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

[nekzaadvakil]

Monday, 5th June 2017: Gibraltar

 

Firstly, I must admit that this was on of the places that caught us by surprise. Nearly every cruise that we've been on, one of the least interesting places turned out to be the port which we enjoyed the most. Kotor (Montenegro), St. Thomas (Caribbean), Fredericia (Denmark), Messina (Siciliy) are just some of the examples and we can add Gibraltar to this list.

 

Our friends decided to do a shore excursion, while we decided to explore the place on our own. We got off the ship and started walking towards the old town from where we wanted to catch the cable car up to the St Michael Caves, the Great Seige Tunnels, and catch a glimpse of the apes. DW loves apes so she was pretty excited to see them.

 

The walk was pretty long and the weather was HOT. I started to wonder if we made a mistake by getting out on foot. But in 15 minutes we hit Main Street and it was amazing. Shopping Paradise!

 

 

 

We checked out alot of shops in Gibraltar and the prices did seem alot less, even when we compared them to duty free prices in Dubai and Mumbai. Duty free prices in Europe are much higher even when compared to Duty free in Dubai and Mumbai. So perfumes & alcohol were really alot cheaper here.

 

 

[nekzaadvakil]

DW and I bought some perfumes, cosmetics from the shops here, some were more for the fancy bottles, than for the scent.

 

 

Once we reached the cable car, we notice a really long line of people waiting. We stood in line for 10 minutes & saw that the line was barely moving. There was only 1 cable car which took you up and it wasn't taking many people up at a time.

 

A lady approached us and offered us an entire tour by car to the 4 stops and to bring us back down. She mentioned that we needed to be a group of 8 (in a car) and that the total cost was only 30 GBP per person. In comparison, the cable car cost was 15 GBP per person plus another 10 GBP per person.

 

DW and I were in no mood to waste time waiting for the cable car, so we decided to go with her. A nice couple standing behind us also decided to come along. The only issue was that I was not carrying any cash (GBP) and thought that we'd pay by card. Luckily there was an ATM right next to the Cable car station and it took us less than 5 minutes to withdraw some cash from there. Please note that this ATM only takes VISA.

 

So off we went. Our driver was a young lady from Gibraltar and she was a fantastic guide. First stop was the caves of St Michael. Somebody had bought this ape an ice cream and he was relishing it thoroughly. DW wanted to buy him some more, but I didn't want him to get diabetes with so many sweets.

 

 

St. Michael's caves were really amazing. I don't think cameras and pictures can do justice since the caves are not all that well lit. The temperature inside the caves was alot cooler.

 

The views from the top were amazing.

 

Our group was excellent and everyone came back on time. We usually had 20-30 minutes at each stop which was quite sufficient. It didn't get tiring at all since we were driven from one stop to the other. We were really glad we took this tour at the last minute.

[jagger16]

Nick, Thank you for taking the time to do this review. Your pictures are great! Wanted to thank you also for the Rome Airporter suggestion. We had not come across them before. After your suggestion we went ahead and booked two transfers with them for our Reflection cruise in August. As you said, Marco is very quick to reply and the price is right. Once you confirmed the vouchers, that was it? Nothing else to do? It was so easy I just want to be sure that we don't need to do anything more. Thanks again for the helpful and entertaining review.

[jspirit]

Loving your review ! Thanks for taking the time to post it!

In Gibraltar, when you disembarked, did you notice a taxi line at the ship offering these Rock tours? What time did you disembark and how long were the lines?

 

Also, did you notice booths for Dolphin boat tours?

Hoping to " wing it" and not book in advance for this port.

Thanks.

[nekzaadvakil]

Nick, Thank you for taking the time to do this review. Your pictures are great! Wanted to thank you also for the Rome Airporter suggestion. We had not come across them before. After your suggestion we went ahead and booked two transfers with them for our Reflection cruise in August. As you said, Marco is very quick to reply and the price is right. Once you confirmed the vouchers, that was it? Nothing else to do? It was so easy I just want to be sure that we don't need to do anything more. Thanks again for the helpful and entertaining review.

 

 

 

Hi Jagger, glad to help! Yup once you reply to Marco after he sends the vouchers, you don't need to do anything else. The drivers will hold up a sign with your names on it. They are prompt and polite.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[nekzaadvakil]

Loving your review ! Thanks for taking the time to post it!

 

In Gibraltar, when you disembarked, did you notice a taxi line at the ship offering these Rock tours? What time did you disembark and how long were the lines?

 

 

 

Also, did you notice booths for Dolphin boat tours?

 

Hoping to " wing it" and not book in advance for this port.

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

Hi Jspirit, I tried going through all my pictures to see if there was an Dolphin boat tours, but couldn't find it, so can't comment there.

 

I'm pretty sure there were cabs out, no lines. Gibraltar is an easy port to make plans on the spot and a great place to walk. Please don't miss Main Street. Our friends who took the ship tour didn't see Main Street.

 

Nick

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[jspirit]

oops

Edited June 24, 2017 by jspirit
correction

[jspirit]

Hi Jspirit, I tried going through all my pictures to see if there was an Dolphin boat tours, but couldn't find it, so can't comment there.

 

I'm pretty sure there were cabs out, no lines. Gibraltar is an easy port to make plans on the spot and a great place to walk. Please don't miss Main Street. Our friends who took the ship tour didn't see Main Street.

 

Nick

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Thank you for your reply! We will plan to be dropped off at Main St. and walk back from there after the tour. Thank you for mentioning it!

[nekzaadvakil]

Continuing our tour, our second stop was to see the apes. While this is a top attraction for Gibraltar, and many come to see the apes here, I must say that the views were even better. The apes sure know how to live!

 

 

 

Our ship, the gorgeous Celebrity Reflection could be seen from up above.

 

The apes were going in and out of windows which were open. Although they were well fed by the local authorities, they were always on the look out for more food. Quite similar to us cruisers.

 

We also saw many people walking up & down the narrow roads. These were the people who took the cable car. We were quite glad that we decided against the cable car ride as we were really not in the mood to walk too much between the attractions.

[nekzaadvakil]

Some more pictures of Ape Den. We were warned before we came here that the apes look cuddly and friendly, but we should avoid petting them or feeding them.

 

Our driver trying to shoo away 3 apes that wanted to enter our cab.

 

 

Once we were done, we got back into our cab. Our driver left her window open, and this ape got into our cab. Our driver said that she knew this particular one and was particularly naughty.

 

Our driver didn't give the ape anything to eat and decided to drive. The ape decided to take revenge by grabbing her toy monkey and hopping off the car, till she bribed him with a snack. Everyone in the cab was in splits.

 

I love this picture of this poor little guy. Reminds me of myself. This is my exact sulking pose when my cruise holiday is about to get over and I'm reminded that I've got to get back to work soon. Woe is me!

[afto]

Gibraltar looks like a lot of fun and your photos of those views are great.

[Cascobaycruiser25]

Thanks so much for your fabulous reviews...very helpful!

[nekzaadvakil]

Gibraltar looks like a lot of fun and your photos of those views are great.

 

 

 

Thanks Afto! Really enjoying your review as well. Brings back good memories of our Baltic cruise!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[nekzaadvakil]

Thanks so much for your fabulous reviews...very helpful!

 

 

My pleasure. It's been over 2 weeks since we've got back and we're yet suffering from PCD (post cruise depression)

 

Writing this review and reliving those amazing times certainly doesn't help get rid of that depression. Time to plan the next cruise now.

 

Cheers!

 

Nick

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[basebare]

Nick,

Loving all the pictures and the review. We are doing this itinerary in October and I am almost done with all the pre planning. Working on Cartagena next, so looking forward to the next port :). Question for you??? When are the evening chic nights?

Thanks again for all the great insight makes me super excited for our cruise!

Patti

[ChiSloop]

Nick,

 

Loving your review. We are doing this same itinerary in August. I have learned so much from you. Thanks.

[nekzaadvakil]

Nick,

Loving all the pictures and the review. We are doing this itinerary in October and I am almost done with all the pre planning. Working on Cartagena next, so looking forward to the next port :). Question for you??? When are the evening chic nights?

Thanks again for all the great insight makes me super excited for our cruise!

Patti

 

 

 

Hi Patti,

 

We had 2 chic nights. First one was on Day3: Nice and the second one was on Day10: Ibiza.

 

Everyone was dressed really well on chic nights, felt like a normal formal night to me.

 

Cartagena coming up next.

 

Nick

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[nekzaadvakil]

Here's another amazing view from the top of Apes Den.

 

After Apes Den, we made our way to the Siege Tunnels. It was a short drive away on a sloping, curvy road. The views from the Siege tunnels were also amazing. Here's a view of the airport from inside the caves.

 

The views from outside the caves were also spectacular. Here's a better view of the airport with one of the shortest runways in the world. Our guide told us that this is one of the most difficult airports to land at since the runway is so short. In fact, only pilots with 15-20 years of flying experience get permission to fly in and out of Gibraltar.

 

You can also see a road that cuts right through the runway and is the only road that connects Spain and Gibraltar. I think its the Winston Churchill Avenue. This road has to be shut 5-6 times a day when planes land in Gibraltar.

 

Another picture from inside the tunnel. Our group came back on time from all the places we visited and hence this entire tour was done in around 2/2.5 hours.

 

Everyone was keen to be dropped back to the main street for some shopping and our guide/driver obliged. We thanked her for a wonderful tour and headed back to the ship via Main Street. Grabbed the most amazing pistachio ice-cream on the way back. Perfect on a hot day!

 

Once back on the ship, we relaxed by the jacuzzi and grabbed an early dinner at the Oceanview Cafe. Played some more roulette in the casino till it shut at around 1 am. Walked out dead even, so wasn't so disappointed.

 

Next up: Cartagena

[nekzaadvakil]

Tuesday, 6th June 2017: Cartagena, Spain

 

Out of all the amazing ports that we had on this amazing cruise, Cartagena was perhaps the most disappointing of the lot. To be honest, we really didn't plan anything in detail. We did alot of research and nothing seemed very interesting. So we decided to get out of the ship and walk to the old town area.

 

 

There was a naval marching band right outside the cruise port.

 

A short walk away was the main street which was lined with lots of small shops and eateries.

 

 

[nekzaadvakil]

After walking around for a few hours, shopping and eating, we decided to head back to the ship.

 

The ship was pretty close, here's a view of the ship from the shopping street.

 

We decided to use the rest of the day enjoying the ship. We went up to the sunset bar and had some drinks there. It was the most beautiful bar on the ship by far. We also chanced upon the arcade where DW and I played some air hockey. After losing 3 straight games I had had enough, so we went to play some table tennis, where I lost 3 straight games.

 

We then got ready for dinner. Usual fare at the MDR, amazing views in the evening. We really miss these awesome views when we're not cruising.

 

After dinner, we headed to the casino. I won around $100. I really enjoyed playing in the casino on this cruise. I usually played till closing time and I didn't lose all that much. The highlight was when this 1 guy came to our table towards closing time. He had a $25 chip, a $5 chip and a $1 chip - totaling $31 and placed it on #23 straight up. Just 1 roll. And guess what... he hit it. He walked off with around $1085 on 1 spin! Awesome.

 

Another guy also had similar luck, I think he bet his last $11 or $12 on a single spin and won over $350.

 

I went to bed to get some rest for our last port on this cruise... Ibiza. Coming up next.

[nekzaadvakil]

Wednesday, 7th June 2017: Ibiza, Spain

 

Our final port of call, Ibiza was upon us. Our friends wanted to do a scuba/snorkel excursion with the ship, so they left early. DW is not very comfortable in the water, so we decided to head to the marina area/city centre and the beach.

 

There was a long queue for the shuttle bus so DW and I decided to walk to the taxi stop. There was a long line there as well, so we then decided to walk since we had the entire day. Turns out, that was a bad idea since this was a LONG walk and it was really hot. But some of the views were quite good.

 

The city centre was nice, plenty of shops and quick eats. We had planned on going to the beach opposite the hard rock hotel, since our friends had also gone there and were planning on catching up with us once their excursion was over.

 

We went into a nice shop selling souvenirs and got chatting with the owners. They told us that we should go to the Salines Beach instead as that was one of the best beaches in Ibiza. They said that it had a better crowd and soft sand. And we're so glad that we decided to change plans, since this was the best beach that we'd been to in this entire trip.

 

 

[nekzaadvakil]

Getting to the beach was easy, We took Bus #11 and the last stop was the beach. I think it cost 3 Euros per person. The beach was absolutely amazing. Some of the clearest waters we had ever seen and really soft sand. The weather was not too hot, and a nice breeze was blowing. Absolutely perfect.

 

There was a nice bar and restaurant for people to grab a drink/ some food. Although we saw many many people pick up their own drinks and food at the supermarket just as you get off the bus. Even if you come by a taxi, the same supermarket is right opposite the taxi pickup/drop off point.

 

 

We took a double bed and an umbrella and it cost us 40 Euros for the day. We were lucky since we got the last one. It was pretty expensive when compared to the other beaches where we paid less than 20 Euros for the same. But hey, we were in Ibiza and God knows when we're coming back here, so we decided to splurge a little. DW ordered some wine and dip, I ordered some chicken fingers with chips. The food, drinks and gratuities amounted to another 40 Euros.

 

After spending the day at the beach, we were too lazy to catch the bus back, so we got back into a cab and headed back to the ship. Cost for the cab was around 20 Euros and it was very convenient.

 

As we said goodbye to our final port of call on this cruise, we caught an excellent view of our gorgeous ship that had ferried us around to all these amazing places in our favorite continent - Europe.

[nekzaadvakil]

Once we were back on the ship, we got ready for dinner. With only a sea day remaining, we knew that this was our last meal in the MDR. And it didn't disappoint. The staff in the MDR was absolutely brilliant. They always asked us for feedback on how they could make our dining experience better, without being to intrusive. They genuinely wanted us to have a super experience. They were very accommodating with our dining requirements (DW and a friend are vegetarians) and always delivered with a smile.

 

 

 

We thanked the team in the MDR for a fabulous cruise once we finished dinner. This is usually when that horrid disease called PCD (post cruise depression) starts kicking in. Having a full day at sea remaining did keep our spirits up, but the 80s party hosted by our CD Maarten, really got us back in the mood to party. Out of all the entertainment on the ship, this is one event which I suggest should not be missed. The venue is beautiful, the CD and his staff are AMAZING and everyone had a super time here.

 

 

We really enjoyed our CD Maarten and its easy to see why he's one of the quickest to move from an Activities manager to a Cruise Director. He's one of the main reasons why we had such a great time on the amazing Celebrity Reflection. He's moving to the Solstice in Nov/ Dec 2017 for the Australia & NZ legs and we were thrilled since that's our next cruise planned.

 

After the party, we spent some more time in the Casino before retiring for the night.

[Shadow9612]

Nick - phenomenal review and photos. Thank you so much !

 

2 questions about the ship itself - (i) what were the minimum bets at roulette? I really enjoy roulette but I noticed minimums going up each celebrity cruise... (ii) where is the arcade and what's in it - I've never seen an arcade on an X ship!

 

Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Forums mobile app

[nekzaadvakil]

Nick - phenomenal review and photos. Thank you so much !

 

2 questions about the ship itself - (i) what were the minimum bets at roulette? I really enjoy roulette but I noticed minimums going up each celebrity cruise... (ii) where is the arcade and what's in it - I've never seen an arcade on an X ship!

 

Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Forums mobile app

 

 

 

Hi Shadow. Thank you. There are 2 roulette tables in the casino. One is the American roulette (0 and 00) and the other is the European roulette (only 0). I played on the European roulette table. The minimum bet was $5 per spin. Outside bets minimum was $5 and if you're betting on a numbers inside you could bet $1 as long as you bet a total of $5 on the spin. It was good fun and i always got a seat at the table.

 

The arcade is on deck 15 - fun factory. It was supposed to be for kids but we didn't see a single kid there whenever we went. It's got an air hockey table, a bunch of racing games, a shooting game, etc. Most games were $1.50 per game.

 

Cheers!

 

Nick

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums