Celebrity Reflection Cruise Reviews - Reviews

One of the best cruises I have been on! This was my first time on Celebrity and I loved it!

This was a dream come true, I was wanting to go to Italy and visit it for many years and now that Im retired and can travel and have the time I decided that its time to go while I can.. I invited my buddy from San Jose Ca and told him I wanted to go on this cruise and he said he would go with me and we had a great time for our memories of such a great time. I will never forget this trip .. I want to go to Spain next.. Lets see... Go if you like the old roman Architectural designs..

After four cruises on other lines, we picked Celebrity Reflection for an introduction to Mediterranean cruising, and it was just about perfect. The ship, the crew, the amenities, the food and beverages and the ports. We liked it so much we booked three future cruises for 2018 and 2019 while on board.

Beautiful ship.......very clean ship. Lots to do, great crew. Great food.Very fast and efficient embarking and disembarking.Very organized.......everything is so well planned.Nice rooms,comfortable beds, We were on deck 3, that's where all the entertainment was.Great choice.No complaints......would certainly cruise with Celebrity Reflection again.

Had a wonderful time. Your turn . Get out there..

This was the second leg of a back to back on the Mediterranean. Every side trip was a new adventure. We loved meeting the people and experiencing what each stop had to offer. It was interesting to watch history come alive and to learn how other countries are currently faring under their governments.

Overall we enjoyed the 12 day cruise enjoyed being in the warm weather getting out of the Canadian cold

Cruise was well managed with excellent service. Menu items in Opus dining room sounded very upscale but flavor was lacking on some. Onboard entertainment was very good. Public spaces and pool area felt crowded. Bars were always packed. Excursions very expensive. 4 out of 10 days at sea were too many. After seeing these islands once would not book a Caribbean cruise a second time.

Great cruise with friends. Ship is a little older but still in great shape

We had a wonderful time on this cruise. I feel Celebrity may be a notch above Norwegian now, since Norwegian has cut back on so much. We may have to review Celebrity cruises more! This was our 22 cruise!

Although there could be things that are better on all ships, (as related above) but for the most part it is my favorite ship. We took a transatlantic on this ship a few years ago and loved it. The upper deck has a sail away bar with grass and bocci near it. The smoking section was moved to the back of the ship instead of going thru smoke to get to the back of the ship. Great idea! There are just under 3,000 passenger capacity but you would never know it. Seeing that my review here (3.5) includes the ports of call, As far as the cruiseline and ship; it should be more like a 4.5!

One of the most relaxing cruises ever. The food was amazing and the service was excellent.

The cruise staff was all very friendly.  The ship was lovely, but there could have been more to do for the under 60 crowd.  We loved the ports and had a great time.  But with 6 women all together, how could you not!

Celebrity cruises do have great dining.  One night had a menu from the TV show Top Chef which was great, especially the tomato-watermelon gazpacho.  We were a family of 7 in three rooms and used our on board credit from Lynette at the specialty restaurant Qsine, and what a treat it was.  Quirky, yes.  Worth it, yes.  A larger group dining together made the whole Qsine experience great.  Each guest picked favorite items from an iPad menu and the wait staff "decided" what we would eat and in what order. Presentation was funky and fun  -- think crushed Dorito-wrapped sushi, do-it-yourself guacamole, fish and chips served in popcorn boxes, French fry towers, frost your own cupcake.  We loved Qsine and will do it again.  That said, I would not do Qsine as a couple, or even a foursome; you need a group for the full experience and variety of dishes.

Context: My husband and I just completed 3 B2Bs on the Celebrity Reflection starting February 28 to Mar 7 and continuing Mar 7-14 & 14-21. It was our first Celebrity experience after nearly 20 years of cruising.

Accommodation basics: 2 weeks in Aqua Class stateroom (1553 & 1555), 1 week in Aqua Class suite (2154).

Primary point is that we loved our experience with Celebrity, so much so that we booked four more cruises for 2017. That says a lot about how much we enjoyed ourselves.

Reasons why we loved it: Crew were exceedingly kind and helpful. My husband and I are disabled to different degrees. Many, many crew took the extra step to help make our stay easier and more enjoyable. From cutting up a thick steak to holding a door open to bringing a drink back to the Alcove. Each little thing added up to a very big experience.  

When we moved from stateroom to suite, we noticed a palpable vibration which became quite annoying rather quickly.  After a call to Guest Relations, the Assistant Chief Engineer came to evaluate the situation. He agreed and an investigation was launched. We received daily updates and inquiries plus a lovely plate of chocolate-covered strawberries with a note of apology.  The issue was resolved and we had a wonderful time. To top it off, on the last day of the cruise, we each received a cruise credit certificate and letter of thanks for our business.

You might be asking "If you loved it so much, why give it a four star rating?"  Here is why:

1. The most common temperature for food/drink being served was "warm".  What should have been served chilled arrived to the table at room-temperature.  This was epidemic across venues on the ship to the point that we specified "chilled" fruit, juice, etc., and also asked for a glass of ice in case it was needed. The problem is that the drive for efficiency has a cost. Leaving OJ accessible on the counter for wait staff to pick up quickly runs the risk of it warming to room temp... which it did, day after day.  When we asked for CHILLED juice, we got it. Bottomline, we really shouldn't need to ask. This can be fixed by leaving OJ in the fridge until just before it needs to be served.

2. Variable temperature of cappuccino, lattes, and specialty coffees. At times scalding hot or lukewarm, it turned into a crapshoot. The baristas needs to be more vigilant and closely monitor the temps to avoid this. 

3. Understaffing.  Although better than other cruise lines we have sailed with, it was clear that staff was short at critical times. This is easy to remedy when supervisory staff track and report delays or more important, customers begin to complain more vocally.

4. Food prep. Specifically the proper way to cook a nice piece of steak. The Lawn Club Grille got it right every time.  Perfecto!  Tuscan got it wrong 3 out of 4 times... but on the plus side, they made it right every time.

5. Specialty restaurant noise level.  We tried each of the specialty restaurants and found Murano the least pleasing in terms of noise level of wait staff. Clanging plates and silverware do nothing to enhance the dining experience.  This is easy to address when staff take more care in performing their work.

Competitor comparison: There is no comparison to Carnival, NCL, or Royal Caribbean, which are more budget oriented lines.  The closest I can estimate is a Princess cruise we took years ago.  Both focus on customer experience and satisfaction. Both consider themselves to be a luxury cruise experience.   I highly commend the Reflection for its proactive approach to infection control and acceptable onboard behavior with overhead announcements from the Captain at the start and during the cruise.  That's a first for us. Unfortunately, the Capt can't follow people around to make sure they do wash their hands regularly or keep their children under control.  Hand washing is everyone's business and child behavior rests with the parents/guardians.  That said, Celebrity raised awareness which is more than I can say about other lines. We had a fabulous time and highly recommend the Reflection.

All cruises are great cruises, never bad, but this cruise definitely did not compete with the Silhouette, Eclipse, nor Equinox. I would still cruise this ship again, and I'm sure it may be a different experience next time.

This was our first Cruise, and it Will not be the last.

Totally enjoyed the ship and the staff and entertainment. This was our 2nd time on Reflection (first time Mediterranean Sea). Unfortunately the weather was not great (obviously not Celebrity's fault) so we missed 1 of 3 planned ports (Key West) but the staff quickly organized on-ship events to keep everyone engaged and happy. We really enjoy Celebrity and prefer the S-class (larger) ships, due to the space, events, and entertainment!

We especially enjoyed evening dining. Food on this ship was a cut above other cruise lines. Everything was so fresh and service was empectable.  If there was a downside it was the lack of things to do and we also found $35 dollars a day for internet for one computer a little on the steep side. Two computers in one room there was additional charge. Last day they gave you one hour for $25. So you could check in to airlines. We felt that everything on this cruise was about spending money. Atrium was small and had very few chairs for watching evening entertainment. It was like they wanted you to keep moving so you could spend money.

The Celebrity Reflection is a newer ship with beautiful decorations and spacious accommodations.  Our stateroom was well laid out with a larger bathroom.  Everything was kept immaculate.  We used the cafeteria dining for breakfast and lunch and the dining room for our evening meal.  The food throughout was phenomenal!  We used a specialty restaurant called Murano where we had the lobster prepared at your table.  It was TO DIE FOR!  The price was so reasonable, we thought they had made a mistake.  The waiters were friendly and we felt as if we were dining with family.  The entertainment was beyond all expectations.  We used the spa facilities to enjoy several messages and spent a lot of time totally relaxing in the Persian Gardens.