Reflection for Christmas

[chaps612]

DH, DW and DD (14) all went on our fourth Celebrity cruise, twice on Reflection and Silhouette. All cruises were Caribbean. Pre-cruise, we stayed at the Comfort Suites off of Federal hwy. The hotel was fine but too noisy for our tastes and we will try something different next year. The area is not the greatest IMO.

 

Embark: As usual, we arrived around 1030. This turned out to be a great decision as the family we were meeting got stuck in a 2 plus hour wait due to a ship inspection and the gangway being shut down due to high winds. We prefer the layout of terminal 28 as terminal 25 was built for the Edge. We were through security and on to the ship by 1130. 

 

The Reflection is still in great shape and well maintained. We were in a C2 cabin on the hump. We had two chairs with foot stools and one full length lounger. We upgraded for a C3 and as usual, calling Celebrity was a coin toss. We've been told by some they will not upgrade you on a christmas cruise. Well, I called one day as it doesn't hurt to ask and was upgraded. What an awesome location! Our room steward was good but not great. Quick tip; DO NOT drink the bottle of Evian that is in the room. That was a $7 mistake made a few cruises ago. Had the premium drink package and thought I was okay. 

 

Our primary reasons for cruising are relaxation, good food and service. It was relaxing with great service here and not so much there. The food was very good with little complaints. The service in the MDR was excellent! We were anytime dining and had little problem getting our dinner time of 630 with the exception of the first chic night. We were very fortunate to find the best MDR server ever the first night!! Sanyo was incredible with both service and personality. I dished it out (bad humor) and he threw it right back at me. But, more importantly, he took great care of my family. He served my daughter the best beef curry that wasn't on the menu. The menu is becoming a little ordinary. I found it strange that they served lobster, duck and a beef wellington on Christmas. I wish they would have spread these out to other nights. Also, the embark lunch was the weakest ever as they usually serve grilled salmon but subbed in Trout that wasn't all that good. We ate breakfast just about every morning with our friends. The food was okay and service good. The company was great! I usually eat lunch everyday at the mast grill but the burgers weren't as good as usual. Could this be the decline that everyone seems to be talking about?? I'll find out next November. We ate only once at the speciality restaurants. Lawn Club Grill was a port day as there were fewer diners. The food and service were great! However, the $60 per person price tag is starting to raise eyebrows. Our 14 year old is becoming an extremely expensive date. We went with another family and the dads got to make pizza with our daughters which made it more memorable. However, the MDR was just fine for us. The buffet was good but nothing out of the ordinary with the exception of the congee which our daughter ate everyday for breakfast.

 

We are a low maintenance family with very few needs. Although the service was hit and miss, it did not deter us from a great cruise. The MDR as previously mentioned was awesome but areas that need improvement were the casino. I enjoy people with personality and friendliness but both were non-existent throughout this cruise. Cafe Al Bacio was great and we spent lots of time there. If Celebrity ever makes the decision to replace this venue then we will probably look to other cruise lines. The sunset bar had a great environment but the bartenders were not attentive. The young lady serving gelato probably should be somewhere that doesn't involve customer service. Guest relations were professional. There seemed to be more pool butlers and servers in the solarium and pool area. I just wish parents observed rules as there were three 5 years olds in the solarium unattended. Unacceptable! Our fellow passengers were varied and nice. 

 

Public areas are a Celebrity strong suit. The public bathrooms are the best I've ever seen but the scorned red rose still exists!! Smoking is limited to a few outdoor areas of the ship which is great for us non-smokers. The gym which I used for the first time ever was stocked with good equipment and was very clean. 

 

Our family went to activities to include trivia and games. I only wish Celebrity would utilize their own people that range from 50+ countries. They could provide more cultural events to include more language, food and general information from all of these different countries as the crew in many ways are a big part of making a good cruise great. While not our best cruise (we prefer Silhouette) it was a great time with friends and family. 

[Nymich]

Thanks for the review.   Will be on the Reflection in a few months!

[mafig]

You had a full length lounger with a C2 cabin on the slant?  Was it already there, or did you ask for it?

[chaps612]

It was just waiting for us. And there was surprisingly plenty of room for three of us!

[Orator]

Sanyo is a superstar waiter! One of the very, very best.

[DENIE]

Thanks for your review!  We may be on Reflection in 2020 - a ways off!  But nice to hear good things!

[CHEZMARYLOU]

When did the price of the Lawn Club go to $60.00 pp?

Edited January 5, 2019 by CHEZMARYLOU

[chaps612]

I'm not sure when LCG went up in price but last December I remember paying $50. It was somewhat of a shock to see that high of a price. It's becoming harder to justify when the MDR is pretty good itself.