SuperTrooper00

I wore a tux both formal nights. Most did not, but didn't affect me in the least. I will say I am part of the group that wishes they would change the flip flop policy at night. I love wearing flip flops with a polo/button down and khakis or nice jeans.

Thanks for the review. We are in our 30's, so guessing we are a part of the "younger demographic" they are trying for. We had a group of 8 of us (all our age or younger) a week before your sailing. We of course enjoyed the music around the pool, etc.. We also had a different experience in Tuscan as you. It was probably the worst SPecialty restaurant we have tried on a ship. We thought the entertainment was pretty awful, but loved dancing late into the night in Sky (which we LOVED).

But, like you, we loved the Porch. We loved Blu. We also noticed the long waits at bars. Gone are the days where servers hound you for more drinks (The Martini Bar is the closest to this if you can find a seat). On this ship, you just have to go to the bar and be aggressive most of the time. With the drink package, we didn't mind.

And we definitely noticed the smoke smell in the casino and surrounding shops. The only thing I could come up with is that they got their machines/furniture from a casino with smoking and the smell is still there.

We just did this exact same trip that the OP is asking about (it was our 2nd time doing it). It is easy peasy and I would do it again in a heartbeat. It will cost you almost $100 for the 2 of you to do it. Here is the simple plan…

Get off your boat and look for the organized truck/wagon taxi's. They are in a line and all over. Tell the taxi porter you want to go to Red Hook. Its $10 pp to get there. It will take about 20 minutes.

At Red Hook, they have built up the Ferry building incredibly nice. They have food, clean restrooms, a shop, and a bar. The Ferry leaves every hour on the hour (not the half hour like someone said). But your Ferry tix there. I can't quite remember the cost, but I think maybe $7 per person, each way.

After the short Ferry ride, find the organized taxi trucks in St. John's. Tell them you want to go to Trunk Bay. This was less than $10 pp if I remember correctly.

Once you arrive at Trunk Bay, you will pay a small fee to enter as its a natural park.

If you make the 9 or 10 am Ferry, you will easily have 3-4 hours on Trunk Bay which is plenty of time.

Reverse the above and enjoy one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The greatest benefit to doing this on your own (outside of not being part of a cattle call) is the freedom you get and the length of time you are at the Beach. This couldn't be easier, and with the way they have built up this trip, it is so easy to do it now. 10 years ago the ferry dock was a shack and a port-a-potty. No joke.

One more note on the Drink Package. On top of how nice everything else was (as I said above) about the package, the bottled water is probably its greatest value. They are the LARGE bottles of Evian, and I cannot tell you how many I drank in the week. Dozens at least.

If i may ask...how bad was the pool area...avaiable chairs?

Thanks!

For us, pretty bad. You can find them, but you have to either go early or really search.

Beyond just finding them, I thought the layout of the chairs were pretty awful also. Its just too small an area for a ship that big. That is the real challenge. Again, I think it all comes back to the wasted lawn space.

Thankfully, we don't mind too much not being by the pool, so we made due just fine. On that note, all the way forward on the ship has some older lawn chairs that were generally free. Outside of the bouncing basketball and clanging rim, its a pretty quiet area.

Thanks for this. Glad to hear about the Sky lounge - we like our dance music late and loud. Hope it's somewhat cutting edge too.

They will play just about anything if you get to know the DJ. But, for the most part, its the common stuff you would hear in a club today.

I will post this in the other appropriate places, but wanted to post here as well:

This was our first Celebrity cruise after previously sailing on NCL and HAL several times each. We were incredibly excited to try Celebrity as we have heard so many great things. We are a couple in our 30's. We went with a group of friends our age or younger.

Ship:

The Reflection is a beautiful ship. The pictures posted on here have captured her pretty well, as she really is a sight to behold. I found the ship average to fair to get around on, but didn't love the layout personally.

Several things about the ship that stood out for better or worse:

- We agree with most that the Lawn is a complete waste of space. Celebrity really needs to just swallow their pride and move on. Because of this, the pool was simply packed on all nice days. We have been on several ships and have never found it so difficult to find a chair to lay in. The lawn just eats up too much space in our opinion.

- We loved the Sky Lounge. We never saw it before it was limited in size due to the Suites…but boy is it still plenty big. Definitely big enough for what it is used for (more on that later). We always love venues at the front of the ship.

- The cabins were terrific. The bathroom layout was one of our favorites yet. Like others have said, our first reaction to the cabin was, "where is all the storage?". And, yet, like others have said, we found space to spare when we were done unpacking.

- We were Aqua Class, and the Spa area is terrific. The Persian Gardens are great and the Relaxation room was my favorite room on the ship. What an incredible place to watch the ship come into port. An important note (Celebrity secret?) that has probably been mentioned but I had not seen on here…if you are staying on the 11th floor, and just head forward on the ship down your hallway, you will see a door that is not marked. In fact, it says "Emergency Exit" on it. Just open that door and you are looking at the Relaxation Room. This is a great room to read, nap, etc.

- The bars on this ship are the best we have experienced at sea. There are so many options, and most of them have different bar menus. The Martini Bar, Molecular Bar, Ensemble Lounge, Michaels, etc etc. All of them are great.

- Overall, Reflection is one nice ship. And its positives FAR outweigh its negatives.

Food:

We thought the food was a solid 8 out of 10. Blu was very good most nights for dinner. Plenty of choices, plenty of food, and plenty of quality. We only tried the buffet for breakfast, and didn't enjoy that much at all. It was fine and would work for most, but unless you wanted to wait 10 minutes to get an omelette or fried eggs, the scrambled eggs on the buffet were the worst I have ever had.

We also tried Tuscan Grille and were not very impressed at all.

I would say the dining room (blu for us) was on par with HAL, and a couple of steps better than NCL. However, we found the NCL specialty dining to be far better.

In fact, one of the things we think Reflection lacked was a choice of options for dining. Outside of the few specialty pay restaurants…it was either your dining room, buffet, or a hamburger/hot dog at the Mast Grill. We love that NCL has other options for free.

- We did try the Porch for lunch one day. For the $5 pp cost, it is easily worth a try. The ambiance itself is worth the cost. We made that choice because we went to the dining room that day, and because they were only using one half of the dining room, there was a wait. And then Celebrity pulled out the worst question you can possibly ask someone who has just asked for a table for two, "We are out of tables for two, would you mind joining this couple right here?". Awful question putting you on the spot. I get that question if we didn't ask for a table for two but boy was that awkward. Anyways, to the Porch we went for no wait. Good food. Terribly slow service. We would eat there again though.

- Final comment about food/bars…Cafe Al Bacio is a genius idea. If you have the drink package like we did, this place was fantastic. Kudos to Celebrity for this one.

Service:

Overall, the service was good. We had always heard great things about Celebrity service, and I would not agree that it is better than any other line. Maybe our week was "off". Maybe service has gone down since that reputation. Maybe all cruise lines have suffered with cutbacks. Maybe it was a little of all of that. But, we have had just as good, if not better service on NCL and HAL.

Our service in BLu was pretty good. No problems with the Sommelier's like I had read about. Our service at the bars were hit and miss. The attitudes of all with the drink package were terrific, so no worries there. But I definitely noticed a lack of hands at the bar or taking orders. If you want a drink, you have to go get it most of the time. And then you have to fight for the bartenders attention. Not a lot different than a busy bar at home, but different than we have ever experienced. Of course, with the drink packages, I would guess they are busier than they have ever been. We had a couple of awkward run-ins with staff. One staffer refused to tell us where he was from. Another took our cigars (we weren't smoking, they were in their package) as a joke and refused to give them back. We asked about 5 times, needed to go, and waited about 15 minutes. Finally, my friend had to get a little testy before he finally relented. Small stuff, but odd.

Entertainment:

Ouch. Not Celebrity's finest area. The juggler was good. The other shows we walked out on. Cruise ships sure could use some people in marketing who ask the question, "If people don't pay to go to this crap in real life…why would they want to see it on a ship?". Most ships are the same, but man they need to improve this area. It all feels like a Lawrence Welk show to me…which for many is probably fine. Not for us.

Outside of the stage shows, the ship lacks other options. The most noticeable difference for us was there was rarely ever two options at once. This was most notable with the Sky Lounge. The DJ didn't start playing until 12:15 am every night. Why? Because they waited for the stage show to finish up. Weird. Two completely different crowds.

I will say this: the music/dancing on board was much better than we had read. There was a live band in Ensemble every night. Usually one in the Grand Foyer. And the DJ played every single night in Sky, usually late into the night. Anyone who thinks they "keep it quiet" for the Suite guests are crazy. The Sky lounge was thumping until 3-4 am most nights. There was also live music and dancing out on the pool deck stage area (which is terrific) several nights. The music/dancing was an unexpected bonus for us since we expected little, and thought they did a good job. They just really need to have more options in the Sky lounge during the afternoon and night. It is a terrific venue that is terribly under-used.

Ports

We have sailed this itinerary before and enjoy it. We spent a couple of hours in San Juan and enjoyed the free bus to the Fort. Its really a beautiful city. Its best just to look at this day as a mini-Sea Day.

St. Thomas is always the same for us. Taxi to Red Hook, Ferry to St. John, Taxi to Trunk Bay. We spent 3-4 hours there and loved every minute of it.

St. Maarten was a stunner for us. We booked with Robinson Tours and had one of the best excursions we have ever had. The power boat tour is simply incredible and worth every single penny (we would have paid double for it). I couldn't imagine doing anything else if we came back to the island.

Overall

We enjoyed Celebrity and liked Reflection. The biggest question is usually, "Would you sail with it/them again?". Yes. Absolutely we would. I went in worried that after sailing Celebrity, we would never be able to enjoy NCL again. That did not happen. NCL fits our needs pretty well, and as long as you eat in their Specialty restaurants, we think it is far better bang for your buck. But, we did enjoy Celebrity. I just didn't see the difference I expected.

More than anything else, Celebrity's silver bullet is the Drink Package. I cannot begin to tell you how incredibly nice this was. To not have to sign one receipt all week was worth so much. It is never awkward not to tip. There is never an attitude about it. It is a genius program by them. We added up the cost (generally speaking), and dollar for dollar it was close. But, that doesn't matter. The fact we were able to try drinks we never would have was worth the money alone. Factor in the ease of it and it is a complete and total winner in our opinion. I will be shocked if other lines do not follow in quick order. If they do, we will make our next cruise decision based on value, itinerary, etc. If other lines hold out, and Celebrity is the only one who offers the Premium Drink package and can actually carry it out so well…we will probably be back on Celebrity for that alone.

 

As others have said the Sky lounge has been halved in size and bands don't play there in the evenings due to the proximity of the new cabins.

When you say "bands don't play there", you are differentiating between "bands" and "DJ's" correct? I am only asking because we love to dance as well, and are fine if it is a DJ or live music.

All of the Celebrity Refelction Dailies I have seen posted on here list music in the Sky Lounge until late…with most starting at 10pm.

Just curious if that was your experience?

I also wonder if some of this has to do with itinerary. I have only looked at Caribbean dailies.

Love Ruth Chris Porterhouse for two and the sweet potatoes. Went to Cagneys on NCL, no comparison, really about the same as Outback. Just had open heart surgery a couple of weeks ago, looking forward to a nice steak.

My experience was very different. We eat at Ruth's Chris, Fleming's and Mortons several times a year. I thought Cagney's was very, very similar to those. In fact, I thought it was better than Fleming's (which is the worst of those three). It was FAR better than Outback in my experience. Not even close.

We enjoy HAL a lot. We are about to go on our first Celebrity cruise and I have a feeling it will be our line of choice. It seems for the most part they have what we love about HAL and don't have what we dislike.

As for HAL:

- We are in the Promenade Deck lovers group. We love them.

- Food is very good.

- About 10 years ago (our first cruise), HAL served Cherries Jubilee in one of their bars for free every night. That was a delicious and special treat.

- Fresh squeezed juice in MDR

- Fresh Flowers around ship

I know there have been lots of discussion on here before about which antibacterial soaps work and which wipes work. Assuming alcohol-based ones help, wouldn't these single hand wipes be somewhat affective and better than most generic ones with Noro since they are more than 60% alcohol: http://www.germx.com/product_detail.aspx?id=46

I know there are some very expensive ones that kill Noro, but these seem to be a decent fix for most.

Sorry if this sounds stupid but I'm having difficulty imagining how there couldn't be some contention for seats with 3000+ people heading to the Sunset Bar for Sailaway, Martini Bar before dinner etc. I suppose I've got a lot to learn...

Its not a stupid question at all as it seems like it would be a problem. But its not. The 3,000 are spread all over a HUGE ship. I have never had a problem standing anywhere I wanted for sail away. Ever. Pick your favorite spot, and have a great time. There is little like sail away out on deck with a drink in hand. It is the best.

Cruisetrail, I'm sorry, but the fact that you have the ability, and time & wherewithal to take exterior photos of a ship, & then take the time to look at a deck plan & point out specific rooms on that ship, or others in the same class from those photos, while commendable, does not make you an authority on the plusses & minuses of the location of the staterooms.

But apparently, it does make him a self-titled "travel expert". :rolleyes:

I will be posting links to all my Reflection albums in the next few days - just need to make sure they are all properly organized (almost said cataloged - librarian joke!!)

Looking forward to looking at them all again. Two huge things that convinced us to book: Your review, and the thread from the guy who said, "Why I'm leaving Celebrity". All of his reasons were things that we like! More music, more entertainment, etc etc.

Awesome, awesome review. It was a huge reason we booked Celebrity for the first time. Thanks for all of the time that went into it.

Maybe you already did this, but any chance you could post a link to all of your pictures?

 

Not every one has English as a first language!

 

It is obvious English is not his first language. Just as obvious that social manners are not his first concern. I didn't appreciate his subtle shots at others on here.

Habits and mentality.

People most likely expect cruise vacation diaries on these boards.

They don't expect expert reviews here.

 

This is not my vacation diary (OMG, I had chicken soup on Day 2).

This is a review of the ship.

Why do I spend so much time?

Why do people write books, perform research?

I am an engeneer and a travel professional.

This is my field.

That's why I spend time writing about ships.

This is a research.

It's not intended to please this board regulars.

It's for everyone who is interested in cruise ships and cruise line business.

And of course it's for those who is going to take a cruise on Celebrity S-Class ships.

 

Happy cruising!

I have so many thoughts running through my head. Thoughts about grammar, the use of the word "expert", engineers who can't spell their profession, etc, etc. But mostly, I just want to see a picture of Chicken Soup from Blu.

Hi, someguyfl,

 

Thanks for your explanation and suggestion.

 

School is getting out about now, and so i will go outside to find a teenager walking home who can explain to me what you said.

 

Thanks again.

LOL. His advice was actually really good.

I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your review. In fact, it confirmed that we wanted to try Celebrity and we are now booked. Your pictures are amazing and your optimism is contagious.

Its a shame that Michael's is not better suited. It seems like they are trying to do the feel of a "cigar lounge" by using beer. I don't think that works. I agree that a couple of tv's with sports, a few high tables, and an acoustic guitarist would do the trick. I do love the beer choices.

They can easily keep it sophisticated enough without turning into a full on Pub. It seems like a terrific venue for laid back, folksy guitar music though.

Hopefully Celebrity will take notice. In fact, I may have to make this point its own thread to ensure they see it. ;)

I saw Shawn Farquhar on one of my first cruises on NCL, and he is still at the top of my list. I keep going on cruises thinking someone will top him, but they have not yet. He was warm, funny, clean, and most of all madly talented.

Thanks so much for posting about it! We are still thinking about this option, but leaning more toward booking a bus/beach day thing at Tabyana just to make things easier on the kiddos. The last thing I want is to ruin my day with their whining because we tire them out too much with walking and snorkeling and difficulty with bathrooms and so on.

 

At any rate, I still have a couple questions. 1. Did the mini-bus take american dollars? 2. how long did it take you to get from port to Infinity?

Yes, we paid in US dollars. I think it costs exactly just a few cents over $1 each. We tipped and weren't counting pennies.

I think the mini-bus trip itself took almost 40 minutes. In total, my best memory of the time was...

- 20 minute walk to the Mercado (Market) (we did stop a few times to look at shops)

- 0 minute wait for bus

- 35-40 minute trip to West End

- 5 minute walk to water taxi

- 10 minute water taxi ride

Again, we were enjoying the trip so much that we really didn't think about time. But, that would be my best recollection.

Thing is this cheap transportation is in place for locals that cannot afford the luxury of a taxi and on cruise day's even the normal taxi's are not providing transportation for local residents and it gets to the point where locals cannot afford to go to town when cruise ships are in town. Is that the adventure memories one wants?

I am in no way an expert of Roatan, but I can tell you that there were dozens and dozens of taxis with no one in them. No way it stops locals who want to use them. Secondly, with the amount of mini-buses that run, there was plenty of room for everyone who wanted to ride. Thirdly, the folks on our bus certainly didn't mind us being there, and seemed to enjoy it. Fourthly, our bus driver certainly didn't mind because we tipped him really well.

Finally, the bus driver came to us and told us where his bus was, and the water taxi drivers beg you to use them.

No one should feel bad about using local transportation of any type if they desire to. If more tourists did, they would simply run more buses as it would benefit their economy to do so. Supply and demand works.

Also, don't underestimate how much fun the water taxi is. The cruise ship would charge $49 a person and call it an "exciting water adventure". It is very fun, and just a beautiful ride.

On our way back, there were a couple of people paddle-boarding (on the surfboard variety). They were tourists obviously and doing their best to stand up. Our driver got about as close to them as possible (which he didn't have to do). As we passed them, my wife and I looked back to see if they fell and sure enough they did. We both laughed and looked up at the driver who never turned around to survey his practical joke, and he just gave us a huge smile. That smile was a language anyone can speak. :D

Thanks for the great idea. We haven't booked anything yet in this port and have been searching the threads like you did for the best fit. This sounds like just the adventure. We did something similar in Mexico many years ago & when on one of the buses in Cancun got to the locals neighborhood & they kicked us off the bus and said we couldn't go any further:eek: Laughed all the way back into town to find a Carlos & Charlies. How boring not to get out and make your own adventures! Thanks, again.

With that attitude and spirit, you will do great on this little adventure. I did not get the impression that would happen in Roatan, but if it did, there would be another van coming through before your feet hit the ground.

This wonderful!!! I am so happy to hear of a cruise shipper with mini bus report and a positive one at that.

 

I only travel by mini bus and my feet..ok on occasion I take a water taxi but for the most part I walk down the beach to West Bay.

 

Truly, thank you so much.

 

Tell me how many on your party?

We had only the 2 of us. Great question though as that would make a difference. I think 4 could do it as well, but more than that I could see the locals not being happy that the mini-bus is full. They really do run every 10 minutes. They are everywhere (as you well know).

My wife is not usually the super adventurous type, so I was stoked that she was willing to do it. She has raved about it ever since. She speaks a little bit of SPanish (not much at all) and that helped her feel more comfortable I think. It is honestly very easy to do, and one just has to get out of their comfort zone.

While we were on the bus, I had remembered your comment in a post weeks ago about always being the only white person on there. Well, we were as well, and by their reaction, very few cruisers have ever done it that way. When I told them we were from the ship they gave us a very strange look like, "You are in the wrong part of town, gringo!". We truly loved it and would encourage others to try it.