number ,but I do remember you mentioning the pole in the cabin.

My hubby and I will re-read your Shiloutte review and the comparison of Princess and Celebrity that you posted prior to our cruise,for sure.

I will be mindful to take notes from your experiences on the ship so we are informed for our cruise and not appear as "newbies"

Although the cruise is about a year away and things can happen to change our plans, we are anticipating a most enjoyable cruise in "your"cabin . If I can figure out how to post photos on CC, I would like to post photos from 7309 n this forum and tell "our" story of the cruise on the Shilouette. That is ... God willing and the creek don't rise!

All the best to you and Carol!

[Bimmer09]

Norris, just popping in to thank you for your comprehensive review. We disembarked 3/4 and your review was so helpful to me in planning. We will be back on Reflection in December and again March '19.

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

That is so great to hear- that this was helpful in the planning . Thanks for telling me this! You must love the ship to be back on her twice. Those onboard bookings are hard to beat for OBC and perks which is why we have two in hand also but on two different ships (Silhouette and Equinox) as far out as January 2019.

As you may remember our motto is ABP....Always Be Planning and having two cruises to anticipate helps us all get through the winter and beyond.

Was there anything in particular that blew you away on the Reflection?

We all cruise differently and appreciate different things...

Norris

 

[watchdiva]

Michael's Club, the numerous venues for live music, our S1 suite was perfect and the outstanding food and service. We spend large amounts of time just relaxing on our balcony (AFT) and watching movies in our suite so this was perfect for us! We are Platinum Plus on NCL and sailed in suites for over 15 years so our expectations were high, and they were exceeded! We enjoyed spending the second chic night wearing our jammies, enjoying dinner in our suite with lobster tail, rack of lamb and caesar salad (all from the MDR) which was outstanding!

 

 

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[Bimmer09]

Hello Norris-

My hubby and I have enjoyed your review of your recent Reflection cruise. We certainly appreciate your creative photography and your keen sense of humor.

I have read your reviews of all the Princess cruises that you and Carol have enjoyed because we are fans of Princess as well.

However, we were thinking of a change in cruise lines for our 2018 cruise vacation when I will be celebrating a special birthday for me ("when I'm sixty-four") plus one and our thirty -fifth anniversary.

So, we looked at the Celebrity web site and chose an Eastern Caribbean itinerary on the Shilouette for March 11. We wanted special accommodations,so we chose a Sky Suite (S1).

When I spoke with the Celebrity rep last night, he said that most of the S1 cabins were sold and there were some S2 avaialable. We always chose a cabin with cabins above and below us to avoid noise. So, the rep suggested Cabin 7309 ,Aft corner on the port side of the ship. The location sounded good to us, so we booked the cruise.

Now,here I am at long story short.....

I Googled the cabin and was very surprised to find a video made by you last year when you and Carol occupied that cabin!

I do remember reading your excellent review of the Shiloutte last year, but I did not remember your cabin number ,but I do remember you mentioning the pole in the cabin.

My hubby and I will re-read your Shiloutte review and the comparison of Princess and Celebrity that you posted prior to our cruise,for sure.

I will be mindful to take notes from your experiences on the ship so we are informed for our cruise and not appear as "newbies"

Although the cruise is about a year away and things can happen to change our plans, we are anticipating a most enjoyable cruise in "your"cabin . If I can figure out how to post photos on CC, I would like to post photos from 7309 n this forum and tell "our" story of the cruise on the Shilouette. That is ... God willing and the creek don't rise!

All the best to you and Carol!

 

MJ, thanks for the great response!

 

Yes the Silhouette review features 7309 and we loved that cabin-on the Reflection it was a mirror image (7358) on the starboard side. You will love it!

Thanks for reading my Princess stuff and in particular the comparison with X which I hadn't seen done before with photos and video. Princess came out ahead in many categories but we like our X cruises too as the S Class ships are so stunning and the X service is on par. The pay restaurants on X-particularly Murano, Qsine and LCG can't be had on Princess. They may seem expensive but they are worth it if you like to splurge on a fine meal.

The Silhouette is my favorite ship of all that I have sailed.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Michael's Club, the numerous venues for live music, our S1 suite was perfect and the outstanding food and service. We spend large amounts of time just relaxing on our balcony (AFT) and watching movies in our suite so this was perfect for us! We are Platinum Plus on NCL and sailed in suites for over 15 years so our expectations were high, and they were exceeded! We enjoyed spending the second chic night wearing our jammies, enjoying dinner in our suite with lobster tail, rack of lamb and caesar salad (all from the MDR) which was outstanding!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Thanks for the swift response and for the photo of a yummy looking meal!

Agreed on all the things that you like-we only used Michael's club once for afternoon tea and I am determined to be a regular there on our next cruise. I simply have to fit more into my day on the ship and always allow for at least a half hour a day in Michael's with a free drink (usually Baileys on the Rocks as I am boring when it comes to esoteric cocktails.

 

Carol is a huge fan of the Room Serivce food on X- not on Princess, and the breakfast RS meals I have had on the Reflection were piping hot and yummy and nothing was forgotten on the tray-great quality control. The only lame meal we had on the Reflection, besides the Jamaican buffet offerings was the Mast Grill but I'll try it again. Princess has raised a very high bar with their Trident Grill-everything sizzled on the grill while you wait a short time.

 

Eating lobster in your jammies is certainly relaxing at sea! Aft suite!! That's where we live.

 

We have never been on NCL but it must be OK if you sailed it that much. My sister in N.Ireland sails NCL and P & O. Her daughter favors X.

 

Cheers!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Officers vs Passengers Pool Volleyball

At 1.15 on our last sea day as we sailed back to Miami I was at my post on the deck above the forward swimming pool ready to catch some of the action below. I had already had lunch from the buffet-Indian food of course as it is really good there.

 

 



 

 

The passengers were practicing prior to the arrival of the Officers in uniform I'd switch to video once their arrival was imminent to catch the introductions.

 

 



 

 

I shoot the arrival of the officers with the camcorder and a few minutes of action video before moving to the other side of the ship to continue with the photos.

 

 

 

The Officers are in the water wearing their white uniforms

 

 

The game always draws a crowd

[wallie5446]

Norris,

As always followed to see the wonderful pictures!

 

You probably have already mentioned, and I missed it,

where are the craft beer selections offered? And do they have the GastroBar small plate's served somewhere?

Our last sailing on the Reflection was in 2013 when they were kept in Michael's when everyone could go.

 

IMHE, you will have a new hang out on the Equinox at the GastroBar! They have Guinness on tap.

EW

[Bimmer09]

Norris,

As always followed to see the wonderful pictures!

 

You probably have already mentioned, and I missed it,

where are the craft beer selections offered? And do they have the GastroBar small plate's served somewhere?

Our last sailing on the Reflection was in 2013 when they were kept in Michael's when everyone could go.

 

IMHE, you will have a new hang out on the Equinox at the GastroBar! They have Guinness on tap.

EW

 

Alas, Wallie, I am not qualified to answer that question as I don't drink craft beers. I stick with my tried and tested Guinness or Stella when they don't have German or Czech beers (I drink Pilsner Urquell at home). Michael's has indeed a big beer cooler but I have yet to drink beer there-usually Baileys over ice.

I look forward to the draught Guinness on the Equinox and now thanks to you I know where to get it!

Cheers!

Norris

 

[wallie5446]

Alas, Wallie, I am not qualified to answer that question as I don't drink craft beers. I stick with my tried and tested Guinness or Stella when they don't have German or Czech beers (I drink Pilsner Urquell at home). Michael's has indeed a big beer cooler but I have yet to drink beer there-usually Baileys over ice.

I look forward to the draught Guinness on the Equinox and now thanks to you I know where to get it!

Cheers!

Norris

 

 

 

Ah then you will be in for treat! On the Equinox they had several from Einbecker Brauhaus!

[Bimmer09]

The scoring was keeping neck and neck (odd expression) with no team truly dominating

 

At one point Maarten asked for the ball to be dried before he served it, which was funny.

 

 

 

 

Here's the video I shot

vp6iviM0nBY

 

Norris, not a robot

[Bimmer09]

Some forgotten photos from deck 5's morning walk....

 

 

More shops



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

More...

[Bimmer09]

 

 

The photo gallery which we visited almost daily to buy photos (makes sense)



 

 



 

 



 

 

Photographers prepping the gallery for the day's business

[jules815]

Good morning Norris. I'll be sailing in 25 days. Really happy we're not flying today though! Just talked to my husband in the Loop and he said he can really feel his building swaying today. :o

 

Something I've noticed about your pictures from around the ship...there appears to be lots of seating areas on all different levels, especially near the atrium. (Sailed on Harmony in October, and for a ship that size, and the number of passengers on board, seating around the ship was lacking.)

[Bimmer09]

Good morning Norris. I'll be sailing in 25 days. Really happy we're not flying today though! Just talked to my husband in the Loop and he said he can really feel his building swaying today. :o

 

Something I've noticed about your pictures from around the ship...there appears to be lots of seating areas on all different levels, especially near the atrium. (Sailed on Harmony in October, and for a ship that size, and the number of passengers on board, seating around the ship was lacking.)

 

Jules it is the Windy City!

Yes the ship has a lot of relaxation spots whether whole rooms like the Hideaway , Card Room, Library etc. and chairs scattered through the interior decks, particularly the Atrium area.

Good observation!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Coming up tomorrow and beyond....

Vivid sunset

The Tenors of Rock in photos and video

Last supper at LCG

Miami Harbor in the morning

Early morning ship tour with camera

Norwegian Escape close-ups in the dark in photos and video

Last breakfast in Luminae

Disembarkation

Self guided walking tour of Art Deco area

Joe's Stone Crab again

The End

and possibly excerpts from an RCCL brochure from 1986 including pricing

Stay tuned!

Norris

[Walt fan]

I will be here until the (bittersweet) end. Enjoying every minute.

 

I would love to see the RCL pics when you were working on their ships. RCL was a great choice for us when we had kiddos and their friends on board. Plenty to do. I am now thinking more towards Celebrity and Azamara with the 2 of us. We need to find more time for those longer cruises! Waiting until retirement - maybe in 3 years? I really hope Celebrity still has the cruise out of Dublin then.

 

Thank you for all of your hard work Norris. It helps my work days to go quicker and makes me dream of upcoming adventures.