GACrusin

Thank you for posting the link to this!  We cruised the mediterranean on the Reflection a few years ago and it was fun to re-live some of the sights both on and off the Reflection watching this.  I agree, he presented the experience very fairly with some true pros and cons.  We enjoyed it immensely and felt it was a good way to get an overview of these Mediterranean highlights.  

Love this thread...great idea!  My first simple pleasure is being at the Sunset Bar after sail away, relaxing and knowing we have the whole week ahead of us to enjoy.  Also love when my DH brings me a latte (he's an early riser and has to have coffee) and we start our day on the balcony, listening to the ship glide through the water and discuss what we're going to do that day!  Counting down the days til a 12/22 sail away!

Haven't tried every drink on the menu at the martini bar, but have tried enough to find several I like!  Favorites are a regular dirty martini, the frescatini, and the chocolatini after dinner.  We enjoy the martini bar, have fun watching the flair bartenders (favorite was Bekir on the Reflection in the med a few years ago) and have met some really nice people there!  Our next favorite bar is the Sunset Bar...stayed with Alaskan beers at the Sunset on the Solstice this past summer.  They were good!

Also realize you won't currently be able to taxi to Caneel and Honeymoon Beach.  I've been doing some research as we will dock at St. Thomas and want to spend the day at Honeymoon on St. John in Dec. (it's one of our favorites)  Looks like the two ways to get there are either to hike in, or a dinghy boat shuttle from Cruz Bay.  The shuttle's $10. Here's a link:  https://viecotours.com/trip-details/boat-shuttle-round-trip-to-honeymoon-beach-st-john  Hope you enjoy your day!

I don't think you'll have any problem grabbing a taxi when you get off the ferry in Cruz Bay. Our experience has been that they will take you on a tour, drop you off at a beach, and pick you up at a time of your choosing. I don't recall pricing as it has been a number of years since we've done that. Our last several visits we have stayed on the island, after originally visiting from a cruise ship. We love it! Enjoy!!

I called Celebrity last week and was able to upgrade myself, and not my DH (he's a beer drinker and can get what he wants in the classic package). Was able to take advantage of 20% off the upgrade!

Fantastic! Hope to see you on the roll call, and on board the ship. :)

I just booked! Last time I looked, I did't see a roll call started. Have to ask a side question...are y'all football/Texans fans? We have become fans as Deshaun Watson is a hometown kid. Our son played against him in high school, and yes, he was good then too.

Thank you everyone for sharing your thoughts and experiences! I think we're going to give it a try. We're pretty laid back cruisers and don't spend a great amount of time hanging out on the pool deck. It's good to know and be prepared that there will be increased numbers of kids and teens, but will try to stay out of their way! (Wondering how significant this is on Celebrity as in general there are not usually as many kids) We enjoy time in the shady areas further away from the pool or at the Sunset Bar! We usually travel to family out of state for Christmas, and share gifts, but have wanted for years to take a trip together and let the travel and time together be the gift! Even with the increased price of a holiday cruise, it's cheaper than traveling to and spending the week on St. John. Now to decide what type of cabins. Have cruised Concierge and Aqua on Celebrity. The goal is to book in the next couple of days!!

We are on the same cruise. We have cruised at Christmas quite a few times because Jacquie works for the school district. Hope y'all join us. :)

Hi Texed and Jacquie...I think we are going to book it!

Went on exact same cruise , same dates , same ship last year. It was great. Ported in San Juan on Christmas. Not much going on there. Ship had some decorations but not overdone. Went with extended family. There were 16 of us. Ages 16-75

Thank you! It's great to hear of your experience on the same cruise!

Hi All! We are thinking about taking the Equinox from Miami Dec. 22-29. My husband, 25yr old son and his girlfriend would be traveling. It looks to have a slightly revised itinerary with only 2 1/2 port days (evening in San Juan, a day in St. Thomas and a day in St. Maarten). A big draw for us is that we could spend Christmas day on St. John...one of our favorite places. If you've cruised over Christmas, would you recommend it? Is the ship festive? If you're in port on Christmas Eve, Christmas day, or the day after, are there things to do? Are things open? We enjoy sea days, so having an extra could be relaxing. Would love to hear others' experience. We need to make our minds up soon! Thanks!

Can I please get a big more info on this. It’s not something I’ve read about, but it sounds interesting.

It was several years ago, and it was listed in the daily and on ship. There was a cost, but I can't recall how much. We had a guided tour that included the bridge, engine/mechanical room, large area at the bow where the anchors are pulled up, the main crew level, food storage, main galleys, and included lunch at the Tuscan Grille. We were able to see many areas on the crew level including their food service area and crew bar. They spent considerable time with us on the bridge, explaining equipment and navigation from the bridge officer on duty. Had time for pictures with officers also. Overall very worth the price!

Try Alaskan Airlines. We flew out of Hartsfield round trip to Seattle this summer. We were able to get first class for less $$ than extended legroom on Delta. Wonderful flight, good service, great breakfast! We are pretty loyal Delta customers (what else can you be living close to ATL), but were very pleased with Alaskan Air!!

We've done a cooking class in Murano on the Solstice, and the tour of the ship that includes lunch on the Reflection. Both were fun and interesting! On top of that...relax!

I called and upgraded with this discount for our cruise leaving next week! I was able to upgrade from our classic perk and used on board credit to do so. Thanks Karen!

I so appreciate the question and answers on this! We'll be on the Solstice the end of June, and being from the south, my summer wardrobe is a lot of linen and silk. I've wondered if that would be appropriate while on the ship on sea days and in the evening. Sounds like that will work with a light sweater or wrap? I've already thought through my layers while in port.

My issues reduced significantly when I started using Chrome. I could not navigate the site at all with Safari.

We traveled on the Reflection for a 14 day cruise a few years ago with our teenage son. He ended up being good with sleeping on the sofa without pulling the bed out. The steward would put sheets on it with blankets daily and we'd just fold them up in the morning. He was comfortable. Of course....a teenager can usually sleep anywhere, on anything!

Anxious to follow along as we will be on the Solstice out of Seattle the end of June! Thank you in advance for sharing your adventure with us!

There are 4 of us and we'll each have a suitcase (25") plus a backpack type carry on. I've read about long car lines at the port (we're on Celebrity). Is it the same line for all modes of transport?

Thanks!

Hi Everyone,

We are staying downtown in Seattle the night before our cruise. What is the best way to transfer to the port? Uber, taxi, other? Thanks in advance for the advice!

Stay in Rome! We cruised on the Reflection out of Civitavecchia several years ago. Our flight arrived in Rome early the day before our cruise. We stayed at the Hotel Ponte Sisto and I would highly recommend it. We enjoyed our day in Rome, and were able to walk to Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and other sights. In the evening walked across the Ponte Sisto bridge into Trastevere for dinner. We went for a run the next morning and ended up running through the Vatican area (didn't know we were that close!) We scheduled Rome Cabs for our transfer to the port the next morning and it was seamless.

Hi! Loving your review and pictures! We were on the Reflection several years with a slightly different itinerary. Ours included Istanbul and Kusadasi (Ephasus). Your review is bringing back wonderful memories! I smiled immediately seeing the windmill pictures. Now I want to go back! Thank you!!

We did the full behind the scenes tour on Reflection a few years ago. Saw everything from the crew areas, engine control room, food storage areas, the kitchen and the bridge. It was well worth the money and included lunch in the Tuscan Grill. Our family of 5 all enjoyed it!

Hi everyone! We sail June 29 to Alaska. I made a trip to REI specifically for shoes, and came out with a pair I love! https://www.rei.com/product/128759/la-sportiva-spire-gtx-hiking-shoes-womens They are waterproof, breathable, fairly light weight and very comfy! I got them early to break in, and have been walking in them regularly. Didn't really need any breaking in. With this being our first trip to Alaska, I appreciate all of the suggestions!