Oceanview77

Happy and safe travels everyone! See you all at the Martini Bar tomorrow!!!

What a great review! I board Reflection in 4 days and thanks to your review I am even more ecstatic now.

I love playing the slots in the casino. Where there any further n slots you would recommend?

Besides Bed did you go any of the other parties like Liquid or Indulgence?

Thanks again for the amazing review!

Hi All,

 

Just found this section on Cruise Critic. I am also looking forward to being on board, I will be traveling with my Mom who is 78, but parties like a 30 year old! Hopefully we can meet up so that I have some others to hang out with. I plan to be at the sail away and at the Martini Bar gatherings. By the way I am 48.

 

Kevin

Hi Kevin

Looking forward to meeting you and your mom. Can't believe we are finally less than a week away. Where are you and your mom from?

Just noticed the "special interest" of this thread. No problems as far as I'm concerned, I'm sure we will all have a blast.

 

Matt

Sounds like you all will have a great time. Cruises are great for big family trips. Easier to keep track of everyone!

I will definately try the tastings with the food pairings. Never seen a luncheon. That sounds great too.

Anyone have any suggestions for nightlife in Miami for the night before the cruise? Has anyone been to Twist South Beach?

Twist is great for more of a bar feel. Friday nights at Score are really great. That's more of a full scale dance club.

The Palace has a great drag brunch so if you guys will still be in Miami the Sunday we get back I highly recommend it.

Thank you all very much for the great info.

18 more days!

 

BF will be celebrating his birthday on the 16th!

What a great way to celebrate a birthday!

Anyone doing anything exciting on the islands?

Found a place in Grand Cayman called Smith Cove which looks like an amazing beach that is off the beaten path so to speak. Think we are going to give it a try.

Boarding Reflection in two weeks was thinking of doing some of the wine tastings. Never done one before on Celebrity and was curious to get some feedback from those who have. Which was your favorite? Did they include food pairings? Did you feel they were worth the cost to participate? Thanks in advance!!

We received our luggage tags today! I know most people don't even order them anymore but I'm kinda old school that way. I hope the weather shapes up before we ship out. I feel sorry for the people leaving on the Reflection today.

We are joining you GeorgiaGuy :D 3rd time on the Reflection...love that ship and I am sure you will too! Happy Cruising!!

My partner and I will be there as well! This is our second round on the Reflection and we can't wait. 21 days to go....

Great review! Can't wait to read the rest.

I'm excited to be boarding the Reflection in a few weeks and wanted to know if anyone had pictures or details to share of the Indulgence and Mirage parties on Reflection. These sound interesting and I'm looking forward to checking them out. Thanks in advance!

I used to work for Celebrity but this will be my first as passenger. It is Matt's first Celebrity as well. Overall it is our third cruise.

What an interesting experience to have worked for the company and now be on the other side. It must give you a great perspective. What department did you work in?

This is our 4th Celebrity cruise. We actually did the Reflection last year in March. We really love the brand. Previously we did some Royal and Carnival cruises. Doing Aqua class for the first time this trip. We are excited about that.

Hi Danny and Hans here from Miami. We just booked our cruise last night. Can't wait to have our first Margarita by the pool. I'm 36 (Danny) and Hans is 46. We are looking forward to a great cruise. Have you guys all done Celebrity before?

Very cool and refreshing idea. Certainly more interesting than napkin folding classes or how to use a melon baller.

I too attended Liquid on the 2/22 sailing of Reflection and while not perfect (I believe they had only done it once before) I thought it held a lot of promise. The Solarium was visually stunning and they overall production values were quite good.

Never got to see the cirque fiasco but do you think they were ahead of their time? One of NCL's top attractions is a cirque style dinner show. Zumanity a sexy cirque show has been running in Vegas for years now.

I would like to see them join forces with America's Got Talent. They could really rotate lots of specialty acts and keep things fresh.

A little background. We are Elite Plus, and Celebrity has always been our line of choice. We sailed for 28 nights on Celebrity in the last 6 months. The only other ships we have sailed are RCL and that is mainly due to the proximity of Baltimore. We are in our mid 60s and very active.

 

Well, you would think that Celebrity would love us-but maybe not and maybe they are justified. We consider ourselves savvy and usually take advantage of special pricing or promotions. We always transfer our booking to a TA. Usually prefer ocean view, but are happy with an inside depending on pricing. Occasionally balcony if the price is great. We always research excursions and almost always go independent. Due to our status, we enjoy happy hour each evening and our bar bill otherwise is rarely over $20. Most of that is pop. I might risk $20 in casino-wife none. Never buy more than a few bucks worth at on board shops. Haven't bought photos since our first cruise many years ago. Usually go to specialty once per cruise if there is a "deal." We like my time dining and don't usually do much after dinner. Maybe listen to karaoke or a good entertainer such as Perry. Don't go to clubs and buy drinks often at all. Never use up all our obc.

 

So, although we are loyalists, we may not be making Celebrity happy. I suspect our profile is fairly common. People who love Celebrity but who don't spend a lot. Ironically, it seems that the more that people cruise, the more they learn how to minimize their costs through independent excursions, TAs, etc.

 

It has become obvious that Celebrity is trying to shift to a different demographic. As much as I like traditional Celebrity, I really can't blame them. I don't know if that is an economic necessity or if they are just trying to increase their profits. Many of us have commented that we hope they can attract new customers without radically changing what has drawn us to Celebrity to begin with. I think that is going to be very difficult. One area that has generated a lot of controversy is noise level. Most of us would at least grudgingly go along with loudness at the Martini bar and disco. But, it seems that they have discovered that the Martini bar is their biggest source of revenue and have concluded that they need to spread the party boat all over the ship. That, of course, irritates those who prefer a quiet atmosphere, and we have seen hundreds of posts on that topic alone.

 

It seems to me that they are probably justified in trying to attract new and younger customers and that they hope to do so without alienating the people who have built their business.

 

But, I also think they are really just trying to reinvent themselves and are not quite ready yet to risk losing their loyalists. We're sort of necessary evils.

 

I will still sail Celebrity-at least for now. But I no longer feel as wanted and valued as I once was. Maybe the fact that I have learned how to cruise economically has something to do with that. ;) Maybe we have gotten too smart for our own good.

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

What a great post...even though I don't think Celebrity is looking to run you off at all. I think they are trying to cast a wider net. It sounds like you enjoy yourself on your cruise and you enjoy all the benefits of the loyalty you have earned. I'm sure Celebrity is grateful to have you. I do think Celebrity is not interested in catering to the very loud minority that can never be satisfied and are never happy. See threads when new Captains Club was rolled out for some examples. Happy Cruising....no matter what you spend!

Oceanview 77..why so hostile :confused:

 

Many passengers have expressed the view that music has been too loud in the common areas, including Host Andy on his recent Century cruise.

 

Where there is so much smoke, there is fire!

Sorry if I came across hostile....more frustrated. Kind of tired of chronic complainers on these boards. I respect everyone's opinion but I do not for a second believe that someone could not find a quiet spot on the entire ship. I can only speak for the 3 cruises I've been on. I saw lots of happy people enjoying their cruise.

I attended the Liquid party a few weeks ago on the Reflection and it was FANTASTIC! I applaud Celebrity for thinking outside the box. As far as I'm concerned if Liquid is a sign of things to come they are going in the right direction.

The Miami DJs played for 1 hour at a time at the pool and martini bar. If you don't like it...come back in an hour and stop complaining. If you want to have an intimate conversation with someone The Molecular Bar, Cellar Masters or Cafe Al Baccio would probably be more ideal than the Martini Bar at 11:30pm while there is a DJ playing.

There was never loud "deafening" music at Michael's Club, The Lawn, The Sunset Bar, or The Solarium either. At least of my cruise it looked like everyone was having a great time. The one complaint I did hear over and over was how the entertainment was lacking so it sounds like they are listening the overwhelming majority of passengers rather than the microcosm that is CC.

Every night the martini bar was packed and during the day the majority of the people were dancing and enjoying the music by the pool. If this is all too much for you perhaps a nice river cruise through Dublin would be more your speed.

Welcome Andrew! Less than 24 hours to go!!!! See you all tomorrow. Safe travels.

Unless the wind is too strong, the canopy top can be either up or down, so you can have sun or shade, whichever you prefer. :)

 

 

 

Re: shade, see my comment above. As for the showing off comment... wow! Is it showing off to book a suite, eat in a specialty restaurant a few nights, or get a massage? Why in the world would you think someone who rents an alcove is just showing off? Frankly, it sounds like you're bitter. :rolleyes:

Couldn't agree with you more Meg. Sounds like a lot of Bitter Bettys. If you don't like them...don't rent one. Move along. Last time I checked there is still plenty on lawn space to enjoy so I don't understand what people's issues are with the Alcoves. I think they look like nice. Never rented one. Don't think I ever will but I have seen people enjoying them. The way I see it the more options the better.

This is the music blarring from the Martini Bar...

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im6Xz...ature=youtu.be

DJ Xio

 

DJ Xio & JJ Drums @ Celebrity Equinox Europe!

by Xio Fermin

Miami DJs Live! featuring DJ Xio & JJ Drums rocking the Celebrity Equinox in Europe. Leaving from Barcelona and sailing the Mediterranean.

Thanks for posting some actual proof of what music is playing. Looks like a great time to me! Can't wait to board the reflection on feb 22!!!

Don't know about Fat Tuesday but I was on the Sillouhette last year during the Oscars and they had a viewing party in The Celebrity Central theater where the Sin City Comedy show is held.

I too think Celebrity is on the right track. I am 37 and my partner 47 and we will be on our 3rd celebrity cruise in 7 weeks on Reflection. We love everything about the vibe on Celebrity. The changes they are making are definately MODERN luxury. For those of you who don't get it go on a travel sight and search any major city in the country (LA,Miami,New York, Las Vegas, Chicago). You will find the most in demand hotels with the highest average nightly rate all look and feel like what Celebrity is evolving into. See W Hotel, Dream Hotels, The Standard, The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas just to name a few. They all have DJs in the lobby a hopping pool scene and not an acapela group or canapé in sight.