Celebrity Reflection Review
Reflection lacked polish from Rome to Istanbul and Santorini. 29 June 2015
Rating by category
Additional details
Time for discounted parents to fill the Martini Bar with under age drinkers on Celebrity Reflection.
We just returned home from Celebrity Reflection Eastern Med. Sadly one of the worst Celebrity trips I have ever done... A few weeks before the cruise there were many empty cabins, then all of a sudden the ship was full... It would appear that deals were done where children in parent's cabins got a much reduced rate.. The ship was overfull .. Not only were there groups of teens standing in the pool most of the day, they migrated to the Spa Pool in the late afternoons which defies the age limits in there, but of course they reserved many of the then unused sunbeds in the pool area too. The Martini Bar became the venue of choice so older siblings or parents could supply them alcohol leaving little room for adults. HideAway became a school common-room. Empty sunbeds were hard to find on sea days as parent reserved beds for their kids who roamed elsewhere and reserved their own before moving on to sit in groups elsewhere. Despite the obvious shortage of sunbeds and deck space, many guests still seemed OK with still reserving sunbeds while they went for food. On an 11 night cruise, not once did we find 2 sunbeds poolside, but it was also much too noisy to read poolside with the screaming children and teens.
Never mind, there was always the theatre for the adults to attend???
Cabin Review
Deluxe Ocean View with Verandah 2C
Cabin and cabin staff excellent as always.
Port Reviews
Naples
We walked from the ship straight to the adjacent Jet Boats for a trip to Capri. It is best to buy a return ticket and select a return ride with plenty of time to get back to the ship. Dont leave the return trip to chance as if you miss the boat, or if it is full, you could miss sailaway on the cruise. Once on beautiful Capri we took the cable car to the top and looked at the amazing views of the other side of the island. Stunning rocks and yachts below in deep turquoise seas. A beautiful tropical garden to walk around for a couple of Euros each. Total cost was about 50 Euros each for this amazing day. We saw as much as we could pack in as we started quite late taking the 11.30 Jet Boat returning on the 2.50pm. Compare that with a cruise ship excursion cost! Capri is steep at the higher levels, so not suitable for unfit or disabled.
Athens (Piraeus)
Here we headed for the Parthenon. I have been several times before but my companion was a first timer. The day was hot and sunny and for just 4 Euros each (all day pass) we jumped on the express bus from the port to Acropolis. Entry to the site was not expensive. Again little reason to pay $125 each to the cruise line.
Mykonos
Getting a taxi is difficult, but there was no way I was going to spend the day in a tourist coach. I have been several times to this beautiful resort island and we wanted to head to Elia Beach or Super Paradise. The easiest way was for just 40 Euros, to hire a Fiat Punto from one of the rental garages close to the ship's mooring. Roads are well signposted and within 20 mins we had our towels on the beach and a bottle of chilled Celebrity Champagne (care of Captains Club). We left enough time to visit the windmills and take the usual Mykonos photos.
Kusadasi
We did a full tour of Effesis. Just hailed a cab outside the port, he drove us to the entry gates for the ruins and then drove to the exit gates and waited for us there. It cost us 80 Euros and included a stop at The Virgin Mary House. We paid about 20 Euros for the radio guide which was excellent. In all about 5 hours for £25 each saving £100 each on the Celebrity excursion rates.
Istanbul
An exciting place to visit.. Vibrant and full of life. Be careful of the taxi drivers and negotiate a rate rather than agree to the using the taxi meter. We paid 10 Euros out and 30 Euros on the meter for the return trip. Even so that was just £16 each to see the Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Water Systern, Topkapi Palace and much more besides. I think this worked out a few hundred pounds less than using a ship excursion despite the 2nd taxi overcharging.
Santorini
This is a beautiful place to visit .. Both Oia and Fira are easy to do on your own. Take a boat from the pier to Oia, there is a bus back to Fira included. This was an amazing day for just 20 Euros each compared to the much much higher prices on Celebrity excursions.
Rome (Civitavecchia)
No time pre cruise to visit Rome. We did the tourist routes the last 2 years and as Trevi Fountain is boarded up, we decided to miss out this year.