Celebrity Reflection Entertainment

[WarEagle89]

Hello, I have been reading hundreds of posts over the past few weeks getting ready to book a cruise and now looking for that final validation before I do. First cruise in over 5 years for me and first cruise ever for my girlfriend so I want to make sure she loves it so she wants to go on many more!  I have cruised NCL a lot but never Celebrity. I have read a lot of posts about the (supposed} decline of quality on NCL and read lots of great things about Celebrity. We are in our mid-50's and love live music of all types as well as great entertainment.  I know she will love exploring the ship bars, music venues, and restaurants, and meeting new people but my only concern has been the entertainment since I have read some posts that have made comments about the general quality and, more often, the quantity of entertainment onboard.

 

Since I am familiar with NCL and their entertainment like Howl at the Moon, the jazz clubs, and now their new Pourhouse (although I've not been on a cruise with one), how does Celebrity compare, and specifically Reflection?  Do they have pianists and guitarists or duos/trios that play music around the ship throughout the day?  Are the night-time big stage shows high quality and interesting?  I know opinions vary but would love to hear some specifics.

 

Looking at an early 7 night January cruise on Reflection in an AquaClass, with only 3 ports because I love the sea days.  But want to make sure that we will enjoy the entertainment and not just be listening to piped in music a lot of the time. Thanks for any feedback!

[NMTraveller]

It has been a while since I sailed on NCL but I thought that there was more music and better entertainment on NCL.  I cruise X for the quiet and relaxing vacation on the S class ships.  There is some live music but not as much as on NCL.

[WestLakeGirl]

Unlike some other lines, Celebrrity prides itself on featuring live musicians... recently on Summit,  the. daily Program featured a string duo, a solo.guitarist,/singer, a duo with a female singer and her backup guitarist,,  a party band and live musicians for the production shows and guest entertainers

[Cruise a holic]

We have been on both and truly enjoyed Celebrity entertainment more then NCL.  You will not be disappointed.  Enjoy your cruise.

[WarEagle89]

Thanks so much for the replies! Will be booking later today. This board has been very helpful and informative. 

[bandp407]

11 hours ago, WarEagle89 said:

Thanks so much for the replies! Will be booking later today. This board has been very helpful and informative. 

Reflection is a favorite of ours! Our last sailing on her was in March 2022. The production shows and headliners were amazing! We too love to dance and enjoy good music. There were 2 live bands , also a great DJ that filled in, and a duo guitarist. By mid afternoon on port days music usually started by the pool. The food and service were excellent. The crew were like our family by the end of the cruise! 
 

You & your girlfriend will love it & be hooked as we are!! Enjoy!

[bandp407]

2 minutes ago, bandp407 said:

Reflection is a favorite of ours! Our last sailing on her was in March 2022. The production shows and headliners were amazing! We too love to dance and enjoy good music. There were 2 live bands , also a great DJ that filled in, and a duo guitarist. By mid afternoon on port days music usually started by the pool. The food and service were excellent. The crew were like our family by the end of the cruise! 
 

You & your girlfriend will love it & be hooked as we are!! Enjoy!

Also forgot to mention pre book a dinner in Murano. The food , ambiance, and service amazing!! Shows are usually 7 & 9 so perhaps go to the 7pm show & dinner at 8. You can reverse and have dinner earlier if you prefer. 

[montythecat]

Sorry to throw a spanner in the works but have you looked at Holland America’s

Pinnacle Class ships ?  Obviously you will have to find an itinerary which suits

you, but HAL have a unique attitude to providing music on their newest ships

with a rock band, a blues/soul band, two pianos and a classical string quartet.

There is much less emphasis on theatre productions. We love it and have moved

away from Celebrity in favour of HAL. It might, or might not, be your cup of tea

but you may wish to see whether it is an option which you might like. I hope

this helps you choose a cruise which you will love.

[chemmo]

On 10/31/2022 at 2:07 AM, WarEagle89 said:

Hello, I have been reading hundreds of posts over the past few weeks getting ready to book a cruise and now looking for that final validation before I do. First cruise in over 5 years for me and first cruise ever for my girlfriend so I want to make sure she loves it so she wants to go on many more!  I have cruised NCL a lot but never Celebrity. I have read a lot of posts about the (supposed} decline of quality on NCL and read lots of great things about Celebrity. We are in our mid-50's and love live music of all types as well as great entertainment.  I know she will love exploring the ship bars, music venues, and restaurants, and meeting new people but my only concern has been the entertainment since I have read some posts that have made comments about the general quality and, more often, the quantity of entertainment onboard.

 

Since I am familiar with NCL and their entertainment like Howl at the Moon, the jazz clubs, and now their new Pourhouse (although I've not been on a cruise with one), how does Celebrity compare, and specifically Reflection?  Do they have pianists and guitarists or duos/trios that play music around the ship throughout the day?  Are the night-time big stage shows high quality and interesting?  I know opinions vary but would love to hear some specifics.

 

Looking at an early 7 night January cruise on Reflection in an AquaClass, with only 3 ports because I love the sea days.  But want to make sure that we will enjoy the entertainment and not just be listening to piped in music a lot of the time. Thanks for any feedback!

 

We love the entertainment on Celebrity. It sounds like you like lounge entertainment in bars rather than big shows which is our preference too. The ensemble lounge pre and post dinner is a great venue not only to enjoy the music but to make new friends.

 

Make sure you check the ‘Today’ sheet. It will list where and when the live music takes place. No loud announcements on Celebrity so you do need to check.

 

Another vote for booking a meal in Murano.

 

We loved our cruise on Reflection…Enjoy!

[CruisingWalter]

On 10/30/2022 at 10:07 PM, WarEagle89 said:

. I have read a lot of posts about the (supposed} decline of quality on NCL and read lots of great things about Celebrity.

 

If you go to any cruise forum on CC, including this one, you will read about the supposed decline of that cruise line. There are people complaining about the decline of every cruise line. 🙂

 

On 10/30/2022 at 10:07 PM, WarEagle89 said:

Since I am familiar with NCL and their entertainment like Howl at the Moon, the jazz clubs, and now their new Pourhouse (although I've not been on a cruise with one), how does Celebrity compare, and specifically Reflection?

 

It's different and quieter on Celebrity than NCL. No dueling piano bars, often a single guitarist at some of the bars. Think more like a jazz club vs. a rock club for NCL. There will be a band in the main atrium with dancing. The  Celebrity Original main shows in the theater, if they are still the same as when we sailed Reflection, Silhouette and Equinox, can be a bit weird. We're not fans of the original Celebrity shows, but they do tend to book really good comedians onboard. The visiting acts are hit or miss. Honestly, the overall entertainment is better on NCL. Of the 8 cruise lines we've sailed so far, NCL and Disney have the best overall onboard entertainment, though we're about to sail an Oasis Class Royal ship and the main shows do look really good on there as well. 

 

I think the main dining room is much better on Celebrity as is the pool experience. The indoor solarium pools on the S Class ships are awesome. The overall vibe on Celebrity is more 'luxury resort' and less 'beach vibe fun' like NCL. Celebrity is more of a grown up adult experience since you don't have the water slides and all the family friendly activities top side. We enjoy both cruise lines, and in fact we enjoy all 8 of the cruise lines we've sailed, but they're different experiences. You'll feel more relaxed and pampered on Celebrity because it's a more chill vibe. 

 

 

[NCteacherlovescruising]

13 hours ago, montythecat said:

Sorry to throw a spanner in the works but have you looked at Holland America’s

Pinnacle Class ships ?  Obviously you will have to find an itinerary which suits

you, but HAL have a unique attitude to providing music on their newest ships

with a rock band, a blues/soul band, two pianos and a classical string quartet.

There is much less emphasis on theatre productions. We love it and have moved

away from Celebrity in favour of HAL. It might, or might not, be your cup of tea

but you may wish to see whether it is an option which you might like. I hope

this helps you choose a cruise which you will love.

He said they are mid 50’s. That’s a bit young for Holland, IMO. 

[WarEagle89]

Thanks for all the great inputs!  We are definitely fans of sitting with a drink and listening to good music, whatever type it may be, so lots of lounge music sounds great.  The variety of opinions on the Broadway-style shows on Celebrity is one of the reasons I posted this - it seems like some love them and some do not. I have not looked at Holland previously for the exact stereotype mentioned here, I've always thought it skewed older - of course, now I'm older too - I was in my 40's for my last cruise! After reading this, I did go look up some of their newer ships and they look beautiful. I will definitely consider them for future cruises. As for Royal Carib entertainment, I kind of felt they looked like they had the most options but the ship size of the giant ones (and thus number of passengers) seemed too much so I narrowed it down to Celebrity and NCL.  Thanks also for the restaurant recommendations - I have loved specialty restaurants on other ships so looking forward to trying these.  This board and the posters here are really great. 

[Pgbear]

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