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January 9 Sailing Reflection Review and Photos

Fogtownrog

By Fogtownrog,
in Celebrity Cruises

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Fogtownrog Great Review Rare

Fogtownrog

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Photos on Flickr!

 

Intro

This was our third cruise on the Reflection; and the ship is still a gem. The captain's pride in the ship shows everywhere - paint was fresh, teak was clean and polished, no dirt to be seen anywhere. The crew worked well, service was great, and with a few exceptions, I am totally pleased.

 

First, I was a little apprehensive, taken in by recent reviews of the ship griping about the music situation, entertainment, service at the bar, and a shortage of glassware.

 

None of that was true. There still is a variety of music, including dj’s. Bar service was good, plenty of glassware. The servers on the ship work hard for their living and I always tip generously and never have trouble getting a drink.

 

Embarkation

 

Boarding the ship was a dream. Walked in, no lines, cleared security, checked in and walked up to the gangway. We boarded the ship and found a tray of champagne glasses and served myself. I missed the personal touch, but we used the aft gangway, which wasn’t part of the plan. There was an issue with the forward gangway, which caused us to change course. We immediately went to the Martini Bar for a beer and surprise, there was a spontaneous dance taking place on the dance floor below. A beautiful dancer doing magic with hoops…mystic. This was a preview of what was to become part of the entertainment on this cruise. Surprise visits by the entertainment group at different venues. Loved that. Makes up for the DJ’s and other irritants.

 

Muster Drill

 

They packed us all into the Michaels Club. The drill is my least favorite part of the cruise. I would suggest spiffing up the safety video like Delta and other airlines do with theirs’. Add some humor, change it up once a year, make it something to enjoy. Otherwise nobody pays attention and it’s a waste of time.

 

Sailaway

 

As usual, I found a perch close to the Sunset Bar…. which was packed more than usual. It was a zoo. But Celebrity was prepared. They set up a table next to the bar to serve beers and soft drinks. So that worked out really well. Beautiful sail away…the beautiful sunset and lighting made for great photographs as we headed to sea.

 

Concierge Class

 

So after walking around the ship and enjoying the setting sun, we made it back to the cabin. Our cabin attendant brought us a bucket of iced champagne and hors d’ouevres. We asked her to bring prawns that were a great addition. Loved it. She also brought us memory foam pillows. She took care of us splendidly throughout the cruise. The best yet.

 

Main Dining Room

 

As usual the cuisine was fantastic. I am a real fussy eater and love to cook myself. Considering the number of meals the kitchen has to put out every day, they did a fantastic job. Dishes always came out quickly, at the right temperatures…meat was always cooked to perfection, loved all my Celebrity favorites – Short Ribs, lamb chops, filet, steak Diane, etc. Our wine steward was fabulous as well as our head waiter. Service was always prompt. I did find that the assistant waiter was AWOL most of the time . Which meant no refills of the breadbasket, which wasn’t the end of the world.

 

Lawn Club Grill

 

My DH doesn’t see the need for specialty restaurants, but we went for the Lawn Club anyway. Wow! Again, it was a real treat to dine al fresco and the steak was superb!

I fixed a semi Greek salad as a starter, went for a half Marguerite, and half Mediterranean Flat Bread…and then a NY Strip with chimichuri sauce. Excellent. Loved it.

 

Martini Bar

 

It seems like every year they add more to the bar antics at the Martini Bar…the ice sculpture was really fun, as well, the shadow dancers in the coves. That was a fun party…. We had a blast.

 

Broadway Show

 

We did one of the evening shows…the Broadway Revue. Still captivating and enjoyable after all these years!

 

Pool Deck

 

As usual -- crowded and crazy. I enjoyed walking around, taking in the action but usually retired to my cabin verandah to read a book and sleep. I don’t understand why anyone would cruise in a cabin without a balcony.

 

Internet

 

Apparently Celebrity upgraded the Internet service with the promise you could stream, etc. Well, I don’t think that was the case. Seemed to be the same slow service we have grown accustomed to. I don’t care. I should have spent the week without it. Kind of a waste.

 

Debarkation

 

This was a disaster. The Port of Miami and Celebrity should be ashamed of what occurred during debarkation. I am not sure why, but there were only 3 lines for clearing immigration. This created a huge line, that went from one end of the terminal to the other, back again, and back another time…there was no organization. Passengers were loosing their tempers…It was ugly and something I will consider when choosing my next Celebrity Cruise. Celebrity and RCCL should have their own deluxe terminal. Bottom line is we almost missed our flight…2 ½ hours wasted.

 

Conclusion

 

Although fares have increased somewhat I still consider a cruise a great value. I enjoyed myself from the moment I stepped on board the ship. I love the crew, and find them to be Celebrity’s greatest asset. I even had a wonderful conversation with the captain. I hope Celebrity will continue to treat their employees well. Without them, we would have nothing.

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Love PalmTrees

Love PalmTrees

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Thanks for the great review and awesome photos!!! Sounds like debarkation wasn't much fun though, as if it ever is. Did you do self-disembark or usual? DH and I travel only with roller carry-on's and always do self-disembark. Haven't cruised out of Miami in long time, but usually we are off ship and in a cab within 15-20 minutes at most!! I am sure it was very frustrating for you.

 

Glad to hear MDR was good for you. I was beginning to worry, but have read numerous positive reviews more recently.

 

Cruising and being out on the water is one of my favorite things to do. :)

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opa&oma

opa&oma

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Thank you for taking the time to write your review, it was a joy to read. I am so sick of reading nothing but little picky complaints! Yours and others experiences with debarking have convinced us to self-debark on our April cruise. Thanks again!

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Fogtownrog Great Review Rare

Fogtownrog

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Unless one would be among the first 25th to 50th off the ship, I'm no sure a self debark would help. I think the root cause was they had only 3 CBP (customs border patrol) agents working. Considering all the taxes we pay, the government screwed us. Although the terminal is adequate for embark it is woefully too small to handle the debark of today's larger cruise ships.

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gdpups

gdpups

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Thanks for your review, we are just off Reflection yesterday and had a wonderful cruise. We carried off our luggage, but waited until 8 am to go and sailed right through immigration, so probably the fastest debarkation ever.

 

Our flight was not until 12:30 pm, but with all the cancelled flights in the last few days we didn't want to chance leaving the ship any later.

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