would love your opinion

[Anniesails]

Have been cruising for close to 30yrs now and have tried out many lines, now my choices pretty much are itinerary driven. I am looking at the Reflection Itinerary to Sicily/Greek Isles trip for 2015. I sailed the Eclipse before and loved the ship and the service. I looked up the Reflection and it looks gorgeous, inaugural voyage in 2012, Any opinions??? I mostly sail Princess now but they don't have this itinerary so am really interested. Just because a ship is new though doesn't make it better. The Royal Princess (newest launch) has gotten mixed reviews. Thanks as always to the great folks at CC. :)

Edited November 8, 2013 by Anniesails

[Andy]

Have been cruising for close to 30yrs now and have tried out many lines, now my choices pretty much are itinerary driven. I am looking at the Reflection Itinerary to Sicily/Greek Isles trip for 2015. I sailed the Eclipse before and loved the ship and the service. I looked up the Reflection and it looks gorgeous, inaugural voyage in 2012, Any opinions??? I mostly sail Princess now but they don't have this itinerary so am really interested. Just because a ship is new though doesn't make it better. The Royal Princess (newest launch) has gotten mixed reviews. Thanks as always to the great folks at CC. :)

 

Hi Anniesails,

 

I have not sailed on Reflection yet, though we have sailed on Eclipse several times. Both ships are fairly similar, though Reflection is somewhat larger, has Aqua Class Suites, has the Lawn Club Grill in place of the Hot Glass show, and the pool deck is configured differently. Overall, Reflection reviews are quite positive, and you should enjoy the many things Celebrity is known for, such as outstanding service and cuisine. If Reflection were sailing long Caribbean (9+ nights) in the Winter, I would book her in a heartbeat.

 

Please let us know what ship you choose. I hope this is helpful !

[mtt168]

We were Princess fans, and loved the Ruby Princess, which we sailed on two years ago. Earlier this year, we decided to try Celebrity, and sailed on the Reflection - it is a gorgeous ship and we thoroughly enjoyed everything (OK, except the popera singer). We are now booked on the Silhouette for March. We would have booked the Reflection again, but they are no longer going to St. Kitts, which my husband absolutely loved. I do not think you will regret Celebrity at all!

[ladylemondrop]

Reflection is beautiful, and the itinerary is amazing, We are just back from her, and did greece, turkey, italy, was wonderful all the way! Check out the video clip we made - http://vimeo.com/78833493

 

I would not hesitate to do it all again.

[New Hampshire]

We sailed Reflection in October 2012 from Barcelona to the E. med ending in Venice. The ship is gorgeous and the cruise fabulous. Loved it!!

[Waihekean]

I have cruised with the Equinox and the Reflection. You really notice that officers and crew consider the Reflection "their Flagship". Everything had just a bit more attention and the shows were a lot better on the Reflection.

There was nothing wrong with the Equinox cruise though, just more impressive on the Reflection.

 

Which was good as it was my DH first cruise and now he loves cruising as well:p

[hansolosmom]

I think I'm the only person on earth who didn't fall in love with Reflection. We did the Med this summer on it, picked this trip because of the itinerary. It is a very nice ship but there were not enough open areas for me. I really felt like I was in a hotel rather than on a ship. The pool area is small and on our cruise it was impossible to get a chair in the shade on either the pool deck or the one above - well ok I could have probably gotten a spot at 6am. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the trip but I wouldn't go out of my way to sail on Reflection again.

[New Hampshire]

If you didn't enjoy the Ref,echoing for these reasons, then you wouldn't enjoy any of the S class ships because they are the same. I absolutely love them!

[Tiggertastic]

love the ships, reflection is the only one of the S class we have not been on but would go for it if the dates fitted

[Phxazzcruisers]

Absolutely love Celebrity, can't wait for Reflection in December !!

[Orator]

Have been cruising for close to 30yrs now and have tried out many lines, now my choices pretty much are itinerary driven. I am looking at the Reflection Itinerary to Sicily/Greek Isles trip for 2015. I sailed the Eclipse before and loved the ship and the service. I looked up the Reflection and it looks gorgeous, inaugural voyage in 2012, Any opinions??? I mostly sail Princess now but they don't have this itinerary so am really interested. Just because a ship is new though doesn't make it better. The Royal Princess (newest launch) has gotten mixed reviews. Thanks as always to the great folks at CC. :)

 

There are some differences in the two ships. No Hot Glass show on Reflection. Reflection has additional Specialty dining choices with the addition of The Porch and Lawn Club Grille. AQ class suites on Reflection. One deck has been added to Reflection, but the ship is the same height. Sky Lounge is half the size, but feels more like a club. I've been on both ships many times and enjoy both

[New Hampshire]

I've sailed on all the S-class ships and my favorites are Silhouette and Reflection. I love the additional specialty restaurants, the Porch and the Lawn Grill. I also love the bar at the aft of the ship on that top deck on both of those ships.

[Esprit]

If you didn't enjoy the Ref,echoing for these reasons, then you wouldn't enjoy any of the S class ships because they are the same. I absolutely love them!

 

They are not the same! Reflection has only half a Sky lounge compared to the other "S" class ships. This made the venue disappointing compared with our Solstice cruise. No live bands in the evenings due to the proximity of the new adjacent staterooms. Night life in the Sky lounge was poor in comparison.

 

Apart from that the ship is wonderful and the itinerary is great.

[wallie5446]

A very 'ho-hum' sailing on the Ruby for us last Nov, so we are back to Celebrity this week. I'll be back in, oh, about 14 days and let you know!:D

[USVI-4-me]

The S-Class abbreviated promenade and now the abbreviated Sky Lounge on S-Class Reflection are a negatives for us. In addition to those negatives, we don't care for the limited selections and lack of service in the evening buffet, crowding and slow service in the main dining room or the design of the grand foyer which has loud entertainment even into the library and card room. Isn't a library supposed to be quiet?

 

The positives of the S-Class ships are many as we appreciate the no smoking policy in cabins, balcony, and casino.

 

We take ships for itinerary and are planning a back to back cruise on the Reflection. For our bookings, we choose for smoking policy, itinerary, and large mass market ships. We also want a long promenade, many dining and lounge options, and a comfortable cabin.

 

On a Med cruise we don't spend the evenings looking for entertainment as the ports mean a excursion intensive vacation that is very different from a relaxing Caribbean cruise where evenings and meals are more important.

 

Yes, I recommend you book the Reflection. We hope to do the same when our health improves.

 

-Marisa

[Onessa]

We've sailed Solstice a number of times, but Reflection only once. I think Reflection is a step (or at least a half of a step) backward. We have generally travelled European itineraries on X -- so VERY port intensive. I really enjoyed the Hot Glass shows on Solstice nice solid entertainment, outdoors, really perfect ("backs" on the benches would make it perfect :)). You can walk away for a few minutes to watch the ship sail through the Straights of Messina or something similar and go back to the show and not really "miss" anything.

 

The "Lawn Club" just doesn't do it for me. While having 8-10 Hot Glass Shows is unrealistic -- putting up yet another "for a fee" dining area and some bare grass really is not a whole lot of interesting. Eat there once, X makes a few bucks, and I ignore it the rest of the cruise.

 

Celebrity has marvolous itineraries. They have a lovely on-board experience. But if given a choice, choose one with a Hot Glass Show. And if Celebrity is listening, find something else to do with that area on your ships without HGS.

[wallie5446]

Here is what one of the people on our upcoming cruise said about the Lawn Club Grill when he sailed Reflection last April;

 

"Lawn Club Grill. It was fantastic and we are looking forward to dining and grilling again. We did what you are really supposed to do. Cook your dinner with a master grill chef trained by Bobby Flay himself and instructing Jerome as he cooked. Jerome loved picking up pointers and leaving his "man grilling ego" behind. We also ordered every single meat item on the menu to grill, which most people don't know you can do. We had Filet Mignon, Ribeye, Rack of Lamb, New York Strip, Veal Chop, Scallops and Shrimp and Porterhouse Steak. Yes, we almost ate it all, and what we did not, we took back to our room, put it in the fridge, and had it for breakfast. As far as we were concerned, it was well worth the $45.00 as we enjoyed the entire menu, not just one item. Plus, everyone has to order the Lobster Mac and Cheese and the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dessert. Both are "Oh My Gawds!" The experience of the restaurant is about cooking and learning, then enjoying the fruits of your labor. Something that we would not do at home and at the same time, learning how to simultaneously cooking a variety of meats to the proper temperature without screwing it up! It was marvelous and it was the most fun of all on the entire cruise."

[FLJudi]

We have sailed on the Solstice, Eclipse, Equinox and the Reflection twice (the last two Transatlantics) so I think we have enough experience to give our personal opinions/comparison.

 

The Reflection is our least favorite of the S class ships. In this case, bigger and newer is not better. We found several venues more crowded. Too many people in Aqua Class with the new cabins, so Blu was much noisier and service suffered compared to the other ships. The Aqua Cafe was much too crowded, and I gave up going there since seats were rarely available (don't get me started on the impolite people who took over the tables to play cards.) The Sky Lounge was half the size of the other ships, and was crowded at times. Giving vouchers for elite members to go to to other bars between 5 and 7 just made the other bars busier and it was harder to get a seat and to be served. The cabanas on the lawn took up lots of space and blocked the view, and they were unused almost all the time.

 

We did like the Porch and Lawn Club which were added, and didn't miss Quasar, whose space was used for conferences, art classes etc. instead.

 

Just my personal opinion.

 

We leave on another transatlantic in two weeks - this time we chose to go back on the Equinox.

 

Love Celebrity, will not sail Princess again, but that is another story for another post.

 

Judi

[fgc15527]

I have sailed most of the S-Class ships. My favorite is the Silhouette. The Captain is the greatest. Poses for photos every day in the Café Baccio. When he makes the daily announcement at noon you stop what you are doing and listen. He is so entertaining. He is at different venues throughout the ship having a great time. My advice: Take advantage of the free beverage package when it is offered. Bottled water, freshly squeezed juice, specialty coffees and alcoholic beverages. I can truly say I am a seasoned Celebrity cruiser.

[miched]

We saied the Ruby last Nov and the Reflection in Mar.

 

You find them more similar than not.

 

P has MUTS, X shows movies in the small theater.

 

Better pizza on P

 

Both have tolerable coffee, P has the coffee card. X requires a drink pack for coffee bargains.

 

X is is basically non smoking.

 

X has the Persain Gardens and P has the Sanctuary But X has the solarium area that is free.

 

Drinks are made better on X.

 

X is quieter and ships are more eloquent looking.

 

Officiers are very friendly and are always in the common areas.

 

They are a few other extra touches that also make X standout, you will notice when you walk on board, are given the welcome aboard glass of champaign and look inside the ship you will go WOW.

 

We prefer X over Princess and I am sure you will not be disappointed.

 

 

.🎅🎄

[wallie5446]

I must say that I am surprised at the number of us that have sailed the Ruby in the last year and found it a bit lacking.

[Iluvcruising2]

I have sailed most of the S-Class ships. My favorite is the Silhouette. The Captain is the greatest. Poses for photos every day in the Café Baccio. When he makes the daily announcement at noon you stop what you are doing and listen. He is so entertaining. He is at different venues throughout the ship having a great time. My advice: Take advantage of the free beverage package when it is offered. Bottled water, freshly squeezed juice, specialty coffees and alcoholic beverages. I can truly say I am a seasoned Celebrity cruiser.

 

But the Captain will not be the same all the time? I thought they do 2 months on and then 2 months off.

[jagoffee]

There are some differences in the two ships. No Hot Glass show on Reflection. Reflection has additional Specialty dining choices with the addition of The Porch and Lawn Club Grille. AQ class suites on Reflection. One deck has been added to Reflection, but the ship is the same height. Sky Lounge is half the size, but feels more like a club. I've been on both ships many times and enjoy both

 

I have also been on both. I just departed the Reflection. The Sky Lounge is about half the size and an additional section of cabins was added in the rest of the area. Is this what you are considering an "added deck"? Otherwise I did not notice any extra deck.

[wallie5446]

Just off the Reflection and my wife said this was the most beautiful and well laid out ship she has been on, EVER!

[mickey89]

We have sailed both Equinox and Reflection this year. Although both are of identical size, the Reflection has more passenger and it is noticeable. The Porch and Lawn Grill replace the Glass blowing Display centre but are worthless venues for meals IMHO.

 

Without doubt given the choice avoid the Reflection and choose one of the other Solstice Class of ships.

 

Would never sail Princess again, even if was free as they treat their customers like dirt.

Edited November 23, 2013 by mickey89