B2B Rome, Greece and Across the Atlantic Part-2

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 19

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.

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Ports of call

Barcelona, Spain

Marseille (Provence), France

King's Wharf, Bermuda

Disembarkation

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