Celebrity Reflection
July 26-29, 2024
In July, my family and I embarked on a 3-night Celebrity Reflection cruise from Ft. Lauderdale. We stayed in a Concierge Class balcony stateroom on deck 12. The sailing left on Friday from Ft. Lauderdale and sailed to Perfect Day at CocoCay on Saturday, Nassau on Sunday and returned to Ft. Lauderdale on Monday morning. The Reflection is a ship in Celebrity's Solstice series and was built in 2012, but underwent a revitalization in 2022 to add The Retreat area, an exclusive area for suite guests only. The ship holds 3,046 passengers and 1,293 crew.
The Reflection sails many 3-10 day itineraries from Ft. Lauderdale and offers great pricing and Florida resident rates on select sailings. Adding a pre or post cruise stay at one of the many great Ft. Lauderdale hotels is a great option to extend your vacation.
Pre-Cruise Stay at Ft. Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort and Spa
We left Thursday morning for a four-hour drive down I-95 from Jacksonville to Fort Lauderdale. While I could technically make the trip on the day of embarkation, as a travel advisor, I follow my own advice and prefer to arrive the day before. Traffic can be unpredictable. The Ft. Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort and Spa is my absolute favorite hotel for pre-cruise stays. This hotel offers resort-style amenities, making it a wonderful way to start your vacation a day early. I stayed in a harbor view room that provides stunning views of the city and the harbor, which I enjoy while watching the cruise ships come in and out of port. The hotel features a spa, two restaurants, and Starbucks! Additionally, it's adjacent to the old Yankee Clipper Hotel, home to the famous Wreck Bar, which hosts mermaid shows. Tickets are required for the shows, but they are definitely worth it. The hotel is conveniently located just a quick 15-minute ride from the port. While they do not provide shuttles to the port, they can arrange car service, or your friendly travel advisor can assist with that as well!
Day One - Embarkation
We left the hotel at 9:30 AM for a short drive to the port. An important reminder: make sure to attach your luggage tags to your suitcase before leaving the hotel. The front desk has a stapler because the tags are good old-fashioned paper and need to be stapled on.
Port Everglades has many piers, but only two are located in front of the guard gate. For the piers behind the guard gate, allow extra time, as traffic can back up because all visitors must show identification to enter. After going through the gate, follow the signs to your ship and terminal. Drop off your luggage, and then proceed to the parking deck. Don’t forget to tip the porters and take your ticket from the parking deck. Parking costs $20 per day and must be paid on your return.
We waited about 30 minutes outside before being let into the terminal, which is typical. Remember, guests from the previous cruise are disembarking, and customs needs to ensure everyone is accounted for before the next cruise can board. This process took about 30 minutes, mainly because we had to wait for a wedding party to board.
Once we were on the ship, we went to our staterooms to drop off our carry-on luggage and headed to the concierge lunch. Cruise tip: always pack a small carry-on with your essentials and an outfit for dinner, as it can take a while for your checked luggage to arrive in your stateroom. After lunch, we wandered the ship to familiarize ourselves with the layout, made spa appointments (because I don’t drink, I prefer to spa), and relaxed until the staterooms were ready.
The stateroom was small. We felt cramped with three people, even though it was a stateroom for four (my husband couldn’t come at the last minute). There wasn’t enough closet or drawer space, but we got creative and made it work. The bathroom, surprisingly, was quite large and featured a glass door instead of a shower curtain, which we loved. Shower curtains can blow around and cause water to spill onto the floor.
Dinner was at the specialty restaurant, Tuscan Grille. The food was okay, but not great, which was disappointing because Celebrity is known for its excellent dining. After dinner, we watched the early production show, followed by some amusing people-watching at the ABBA sing-along party.
Day Two - CocoCay
We docked at 8:00 AM at the private island of CocoCay. Although most people associate CocoCay with Royal Caribbean, Celebrity is part of the Royal Caribbean Group and has recently started sailing to the island as well.
CocoCay offers a variety of activities, from the waterpark and private cabanas to the adults-only Hideaway Beach. Since my kids aren’t big fans of water sports, we decided to relax on Chill Island and rented float mats to soak up the sun and enjoy the warm water. We disembarked the ship around 8:30 AM and secured fantastic spots near the water. Activities and rentals can be booked through the Celebrity app prior to sailing, allowing guests to take advantage of pre-cruise pricing discounts.
We returned to the ship for lunch and enjoyed the buffet. After lunch, we went our separate ways: my son watched the Olympics on the top deck's Lawn (which features real grass), my daughter read, and I took a short nap. Dinner was in the main dining room. While the food wasn’t the best, we later went to the buffet for more options. We spent the evening people-watching in the atrium, participating in the "That's a Match" game show, and trying our luck at gambling. The ship has a very laid-back vibe, which we all appreciated!
Day Three - Nassau
Nassau is often considered everyone’s least favorite stop on Eastern Caribbean cruises. Many of these cruises stop in Nassau due to the Passenger Vessel Act, which requires ships to visit at least one foreign port when departing from a U.S. port, and Nassau is the closest option. On my last two visits to Nassau, I didn't even get off the ship. However, I wanted my kids to experience at least a bit of the island, so we decided to enjoy afternoon tea at Graycliff Hotel and Restaurant, one of the top-rated restaurants in Nassau.
My 14-year-old son loves afternoon tea for the finger sandwiches and sweet treats, so it was a great experience for us all. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for something to do besides relaxing on the beach. They also have a chocolatier and cigar shop. You can even make your own cigar! It was extremely hot that day, and when we returned to the ship, we were so exhausted from walking in the heat that we all took a nap.
For dinner, we dined at the experiential venue Le Petit Chef. The experience was interactive and featured a story about the food, combined with animation projected onto the table. The food was absolutely the best I’ve ever had on a cruise. The beef tenderloin was as tender as butter, and the dessert was a creamy chocolate delight. After dinner, we watched the silent disco, although we chose not to participate—sometimes, simply people-watching is more enjoyable. We then headed back to our room to pack for an early disembarkation at 7 AM.
The Reflection is one of the oldest ships I've sailed, but I was pleasantly surprised. I would definitely sail her again as the prices and itineraries are great for a quick getaway.
Pros:
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Easy embarkation/Disembarkation. We were on the ship in about 30 minutes and walked off in about 30 as well
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Clean ship
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Good variety of food
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Easy to navigate ship
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Plenty of "quiet" areas
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Friendly staff and crew
Cons:
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Small stateroom
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Stateroom had some wear and tear
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Not enough outlets/charges in stateroom
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Food wasn't great, except for Le Petit Chef
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Conceirge class didn't have many bonuses except good stateroom location and embarkation lunch. Click here for a list of Celebrity Concierge Class Amenities