Secrets of Reflection

[mcrcruiser]

It has been awhile since sailing with Celebrity . We do have B2B cruises now booked for  April & May 2021 

   

 We have never sailed on this   ship ;but ,have been on Silhouette & Equinox & all the Millenium class vessels  ,so what are the secrets  of sailing on Reflection ,

 

  TIA for your replies 😀

 

  

[chemmo]

 

It is the busiest ship in the fleet we have known on sea days (extra deck) so if a sun bed is important to you go early.  We tended to go for a swim on sea days mid morning leaving our clothes on a ledge in the Solarium area. We would then drip back to the sunset bar and sit on a ‘mushroom stool’ to dry off with a cocktail. We would then head to the Porch for lunch. It is at extra cost but well worth it for the ambience and tasty menu. Port days we didn’t notice the extra guests on board but on sea days we did on all deck areas and in Oceanview so worth planning for. An alternative to what we did is to simply enjoy your balcony on sea days and order room service. Please don’t see this as ‘negative’ we loved our Reflection cruise but I do think you will enjoy it more if you are prepared for a busier deck on sea days. 

 

We also enjoyed the Lawn Grill but watch you don’t fill up on the flatbread starters.

 

Hope you enjoy.

 

 

 

 

[keesar]

4 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

It has been awhile since sailing with Celebrity . We do have B2B cruises now booked for  April & May 2021 

   

 We have never sailed on this   ship ;but ,have been on Silhouette & Equinox & all the Millenium class vessels  ,so what are the secrets  of sailing on Reflection ,

 

  TIA for your replies 😀

 

  

 

There is definitely a more crowded feel to this ship from the buffet to the pool area.  So get to the pool earlier and expect more people on board.  Sea days can be challenging.  Internet was much slower on sea days so I found speeds better late at night or when in port.  I tended to use the speedier internet off the ship when in port.  

 

Don't miss an opportunity to eat dinner at the Lawn Club, especially as the sun begins to set.  

[basil1]

Not to barge in on this thread but hopefully this is relevant to the OPs question. I've sailed with Celebrity quite a lot, but have never been on the Reflection. Curious why it feels more crowded that the other ships? The last couple of cruises I've been on (Silhouette and Equinox) there were empty sun loungers available pretty much all day on the deck above the pool. I'll be on the Reflection in a few weeks. Thanks

[Perky1]

11 minutes ago, basil1 said:

Curious why it feels more crowded that the other ships? 

My understanding is there is an extra deck of cabins.

[TeeRick]

Reflection was the last of the S-Class ships built and is a bit larger and has about 200 more passengers than Solstice for example.  More suites too.  

[keesar]

200 more passengers and half of the Sky Lounge has been removed.   So when there are functions there like the Elite Happy Hour and Captain's Club Celebration, it is definitely more crowded in the Lounge. 

[TeeRick]

1 minute ago, keesar said:

200 more passengers and half of the Sky Lounge has been removed.   So when there are functions there like the Elite Happy Hour and Captain's Club Celebration, it is definitely more crowded in the Lounge. 

At least it still has half a Sky Lounge (for now at least).

[dogs4fun]

2 hours ago, basil1 said:

Curious why it feels more crowded that the other ships?

I have heard this before & we are interested in the answer to this query. We have enjoyed our cruises on X but have not been on the Reflection. We have a Baltic cruise booked on the Reflection in September, 2020.

[keesar]

13 minutes ago, dogs4fun said:

I have heard this before & we are interested in the answer to this query. We have enjoyed our cruises on X but have not been on the Reflection. We have a Baltic cruise booked on the Reflection in September, 2020.

 

Reflection is a great ship and my preference over Edge.  We have noticed that the additional passengers do make a difference.  Public spaces just seem more crowded and are.  Service tends to suffer, especially in Blu, the Aqua Class restaurant as there are more passengers entitled to eat there.  More difficult finding a lounge chair as well.

[mcrcruiser]

Thanks for your replies . 

  

  We had no idea that Reflection had a extra deck of cabins & additional suites .  We hope that the service does not suffer because of the extra pax .  Getting a lounge chair to us is not critical as we prefer a table to play cards near to the pool area 

 

 What could be  more of a problem is  the main showroom ,to get a good seat must be there extra early  

[Luvcrusn]

26 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

Thanks for your replies . 

  

  We had no idea that Reflection had a extra deck of cabins & additional suites .  We hope that the service does not suffer because of the extra pax .  Getting a lounge chair to us is not critical as we prefer a table to play cards near to the pool area 

 

 What could be  more of a problem is  the main showroom ,to get a good seat must be there extra early  

We've had no issues getting seats on Reflection in the  main theater. We generally go to the earlier shows and eat later, so I'm not sure about how the 9 PM shows are. We tend to like sitting near an aisle towards the back in case we want to leave so as not to disturb others.

[cruise kitty]

I enjoyed Reflection, mainly I think, because we were in a suite.   We went to the buffet one time...incredibly crowded & hectic, also dined in Blu once,  definitely not the same quiet, relaxed experience as on the other S class ships.   

 

Actually loved the smaller Sky Lounge,  never been a fan on other ships as it seemed a little empty & under utilized, on this trip, it was full each night during scenic cruising (sun wasn't setting till after midnight, & then rising again a few hours later)

 

I would definitely go on Reflection again, but I'd make sure I was in a suite, or just book Specialty restaurants each evening.

 

It's amazing that a couple of extra hundred people or so can make such a difference, but it's quite noticeable. 

[Lastdance]

I have Reflection booked for a b2b in 2021.  This ship is my favorite so far, but if it starts looking a lot older before the revolution, I may change my mind...I love S class!  Edge is nice too.   Have to agree with  cruise kitty above, as the suite life was very sweet!  Just go with an open mind, and find the things you like onboard...

Edited December 8, 2019 by Lastdance

[davekathy]

6 minutes ago, Lastdance said:

...Just go with an open mind, and find the things you like onboard...

Agree and is exactly how we approach all of of cruises. 

[dogs4fun]

2 hours ago, keesar said:

 More difficult finding a lounge chair as well.

Thanks for the info - we will go with an open mind and I'm sure we will have an enjoyable cruise. One thing that will not concern us is finding a lounge chair - this cruise is far too port intensive and furthermore, I think that a Baltic cruise during the month of September will be far too chilly to enjoy the lounge chairs poolside. 😎

[TeeRick]

We really enjoyed our one cruise on Reflection.  We were in a Sky Suite.  We will be on this ship again this coming July and look forward to it.  We have sailed most of the Celebrity ships and Reflection did not seem to be any more or less crowded.  We did have a wait on occasion for Luminae but not too long.

[Luvcrusn]

18 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

We really enjoyed our one cruise on Reflection.  We were in a Sky Suite.  We will be on this ship again this coming July and look forward to it.  We have sailed most of the Celebrity ships and Reflection did not seem to be any more or less crowded.  We did have a wait on occasion for Luminae but not too long.

We love Reflection also and think that waiting at Luminae, Blu  or Select Dining has more to do with when the cruisers on that itinerary choose to dine and the efficiency of the particular maitre d than the ship. We never waited at Blu on Reflection yet on Silhouette we waited every night due largely to the ineptitude of the  very pleasant  maitre d. The buffet at lunch is a bit more crowded however.

[TeeRick]

5 minutes ago, Luvcrusn said:

We love Reflection also and think that waiting at Luminae, Blu  or Select Dining has more to do with when the cruisers on that itinerary choose to dine and the efficiency of the particular maitre d than the ship. We never waited at Blu on Reflection yet on Silhouette we waited every night due largely to the ineptitude of the  very pleasant  maitre d. The buffet at lunch is a bit more crowded however.

The few times we have waited for Luminae they sent us to a nearby bar and then came to get us when our table was ready.  We barely had time to even order a drink before they came for us.

[chemmo]

20 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

Thanks for your replies . 

  

  We had no idea that Reflection had a extra deck of cabins & additional suites .  We hope that the service does not suffer because of the extra pax .  Getting a lounge chair to us is not critical as we prefer a table to play cards near to the pool area 

 

 What could be  more of a problem is  the main showroom ,to get a good seat must be there extra early  

 

As I mentioned in my earlier post the only times we found the Reflection busier than a usual S class ship were sea days by the pool and in the buffet. If you are flexible about where you sit for your card games you should be OK but remember once all the sunbeds go some guests may use chairs to put their stuff on while they go for a swim. 

 

We have never ever found any issue getting a seat for a show...There are lots of good seats to start with and on Celebrity there never seems to be the crowds for the theatre you can encounter on RC for example...We tend to arrive 10 minutes before the show with a drink in hand and invariably find a decent seat even if not in ‘prime’ position. If you are very ‘seat particular’ get there 15 minutes before with a large drink in hand!

 

With the additional extra speciality restaurants it is a good ship to look at enjoying a dining package on...

[bikerunner]

Everyone who is saying it feels more crowded, I don't see it.  I just got off the ship after the Thanksgiving cruise.  Never felt any different than the other S class ships, to be honest the cruise before on the Equinox felt much more crowded overall.  Yes pool deck on all ships are crowded it happens.  I never had issues finding tables in the café or chairs on pool deck.  Never had issues with service any where.  Okay they do need to put an extra sommelier in wine cellars, but he was just tied up because of someone complaining about something the one time.  Café al Bacio was never an issue with getting anything etc.  I found the ship overall had the best service I have had in a long time.  Not that I had anything bad before but it just seemed a step up this time.

[diamondintn]

I only waited in line once during our week on Reflection. It was at the Mast Grill on deck 15. BTW the burgers and fries are awesome! I stopped at the Mast Bar and grabbed a Heineken, chatted with the guy behind me and had my lunch in about 5 minutes! Also, it was an at sea day. 

 

On our next cruise on Reflection I booked a cabin on deck 7. That's where the hideaway is. It's a nice quiet place with cool seating and a nice coffee bar.

 

I love the cool, relaxed vibe aboard her and the crew are friendly and helpful.

I know you will enjoy Reflection.

Cheers! Lisa 

[whitshel]

Everyone says it has a whole deck of extra cabins??  I only see about 1/3 of a deck of more cabins (resort deck) plus the 4 or 5 suites in the observation lounge.  I counted and its about 65 cabins, 130 people.  Doesn't seem like a whole lot to make a difference.  I guess I'll see in about 3 weeks when we sail the Reflection.

 

 

[Elusive_Cruiser]

Currently on the Reflection.... Embarkation day my DH figured this was not a sold out cruise (it is), as there seemed to be way less people on the pool deck than we normally see!  Have been on the Equinox, Eclipse, Silhouette and Millennium...  in spite of the extra deck, not really noticable. 🙂