Celebrity Reflection Review
Rating by category
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We did a back to back transatlantic cruise after a Mediterranean cruise. The transition was very easy and smooth. We stayed in the same room and had no issues. The entertainment was top notch. The Four Seasons tribute band was astonishingly great. It was the first time I saw the entire audience demand an encore. Wow! The other entertainment was also very good, a Carnegie Hall pianist who did a second show of Chopin was excellent, also the ventriloquist comic, singer and as was most of the others, the only exception was one comic who fell kind of flat. The cirque style big stage show was okay and you could tell the performers tried hard but its a preference thing as I am not a fan of that type of entertainment. Overall, I credit the Cruise Director with making this a four star cruise. He was dynamic and all over the ship making sure people had a good/great time. Best CD ever.
Generally, the food was fair, with many complaints at our table about too much salt as a seasoning versus the use of any herbs. The buffet on deck 14 was also pretty bland with an overuse of Mexican, Indian and Asian food, night after night after night. Boring. We did eat at each of the specialty restaurants. The winner was the lawn grill with great steaks. We ate there twice. Go to Qsine hungry, because they give you plenty of well made delicacies. The chicken skewer was super. The Tuscan Grill and Murano were also excellent. We liked Tuscan and went there for lunch as well. The lunch menu is a bit skimpy. But the food is excellent.
The ship made four stops. The stop at Madera was very nice and we would like to return, as well as St. Maartan. St. Kitts, not as nice but okay. The stop in Haiti, at Celebrity's private resort, was not so good and we would look for a future cruise that did not include this as a stop.
Cabin Review
Concierge Class 2
Balcony is slanted and prevents a good view although it is larger than other balconies. Room was comfortable except for the couch. There is no way to get comfortable on the couch. The night light or reading light is over the bed and if one person wants to sleep, the other person really can't read or watch tv. Too bad there is no separate light or curtain between the tv and bed. The bed is closer to the balcony with the couch closer to the bathroom.
Port Reviews
Rome (Civitavecchia)
Booked through a tour group at the hotel... Difficult to understand the guide because of heavily accented language.
Rome (Civitavecchia)
Astounding, amazing
Rome (Civitavecchia)
Steps were closed for refurbishment. Been there done that.
Rome (Civitavecchia)
We flew into Rome five days ahead of the cruise to take in the tours. The tour of St. Peter's was included in a tour of the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museum that we booked online through the Vatican Museum web site.
Rome (Civitavecchia)
Breathtaking and if you go on Wednesday or Sunday you can get the papal blessing
Rome (Civitavecchia)
Through a coin in the fountain.
Rome (Civitavecchia)
By pre booking through the Vatican Museum web site we shaved at least an hour off of standing in line. There is a separate line for pre purchased tickets.
St. Maarten
Not our first time to St. Maarten and we normally take a taxi to Oyster Bay. Lounge chairs, small restaurant...Very nice. Only about $7 per person. This time we made the mistake and went to Orient Beach. If you want to see old out of shape men and women walking around naked, then that is for you. Believe me, there was no Cindy Crawford on that beach. More like Mama Cass. About $10 per person to Orient, a longer ride and rougher seas. Many go to the airport beach to see the planes overhead.
Labadee
Celebrity provided the food. Ribs tasted like they were boiled, the salads were in the sun and no ice for the drinks. Yuck! Our first sight was the security boat going around the ship chasing off the locals in their rowboats. Made you wonder if they were trying to get on board somehow. There was swimming available, jet skis for rent and other free and paid activities. There were some local trinkets for sale. Overall, we didn't like the experience and after a little while ashore, we came back on board and enjoyed the safety of the ship and the pool.
Madeira (Funchal)
Our experience with Celebrity excursions was not good and we went on our own. It was a great idea. There is a hop on hop off bus that provides a narrated island tour for a nominal fee. The island is beautiful and the people friendly. It was our first experience with Portuguese speaking people and they are wonderful. I have a modicum of working knowledge of Spanish and I now realize the extent of my own ignorance. However, the locals were understanding and patient with tourists. It is one of the prettiest islands we've been to and wish we had more time there.