First Time Celebrity - Reflection

My husband and I are on the 4/12/19 10 night Ultimate Southern Caribbean cruise aboard the Reflection.

We have sailed RCCL Norwegian and Carnival many times.

We are booked in a Sunset Veranda aft cabin. We love aft cabins.

We have chosen to dine at whatever time. Not sure what that is called on Celebrity.

We have the classic beverage package. I assume that specialty coffee in Cafe Bacio (I think that is what it is called) are not included, unless you get a shot of alcohol. Am I correct?

What differences can I expect on Celebrity?

Any and all advice, comments are welcomed.

jonsmom:

The anytime dining on Celebrity is called "select dining."

Your classic beverage package will include non-alcohol lattes, Tea Forte, and so forth at the Cafe al Bacio. And during the evening the Cafe al Bacio generally has the best desserts on the ship. So after you finish your entree at the MDR during select dining, just politely decline to look at the dessert menu and leave. You will impress the waitstaff and everyone around you -- little do they have to know that you are directly headed to the Cafe al Bacio.

We've only ever sailed with Celebrity so cannot comment on a comparison with another line.

The classic beverage package includes specialty coffee at Café Al Bacio, but not coffee with alcohol.

I expect you will be disappointed with the quality of the shows on Celebrity. The energy level on the ship will not match the other lines you have been on. However, the food and service are outstanding. You will have a great time.

I expect you will be disappointed with the quality of the shows on Celebrity. The energy level on the ship will not match the other lines you have been on. However, the food and service are outstanding. You will have a great time.

We were on the Norwegian Pearl in August & this sailing's entertainment was underwhelming at best

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We've only ever sailed with Celebrity so cannot comment on a comparison with another line.

 

The classic beverage package includes specialty coffee at Café Al Bacio, but not coffee with alcohol.

There are two specialty coffees at Cafe al Bacio that are in the Classic Package price point. One is the Cafe Kingston...can't remember the other. For the rest you will just be charged the up charge and grat. ($1 + 18%)

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I expect you will be disappointed with the quality of the shows on Celebrity. The energy level on the ship will not match the other lines you have been on. However, the food and service are outstanding. You will have a great time.

We found the shows to be great on Eclipse. With that said, it is always a matter of the quality of the entertainers that make or break a show on any cruise line. We have most experience with RCI and if a couple of the singers are not very good, it can ruinthe whole show!

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We were on the Reflection for a TA from Rome in Oct. There were way too many comedian shows for us but several others were great. Found the MDR menus not to our liking but the buffet on some nights was excellent.

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Thanks everyone for your replies - I look forward to more replies.

We just got off the Reflection last week (they had to pry our fingers from the ship;p). It was one of our best cruises. We were pleasantly surprised that the entertainment was the best we've seen on any cruise and we set a record by not walking out of a single show! If he performs, try not to miss Chiko. He is a member of the activities staff and he performed his first ever night time show in the Celebrity theater. When he finished the show, the audience stood and screamed for more. Even when the CD was talking at the end of the show the audience wouldn't stop! The CD finally had to bring him back and have Chiko himself explain that he had no more before the audience finally stopped! I've never seen that kind of reaction to a show on any cruise line or ship in all the years we've cruised.

The staff and service aboard Reflection was excellent. You will find less announcements on Celebrity than on Royal or Norwegians, only one daily around 10:00 AM by the Captain and CD. Those will be in public areas only and not in your stateroom unless you tune in on your TV. There will be fewer pool games. I guess the best way to explain the difference is there is a more sophisticated atmosphere (but not stuffy), more adult oriented and definitely fewer families. We find that the service is definitely more upscale and the food is better. Enjoy your trip, Reflection is a great ship.

Thanks. I am looking forward to it. We have a ways to go but alot of info to sift through.

What is included in the classic beverage package?

Which itinerary have you done? We have done Eastern & Western many times but never Antigua, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts. (I maybe forgetting one)

Thanks. I am looking forward to it. We have a ways to go but alot of info to sift through.

 

What is included in the classic beverage package?

 

Which itinerary have you done? We have done Eastern & Western many times but never Antigua, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts. (I maybe forgetting one)

For our purposes, the classic package provides everything we wanted except martinis at the Martini Bar. If you are discriminating about your wine choices, you may need to pay the difference for something you want, however we were always able to find something to suit us without difficulty. Remember that you can also order specialty coffe in the MDR or anywhere else with your package. The coffees and teas at Cafe al Bacio are included as well as are fresh squeezed juices and soda. Also, frozen drinks like pina coladas, mudslides, frozen toasted almonds, daquiris, margaritas are also included.There had been discussion on these boards about being given the soda can when you order a coke. FWIW, last week DH ordered quite a few. It was about 50-50 whether he got a glass or a glass and a can. He never remembered to ask for the can.

St. Lucia is one of our favorite Carbbean islands. It's very lush, and reminds me us of Hawaii. St. Kitts as also one of our favorite islands. Antigua and Barbados aren't among our favorites, but perhaps it's because we've been there so many times. Have fun on your cruise. Our worst day on a cruise ship is better than any day at work!:D

For our purposes, the classic package provides everything we wanted except martinis at the Martini Bar. If you are discriminating about your wine choices, you may need to pay the difference for something you want, however we were always able to find something to suit us without difficulty. Remember that you can also order specialty coffe in the MDR or anywhere else with your package. The coffees and teas at Cafe al Bacio are included as well as are fresh squeezed juices and soda. Also, frozen drinks like pina coladas, mudslides, frozen toasted almonds, daquiris, margaritas are also included.There had been discussion on these boards about being given the soda can when you order a coke. FWIW, last week DH ordered quite a few. It was about 50-50 whether he got a glass or a glass and a can. He never remembered to ask for the can.

St. Lucia is one of our favorite Carbbean islands. It's very lush, and reminds me us of Hawaii. St. Kitts as also one of our favorite islands. Antigua and Barbados aren't among our favorites, but perhaps it's because we've been there so many times. Have fun on your cruise. Our worst day on a cruise ship is better than any day at work!:D

We are not discriminating drinkers at all. Wine and beer will work and I do love frozen drinks.

How have you spent your days in St. Lucia & St. Kitts? Beachlimerz is probably what we will do in Antigua. I need to look at options for Barbados. We like to book independent excursions. Unless the cruise ship offers something that we cannot find elsewhere.

We are not discriminating drinkers at all. Wine and beer will work and I do love frozen drinks.

 

How have you spent your days in St. Lucia & St. Kitts? Beachlimerz is probably what we will do in Antigua. I need to look at options for Barbados. We like to book independent excursions. Unless the cruise ship offers something that we cannot find elsewhere.

We also generally do our own thing, but did do a X tour in both St. Lucia and St. Kitts on one cruise because we had a bunch on non-refundable OBC. In St. Lucia, we did a tour of the island by bus that included a trip to the mineral baths. That was a nice tour and our guide was excellent. The mineral baths were more like a very warm water swimming pool. The tour we took in St. Kitts was to a nice hotel/resort that included use of the beach (with chairs and umbrellas, pool,lunch and a bar. I remember it being expensive, but since X was paying, we did it anyway. It was a lovely excursion. We also visited Carambola Beach Club on our own in St. Kitts. I think I found the email address to make reservations on Cruise Critic board about specific ports. You needed a reservation, but paid for the beach/chairs etc. when you got there.

We also generally do our own thing, but did do a X tour in both St. Lucia and St. Kitts on one cruise because we had a bunch on non-refundable OBC. In St. Lucia, we did a tour of the island by bus that included a trip to the mineral baths. That was a nice tour and our guide was excellent. The mineral baths were more like a very warm water swimming pool. The tour we took in St. Kitts was to a nice hotel/resort that included use of the beach (with chairs and umbrellas, pool,lunch and a bar. I remember it being expensive, but since X was paying, we did it anyway. It was a lovely excursion. We also visited Carambola Beach Club on our own in St. Kitts. I think I found the email address to make reservations on Cruise Critic board about specific ports. You needed a reservation, but paid for the beach/chairs etc. when you got there.

Thanks. Will check it out.

We just got off the Reflection last week (they had to pry our fingers from the ship;p). It was one of our best cruises. We were pleasantly surprised that the entertainment was the best we've seen on any cruise and we set a record by not walking out of a single show! If he performs, try not to miss Chiko. He is a member of the activities staff and he performed his first ever night time show in the Celebrity theater. When he finished the show, the audience stood and screamed for more. Even when the CD was talking at the end of the show the audience wouldn't stop! The CD finally had to bring him back and have Chiko himself explain that he had no more before the audience finally stopped! I've never seen that kind of reaction to a show on any cruise line or ship in all the years we've cruised.

 

The staff and service aboard Reflection was excellent. You will find less announcements on Celebrity than on Royal or Norwegians, only one daily around 10:00 AM by the Captain and CD. Those will be in public areas only and not in your stateroom unless you tune in on your TV. There will be fewer pool games. I guess the best way to explain the difference is there is a more sophisticated atmosphere (but not stuffy), more adult oriented and definitely fewer families. We find that the service is definitely more upscale and the food is better. Enjoy your trip, Reflection is a great ship.

Chicko was the assistant cruise director on the Equinox in September during Hurricane Irma. Sara, the CD had to leave the ship early to fly home due to an emergency and airport closures due to the storms. Chicko did his solo performance to a full house in the main theater to raving reviews. Hope he is still on board in March.

The Reflection, IMHO, is a very clean and well-kept ship, as the crew work very hard in keeping it that way. Make sure that you walk all over it and find your own special places onboard. There are so many interesting works of art that you might find appealing, along with places onboard that you really want to see again and again. If there is a cabin crawl or anything special going on with your roll call, sign up and enjoy meeting others. Look for all the good and you will find it. Additionally, if you find a meal not appetizing, please tell your waiter and ask for something else. Bring a copy of all your cruise documents, especially those that show your OBC or anything else that you could need. As with any ship, be prepared with the possibility of unforeseen circumstances...enjoy your cruise!

Just off our 1st Celebrity cruise 11-27 Reflection 11 night ultimate Caribbean cruise. We were pleasantly surprised by the entertainment. Saw every show. Only one we could have skipped was called Maxx. Disappointed in quality and quantity of food choices. Heard so much how Celebrity was a notch higher in this category compared to RCI. Not so on this cruise. Missed the Royal Promenades on the RCI ships. Much more going on in the later hours in the Latin Bar, pub, Schooner Bar compared to Celebrity. We enjoyed cruise just did not live up to our expectations.

We have been fortunate to cruise on Reflection twice in the last 3 years and both were amazing experiences. I agree with many of the comments already posted regarding the ship, its appointments and the crew. I have never seen a crew member do anything but smile and say hello while on board and some of them are outright comedians, especially the bartenders and waitstaff. I have always felt they are also very efficient with debarking and embarking procedures at the ports of call. Food is very good and not just in the specialty restaurants.

Some things that haven't been mentioned yet:

- make sure you join the Roll Call as the Reflection staff is likely to invite you to some special event (sailaway for us) as a CC member in addition to hosting the Roll Call party

- the choice of pools (indoor and more subdued / outdoor and a bit more active).

- smoke free casino

- Specialty dining: highly recommend treating yourselves at least once (our favorite is the Lawn Club Grill)

Enjoy and have fun!

Just off our 1st Celebrity cruise 11-27 Reflection 11 night ultimate Caribbean cruise. We were pleasantly surprised by the entertainment. Saw every show. Only one we could have skipped was called Maxx. Disappointed in quality and quantity of food choices. Heard so much how Celebrity was a notch higher in this category compared to RCI. Not so on this cruise. Missed the Royal Promenades on the RCI ships. Much more going on in the later hours in the Latin Bar, pub, Schooner Bar compared to Celebrity. We enjoyed cruise just did not live up to our expectations.

Can you go in more detail about FOOD , did you eat in any Specialty restaurant?

Thank you

We stayed with the MDR because of the lengths Celebrity Food & Bev Director Clint Kelu went to straighten out our group of 14 table seating. Despite all reservations being linked first 2 nights we were all split up all over the dining room. One in our group met with Mr Kelu and they moved us to a table for 14 on Opus 4 Select Dining. We were Very well taken care of. His assistant Sam checked on us each evening and the 2 waiters we requested from the 1st night were assigned to us. Fish dishes were overcooked. Appetizer and dessert selections seemed the same with only a few changes. In contrast dessert offerings in Oceanview Cafe were amazing. It also seemed they loaded up the best entrees all on certain nights.

There are two specialty coffees at Cafe al Bacio that are in the Classic Package price point. One is the Cafe Kingston...can't remember the other. For the rest you will just be charged the up charge and grat. ($1 + 18%)

 

 

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It is cafe olé that is included. The other ones are only 1 dollar more

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It is cafe olé that is included. The other ones are only 1 dollar more

 

 

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I enjoyed the iced mochaccino with whipped cream and wasn't charged anything.

My husband and I are on the 4/12/19 10 night Ultimate Southern Caribbean cruise aboard the Reflection.

 

We have sailed RCCL Norwegian and Carnival many times.

 

We are booked in a Sunset Veranda aft cabin. We love aft cabins.

 

We have chosen to dine at whatever time. Not sure what that is called on Celebrity.

 

We have the classic beverage package. I assume that specialty coffee in Cafe Bacio (I think that is what it is called) are not included, unless you get a shot of alcohol. Am I correct?

 

What differences can I expect on Celebrity?

 

Any and all advice, comments are welcomed.

Boring entertainment.

Normally I would agree with riclop about the entertainment, and admittedly it's subjective. However we disembarked Reflection on Dec. 8th. The entertainment was the best we've seen on any cruise. We actually didn't walk out of a single show (unusual for us)! Admittedly we didn't attend Maxx which was in the afternoon one day, and was a production show which are our least favorites.