Reflection 2/26 - 3/5

[sfcsu]

With less than 1000 passengers. this ship feels empty.  Sort of like 11 am boarding day before most of the passengers have come aboard.  As I write this at 8:30 an at our first port, the outside seating aft of the buffet has only 10 tables taken out of maybe 40.   We used to have trouble finding seats here. It feels weird.

 

Otoh, the staff is top notch as alwsys.  Everyone welcomes us back and is extraordinarily helpful as always.  As is our usual habit we eat at the buffet on embarkation day, and it didn't disappoint.  A huge array of choices that were fabulous.   I can't speak to the desserts but our friends devoured them.  Give me ice cream, those wonderful chocolate cookies, and maybe a piece of chocolate cake and I am more than happy.

 

The acoustic guitar duo yesterday at the sunset bar was a great way to start off the trip with my first martini of the week.

 

Masking is optional on this cruise.  I personally, am a proponent of mask wearing.  But with so few people and no crowding, I haven't felt at risk   Mine has only been on in elevators, when we have been face to face with the staff who are all mostly double masked, and indoors at a presentation or the casino.

 

Soooooo glad to be back on Celebrity. It is different, but still the same comfortable vacation I have come to expect.  

 

More later.

[5:00_Somewhere]

@sfcsu thanks for sharing. We board on 3/19 and are very much looking forward to it. And we always enjoy the acoustic/guitar musicians that often play at the Sunset Bar. Hope they're still aboard for our sailing. Hope you have a great cruise. 🍸

[kwokpot]

1 hour ago, sfcsu said:

With less than 1000 passengers. this ship feels empty.

891 passengers!!! It's a bit strange to say the least. Tonight's production show, Elysium, will be performed only once at 9pm.

 

I overheard that the next cruise will have 2,000 guests.

 

The ship is in pristine condition,you would never know it's a ten year old ship.  According to employees it is scheduled for it's Revolution upgrades next year.

 

Service is outstanding, and so far Luminae is better than Celebrity's flagship Apex. My only disappointment is with  Michael's Club.

 

[Barwick Cruiser]

@sfcsu thanks from me also for sharing your trip with us. I’m assuming since you ate at the buffet that you’re not in a suite? If that’s correct, can you, over the course of your cruise comment on the different dining room and the food in each. We’ll be on Edge eventually (Feb 2024) and it’s hard to find recent reviews that aren’t suite based…which we would love to try but def not in our budget. Thanks, and cheers!

 

lol, sorry, just realized you’re on Reflection…nvm 🤦🏼‍♀️

Edited February 27, 2022 by Barwick Cruiser

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

39 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

891 passengers!!! It's a bit strange to say the least. Tonight's production show, Elysium, will be performed only once at 9pm.

 

...

 

 

 

We had booked Le Petit Chef pre-cruise for 5:45 this evening (early seating). Our confirmation, which we received last night, has us down for 6:45 - as they've apparently combined early/late to a single seating. Makes sense!

 

Tom

[Jim_Iain]

Looking forward to following along.  Hope you have a wonderful cruise and enjoy the low passenger count while it lasts.   

[bandp407]

Following. .. We sail her again on March 26th. Hoping to once again enjoy the low passenger counts. It won’t last forever! 
 

Have a fabulous cruise! 

[bandp407]

Following… 

[sfcsu]

We are in 3 aft concierge cabins.  We opened the doors between us.  It is really comfortable.  The buffet had some great ethnic options like Indian (a personal favorite) and Mexican.  It was difficult not to eat everything.   Breakfast today was also exceptional.  There were the usually expected stuff - omelet bar and eggs benedict bar.  The cheese choices (another favorite) have been wonderful.   Tonight we try the main dining room and the show.

 

Bimini is pretty, but nothing to write home about.  This is obviously just a substitute stop.   The itinerary of this cruise changed several times before sailing.  Pretty much it's just a beach stop.  Take the free trolly to the beautiful public beach and either sit on the towels the ship supplies or rent two chaises and an umbrella for $30.

[sfcsu]

2 hours ago, bandp407 said:

Following. .. We sail her again on March 26th. Hoping to once again enjoy the low passenger counts. It won’t last forever! 
 

Have a fabulous cruise! 

I think I would like it with more people.  It is a bit subdued.  But definitely no problem getting a chaise in the shade by the pool!

[SWFL Cruisers]

We board her on March 12th.

I'm pretty sure we will have way ,ore passengers due to Spring Break.

[Virginia100]

2 hours ago, bandp407 said:

Following. .. We sail her again on March 26th. Hoping to once again enjoy the low passenger counts. It won’t last forever! 
 

Have a fabulous cruise! 

We too on 3/26, will be following. The ports are being changed all the time. Crossing my fingers for Jamaica. Not concerned about the caymans. I’m pretty sure the 3/26 will be well over 1,000.

[5:00_Somewhere]

1 hour ago, SWFL Cruisers said:

We board her on March 12th.

I'm pretty sure we will have way ,ore passengers due to Spring Break.

 

We're on the sailing right after you and are thinking the same thing. Hotels in FtL are booked up and crazy expensive because of Spring Break. 😒

[Mimiya11]

16 hours ago, sfcsu said:

I think I would like it with more people.  It is a bit subdued.  But definitely no problem getting a chaise in the shade by the pool!

We are heading aboard in a few weeks and hoping it is not full.   Would be nice to find a shady spot by the pool without having to wake up early to find one. But understand how weird it would feel when the ship is not as energized as when it is full.   

I guess one of the staff told you how many onboard?    

[lola2013]

27 minutes ago, Mimiya11 said:

We are heading aboard in a few weeks and hoping it is not full.   Would be nice to find a shady spot by the pool without having to wake up early to find one. But understand how weird it would feel when the ship is not as energized as when it is full.   

I guess one of the staff told you how many onboard?    

We had just over 800 passengers when we sailed on Reflection a few weeks ago.  While my friend and I enjoy sitting in the sun, her husband heads for the shaded loungers.  No problem finding a space so that we could be close to each other.  I won't sail again until August and think it will be a challenge getting used to sailing on a packed ship (presuming we're at 100% by then).

[SWFL Cruisers]

1 hour ago, Mimiya11 said:

We are heading aboard in a few weeks and hoping it is not full.   Would be nice to find a shady spot by the pool without having to wake up early to find one. But understand how weird it would feel when the ship is not as energized as when it is full.   

I guess one of the staff told you how many onboard?    

This will be our 6th cruise since the restart and we never had a problem finding a lounger on any of them. I think it is going to take a little time to get back to pre Covid numbers again.

[Momma Rene]

On 2/27/2022 at 8:47 AM, kwokpot said:

891 passengers!!! It's a bit strange to say the least. Tonight's production show, Elysium, will be performed only once at 9pm.

 

I overheard that the next cruise will have 2,000 guests.

 

The ship is in pristine condition,you would never know it's a ten year old ship.  According to employees it is scheduled for it's Revolution upgrades next year.

 

Service is outstanding, and so far Luminae is better than Celebrity's flagship Apex. My only disappointment is with  Michael's Club.

 

Just wondering why you thought Michael's Club was disappointing?  Was it the decor, service ????

[hevnsprncs]

Enjoy your cruise...I hope we are as fortunate when we board on 4/2. Are you able to check if La Petite has an alternating menu over the course of the sailing? In the past there were 2 different menus/shows, and then also an "alternate" menu that could be substituted in general on either menu. We are most interested in the show and menu pairing that isn't the La Petite and Friends menu and show and just want to make sure it'll be available for our cruise in a month. Thanks in advance if you look into it. 😄

[kwokpot]

30 minutes ago, Momma Rene said:

Just wondering why you thought Michael's Club was disappointing?  Was it the decor, service ????

This is only our second Retreat Class cruises out of 22 cruises on Celebrity. The first was on the Apex in December. What we liked about the Retreat Lounge on the Apex was the airy and spacious design of the lounge. There's large picture windows to see out to the ocean. Conversely Michael's Club on the Reflection is dark,low ceilings, and is crammed with furniture. What's best about the Retreat Lounge on the Apex is the snack buffet area. Throughout the day and evening there's little tidbits of food. You can see what's available and choose exactly what you what based on what you see is available. On the Apex we regularly went to the Retreat Lounge for apertivo before dinner around 6:45-7pm and stayed about 20-30 mins for a glass of wine and cheese. That is an impossibly on the Reflection.

Here are photos comparing the two lounges. 

[kwokpot]

21 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

This is only our second Retreat Class cruises out of 22 cruises on Celebrity. The first was on the Apex in December. What we liked about the Retreat Lounge on the Apex was the airy and spacious design of the lounge. There's large picture windows to see out to the ocean. Conversely Michael's Club on the Reflection is dark,low ceilings, and is crammed with furniture. What's best about the Retreat Lounge on the Apex is the snack buffet area. Throughout the day and evening there's little tidbits of food. You can see what's available and choose exactly what you what based on what you see is available. On the Apex we regularly went to the Retreat Lounge for apertivo before dinner around 6:45-7pm and stayed about 20-30 mins for a glass of wine and cheese. That is an impossibly on the Reflection.

Here are photos comparing the two lounges. 

I forgot to add that the service at Michael's Club has been outstanding.

[sfcsu]

On 2/28/2022 at 7:52 AM, Mimiya11 said:

We are heading aboard in a few weeks and hoping it is not full.   Would be nice to find a shady spot by the pool without having to wake up early to find one. But understand how weird it would feel when the ship is not as energized as when it is full.   

I guess one of the staff told you how many onboard?    

Noonish on a sea day.   This is just bizarre.

[sfcsu]

Yesterday was Nassau.  I don't need to review the stop, I'm sure we've all been there at least once.   There is construction at the port so there's a longer walk to get to the town.   The vendors who used to be right by the port entrance are now to the left and up a block.   The Straw market is still there but was maybe half full.   One of the vendors told is they just re-opened a month ago.

 

LOL! But don't worry, Diamonds International, Columbian Emeralds, Tanzanite International, Little Switzerland, and Del Sol are still there!

 

One more thing masks are required everywhere by ordinance , including on the street.  Many stores we went into also insisted on our using hand sanitizer as soon as we walked in.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

22 minutes ago, sfcsu said:

Noonish on a sea day.   This is just bizarre.

 

 

Only one other table occupied when we just dined at the Lawn Club Grill (PREMIUM BURGER!):

 

 

BTW, the Signature burger was EXCELLENT !!

 

 

 

 

 

Tom

[kwokpot]

4 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

Only one other table occupied when we just dined at the Lawn Club Grill (PREMIUM BURGER!):

 

 

BTW, the Signature burger was EXCELLENT !!

 

 

 

 

 

Tom

Your burger looks yummy!

[Virginia100]

Well , this one cruiser on their 3/26 cruise that be at one table!!!!