Exciting Port Calls - Mixed Satisfaction

Celebrity Reflection Cruise Review to Europe - Mediterranean

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 26

Overall rating:

3.6 out of 5
Verified Review
Celebrity Reflection

11 Night Italy Turkey & Greek Islands (Rome Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 13, 2022

Ship: Celebrity Reflection

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: 3127

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

We chose this cruise because of the destinations. The highlight definitely is Istanbul and Athens. As indicated above, amenities and service was okay, nothing really specific standing out. Celebrity did try their best to make the cruise flawless, but I could see how understaffed they were. It shows in the quality of service.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
It was quick and easy, even with the new COVID test/vax check.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
Overall good selection both at main dining and buffet. With that said, the quality was just okay, nothing great to note.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5
The Peloton bikes in the fitness center was a good addition. The Solarium was a nice and relaxing place.

Entertainment

3 out of 5
The resident stage shows were okay. Guest performers they had were superb and entertaining.

Service and Staff

3 out of 5
The staff tried their best, but I could tell that they are significantly undermanned. Services and the traditional attentiveness were lacking.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5
Typical cruise ship design. The grass turf was an interesting feature. Common areas were cleaned and well maintained.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5
We were upgraded to a Veranda as part of Celebrity's ongoing promo. This was a good surprise. With that said, we enjoyed the additional outside space and enhanced views. Our cabin was well maintained although there were occasional misses (trash or used utensils not take out).

Ports of call

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

5 out of 5

Messina, Sicily

3 out of 5
We opted for the Mt Etna and Taormina tour. Both locations were on the other side of the island from the port, so half of our day was spent on the bus. Mt Etna was interesting, but not worth the 2-hour drive.

Santorini, Greece

4 out of 5
We booked an excursion with Shore Excursion Group. The tour guide met us at the tender port. The tour took us to Oia, the quintessential site of Santorini. Note, the line for the cable car to reach the main port town of Thira from the tender port can be quite long. It took us about 40 mins to get on the cable car.

Mykonos, Greece

3 out of 5
Did a shore tour with the Shore Excursion Group, not really worth it. Most of the activities and sites are concentrated in the main port town.

Istanbul, Turkey

4 out of 5
The two-day excursion offering from Celebrity was worth it. The tour took us to the main sites to include the Grand Bazaar.

Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey

4 out of 5
Ancient Ephesus was a great tour. However, the tour company pushed another carpet demonstration.

Piraeus (Athens), Greece

4 out of 5
Did the main attraction of the Acropolis and shopping district of Plaka. These were a must for the short time we were in Athens.

Naples, Italy

3 out of 5
The town center of Napoli is a walking distance from the port.

Disembarkation

4 out of 5
As my previous cruise experience, disembarkation tends to be rushed because staterooms have to be vacated early (8am in this case).
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