Celebrity Reflection Review
Rating by category
Additional details
Overall I had a fantastic time; the ship is beautiful, food is very tasty, entertainment is good, and many staff are friendly.
There is very good shopping in Cartagena, Spain and I found great deals at the Flower Market in Nice, France. You can save a lot of money using public transportation instead of doing the ship's tours, particularly in Villefranche.
A drawback in transportation is that in Barcelona, Malaga and Ibiza you must use the shuttle bus to get into the city and they charge you a fee, 5-8 euros roundtrip per person. The ship says its walkable in 30-45 minutes but that is definitely not true even for a fit and young person so just be aware about it. Also you must buy the tickets before you board the bus which is very inconvenient if you leave earlier than 8:00 because the tickets are only available from about 8:00-1:30. The buses themselves only start after 8:00. Because I took an early tour in Barcelona and left the ship around 6:15 I couldn't get the shuttle ticket or use the bus so I had to use the cab. The cab guy in the morning knew the buses wouldn't run at that time so charged me 20 euros instead of the usual 10 euros to get to Las Ramblas from the pier. Additionally on my back I wanted to get on the shuttle and offered to pay the rate but the driver refused, I don't know why they can't just accept payment on the bus, very inconsiderate of them.
Cabin Review
Inside Stateroom 10
Very clean and well maintained. Even though at the back of the ship, barely felt any motion during rough waters. Only thing is its a far walk to the elevators midship.
Port Reviews
La Spezia (Cinque Terre)
Prices are somewhat better here than in Florence. Got really nice pesto sauce! Venchi is a really tasty chocolate store. Was worthed to take a private transfer for 8 to Florence, travelled 2 hours each way. Buy the Uffizi tickets in advance.
Rome (Civitavecchia)
Take the train from the pier to the city, only 5 euros. Can't believe some people paid $75 for the ship to take them to Ostiense train station.
Barcelona
Transportation is an issue, cab guys can be dishonest. Shuttle bus tickets can only be bought at certain times in the terminal, not on the bus. Bus timings don't run into the night or in the early morning. You can't walk into the city, too far and not that safe.
Sagrada Familia and Montserrat you shouldn't miss. But buy tickets for Sagrada Familia in advance online.
Gibraltar
Not much to do, we were there on Sunday. Beware the 5 pound bill changed on May 5th 2017 so try to get the new bills before you leave home. A few places would take the old bill but most won't, they ask you to change it at the bank and of course there isn't enough time for tourists to do that. The monkeys were nice to watch, as was the cable car up the mountain.
Malaga
Picasso museum was insightful. Delicious places for tapas close to it. You can get 5 tapas for 10 euros.
Villefranche
Spent the day in Nice, which took a 10 minute train ride in and was less than 2 euros per way. Beautiful atmosphere for just getting lost in walking and admiring with the senses.
Cartagena (Spain)
Springfield was my favourite shop, really nice styles at affordable prices.