Sonoma fans

We have had to do the same thing twice. Flight was changed to 1000 out of Miami. We did self disembark at 0650, grabbed a cab and were at the gate by 0830. It can work but no guarantees on ship allowing disembark at 0700 or earlier, and Miami is a bit chaotic. Try the airline, but definitely do able as long as you do not stress your whole cruise worrying....

As mentioned previously, you must pay by cc if booked prior to sailing. They are listed under dining on the web site when you enter your reservation number. The ads show the picnic basket, but these are not used. You get a fruit and cheese plate and bottles of water. The attendants will bring you food from available venues if you ask them, but we usually grab some breads and snacks with the cheese plate for lite lunch snacks. We used to have paninis delivered when the porch was not a seafood venue, but have not tried to have porch food delivered since the change. We have an alcove for our upcoming B to B 1/28/17 through 2/11/17. We have enjoyed them for the week on our last 4 reflection cruises, we decided to book for the 2 weeks.

You are able to cancel on board for a full refund just as you can cancel speciality dining. As mentioned previously, we book for the week and really enjoy. Have never not been able to put up shade cabana on 4 Caribbean cruises so far, and have sat in there through some liquid sunshine showers.

You can not smoke in the alcoves. Walk aft 100 ft port side for the smoking area.

We always rent them for the week, and book as soon as we have a reservation number. Due to the need to have an accessible cabin, we book farin advance for our cabin anyways, and just go ahead and book the alcove. January/February on our back to back we are booked for the 2 weeks. Really enjoy it. Book early as you can!

Sushi on 5 is included in UDP. As it is a pay for what you eat, each dish is alacarte and have a cost. UDP allows 30.00 total per person.

Celebrity is no longer offering luggage valet. Previous thread was answered by celebrity.

As you can tell by our cc name, we love our wine. Have sailed on reflection and eclipse 6 times over the last few years and have had some great wine experiences. The Riedel wine glass tasting is about the glasses, but is accompanied by some great wines. Our recommendation is to get to know the Somelier in cellar masters will be able to give you some great tastings. They are willing to open some wines not usually offered once you get to know them.

I have rented several times on celebrity. 258.00 for 2 week rental of heavy duty scooter for reflection sailing out of Miami.

As mentioned in previous posts, sea days sell out. We book for the entire week and get 25% off. We enjoy having a quiet space for the week. 99.00 for port days 150.00 US for sea days.

You will enjoy the alcove. We book for the week as I do not like the crowd at the pool. You do not get free wifi, but can log in there. The fruit and cheese plates are descent and he alcove will bring you water and drinks all day, just pick up the phone and it goes to them. Drinks are not free, so if you have the drinks package your all set.

Jazz concert 1 night about 7pm, for which you can enjoy from the alcove while having a nice cocktail etc.

We are booked on the reflection for a B2B at the end of January. The question we have is for customs declaration. Do we get to take the maximum allowable for each leg of the trip? I.e. Tobacco and liquor maximums for each leg. Because they re booked separately and you clear customs on each leg, it would seem to me we mean declare the max on each leg of the trip. Looking for info from any previous B2B cruisers that took advantage of allowable duty free.

We have sailed on reflection 4 times and I require an accessible cabin. All of the four cabins (1022 - 1028) have the same bathroom. It is a roll in shower with a curtain. Water flowing out is an issue, so you need to be proactive. When you meet your room steward, have them bring two pool towels to set up a berm to prevent water issues. Have them replace each evening and you will be good to go. The drain scheme could have been done better, but with the towel berm built, water stays in the shower area.

We did this trip last summer. The walk to Avis is several blocks. I walk with a cane and it was a bit far for me. Regular walkers 10 minutes. After you pick up the car, head back the way you walked. There is an entrance that will allow you to within 100 ft or so for pickup. This was the highlight of the trip and is not to be missed. The first platform at the first viewing spot is all accessible. The others require many stairs. I stayed at the first while DW walked to the others for photos. Have a great trip

We did this cruise in August of last year. As previous posters have mentioned, it is an incredible trip many miles up the Fjords with the shore just hundreds of feet away from you. We had unusually warm weather (70's) for a lot of the trip with just minimal rain. The waterfalls were still flowing, but not as much as they would have been in May. We did the Flam railway (booked many months ahead) and did the Troll road on our own by renting a car at Avis in Stavenger. I would repeat this trip in a minute.

The ship departs out of Southampton England, so there were many British folks on board which was really fun. Book this trip!

They do not save any alcoves for on board booking. We rent for the week and always book 6 months out. Although not for everyone, they work for us

As a person that requires an accessible cabin, I am forced to book as early as possible as the accessible cabins fill up fast. There are 8 verandah class accessible cabins and 4 concierge class, so not many to go around. Just keep having TA inquire often for any openings with final payment just passed for you.

Thanks for t he review. On our 1/30/16 reflection cruise free elite Internet (180 minutes) was extremely fast. It was like being at home with Fios. Did not know there was a separate rate as we did not experience it.

They sure do...order a flight of 12 or 16 to make it really interesting and fun...You have to pay for the flight as not covered under packages

We did the 8 nite Norweigan Fjords on the Eclipse but it was August. Had Starboard Concierge 1022. It does not matter which side of the ship as there are great waterfalls on both sides as you sail into Flam and Gieranger. We watched sail in each day with breakfast on our Verranda early morning. Incredible scenery...

Have used specially needs at sea with great success. A new pride victory 10 wa sawsome. No issues

We were on Reflection the week before this review..... Loved it great week. Our review is on here somewhere.

The thing I wanted to address arethe comments regarding scooters.

First my DH uses one, he does not consider himself entitled to skip to the head of any line, at any time. That said he also doesn't feel he should wait while people cut in front if him as if he doesn't exist because he requires assistance. Although I must say that on our trip most people were very considerate and payed attention to who was in line first. One lady even said to another group of passengers waiting for an elevator that my DH was there first, when they crowded on to it ahead of him.

He has never intentionally hit anyone, although there have been close calls when someone suddenly stops or changes direction in front of him........ Remember he cannot dodge, or swerve out of the way one a dime like we on two legs can.

I'm sorry if I sound like I'm preaching, this scooter business is new to us, and it is certainly an awakening to see how differently people look and behave around you.

The tenders used in Grand Cayman are from the port. They are 2 level tenders that hold 250 passengers. I call them roll on roll off as there are no stairs when loading to the upper level. This allows wheel chairs and scooters to just "roll on and off" very easy. If they were using the ship life boats as tenders, would not be able to do this.

BACKGROUND: We are Elite Level with Celebrity and in our mid-fifties (54 and DW 52). We are from Massachusetts near Cape Cod. This was our third sailing on Reflection and our fourth sailing on S Class ships with one sailing on Eclipse to the Norwegian Fjords last august. We usually sail alone, but were joined by seven other friends for this trip.

PRE STAY: We flew down to Miami the day prior to departure to reduce risk of potential storms making us late. We stayed at the Marriott Biscayne Bay, which is a twenty minute ride from the airport and a flat rate fee of 27.00. We met some friends for dinner on South beach at a restaurant called Prime 112. Outrageously expensive but the 28 day dry aged filets were magnificent. The hotel is on the Bay, and you look at the Reflection docked while eating breakfast at the outdoor seating area. We caught a cab to the port at 1030, and were at the port by 1040. The cab was 13.00.

EMBARKATION: Once at the port, we dropped our luggage with the porters and made our way into the terminal. There were no lines through security or to check in. Once we had our Sea pass cards, we waited 5 minutes and at 1100 the suite passengers were boarding. We were right behind them. Once on board, we immediately went to the specialty dinner table that was set up just inside on deck 5. We signed up for the Ultimate dining Package (29.00 pp/day or 406.00 for two for the week) as we enjoy the specialty restaurants. We had the days and times of the reservations we wanted for the week written up ahead of time, so it was very easy for the gentlemen inputting the reservations into the computer to get them set. We got dinner times between 6:30 & 7:00 each night. We also upgraded to Premium package utilizing our OBC while we were adding our dinner reservations.

The other folks that were travelling with us did the four night specialty dinner package. They were able to join reservations by providing our cabin number to the gentleman loading the reservations. We ate together for their four nights.

Having been on Reflection previously, we headed to the sunset bar for a few cocktails, and went to Bistro on five for lunch (covered under the UDP). The Bistro on 5 menu was the same as last February, with the crepes, sandwiches, and specialty’s each night. Lots of chatter about this becoming a sushi restaurant, but not in affect yet.

We went to muster at 3:15, and enjoyed sail away from the Mast Bar. At 4:45 our bags were in the cabin and DW had everything hung and put away.

CABIN: We stayed in Concierge class accessible cabin 1026. Due to a progressive muscle disease, I require grab rails etc..I also rent a mobility scooter for the week, so require the accessible cabin for the scooter. We looked into the Accessible veranda cabins on deck 6 & 7, but they were in areas that could have some noise from deck 5. For us it is worth the Concierge class to get the cabin on deck 10. If I did not need the accessible cabin, I am sure we would book the regular veranda cabins on deck nine as the perks for concierge are not worth the increased cost IMO.

FOOD: We can only speak for the specialty restaurants as we did not eat in the OPUS dining room with the UDP. We felt that the food and service was very good. We ate at the Lawn Club Grill twice, Tuscan twice, Qsine twice, and at Murano once. There was a special lunch offered on the last sea day at LCG, Tuscan, and Murano. It was free for UDP or for a 25.00 fee.

LCG: We got three pizzas for the table, and most folks got the Filet which was done a perfect medium rare, and combined that with the scallop and shrimp kabobs.

Tuscan: The server brought three different pastas for the table to share, meals ordered were the lasagna, the raviolis, the Mediterranean Sea bass, and the 18 oz dry aged sirloin (upcharge for this)

Qsine: Great tastes throughout the meal…Full, Full, Full

Murano: We ate at Murano on the first sea Day. We were able to reserve the wine room within Murano for the 9 of us. This is a private area inside Murano and is their wine cellar. Meals ordered included the Chateaubriand for 2, Dover sole, & Lobster Tails. These are final prepared at table side and it is a nice touch. Really Good Meal.

The ALCOVES: The alcoves are the cabanas that are on Deck 15 on the Lawn. We have rented one for the week on our last two cruises and really enjoy them. With my condition, I struggle to get into/out of the lounge chairs by the pool area. The Alcove has wicker furniture (two club chairs with ottomans and a couch). I am able to get in/out of these chairs and I am comfortable. With the sliding panel doors open you see the ocean and get a great breeze all day. We never have to “fight” for territory, or for chairs that have items thrown upon them to save for the morning…The alcoves have an attendant that will bring water, drinks, food etc..all day as requested. The down side is they are expensive. We figure the cost into our vacations on Reflection and will continue to rent for the week when we cruise Reflection or Silhouette. (20% off rates when booked for the week)

BARS: As you can tell by our cruise critic name, Sonoma fans, the Wine Cellar was our favorite place for drinks on the ship. The Sommelier named Stefania does an incredible job running this venue. There were always fellow passengers in the wine cellar, unlike the previous cruises on Reflection. I believe Stefania is personally responsible for the increased visitors. OK selection by the glass, with an upcharge for those over 14.00 per glass. The Reflection still has the Enomatic wine dispensers. You purchase a separate wine card and are able to try over 60 different wines. A lot of folks complain that these are charged separately, but there is no way they would offer that many wines if they did not have them.

The Martini Bar: This was the bar that we would all meet at for before dinner martinis. Bartenders were good, and the wait for drinks was reasonable. The DJ played some decent music, but it makes you talk pretty loud to carry a conversation with a big group. If you are with a group, order “the Flight” and have the bartenders do it with 12-16 shakers…Impressive if you have not witnessed it yet…..

The World Class Bar: The World Class bar signs were up, but the menu had not been changed over yet. The bartender on board stated that they were in the final 2 weeks of training, and that it would be officially rolled out shortly.

ENTERTAINMENT: We saw two of the shows in the Theatre during the week. 1 comedian on the first sea day night, and the Rock city show which was done to some rock classics. Both were OK but we do not go to many ship board shows so not much to compare to. An R rated show was offered in Celebrity Central (the smaller theatre) several times during the week but we did not attend. The folks in our group that did attend said it got pretty raunchy.. The house band blind vinyl were good as well as the other singers that played in the centrum area at night.

PORTS: This was the western Caribbean itinerary, with stops in Cozumel. Grand Cayman, Ocho Rios Jamaica, and Coco cay. We have been very fortunate to have visited and stayed on most of the islands in the Caribbean, so we normally do not get off the ship. Grand Cayman holds a special place so we got off to rove around the downtown area and to have a few cocktails. The Roll on.Roll off tenders they use in Grand Cayman allowed me to drive my scooter right on/off the tender. It was as calm as I have ever seen it in the harbor so loading was easy. The other folks in our group did excursions at all of the islands. They did the Celebrity sponsored excursions and had good things to say about all of them. Due to rough seas at Coco Cay, the ship called upon Nassau Bahamas instead. Most of our group went to Atlantis for the day and had a blast. We stayed on board and enjoyed our alcove for the last day.

OTHER: We did the Riedel Wine Glass Tasting and another Premium wine tasting. If you like wine and have not done the Riedel tasting, I recommend it. For 92.00 pp, you get the wine tasting plus four Riedel wine glasses. The difference in tasting from the proper glass is incredible. The premium tasting consisted of 5 wines and cheeses (all bottles retailed for over 100.00). It was a nice selection of wines for the 45.00 pp fee.

DEBARKATION: We signed up for the luggage valet at 20.00 pp. This allows you to not touch your bags once put out on the last night, until your final destination. The only mis cue was that guest relations told the luggage valet folks to wait on deck 3 at the passport bar at 0815. As it became 0840, had to go to guest relations to inquire. They sent us to deck 4 OPUS dining room. Once there inquired with representative and they stated Luggage valets were cleared. This is offered each week and I would have thought there would be less confusion. Got off ship, waited 5 mins for Immigration, and were on our way to the airport.

The Reflection is a wonderful ship with a great staff. All areas of the ship were kept spotless, and all staff were friendly and willing to assist however they could. Looking forward to more cruises on her in the future.

Please let me know if there are any questions I can try to answer…

Have always used Kay's jeweler in St Martin. They have stores at the dock and in town. Bought several pieces throughout the years and actually bought items from home in Massachusetts through one of the owners "Archie". Always had a good experience with backed appraisals.