Choosing between 2 cruises...Reflection or Summit...advice please!

[matj1986]

My partner and I are in the process of booking a cruise for our honeymoon next March/April and we are trying to decide between an 11 night cruise on Celebrity Reflection or a back to back, total of 14 nights, cruise on Celebrity Summit.  Both in the Caribbean, Reflection based out of Florida and Summit from Puerto Rico.

 

We have previously cruised on Royal Caribbean but in Europe so looking forward to the Caribbean. 

 

Reflection is the larger and newer ship but we will be on the Summit after its renovation.  Any suggestions/advice to help us make a decision is greatly appreciated!

Edited December 12, 2018 by matj1986

[gold1953]

first thing is that you are in the middle of school breaks so 7 day cruises will have many more young people. The reflection is a beautiful ship .  The buffet is much better on S class

[chemmo]

We have cruised both ships. Reflection is bigger, has more speciality restaurants, 6, compared to Summits 3 (including sushi on 5). We were on Reflection in March and she still seems modern and in good condition. When we were on Summit a few years ago she really was ready for some TLC. Non of us know exactly how good the refit will be...

 

Room layouts are different on the two ships (especially suites with the same names...For example the CS on the two ships are totally different). Suggest you research the category you would book. 

 

With the b2b you would get more days (always good) and San Juan is worth a visit in its own right. You need to really compare ports of call and see if that is an influencing factor for you.

 

Whatever you choose I hope you have a really fantastic honeymoon!

[bajathree]

Reflection would be my choice hands down.

[PelicanLvr]

Very different itineraries...  Reflection will have multiple sea days as you must travel back and forth to Miami.  Summit is already based in the Caribbean (San Juan) so it will be more port intensive and you will not leave the tropical warmth.  Weather is less "perfect" in Miami than San Juan.

 

Summit will have the "odd" turnaround day mid-cruise. 

 

 

[RealDeal]

Reflection. Unless you'd prefer to fly to PR & are itinerary driven & much prefer the Summit's itinerary. I, personally, don't like M class ships and will not go on one again, but I know others who prefer them to S class. I don't know where you're from, but you'd probably have more flight options into Florida. 

[Fogfog]

Reflection

[davekathy]

We would do the B2B cruise on the Summit from San Juan. We prefer longer cruises, more ports, less sea days, warmer weather to start off the cruise. The TAD process is a piece of cake for the consecutive cruisers. You can get off the ship on TAD and go into OSJ once you've completed the TAD process. If you do, you'll receive an in transit pass that allows you quick access back on the ship once you go through security. 

Edited December 12, 2018 by davekathy

[yorky]

Summit, the M class ships may be older but they still have a lot to offer, already in the Caribbean, more ports, less sea days, just refurbished. Newer is not always better, look at the Edge. San Juan is also a great visit on its own.

Edited December 12, 2018 by yorky

[bajathree]

Am I missing something?!?!?! When is Miami not pretty much "topical warmth" in March/April.

[Ozzmund]

Having done both, my preference would be the Reflection. Here are just a few reasons why:

 

Pro Summit 

There are some cabins that we prefer on the M Class (Aft) that we don't care for on S Class ships.

The Solarium pool on Summit is more enjoyable than on Reflection.

 

Pro Reflection

We prefer AQ and Blu on Reflection over the same on M Class.

We really enjoy the Sunset Bar on Reflection more so than on M Class ships.

Lawn Club Grill on Reflection is a treat that you won't find on Summit.

Persian Gardens on Reflection is a better experience than on Summit.

 

Either option will be enjoyable.

[Turtles06]

17 minutes ago, bajathree said:

Am I missing something?!?!?! When is Miami not pretty much "tropical warmth" in March/April.

 

I was wondering the same thing.  A fairly comfortable time of year in south Florida, before the really uncomfortable heat and humidity of the summer set in.    I think the weather  at the embarkation port is a non-factor in terms of the OP's considerations.  It's not as though they are proposing a cruise out of New York in February.

 

Edited December 12, 2018 by Turtles06

[Jeremiah1212]

That's a tough one. Since Summit will have just completed a major overhaul there are a lot of unknowns in regard to what the ship will be like at that time. Comparing the Summit of today to what she may offer in a few months could be substantially different. Reflection would be more safe option of the two if the ship itself is of any concern. Are you port people or ship people? Since the Summit would only have 1 sea day on each leg, the turnaround day may be nice for some downtime. That's a lot of port stops packed into 2 weeks. 

[TeaBag]

Reflection for all that has been stated with Lawn Club Grill at the top. 

[CoconutOne]

11 hours ago, bajathree said:

Am I missing something?!?!?! When is Miami not pretty much "topical warmth" in March/April.

 

March can get cold fronts that drop the temperature into the 60's. April, much less so.

 

While Solstice class is nicer, Reflection was modified from the original design and is less attractive than the others in the class. For that reason, plus the fact you get more ports and Summit will be refurbished, I would go with Summit.

 

IMO, Reflection is too crowded and boring. They removed Quasar, and cut the Sky Lounge in half, both of which changes the ship's appeal dramatically.

 

If you don't want to go to all the ports of Summit, you can stay on the ship, but at least you have the option. With Reflection, you're stuck on board with you and over 3000 of your closest friends (on a ship designed to carry just over 2800.)

[bajathree]

8 hours ago, CoconutOne said:

 

March can get cold fronts that drop the temperature into the 60's. April, much less so.

 

While Solstice class is nicer, Reflection was modified from the original design and is less attractive than the others in the class. For that reason, plus the fact you get more ports and Summit will be refurbished, I would go with Summit.

 

IMO, Reflection is too crowded and boring. They removed Quasar, and cut the Sky Lounge in half, both of which changes the ship's appeal dramatically.

 

If you don't want to go to all the ports of Summit, you can stay on the ship, but at least you have the option. With Reflection, you're stuck on board with you and over 3000 of your closest friends (on a ship designed to carry just over 2800.)

Im sitting on my balcony thinking I may go to the beach today....OH WAIT...it's mid Dec.....lol