We are avid cruise travelers who sail regularly on Holland America, Azamara, and Princess. We had high expectations when we booked this cruise as we had sailed with Celebrity several years ago but never on a "solstice" style ship. Our memories were of beautifully designed ships with outstanding food and service. Yes, the Reflection has pleasing décor in most(but not all ) of the public areas, but the design made it difficult to find a quiet spot to relax. The library, etc. all overlook the Grand Foyer where dance classes and other activities take place. Due to the open design the noise just travels upwards. The pool area was so crowded and the lounge chairs so close that it resembled Coney Island in July! Granted the grass area is novel, but couldn't that space be used to accommodate lounge chairs instead?

The biggest disappointment was the food in the Ocean View(buffet) Café. The lunch and dinner choices were quit repetitive and the food very average....large pots of chicken, beef stew, rice with beans, etc. The hot items were lukewarm or stone cold at best. The food in the MDR was very good, but we did have to constantly remind our waiter the we wanted our entrees HOT! In addition, the tables are soooo close together that it almost felt like you were dining family style. Celebrity seems to be taking notice of what airlines are doing.....charging extra for things that used to given freely and creating class distinctions within the cruise ship.

If your are travelling in a suite(1st Class) you will eat in one dining room, in Aqua class another with all the others using the MDR. While that was always the case in the days of transatlantic travel, it wasn't true of the cruise industry. In addition, it seems that almost everyone travelling had received some sort of "perk" for booking...beverage package, shipboard credit, etc. As a result the ship was designed with s-I-x specialty(additional fee) restaurants....what better place to burn those shipboard credits I guess. It reminded me of NCL which has even more "specialty" dining venues. Call me old fashioned, but I am always suspicious when a cruise line feels there is a need for more than one specialty restaurant, it usually means that the food in the main venues is just not up to par. Read more