Celebrity Reflection Review
Set the Bar VERY High for a First Time Cruiser
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Overall Impressions: To level set, and let you know my frame of reference going into this...this was my first cruise. I have vacationed in Walt Disney World many times so I am familiar with the 'Disney difference' - in terms of the level of customer service and cleanliness. So I hold Disney up on a pillar of sorts because of this. I felt that my Celebrity cruise met and exceeded the 'Disney difference,' and I was pleasantly surprised by this. All of the staff - even the ones I didn't know - were very friendly and helpful. The ship was kept very clean - even the public restrooms. I have a detailed eye and seem to always zone in on the dirty bits but could not find this here. Staff attentiveness and cleanliness were far exceeded for me. I enjoyed the cruise immensely and overall everything was fantastic. I loved the ship. The ports...meh. But the ship...amazing. I fell in love with the cruising experience.
Demographics: The demographics, while older than us (we are 20-somethings, majority seemed to be 40s+), were great as I wanted a cruise without a lot of children. Very rarely did I see kids on the boat. People were friendly, so age didn't matter to me.
Ship: The Celebrity Reflection. W.O.W. So beautiful inside and outside. No gimmicky slides or stuff to pull the eye, just lovely lines on the outside. Given this was our 1st cruise, I wanted one of the newer, larger ships, and I wanted a more adult oriented cruise line. The Celebrity Reflection fit the bill. I have looked at cruises throughout the years but never ended up booking....but when I looked at itineraries in the past I would always try to minimize sea days b/c I thought 'what a waste.' I actually found our ports underwhelming and always looked forward to going back home to the ship. This was a surprise. The ship is very large and there are plenty of spaces for everyone. I tended to hang out in the Persian Gardens or on the lawn club. I am not into the crowded pool scene. My friend would hang out near the outdoor pool, and enjoyed the solarium pool as well (on sea days it would turn into a wave pool of sorts b/c it is in the back of the ship). It was nice that each of us did what we wanted then we would meet back up for meals and the evening activities.
Cabin Review
I wanted a balcony b/c I knew an inside cabin wldn't be good (I wanted natural light) and the thought of just a window scared me. We got a balcony on deck 6 on the hump - amazing. We loved and used our balcony. It was nice to have an outside space all your own. I loved that we had a clear view below (b/c we were on the hump - there are no lifeboats). I cannot imagine cruising w/o a balcony. Cabin size was not bad. Similar to a small European hotel room - lger than some of those even. We had just enough room for 2 pp each with a suitcase. The walls are indeed magnetic and it was nice to hang up the schedule. Bathroom was lger than I thought - I loved the no shower curtain.