We booked this cruise for the opportunity to see Mardi Gras and New Orleans and Grand Cayman. The Reflection was a very nice boat, very clean and well-maintained. Our cabin steward Richard was absolutely outstanding. The cruise director Eddy Jenkins was also a plus. His "10 things" talks in the Reflection Theater were better than any of the shows we saw which were contrived and ridiculously loud. The comedian Rich Aronovitch was decent. The staff captain also gave a talk on how the ship works which was really interesting and enlightening. All of the Live Music was mediocre and incredibly and needlessly loud, with the exception of the Emotions Duo. They were very talented and entertaining and you could listen to them without earplugs. The volume of all music and shows on cruise ships has gotten out of hand. Loud doesn't mean exciting and it certainly doesn't mean good. Our first night in New Orleans we opted for the Palm Court Jazz Café show and dinner. While it was grossly overpriced, we were able to apply a cruise account credit to take some of the sting out of it. Despite the cost it was a great experience I would recommend. The music was great and the food was really delicious. Short bus ride to the restaurant and back to the boat. The next day we opted for the Oak Alley Mansion tour. A total waste of time. You will spend most of the time on a bus seeing nothing much and then get very little time to explore the actual site which I think would be a worthwhile experience if you could see it without any time constraints. We expressed our displeasure with Celebrity and they refunded half of the cost. That evening we took a relatively short walk up Julia Street directly off the boat to take in the Orpheus parade. Really something to see. Collected our first of many beads. On Fat Tuesday we opted to just walk up to the French Quarter and check out the Mardi Gras celebration there. On the way we saw part of the Zulu and Rex parades. If you are a walker this is the best way to see the French Quarter in my opinion. We probably walked a total of five miles round trip. We had plotted out a path on Google and followed a Fodor's guide to the French Quarter to make sure we saw the main attractions. We went as far as the French Market on Decatur and would have taken in the Jazz Museum but it was closed on Fat Tuesday. One thing you must do is go to the Café Du Monde on Decatur St. and have their coffee and some beignets. The line might be out the door but it moves quite fast and it is so well worth it. The coffee is outstanding and the beignets are really delicious. And as a plus you will be covered in powdered sugar when you leave:) On thing to keep in mind while in the French Quarter on Fat Tuesday is that there are no bathrooms except for the port-a-johns on the official parade routes on Canal St. The parades do not go into the French Quarter. Only impromptu jazz bands appear in the French Quarter. Restaurants in the French Quarter have bathrooms but you have to buy something and the lines will be long anyway. Regarding the atmosphere on Fat Tuesday it was nothing but pleasurable and entertaining. I expected drunks and nefarious activity. There was none of that, just people having fun and enjoying the day. Grand Cayman is a tender. On a previous cruise we could not tender due to rough seas so it was nice to see it finally. It was a decent port, but do not waste your time or your money on the Cayman Highlights tour. It is nothing but a 2 1/2 hour advertisement for the Rum store, the Camana Bay development and some cheesy gift shop in the town of Hell. You will spend a grand total of five minutes on Seven Mile beach which is the only worthwhile site. Cozumel we saw before and did not go on any excursions. Overall an enjoyable cruise on a nice ship with good food, a great cabin steward, obnoxiously-loud mediocre live music and a great port stop in New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Read Less

Starting from Fort Lauderdale is always our choice - such a lovely port. We stayed in Hollywood for 3 nights pre-cruise (see separate TripAdvisor review). Mardi Gras in New Orleans was the highlight of this cruise. We chose it because we had never been to New Orleans. What a spectacle! And the Reflection made the most of it, with purple, green and gold decorations, events for all cruisers and especially for Captains Club, and the music. I can't say enough about "Big Mike"' musical director, band leader, trombone player par excellence! Also, Ray Brown Jr Jazz band, Danny Smart singer/guitar player, and Starlight Duo cello and violin were all fantastic. Celebrity CEO Linda joined us in New Orleans, and again in Grand Cayman to celebrate International Women's Day. She is very enthusiastic and delightful to meet. We received useful "Celebrate with the CEO" gifts in our cabin almost every day! The Reflection docked in NOLA starboard side to the dock, right at the end of Julia St. It was a short walk up it to the Bacchus parade route on Sunday night - perfect! And an easy walk the next day into the French Quarter. The parade is not visible from the ship because of the large Convention Centre and Riverwalk Outlets buildings at the dock. The Reflection has several large foyers for entertainment as well as numerous bars. Our only criticism was that the Ensemble lounge was always packed and we could not get a seat to listen to Ray Brown! The evening shows were all excellent, especially Broken Strings, Elysium, and Euphoria by the Reflection cast of singers, dancers and acrobats. We enjoyed a backstage tour with Emma, the lead singer/dancer. These kids have boundless energy! Read Less

We were told by a number of people that Celebrity Cruise Lines were a step above other cruises we had taken ( mainly Princess). It wasn't. We had an inside cabin which had a large couch in it which took up so much space, we couldn't use half the closet. With limited space to start out with, this was a definite negative. The food was less than expected and on more than one occasion, they ran out of certain items. The desserts were generally soggy and were obviously frozen. And I wish someone could explain why orange and apple juice are included but you must pay extra for cranberry juice. The staff were rude and uncommunicative with the exception of our cabin attendant. The bar staff were inconsistent in making drinks. How do you mess up a gin and tonic? The shows were generally well done except for the "outside" talent which were brought on board at 2 ports. They were terrible. This was the first cruise where we felt like second class citizens. There were areas on the ship where we were not allowed at all. This was our fist cruise with Celebrity and it will be our last... Read Less

Our wonderful travel agent had put together a group of about 60 folks, many of which we had cruised with previously. We have done a number of previous cruises aboard Celebrity ships and have enjoyed them. So, this seemed to be a logical choice. Leaving New Hampshire, in February, and going to Southern Caribbean sounded like a good idea. We had previously been to each of the ports of call, so that was not a major draw. Our cabin was 2131 (supposedly a former Aqua Suite, that is now a Sky Suite). The location is fine and convenient. The suite attendant and butler were both outstanding and professional. This suite has more than ample storage and is quite spacious. There is a considerable overhang above the balcony, which found very nice. Even being in the Caribbean, we had ample shade, with only a short jaunt to the fully open-to-the-sun decks, if desired. Some of the aspects that we most enjoy about cruising in suites aboard Celebrity ships are dining in Luminae and relaxing in Michael's Club. On this cruise Luminae dining was almost on par, but the Michael's Club experience was somewhat disappointing. The source of the disappointments were not due to any lack of effort on the part of the crew, but were systemic. It seems that when Celebrity chose to do away with the Aqua Suites, and convert them to Sky Suites, they neglected to factor in the full impact. As we were told by one of the ship's hotel staff officers, the Reflection now has more suites than any of the hips in this class, and yet Luminae and Michael's Club are the same size as the other ships in this class. Hence frequent periods of over-crowding can (and do) occur, probably too frequently. The staff in Michael's Club try their best but available space and furniture size/configuration work heavily against optimal usage. Luminae has some of the same issues (to a lesser extent). One immediate step to alleviate one aspect would be to have an additional sommelier available to assist at the very heavy usage times. We had no problems with overall service, entertainment, or activities, except perhaps the quality of some of the wines offered with the beverage packages. Read Less

Just completed a 21 day b2b on the Celebrity Reflection. Stayed in balcony cabin 6249. This was the first time on this ship, now having sailed all of them except the Millenium. Overall, cruise was good but not great. I see some good reviews, but having done many cruises on Celebrity and other lines, we have seen much better. We had some good times, but we do not think we shall ever do this particular Celebrity ship again. Itinerary was good especially the second leg with the ABC islands. Got to see a Carnivale parade in our overnight in Aruba, although it came by at 12:30 AM. Seas were rough on our second leg to Aruba. Captain said things were rough in those areas due to winds. Tough to walk and dance. Bunch of sick people including two of our favorite crew members. Enjoyed the beaches in Aruba, Curacao and Barbados. Would have liked to do beach in Grand Cayman, but timing not good, having to get back to the ship at 2:30. Having been to all the islands before and done tours there, some we went off for a brief walk in the nearby areas or enjoyed the ship's pool while others went ashore. Enjoy St Martin's. We go up one more street from the main one where most of the locals shop. Wife found nice pair of walking shoes. Do also enjoy their casino. It's exciting to see the islands your first times there. Some have some good destinations. Others, not so and the same scenery. Avoided going off in Antiqua due to recent news of attacking tourists. Encountered some new specialty restaurants that had not done before, Lawn Club, Porch and revised Quisine. We enjoyed Murano's and Lawn Club food and service. Friend ate in Quisine, and said you basically paid for the atmosphere (they have pictures of the chefs working displayed on your dinner plates) but food was mediocre. Said filet was toughest he ever had. Our filet mignons in the two restaurants we ate in were wonderful. If you are a first time cruiser the main dining room food may be fine, but nothing exceptional. Service was very good in MDR. They had a great martini bar and staff. Between them and having a string duo and jazz band, that played their standard jazz and classical music, but also gave us some great dance music, that helped us to enjoy some part of this cruise. Now and then, between his party music, got some good dance music from Alessio, the DJ. Their party band played primarily loud modern music if you like that sort of thing, and I am sure some of you do. A lot of the loud parties, and I mean loud, were done on the 3rd deck atrium, instead of upstairs in the Sky lounge. We believe this is so because this ship cut out a lot of the Sky lounge to put in Suites. And if I paid for a suite, I would not want all that late, loud music. Instead, the music went up the middle of the ship and people complained they heard it in their staterooms. The loud music was a major complaint. They put some ballroom recordings up in the new, very reduced, Sky lounge dance floor. Almost as bad finding room there to dance as in the atrium, plus rockier. They also have a statue of a rose on the atrium dance floor that cuts off a nice chunk of floor as if this floor is not small enough. We had to do a good portion of our dancing on the carpet there and in the Ensemble lounge. So if you don't do in-place dancing, try another ship. A lot of disappointed dancers, particularly on the second leg. Another minus is that Reflection removed the Disco on Deck 4, again, having to put loud music in the atrium. Shows were fine. Couple of new shows, Euphoria, which was like a Circus du Soleil and had a lot of aerial. Another, Broken Strings, had very good music and dancing, but like a lot of new Celebrity shows, did not know what the story was all about. On the second leg, the CD had to explain it the night before. There were good guest singers, had Beatles on the first and three tenors on the second one. We tend to skip the magicians and impressionists. Got spoiled having breakfast on Princess buffets. There, the staff asks and brings you all your drinks, not here. You go get them yourself. Princess puts silverware on each table. On Reflection, don't forget to find the scattered silverware otherwise you have to get back up and get it. Another thing here is they do not have dishes to put the tongs on after you grabbed food. The tongs go right back on the food when your done. Ugh. Had to make sure we grabbed food from the back. So much for cleanliness. After having done over 45 Celebrity cruises, I guess it was my bad that I did not know they smoked on Deck 5, port side, just below our balcony. All we ever knew that smoking was done by the pool and deck 15 on the port side, places we try avoid. For 21 days could not use the balcony as smoke would drift up there, and into the cabin if you opened your door. I know this is a touchy subject, smoking. But the vast majority of us do not like it. Celebrity publicizes the cabins that have obstructions, but does not mention that you will encounter smoking in some. If you are on the port side and you do not want to encounter smoke, do not book there. We talked to two couples that plan to speak to their travel agent to change future cruises booked there. Spoke to a manager in Guest Relations. They sent up a bottle of wine (we had the premium drink package) or figured that maybe we would like a specialty restaurant (we had enough OBC for them)would suffice. Nothing else was offered or done. Said travel agent should have warned me. Even got a note from the Hotel Director saying that he was happy our problem was resolved. Huh? So I sent letter to the president when we got home as they did not want to hear it about our problem. As said, there was some good spots along the way. Weather was sunny most of the time. Would have been nice to have smoother seas. Did not starve, but Celebrity needs some menu changes for people who cruise often. Get the feeling, as others do, that Celebrity would rather have new cruisers versus us experienced ones. Enjoyed El Bacio, the coffee shop, where, many believe the desserts are better than the MDR, especially for my wife who needs gluten-free. I guess the chemistry on this ship is not there for us. We find the Equinox to be much better with the bigger Sky lounge, tapas and beer lounge instead of the little used wine bar, more dance space in the atrium, and better music in general. Each person has their own preferences, and Reflection is not it for us. Read Less

My husband and I chose this cruise because of the destinations. He wanted to visit Aruba. We chose Celebrity because of a positive experience on a previous Celebrity cruise. We have also cruised with Royal Caribbean. Things we like about Celebrity: the food, the cabins, the cleanliness, the other guests. We moved to Celebrity from Royal because of the cruisers. Got tired of people who showed up in the dining room in shorts and ball cap, overloaded plates in the cafeteria, disregarded wishes of fellow travelers etc. We are in our sixties and found fellow travelers willing to dress for dinner, mannerly, etc. on Celebrity. There was a good variety of food at breakfast, lunch and dinner. The best thing about Celebrity is the staff. The cafeteria workers, the table servers are well train and take the time to learn your name and talk with you. The maintenance staff is always busy. Did not see them standing around doing nothing. Getting on and off the ship could not have been smoother. We disembarked in 5 minutes. Things that could be improved: Reflections management needs to pay as much attention to details as their service employees. At dinner the black folders that hold the menu were torn and tattered. When we brought it to the attention of the maitre'd he explained that they were taping them with black tape but hadn't gotten all the covers done yet. Tape? Really? Why not order new covers. The Abba party had group sign-along. The words on the screen look like the Powerpoint or similar program was made too many years ago. Take the time to update so it doesn't look like it was made when Abba was first performing. While the Reflections is clean the public spaces are too small. The Abba celebration was held in the Foyer. Not enough room for everyone. This is also where there is dancing after dinner. The dance floor is way too small and there are no enough seats for those who want to listen but not dance. Can't make the area bigger but can add more seating. Wish there had been more activities on the ship. On nights when we didn't go to the 9:00 show we had trouble finding other things to do. The game shows were fun but again held in a crowded area and over too soon. Had heard that Celebrity had watercolor classes but there were no opportunities for any art or craft activities during our sailing. We did listen to the psychologist. She was more entertainment than information. Her early talks were enjoyable so we went back later in the cruise. The last talk was a waste of time. There were activities scheduled in the room right before and after her talk so she started late and had to quit early and had very little to say. Recommendation: The talks about the upcoming ports were helpful as far as seeing where we would be docking in relation to shopping and the town. Highlights of excursions were useful. It would be interesting to expand the talks to share information about the culture and history of the islands. Read Less

An enjoyable eleven-night Southern Caribbean cruise! Our trip began in Tallahassee on February 17th as we drove to Ft. Lauderdale. We stayed at the SpringHill Suites in Dania Beach (a 10-minute drive to the port) and was disappointed in the hotel as the check-in process was unorganized (a long list of people waiting for rooms) and there was no hot water for our morning shower. The hotel, as well as several others, is in a great location, surrounded by various stores and restaurants. We had a fantastic dinner at the nearby Moonlite Dinner. You definitely will not go away hungry! For the convenience, we parked at the port - $15/day. Since the Celebrity Reflection was docked at newly renovated Pier 25, we chose to park in the mid-port garage after dropping off our luggage at the pier. We arrived around 10:30 a.m. and check-in was very organized and a pleasant process. We boarded the ship a little after 11:00 am. Southern Caribbean Cruise The Reflection, the largest in the Celebrity fleet, is a beautiful ship and was clean and well maintained. We stayed in cabin 9225, a veranda room. The room was well maintained and outstanding service was provided by our Cabin Attendant (Romeo)! He was very friendly and was always asking if we needed anything. The food in the Main Dining Room was average at best, as the menus did not provide many desirable options for the main course or for dessert. Service was slow and many evening dinners took three hours to complete. While early dinning began at 5:30 p.m., the dinning room always seemed to open a few minutes late and staff never seemed prepared as they were always finalizing dinner setup. Several nights it took over 40 minutes for the first course to arrive after the waiter took our order. If you wanted refills on water or iced tea, you had to ask. However, service from the wine sommelier was excellent. The highlight of our dining experience in the main dining room was the great conversations with our table mates, three couples - two from near Overland Park, KS and a couple from near Harrisburg, PA. There was never a dull moment at our table as the conversations were intense, focused on “fun” topics and generated great laughter! We did elect to purchase the four night speciality dinning plan for $149 per person. Two nights we chose to have dinner at the Tuscan Grill; as usual, it was excellent. What could be better, great food, great service and a beautiful sunset to enjoy! We also had dinner in the Lawn Club Grill and at Murano’s. Service and the food did not disappoint at either venue! Food at Murano’s is contemporary French in an intimate setting. While we really enjoyed both dinners, our favorite continues to be the Lawn Club Grill. We also found the food and service in the Ocean View Cafe to be very good and we enjoyed having breakfast and lunch there on most days. The AquaSpa Cafe also offers a lighter, healthy alternative for breakfast and lunch which we found to be a very good option. While I have been critical of the entertainment on recent Celebrity cruises, we found the entertainment on the Reflection to be very good. Our favorite shows were: Jesse Hamilton Jr. (entertainer), Bobby Borgia (magician), Lorraine Crosby (vocalist), Jason Neistadt (impressionist), and the Production Shows: Broken Strings and Euphoria - all were excellent shows. The singers and dancers in the production shows were impressive and extremely talented. The seven piece orchestra, lead by Big Mike, was fantastic! On sea days, I enjoyed attending the four presentations by Cruise Director Eddy Jenkins covering topics such as 10 Things You Don’t Know about Music, 10 Thinks You Don’t Know About Art, 10 Things You Don’t Know About Wales and 10 Things You Don’t Know About Crew Life. I also enjoyed attending the Beyond the Podium presentation by Paul Cirillo on the Universe and Cosmic topics and presentations by Doris Welch on Ocean Life - Whales and Turtles. In my reviews, I always like to include tips and advice on how to make your next cruise more enjoyable. Below are a few thoughts: 1. Make it a point to make new friends on the ship. I suggest that you talk to as many people as you can in the halls, in the elevators, at the bars, and at the pool. Even if you just ask them how the cruise is going, you will be surprised how people like to talk and share their experiences. I had some great conversations we folks from Germany, Finland, England, and Canada on this cruise. 2. When you are on a cruise, just be prepared for the shrinkage in your clothes caused by the salt air! Apparently, several days at sea in the salt air on a cruise ship will make your clothes shrink considerably. I have been told that spending some time in the gym and taking the stairs helps with this shrinkage issue. 3. When my wife and I cruise, we each take a large suitcase and a backpack. We always distribute our clothes between the suitcases and the backpacks in case one of the suitcases is lost or delayed in arriving. While this has never happened to us, we have witnessed a full cart of suitcases rolling off the pier into the water in Vancouver and numerous carts of suitcases getting soaked in Sydney. Our backpacks are our carryon bags and we always pack enough clothes, medicines, and toiletries to survive for a couple of days until our bags arrive if they are lost. 4. When printing out the cruise bag tags, I always print a few extra copies and place them in the outside pockets of the suit cases in case the bag tags attached to the bags get lost. It just makes it easier for the luggage to get to your room. 5. Travel insurance - this is not an easy issue. I have found that most health insurance plans do not cover you when you are in a foreign country. While having insurance to cover your trip costs if you have to cancel your trip is a plus, I believe the real issue here is the health insurance issue. We always purchase travel insurance. When cruising nearby (Caribbean), I normally purchase the insurance provide by the cruise lines. However, when going to Europe or other destinations, I normally purchase travel insurance with increased coverage limits. I focus on the medical coverage and the coverage limits for medical evacuations. I have found that the cost for medical evacuations can easily exceed $50,000. I highly recommend that every traveler research this issue online and know the limits of your health insurance. On our last two sea days we had some additional excitement on board due to an unfortunate event where a crew member had a severe medical condition and had to be evacuated from the ship. The ship had to divert to Jamaica so the crew member could be flown to Kingston for medical attention. The Captain did a good job in keeping the passengers informed. About 50 miles off the coast of Kingston around midnight we were met by a Jamaican Coast Guard helicopter and the crewman was hoisted aboard the helicopter. The helicopter crew, the Captain of the Reflection, and the many crew members onboard the Reflection involved in this complex operation are to be commended and congratulated for a job well done! When you see these types of events on TV you are amazed, but when an event like this happens on your cruise, you have another level of appreciation for the preparations, pre-cautions, and skill and talent level it takes to make these type of operations a success. Once the emergency event occurred, the ship was at maximum speed to get to Jamaica and once the crewman was evacuated, the increased speed was maintained to facilitate our arrival in Ft. Lauderdale on schedule. We arrived back in Ft. Lauderdale at Pier 18. We used the Express Departure (carry your own luggage). Disembarkation began around 7:30 a.m. and we were at our car in the garage within 40 minutes. In the terminal, to take the escalator, you must have one hand free to use the handrail (to have a free hand - we each use a large suitcase and a backpack). Otherwise, you have to take the elevator, which may result in a delay due to lines forming to take the elevator. By arriving at Pier 18, we had to take a shuttle to the Midpoint Garage. Unfortunately, when we exited the terminal, nobody could tell us where to get the shuttle to the parking garage. After walking around for several minutes asking numerous people about the parking garage shuttle, we finally found a gentlemen that directed us to the other side of the terminal where the shuttles were parked. Shuttle personnel were surprised that ship personnel had not provided this information prior to disembarking. I found it odd that we did not dock at Pier 25, the Celebrity terminal, as we were the only cruise ship in port that day. This would have made access to the parking garage much easier. While I asked several Celebrity employees why were were not docking at Pier 25, no one could answer the question. However, I did note that as we were going into immigration, they were directing folks from Canada (700 Canadians on this cruise) to a separate area. Maybe, Terminal 18 has more space to accommodate faster processing of so many foreign travelers - who knows??? Read Less

We arrived in Fort Lauderdale the night before our cruise. We stayed at the Fairfield Inn & Suites. It was very nice. We took a taxi to the port in the morning. About the same price as a shuttle, but quicker and easier. $25 Embarkation was smooth. We were on by about 11am. Our room was ready at 1pm and our luggage was there shortly after. The ship is nice, but the atrium areas where small and cramped. Our cabin was nice, we had a veranda, but it was noisy especially the first few nights, because we were above the Bleu Galley . They did get them to quiet down after that, and offered us a free specialty dinner. Also our Cabin Stewart was very miserable, I think he was very tired, but did not make it nice for us at times. The main dinning room service was great! The food was not as good, and we ended up not going a few nights because of what was on the menu. The entertainment was not up to Celebrity's standards of entertainment we have seen in the past. We only stayed for 2 out of the 11 nights of shows. Music in the main areas was load and crowded. The service was very good . We really enjoyed the ports! In Grand Cayman we took a taxi to the Turtle Farm, then went across the street to the dolphin centre just to watch for a bit, we then caught a bus back to 7 mile beach , near Calico Jack's and went for a swim. Then we took the bus back to the port area. In Cartagena we just went to the port terminal area where they have a bird sanctuary. It was amazing, we really enjoyed wandering under the trees and seeing all the birds! In Aruba the first night we did a little shopping. The next day we took a taxi to the Hyatt on Palm beach to meet for a snorkeling trip we had booked with Delphi. When we got there they said they had emailed us because their catamaran had to be serviced and so they offered us to go with Aruba watersports on the Arusun catamaran. We did do that and it was ok, but it wasn't as nice a cat as the one looked like that we had booked. The music was loud … food ok, the water was mirky so snorkeling wasn't too good. It was still a nice day. In Curacao we did the ship tour to Blue Bay Beach. It was a nice beach. We snorkeled there and it was nice. It was over cast and did rain a bit, but it was still a nice day. We went shopping later in town. The town was pretty and we walked across the bridge. In Bonaire we went on a private snorkel trip with Woodwind . I cannot say enough good things about them. It was a short walk to the meeting place from the port. Dee and her team were amazing! She talked to us about safety and fitted us with masks... They served drinks and raisin buns, then later when we were on our way back they served us a yummy plate of lunch, chicken, noodle dish . They put us in separate groups from beginner to advanced and each group of about 6 people had their own guide. It was a drift snorkel on Klein Bonaire. The fish and coral and turtles were awesome! It was the highlight of our trip! I would love to do these ports again some day. Not sure about the reflection though. Read Less

We have Cruised on Celebrity many times and this ship was well well maintained. The crew, including housekeeping and dining room service, were excellent. Food was actually better than I remembered it on my last cruise, including the buffet and Opus dining room, where we dined for all but one day of the cruise. We ate in the Lawn Grill on deck 15 for one night and found the food to be excellent and plentiful. Ports of call included Aruba Curacao , Bonaire (great for snorkeling) Grand Cayman, and Cartagena, Columbia, which I could have done without. My only complaint is with the entertainment. Most of it was bland and stale production shows and performers, with a few exceptions. Indoing their part to save the environment, Celebrity has chosen to replace plastic straws with was paper straws, which is probably a good thing. However, it seems that no matter which bar you purchase a drink from, They will never give you a paper napkin unless you ask/ Since paper is biodegradable, this rings of pettiness on the part of Celebrity. Overall, a very satisfying cruise. Read Less

This was our 2nd cruise on Celebrity and on Reflection. We flew out of snowstorms in Mpls. into sunny and warm weather in Ft. Lauderdale the afternoon before the cruise. We booked a ride through the hotel (Best Western Cruise port) to the ship and also prepaid to have them meet us after the cruise to take us to the airport. It was a breeze! The hotel was fine for one night. Nothing fancy but convenient. We arrived at the dock and did not have much of a wait at all and before we knew it we were on board with our glasses of champagne, Big Smiles and heading to the pool! Nice to have carried on our swimsuits! We were on board early enough to enjoy some sun time before having lunch. Having been on The Reflection once before, we knew the layout of the ship and where "our cabin" is located (same cabin as before). Very easy ship to navigate. The ship is Always being cleaned. Our cabin was clean, spacious and had the extra bonus of having not just deck chairs, but loungers too. A shout out to Hasip - our room steward - who was exceptional! We had Anytime Dining. I tried to make daily reservations prior to boarding -- on Celebrity's website), but it did not "take" except for the first and last day of the cruise. We tried to get a specific time for the other nights so that we would get the same table and servers, but the maitre d' said to just come when ever we want. It was not as efficient as when we were on Reflection a year and a half ago in the Mediterranean. We were able to have the same time each night and after the first night we did not have to wait to be seated -- we were able to just go to our table. On this cruise we did, however, sit in the same area every night and had the same servers. A Big Thank You to our Wonderful Dining Staff -- Russel is Top Notch! "By one get one free" and Always Attentive. Diego helpful and attentive. Randy - Great "wine master". The food in the MDR was mostly very good. Portion sizes varied, so we usually both got an appetizer and one to share. During sea days we had lunch in the MDR. The portions seemed to be larger during lunchtime. We ate breakfast a few times in the MDR and the rest of the time in the buffet. It would be nice if they had some variations in the breakfast items in the MDR - like a special of the day. But the food was always good! We enjoyed the buffet for breakfast and the lunches on port days when the MDR was not open. Lots of variety in the buffet for both breakfast and lunch. Freshly made and good quality food. I enjoyed the ship made ice cream Everyday after lunch -- YUM! Even better with a special topping of Kahlua ;) We had the Premium Beverage package. It is really nice to be able to order almost anything you want and not worry about extra costs. There were a few wines that were higher, and of course any flights, etc. that are not included. We discovered a drink that became our pool favorite - French Caribbean. We found that the quality of drinks did not seem to be the same throughout the ship. We specified we had the Premium Drink package and to use Top Shelf liquor, but don't think they always did it, especially at the pool bars when the poolside staff took the order. When we went to the poolside bars, I think they did tend to give us the Top Shelf liquor. Issac is an exceptional bartender (near the Theater, and on the last sea day saw him at the pool bar). Of course, the Martini Bar is fun and always good! Miss it already! This cruise seemed to have a majority of elderly folks on board. I think Celebrity must have correlated the daily entertainment towards the majority. We really enjoyed the shows in the Theater that the Reflection Team and musicians put on. The guest entertainers were OK, but I would not pay to go see them at home. There did not seem to be a lot going on if you did not gamble or go to an art or jewelry show or auction. The pool music was always good. Service --- GREAT! The staff on Reflection is exceptional in their service. Always a smile and hello when you meet them on the stairs or hallways. Before dinner, the Martini Bar did get a bit busy and service was a bit slower -- but we weren't going anywhere :) Happily! Ports: We bought 2 Shore Excursions through Celebrity (when they had the really good sale). We did not do a shore excursion when we were in Ft. Lauderdale. We walked around quite a bit up and down the street where our hotel was located, just enjoying the warm weather. Once on-board we stayed on-board - enjoying Reflections hospitality :) Grand Cayman: We tendered here. Had a bit of rain that did not last long. We walked to a beach that was South of the cruise ship. A nice walk 2 12 miles (approx.) each way. It was warm and sunny. The beach was mostly for snorkeling, but there were some sunbathers as well. A bit rough to swim. We did a Tour of Cartagena, Columbia through Celebrity. It was interesting and our guide was very informative. A very enjoyable tour. It was both a bus and walking tour. Our next stop was Aruba. This was an overnight, which was a lot of fun. We were fortunate enough to be there when they had the Big Carnaval Parade (8 p.m. to 2 a.m.). After dinner, we walked a long way down the street that runs along the water, where people were lined up waiting for the parade. It was so much fun to see all the local folks with their own tents, lights, food, drinks and music. It was definitely a Big Event. I think everyone on the Island was there! We felt completely safe the whole time. Lots of families, children, parents and grandparents. I watched a couple hours of the parade before retiring back to the ship. The next day we took a local bus to Eagle Beach. The bus was very convenient ($2.50 per person each way). We rented 2 loungers for $10.00 each. We were early enough that we were able to get one of their free huts (bamboo type large "umbrella". If we wanted to, we could rent a beach umbrella for $25.00. It was a very nice beach, lots of soft sand and fairly warm water. This is the first time we had wi-fi, so it was nice to send a couple photos home to the "kids". Our next stop was Curacao. We just did a lot of walking and exploring, Very pretty bridge and buildings and friendly people. Had a little bit of rain, but then the sun came back out and really made things steamy. Bonaire was our last port of call. We took a Double Dip Snorkeling Tour through Celebrity. The boat picked us up right at the pier where Reflection was docked. Could not get any more convenient than that! We went out to the smaller isle near the ship. The crew on the Seacow was Wonderful. Personable and helpful; reassuring for nervous snorkeling novices. The waves were a bit rough, more-so than normal. The water was colder than we expected, so we were shivering when we got out of the water the first time. We were fitted with fins and told how to put on and fit our masks. We were given signs if we needed help or were OK. We were split into 3 groups and had 3 guides. Our guide pointed out different fish and a turtle, diving down to point and then coming up to talk about what it was she pointed at. Always making sure everyone was OK. After getting back on the boat the first time we warmed up a tiny bit and got back in the water for a little shorter time to see some more. This was a very good excursion to go on and I would highly recommend it. After the 2nd snorkel we were treated to rum punch :) It was another good day! My only complaint was that the time on Bonaire was limited. I think all aboard was 3:30. So, after our snorkeling and going back on board to eat lunch, there was not any time to explore the town. We did, however, take a Quick walk through town prior to the snorkeling. Read Less