GREAT CRUISE FOR REST AND RELAXATION

When I cruise at this point - I am looking for a relaxing vacation where I can completely disconnect and not think about the outside world - which I guess is why I love a cruise so much. The Celebrity Reflection did not let us down.  It was the most relaxing cruise I have taken to date.  Let me break down the reviews by categories: 

1 - Accommodations - We stayed in a Sky Suite. A Sky Suite is a larger/wider version of a balcony cabin.  The room was very nice. The bathroom was large with a nice bathtub to shower in - I am a big guy so the added shower space was greatly appreciated. The room had the regular king bed, a very nice seating area with large sofa and a chair and coffee table with a large balcony.  There was plenty of space to unpack and a big desk area to organize all of our day to day stuff. The best part of this suite was the Butler service that we received from our wonderful Butler Dinu. He treated us like we were royalty.  We liked to have breakfast in the room every morning so it was always Dinu that greeted us every day - set up our breakfast with linens and made it look like we were at a restaurant.  We also had wonderful Tea Service every afternoon waiting for us in the Cabin with snacks included!  I did get a chance to peek in the other staterooms and all looked very modern and nice and good size for a cruise ship. 

2 - Dining - For me Celebrity has the best Dining that I have experienced at Sea.  I have been on Princess, NCL and Carnival and this has topped them all for me.  The main dining room was very nice and the food was very good.  We decided not to get off the ship this cruise and just enjoy all of it so we ended up using money that we usually set aside for shore excursions for some things on board, one of which was a specialty dining package. For me it was worth every penny.  For the $25 or $30 each we spent on dinner, we could never get comparable dining like this at any restaurant in the world on land.  Our favorite was Qsine. This is a totally new concept in Dining that is modern and fun and most of all delicious.  The menu is presented to you on an Ipad. You get great descriptions of all the food offerings they have. There is a huge choice that it is impossible to taste everything in one or even three seating there - we went twice!! Most of the dishes are presented so you are able to take a taste and still have room for another one - but with each taste you get more and more full! Our other favorite is the Lawn Grill - This is not on every Celebrity ship but should be! The Lawn Grill is up on the Top Deck by the Lawn Club area. The restaurant is Al-Fresco Dining with nice glass walls to protect from the wind! The first part of the meal is a hand tossed pizza where you can choose all of the toppings from the amazing salad bar they have. Then you have great BBQ choices that they grill right there.  If you want, you are able to grill your own meal! I will do this next time as it looked like so much fun. The chefs teach you how to pick out a great piece of beef, chicken or fish to grill and then teach you all of their amazing techniques to grilling a perfect steak! I do not know about you - but I could always use some grilling tips for when at home!  The other specialty restaurants were also excellent - They have a steak house that is comparable if not better to any land based one as well as an Italian restaurant that serves the best Beef Carpaccio that I have ever had in my life! I also enjoyed the Buffet area. I love the way it is set up in a bunch of stations so you never feel overcrowded. The choices were amazing including sushi at dinner.  I also loved the fact that servers dish out most of the food on the Buffet - less hands on the food! 

2 - Entertainment - I am not a big person that enjoys shows on a cruise ship so I am probably not the best to rate them. We did see a very good show that had a rock of ages meets Cirque de Soleil.  I enjoyed the performances and the amazing acrobats.  Celebrity also did a lot of entertainment in the main lobby area with cool dance numbers and bands.  There were also singers in the Martini Bars that were so good people were up on the floor dancing.

3 - Relaxation - My favorite - I never felt over crowded any place that I decided to relax. The pool area is very nice and they even have a bunch of cushioned beds with covers that offer nice shade.  I never had a problem getting one of these any day on the ship.  We also rented a Cabana for a day on the Lawn Club - that was amazing - complete privacy - comfy seating - Ipad to play with - and water and food served by the great Cabana Staff- totally worth the price for me.  I also loved to hang out just on the lawn floor - just get a towel and relax like I am sitting in a park.  There is a great bar called the Sunset bar in the front of the ship that offers amazing views for relaxing. 

4 - Service - Service was exceptional on every front.  Our Butler was amazing. The two stewards that cleaned our room were amazing. Bartenders were friendly and always smiling. The hosts in the restaurants, the waiters and waiter assistants were always smiling and welcoming and remembered names.  I do a test when I go on a cruise ship to see how many of the staff when passing them on the ship will actually look up and smile and say hello. There was not one person that did not.  We felt welcomed at every place we went.  

5 - Overall feel of Ship - This ship is only a few years old - it is in pristine condition. The common areas are beautiful. There is detail and beauty in everything you see from the Live tree that is in the Lobby to the bars and restaurants and pool deck.  Even the computer room is amazing - It is all Apple and they even give classes on how to use Apple products - A plus for me! There are tiny details everywhere that you will notice especially the artwork that is displayed throughout the ship.  Some of the most beautiful works of art I have seen are on the walls here and in scluptures - take time and look at everything. It is something that any art lover would appreciate.  

I could not have had a better time on the Reflection. We made reservations for  a Christmas Cruise in 2016. I am looking forward to see how they will once again exceed my expectations.