Reflections on the Reflection - Nov 16th cruise

[san diego spartan]

Now a week back from having to be basically dragged off the Reflection and starting to get organized to provide some feedback on our wonderful cruise. I have submitted a review that hasn't posted yet, but realize that I forgot to include some other comments, so thought I'd start a thread. Also I have copies of the daily programs that I will post as well and some photos of current drink menus, as I know in preparing for our cruise that I welcomed seeing the other postings on this.

 

A bit of background - we are in our mid to late 40's, have cruised 10-11 times before, but our first on X. We have cruised with HAL, RCCL, NCL and Carnival, Carnival being our least favorite and probably HAL being the most favorite, though RCCL a close 2nd. Only problem we found with HAL is we tended to be some of the youngest people on board.

 

We are originally from Michigan (Go Green!) but have lived in San Diego for more than 20 years. We had always wanted to take a Celebrity cruise and when the great 123 drink package deal came available, we jumped right on it. We booked about 10 months in advance and the anticipation of our first sailing built over these months. It was fun researching and reading all the reviews and forum topics. I have to thank everyone who posted answers to the many questions that I had during this process - it was greatly appreciated.

 

I also participated in our Roll Call, which was pretty active versus other sailings I've been on. I did meet quite a few people from the Roll Call, including 2 who were our table mates at dinner!

 

Our cruise was the first since Reflection returned from her TA crossing. Interesting, we were told that 25 people stayed on board to do our cruise. We during the week met 4 out of the 25, which I thought was pretty cool since there were more than 2900 passengers on board.

 

We flew out of San Diego the day before (side note - Terminal 2 of the SD airport is now remolded and was sorely in need - it is now a great terminal with many dining and shopping options - woohoo!) into FLL. Family members picked us up and it was raining. Yikes! Not the best way to start the week and of course I began worrying that we'd spend the entire cruise "below deck" - not to worry though we had some great weather during the week, with only 1 day where it really rained.

 

Had dinner in Hollywood Beach at Opa - a Greek Taverna restaurant, which is a lot of fun and good food - though I have to admit I'm not a big fan of dancing on the tables while others are eating - LOL.

 

Family members dropped us off at the port of Miami about Noon - it was easy getting there and no traffic. Easy to find the ship - wow - the port looked amazing with all the ships in port - 2 large Carnival ships (that we would see throughout the week). Finally got our first real look at Reflection - amazing. The ship was huge and looked great. Couldn't wait to board.

 

Now we had received an email, text and phone message from X saying that due to a coast guard inspection that boarding would not start until 12:30 p.m. - well that was not true. As I said we got there at Noon and there were at least 1000 people on board before us. No worries, but I wouldn't worry if you are coming right from the airport or whatever about that message. Maybe they got cleared earlier than they thought by the coast guard, but it worked out just fine for us.

 

We had to go through security (easy) - I did see them confiscate someone trying to sneak a 6 pack of beer on board. But no problems bringing on 2 bottles of wine. Now you may wonder why we brought on wine if we had the drink package.....but we found that it was easier to have a glass of wine in the cabin while getting ready for dinner versus one/each of us having to go to the bar and bring it back to the cabin.

 

Anyway, after security there were several lines identified by Deck for you to get processed to get on the ship. Probably this whole process took 20-25 minutes and then we had the obligatory photo (ugh!!!! worst one ever) and then on board where we were greeted with a choice of sparkling wine or mimosas. Yeah!!!!!!!

Edited December 1, 2013 by san diego spartan

[san diego spartan]

You board on Deck 5 - you can see the grand Foyer (Deck 3) and the tree that is suspended in the atrium - pretty cool. Great first impressions (especially the sparking wine!). We were informed our cabin was not ready yet (7346) - no worries as we hasn't anticipated that it would be. We found a seat in the Cafe al Bacio to finish our welcoming beverage. This is a great area, very nicely decorated, with great yummy coffee and tea drinks (as well as wine and beer).

 

We then headed up to the Oceanview Cafe for our first meal and first drink (well I guess that would technically be our 2nd drink wouldn't it?). We took the elevators up to Deck 14 - I loved that the elevators surround the atrium and are glass - giving you a great view of the ship and each deck. Pretty cool.

 

One comment I do have to make is why don't people move to the back of the elevator when you get in? Just common courtesy IMO. Sorry to sound like a curmudgeon, but on the first day it was admittedly a bit hectic with everyone trying to get settled on board and it would have been appreciated.

 

Nevertheless, we arrived at the cafe and were greeted by friendly crew members who offered hand sanitize. Nice! My general impression is that the ship was always being cleaned. I never entered a public restroom, other than one time, where I did not see an attendant cleaning it. That one time I did she came in about 2 minutes after I got there. Anyway, I did see some people not take advantage of the hand sanitizer. Hmmm......

 

The first part of the cafe was pretty packed, so I thought about checking out the Porch or Bistro on 5 as I had read they were open as well, but after we passed the buffet area, there were plenty of tables, so we ended up eating here for our first meal.

 

We were quickly approached for our first beverage selection by a very nice waiter. For some reason I cannot find the photo of the wine/beer selections in the cafe, but I do have a photo of the "zero proof" options and I have a copy of the daily program hours for the bars and restaurants.

[Keith1010]

Enjoying your "reflections".

 

Keith

[cynbar]

Thanks for taking the time to do this, we'll be on Reflection in May and welcome all tips and suggestions.

[san diego spartan]

We found the buffet to be nicely organized with lots of different options. I do have to admit I"m not usually a buffet fan, but I found this one to be much nicer than on other ships we have sailed.

 

They have a stir fry station, a pasta station, a pizza station (I did not care for the pizza, but others said they did), as well as a pannini station, a carving station, a Chef's special stations, a great salad bar and my favorite a cheese "bar". They also had sliced fruit selections, ice cream, at times (5:30 p.m.) a sushi station and usually an Indian food station (which was good). The one I found most disappointing was the Mexican station, though I do live in Southern California and travel frequently to Mexico so I guess one could consider my expectations a bit higher than some. I do have to admit I tried the nachos for a snack one night (ok not a real Mexican food) and it was tasty and the jalapenos were spicy.

 

On that first day, I had a really lovely salad and tried a bit of the Indian curry offerings. DH had the carved offerings and some veggies and pizza. I just HAD to have some of the cheese station. I am a BIG lover of cheese and as my dinner table mates notes it was very unusual for me not to order the cheese plate after dinner. I can still hear Jo saying to me - Kristine aren't you forgetting to order the cheese plate tonight? LOL.

 

There is a bar in the Oceanview Cafe that I didn't see mentioned on the daily programs - but it is a great bar to remember since it is right near the entrance/exit and is usually not too crowded to get a quick drink or bottle of water, fresh squeezed OJ, etc. This is where we met the "famous" JW and Jerome. I believe JW was already having his first martini. :-)

 

We got to chat with them for a bit and they were both great guys. Very nice and interesting. Glad we had an opportunity to meet them!

Edited December 1, 2013 by san diego spartan

[akowilm]

I was on the Reflection with JW and Jerome in April! What fun!!!!!!

Edited December 1, 2013 by akowilm

[sabookkeeper]

You board on Deck 5 - you can see the grand Foyer (Deck 3) and the tree that is suspended in the atrium - pretty cool. Great first impressions (especially the sparking wine!). We were informed our cabin was not ready yet (7346) - no worries as we hasn't anticipated that it would be. We found a seat in the Cafe al Bacio to finish our welcoming beverage. This is a great area, very nicely decorated, with great yummy coffee and tea drinks (as well as wine and beer).

 

We then headed up to the Oceanview Cafe for our first meal and first drink (well I guess that would technically be our 2nd drink wouldn't it?). We took the elevators up to Deck 14 - I loved that the elevators surround the atrium and are glass - giving you a great view of the ship and each deck. Pretty cool.

 

One comment I do have to make is why don't people move to the back of the elevator when you get in? Just common courtesy IMO. Sorry to sound like a curmudgeon, but on the first day it was admittedly a bit hectic with everyone trying to get settled on board and it would have been appreciated.

 

Nevertheless, we arrived at the cafe and were greeted by friendly crew members who offered hand sanitize. Nice! My general impression is that the ship was always being cleaned. I never entered a public restroom, other than one time, where I did not see an attendant cleaning it. That one time I did she came in about 2 minutes after I got there. Anyway, I did see some people not take advantage of the hand sanitizer. Hmmm......

 

The first part of the cafe was pretty packed, so I thought about checking out the Porch or Bistro on 5 as I had read they were open as well, but after we passed the buffet area, there were plenty of tables, so we ended up eating here for our first meal.

 

We were quickly approached for our first beverage selection by a very nice waiter. For some reason I cannot find the photo of the wine/beer selections in the cafe, but I do have a photo of the "zero proof" options and I have a copy of the daily program hours for the bars and restaurants.

I will be travelling with a scooter for the first time when we cruise on the Reflection in February. You mentioned that we board on deck 5. Did you notice if the ramp is sharp or if they had elevators or other boarding areas for the handicapped?

[scottygirl]

Enjoying your review... Go White!

[san diego spartan]

I will be travelling with a scooter for the first time when we cruise on the Reflection in February. You mentioned that we board on deck 5. Did you notice if the ramp is sharp or if they had elevators or other boarding areas for the handicapped?

 

Sorry I don't know if they had alternative boarding area/arrangements if you are in a scooter. Since I saw many in them, I'm sure there is an easy way to board. When we boarded there was a small ramp, but it wasn't sharp that I recall.

[drarill]

Excellent start!! Looking forward to the rest of your review. We are cruising on the Reflection next summer!!:):)

[san diego spartan]

In talking with JW and Jerome you can tell they are very passionate about their Christmas tree house - it sounds amazing and is for such a good cause. They work very hard to get it ready for the thousands of visitors they welcome into their home each year - wow!

 

Anyway, Jerome announced that Tom and I could quit being "homeless" and that the cabins were now available. Yeah! This was at 1:20. Nice!

 

We made our way down to Deck 7 and found our cabin - after traversing what at first I believe to be an extremely long walk as we were almost all the way aft. During the cruise I was thankful for the extra walking that in my mind, at least, offset some of the abundance of food and beverages I consumed!

 

The cabin was exactly as I had expected based on JW and Jerome's YouTube video. We met our cabin steward John, from India, and greeted him with a $10 tip - after which he asked us if we liked ice. Yes! Needless to say, we always had lots and lots of ice!

 

John was a great cabin steward, as was his assistant, whose name I feel terrible to say I can't remember right now. Our cabin was kept spotless. We tipped both of these guys extra on the last day (even though we had prepaid gratuities), as we were so happy. John brought us the room service in the morning, if we ordered, but another woman would come and take away the tray after we were done.

 

The cabin was spotless and we unpacked. I truly loved the bathroom - so much bigger than other ships we have been on - you can actually fit 2 people in there comfortably. Wow! I like the shower with the doors (and not a curtain - uck) and the foot bar to make shaving your legs so much easier. Nice touch X! Plenty of storage in the bathroom and some we didn't even need.

 

The closet was nice, but could have used a few extra hangers (just ask!). We had brought the "cubes" for storage above the bed, which worked very nicely. I bought mine at the 99 cent store and they fit just fine. Our shoes fit fine at the bottom of the closet and the luggage under the bed.

 

As I unpacked, Tom was delighted to see that there were 2 ESPN channels on the TV in the cabin and that College Football was on! So they do in fact have the programming going before you sail away.

 

Muster Drill was a 3:20 and we headed to the Qsine restaurant, after making sure that our life jackets were in fact under the bed. This was the first time we had mustered without jackets on - I don't know if this is unique to X or just now the norm.

 

After the muster video and talk from our muster leader, we went up to the Sunset Bar for sailaway, wearing our "beads" that were mentioned on our Roll Call. There we ran into several from our roll call, including JW and Jerome, who were pretty much surrounded by mobs of adoring fans. :-)

 

I do have to say it was a bit windy(this is an understatement) up there - so take necessary precautions if you plan to watch sail away from here. It is a great spot to do so and wonderful views of Miami as you depart. We got to watch the other ships and have a nice cocktail - it was great fun.

 

I do have to say this is a popular spot for sail away and the bar was hopping. Lots of fun and excitement as we departed the port of Miami.

[san diego spartan]

In anticipation of our cruise, I had been reading the reviews as they were posted on CC. I had started to get a bit discouraged when I read several more negative reviews from those on the Mediterranean jaunts. In fact I recall several comments about the ship being "ugly" and nothing to do.

 

Well, I am pleased to report that the ship is nowhere near "ugly" and we found plenty to do, in fact too much that we didn't have time for everything. The ship is beautiful, clean, modern lines, which I like. I enjoyed the color schemes and loved the different areas of the ship were you could go to relax, hang out or be social and meet other people.

 

The Hideaway on Deck 7 and 8, was a great place to relax and read a book and I found it more to my liking than the Library. There is also the Game On lounge, which was very popular during sea days. The iLounge, (internet is expensive, but nothing we hadn't anticipated and in line with other cruise lines), was actually pretty cool, though I am not a Apple person. Michel's Club (photo attached of all the beer) is a cool venue as well as we loved the Ensemble Lounge with the piano music (though now true "piano bar" as we have enjoyed on HAL and RCCL, which I did find to be disappointing). We loved loved the Solarium and spent several days just relaxing there (this is similar to ones on HAL). The Aqua Spa Cafe is there and has some great smoothies and excellent healthy lunch alternatives (plus they serve wine!). We like the lawn area on Deck 15 - there are some really comfy chairs and tables surrounding that were you can sit and relax and watch bocce ball, etc. We actually enjoyed meeting several other groups this way.

 

Speaking of the lawn area - I think it is a cool area, but never saw more than 3 of the cabana areas being used during the cruise. On the 2nd to last sea day, there were a few people there, but seems like a waste of space and would have liked some other alternative use of it. We did use the hammocks and enjoyed that as well.

 

The Martini Bar is very cool - literally as the bar is iced. Cool! We visited the Molecular Bar, but didn't have any of the drinks. We found the Martini Bar much more welcoming in terms of space. The Passport Bar is open earlier than most bars and is a great area with nice servers. A bit hectic the first 2 days, then it seemed to be better. I remember asking a group of ladies what time it was one day at the Passport Bar and they resounding answer was "time for another drink"! LOL.

[san diego spartan]

Here's the rest of the first daily program and the rest of the beverage menu from Oceanview Cafe.

 

 

 

 

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[san diego spartan]

I wanted to add some information and observations on the classic beverage package that we got included with our cruise and which I believe most other passengers also had included. There were a lot of forum topics on this subject prior to our cruise, so hopefully I can add some clarification. I will also post some of the bar menus as well to show current prices.

 

First - great great idea - LOVED it! I do not know how I will ever cruise again without a beverage package. I loved not having to sign for anything, I loved not having to be anxious about the bill at the end of our sailing - it was really for us just perfect.

 

There was a lot of discussions about upgrading to the Premium package and I believe many on our Roll Call did so. However, I took the advice of some on these boards and waited until we got on the ship to see what was available. I have to preface these comments by saying neither Tom nor I are big drinkers of liquor - we prefer wine and maybe a beer and occasional cocktail. Thus if you need/require the premium brands, just as Grey Goose, then by all means upgrade, it really isn't that much more.

 

We were offered the upgrade for $10 plus gratuity or $11.50 per day per person. So that clears up that issue that I saw raised on some recent threads before we sailed. Also only one person has to do it. We toyed with that idea prior to the cruise, but really found for our needs the Classic worked out well. Now my vodka of choice is Kettle One, which is now a premium, but we were fine with the classic call brands in our mixed drinks, such as sea breezes, etc. We would get mojitos and other drinks that were all at $8 or below without any problem. Of course, you cannot get the fancy martinis or molecular bar drinks, but trust me we did just fine with the smaller versions.

 

WE met at sail away a couple, Katie and Joe ( who by the way ended up getting engage in ST. Thomas - woohoo!) - anyway,, Katie had sailed X several times before with the classic package and told us no need to upgrade that by the 3rd day the bartenders would give us the premium without any charge. Now certainly we don't want to take advantage of that and never asked for premium liquors, but many times we were given the premium wine and or liquor on our classic package without asking as well as we were given premium waters (Evian). When I questioned this the bartender always said - don't worry about it.

 

Now on the classic package you could get many non-alcohol based drinks, including smoothies, specialty coffees and teas, bottled water (Crystal Geyser), lots of beers (including some German wheat beers!) and pretty good wine choices. Shop around the bars, as the prices vary - which is odd IMO. For instance, I love NZ SB and in some bars it was $8 and others $9.50 - weird! So we frequented the bars where it was $8 and were very happy. I also tried out several other varietals that I wouldn't normally drink and really enjoyed them, with the exception of the Rose that was with dinner, found it too sweet for my tastes. The cab was good at dinner, as was the Syrah and another wine, that had a nice spice to it.

 

So overall, we were pleased with the package and though we had planned to upgrade after a couple of days - never did.

 

We found that service was great and never had anyone make us feel like we only had the "classic" package. Oh - forgot - you get fresh squeezed OJ on the package as well - it really as good and I am not an OJ fan!

 

Usually for dinner, after we befriended Toto our wine steward (or my new BFF for the cruise!) - he knew we wanted wine pairing with the courses and had everything all set up for us after the first night - super cool!

 

After dinner drink options were good and included in the package as well, including Baily's, Kahlua, Frangelica and more.

 

I do really have to again stress that the prices of beer, wine and liquor did vary from locale to locale - so check out the menus in each place and find what you like.

[CTShore]

Thanks for your "reflections"! We're boarding in 3 weeks and enjoyed reading your thoughts!

[san diego spartan]

After the muster and sail away fun, we returned to the cabin and finished the unpacking and got ready for dinner. We had a fixed seating in Opus Dining Room Deck 3 at 8:30 p.m. We had been assigned a table for 10 (we had requested a large table). We like to be social and think of cruising as a great social venue. Unless it is a special occasion (honeymoon, anniversary, birthday, etc) I don't think I would want a table for 2. We enjoy the opportunity to meet other people and chat about their experiences.

 

We were very fortunate this time, not only did we have a great table in the middle of the dining room (so you got the full effect of the 2 level dining room) but we had excellent table mates! I can't believe how fortunate we were.

 

We also had a great waiter, Alexasander and assistant waiter Roger and the aforementioned wine steward Toto. Great service the entire cruise from these 3! We enjoyed the main dining room so much that we never wanted to go to the specialty restaurants.

 

Now speaking of the speciality restaurants, I know they are touted by some as very very good, and we were thinking of trying one of them for dinner, but after checking them all out and going to the "taste of" to see what they each had to offer, that we decided we didn't need to go there. I think if you are having a special occasion celebration (our only "celebration" was a week off of work!!!), then I can see how it might be nice to go there. But frankly we just had a great time and great food in the MDR. The only caveat was I believe, Wednesday night, when the menu was such so-so. I ordered the cajon drum fish. The fish itself was good, but the spice was not to my liking. This was the only time I had been disappointed in the meal and I think, in hindsight, might have checked out on of the specialty venues.

 

Two different table mates did go to Qsine, on different nights. One reported they loved it and the other reported they did not. Frankly Qsine does not appeal to me - though I did like the whimsical design of the room. Ordering on an ipad is nothing new, at least in San Diego, and after spending some time in Spain, the whole menu concept was that novel either.

 

Murano had been something that I was interested in trying - but after hearing from several people on board that the meal was either disappointing or just so-so, for the $45 pp fee decided to pass.

 

Tuscan Grille looked the most appealing to me - loved the seating on the back of the ship with all the windows. Very nice. Menu looked pretty good too and the reviews we got from everyone was that it was very good. So next time will put that on the list to try.

 

Lawn Club Grille - while it is fun to grill your own food (we go to a place like that near our house) - really didn't appeal to me on a cruise. Plus, a big caveat here on all the specialty dining comments is that I do not eat red meat. So a lot of the big plus for these restaurants is, I believe, a higher quality of steak than you get in the MDR. So perhaps for beef eaters it is great. I know there are fish options available, but other than the drum fish that one night, all the fish I had in the MDR was very very good.

[san diego spartan]

Thought I would attach photos of our excellent MDR tablemates and our great waiters.

 

 

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[Barwick Cruiser]

Loving the review...can't wait for more!!

 

Is there a way to see the pics full size? When I click on them they don't enlarge much and I can't read the writing on the menus or dailies...any suggestions?

 

Thanks and keep up the good work, San Diego!!

[san diego spartan]

Barwick Cruiser - sorry about the photos - let me see what I can do so they are more viewable!

[blueboro]

Loving your review. On Reflection in February and can't wait.

[wallie5446]

Kristine, we were at a 4 top right behind you!:D

[packyourpixiedust]

Thanks for the drinks package commentary and pricing. And the info about getting better brands into the trip. I've been on the Reflection- for their short Caribbean inaugural but I was pregnant so wasnt drinking. I will be making up for that early next year!

[san diego spartan]

Kristine, we were at a 4 top right behind you!:D

 

Lol. You could see we were having fun. :D

 

Several nights I felt sorry for the staff since we were one of the last ones to leave the dining room. :p. One night they turned the lights on! Ok time to leave. We got it. Poor crew! Still so great and we tipped them extra of course on last night.

 

Another thought i had while dining at a French bistro tonight was that by having the set dinner time you got to eat on Deck 3. Select was Deck 4. IMO Deck 3 was the better area. You really got the full atmosphere from the lower level. By the way food and wine tonight was good but I sure do miss the Reflection. We joked tonight that half of our "staff" was missing. Also no chocolates on our pillows when we got home. :(

 

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Edited December 3, 2013 by san diego spartan

[san diego spartan]

After a lovely dinner with our new dining pals, we had an after dinner drink at Ensemble and then up to the Sky Lounge for the 80's night party! It was pretty crowded in there and lots of people dancing to fun 80's music.

 

Now I had some threads asking questions about dancing and entertainment and I was frankly afraid we would be a bit bored, but since I figured we had been on so many HAL cruises, where I believe the average age was higher than X (and in this case that was certainly true), I figured we could find something to do. Well, no need to worry. Don't know if this is because of the Carribean itinerary or what, but there was always lots of good music and dancing throughout the ship. I actually like the smaller different venues to give you different options for different kinds of music.

 

There was the piano music in the Ensemble lounge, that featured usually most nights a good duet. The Grand Foyer had different music and bands, including Kenosis, which we really enjoyed. Kenosis also played (at least) one night up on deck for an evening deck party - so much fun. I believe this was the night we left St. Martin (but it could also have been the night we left St. Thomas).

 

The pool area had music - usually a DJ playing and if you didn't like that you could go to one of the other pool/lounge areas or the Solarium. The DJ played at night as well in the Sky Lounge. So plenty of choices IMO for live or DJ music.

 

In terms of the shows in the Celebrity Theatre - the ones that we saw were very good. Now, we did comment that sometimes the signing wasn't as good as we thought, but overall the music and acrobatics were entertaining. I do say the columns in the theatre can be annoying - but we usually found a seat on the main floor by the stage and were very happy.

 

:( I was bummed that we didn't get to see the Sin City Comedy show in the Reflection Theatre (which is a smaller more intimate venue). I understand that the type of show doesn't work well in the larger venue, and it was on 3 nights of the cruise, but we tried each time and never got in - it was always standing room only! We even left dinner early one night to make it and afraid we were shut out. I heard it was very good. I do think maybe Celebrity should have some sort of reservation system for this show, since it was so popular.

 

Other fun activities/entertainment including the Newlywed game show, The Celebrity Iron Chef show - so much fun to see Chef Thomas and the Sous Chefs! We also watched pool games/olympics one day (put unfortunately there was a quick down pour that put an end to the game)! We watched and played bocce ball on the lawn, which was also very nice.

 

Also in follow up to the Specialty Dining - after discussing over dinner last night, we both agree that we would eat at the Tuscan Grille and probably on that Wednesday night were neither of us was too impressed with the menu options in the MDR. Next cruise!

[CruiserFTL]

Loving your review while waiting on JW's.

 

I do not know if you saw this, but I shot a video of the Reflection leaving the POM the day you got back.

 

Here is the link

 

http://youtu.be/-gCculrK12w