Cruise Blog

Celebrity Reflection Cruise Blog – Day 1 – Fort Lauderdale

Today, we embarked on our 4-day sailing aboard the Celebrity Reflection. This short 4-day cruise would take us to Key West and the private island Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas. It’d be my second sailing on Celebrity, but my last one was a 7-day Norwegian Fjords sailing with mostly Europeans, so I wondered how this shorter cruise would compare. Would it be a “booze cruise” and still a bit more elevated?

celebrity reflection boarding sign

One thing I did know was that I was long overdue for a vacation and needed some time to turn my brain off, so I was looking forward to it.

celebrity reflection key west and perfect day itinerary

Celebrity Reflection Day 1 Overview

Staying in Fort Lauderdale the Night Before

I never fly in on the day of a cruise. It’s just way too risky with airline delays and cancellations. So we flew in the night before and stayed at Hyatt Place Ft. Lauderdale Airport & Cruise Port. We stayed there a few years ago when I sailed on Harmony of the Seas (read about that cruise here), and it was a decent cruise hotel at a good price, so we booked it again. The hotel offers a free airport shuttle and breakfast, making it even more affordable.

Hyatt Place Dania Beach
Hyatt Place Ft. Lauderdale Airport & Cruise Port offered a complimentary shuttle from the airport and breakfast.

We called the shuttle driver once we got our bags, and within 15 minutes, he arrived to take us to the hotel. We checked in around 3:30 PM, and the rooms were clean and spacious. These are more business-class hotels, so they have a separate couch and seating area, a microwave, a mini fridge, and a desk.

The hotel is close to Dania Pointe, an outdoor retail shopping area. It makes it easy to walk to a bunch of stores to fill time. Unfortunately, there are no drug stores around here, so if you forgot toiletries or sunscreen, you’re out of luck.

dania point
The hotel was a couple minutes walk from an outdoor retail space with restaurants and stores.

We had dinner at Firebirds, which was empty when we arrived at 5:30, but then filled up around 6:30. The food was good, but the service was a bit slow. We didn’t really mind, though, because we had plenty of time to kill.

After dinner, we walked over to Lucky Strike bowling alley to play a game. It was around $8 per game and $4 for shoe rental. It was a good way to kill an hour before bed.

Getting to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale

Our boarding time was 11:30 AM. I stayed up the night the cruise check-in opened to get the earliest time slot, but that was the only one available. It felt a bit late, as I’ve usually seen 10:30 AM as the earliest boarding on other cruises.

We enjoyed the complimentary breakfast at the hotel, then walked around some stores until 10:45. Then, we checked out of the hotel and started our journey.

Tip: Cruise shuttles for the hotel are nice, but check the price. Our hotel offered a cruise port shuttle for $15 per person, but since we were a group of 4, it was much cheaper for us to book an Uber or Lyft. It was $37 for a Lyft XL, which we needed to accommodate our 4 bags. It was a 5-minute wait at the hotel for a driver.

Fort Lauderdale port is a quick drive from the airport area, but because it’s also an industrial port, it’s a pain to get into. Each car must show an ID for everyone entering the port. That means on a day with 3 ships in port, the lines to get into the cruise terminal can be longer. For us, it took 20 minutes from the port entrance to the luggage drop-off.

terminal 25 port everglades
For this sailing, the Reflection left from Terminal 25 (it leaves from Terminal 29 for 3-day sailings).

We ended up arriving at 11:20 and walked right into the cruise terminal. For 4-day cruises that leave on Monday, the Reflection is typically at Terminal 25. It arrives back at Terminal 29.

Checking in and Boarding the Reflection

The cruise terminal was busy, but we didn’t experience any lines. While the terminal didn’t look as fancy as Royal Caribbean’s newest terminals in Miami or Orlando, it’s still modern, spacious, and embarkation is streamlined.

port everglades terminal 25

Attendants immediately rushed us onto the ship, not bothering to look at the embarkation time we had in the app. Boarding has gotten so much better over the years, but in their effort to streamline things, they make it a bit hectic. You’re ushered from one station to another and told various things like “put your metal away” and “passports out.” And since there were few lines, it was hard to get situated between stations in the check-in process. It’d be even harder for families with children.

For this terminal, we started at the metal detectors, so we didn’t need anything out. We put our phones in our bags and sent them through the airport-style X-ray machines as we walked through the metal detectors. Then, we went to the next station where we’d need our boarding pass, available through the Celebrity app, and passport.

At least 20 agents with tablets quickly checked in guests; lines were only one or two parties per agent.

port everglades terminal 25 waiting room

Check-in should be nearly instant, since you already take a picture, enter your passport info, and answer health questions beforehand. The agent only needs to verify your information and double-check your passport. However, here they retook everyone’s pictures and repeated the health questions, which slowed things down.

Once we got through, we were led to a seating area where we sat for about 5 minutes until the gangway was clear enough to let more people on. Because this was a shorter cruise, more people than usual were bringing on carry-on luggage, which slowed the walk up the ramp more than I’d experienced in the past. Since this was a smaller ship than the mega ships I’ve sailed recently, it had only one boarding ramp, which also meant it was still a bit slower.

Overall, boarding took less than 20 minutes from drop-off to stepping on the Reflection.

Stepping Onboard the Celebrity Reflection

I didn’t really know much about Celebrity’s Solstice Class of ships. While it’s a staple of the fleet and a favorite of many longtime Celebrity cruisers, so far I’ve only sailed on their Edge Class of ships, a newer and more modern take on cruising. I really wasn’t sure how the Reflection would feel and if it would suit me.

celebrity reflection ship

I originally thought that the Reflection was smaller than the last Celebrity ship I sailed, but in doing research, I realized it was roughly the same size, just 3% larger. The Reflection holds roughly 3,000 guests at double occupancy, slightly more than the Apex, mostly because the Apex has larger suite sections.

This puts the ship as a midsize ship, smaller than Royal Caribbean’s Voyager Class and closer to Carnival and Disney’s Wish classes or Princess’s Grand Class. That means it feels much more intimate and not like a mega ship or theme park.

The Reflection doesn’t have a grand entrance like some other ships have. For example, on Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas, we walked right by the impressive Pearl structure in the Royal Promenade. On the Norwegian Viva, you enter through the beautiful atrium. On the Reflection, you just step into a hallway, although this particular one was anything but “regular.”

celebrity reflection hallway
Deck 5 on the Reflection had a few artistic hallways as you go between venues.

Immediately upon entry, the staff directs you to check in at your muster station. They don’t give you much of a chance to do anything else. It’s good because it means the process is done quickly. On Carnival, we’d hear announcements for hours telling people they still needed to check in.

In the old days, you used to sit in a large theater for 20 minutes for the safety briefing. Today, though, it’s so much easier for cruise lines. On the way to the port, we watched a video explaining how to put on the life vest and what to do in an emergency. Then, as soon as we boarded, we were directed to our muster station to have our boarding passes scanned, and we were all set.

Because Celebrity was directing everyone to their muster stations immediately, it was creating long lines. Our area had several muster stations, yet only one person checked them all in. It took about 5 minutes, so it wasn’t bad, but it was the longest I’ve waited since COVID.

Celebrity Reflection Day 1 Schedule

Balcony Cabin on Celebrity Reflection

Once we were checked in, our cruise officially began. We took the stairs up from Deck 5, where the entrance was, up to Deck 7 where our cabins were located. We were a good walk down the hallway, but because the Reflection is a midsize ship, it was nowhere near as bad as being at the end of a long passage on a ship like the Oasis of the Seas.

Tip: Although cabins aren’t ready until 1:30, Celebrity lets you go to your room as soon as you board to drop off any bags and pick up your room keys. It’s so much better than carrying a backpack around the rest of the day.

I grabbed my card from the envelope in the mailbox and pressed it against the door to open it. It’s an RFID, touch-enabled card, not a magstripe like older ships typically use.

Celebrity Reflection Oceanview Cabin 7279
Cabin 7279 on Celebrity Reflection.

The first impression of the room was that it was a nice setup, just a little dated. The cabin had an older smell, not quite musty, but not fresh either. The red carpets and curtains definitely felt older. The lights were pretty dim, and at night I wished they were brighter, but for now the natural light pouring in helped.

celebrity reflection cabin 7279

The couch in the room was comfortable and looked like it’d been reupholstered at some point, though it was starting to wrinkle. The ship is likely to get a refurbishment in the near future, so it makes sense that it feels a bit long in the tooth.

That said, the room was very clean. Unlike my sailing on Virgin Voyages, which had wine stains on the carpet, or Liberty of the Seas, which had faded and frayed carpet, the room on the Reflection didn’t feel worn, just a bit dated.

outlets in standard cabin on celebrity reflection
The cabin only had 2 US outlets and 1 UK outlet (with 1 shaver outlet in the bathroom).

Tip: There aren’t many outlets on the Reflection and they’re not near the bed. If you need your phone next to your bed, bring a rechargeable battery back. If you have a CPAP, contact Guest Services before you leave for an extension cord.

The cabin had a good amount of storage, with a sliding closet along the bathroom wall, 3 drawers, and storage over the bed, which made good use of a “dead” space. I would have liked a bit more storage for a longer cruise, but it was fine for a 4-day sailing.

bathroom in oceanview cabin on celebrity reflection

The bathroom was actually very spacious. On new ships, cruise lines have increased the shower size to rival what you might have at home. While I appreciate that, I realized that it does so at the expense of floor space in the bathroom. On the new Icon Class ships and Carnival’s Excel Class ships, you basically walk in, and that’s all the movement you can make. On the Reflection, you can actually walk into the bathroom and maneuver around. This is because the shower is a curved model with clear doors that slide shut. It means the shower isn’t as big, but it does make the bathroom feel more comfortable.

balcony of celebrity reflection

The balcony has two chairs and a large round table. They felt relatively private, with solid doors between cabins that went nearly to the floor. In my cabin, right underneath were the orange lifeboats. They didn’t block the view when looking out, but if you looked down, you wouldn’t see the water.

Elevators on Celebrity Reflection

elevator lobby on celebrity reflection

I left my cabin and headed up with my group to the Sunset Bar. My cabin was on Deck 7, so rather than walk the 7 decks, I headed to the midship elevators. The Reflection has only two banks of elevators, forward and midship, which creates some bottlenecks. The elevator lobbies were modern, with blue lights over each elevator. When an elevator arrived, its color would change to red or green, making it easy to know which elevator was there and which direction it was going, though most people still got on the wrong one.

glass elevator and tree of life
The beautiful glass elevators go up and down the entire length of the ship, highlighting the tree growing in the middle.

The midship elevators are beautiful glass elevators that run from Deck 3 to Deck 15, offering impressive views of the central atrium. I must say, I miss the old ship designs with the glass elevators. They just feel so elevated. They also have the benefit of great people watching as they move between the floors.

That said, the elevators definitely struggled during the cruise. While they were all working, during peak times like dinner, it’d be quite a wait. The elevators themselves are quite small, and people would pack in as many as they could, making the ride uncomfortable. The worst was debarkation day, when we had to wait 10 minutes before we could board an elevator.

To be fair, the elevators were probably standard for a ship of this age, although a third elevator bank would have helped. I’m just spoiled by the elevators on new ships. The destination elevators I experienced on Star of the Seas earlier this year were far superior. I never had a wait; they were so roomy, and you never had one that stopped on every single floor. It’s just an example of how far cruise ships have come in a decade’s time.

Boarding Drinks at the Sunset Bar

celebrity reflection sunset bar

After dropping our stuff in our cabins, we headed to the Sunset Bar at the back of the ship. All Celebrity ships feature a Sunset Bar with amazing aft views, perfect for an outdoor cocktail away from the pool area. So far, on the only other ship I’ve sailed on, the Celebrity Apex, the Sunset Bar was in a great location, but quite cramped, and the bar wasn’t really big enough to service the area.

The area on the Reflection seems much better suited. It has a full circular bar with a good amount of bar seating, and comfy couches and chairs along the aft of the ship. The furniture was showing its age, marred by wrinkles, small cuts, and some fading, but it was still clean. Thankfully, you almost don’t notice those things, because you’re too busy looking at the impressive vistas off the back of the ship.

celebrity reflection sunset bar seating

Within a couple of minutes, a waiter came to our table to take our drink order, and within 5 minutes, we had our first cocktails on board. I was hoping to have the Dill-icious, which I fell in love with on my last sailing, but unfortunately, Solstice Class ships don’t seem to have this offering on the Sunset Bar menu. Instead, I went with “Key West Daiquiri” since we’d be visiting the next day. It definitely wasn’t my cup of tea, being too citrusy, but still, it was the perfect way to kick off the cruise.

Oceanview Cafe Buffet for Lunch

At around 1 PM, we decided to grab lunch before spending some pool time. On the Reflection, you really only have two options for complimentary lunch on embarkation day: the buffet, Oceanview Cafe, and Mast Grill, which was a grab-and-go place serving burgers and hot dogs.

The buffet on boarding day is going to be the worst you’ll ever see. It’s the go-to place everyone goes when they board, and because they don’t know where anything is, people are walking around aimlessly and bumping into each other. And while the Reflection has two food places, the Mast Grill is located just one deck above Oceanview Cafe, which means the design doesn’t split the crowds, unlike larger ships like Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Class or Carnival Excel Class, which put food venues farther apart to break up crowds.

The first thing I noticed when walking into the buffet was the lack of hand-washing stations. While newer ships all have sinks to wash your hands before entering the buffet, that wasn’t the norm in 2012 when this ship was built. As a result, there’s a single staff member trying to get people to use hand sanitizer while they enter.

Tip: Hand sanitizer is not effective against norovirus, so if you’re seeing a lot of reports of norovirus on cruise ships near your sailing, go to the bathrooms, which are right inside the entrance to the buffet, and do a proper wash.

oceanview cafe on celebrity reflection

The buffet setup was similar to the one on the Celebrity Apex, the ship I sailed on last summer. Just inside the entrance is Il Secondo Bacio, the secondary coffee bar on the ship, and it also serves as the full-service bar for the buffet.

The buffet layout is spacious, with island setups grouped by cuisine, which helps avoid long lines that can form in a traditional buffet. It takes a bit of time to find where things are, but by the second day, you get a feel for it.

The food at the buffet was good quality, as I’ve come to expect from Celebrity. They had a Tex-Mex station, an Indian station, salad stations, carved meats, and pasta dishes. There is something for everyone there, and the food was fresh and changed out quickly. The staff were all smiling and friendly, helping direct people around.

One thing that impressed me was that the food quality was just as good as on some newer Celebrity ships. Sometimes, cruise lines serve lower-quality food on their older ships to compensate for the lower prices people are paying. The food selection and quality here was very similar to what I experienced on one of their newer ships the previous year, which means you really get value for your money on this ship.

While the buffet was busy, it was probably one of the smoothest, least chaotic buffets I’ve experienced on embarkation day on a ship. Probably helping with this is the fact that there aren’t many children on a Celebrity ship. Not only does it mean there are fewer people running around and bumping into you, but it also means parents aren’t having to carry two or three plates for themselves and a kid.

We had no problem grabbing a table by one of the large floor-to-ceiling windows. Fort Lauderdale isn’t the most picturesque port, but it was a beautiful day out, so it was nice to enjoy it. The Reflection also had a good-sized section of tables outside at the rear of the buffet if you preferred dining al fresco. The only thing that the buffet was missing was a second place to get a drink or soda. On other ships, they sometimes have bar carts at the far end of the buffet for soda service or canned drinks. They didn’t have that on the Reflection, and while you could ask a roaming server for a drink, it could take a while. It was probably my only real criticism of the buffet.

Pool Time on the Reflection

celebrity reflection main hot tubs

After a long, cold winter in NJ, it was time to enjoy the beautiful weather in Florida. We headed out of the buffet, which opens right to the main pool area. The Reflection has two pools, separated by a walkway, on its main pool deck. In pictures, it may look like one pool with a bridge over it. One pool was about 4 feet deep, and the other was 6 feet deep.

Combined, the two pools were a decent size for a ship of this capacity, but I would have preferred them to be larger. While I don’t have measurements, the pools on the newer Edge Class ships are definitely bigger.

The pool area had one stationary bar, two bar carts on either side, and servers constantly taking drink orders. While it was definitely busy, you never really had to wait to get a drink if you wanted one. The one exception was frozen drinks, which you could only get from the main pool bar and which inherently take longer to make.

The pool was pretty full, but not people soup at this point. Because this was a Celebrity ship during the beginning of spring break, there weren’t a lot of kids, maybe 10 to 15 between the two pools, mostly favoring the shallower pool.

main pool area on celebrity reflection
If you want less crowded pools, wear your swimsuit on and jump in right after boarding.

As we were in the pool, I noticed the pool deck itself did feel a bit enclosed. The deck above the pool deck has a high awning providing shade to that deck, but it makes the pool feel a bit more like you’re in a canyon rather than on the ocean. The hot tubs are also right next to the pool, which creates a more crowded feeling. One nice thing was that the area had plenty of shaded seating along the pool, covered by the deck above, and with windows offering beautiful ocean views on sea days.

Around 3 PM, the DJ came on and started ramping up the party atmosphere. The pool was getting pretty crowded, so we headed to the Solarium next door.

Solarium Adult-Only Pool

The music fades away almost instantly as you walk away from the main pool and into the Solarium, a peaceful two-story space right next to the main pool area. The space is adults-only and has two hot tubs on the sides, so you can see the ocean, and a large, 6-foot-deep pool in the middle. The space is adults-only, though I saw two kids around 10 years old in the pool with their parents, and they weren’t asked to leave.

celebrity reflection solarium pool

This pool was much less popular at this point because the weather was beautiful, so everyone wanted to be outside. That meant there were plenty of loungers and chairs. It was warm in the Solarium, and the pool was a bit warm. The Solarium doesn’t have a bar, but within a couple of minutes of being in the water, a server came over and asked if we needed anything.

While I did enjoy this space, you could see where the ship was showing its age here. The edges of the pool were worn down, paint was peeling, and the architectural wall at the end was dry, as if the paint was wearing off. The large greenery installation which was once at the end of the pool is gone (now the ladder structure in the picture), and the fountains on the other end no longer work. No one in my party noticed these things, but since I was looking specifically to see how this ship compared to newer ones, I did take note of them. Everything was still very clean, though.

Anytime Dining in the Opus Restaurant

For this sailing, we requested an early seating for dinner, which on the Reflection was 5:30 PM. With this option, we’d have a set table, the same waiters, and the same time every night for dinner. Unfortunately, even though we booked this sailing 6+ months in advance, the early seating was completely filled. Instead, we were given Anytime Dining.

With Anytime Dining, you can either make reservations before the cruise using the Celebrity app or just show up to the hostess table when you’re ready for dinner and then wait for a table. As soon as I saw I couldn’t get an early dinner, I went in the app and requested a 6 PM dinner time, the earliest possible for this sailing, for each of the four nights.

Anytime Dining was on the second floor of the Opus Restaurant, on Deck 4. The front of the dining room has two podiums, one for those with reservations and one for walk-in guests. We arrived promptly at 6 PM and were immediately shown to a table.

It turned out we were given the same table and the same waiters each night, which I really prefer. It’s nice when you get to know the servers, and they know your preferences over the course of the sailing. It’s usually something I really miss with flexible dining, but Celebrity gave us the same time without even asking.

opus dining room on celebrity reflection

The two-story Opus Restaurant was impressive with a modern, upscale feel. The sweeping white curved columns leading from the first floor up to the impressive chandelier made the space feel even taller than it was. The white tablecloths and place settings at all the tables gave it a formal feel.

The restaurant had a lot of windows for those closer to the sides of the dining room. You didn’t get the amazing ocean views you’d find on some newer ships, but it still let in lots of natural light. We were given a table in the center, right next to the railing overlooking the first floor.

The space felt less intimate than the newer Celebrity ships, which have 4 smaller dining rooms for a more restaurant-like experience, but this dining room didn’t feel chaotic. It felt more like the traditional fancy dining room you’d see on the Titanic or older ocean liners.

The assistant waiter dropped off our bread. Each night we’d see three new breads and dips, all made from scratch. It’s a silly little touch, but it makes it feel so much more elevated than what I’ve seen on other cruise lines.

celebrity reflection main dining room menu day 1 page 3

Our sommelier then came over for our drink orders. He already knew our names and didn’t have to ask to see our room cards. Our table had a mixture of people with the Classic Drink Package, which covers drinks up to $12, and the Premium Drink Package, which covers drinks up to $19, and he proactively looked up who had which so he could recommend drinks that fit within the package. I asked for a wine that I really enjoyed on my last Celebrity sailing, and he knew off the top of his head that it had been discontinued and recommended a similar wine, which I really enjoyed. Again, it’s this attention to service and detail where Celebrity really seems to shine.

The food was delicious. I got the French onion soup, which Celebrity always does really well. It’s my favorite out of every cruise line. I also went with the prime rib, which I never order on land, but is a staple for me on a cruise ship. For dessert, I got the apple pie à la mode, which was good, but not my favorite. Ironically, I think it was too apple-heavy for my taste; the apple-to-crust ratio was a bit off.

Overall, dinner took one hour and two minutes. The service and food were top-notch, setting the bar high for the week.

Headliner Comedian in the Main Theater

At 9 PM, we headed to the Reflection Theater to see the headliner act. Traditionally, I’m not a fan of the “Headliner” entertainment that Royal Caribbean and Celebrity use. Typically, half the nights in the main theater feature in-house production acts. The other nights, they bring in guest entertainers for a few weeks as “headliner” entertainment. It could be an opera singer, a comedian, or a magician. You never really know until you’re on board, and even then, it’s not always described well in the daily program. I prefer something more consistent and well-programmed, personally, but since it was the first night, we thought we’d give it a shot.

celebrity reflection theater
The Reflection has a large, traditional-style theater; no need to make any reservations on this ship.

The Reflection Theater is a large traditional theater spanning 3 stories and seating over 1,200 people, so getting a seat was not an issue. The seats were plush and comfy, and while the theater doesn’t have a dedicated bar, bar carts were located at the entrances so people could grab a drink before the performance. Impressively, I’d say the theater was about 80% full this evening.

Tonight’s entertainer was a comedian, Spencer James. He’s a veteran cruise performer who has worked with Celebrity before, as well as Carnival, which raised my hopes a bit. Carnival has some of the best comedy programs at sea. Doing comedy in a setting that large can be tricky, but Spencer did a great job getting the audience laughing throughout his set. The crowd was definitely enjoying the opening show, and I think he was one of the better cruise comedians I’ve seen.

After the show, the cruise director came on stage to welcome us. She took a poll of how many first-time Celebrity cruisers there were in the theater, and I was quite surprised by how many. It seems many thought this 4-day cruise would be a good introduction to the line.

80’s Party in the Foyer

80s party in the celebrity reflection foyer

After the show, we walked to the Grand Foyer, the heart of the ship, to see the 80’s Party. It was structured as trivia, where two teams were competing to see who knew the song and artist each time. It was a bit redundant. It was 20 songs long, and by the end, people just wanted to play the music, not the trivia that only a handful of people could participate in. Only two Celebrity entertainment staff were on hand for the event, and they seemed to struggle to control it and keep things on track. Still, the crowd was having a great time.

Unlike other cruise lines, where an 80s party might have a lot of people dressing up, it didn’t really happen on the Reflection. It’s mostly because it wasn’t an “official” theme night. On this sailing, the thing we really saw people dress up for was the “Shine the Night” party that occurred later in the cruise.

Late Night Bites in the Buffet

For me, it’s not a cruise if I don’t stop by and grab some late-night food before bed. Over the years, cruise lines have cut back on their late-night offerings, and every line does it a bit differently. Celebrity opens a small section of its buffet from 10 PM to 1 AM each night.

The pizza is probably the biggest draw, as that’s usually the late-night cruise staple, but on Celebrity, the pizza is ridiculously mediocre, if not just plain bad. I had the same problem on my last sailing on the Celebrity Apex. I don’t know what’s wrong. I see them stretching the fresh dough, topping it with fresh ingredients, and serving it right out of the oven, but the resulting food is not good. It’s greasy, with no bite to the crust, and almost no flavor. It’s so puzzling to me, as Celebrity otherwise knocks all the other food out of the park.

late night spread on celebrity reflection
On top of pizza and pasta, you had sandwiches are fresh fruit in the late night offerings.

Thankfully, in addition to the pizza, they had a lot of other options that tasted much better. Fresh fruit, small desserts, bread, pasta, and fresh sandwiches that were quite tasty. Overall, it was a really nice spread with options for everyone, unlike Royal Caribbean, which just has pizza on most ships.

dessert selection late night on celebrity reflection
Some delicious desserts were also available if you had a sweet tooth.

At 11 PM, it wasn’t overly crowded, and since all the buffet seating was available, crowds were spread out as people just relaxed together. As I ate my food, I noticed a deep rumbling as the ship was picking up speed on our way to Key West. I didn’t notice it back in my cabin on Deck 7, but at night, you really felt the top decks shaking.

turn down service on celebrity reflection
Every night, the cabin would be straightened up, bed turned down, and chocolate on the pillow.

After my late-night snack, I headed back to my cabin. I opened the door as my room steward had turned down the bed, put a chocolate on the pillow, left the schedule for the next day, and turned on the soft lighting next to the bed. It’s a nice touch that many cruise lines have cut to save money, but it just makes your cruise feel even more special, and I’m glad Celebrity continues to do it.

Overall, it was a great day, and I was surprised by how much I really enjoyed the Reflection so far. The next day, we’d have until 2 PM to explore Key West and then see more of the Reflection.

Follow Along on our 4 Day Bahamas Sailing

Celebrity Reflection - Cruise Blog - Day 1 - Fort Lauderdale Coming Soon

Celebrity Reflection - Cruise Blog - Day 2 - Key West Coming Soon

Celebrity Reflection - Cruise Blog - Day 3 - Perfect Day at CocoCay Coming Soon

Celebrity Reflection - Cruise Blog - Day 4 - Sea Day Coming Soon

5 Hits and Misses on Celebrity Reflection Coming Soon

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Randy Young

Randy Young is the founder and editor-in-chief at Cruise Spotlight. He has been in marketing for 20 years and has been cruising for just as long. Over the years, he's worked with products like TVs, copiers, light bulbs, and EV chargers, but cruising has always been his passion. There's nothing Randy likes more than the first couple of hours on a ship, exploring every nook and cranny and seeing how it's different from everything else out there. He's known for providing detailed and analytical coverage of cruising to help cruisers get a comprehensive picture of a ship's offerings.