B2B Rome, Greece and Across the Atlantic Part-1

Celebrity Reflection Cruise Review to Europe - Mediterranean

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 20

Overall rating:

4.8 out of 5
Celebrity Reflection

10 Night Greek Islands & Malta (Rome To Barcelona)

Sail date: October 09, 2023

Ship: Celebrity Reflection

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 7209

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 7 months ago

Review summary

This cruise was booked as a B2B on Celebrity Reflection leaving from Rome on October 9th, which included Greece, and Barcelona on October 19th as a trans-Atlantic repositioning which ended in Fort Lauderdale. Both legs were in Cabin #7209. As one who sometimes suffers seasickness, I would choose a lower deck for the ocean crossing, although we did enjoy the balcony. I booked flights and hotels on my own rather than through a travel agent. The ship was at full capacity, which I’m told is unusual for an ocean crossing, and there were only four children aboard (Bonus!). I do like the size and lay-out of the Solstice class ships (Equinox is still my favourite) and the staff was excellent – always friendly and helpful. The cabin is spacious and has lots of storage. Cabin steward Tony went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable. There is always somewhere to get away from the crowds and I enjoyed many quiet hours in Cellarmasters when it wasn’t in use for other events. Extracurriculars we signed up for included World Wine Tours on both legs, Mixology (held at the World Class Bar), Blendique (only four of us and such fun!), and several Captain’s Clubs events. Captain Kirk’s daily announcements were informative and witty. My only complaint is that these announcements were not piped into the main theatre between “Beyond the Podium” presentations. I especially enjoyed his navigation talk. While Euphoria is a wonderful acrobatic/musical production, I had already seen it several times on previous sailings. The Reflection orchestra was excellent and offerings in the smaller venues were also good. I particularly enjoyed singer/guitarist Michael Redden who offered up renditions of James Taylor, Eric Clapton and the like. Violinist Jakob (surname escapes me) on the first leg of the cruise was amazing and we were sad to see him depart at the port of Rhodes. The violinist on the second leg paled in comparison. I would have preferred more variety in the theatre offerings, but what I saw was enjoyable. Of particular note was Janine Johnson who wowed us with her powerful vocals. There was much discussion about changes to the menus in the MDR, but we dined there almost every evening and always found something to enjoy. Nightly chef specials were welcome and our dining crew (Adrian, Suyog, and Cristian) welcomed us by name each night and remembered our preferences. The Oceanview buffet always had something yummy and I took advantage of the made-to-order omelets many mornings. Most days we skipped lunch, but for snacks Café El Bacio was a good option. I’m still missing the almond croissants. The only specialty restaurant we dined at was Sushi on Five, which did not disappoint.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
There was much discussion about changes to the menus in the MDR, but we dined there almost every evening and always found something to enjoy. Nightly chef specials were welcome and our dining crew (Adrian, Suyog, and Cristian) welcomed us by name each night and remembered our preferences. The Oceanview buffet always had something yummy and I took advantage of the made-to-order omelets many mornings. Most days we skipped lunch, but for snacks Café El Bacio was a good option. I’m still missing the almond croissants. The only specialty restaurant we dined at was Sushi on Five, which did not disappoint.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Entertainment

4 out of 5
While Euphoria is a wonderful acrobatic/musical production, I had already seen it several times on previous sailings. The Reflection orchestra was excellent and offerings in the smaller venues were also good. I particularly enjoyed singer/guitarist Michael Redden who offered up renditions of James Taylor, Eric Clapton and the like. Violinist Jakob (surname escapes me) on the first leg of the cruise was amazing and we were sad to see him depart at the port of Rhodes. The violinist on the second leg paled in comparison. I would have preferred more variety in the theatre offerings, but what I saw was enjoyable. Of particular note was Janine Johnson who wowed us with her powerful vocals.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
This cabin is spacious and has lots of storage. The bed is next to the balcony. The only noise issues were door slammers. It's located near the elevators and stairs and close to the centre of the ship, so less motion.

Ship tip

There is always somewhere to get away from the crowds and I enjoyed many quiet hours in Cellarmasters when it wasn’t in use for other events. If you show up at more or less the same time in the MDR, you will be seated in the same section and often the same table.

Ports of call

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy Did not visit port

Embarkation only. The previous few days were spent in Rome, which I highly recommend.

Katakolon (Olympia), Greece

4 out of 5
Plan on lots of walking and levels, but do enjoy the history and cultural offerings.

Piraeus (Athens), Greece

5 out of 5

Rhodes, Greece

5 out of 5
No excursion booked, but this was my favourite port stop in Greece! We wandered the narrow streets and enjoying the food and history, plus the shopping.

Santorini, Greece

5 out of 5

Mykonos, Greece

5 out of 5

Barcelona, Spain

5 out of 5
One of my favourite cities! I had visited before, so this time took the opportunity to see the inside of Sagrada Familia. We hailed a taxi to return to the ship and asked him to do some sight seeing (Bari Gotic, La Rambla, the market) en route.

Disembarkation

3 out of 5
A technical glitch for those of us doing the B2B meant we came very close to missing the beginning of our tour as there were other ships docks and a lengthy line for taxis.
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