Reflection - anyone been on it this year?

[go.without.you]

I'm debating between a suite and Aqua class. Is the lounge Michael's or has it been converted to the Retreat Lounge? And I'm thinking there is not retreat deck either. That's going to be the deciding factors.

[jelayne]

On in February.  No Retreat Sun Deck.  Michael’s is the Retreat Lounge just renamed no other noticeable changes.

[OysterD]

I'm booked for a September cruise on Reflection - it's not been updated yet so you're correct there is no retreat deck. I think the suite lounge is just Michael's bar renamed, don't think they've made any major changes.

 

We're booked in aqua for our cruise as we couldn't justify an extra £3000+ (per person!) for a sky suite. We don't really need a slightly bigger but otherwise pretty much identical cabin; I'm more than happy eating in Blu; there is no retreat deck and the other perks of being in a suite arent nearly worth the extra money being asked for it. In our opinion anyway, everyone is different!

[go.without.you]

So is Michael's open for Elite or just suites?

[cruisestitch]

Just suites

[Algebralovr]

Michael's Club is the Suite lounge, and definitely no retreat deck.  

She has a dry dock scheduled in October (i think) and we are all wondering if she will receive some upgrades then.  Her last was in 2018, so this is a litte bit earlier than planned originally.  

[jelayne]

19 minutes ago, Algebralovr said:

Michael's Club is the Suite lounge, and definitely no retreat deck.  

She has a dry dock scheduled in October (i think) and we are all wondering if she will receive some upgrades then.  Her last was in 2018, so this is a litte bit earlier than planned originally.  

I wouldn’t count on anything more than the normal maintenance and possibly replacing some of the soft goods.  

[go.without.you]

24 minutes ago, Algebralovr said:

Michael's Club is the Suite lounge, and definitely no retreat deck.  

She has a dry dock scheduled in October (i think) and we are all wondering if she will receive some upgrades then.  Her last was in 2018, so this is a litte bit earlier than planned originally.  

There's a transatlantic sailing Oct 31st. I believe dry dock is January.

[Algebralovr]

I'm fairly certain the dry dock is right before the TA. 

Celebrity is advertising a 10 night roundtrip from Rome on Oct 7, then nothing from Oct 17 to the TA on Oct 31 which leaves from Barcelona.  This lines up perfectly with what we were told by the Suite Manager in February. 

Reflection lands in Port Everglades Nov 13, there is a full ship charter starting Nov 13, then the first public sailing in the Caribbean is Nov 20. 

 

There are no holes in her schedule in January or February. 

[canderson]

3 minutes ago, Algebralovr said:

I'm fairly certain the dry dock is right before the TA.

Yup, agree that the hole is 17 Oct to 30 Oct.  With two full weeks, there's some chance the interior will see some refreshing, but ...

 

The reason that Constellation (the most recently 'refreshed') got a big interior sprucing up during the July 21 drydock was because it was due for the Revolution right after the COVID shutdown, and the soft goods would necessarily have been purchased and warehoused already in preparation for that event.  While not free, all they were out to do that in Cadiz was the labor, and they could then save the storage expense of the massive amount of stuff they had ready to install.  They were already scheduled for the Cadiz drydock for required mechanical work, so they weren't out the extra expense of occupying the space, either.

 

Not sure whether X would be willing to put out the $ for Reflection if they weren't already committed to it as they were with Constellation.  It would be nice to think it could happen, though -- we're on the 31 October sailing right after drydock.

 

[Algebralovr]

Having been on both Equinox and Silhouette post-Revolution, I'm wondering if they might not do an Equinox type of update to Reflection.  So, not the whole thing, but set up the Solstice Deck to be a Retreat?  They could add the bar up there fairly easily.  

 

I'll look for photos from the Oct 31 sailing!  We are going to be on her Nov 20.

If I remember correctly, Reflection was originally scheduled for sometime in 2023, so this is actually doing some work on her a bit early.  

[canderson]

57 minutes ago, Algebralovr said:

 

I'll look for photos from the Oct 31 sailing!  We are going to be on her Nov 20.

 

Will post some for sure.

 

Watch where you sit during your cruise.  There's a 'Bliss' cruise for the week between our sailing and yours! 😳  (in case anyone was wondering about that hole in Reflection's schedule!)

[VitaminSea53]

57 minutes ago, canderson said:

Will post some for sure.

 

Watch where you sit during your cruise.  There's a 'Bliss' cruise for the week between our sailing and yours! 😳  (in case anyone was wondering about that hole in Reflection's schedule!)

I was wondering what a "bliss" cruise is .... so if anyone else was wondering

 

"Celebrity Reflection * November 13 - 20, 2022

Bliss Cruise has put together another great 7-night itinerary to the Southern Caribbean. You'll have four sea days packed with daytime pool activities, seminars and workshops, meet & greets, clothing-optional pool and open deck areas, plus, afternoon playtime fun. Once we reach the Southern Caribbean, you have two port days to explore the beautiful white sand beaches, warm surf, and colorful architecture of Aruba and Curacao."

[VitaminSea53]

2 hours ago, Algebralovr said:

I'm fairly certain the dry dock is right before the TA. 

Celebrity is advertising a 10 night roundtrip from Rome on Oct 7, then nothing from Oct 17 to the TA on Oct 31 which leaves from Barcelona.  This lines up perfectly with what we were told by the Suite Manager in February. 

Reflection lands in Port Everglades Nov 13, there is a full ship charter starting Nov 13, then the first public sailing in the Caribbean is Nov 20. 

 

There are no holes in her schedule in January or February. 

That matches what is on the celebrity website:

CELEBRITY REFLECTION®

Inaugural: October 2012

Guest capacity: 3,480

Gross tonnage: 126,000

Length: 1,041 ft, Beam: 121 ft

Last renovation: Jan. 2018

Next renovation: Oct 2022

[canderson]

49 minutes ago, VitaminSea53 said:

I was wondering what a "bliss" cruise is .... so if anyone else was wondering

 

"Celebrity Reflection * November 13 - 20, 2022

Bliss Cruise has put together another great 7-night itinerary to the Southern Caribbean. You'll have four sea days packed with daytime pool activities, seminars and workshops, meet & greets, clothing-optional pool and open deck areas, plus, afternoon playtime fun. Once we reach the Southern Caribbean, you have two port days to explore the beautiful white sand beaches, warm surf, and colorful architecture of Aruba and Curacao."

The advert for the Summit cruises is a little more explicit.  Wonder where those 'playrooms' are???

 

"Your Bliss cruise will come alive at night with more live entertainment than you ever imagined and a huge variety of parties to suit all tastes. Whether it is music, dancing, or something more adventurous like an adult-themed party with playrooms, Bliss Cruise has it all. The best part of the cruise is meeting the wonderful couples who share your passion for adult fun.

 

Our cruise will leave from Miami, Florida, and will include stops in Georgetown, Grand Cayman, and Ocho Rios, Jamaica. In each port, Bliss Cruise has arranged for special excursions which will be very popular. On the ship, you can enjoy the clothing-optional pools, multiple playrooms, fun theme nights, various Meet & Greets, and the non-stop party atmosphere.

 

This lifestyle cruise is a full ship charter for adult couples 21 and over. The ship will sail with over 2,000 people that will party and play all day and all night. Book your cabin now to be part of the fun!"

 

You get a better sense of it from the attachment:

 

BC-Nov2022-Client-Behavior-Policy.pdf

Edited May 13, 2022 by canderson

[Michidoeme]

2 hours ago, canderson said:

Yup, agree that the hole is 17 Oct to 30 Oct.  With two full weeks, there's some chance the interior will see some refreshing, but ...

 

The reason that Constellation (the most recently 'refreshed') got a big interior sprucing up during the July 21 drydock was because it was due for the Revolution right after the COVID shutdown, and the soft goods would necessarily have been purchased and warehoused already in preparation for that event.  While not free, all they were out to do that in Cadiz was the labor, and they could then save the storage expense of the massive amount of stuff they had ready to install.  They were already scheduled for the Cadiz drydock for required mechanical work, so they weren't out the extra expense of occupying the space, either.

 

Not sure whether X would be willing to put out the $ for Reflection if they weren't already committed to it as they were with Constellation.  It would be nice to think it could happen, though -- we're on the 31 October sailing right after drydock.

 

Was the Constellation refreshed July 2021 or is it planned for July 2022.  Just talked to a Celebrity rep and they seem to think the Constellation had no refresh yet and is still a very tired ship ?

[canderson]

3 minutes ago, Michidoeme said:

Was the Constellation refreshed July 2021 or is it planned for July 2022.  Just talked to a Celebrity rep and they seem to think the Constellation had no refresh yet and is still a very tired ship ?

Rule #1:  These days, never assume a 'Celebrity rep' knows the facts about anything.  If it isn't on the provided script, they'll make it up. 

Rule #2:  If a 'Celebrity rep' says anything, refer to Rule #1.

 

Yes, Constellation got a major interior refresh along with the mechanical work during the Cadiz drydock in July 2021.  We were the very first passengers to set foot on the new carpet and open the new drapes, and sit our keisters on the new furniture in our cabin.  Public spaces also underwent the same kind of treatment.  Looked very spiffy for the restart in November 2021.  Lots of major and minor details were addressed.  The last 'punch list' for our section of the ship was inadvertently left in a cupboard in our cabin, so before turning it in to our butler, I had a chance to see that maintenance had been very busy before our arrival, too.

[calicakes]

9 hours ago, OysterD said:

I'm booked for a September cruise on Reflection

We are as well.  September 16th. 

[Algebralovr]

6 hours ago, Michidoeme said:

Was the Constellation refreshed July 2021 or is it planned for July 2022.  Just talked to a Celebrity rep and they seem to think the Constellation had no refresh yet and is still a very tired ship ?

She had a refresh, but she didn’t get the full treatment.  The full treatment would have included making the upper front of the ship into the Suite Retreat, which they didn’t have a chance to do.  They didn’t take her back to the bare metal in the staterooms, but they did do a lot of updates. 
 

I’m sailing on her in February 2023, and not worried at all about being in a “tired ship”.  It will be just fine. 

[5:00_Somewhere]

We were in the same position as the OP when booking our cruise on the Reflection for this past March. Because she has not been Revolutionized, we chose an Aqua Class cabin, and we were perfectly happy with the choice. We spent a good deal of time on the Solstice Deck, which we understand was converted to the Retreat Sun Deck on the Revolutionized S-Class ships. Peeked into the Retreat Lounge and didn't see any difference from when it was called Michaels. That said, we had a wonderful cruise, were perfectly happy with Aqua Class, found the food and service in Blu exceptional, and can highly recommend her.

[kwokpot]

3 hours ago, 5:00_Somewhere said:

Peeked into the Retreat Lounge and didn't see any difference from when it was called Michaels.

That's because nothing was done.

[Libra1975]

Does anyone have any recent daily planners from the ship with activities, shows etc on them?

[go.without.you]

I'm sailing on the Nov 20th sailing right after the Bliss cruise. I'm sure the staff will be pleased to have everyone fully clothed again. Shudder. Do you know why people go on Bliss cruises? Its the only way they can get people to look at them when they are naked!

 

So dry dock in October doesn't sound like they plan to create a Retreat deck. In that case I'll save $1400 and book aqua class. The only retreat perks would be Michael's club and Luminae. One of the Edge ships depart the same day so it will be using the good terminal so no Retreat boarding lounge either.

 

[terrydtx]

On 5/13/2022 at 10:55 AM, go.without.you said:

So is Michael's open for Elite or just suites?

Just Retreat Suite guests.

[Mimiya11]

Was in a Sky Suite on the Reflection in March.    

Reasons that we chose (and will again) a SS over Aqua were the larger cabin and balcony and of course Luminae.    Difference in price for us for that sailing was pretty small, so we thought we would splurge and loved it.  At time of our sailing, the ship was only 1/2 full.    

 

Michael's club was dark and gloomy (just our opinion, some people, are fans) so we only had gone in to chat with the Michael's concierge over an issue we had at check-in at the lounge.    Hope once they revolutionize the Reflection, it will lighten up as we love the ship.