Photo Review: Celebrity Reflection - 29th May - 11 Night Western Med Cruise

[Marking Time]

Really enjoying your review and pics.We will be sailing the same itinerary on Reflection in September, so we appreciate your posts.:D

[petsgalore]

Super review! Looking forward to more! We will sail the same itinerary in October, so this is making us anticipate our trip even more.

[nekzaadvakil]

Really enjoying your review and pics.We will be sailing the same itinerary on Reflection in September, so we appreciate your posts.:D

 

 

 

Super review! Looking forward to more! We will sail the same itinerary in October, so this is making us anticipate our trip even more.

 

 

 

Thanks guys. A lot more coming up today!

 

 

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[nekzaadvakil]

Thursday 1st June 2017

 

Barcelona - Day 1. We were absolutely thrilled to be back to Barcelona after 7 years. In 2010, DW and I started our cruise from Barcelona and we loved this city. We're always in 2 minds whether to start our cruises in Rome or Barcelona, and somehow it always worked out in favour of Rome. Having 2 days in Barcelona on this cruise was one of the main reasons why we chose to join our friends on this cruise.

 

Since we knew our way around, we planned our 2 days properly. Day 1 - Walk to Las Ramblas and spend some time on the best street in Europe. Then go to La Sagrada Familia (we had only seen this from outside when we were in Barcelona last time). A trip to Park Guell. Onto some shopping at the Maremagnum centre which is at the end of Las Ramblas. We aimed to get back to the ship for some rest and dinnner and then go to the W hotel rooftop bar for a drink at night.

 

The walk from the ship to Las Ramblas was a short one (although in hindsight, we should have saved up the energy and just taken a cab to Las Ramblas). It was a nice 15-20 minute walk over the bridge from where our ship looked magnificent.

 

 

View from the bridge that connects the cruise port to Las Ramblas.

 

 

The amazing Columbus Monument that welcomes you at one end of Las Ramblas. I'm not someone particularly fond of art or history or monuments, but this one is really one of my favorites. It really stands tall and the carvings/ statues are amazing. I don't think any pictures do justice to how good this monument is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[nekzaadvakil]

Just past the amazing Columbus Monument is what I personally feel, is the the best walking street in all of Europe - Las Ramblas. Amazing hotels, shops on either side of the broad street. Small eateries serving tapas and HUUUGE drinks (1 litre of sangria) along the pathway. Artists drawing portraits of people (as is famous in Montmartre, Paris). And real artists who cover themselves in paint and sit still like statues for hours just adds to the aura of this street.

 

 

 

We spent a considerable time at Las Ramblas. We decided to head to a falafel place called Maoz. We had eaten here in 2010 and then again at Maoz, Amsterdam in 2015. We love this place so we grabbed a quick bite here.

We had pre-booked our tour inside La Sagrada Familia, and since we lost track of time at Las Ramblas, we decided to grab a taxi to the place instead of walking. Cab cost less than 15 Euros for 4 of us passengers. Here's our first view as soon as we reached the place.

[nekzaadvakil]

I must admit, that when we passed by La Sagrada Familia way back in 2010, we really were not too impressed and wondered why there was so much hype about it. However, this time, when we got a closer look, we really appreciated how beautiful it is. And how much time and effort must have gone into making it.

 

The line at the entrance was long, but moved quickly. Quick but thorough security check and it was very organized, someone at the entrance of the line was checking that your entry time mentioned on the confirmation was correct.

 

The carvings on the exterior were really impressive.

 

 

 

But the real beauty of La Sagrada Familia is on the inside. Here's just one picture of the beautiful coloured glass and white interiors which together looked stunning. This is seriously one of the MUST DO attractions in Barcelona. We were so glad that we had a chance to check this out (primarily since our friends were keen to see it).

 

After spending some time at La Sagrada Familia, we had around 45 mins to kill before we moved to our next stop - Park Guell. We grabbed some churros and hot chocolate which was excellent just off the street. That hot chocolate really hit the spot. Yum !

[nekzaadvakil]

After stuffing my face with those amazing Churros, we got into a cab and headed to Park Guell, which was a short 10 minute drive away. Having seen many pictures of this place, we were really looking forward to visiting this park. We had also been to some amazing parks in the region (our favorite is yet Gorky Park in Moscow) so we were keen to see how this stacked up.

 

 

As you can see from the pictures, the park is HUGE! One can climb up and get some really good views of the city. We could even see our ship and the W hotel in the distance.

 

 

 

We really enjoyed our time at Park Guell and once we were done, we took a cab back to Las Ramblas. We spent some more time there, buying some souvenirs. Time really flew by and the walk on Las Ramblas in the early evening was much better than in the morning, since it was cooler.

[nekzaadvakil]

After spending some time at Las Ramblas, we walked towards the Columbus Monument and straight up towards the Maremagnum centre for which you have to cross a small foot bridge over the river. This is a very unique experience as the bridge folds up to allow boats from one side to another.

 

 

After some retail therapy, we decided to head back to the ship to grab a quick bite, before heading out again. Or so we thought. After dropping off our shopping bags in our stateroom, we headed up to the Oceanview cafe for a quick dinner. We decided to sit in the open air area right at the back of the ship and the view from our table was spectacular.

 

 

The sunset allowed us to see the city switching on her lights and glowing in the dark. Barcelona is really beautiful. We had a really long dinner and decided against going out again to the W hotel, something to do the next time we're in Barcelona.

 

Celebrity had also arranged a special flamenco dance troupe to perform on the ship and they were really really good. As you can see, there was a pretty large crowd on the pool deck.

 

We really enjoyed our first day in Barcelona, cramming in alot of stuff. More to come on Day 2!

[nekzaadvakil]

Friday, 2nd June 2017

 

Barcelona Day 2: After a nice heavy breakfast, we headed out again. We knew we had just half the day since we had to be back on board by 4:00-4:30 PM.

 

We took the transfer from the cruise terminal to Las Ramblas. It was 5 Euros per person for the return trip. From Las Ramblas we walked along the sea front towards the beach. We had done the segway tour 7 years ago, so we knew our way around and the walk was amazing. I'll let the pictures do the talking...

 

 

 

 

[HAM]

Really enjoying your review and great photos (even the angled ones) !!

 

I was wondering if the entertainer Kev Orkian is related to Dr. Kevorkian ??;p

[cruisecatmama]

Really enjoying your review and great photos (even the angled ones) !!

 

I was wondering if the entertainer Kev Orkian is related to Dr. Kevorkian ??;p

 

You are too funny, George!! :')

[Tiggertastic]

Really enjoying this review, thanks for the fabulous photos

 

 

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[TinyG]

Loving most the photos, but why do you turn the camera sideways? Does not help the artistic view....hard to look at some of them...:confused:

[nekzaadvakil]

Loving most the photos, but why do you turn the camera sideways? Does not help the artistic view....hard to look at some of them...:confused:

 

Loving your review, nice pictures (not the sideways ones though, they make me feel dizzy flipping my head back and forth.)

 

Just some yoga exercises for the neck since the review will get long. ;);p

[nekzaadvakil]

We grabbed some chips at this place called Las Fritas close to the beach.

 

And some ice cream as well. We love the snickers/mars/twix ice cream bars and really grab them at every opportunity we get when in Europe. These were available in India a few years ago, but not any longer

The beach was beautiful. We grabbed some snacks and drinks and enjoyed our day at the beach. There were a few people offering 15-20 minute foot massages for 10 Euros, so we got one of those, nothing great though.

 

I can imagine that the rooms from the W hotel must have a gorgeous view of the beach.

 

After a lazy afternoon, we started to make our way back to the ship.

 

 

[nekzaadvakil]

We were back on the ship after a wonderful day in Barcelona, well half a day, but we really didn't mind since we love being on this ship. Here's a view of the hideaway and the tree in the centre of the ship from our elevator.

 

For dinner, we decided to eat at the MDR. I usually love Greek food, so I was thrilled to have some Chicken Souvlaki on the menu. However this was one of the only dishes which was disappointing.

 

The creme brulee was excellent and a nice change from my usual strawberry cheesecake. Our head waiter Allan was quick surprised to see me order something else.

 

After dinner we headed to the silent disco, which was at a different venue. This time at the Solarium. We really enjoyed ourselves this time round as the music was more to our taste (we love the 80s and 90s music). Our CD Maarten really knows how to get a party started and was in his element. The crowd was having a really good time. We also got a chance to meet up with Maarten and he was very friendly and down to earth. We told him that we remembered him from our cruise 4 years ago on the Silhouette.

 

 

After dancing away, we headed to the casino where I played roulette till around 1 AM. I was pretty much the last person out of the casino everyday. And yet I think I walked away from the cruise without any profit or loss. Well maybe a slight loss of $200-300 at the most.

[nekzaadvakil]

Saturday, 3rd June 2017: Sea Day

 

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I LOVE Sea days. Don't get me wrong, I also love packed itineraries, going out and seeing new places, but sea days are so soooo relaxing! It also gives me the opportunity to really enjoy the views of the ocean, the sound of the ocean, and most importantly our gorgeous ship.

 

And that's exactly what we did. We had been on the Silhouette thrice before on port intensive itineraries and hadn't seen everything on that ship! We were determined to not let that happen on the Reflection. Thanks to fellow cruisers on cruise critic, we also picked up tips on where to go, which would have been easily skipped if we were not looking for it (eg the amazing sunset bar)

 

DW and I are very competitive and we always get a few dozen games of table tennis in on every cruise. We played alot of Table tennis between us and with others. The final score over multiple days was 12-12. We were happy to leave the ship with each of us winning 12 games each.

 

You can only enjoy these views on sea days....

 

We played BINGO which was great fun. We were 1 number away in 3 of the 4 games and yet didn't win anything. Bingo was priced the same as a couple of years ago. I think we paid $59 for a 6 card game ( x 4 games) and since we're Elite members we got a free card to play for the last game.

 

 

Exploring the ship in the morning

 

[nekzaadvakil]

Did I also mention how BEAUTIFUL the ship is? I loved some of the art that was there all around the ship!

 

 

 

This one was one of my favorites. I think it was sold out. I lost my golden retriever exactly on this date 6 years ago (4th June 2011) and this picture really struck a chord.

 

 

More pictures of the ship, beautiful on the inside and outside.

 

 

Something that I loved on this ship was that the Oceanview cafe had 1 counter which had a Chef's daily special. Alot of cruisers seemed to love it since that counter was always crowded. I really enjoyed the huge selection of burgers that was there one day.

 

We spent the rest of the sea day in the jacuzzis, playing table tennis, eating, in the arcade (which was really good fun), lazing around, eating, in the casino, and taking part in the multiple activities which the Activities managers hosted. Yet another amazing day at sea.

[nekzaadvakil]

such a beautiful ship! I also love sea days

 

Yup, we've stopped looking at cruises that don't have atleast 2 sea days. Excellent time to relax, unwind and enjoy the sea and the ship. Without these sea days, on port intensive cruises, we will need a vacation from recuperate AFTER our cruise ;)

[bearette]

Thanks the report. I love will the detail so I can file it away for future use!

[nekzaadvakil]

Sunday, 4th June 2017: Malaga Spain

 

After a nice rested day at sea, we were charged up for our next 4 days exploring new ports - Malaga, Gibraltar, Cartagena and Ibiza - where we hadn't been before.

 

Before we go out, time to grab some breakfast. As you can see, absolutely nothing healthy about it.

 

We took the shuttle from the ship to the Plaza of the Port gate. We had to wait for 10 minutes for a bus, and the ride was just 5 minutes. It was on 5 Euros per person for the return journey. From there we walked around the Plaza de la Marina and honestly this was one of the most beautiful places we had seen in Europe. There was greenery everywhere. We walked towards the Malaga Cathedral which was absolutely beautiful. Since it was Sunday, mass was about to start so it was packed with people. Outside there was a guy playing Hallelujah on a harp and he did a brilliant job of it.

 

Over the next few hours we walked down the streets, alleys, popping in and out of shops, eateries. We found the Tiger store here too and bought alot of stuff from that store.

 

 

[nekzaadvakil]

After spending some time in the alleys, we decided to head back to the ship in the afternoon. We decided to take the scenic route to the pick up point, which was past the beach.

 

The walk was really amazing, with large pedestrian zones, lined with lush large trees on either side. Just behind the trees, we saw the beach.

 

 

We were not really in the mood for a beach day, but just look at this view! We took the shuttle back to the ship, dumped our shopping bags in our stateroom, changed into beach wear and headed back out. Our friends were quite tired from all the shopping and walking, so they decided to stay back on the ship, while DW and I headed to the beach.

 

We had planned on taking the shuttle again, however when we exited, there was no one. No big deal, we decided to walk and it didn't take more than 10 minutes to reach the beach.

 

I absolutely loved the colours - the blue sky and sea, green trees, brown thatched roofs, and colorful people on the beach.

 

[nekzaadvakil]

We lazed around on the beach for a couple of hours. The weather was good and the water was perfect. I bought this hand wrist band from the Tiger store which allowed me to store our seapass cards and a couple of euro bank notes on me instead of leaving it unattended when in the water. Very handy (pardon the pun).

 

 

The atmosphere at the beach was excellent. There was a family in front of us playing excellent spanish music, and since it was a sunday, there were alot of families at the beach.

 

 

We headed back to the ship at around 5:30 - 6:00 PM. It was really hot so decided to cool off with some ice-cream on the walk back to the ship.

 

Once back on the ship, we had a quick shower and headed for dinner. Dinner in the MDR was good, the desserts were excellent. And so was the view from our table.

 

After dinner, we went to Celebrity Central to catch the Tonight show with CD Maarten. The show was absolutely hilarious. The banter between Maarten and Guest Relations Officer Julie was hilarious. We had a really good time and I suggest you don't miss this show.

 

After the show, we headed to the casino where I won around $100 at the roulette table, so I made up some of the money I lost earlier. Overall, an excellent day in Malaga.

[LauraAnneC]

Really enjoying your review, especially as I'm going to be in a lot of the same ports in September!:p

[nekzaadvakil]

Really enjoying your review, especially as I'm going to be in a lot of the same ports in September!:p

 

Thanks Laura. The Med is our favorite destination to cruise.