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Thoughts about the Reflection and this particular Norway itinerary?


stickey_mouse
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Unfortunately, my group's Norwegian Fjord itinerary, set to sail next summer, was cancelled (Holland America). I am considering, as a replacement, an 8-night itinerary on the Celebrity Reflection. The itinerary is as follows:

 

Amsterdam

Flam

Alesund

Skjolden

Olden

Bergen

Amsterdam

 

Any thoughts on this itinerary? I really wanted to go to Geiranger but figure we can do a day trip from Alesund. We previously sailed on the Silhouette and enjoyed it very much. Does the extra deck on the Reflection make it noticeably more crowded?

 

Thanks!

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30 minutes ago, stickey_mouse said:

Unfortunately, my group's Norwegian Fjord itinerary, set to sail next summer, was cancelled (Holland America). I am considering, as a replacement, an 8-night itinerary on the Celebrity Reflection. The itinerary is as follows:

 

Amsterdam

Flam

Alesund

Skjolden

Olden

Bergen

Amsterdam

 

Any thoughts on this itinerary? I really wanted to go to Geiranger but figure we can do a day trip from Alesund. We previously sailed on the Silhouette and enjoyed it very much. Does the extra deck on the Reflection make it noticeably more crowded?

 

Thanks!

Not going to comment on the itinerary but the ship, many say it does seem more crowded. I was on the Reflection 2x last year and never noticed the extra people at all.  No waits for anything, yes the Martini bar is crowded at 6 but all of the ships are.  The reflection is personally my favorite overall.  It is kept immaculate clean.  Others will moan and groan that it has not been updated, but to me I dont have an issue.  Was supposed to be on her for a B2B in in November but with how things are lift and shifted to the Constellation for next year.  I think you will enjoy the ship and the cruise itself is in my bucket list to get to the Fjords overall 

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We took the Voyage of the Midnight Sun (Nieuw Statendam) last summer and loved it. We too would have liked to have visited Geiranger, but it wasn't on our itinerary either. I don't know how you are planning to do a day trip there, as the driving time is about 2 hours 15 minutes one way. Not a lot of time to visit. As for ports, Flam, Alesund and Olden weren't on our itinerary. In Bergen, we did a DIY walking tour and could have easily spent another day or two. If you are going to take the funicular, get there early! In Skjolden, we took the Tour to Sognefjell and Urnes Stave Church (item F. here http://skjolden.com/en/visit-skjolden-bussturar/) We were six in a small van with a delightful young lady guide.  I highly recommend the tour, but communication with them over the winter can be spotty. 

 

I spent a lot of time going through the VMS roll calls from the year before and found a wealth of information, better than the ports of call threads. 

Edited by Fouremco
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57 minutes ago, stickey_mouse said:

I really wanted to go to Geiranger

 

I think that Geiranger is the highlight of a cruise to the Fjords.

 

OTH, Reflection is an excellent ship - done Iceland + Ireland on it -- didn't feel very crowded (we were at full capacity), and the food and service were one of the best we had (along with Equinox).

 

Should u decide, the train journey in Flam is the one thing to do there (Flam wasn't in our itinerary, but many friends have done it). The ship's (train) excursion is expensive, but, due to the limited time, I wouldn't do it any other way.

 

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We did a Princess cruise that included a stop in Geiranger.  It was definitely one of the highlights of the trip.  That said, the other ports are fantastic and I wouldn’t hesitate doing the Fjords again even with a stop in Geiranger.

 

As far as the Reflection it’s one of my favourite S-Class ships and did not feel anymore crowded than the others.  In fact the improvements to the Sunset bar are worth it alone especially on a cruise with great scenery.

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We have also done RF and did not notice any more crowding than the other S class ships. You very well might notice it if in a suite as there are many more suites and therefore, Luminae and The Retreat Lounge might be more impacted.

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3 hours ago, stickey_mouse said:

Unfortunately, my group's Norwegian Fjord itinerary, set to sail next summer, was cancelled (Holland America). I am considering, as a replacement, an 8-night itinerary on the Celebrity Reflection. The itinerary is as follows:

 

Amsterdam

Flam

Alesund

Skjolden

Olden

Bergen

Amsterdam

 

Any thoughts on this itinerary? I really wanted to go to Geiranger but figure we can do a day trip from Alesund. We previously sailed on the Silhouette and enjoyed it very much. Does the extra deck on the Reflection make it noticeably more crowded?

 

Thanks!

 

 July 11 onboard the Reflection includes Geiranger

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I did a 15-day westbound Transatlantic on Reflection. The only other S-Class ship I have tried happens to be the Silhouette. I did not notice a difference in increased passengers or crowding of venues. If you loved Silhouette, you will really enjoy the Reflection.

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It was on sea days in the Caribbean we noticed a difference poolside compared to other S class ships and also breakfast and lunchtime in the buffet. In the evenings we didn’t notice a difference. The additional dining venues on Reflection probably take some pressure from the dining rooms. We would still happily cruise on her again!

 

However, I don’t think poolside in the Fjords would be an issue! Also Reflection does have the pay for options of the Porch or Sushi which are great for lunch on sea days. We cruised the Fjords on Eclipse from Southampton and loved it! To make the most of the sightseeing we were up early most days breakfasting on the balcony watching the scenery go by! Our itinerary had some overlap with yours.

 

We were mored some distance from Bergen and you had to be bused from the ship to the exit of the shipyard to pick up private trips etc. This did add queuing time to your arrangements. As I had a mobility issue at the time we decided not to bother (too messy). Several people had headed for the funicular and either spent lots of time queuing or gave up and just had a walk, so definitely a port to look at prebooking something.

 

 

Flam, we prebooked privately the first trip of the day. Very easy to do, no need to book through the cruise line. However, big queues to book on the day with very limited time slot availability. I wouldn’t risk pre booking a late in the day slot.

 

Hope you have a great cruise!

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On 8/20/2020 at 2:09 PM, stickey_mouse said:

 

Any thoughts on this itinerary? I really wanted to go to Geiranger but figure we can do a day trip from Alesund. We previously sailed on the Silhouette and enjoyed it very much. Does the extra deck on the Reflection make it noticeably more crowded?

 

Thanks!

The itinerary looks fine.  The only thing I don't like about Reflection compared to all the other S-Class ships is the Oceanview Cafe is on the same deck as the Pool, where the smoking section is located, usually on the Port side.  While you are underway the wind can draft the smoke into the Oceanview Cafe when the sliding doors open.  It was really bad on one TA when we had a steady head wind.  🍷

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I think that most people with extensive cruise experience know that going to food venues at peak times will always find them crowded, whether the ship is 2000 or 6000 passengers. I figured that out after 2 or 3 cruises. Hence, we tend to dine later for lunch and later for dinner. Never a problem and not crowded when we dine.

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10 hours ago, vulcan1971 said:

I think that most people with extensive cruise experience know that going to food venues at peak times will always find them crowded, whether the ship is 2000 or 6000 passengers. I figured that out after 2 or 3 cruises. Hence, we tend to dine later for lunch and later for dinner. Never a problem and not crowded when we dine.

Shhh.  Why tell other people what is total common sense   It’s important to keep the illusion up that the food will disappear and it’s first come first serve only.  

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Been on the Silhouette thrice, and once on the Reflection. Didn’t feel there was any difference. Love the Norway Itineraries. Was looking at MSC Meraviglia to Norway in June 2020 but now looking at Celebrity for Norway in 2021


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I think that the sail in to Geiranger is a big reason for choosing to cruise the fjords for most people.  My choice would be an itinerary that includes it.   I'm not sure that I'd make the trip from Alesund to go to Geiranger though. It's not terribly close and there is a lot to see in the Alesund area. 

 

In Flam, almost everyone does the train tour but we thought that that kayaking in the Naeroyfjord  there was the highlight of our cruise.  It was spectacular.

kayak_4.JPG

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On 8/22/2020 at 3:13 PM, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

Alesund is a very interesting port, don't skip it. 

 

Agreed, it's charming.  Plus, we had the best fish and chips in our lives there, and the view from Mount Aksla is stunning.

 

enhance

 

(photo by turtles06)

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5 hours ago, Torfamm said:

I think that the sail in to Geiranger is a big reason for choosing to cruise the fjords for most people.  My choice would be an itinerary that includes it.   I'm not sure that I'd make the trip from Alesund to go to Geiranger though. It's not terribly close and there is a lot to see in the Alesund area. 

 

In Flam, almost everyone does the train tour but we thought that that kayaking in the Naeroyfjord  there was the highlight of our cruise.  It was spectacular.

 

We both cruised the Naeroyfjord and did the train trip in Flom.  Both were spectacular.

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