Celebrity Reflection at Christmas

[johnwatts22]

Hi all,

My wife are both in our 60's and are planning to cruise with Celebrity Reflection this coming Christmas (2023).

Can anyone advise on the atmosphere during Christmas? Will there be lots of children? Lots of parties? More than 100% capacity?

We have cruised on Reflection on 5 previous occasions and the atmosphere was predominantly relaxed and mainly adults only. We're wondering how different it may be over the Christmas break.

Any advice or feedback on previous experiences would be much appreciated.

John & Vicky

Edited March 5, 2023 by johnwatts22
error in message

[Butterfly0822]

We got off Reflection on 12/23/22. There were pretty lights and some greenery and trees around the main public spaces. The night before we disembarked the staff were assembling a holiday village/gingerbread/holiday themed decor area near the main elevators with tons of things to look at. 

 

The shows had holiday themes, songs, etc. Nothing too "in your face" -- we didn't particularly care either way. 

 

There weren't too many kids on our cruise, but it was right before actual Christmas day and during Hanukkah. There were about 2600 people on our sailing according to the concierge. 

[mahdnc]

8 hours ago, johnwatts22 said:

Hi all,

My wife are both in our 60's and are planning to cruise with Celebrity Reflection this coming Christmas (2023).

Can anyone advise on the atmosphere during Christmas? Will there be lots of children? Lots of parties? More than 100% capacity?

We have cruised on Reflection on 5 previous occasions and the atmosphere was predominantly relaxed and mainly adults only. We're wondering how different it may be over the Christmas break.

Any advice or feedback on previous experiences would be much appreciated.

John & Vicky

 

The atmosphere on Reflection should be very nice for Christmas.  The ship will be tastefully decorated.  Most, but not all, of the decorations will be in the Grand Foyer area.  

 

Celebrity does hold parties on the ship for Christmas Eve. There will be evening dancing to live music in the Grand Foyer.  However it is a restrained affair compared to the treatment reserved for New Year's Eve. 

 

Christmas Eve will be an Evening Chic night aboard Reflection.   The officers will gather in the Grand Foyer during the evening to sing Christmas carols to the passengers (bottom photo).  The main theatre will feature a holiday themed live show that evening.  Here is the Celebrity Today for Solstice for Dec 24 2019 so you can see what other activities are traditionally planned.

 

On Christmas morning, Santa Claus pays a visit to the Grand Foyer to hand out gifts to the kids.  Here is the Celebrity Today for Solstice for Dec 25 2019 so you can see what other activities might be planned for your Reflection cruise.

 

Your cruise is short and it sails out of Florida.  That makes it a prime candidate for families and kids, so I would expect that the passenger make up will have a lot more kids than on your past Reflection sailings.

 

Celebrity has begun publishing flyers about the holiday experience on board their ships during the last 3 months of the year including Christmas.  Here is the flyer for 2021 and the flyer issued in 2022.

 

To give you an idea of how the ship is decorated, here are some photos taken of Solstice at various times on Christmas Eve:

 

 

 

 

 

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We boarded Reflection on 12/31/2022 for a New Year's cruise. There were kids but not an abundance of them on our cruise.  Our impression was that the crew was tired from the last cruise.  Our butler told us that all of her suites were booked to capacity. Not saying you won't have a good cruise but expect a lot of families and kids. This was our 3rd New Year's cruise since 2012.  The 1st 2 were longer and had a different vibe than this last one. We would not do it again.

[gschwartz001]

My DH and I were on the Reflection this past Christmas. We had an amazing cruise and didn’t want to get off the ship. While there were a good number of children on board we did not find it disruptive and we had a great time. I wouldn’t hesitate to book that ship again over the holidays. 

[johnwatts22]

On 3/6/2023 at 12:46 AM, CHEZMARYLOU said:

We boarded Reflection on 12/31/2022 for a New Year's cruise. There were kids but not an abundance of them on our cruise.  Our impression was that the crew was tired from the last cruise.  Our butler told us that all of her suites were booked to capacity. Not saying you won't have a good cruise but expect a lot of families and kids. This was our 3rd New Year's cruise since 2012.  The 1st 2 were longer and had a different vibe than this last one. We would not do it again.

Thank you Chezmarylou for your reply. We also sailed on Reflection on New year 2019~2020, we really enjoyed it and would do New Year again. This year we have booked back to backs from 17~23 and then 23~29 (for my retirement). I was thinking of rearanging the 2nd cruise and having a week in the Keys instead, not too sure yet. My wife loves Christmas so that may be the deciding factor.

[johnwatts22]

On 3/6/2023 at 1:02 AM, gschwartz001 said:

My DH and I were on the Reflection this past Christmas. We had an amazing cruise and didn’t want to get off the ship. While there were a good number of children on board we did not find it disruptive and we had a great time. I wouldn’t hesitate to book that ship again over the holidays. 

Hi gschwartz001, we appreciate your response, thank you. I'm heartened to hear about your experience. I'm a teacher in the UK and always have to sail during the school holiday periods. We've only ever sailed on Reflection and like you we have never found the children to be a problem, I was just a little concerned about the number of children over the Christmas holiday, thanks again for your helpful reply.

[johnwatts22]

On 3/5/2023 at 11:26 PM, mahdnc said:

 

The atmosphere on Reflection should be very nice for Christmas.  The ship will be tastefully decorated.  Most, but not all, of the decorations will be in the Grand Foyer area.  

 

Celebrity does hold parties on the ship for Christmas Eve. There will be evening dancing to live music in the Grand Foyer.  However it is a restrained affair compared to the treatment reserved for New Year's Eve. 

 

Christmas Eve will be an Evening Chic night aboard Reflection.   The officers will gather in the Grand Foyer during the evening to sing Christmas carols to the passengers (bottom photo).  The main theatre will feature a holiday themed live show that evening.  Here is the Celebrity Today for Solstice for Dec 24 2019 so you can see what other activities are traditionally planned.

 

On Christmas morning, Santa Claus pays a visit to the Grand Foyer to hand out gifts to the kids.  Here is the Celebrity Today for Solstice for Dec 25 2019 so you can see what other activities might be planned for your Reflection cruise.

 

Your cruise is short and it sails out of Florida.  That makes it a prime candidate for families and kids, so I would expect that the passenger make up will have a lot more kids than on your past Reflection sailings.

 

Celebrity has begun publishing flyers about the holiday experience on board their ships during the last 3 months of the year including Christmas.  Here is the flyer for 2021 and the flyer issued in 2022.

 

To give you an idea of how the ship is decorated, here are some photos taken of Solstice at various times on Christmas Eve:

 

 

 

 

 

Hi mahdnc, thank you so much for your reply, the lovely pictures and the helpful links. Your information has given us some food for thought. I can see both positives and possibly some not so positives with a Christmas sailing. The pictures look lovely and we realy appreciate your time replying to us, thank you.

[johnwatts22]

On 3/5/2023 at 8:11 PM, Butterfly0822 said:

We got off Reflection on 12/23/22. There were pretty lights and some greenery and trees around the main public spaces. The night before we disembarked the staff were assembling a holiday village/gingerbread/holiday themed decor area near the main elevators with tons of things to look at. 

 

The shows had holiday themes, songs, etc. Nothing too "in your face" -- we didn't particularly care either way. 

 

There weren't too many kids on our cruise, but it was right before actual Christmas day and during Hanukkah. There were about 2600 people on our sailing according to the concierge. 

Hi Butterfly0822, thank you for your reply, it is very much appreciated. We are also doing the pre-Christmas sailing (back to backs for my retirement). My concern is with the actual Christmas cruise. We might re-book the 2nd cruise and have a week in the Keys (which we also love).

[Arizona Wildcat]

1 minute ago, johnwatts22 said:

Hi Butterfly0822, thank you for your reply, it is very much appreciated. We are also doing the pre-Christmas sailing (back to backs for my retirement). My concern is with the actual Christmas cruise. We might re-book the 2nd cruise and have a week in the Keys (which we also love).

Plusses are atmosphere and decorations.

Minuses are ship will be full - really full - lots of families with children and many of those first timers on board 

We would do a New Years cruise.  We would NOT do another Christmas cruise.

[johnwatts22]

22 hours ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

Plusses are atmosphere and decorations.

Minuses are ship will be full - really full - lots of families with children and many of those first timers on board 

We would do a New Years cruise.  We would NOT do another Christmas cruise.

Thanks arizona, this is what I was worried about (the minuses), need to have a think whether to cancel or not. Appreciate the feedback.

[IslaSarah]

I was on the Reflection for the Dec 26th 2021 New Year's and the Dec 23rd 2022 Christmas sailings (married to a teacher so that's when we can travel). The 2021 cruise was ~70% full, which was amazing, but also short-staffed due to many crew in Covid isolation. This past Christmas I believe the passenger count was 3750ish (so at 123% capacity based on the Celebrity website saying occupancy is 3046), with over 400 kids on board. It was packed and the crew were clearly working really hard. The fact that there were lots of kids was evident, but I think I felt that more because there was a very loud family with multiple kids in the cabin next door (seriously, who lets their kid blow a whistle at all hours of the night in a shared-wall situation??). I might think twice before booking another holiday cruise, but really am more likely to just be careful picking my cabin to try to avoid having a 4-5 person cabin next door.
 

The ship was nicely decorated, there was holiday music playing instead of generic muzak in the buffet and other spaces, the captain and officers led a carol sing in the atrium Christmas Eve night, and one of the theater shows was holiday-themed. On the NYE cruise, they did a big pool-deck party to ring in the new year twice, since we changed clocks that night!

[HskrCrsr]

I was on Reflection this past Christmas and New Year's. The Christmas cruise reportedly was at 120% capacity and did have more children, including a group of young teens that seemed determined to make everything about them. There were also larger family groups than I have noted on other cruises. This was not generally an issue. (There was one large family that was an exception.) I was in Aqua Class, and dining in Blu was no different than I had experienced in the past and I very much enjoyed it. The biggest letdown on this cruise, for me, was that there was no special menu in Blu for Christmas. The buffet listed good things but supply seemed limited. The evening shows were not very good, IMHO. Sailing in Aqua Class, I did not find the children or over-capacity to be a problem.

 

The New Year's cruise was around 100% capacity and had fewer children. This was even better than the Christmas cruise and the New Year's Eve party on the pool deck was a ton of fun. If I were to choose, I would cruise over New Year rather than Christmas.

 

If you go, be sure to practice elevator dancing so you can shine during the parties in the foyer.

[johnwatts22]

On 3/9/2023 at 5:49 AM, IslaSarah said:

I was on the Reflection for the Dec 26th 2021 New Year's and the Dec 23rd 2022 Christmas sailings (married to a teacher so that's when we can travel). The 2021 cruise was ~70% full, which was amazing, but also short-staffed due to many crew in Covid isolation. This past Christmas I believe the passenger count was 3750ish (so at 123% capacity based on the Celebrity website saying occupancy is 3046), with over 400 kids on board. It was packed and the crew were clearly working really hard. The fact that there were lots of kids was evident, but I think I felt that more because there was a very loud family with multiple kids in the cabin next door (seriously, who lets their kid blow a whistle at all hours of the night in a shared-wall situation??). I might think twice before booking another holiday cruise, but really am more likely to just be careful picking my cabin to try to avoid having a 4-5 person cabin next door.
 

The ship was nicely decorated, there was holiday music playing instead of generic muzak in the buffet and other spaces, the captain and officers led a carol sing in the atrium Christmas Eve night, and one of the theater shows was holiday-themed. On the NYE cruise, they did a big pool-deck party to ring in the new year twice, since we changed clocks that night!

 

On 3/9/2023 at 7:49 AM, HskrCrsr said:

I was on Reflection this past Christmas and New Year's. The Christmas cruise reportedly was at 120% capacity and did have more children, including a group of young teens that seemed determined to make everything about them. There were also larger family groups than I have noted on other cruises. This was not generally an issue. (There was one large family that was an exception.) I was in Aqua Class, and dining in Blu was no different than I had experienced in the past and I very much enjoyed it. The biggest letdown on this cruise, for me, was that there was no special menu in Blu for Christmas. The buffet listed good things but supply seemed limited. The evening shows were not very good, IMHO. Sailing in Aqua Class, I did not find the children or over-capacity to be a problem.

 

The New Year's cruise was around 100% capacity and had fewer children. This was even better than the Christmas cruise and the New Year's Eve party on the pool deck was a ton of fun. If I were to choose, I would cruise over New Year rather than Christmas.

 

If you go, be sure to practice elevator dancing so you can shine during the parties in the foyer.

Thanks IslaSarah, I am also a teacher so am limited to the main holiday periods. Your photo's look amazing. It's a shame about the noisy family, this is what I'm worried about. We've booked a mini suite so not sure how they cater for large families.

[Jeremiah1212]

Holiday cruises will definitely have more kids and t-shirt families but for some context the max occupancy of Reflection is a tiny bit over 114% at 3,480. Double occupancy is 3,046. To be at 114% would mean every single one of the 434 cabins that hold 3/4/5 guests was occupied at max capacity which is just not very likely. The occupancy numbers you hear on board are very rarely correct. 

[39august]

If by "mini suite" you mean you have booked a Sky Suite, then your neighboring cabins (suites) are  2 people only. 

[EmmieK]

On 3/7/2023 at 2:29 PM, johnwatts22 said:

Thank you Chezmarylou for your reply. We also sailed on Reflection on New year 2019~2020, we really enjoyed it and would do New Year again. This year we have booked back to backs from 17~23 and then 23~29 (for my retirement). I was thinking of rearanging the 2nd cruise and having a week in the Keys instead, not too sure yet. My wife loves Christmas so that may be the deciding factor.

We’re on Reflection 17-23 as well. Our first Celebrity cruise!