Reflection Review- Our 13th cruise on The Reflection’s 13th Cruise Jan.2013

We were on the Reflection on the Jan 26th cruise. To our surprise, the cruise Director Paul Baya announced that this was the Reflection’s thirteenth cruise, and yes, the ship really did feel brand new. This was also Captain Pagonis‘s final cruise. He was very personable and high profile around the ship.

This was also our 13th cruise, but it was my 1st Celebrity Cruise, but my husband was on Celebrity way back in the 90’s. We are in our 50’s and have cruised on Holland America, RCI, Carnival and NCL – usually with our kids during holidays or spring break. -This time, just the 2 of us.

We loved this cruise! We did not sail AQ or CC. Maybe you don’t miss what you don’t know, but I really feel we had a wonderful cruise experience without the added “perks”. When booking, we didn’t really think that the added amenities looked to be worth the money and I think we made the right decision for us.

We had a 1A hump balcony #7286. This balcony was huge (approx. 10’wide and 12-13' at the long side and 10' on the short side), and we spent a lot of time out there.

Embarkation: We flew into Florida a few days before the cruise and had a rental car from Alamo. We returned the car to the Miami airport at 10am and then took the free Alamo shuttle to the dock. There was no line up to check in, and we quickly got registered and photos taken for the sail card and we were ready to board by 11:15am. But, we had to get into a short line, as they were not letting anyone on board the ship until 11:30. By 11:40, we were standing in the foyer of the ship with a complimentary flute of Champagne. Cabins would not be ready until 1pm, so we set off to explore the ship.

The ship is absolutely beautiful – modern, chic, and elegant. It was a beautiful day in Miami and we were on the top deck and came across the Mast Grill. The burgers and fries were great and we enjoyed a nice view the Miami harbor from the top deck while enjoying our lunch. Then we went to relax in the Solarium in one of the big double tub chairs right beside the floor to ceiling glass walls (some panels were open for ventilation) until our cabin was ready. How relaxing to take in the views and listen to the spa music and fountain. Great way to start a vacation and unwind!

We had early seating in the dining room in the far back corner near the mirrored wine wall. It was a table for 6 and even though it was near the kitchen, this was a really nice quiet table. We met 2 couples at our table who were also from Canada. We had such wonderful dinners in the MDR, that we never once felt the need to go to a specialty restaurant he whole cruise. The food was very good and the service was excellent. Our waiters were Elizabeth and Andreea and both of these young women were a total delight. They were charming, helpful and very hard workers. We really enjoyed our evenings in Opus.

The only night we did not eat there was the night in San Juan. We arrived back at the ship late, so the plan was to order room service on our balcony. But we got back so hungry and tired, that we just went up to the Ocean View Café. The food was so-so, but the setting fantastic - we sat outside at the stern and watched the lights of San Juan.

We really enjoyed the itinerary of this cruise: Sea Day, afternoon arrival in San Juan, St Maarten, St. Kitts (a new island for us), and then 2 relaxing days at sea.

Here were some of the highlights of the Cruise for us.

• The ship décor was beautiful. And the art around the ship – fresh and interesting

• We had a hump cabin on deck 7 (7286). It was the largest balcony looking aft on the starboard side of the ship. We spent a lot of time here. We got sun and shade, had a big enough table for breakfast, and was well protected from the wind and rain.

• Food in the main dining room – never felt the need to pay for a specialty restaurant

• Our wait staff in the MDR Elizabeth and Andreea. Delightful- charming and professional. –Best we have seen on a cruise.

• The art studio – loved the staff – Faith and Jackie (amazing what they could show you in an hour or half hour). I took the free watercolor, drawing class and the water colour techniques classes ($20 each)

• Evening Concerts on the Lawn: Nice Music in a great setting (7:45 on San Juan and St. Maarten nights)

• Cellar Masters – We got the wine card for the self-serve wine bar. The cards are $100 (you get $30 bonus if you buy it the first day … so $130 on the card for $100) or you can get a $50 card (with a $10 bonus on the first day). They have quite a few stations of red and white wines. You can buy 1oz, 2.5 oz., or 5oz. Just help yourself to a glass and put in your card and choose a wine, then push the button to fill your glass. There is a huge price range, so this is a nice way of tasting wines when you can buy by the ounce. You are also encouraged to take your wine with you to dinner or anywhere else on the ship. It is open 24hrs, but during peak hours a sommelier is present to give you advice.

• The Hideaway coffee bar – very near our room and very convenient (coffee needed to be replenished more often though)

• Breakfast on our balcony- loved the egg white veggie omelets

• Hamburgers and fries at the Mast Grill – yummm!

• Special Brunch in the MDR on the second last sea day (Thurs). Very impressive

• The Solarium – a beautiful and very restful place to relax and read (especially when it was cool, rainy and windy). Loved the lighting on the fountain at night

• The live entertainment in the Grand Foyer and the Ensemble Lounge. These groups were very talented and always drew a crowd – D’Revelations (the female lead singer had a wonderful voice, she could pull off whitney and celine no problem), Jefferson Ang, These Guys (A Cappella quartet), and Vivian Clement Jazz trio.

• The grand Foyer always seemed to full of activity in the evening when a group was performing. There were people dancing, and all the lounges were clustered around the Foyer on decks 3,4, and 5 so wherever you were you could hear the music. We have been on so many ships with a dead atrium area, that it was nice to see this one active with people (and even dancing).

• I liked that when you shut out your bathroom light, it turned into a night light – cool.

• The Molecular Bar – fun!

• Free Zumba at the pool twice a day will Linell. He’s good!

Some things that gave us pause – but nothing that would ruin our trip

• Elevaors: The elevators were pretty slow …probably the slowest elevators we have ever seen on a ship. All the elevators had a glass wall and the back quarter of the floor was glass. I couldn’t believe how many people would not go on the glass floor. I was always saying “there is plenty of room back here” – but people would not budge. There seemed to be a lot of scooters on this sailing, and I think the elevators were a real challenge for them. Took the stairs whenever we could, but deck 7 is a bit of a hike in high heels.

• Fresh Flowers: Found it unusual that there were no fresh flowers on the dining tables and very few fresh arrangements around the ship. … (just café Bacio and they looked great there)

• Coffee: Coffee was very inconsistent -sometimes great and sometime so strong it was horrid.

• Muster Drill: We went to the MDR (without life jackets) and watched a video. Then a crewmember gave directions from the other end of the dining room – couldn’t hear a thing! We didn’t know where to go in the case of an emergency until we went back to the room and read the back of the door. If there is an emergency, you go the main Dining Room on Deck 4- NOT the lifeboats on deck 5. You are not assigned a lifeboat. This seems strange, as I think my first instinct in an emergency would be to go to deck 5 lifeboats not down to the deck 4 dining room.

• Deck 5 promenade deck: Can’t walk around the entire ship and where you can walk has the view totally blocked by the lifeboats… barely a crack to see through. Really no reason to go on this deck unless you are a smoker.

• Production shows: were OK – not great. Nothing we haven’t seen many times before. So-so dance routines with dancers lip syncing backup vocals and it seemed like the female leads just were competing to see who could sing louder. …But lots of people did seemed to enjoy it

• Stairs: Was a bit surprised by the colour of the carpeting on the stairs – reminded me of something you would find in an old 70’s rec room (mottled, dirty beige and brown), even though it was new and clean. (I know this is nit-picky, but I did a lot of stairs, and looked at the carpet a lot)

- Room storage: Only three deep drawers in the cabin and no shelves in the closet. Luckily we brought some collapsible storage cubes to store clothes. Lots of closet room though, if you want to hang everything. Bathroom has tons of storage.

Anyway, we loved our Reflection cruise!! Just ask if you have any questions.

Next up – the shore excursions.

Mary

Nice review, we cannot wait till March 30th! Thanks again!

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience! I am looking forward to our cruise (same itinerary) on March 16th.

I have heard from others that the elevators were slow and/or overcrowded. Did you find this true of all the elevators or more so with the mid-ship elevator bank? Is it true that at mid-ship you really can't wait for any elevator but must choose to wait for the port or starboard bank of elevators because of the way they are configured?

We were on the Reflection on the Jan 26th cruise.This was also Captain Pagonis‘s final cruise. Mary

We cruise on Reflection March 9th. We will miss Capt. Pagonis a lot. :(

Mary, thanks for posting. :)

I have heard from others that the elevators were slow and/or overcrowded. Did you find this true of all the elevators or more so with the mid-ship elevator bank? Is it true that at mid-ship you really can't wait for any elevator but must choose to wait for the port or starboard bank of elevators because of the way they are configured?

I remember all the elevators being slow, but our cabin was right beside the aft (back) elevators so we used those the most. There was always a wait.

Yes, the port and starboard elevators are separated and are on either side of the atrium. Many times you could hear the ding and see an elevator arrive "across the glass". It was too far to run across and catch it.

Attached is a photo of the starboard rear elevators

I remember all the elevators being slow, but our cabin was right beside the aft (back) elevators so we used those the most. There was always a wait.

Yes, the port and starboard elevators are separated and are on either side of the atrium. Many times you could hear the ding and see an elevator arrive "across the glass". It was too far to run across and catch it.

 

Attached is a photo of the starboard rear elevators

Well, according to another post earlier today :p, one bank goes up while the other bank goes down, so you need to be sure you're on the right side!!

Thanks for your comments! Sailing on the March 30 cruise also!

Thank you for the comments! We've sailed only CCL and this will be our first cruise with Celebrity on the Reflection, cabin 7223. Good to hear you enjoyed the dining room choices as well.

Thanks for your review.

Excellent review.

We booked 7286 Starboard side looking aft. Largest balcony after the hump.

We really liked having the bed by the balcony as it gave us a larger dressing area and you could lie in bed and watch the sea go by. LOVED this cabin.

Not an issue for us, but in all the ports the best island views were on the Port side. We did get to see the docking and other ships close-up, though ;).

Big Balcony (think a 10x10 deck)

DSC_0420_2 by mary s b, on Flickr

Good size table for room sevice

Reflection Cabin 7286 by mary s b, on Flickr

Sun or Shade and no wind

Reflection Cabin 7286 by mary s b, on Flickr

Looking staight down

view From 7286 by mary s b, on Flickr

Looking Aft

view From 7286 by mary s b, on Flickr

Reflection Cabin 7286 by mary s b, on Flickr

Hump Cabin 7286 by mary s b, on Flickr

Reflection Cabin 7286 by mary s b, on Flickr

Not much room between couch and closet. Next time I would bring a collapsable hanging shelf bag.

Reflection Cabin 7286 by mary s b, on Flickr

We cruise on Reflection March 9th. We will miss Capt. Pagonis a lot. :(

Mary, thanks for posting. :)

DW and I were honored to be at the last Captain's Table hosted by Capt. Pagonis. Fantastic Captain and will certainly be missed by those who have cruised with him. Capt. Bouzakis is the current Captain and is well respected. He has a wonderful sense of humor and runs a very friendly ship. The Crew adores him. Seems like the two men were cut from the same cloth. Have a wonderful cruise.

Great review. Thanks for posting pictures. We are looking forward to our sailing!

DW and I were honored to be at the last Captain's Table hosted by Capt. Pagonis. Fantastic Captain and will certainly be missed by those who have cruised with him. Capt. Bouzakis is the current Captain and is well respected. He has a wonderful sense of humor and runs a very friendly ship. The Crew adores him. Seems like the two men were cut from the same cloth. Have a wonderful cruise.

Lucky you to get to say good-bye to him. We got to see Capt. Pagonis on Reflection for the two night cruise to nowhere in December. He told us Capt. Bouzakis would be there for our cruise. We are looking forward to it. Thanks for posting. :)

Thank you for posting. We sail Saturday.

Great cabin photos, please post your report to the cabin sticky when you can.

Thanks for the cabin photos marysb. We are in 7302 and should have the same cabin layout as you with the bed by the balcony, which was what I was hoping for.

We arrived in San Juan harbour about 2:00 pm and we were out exploring the old city by 3. We just strolled around -looked at the architecture and poked in some shops. The sky suddenly opened up and it poured rain so we popped into the Pandora store and bought my daughter a charm - great timing and one gift down! Then we walked along the walls and came across a wedding. Then on to El Morro. Here are some of our photos. I couldn't stop taking pictures in this beautiful old city. A lovely day!

Old San Juan -Reflection Cruise 2013 by mary s b, on Flickr

Old San Juan -Reflection Cruise 2013 by mary s b, on Flickr

Old San Juan -Reflection Cruise 2013 by mary s b, on Flickr

Celbrity reflection San Juan by mary s b, on Flickr

Old San Juan -Reflection Cruise 2013 by mary s b, on Flickr

Old San Juan -Reflection Cruise 2013 by mary s b, on Flickr

Iguana in trees near San Juan Gate

Old San Juan -Reflection Cruise 2013 by mary s b, on Flickr

Cats Everywhere!

Old San Juan -Reflection Cruise 2013 by mary s b, on Flickr

Even Cat Art!

Old San Juan -Reflection Cruise 2013 by mary s b, on Flickr

Old San Juan -Reflection Cruise 2013 by mary s b, on Flickr

Old San Juan -Reflection Cruise 2013 by mary s b, on Flickr

Old San Juan -Reflection Cruise 2013 by mary s b, on Flickr

Old San Juan -Reflection Cruise 2013 by mary s b, on Flickr

San Juan Reflection Cruise 2013 by mary s b, on Flickr

Old San Juan -Reflection Cruise 2013 by mary s b, on Flickr

San Juan Reflection Cruise 2013 by mary s b, on Flickr

San Juan Reflection Cruise 2013 by mary s b, on Flickr

San Juan Reflection Cruise 2013 by mary s b, on Flickr

Wonderful! We're on the same cruise next spring and have the same cabin as you, though two decks up. I think we have a lot to look forward to. Thanks for your report!

Wonderful! We're on the same cruise next spring and have the same cabin as you, though two decks up. I think we have a lot to look forward to. Thanks for your report!

You will love it!! If you have any questions - just ask.

Mary

My wife and I are on the Reflection tomorrow (yeah!) and this is our first cruise ever. I have been reading a lot on the boards and find them very informative. I have a question about the sea days. Is there a formal dinner? Would i need a tuxedo? I have one but it is a lot of extra weight to bring if i already have a suit packed. Thanks for any reply.:D

My wife and I are on the Reflection tomorrow (yeah!) and this is our first cruise ever. I have been reading a lot on the boards and find them very informative. I have a question about the sea days. Is there a formal dinner? Would i need a tuxedo? I have one but it is a lot of extra weight to bring if i already have a suit packed. Thanks for any reply.:D

There will be two formal nights. You do not need to wear a tux. My husband and son are leaving theirs at home for our Reflection cruise at the end of March. Usually, you can rent one if you want to go that route.