Reflection, Mar. 1-8, 2014 - Our very first cruise

[Feelin' Nauti']

Love your review :)

[daydreamer16]

Thanks so much for your review! We were on the Reflection at the end of January and your review brought back great memories!

[LIMPIT]

Hi,

Great review thanks for taking the time to share with us all.

We have enjoyed a number of cruises now, and we love the whole experience of cruising, from the planning, visiting different ports, entertainment, dining, meeting new friends.

Cruise Critic has been a fantastic source of information for me, and we are looking forward in sailing with Celebrity for the first time in June on the Reflection.

[TeaBag]

Thank you to the recent posters for your comments! YVR cruiser, I have not seen that site - I sometimes use eGullet and a few others - looks cool, so thank you! (btw, I guess I'm now a YWG cruiser :D)

I forgot to comment on your platter of grilled food. So yummy and that steak done just right!

You really should try breakfast in Blu next time. It is very good. Love the Meusli with fresh fruit.

Off topic....google for Cooks Talk Classic and you will find the new forum which used to be the Fine Cooking one.

Edited March 13, 2014 by YVR cruiser

[helen haywood]

Someone worked for Gordon Ramsey and lived to tell the tale?

[jenniebnyc]

Nice review. Seems like foodwise, we like the same exact things. We had the identical meal at Tuscan Grill and enjoyed it as well.

 

LibraryLady has some competition! (no photos though, so she still has the upperhand!) :)

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise!

[wpgcycler]

Thanks folks!

 

jenniebnyc, I did in fact plan to take all sorts of pics but I soon decided I was going to just enjoy the cruise and rely on my mind's camera to capture the memories. I barely remember my first Stones concert in 1978 cuz I was too busy taking 140 odd photos. :rolleyes:

[cruzccl]

Thank you for your excellent review! You captured several times the essence of cruising and it brought back memories of my first time, first sail away, etc.

 

Though I have cruised some, it never get's old the excitement of embarkation day, the fun of exploring the ship, the elation of seeing the lines drop and pushing away from the pier.

 

Glad you had a great time and have been officially been bitten by the cruise bug.

[JEDIKNIGHT]

Excellent review.

 

Each reader is different, but speaking for myself I’m not interested in pictures of the airport terminal, the highway leading to pre-cruise hotels, description of the weather when cruiser arrived to port city, etc. Your review was very relevant, and your descriptions were very well written.

 

Your food descriptions were WONDERFUL in that you were very fair and descriptive.

 

Thank you.

[librarylady19]

Nice review. Seems like foodwise, we like the same exact things. We had the identical meal at Tuscan Grill and enjoyed it as well.

 

LibraryLady has some competition! (no photos though, so she still has the upperhand!) :)

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise!

 

 

OOOh, the pressure is on - I'll just have to step up my game with my review of my upcoming Azamara cruise. (It's been a long time since our last cruise as we opted for a land trip of London and Belgium last fall, so hope I'm not too rusty).

Edited March 16, 2014 by librarylady19

[Boat_Drinks]

Nice review. Hope to sail the Reflection myself in the next year or two.

[flyingv4me]

I truly enjoyed your review! Cruising is a very special way to vacation, and I loved reliving that first cruise feeling through your review. Excellent job!

[gelo7]

Wonderful review.

[wpgcycler]

Thank you kind people!

[tory707]

Great review. I have to tell you of my first cruise. 1978 on the SS Norway I was 20 years old with 3 other buddies. One of the best cruises of my life and I have been on over 25. For anyone that ever sailed her I think you would agree she was one of the most exquisite ships ever to sail. My next cruise was on the Carnival Mardi Gras. What a letdown from the Norway. This ship did not even have outlets in the room!!! Well back then I had hair and had to go to a room with about 25 women to blow dry my hair. We then agreed that we would not let the ship ruin our cruise. We made it a great cruise. For anyone who knew cruising back then food was horrible. But guess what...there was booze and girls!!! My point no matter how bad the food, how bad the ship you make the most of it and just have fun. My favorite ship so far? The Solstice. What an amazing ship!!! Now we are leaving Saturday on the Reflection and I am just as excited as I was on the Norway. Pulling up in the cab and seeing that ship still gives me goosebumps. I'm glad you enjoyed your first cruise and I'm sure you will have many more to come!!! Thanks for the great review!

[wpgcycler]

Thanks for that tory707! We have an old ashtray my wife's grandmother got on The France - the Norway in its original incarnation. (also, a 707 was the first plane I ever flew on)

[C&F]

Thanks folks!

 

 

 

jenniebnyc, I did in fact plan to take all sorts of pics but I soon decided I was going to just enjoy the cruise and rely on my mind's camera to capture the memories. I barely remember my first Stones concert in 1978 cuz I was too busy taking 140 odd photos. :rolleyes:

 

 

I used to take my camera to so many concerts! After a few in the front row, I realized I was snapping too many pics and not taking in the moment enough. Now I just enjoy it for what it is at the moment! Same with cruises now' I'll take a few scenic shots, but that's it.

 

 

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[CCPirate]

What a great review! After reading some very negative posts, yours was a breath of fresh air. We are going on our first Celebrity cruise on the Equinox in a couple of weeks and you have got me pumped.

 

Our first cruise was on the Carnival Ecstasy in 1997...it caught fire and was stranded at sea some time after our cruise.

[awhfy]

Welcome to the world of cruising aficionados Ian & Ali! Loved your review. We still get the thrill of anticipation pulling up to the pier & boarding for a new adventure. FYI, our first cruise was on the SS Norway got us hooked (all our cruises since have been on Celebrity). Thanks for such an upbeat review, we feel the same way!

 

 

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[carolslc]

Thank you for this wonderful review!! I'm sailing on the Reflection this Saturday in Aqua Class and made notes of things from your review of things not to miss. :)

[2Nkotb]

We will be on our first cruise ever on the Reflection in 9 days! I have been very excited about the cruise to begin with, but I am even much more so after reading your review. Thank you!

[wpgcycler]

Many thanks and happy cruisin' to all!

[juneybugel]

Hi Ian. I usually don't read reviews without pics, I'm a visual learner :o However, once I saw your username realized I had to check out a review from a fellow Pegger!

 

Your review was great. Thoroughly enjoyed reading a review from the eyes of a 1st time cruiser. We took our first cruise in 2009 and have been hooked since. Nothing is ever like the first one though.

 

We just booked our first celebrity cruise for 14 days aboard Eclipse for February 2015 and after this winter, can't wait! So jealous of people that live in the southern US and can drive to the ports. Sometimes we've paid higher airfare than the cruise itself! I"m too nervous to risk flying out of Grand Forks/Fargo in the winter to cut costs. Oh well.

 

Hope to see you cruising and reviewing again!

 

Rhonda

 

P.S. We have the classic drink package as the pick your perk. We're not big drinkers but I think you've convinced me to upgrade to premium once on board. Those martini and molecular drinks look just too good!