pete_coach

Thanks very much for the comparison.

Carnival was a line we looked at but the reputation of "total party boat" kind of turned us off.

We have only cruised with Celebrity and the type of comparison you provided will help us decide on our next cruise. Price is important and Celebrity is getting pricey and really not proportionally better so, other cruise lines will be considered.

The thread http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=911018&page=86 has cabin information

Post # 2570 has info on the cabin next door (2212) so the information is applicable to your cabin.

Post # 2569 has photo of S2 on Equinox which is pretty well the same as on Reflection.

Nice. Thanks.

You really never know for sure if you are getting the best deal booking onboard. We prefer to book at home. Our long time agent does well for us, better than onboard for our chosen cruises.

There are success stories and some not so much. And with the way X is pricing cruises with "free " perks, you should go in with your eyes open....and a crystal ball.:D Good luck and have fun on your cruise.

I agree with this.

We sat with an "agent" on board just recently and the pressure to book is quite high....sometime intense.

We were not sure whether the deal was good or not because you have nothing to compare it with.

I would not book onboard. I think the deals online or from a travel agent are equally as good, if not better, and not the pressure to buy right away.

I am not an apologist for Celebrity cruise line but do have to agree that your complaints were of the excursions and not the cruise itself.

If I have an issue with an excursion, I bring it up to the excursion staff at the time of incident. I try and sett the problem promptly as opposed to letting it fester and be mad at a guy behind a desk who may not have been rude but just stating facts and you did not like them.

And, I saw photos of the jeeps and they all had no tops....it makes sense as your are enjoying the tropics from the frigid North Country, that is why you chose to cruise at tht time and why would one want to be under shade?

Lastly, the excursion, while offered by Celebrity, are independent tours. The problem is with the tour operator and they are also tour operators for the other cruise lines as well so, you would have been unhappy with Princess, Carnival or Royal Caribbean as well I guess. If things do not go as you expected, just put the blame in the right place.

To add to the above post, I did not quite understand the comments in the "I Survived" threads as you know going in that the Classic has less selection and smaller drinks (noticed that in the Martini Bar).

So, with the new "Standard" package, I suspect the drinks are smaller again and even less selection. A few beers and wines and the soft drinks and coffees would be available I think.

Seems the Standard package is drinks up to $6 per serving. Classic is $8 per servicing and Premium is $13 per serving

http://www.celebritycruises.com/onboard-celebrity/onboard-beverage-packages?pagename=onboard_beverage_packages_premium_classic&tab=onboard_beverage_packages_premium_classic_tab

We were on Reflection for the Super Bowl cruise. We had a premium drink package.

The martinis were excellent, sometimes quite strong. The drinks in all the bars we visited (which was every one :)) were good too. No watering down in any drinks I or my travel companions had.

We even asked for the bartenders to make something special, off the menu...surprise us, and they did and the drinks were excellent.

Did not like the World Class Bar on the Reflection, the bartenders were inattentive to rude often and they could not make some of the drinks and, the drinks were overpriced in my opinion.

Bring money....although they do have some specials on occasion :)

http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/5f42a1ad#/5f42a1ad/1

I enjoy the flatbreads, grilled veggies and wonderful salad bar in the outdoor setting.

50 bucks per person extra for flatbread and a salad? That is a bit steep for me. :)

The MDR can and will make some very good meals just for the asking.

I realize it is a "special" occasion but htey can make it special too, if you ask.

Besides the demise of formal nights, food is the most debated topic on this forum.

Food is very subjective and what some people say is bad, others say it is good. I have found that complainers are the most vocal and often, their complaints are often so minor that they make no sense.

The opinions of the food is really more on what you expect as opposed to it being "bad".

I have been on 4 Celebrity cruises and have done the suite thing, the Aqua class thing, the concierge thing and, all the specialty dining room things as well as the MDR thing. I thought the food was good in them all, With the exception being Murano, which was special not so much for the food but the service. Even the buffet in the Oceanview was plentiful, varied and good.

I do not eat like that every day so having well prepared and choices of 6 or more entrees every night is a treat. We though that Blu (for Aqua class only) was very "crowded", tables very close together (servers bum at face level when serving the table next to you LOL) and the meals were not much better. (you can order MDR food if you don't see something you like on the limited Blu menu)

I am not certain that the up to $50 extra per person is really worth the cost of the specialty restaurants but again, that is a personal decision.

Bottom line is, you are not on "premium" lines such as Azamara or Oceania and there are 3 times the passengers. Not that you should lower your expectations to fast food levels but, be realistic.

Perspective is what you should look for and, do not fall under the spell of the doomsayers. Fear not, I think you will enjoy the ship, the cruise, the entertainment and even the food. :)

A table size should be part of your reservation request - small or large. FYI - there are VERY few 2 tops on most ships with most tables being 6 or 8. We enjoy meeting new people from around the world.

There were lots of tables for 2 on the Reflection on our cruise in February on both decks of the dining room. Mind you, they were quite close together.

The OP did not say why they were asking. If it is a table for 2 just contact as other have said but if they wish a larger table to accommodate their cruise mates, then they need to ask for that size of table and link the other people to their reservation. They need to have everyone reservation number when they ask.

We needed a table for 10 and that is how we got it.

As you will be staying only 5 days, I suggest you just stay right near the port. The Rocks or Circular Quay, near the Opera House. Lots of very nice hotels in that area.

There are many things to do in that area and public transport can take you to any of the beaches around.

I do not know what your budget is but there are hotels that are quite reasonable.

There is also VRBO https://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/south-pacific/australia/new-south-wales/greater-sydney/sydney-metro/sydney?sleeps=2-plus&from-date=2016-11-27&to-date=2016-12-02

I know one just as bad.....Royal Carribean ;)

Perhaps the bad Parent has produced a bad child? :)

Perhaps the Parent company is using the same developer for all it's cruise lines?

Also, clear your cookies.

The website is one of the worst commercial websites and there are many very long threads complaining about it.

I had the same problem for months and the only way I was able to correct it was to call the Captains Club number and have them fix it...and that only remained fixed for a few days and then locked up again.

Call, fixed, down again, call, fixed, down again,...repeat,....repeat....:)

We have done them all.

As an Aqua class in Blu...different dining room but in our opinion, it was a bit crowded with the tables very close together and the meals were good but nothing special.

As a Suite guest we could eat pretty well anywhere and had some specialty restaurants included as part of the package.

As "regular" veranda class cabin, we ate in the main dining room and the food was quite good too,. Half the menu is the same every night with the standard apps, steaks and chicken and desserts. The other half of the menu is the daily specials that can range form lamb chops, to lamb shanks to osso buco to lobster and so on.

As for the service, we found that it was quite comparable in them all except for in the specialty restaurants where it was a bit more attentive...Murano being the exception with the most "service" oriented specialty restaurants.

The Oceanview buffet was consistently consistent. Many people complain about it being the same every day but it does have differences every day, you just need to look for them. The service is buffet service, the food is good and plentiful.

Your expectations are yours (as everyone else) and if you expect a lot, you may be disappointment. We are not exactly foodies but have eaten in many places ranging from pizza's at a trattoria in Italy to Gordon Ramsey's in London.Our expectations of Ramsey's was considerably different but we thoroughly enjoyed the ambience and pizza in the trattoria too.

You are on ship that serves perhaps 3000 meals on the dining room in a 4 hour period so, sometimes it is better than others but in our opinion, never bad.

There is rarely an evening where the specialty restaurants are full. They are constantly trying to sell you a package to dine there....even at breakfast at the entrance of the Oceanview buffet, they will try to sell you diner at a specialty restaurant (very often at a discount). Personally, paying an extra 40 to 50 dollars per person for dinner makes me think twice as the MDR food is often the same....I say that because we have eaten in them all.

I do not think the dining experience would ever take away the pleasure of taking a cruise.

Oh yes, we paid for her. The same amount as an adult, double occupancy. They knew it was a baby. Luckily, we got the specials with free drinks, obc and gratuities. They offered to have diapers and wipes, for a fee but I didn't inquire as I figured the price would be outrageous and I also use pampers (they use Huggies). There is one public bathroom, near the kids club with a changing table so we just went to the room when necessary. Request a high chair and pack and play before you go! They will make food or supply it if you ask but again, we didn't partake, just brought our own stash of everything. Never ever did I feel out of place, despite some of the comments to the contrary. I think we actually received some of the best service we've had in our cruises. Enjoy!

Thanks so much for the information. OBC is good, gratuities for a baby that does not use the amenities and free drinks ...not so good:)

Especially thanks for the tip on asking for the high chair and "Pack an Play" before hand. I will get my Daughter to ask.

Geez, did the OP's comments about her enjoyment of the cruise ever go sideways?:confused:

Wonders10, glad you had a good time and do not let the negativity prevent you from going again. Perhaps some of the complainers are the same ones that have issues with babies regardless where they are, in restaurants, on airplanes or, wherever. I think what they have is called misopedia.

Anyway, my question is, did you have to pay for the baby on the cruise? I have heard that the cost is significant, regardless of the fact that the child does not partake in any of the meals etc. What were you able to get ? Did you let them know it was a baby? Did they provide any "baby essentials"? A crib in your cabin? Did you have to bring everything for the baby or did they have baby "stuff" available? I have family in the exact situation and are going on a cruise and had to pay quite a bit for their, what will be at the time, an 8 month old as well.

In my experience on Celebrity (4 cruises), night life is not a priority, regardless of the itinerary. Dancing in the main foyer during meal times and then maybe a DJ someplace (you gotta chase it down). A fantastic space as the sky Lounge is mostly empty.

A real disappointment in my experience.

I had the same problem plus. The plus was that each time I logged onto My Celebrity, the "balance owing" was different. Once, after a call, it was double what it should have been. This went on for about month and a half dozen phone calls.

As is so often discussed on this forum, the Celebrity website is a commercial disaster. Rectifications and renewal of the website has been promised for years but has yet to occur. In today's electronic age, I cannot see how a company like Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. , which owns Celebrity, can have such a poor online product as it has for Celebrity. Royal Caribbean website is a gem by comparison and it is not even as technologically advanced as others.

Thanks for replies! Didn't mean to start a controversy! ;) I just wanted to be sure if I wore a formal gown I wouldn't be alone! It is a Mexico/Central American itinerary, but I just like to dress up, no matter where we cruise! Where else can you go and wear tuxes and gowns! :). But I know things are going more casual, so I wanted to check to see if anyone else would be formal. Thanks all!

You didn't start controversy, you just continued on one of the most heated topics on the Celebrity forums.

If searched, the dress topic on this forum must have over a couple thousand posts since Celebrity denounced Formal nights :)

We were on Reflection beginning Feb.

For the "Chic" nights, there were people in gowns and tuxes, suits and dresses, slacks and skirts and we even saw a few in shorts (to the chagrin of many but they were not turned away).

Seems the dress code is a strongly suggested code but not very well enforced.

Regardless, we (10 of us at a large table) "dressed" up, had photos taken and had a great time.

Our port time last month was 3PM and depart at 11PM.

The ship docked right at Old San Juan and was withing walking distance f the old town.

Lots of great restaurants in that area. We had dinner at Barrahcina, the place where the Pina Colada was invented. http://www.barrachina.com/ We got there at 5:30 and had lost of time (we told the server we were on ship schedule so he did get our food quickly).

They have a variety of local cuisine and it was excellent. There were 8 of us and we all ordered different things so we could taste and share. I great meal and a good time.

Oh and the Pina Coladas were outstanding,....for us,. they have now become the standard for all others to be judged.

A Nickname for Silhouette

Been here for a long time, never heard that before.

You know, like refie, Innie, Eccie, Sollie, Summie. You get the idea :rolleyes:

How could I have missed that??? Too Cutesie??? :rolleyes:

What is a "Sillie"?

Silly?