Celebrity Reflection Day 3 Overview

• Celebrity Reflection Day 3 Schedule
• Starting Off the Day
• Breakfast at the Buffet
• Spa Cafe Breakfast Options
• Heading to Perfect Day at CocoCay
• Walking Around Perfect Day at CocoCay
• Hideaway Beach Adult Only Area
  • Hideaway Beach Experience
  • Hideaway Beach Layout
  • Hideaway Beach Swim-up Bar and Heated Pool
  • Hideaway Beach Food
  • Overall Thoughts on Hideaway Beach
• Sunset Bar for Sailaway
• Main Dining Room for Dinner
• Splitting Onboard Credit at Guest Services
• Trying Our Luck at the Reflection Casino
• Pub Style Trivia in Sky Observation Lounge
• Ensemble Lounge for Live Music
• Shine the Night Party
• Day 3 Wrap Up

Celebrity Reflection Day 3 Schedule

Starting Off the Day

I had another great night of sleep onboard. The room was beautifully cold, pitch dark, and quiet. Even though I could feel the ship shaking a bit the previous night on the higher decks, in my cabin, I didn’t feel it at all.

I awoke to another beautiful morning, a sunny day. The high would be 78 degrees with no rain expected. I opened my curtains and stepped out on the balcony to feel the cool air. The Bahamas is perfect this time of year, before the humidity and heat hit. The ship docked at 8 AM.

Tip: When waking up in port, always make sure you’re prepared for an audience when you open your curtains. We were docked right next to Utopia of the Seas and could see everyone on their balconies and in their rooms.

But by the third day in the cabin, a few issues started to pop up. For example, the toilet had not been working right since yesterday afternoon. You could press the button to flush, but it wouldn’t, and then it would randomly flush 30+ minutes later. I called the room steward, and she just said, “Ok.” It wasn’t just my cabin either. It happened to others sailing with me in the same hall. Most likely, it meant someone flushed something they shouldn’t have, but I’ve never had this problem before.

Another annoyance was that the only two power outlets were on the desk, and right next to them were glasses and large glass bottles of water for an extra charge. I paid enough for this cruise. I don’t need you to take up space and try to sell me water. The mini-fridge was also pre-stocked with things at an extra fee, which I don’t like. You can always ask your steward to remove those, especially if you have kids, but I didn’t want to add more work for our room steward, who already seemed frazzled.

Breakfast at the Buffet

I headed to the buffet for breakfast before heading out onto the island. At 8:30 AM, the buffet was busy but much more manageable than yesterday. People seemed to know where things were now, so you didn’t have people standing in the middle, looking around and lost.

Still, some flow problems persisted with the food setup. They would put the syrup and butter before items like pancakes and waffles, which made no sense at all, and made people go back through the line to top their items. Also, the line for made-to-order things like omelets and toasted items would flow into the general areas. So there was no wait for pancakes, waffles, and bacon, but you couldn’t get to them because people were standing there waiting for eggs at the next station. It’s something Celebrity could easily fix with a sign. I chose to eat very light today because I wanted to save room for a lot of the food on the island.

I loved how the Reflection buffet has a nice outdoor seating area at the back. It was a beautiful day, and I wanted to sit out there, but for some reason, those tables weren’t being bused. Tables were piled with dirty dishes and used napkins, while inside, the staff was working hard to clear them. It was very uncommon for Celebrity, so I’m not sure what was going on there.

Spa Cafe Breakfast Options

In addition to the buffet and the main dining room, guests who want a really light breakfast can also try the Spa Cafe, which most people miss. It’s tucked into a corner of the Solarium, where you’ll find light bites and freshly made juices to order.

For breakfast, they offer cereals, muffins, and dishes like a bagel with peanut butter, apple, banana, and berries, or avocado bruschetta. Each dish is already plated in a grab-and-go style setup.

You can also order fresh-pressed juice or smoothies, which typically have a line. These are an extra charge or included with the Premium Drink Package or the Non-Alcoholic Drink Package.

Overall, I don’t really get the appeal of Spa Cafe. I know some people love it, but it feels like wasted space in the Solarium that could be put to better use with more seating. The food options and portions are quite small, and because it’s not a real counter setup, making the drinks takes them a while. I’m surprised they couldn’t find a better venue for this, like up in the Lawn Club area, where they have two additional fee restaurants.

Heading to Perfect Day at CocoCay

Around 9 AM, we finished breakfast, went back to our cabins to get our stuff, put on sunscreen, and headed out to the island.

Tip: For Celebrity cruises, your cabin steward will leave towels in your cabin the night before for Perfect Day. If you want a fresh towel while on the island, just exchange it at a towel hut. Celebrity has different colored towels from Royal Caribbean, so they’ll make sure they give you the right ones back.

Then we took the elevators down to Deck 2 to walk off the ship. It seemed like a lazy day with not a lot of people rushing to get off the ship, so we were able to walk right off.

Perfect Day at CocoCay is Royal Caribbean International’s private island. Since that’s the parent company of Celebrity Cruise Line, Celebrity ships can also stop at Perfect Day as of April 2024. Not as many sailings stop there as Royal Caribbean does, where a majority of cruises sailing out of Florida stop at Perfect Day.

Perfect Day at CocoCay represents how Royal Caribbean thinks a guest’s island vacation should be. Think of it as an extension of the cruise ship. Your Wi-Fi packages work on the island. Your drink packages work on the island. Nearly all the food is included, and the few extra-fee places can be charged to your ship account. It’s a place where the cruise line can control nearly every aspect of your experience, except weather, but give them a decade or so.

Perfect Day at CocoCay can only accommodate two ships at a time. Today, we were in port with one of the largest ships in the world, Utopia of the Seas. It’s just behind Royal Caribbean’s Icon Class in terms of size. That meant, on top of the 3,000 guests from the Reflection, there might be another 6,000 guests on shore from Utopia.

Walking between the two ships, you really get a good sense of how massive these ships are. Standing on the pier, the Reflection towers 13 stories over you while the Utopia of the Seas adds three more stories. It’s not until you walk away from the ships that you see the big difference. Utopia is so much wider than the Reflection. It has a split superstructure design with interior neighborhoods lined with interior cabins, accommodating so many more guests.

From the pier, you can see the other big differences between the ships. Utopia has its vibrant purple 10-story dry slide, Ultimate Abyss, snaking its way down from the colorful dry playground, The Playscape, all the way to the AquaTheater, where they do shows at night. In comparison, the Reflection looks a bit plain. The blue hull at least makes it feel more modern, but from the outside, with no waterslides and no vibrant color, it might seem boring at first. You can’t see the Lawn Club, beautiful atrium, or the things that make the ship shine by just looking at the exterior.

Walking Around Perfect Day at CocoCay

Before we settled down for the day, we decided to walk around the island, as some in our group had never been. I had only been once before, when I was on Star of the Seas (follow that blog here), so I wanted to get a feel for how the crowds were today.

I’m still impressed with how quaint and natural the island actually feels. Before I visited the island, the marketing had convinced me it was a massive theme park at sea, not an experience I thought I’d be looking for. While the island does have a large waterpark with one of the tallest waterslides in North America that you can see from miles away, it’s not all like that. In reality, the island still holds much of its natural beauty, even more so because it’s been enhanced with millions of dollars’ worth of new plants.

Walking through the different neighborhoods, you really appreciate what Royal did with the island. There are two different splash areas for kids that are away from adult areas, a large freshwater pool with a swim-up bar, white sand beaches, and a straw market with souvenirs. You could easily walk through the whole island in about 30 minutes, but if you’d prefer, they have trams running constantly to get you between areas.

Personally, my favorite area is South Beach. It’s the furthest away, but worth the little hike. You access it by walking through a beautiful nature walkway with thick green foliage. Once you arrive, you’ll find thousands of chairs with umbrellas, sports courts, food stands, equipment rental, and they even have a bar station in the middle of the ocean you can walk or swim out to.

By the time we reached South Beach, it was 9:30 AM, and everything was still pretty empty. Once we got a feel for the whole island, we headed over to where we’d spend our day, Hideaway Beach.

Hideaway Beach Experience

For this specific day, we booked one of the two extra-fee areas available on the island called Hideaway Beach. It was a recent addition to the island that opened in early 2024. Its biggest appeal is that it’s the only adult-only area on the island. But that’s not why I booked it. I booked it because it had a heated pool. The main Oasis Lagoon pool is not heated, and because it was mid-March, the ocean temperature was only 72 degrees. I was afraid it would be just too cool to comfortably enjoy the rest of the island, so we upgraded to the Hideaway Beach experience.

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity use demand-based flexible pricing, so the cost can vary widely for Hideaway Beach. I’ve seen it priced as low as $35 and as high as $120. I purchased it a few months before my cruise for $65 per person. The day of, they were selling access for $85 per person.

Tip: If you book an excursion, onboard package, or activity for your Royal Caribbean or Celebrity cruise, keep checking back. They often run sales, and if you see a lower price, you can cancel online and instantly rebook at the lower price.

Because Hideaway Beach is an addition, it’s a bit of a walk to the compound. From the welcome area, it’s about a 25-minute walk, so most people just opted to take the dedicated tram running to Hideaway Beach.

We walked up to the station, and the staff made sure we knew this was for an adult-only area and that we had to have purchased access or be prepared to pay $85. We jumped on the tram, and it was a quick 3-minute ride to the entrance. Then we scanned our room key and we were in.

Hideaway Beach Layout

Hideaway Beach has a much more beach club feel than a natural oasis or high-end vibe. In the area, you’ll find four bars, two grab-and-go restaurants, a huge heated pool with a swim-up bar, a protected calm ocean cove with white sand, and thousands of chairs.

Throughout the day, there were plenty of chairs and loungers available. Most people, though, seemed to be spending time in the water. In the morning, people were mostly in the pool, but by the afternoon, some began to work up the courage to go into the cold ocean.

Tip: For those who don’t feel comfortable leaving their belongings on a chair, Hideaway Beach offers complimentary lockers.

We started off by finding some chairs. While the ones directly next to the pool were all taken, there were hundreds of chairs with umbrellas on the sand beach right next to the infinity pool. They were the same chairs you’d find throughout the island, so not elevated, padded loungers, but they were comfortable and sturdy. They were very close to each other, though. For an additional fee, I would have liked a little more room between them.

The poolside DJ’s music thumped throughout the area. The further away from the swim-up bar area you go, the less you’ll hear, but at no point will it give you peace and quiet with just the ocean waves in the background.

Hideaway Beach Swim-up Bar and Heated Pool

Then we headed into the pool for the swim-up bar. With it only being 78 degrees out, the heated pool was definitely needed. You don’t realize how absolutely massive the pool is until you get in and walk around. The water is about 3.5 to 4 feet deep throughout, so it’s easy to walk around with a drink without splashing it.

The swim-up bar is quite sizable, and in the shade thanks to an overhang above. On a day like today, the shade meant there weren’t many people camping out on the stools at the swim-up bar. It was too cold without the sun. Instead, people got their drinks and headed to the edge of the infinity pool to talk with their friends.

The drink service was really quick. The only thing slowing it down was when people ordered frozen drinks, since they had to be made from scratch. If everyone in front of you was ordering beers or cocktails, there’d be no wait at all, but it could be several minutes if people were getting piña coladas or daiquiris. The music at the bar was the loudest, so hearing the bartenders was a bit of a struggle.

Tip: I used my phone case (see it here on Amazon) to carry my phone and room key. Others in my group used their lanyards clipped onto their bathing suits. While the bartenders could look up your cabin number, with two different ships at the island, it was more of a hassle having them find the right information.

We relaxed in the water and enjoyed the atmosphere. The pool had a decent crowd, but it didn’t feel like “people soup” at all. Everyone had plenty of personal space. Around the area, people were playing floating games like basketball, a small volleyball net, and beer pong.

The crowd was just as diverse as the ships. You had everyone from college-age guests to seniors enjoying the space.

After a while in the pool, we headed back to our chairs to relax. The umbrella gave me enough shade to enjoy a few chapters of my book. While we were there, waiters were circulating, taking drink orders, so you didn’t even have to get up.

Since I had the drink package from my Celebrity cruise, I could basically order anything on the menu here. I tried a few drinks, including the rum punch and Bahama Mama, which both just scream vacation to me. I also ordered the CocoLoco, which people always say to try here, but it’s never been the same drink twice. It is always delicious, though.

One interesting thing about Celebrity now visiting this island is that it uses Royal Caribbean’s pricing. Celebrity has some of the highest alcoholic beverage prices in North America, and this makes it pretty transparent. On Royal Caribbean, Corona or Heineken is $7.99. On Celebrity, it’s $10. It makes it quite clear that Celebrity really overcharges for its liquor, likely to make its drink packages more attractive.

When 11 AM finally hit, it was time to get some snacks. I really loved all the complimentary food on the island on my last sailing (see that trip to CocoCay here), and I had been looking forward to it.

Hideaway Beach Food

In Hideaway Beach, there are two areas to get food: Snack Shack and Slice of Paradise.

The Snack Shack in Hideaway Beach is almost identical to the other Snack Shacks found around the island, except for 3 additions: ceviche, coconut shrimp, and a fish sandwich. I already had my plan laid out. I was going to start with a “snack” and get more of a “lunch” later, before getting dessert.

I walked up to the Snack Shack, and there was no line at all. I started off with the mozzarella sticks, which I loved last time. They held up again this time, crunchy on the outside, gooey on the inside, and nice and thick. I don’t know how they also keep them hot and ready. Mozzarella sticks have a notoriously short shelf life after being fried. I also ordered the ceviche, which comes in a small plastic cup with plantain chips. While the presentation in a plastic cup was a bit underwhelming, the ceviche was nice and refreshing with a good bit of acid.

Later, when I went back for lunch, I got the Crispy Island Fish Sandwich which oddly, fell flat for me. The cheese wasn’t really melted, and it felt like a reheated frozen fish fillet. I went back and got the Hideaway Burger to compensate for the disappointment. That was much better, fresh and juicy. I loved their shack sauce on it, and they had a whole fixings bar next to it where you could customize your sandwich.

Later, I went back for dessert, which was a personal funnel cake. At home, I almost never get funnel cake because they’re huge and I can’t eat a whole one, but this is the perfect size and fried to perfection. I also grabbed a few chocolate chip cookies. Food like this would have been an extra cost at other private destinations like Carnival’s Celebration Key.

On the three separate trips I made to the Snack Shack, I never waited more than 2 minutes for food. I had a similar experience last time in the general area of Perfect Day. It’s absolutely amazing how Royal Caribbean can pump out relatively high-quality food so quickly and at no extra charge.

On the other side of Hideaway Beach is the other food stand, Slice of Paradise. None of the food here is available anywhere else on the island. They have four types of pizza, including Island Guava Barbecue Chicken and Bahamian Seafood Escabeche. They also had chicken, beef, and apple empanadas.

The pizza was decent. It was very similar to Royal Caribbean’s Sorrento’s crust, which is shockingly so much better than the pizza on Celebrity. The empanadas were ok, but they didn’t have a ton of flavor. Both were decent, but considering they’re the only unique food items you get by paying to be at Hideaway Beach, I’d expect them to be better.

Overall Thoughts on Hideaway Beach

In principle, I don’t love the concept of Hideaway Beach. I hate having to pay extra for an area with no kids. Since Royal Caribbean recently decided to focus its marketing on being a “family vacation,” they’ve brought thousands of kids on board each sailing. I shouldn’t have to pay extra to get away from that. It’s especially true for those arriving on a Celebrity ship, who paid extra to be on a higher-end line with fewer children. They should automatically have access to Hideaway Beach, or at least receive a discounted rate.

The overall experience wasn’t elevated. Except for pizza, empanadas, and ceviche, the same food was available for free everywhere else on the island. The chairs were the same chairs found in other parts of the island, not elevated or padded, and they were jam-packed next to each other.

The only thing that made it totally worth it for me on this sailing was the heated pool. If I were sailing in summer, when I didn’t need that, I don’t know if I’d be willing to shell out more than $40 for this area. To be fair, the swim-up bar was way less crowded than the Oasis Lagoon one, but that’s not a deal breaker for me.

Sunset Bar for Sailaway

We all headed back to the ship around 3:30 PM, taking the quick tram ride and walking back up to the ship. We had until 4:45 in port, but there was a steady stream of people heading back by then, as the food had closed and they had already had a pretty full day on the beautiful island.

After a quick shower and outfit change, we met at the Sunset Bar for a pre-dinner drink around 5 PM. The Sunset Bar is a great staple on Celebrity ships, and it’s the perfect place to watch sailaway. A gentle breeze carried the sound of steel drum music as a musician played nearby, the rhythm perfectly matching the relaxed pace of the afternoon. Guests lingered with drinks in hand, chatting and laughing as the day slowly melted into evening.

It was a popular spot, but we were still able to find a seat, and waiters came over within minutes to take our drink orders. I decided to go off-menu and get a standard piña colada, which the server suggested with a Meyer dark rum floater. It was the perfect sunset cocktail.

In the distance, I could see Norwegian Cruise Line’s private island in the middle of its construction project. They’re working on expanding their island, adding a waterpark to rival CocoCay’s, and putting in a dock to finally allow guests to walk onto the island rather than wait on slow water tenders. Unfortunately, the project is slow-moving, and I’m guessing many guests on Norwegian ships look enviously at Perfect Day as they’re waiting to tender back or miss the island altogether because the water is too choppy to tender safely.

Main Dining Room for Dinner

Again, we returned to the Opus Dining Room for our 6 PM dinner reservation. Even though we had anytime dining, we were seated at the exact same table and with the same great dining room team again. Upon arriving at the table, our waiter greeted us with, “Did you have a Perfect Day at CocoCay?” At least four other staff members told us that to us that evening. Either it’s a tired joke they like to use, or Celebrity is pushing their staff to say it to reinforce the idea that it was a “great” day in your mind.

For dinner this evening, I started with the French onion soup again. You’d think after a day in the warm Caribbean sun, soup would be the last thing on my mind, but Celebrity just does it so well. I also made sure to enjoy the three new breads and dips we received this evening. The garlic butter was so delicious.

For my main entree, I got the slow-braised lamb wrapped in phyllo. The presentation was very elevated, and although it was probably on the small side, after eating way too much on CocoCay, it was the perfect size for me.

It was another amazing meal onboard the Reflection. The whole meal took 1 hour and 12 minutes.

Splitting Onboard Credit at Guest Services

After dinner, we headed to guest services for a billing adjustment. When you sail on Celebrity, or just about any cruise line at this point, you’re charged daily gratuities. This money goes toward your room steward, wait staff, back-of-house hotel employees, etc. On Celebrity, the cost for a standard cabin is $18 per person per day, charged to your onboard account.

The charge is applied to each person’s onboard account, which is charged to their own credit card. That was fine, but when we booked our cruise, our travel agent got us $100 in onboard credit per cabin. But that was only assigned to the first person in the cabin. So we went to guest services and just asked them to split the $100 between the two people in the cabin.

Tip: Don’t wait until the last day to make adjustments to your account. Guest services lines are always worst on the first and last day of the cruise. If you go during the middle of the cruise, you’ll usually have a minimal line.

The guest services rep was very helpful, and we were done within a few minutes and on our way.

Trying Our Luck at the Reflection Casino

We decided to check out the casino this evening. Located mid-ship on Deck 4, while the casino is easily accessible, you don’t have to walk through it to get to other parts of the ship, unlike on some other cruise lines, so we hadn’t really looked at it very much at this point.

The casino itself was probably on the smaller side compared to lines like Carnival and Royal Caribbean, but on par with Virgin Voyages. It’s completely smoke-free, so you don’t have stale air lingering or overly powerful fans running all the time making it feel like a hospital. It just makes the experience feel more elevated. The casino had a mixture of table games and slots spaced out nicely.

The casino has a dedicated bar that’s actually quite sizable, with four TVs behind it showing sporting events. During my time in the casino, no one came by to offer drink service, which was odd considering that almost everywhere else on the ship, people were asked within minutes of sitting down. I had the same problem on the Celebrity Apex last year (see that blog here), so I’m not sure if it’s just how they do it. Still, the bar was only steps away, so it wasn’t an issue.

The casino wasn’t too busy at all, with plenty of slot machines available and most table games having at least a seat or two open.

Tip: If you do like to gamble and participate in the casino programs, it should be noted that while Royal Caribbean and Celebrity’s loyalty programs are now linked, their casino programs are not. So if you get points on the Reflection, they won’t count toward your Casino Royale points on Royal Caribbean.

Pub Style Trivia in Sky Observation Lounge

After making a small donation to the casino, we headed up to Deck 14 to the Sky Observation Lounge for “Pub Style Trivia.” While this space is beautiful during the day, with its panoramic windows looking out over the front of the ship, it also comes to life at night with colorful LED accent lighting that brightens the space.

The whole lounge was abuzz with activity. The round bar was full of people chatting, and most of the general seating was filled with people coming for the trivia. The turnout for the event was really good. Given how busy this venue was, I wasn’t sure how many people attended the magician, the entertainment option in the main theater that night.

For Pub Style Trivia, there are four categories, each with five questions. With this type of trivia, the categories can make or break your success. Luckily, the questions were right in our areas of expertise, and my team ended up winning the “grand prize,” a deck of Celebrity playing cards.

It was a fun event, but toward the end, the space got rowdier as people began arriving for the next activity, karaoke.

Ensemble Lounge for Live Music

We decided to go down to the Ensemble Lounge to see what kind of music was playing. The Ensemble Lounge has a bit of an odd layout. It’s a bar that also serves as a hallway on Deck 5 between the Grand Foyer and the specialty dining venue. It also has the entrance to the suite area, Michael’s Club on this ship, and the specialty restaurant Murano, so it felt more like a pass-through than a dedicated space. While we had been there once before to check in for our muster station on Day 1, we hadn’t passed through the venue since then.

At night, the bar is quite dark and cozy. The deep purples of the carpet and dark green walls make the space feel intimate. LED lights flicker on each table, bringing warmth to the room. An acoustic guitarist sings in a small area in the corner, adding to the relaxing atmosphere. Unlike the Sky Observation Lounge, which was buzzing with energy, the vibe here was much more subdued. It was still pretty full, but people were making small talk with the music in the background.

The cocktail menu here was relatively limited. The Ensemble Lounge has a full bar, but I usually like to try specialty cocktails from the dedicated menus when they’re available. They had wines by the glass and a cocktail list of “vintage cocktail revivals.”

Within a minute, a waiter came over, and I ordered the Dirty Martini. It’s not something I’d ever order if I were paying, but since I had the premium drink package, I figured I’d give it a shot. Since my Mediterranean cruise a couple of years ago (see that blog here), I’ve found myself enjoying green olives more, so I thought this would be a good test. While I doubt a Dirty Martini will ever be my go-to drink, it was quite nice. I enjoyed the salty, briny flavor.

The guitarist was very talented, and her style worked perfectly for the space. Overall, I was really impressed with Celebrity’s live music options on the ship. They had a variety of different types of acts, and they were all over the ship, so you had your choice. They also seemed to rotate quite a bit, meaning you didn’t have to go to the same bar or lounge every night. On my last Celebrity cruise on the Apex (see that blog here), while I appreciated the variety, I didn’t find the performers to be as good as I’d expect. That definitely wasn’t the problem here on Reflection. Of course, performers rotate out every few months, so your experience may vary.

Shine the Night Party

This evening was Celebrity’s “Shine the Night” theme party, which started at 10 PM on the pool deck. It’s an event where Celebrity encourages you to “wear your shiniest metallic outfit and join us for an unforgettable evening of fun, vibrant energy, surprise performances, and a celebration of all that shimmers.”

Honestly, it’s an odd concept to me. How many people own metallic outfits? Maybe it’s more common for women, but I don’t own a single piece of shiny clothing. And maybe I’d be willing to buy one, but they didn’t really tell people about the party ahead of time. Looking at the crowd, I’d say maybe 5% dressed the part.

The event feels like a rebuttal to Virgin Voyages’ popular “Scarlet Night” parties, which nearly everyone participates in and which turn the ship into an all-evening event, (see my experience here). It also replaces the White Parties that used to be on the ship, which were much easier to dress for.

Thankfully, it was a beautiful night in the Caribbean, with cool air and clear skies, the perfect night for a deck party. The deck was bathed in blue LED lights, and the cruise director and entertainment staff came out in their shiniest outfits, where they led line dances. Then the cast from the Reflection Theater came out and did choreographed dances twice. The crowd seemed to enjoy it, dancing along to songs like “24K Magic” by Bruno Mars and “Levitating” by Dua Lipa.

Overall, the party was pretty well attended for the space, but it was only a couple of hundred people out of the 3,000+ on the ship. It didn’t have the same participation rate as something like Virgin Voyages’ “Scarlet Night,” but still respectable. They could do it better, though, by communicating it more clearly to people before their upcoming cruises, or by having a theme that’s easier to dress for than “shiny.”

Day 3 Wrap Up

Overall, it was a fun, relaxing day both on the island and on the ship. While many of my cruises feature some element of adventure or more thrilling excursions, this one was all about relaxation, and it did the trick. We had absolutely amazing weather in CocoCay, and I came to appreciate the island even more. And at night on the ship, it was proven to me again that Celebrity isn’t the boring, stodgy cruise line I thought it was before I first sailed with them.

I turned in late knowing that I had an entire day at sea tomorrow to do absolutely nothing, and I was looking forward to it.

Follow Along on our 4 Day Bahamas Sailing

Celebrity Reflection - Cruise Blog - Day 1 - Fort Lauderdale

Celebrity Reflection - Cruise Blog - Day 2 - Key West

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

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

5 Hits and Misses on Celebrity Reflection Coming Soon

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Must Purchase By May 17, 2026

Carnival is not ready to make this a regular offer yet. Instead, they are offering these value bundles from April 17 to May 17, 2026. The offer is valid on all sailings departing through December 31, 2026. Packages must be purchased through My Cruise Manager.

Guests Receive Savings of 20% or More

There are still two plans available: the Essential Value Package for $50 per person per day, and the Ultimate Value Package for $90 per person per day. (Guests in Australia should visit Carnival.com.au to find prices in local currency).

These value packages are a good deal if you were already planning to purchase a drink package and internet. The savings from just the drink package and the internet plan amount to 20% for the Essential Value Package and 22% for the Ultimate Value Package. Your savings can increase even more if you take advantage of the shore excursion, specialty dining, spa treatment, or photo package discounts.

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Fincantieri Will Build the New Voyager Class

The new class of ships will be built by shipyard Fincantieri. That’s the same shipyard used to build their current newest class of ships, Sun Princess and Star Princess. They also built older ships like Crown Princess and Regal Princess. The new vessels will be constructed at their Monfalcone, Italy shipyard.

You’ll have to wait a while to sail on any of these ships. The Voyager Class ships are scheduled to be delivered in late 2035, 2038, and 2039.

What Will the Voyager Class Be Like?

With the first ship not debuting for nearly a decade, there aren’t many details available yet.

The biggest confirmed details are the size and capacity. These ships will be Princess Cruises’ largest yet, coming in at 183,000 gross tons and accommodating 4,700 guests at double occupancy. That’s only about a 3% increase in size over the Sphere Class, but a 9% increase in capacity. Comparing it to other cruise lines, it’s a similar size to Carnival’s Excel Class (Mardi Gras, Celebration, Jubilee), and MSC’s Meraviglia Plus Class (Grandiosa, Virtuosa)

Based on the press release, it appears the ships will be an evolution of the Sphere Class. Princess Cruises says the new ships will “seamlessly blend the most desired and highest-rated experiences and venues Princess Cruises is known for with completely reimagined outer decks, staterooms, and Piazza designs.”

The ships will be dual-fuel powered, primarily using Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).

Gus Antorcha, President of Princess Cruises, said the company has been conducting extensive customer research and gathering feedback from travel agents to find the right balance between evolving customer favorites and introducing brand-new concepts.

Will the Voyager Class Be a Hit With Princess Cruisers?

It’s interesting that Princess Cruises has chosen not to build additional Sphere Class ships.With just two ships in the class, a rarity in the cruise industry, it hints the the ships didn’t meet expectations.

Both Sphere Class ships had relatively rough launches, with multiple delays to their inaugural sailings, the removal of high-publicized top-deck attractions, and the need to relocate certain restaurants onboard because of capacity and design issues.

The reception from long-time Princess Cruises fans has been mixed as well. While many appreciate the updated suite areas and dining options, others have raised concerns about the larger ship size compared to the rest of the fleet and what they see as a lack of personality in the overall design.

It will have been nearly a decade since Star Princess debuted before these new ships arrive, so it gives them time to improve on the concept. Will the Voyager Class overcome these challenges?

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MSC’s Daily Gratuities Increase 6% – 15%

The daily gratuity (or as MSC calls it, the “Hotel Service Charge”) will increase from $16 to $17 per person per day, a 6% increase for standard cabins. For those booked in the Yacht Club, the cost will increase from $20 to $23 per day, a 15% increase.

According to a letter sent to booked guests, MSC says, “The Hotel Service Charge helps us maintain the highest quality standards of service by supporting the dedicated crew members who work to enhance your onboard experience.”

According to MSC’s website, the fee is “distributed among crew members who contribute to the enjoyment and experience while on board. These crew members include stateroom attendants, bar, dining, and culinary staff, as well as many valued hotel operations crew members who work hard behind the scenes.”

These fees can add up. A family of four sailing on a week-long cruise on World America out of Miami will now pay $476 on top of the cruise fare.

Pre-pay Gratuities Now to Avoid Higher Costs

The new daily gratuities will go into effect on May 11, 2026. Guests who prepay the gratuities before that day will “lock in” the older rate. To prepay gratuities, you can call your travel agent, or if you booked directly through MSC, call them at 877-655-4655.

Increase is Limited to Caribbean and Alaska Sailings Only

In an unusual move, the increased service charge is only applicable to sailings to the Caribbean and Alaska. The letter sent to guests does not detail why this is the case. While it’s routine for cruise lines to automatically include daily gratuities in sailings from Australia, we haven’t seen lines differentiate the dollar amounts by region like this before. In theory, it should be the same amount of work no matter where the ship is sailing from.

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Celebrity Reflection Cruise Blog Day 2 Overview

• Celebrity Reflection Cruise Blog Day 2 Schedule
• Arriving in Key West
• Breakfast at the Oceanview Cafe
• Exploring Key West
  • Southernmost Point Buoy
  • The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory
  • Willie T’s Bar
  • Nancy Forrester’s Secret Garden
  • Trying Key Lime Pie
  • Heading Back to Celebrity Reflection
• Booking a Future Cruise
• Archery in the Grand Foyer
• Trivia in the Sky Observation Lounge
• Evening Chic Dinner in the Opus Restaurant
• World Class Bar
• “Broken Strings” in the Reflection Theater
• ABBA Sing-Along Party
• Late Night Life on Reflection

Celebrity Reflection Cruise Blog Day Schedule

Arriving in Key West

The Reflection docked in Key West around 7 AM. I looked out the balcony window to see a quaint little island in the distance. The actual city of Key West was on the other side of the ship. I stepped out and felt the fresh, cool air. It was about 65 degrees now, with a high of 75 degrees predicted, which was perfect weather.

Overall, I slept very well. The room was nice and dark, and it was able to get nice and cold overnight. It was also pretty quiet. If people were talking in the hall, you could hear them, but that really only occurred right as I was going to bed and after I woke up and was getting ready.

I jumped into the shower to get ready before heading to breakfast. Again, I was taken aback by how roomy the bathroom was, but that came at the expense of a smaller stall-style shower. The water pressure was really powerful, and the water was able to get super hot.

While in the bathroom, I noticed a few nice touches. A small light stays on in the bathroom at all times, which is great if you have to get up in the middle of the night. Also, the bathroom door can prop open without slamming closed, which helps when getting ready in the morning.

Breakfast at the Oceanview Cafe

We all headed up to breakfast to get some food before heading into the city. They said we’d be able to get off around 8 AM, so we weren’t in a huge rush.

The buffet was busy, but not overly crowded. The biggest issue was that, because it was just the first breakfast, people were standing around not knowing where to go. It could be a bit overwhelming, and while the island design of the food stations reduced lines, it also meant your food might be spread out throughout the area.

The Reflection had all of the standards you’d expect for breakfast. They had two stations with traditional American offerings like pancakes, waffles, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, and more, although they made the puzzling decision of putting the toppings like syrup and jams before the actual food offerings. Another station had more European breakfast offerings like beans, toast, and cold cuts. The buffet had a large selection of fruit, yogurt, and breads, which would be toasted to order. A made-to-order omelet station was available and had pretty much the only line in the place. All the food was fresh and constantly being rotated out and replenished.

After I grabbed a smattering of the American breakfast options, I went to look for a seat. On early port days, that can be a problem on some ships, but I had no problem finding a table. The staff was quickly bussing all the tables and turning them over, so as soon as someone got up, it was ready for the next guests.

Exploring Key West

We headed down to Deck 3 to walk off the ship into Key West. Over the past day, and as we were about to leave, the staff kept reminding us we had to have a photo ID and cruise card to get off. While the cruise card is always required, photo IDs are not always required or enforced, but apparently, Key West is very strict. We didn’t experience any lines and just walked right off the ship.

Key West is a really walkable town, and the cruise ship docks right at Pier B, which is just a couple of blocks from the main Duval Street drag and by Mallory Square. That means you can easily walk to most of the main attractions. For those who prefer going a bit farther, golf cart rentals seemed very popular, with a few booths offering the service right off the docks. They also had a hop-on, hop-off bus that seemed like an easy way to get to the main sites in the area.

Southernmost Point Buoy

It was just a little after 8 AM, so really nothing was open yet in Key West. It really felt silly that the ship got there and left so early. Key West seems more like a day-and-night town. It meant the streets were still sleepy and quiet. As we walked, I saw more chickens than actual people for the first 15 minutes.

We decided the first stop would be the tourist attraction of the Southernmost Point Buoy. Traditionally, this spot has a buoy that signifies the southernmost point in the continental U.S. and notes that it’s only 90 miles from Cuba.

The traditional site where this buoy would be located was under construction, though, so it was relocated to 1499 Duval Street. It was a quick 30-minute walk down Duval Street to arrive there, about 1.3 miles.

The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory

Our next stop was the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory, another popular spot on the small list of must-do things in Key West. It was conveniently located right next to the buoy, and it had just officially opened, so we walked over.

Tip: You can buy tickets on their website ahead of time and save $2.

It’s located in a quaint little house, in this case decorated for Easter, which was just a couple of weeks away. You enter through a store with a small entrance and ticket counter to the left. Tickets were $17.50 per adult at the door.

You start in a small education room before entering the larger exhibit outside in a solarium. It’s climate-controlled to be the perfect temperature for the butterflies, which actually feels very humid to people. Thankfully, since it wasn’t too hot outside, it was bearable.

As you walk out, you immediately notice the towering greenery and lush plant life. Looking around, you could see butterflies everywhere. Some are on trees or on stands with fruit to eat, but many are also flying through the air. Signs throughout the area provide information on the types of butterflies and plants in the exhibit.

Halfway through the area is a small pond with two flamingos, who were very noisy as the male made mating calls to his partner. At the end, there’s an enclosure with box turtles that move much faster than I would have expected.

Overall, the experience was really relaxing and interesting. We spent about 45 minutes walking through the conservatory.

Willie T’s Bar

We stopped by for a drink and snack at Willie T’s, a dive bar on Duval Street. You could recognize it by the thousands of dollar bills plastered to the walls, railings, and ceilings. Guests can sign a dollar and staple it there. Periodically, they’re taken down and donated to a charity like the Wounded Warrior Project.

It was warm in the sun, but the patio had big umbrellas that helped. They had a guitarist playing while we got snacks. I tried the frozen peach bellini, which was delicious, and then the conch fritters, which had a really good curry-like sauce that gave it a bold punch. Overall, it was the perfect mid-day snack.

Nancy Forrester’s Secret Garden

On our way back to the ship, we stopped at a place we’d seen mentioned in a few places: Nancy Forrester’s Secret Garden, a parrot rescue. Nancy is an environmental activist who took in parrots that were abandoned by their owners.

I knew it was small, but I was unprepared for just how small it was. You literally walk up to a house, go around back, and leave the $10 admission fee, which goes to supplies for the parrots, in a container before walking into the backyard.

In the back, you could see a lot of the rescued parrots in their cages. Each one had a story of where they came from and why. Many parrot species live 30 to 80 years, so they can outlive their owners.

It was interesting to see their personalities come to life, whether they were playing with their favorite toys or saying their favorite words. A volunteer demonstrated some of the enrichment the birds need to stay sharp.

We spent about 15 to 20 minutes here. Overall, I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit, but if you’re walking around and have some time to kill, it’s nice to stop in.

Trying Key Lime Pie

While in Key West, I figured I should try their signature dessert, Key lime pie, since I’d never actually had it before. There are plenty of places serving Key lime pie in the area. Based on research I did beforehand, people said some of the best Key lime pie was from Pepe’s, Mattheessen’s, Key Lime Pie Bakery, and Old Town Bakery.

But in this case, convenience won. We saw Kermit’s Key Lime Pie Shop, which had a few locations on Duval Street. I went in and ordered one slice of original Key lime pie and a frozen, chocolate-covered strawberry Key lime pie on a stick.

The pie was sweet at first, but it had a tartness that made me suck in my cheeks at the back end. It wasn’t really my kind of dessert; I’m not a fan of sour desserts or candies, but I could see the appeal. The frozen strawberry one was much more my speed. The sweetness of the strawberries and chocolate helped tone down the tartness, making it a really refreshing dessert on a warm day.

Heading Back to Celebrity Reflection

After walking around some more, we decided to head back to the ship. Key West was cute, but there wasn’t as much to do as I would have thought. There were a few more museums, like the Ernest Hemingway Home or a small aquarium, but they weren’t really our speed. It was still a beautiful, relaxed place, though, and a nice way to spend the morning.

We got back to the pier at 1 PM, where we just had a short line to get through before reboarding the ship.

Everywhere on the ship was busy, as most people were back, or perhaps had never left. Both of the two pools outside and the Solarium pool had decent crowds. It was full, but not as bad as the adult-only pools when I sailed on Star of the Seas in August (read that cruise blog here). Music filled the decks, creating a fun atmosphere as the ship prepared to leave and head to our next stop.

Booking a Future Cruise

Since we had nothing pressing to do, I stopped at the Future Cruise office to book my next cruise. Typically, I book with my travel agent, but for my next cruise, I wanted to do one of Celebrity’s Galapagos sailings, which are very unique. The one I wanted also came with a pre-cruise tour, and Celebrity was offering a deal that included airfare. My travel agent said it would be better to book onboard, then have the office transfer it to him for extra credit so he could service the reservation.

Since I had a sailing in mind, I was in and out in about 15 minutes. The representative was able to book everything we need and he automatically connected it to our travel agent we used to book the current sailing.

Tip: The Future Cruise desk can get busy on the last day of the sailing, so if you’re planning on booking one, do it earlier in the cruise.

Archery in the Grand Foyer

Celebrity offers a good number of activities throughout the day, both while the ship is in port and at sea. You can either look at the daily schedule that’s left in your cabin every night or use the Celebrity app to see what’s happening.

We wanted to check out the archery activity at 3 PM in the Grand Foyer, which I thought was an odd choice. Throughout the cruise, they had activities in this area, not as much trivia and talks as dances and physical activities. It felt like an odd place for it, shoehorned into the small atrium between the glass elevators. On the newer Celebrity ships, these events would usually be in The Club, a two-story multi-purpose venue, but the Reflection doesn’t have an area like that. So instead, it’s in the main lobby.

Arriving a few minutes before, we saw the entertainment staff setting up a large inflatable target area for the activity. People were already gathering in the area, getting ready for it. It was a mixed crowd, some families with kids, some couples, some single adults. The event had a pretty broad appeal.

Right at 3 PM, the entertainment staff introduced themselves and had all the participants line up so they could take turns. Each player got to fire three arrows at the targets, which were balls floating in the air from the compressor in the inflatable archery stand. The arrows weren’t sharp, just dull-ended.

The event had a pretty good turnout. No one managed to get all three targets at once. It would probably take quite a bit of practice to master it. Even if you’re a seasoned archer, these aren’t standard arrows and would take time to get used to. Because there was a decent crowd, people really only got one turn to fire their three arrows. Still, it was a fun activity.

Trivia in the Sky Observation Lounge

Next, we decided to try our first trivia of this sailing. This was a music trivia event held in the Sky Observation Lounge at the front of the ship on Deck 14. So far, we hadn’t really explored this part of the ship. It’s through the Solarium, and you might not even realize this space was there if you weren’t looking for it.

The Sky Observation Lounge was one of my favorite parts of the ship. It’s part lounge, part nightclub, part activity space. It’s surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of where you’re headed and was filled with a variety of comfy seating options. It reminded me of the observation lounge on Norwegian’s Prima Class ships or the Viking Crown Lounge on Royal Caribbean’s older ships. It’s a great space, and it’s really sad Celebrity got rid of it on their Edge Class ships in favor of suite-only areas that general guests can’t use.

Everyone got a sheet of paper and a pencil and had to answer with the name of the song for 20 different clips the host played. The host was personable and controlled the event well. The event was well attended, with most of the closest seats filling up. Luckily, you could play from anywhere in the room. The event was well timed and fit within the allotted 30 minutes. Out of the 20 questions, some teams got 18 right. We only got 12 right.

Next up, they switched hosts, and it changed to general trivia. It got even busier for this one, with the place getting pretty full and most seats being taken. Throughout both trivia events, waiters circled constantly, taking drink orders and bussing tables. It was impressive, since it seemed like most people had a drink package. Usually, if that’s the case, there’s less push to get drinks out because they’re not generating more revenue, but I never felt that way on Celebrity. On a previous sailing on Norwegian, where 90% of guests get the drink package, I was able to go to the bar and get a drink, but I rarely saw servers walking around proactively.

The general trivia was even tougher than the music trivia and covered just about every kind of question. We ended up doing pretty well at this one with 17 points, but still shy of the 20 needed to win.

Evening Chic Dinner in the Opus Restaurant

According to the cruise schedule, today was the “fancy” night on our sailing. In the old days of cruising, cruise lines used to have formal nights when men wore tuxedos and suits, and women wore ball gowns and dresses. Now, it’s been scaled back considerably. On Celebrity, they call it “Evening Chic.” On this 4-day sailing, people really didn’t dress up much at all. It was slightly dressier than the previous night, but it didn’t feel like anyone went all out. I wore dress slacks and a button-down shirt with no tie and felt appropriately dressed.

We returned to the Opus Restaurant for our 6 PM reservation. We had Anytime Dining, but scheduled dinner for the same time each night. We walked right up to the podium and were immediately brought back to our same table with our same waiter team. They came and greeted us, and the sommelier asked whether we wanted the same drinks as last night or something different.

For dinner, I started with the French onion soup again. Celebrity really does this so well, and it’s been my favorite at sea. For the main entrée, I originally planned to go with the seared duck, which I tried on the Apex last year (read that cruise blog here). I loved the fried wild rice that came with it, and the orange duck jus added just enough citrus to brighten up the dish. I also never order duck at home, so it’s a cruise treat for me.

But then the waiter said tonight’s special, which wasn’t on the menu, was an ahi special. I love ahi, but again, it’s not something I’d ever order at home. I asked the waiter which he’d recommend, and he just said, “I’ll bring them both to you.” Full disclosure: I knew he’d just say to get both dishes, but I didn’t want to sound greedy by ordering two entrees unprompted. Both dishes were really tasty and very well done.

Tip: Some menu items, like the “classics,” may be available available multiple nights, but others are only available once per sailing. If you’re between two dishes (appetizers, entrees, desserts), order two. Celebrity’s dishes are moderately-sized so you should be able to eat both without wasting food. You can also ask your waiter if the item will be back on the menu later on in the cruise.

For dessert, I saw chilled strawberry soup and was intrigued. One of my favorite dishes since my first cruise on Carnival was their Strawberry Bisque, served as an appetizer. It was like strawberry ice cream in a bowl (see the recipe here).

I was hoping this would be similar, but unfortunately, it was not. It wasn’t very creamy and had way too much basil flavor. The panna cotta also felt a bit rubbery, but I’m not a huge panna cotta fan in general. It might have been well-made, but it definitely wasn’t my style of dessert. Others at my table got the warm apple crumble, which they raved about, and it looked amazing.

Overall, dinner was very enjoyable and relaxing. The whole meal took 1 hour and 20 minutes, but we could have finished sooner. We just took a while with our entrées.

World Class Bar

After dinner, we headed to the World Class Bar, which Celebrity describes as a “fine drinking” experience. Here, you’re supposed to enjoy the process of the bartenders making high-end craft cocktails using only the freshest ingredients and finest spirits. I’d heard rave reviews from my friend who sailed on a sister ship last year, but I hadn’t gotten to try it out yet because the Celebrity Apex didn’t have one. They omitted it from the first two Edge Class ships but brought it back for the rest after apparently realizing they needed more bars.

The bar is in kind of an odd location. It’s on Deck 5, past the Grand Foyer and past Cafe al Bacio. It’s surrounded by high-end stores and has a hallway that leads to the upper level of the theater. Compared to the bars off the main lobby, the Martini Bar and Passport Bar, this bar was almost always empty. You’d find a few people at the bar, but the surrounding table areas were never used while I was onboard.

The World Class Bar decor felt a bit strange. The yellow seats didn’t really fit in with the rest of the ship. When it was lit up and open, the lighting was very yellow too, making things appear a bit off. It didn’t have a very high-end feel to it for me. I thought the Martini Bar felt much more elevated.

The menu was a mixture of high-end creative takes on cocktails, think smoke, delicate pours, and mists of flavor. Annoyingly, even though I had the Premium Drink Package, 40% of the drinks here were over that limit. You rarely feel like Celebrity nickel-and-dimes you, but this is the one thing that always gets me. The Premium Drink Package is not cheap, and if 40% of your standard menu items are over the limit, that’s a bit ridiculous. They also didn’t have any wines that were in the Classic package at this bar when we were there.

Tip: I rarely get the drink package on a cruise, but Celebrity has some of the most expensive drinks at sea. A beer starts at $10, and a standard cocktail is $12 to $19. In this case, the package was worth it for me. Use our Drink Package Calculator to see if it’s worth it for you.

I got the American Pie cocktail, which was made with Bulleit Bourbon, apple cider, and brown sugar. It was quite tasty and, while not my favorite cruise drink, it was solid. Overall, the bartenders also didn’t provide the level of service I’d expect. They were prompt and made the drinks well, but typically, if you have a high-end bar like this, service gets taken up a level. Here, they just seemed to have no personality.

“Broken Strings” Show in the Reflection Theater

At 9 PM, we headed to the Reflection Theater for their show “Broken Strings.” Celebrity called it a “hand-clapping, foot-stomping, live music performance” that’s a “heartfelt music journey of love and connection.” Does that mean anything to you? Because it didn’t to me. Still, it drew a good crowd. The theater was probably 75% full as the lights went down.

Before the show, the cruise director came out and brought on the captain to do crew introductions. Celebrity’s captain and leadership team have more involvement with the general guests than I’ve seen on any other cruise line. The captain would speak before most theater productions, and the executive staff was on the gangway greeting guests and talking to them most days. This captain wasn’t as engaging as the one on my last Celebrity sailing, but he tried to make jokes. I imagine it’s hard because you sign up to be a captain, not a cruise director, and not everyone is suited for it.

The set was an English pub for someone’s birthday. There wasn’t much of a story here, so don’t worry about any plot. It’s basically just a musical revue. The music is all live, with the Reflection Orchestra stationed around the stage. The cast consisted of four singers, about eight dancers, and two aerialists/acrobats.

The songs were a mixture of contemporary tunes like “All of Me” by John Legend, “Don’t Wake Me Up” by Avicii, and “Rather Be” by Clean Bandit. Overall, it was decent cruise ship entertainment. I’d rank it over what I’ve seen on Norwegian’s ships, but not as strong as Royal Caribbean or Carnival’s newer shows, or even the shows on Celebrity’s newer ships, which lean into the acrobatics even more.

ABBA Sing-Along Party

After the show, we headed right to the Grand Foyer, where they were holding the ABBA sing-along party. In between the elevators of the Grand Foyer, they put up a large inflatable screen that showed the lyrics to the songs. Then people lined up along the lower floor and the upper level overlooking the Grand Foyer to watch and sing along.

Even if you’re not a huge ABBA fan, you’re sure to know some of their songs like “Dancing Queen,” “The Winner Takes It All,” and “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” The party was well attended, and the dance floor was pretty packed.

I didn’t love the Grand Foyer for this event, though, as it’s still a main thoroughfare on the ship. People would be trying to walk through and get stuck in the party. And people would be dancing between couches and sculptures, so the dance floor itself was pretty small. On newer Celebrity ships, it’s held in The Club and makes more sense there, but this really is the only space that could accommodate it on Reflection. One benefit was that because the foyer is open all the way from the bottom decks to the top decks, the music spilled throughout the ship and really brought it to life. We didn’t hear it in our cabin, but I’m not sure about the ones on the Grand Foyer level that are just a hallway away from the party.

Late Night Life on Reflection

After that event, I checked out what was going on around the ship before going to bed. A bunch of the other bars also had live music going on. It’s nice to have so many options at that hour, and originally I thought Celebrity would have much less to do.

We went up to the Sky Observation Lounge and the place was absolutely deserted. I felt bad for the band, who were very talented and had to perform as if there were more than five people there. I’m guessing everyone was still at the ABBA party or at the adult comedy show in the theater. This lounge would become a nightclub closer to 11 PM, but we didn’t stay for that. Instead, I headed to the buffet for some mediocre pizza. Come on, Celebrity, it’s the only sad food I’ve had onboard. Then I headed to bed to prepare for our next day at Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Follow Along on our 4 Day Bahamas Sailing

Celebrity Reflection - Cruise Blog - Day 1 - Fort Lauderdale

Celebrity Reflection - Cruise Blog - Day 2 - Key West

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

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

5 Hits and Misses on Celebrity Reflection Coming Soon

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Project Vision Size and Details

Project “Vision” would be the first 100% battery-electric cruise ship over 80,000. The ship would replace its traditional fuel tanks and generators with batteries. While batteries alone don’t inherently make cruising more green, for example, if the electricity to charge them comes from coal power plants, almost half of the electricity in the EU comes from renewable/green sources.  

Compared to modern cruise ships, the ships would be small. They’d be roughly 82,000 gross registered tons and 902 feet long, accommodating 1,856 guests according to the press release. Comparing that to modern ships that are sailing, this ship would be similar in size to Royal Caribbean’s Vision Class or Disney’s Magic Class.

Structurally, switching to battery power can make some big changes to the ship; the biggest being they no longer need an exhaust funnel. If the ship runs only on battery power, the top-deck space dedicated to the funnel can be converted to guest space, more loungers, pools, or attractions. Inside, the area where the exhaust pipes would come up through the ship could be used for additional guest rooms or public spaces, depending on the floor. It gives a freedom of design not possible before.

In the concept presented, Meyer Werft designed an all-weather ship with fully-glazed, weather-protected areas. For example, at the back, there’s an enclosed kids’ splash park, making it perfect for year-round European cruises.

Europe is a Key Market For This Innovation

A key driver for this innovation is the pursuit of going green in Europe. They’ve enacted the Fit for 55 legislation, which aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 and aims for net-zero by 2050. Part of this legislation is the requirement that by 2030, all major EU cruise ports must have onshore plug-in power available to ships, significantly cutting greenhouse gases while idling, but also enabling ships like Project Vision. Meyer Werft says that “By 2030, around one hundred ports across Europe will offer the required charging infrastructure.”

The shipyard said that a battery-powered cruise ship can charge up at these ports, and it can cover a large portion of typical European cruises. They gave an example of the Barcelona to Civitavecchia (Rome) sailing being able to be done by this new ship.

This technology may also come in handy in Norway where larger ships must be zero-emission starting in 2032 in order to operate in its World Heritage Fjords (although that date has already been pushed back once).

No Ships On Order, but May Come Soon

The ship shown at Seatrade was not a firm order but a concept of what could be. That said, because it uses many technologies already in use on modern ships, it’s not something for the distant future. “If ordered this year, we could already deliver the first ship in 2031,” says Thomas Weigend, Chief Sales Officer at MEYER WERFT.

While you never see a concept built and released “as is,” it does influence future cruise ship design. The best example is possibly Fincantieri’s Project Mille. That concept was first released in 2013 by the shipyard and redesigned the cruise ship layout. They were able to reduce the ship’s beam (width) and increase its height by moving guest spaces down. That means things like the spa being on a lower level or pools on an exterior promenade rather than all on the topmost decks.

That design became the basis for several now well-known classes of ships like Virgin Voyages’ Lady Class, MSC’s Seaside Class, and Norwegian’s Prima Class.

Similarly, the Project Vision ships might influence the newest classes of ships from future cruise lines. It won’t likely be any already-announced classes of ships, though. Currently, MSC has their New Frontier Class on order from Meyer Werft to debut in 2030, and Disney has a new class of ships to debut in 2029; both earlier than the 2031 delivery date mentioned above.

The biggest problems could be the small size of the ships, since most cruise lines are now investing only in mega ships, and being stuck regionally. Ships would likely not be able to make a transatlantic sailing on battery power, meaning once these ships are built, they’ll likely stay in Europe for their entire lives, taking out some of the flexibility.

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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?

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 Day 1 Overview

• Staying in Fort Lauderdale the Night Before
• Getting to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale
• Checking in and Boarding the Reflection
• Stepping Onboard the Celebrity Reflection
• Celebrity Reflection Day 1 Schedule
• Balcony Cabin on Celebrity Reflection
• Elevators on Celebrity Reflection
• Boarding Drinks at the Sunset Bar
• Oceanview Cafe Buffet for Lunch
• Pool Time on the Reflection
• Solarium Adult-Only Pool
• Anytime Dining in the Opus Restaurant
• Headliner Comedian in the Main Theater
• 80’s Party in the Foyer
• Late Night Bites in the Buffet

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Celebrity Reflection - Cruise Blog - Day 2 - Key West

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

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

5 Hits and Misses on Celebrity Reflection Coming Soon

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Who wants to plan every minute of their cruise vacation months in advance? Having to book shows weeks ahead can be frustrating. And for those who can’t secure a reservation, it’s disappointment before they even step foot onboard.

Now, Norwegian is changing that.

No More Pre-Bookings on Norwegian

Norwegian first implemented pre-bookings in February 2023, allowing guests to reserve shows 21 to 26 days before sailing. But that’s coming to an end.

In a notice sent to travel advisors, Norwegian Cruise Line announced it will no longer allow pre-bookings for entertainment.

Effective April 1, 2026, NCL will no longer be accepting any pre-bookings for entertainment on any of their ships.  For many of the ships, this has already been implemented, but will be discontinued fleetwide.  This shift allows for greater flexibility in the guest’s experience onboard experience.”

Norwegian also confirmed that any existing reservations will still be honored.

As noted in the communication, the cruise line has already phased out reservations on several ships. Its newest ship, Norwegian Luna, launched without any option to reserve show seating in advance.

While this change eliminates the need to rush for reservations weeks before sailing or standing in line in the theater immediately after boarding, it may create new challenges. It remains to be seen whether this will lead to longer lines for popular shows, especially in main theaters. While Royal Caribbean uses reservations for its main shows, most other cruise lines still use a first-come, first-serve seating.

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Hero of the Seas Will Have the Most Pools at Sea

When Icon of the Seas was first announced, one of the most remarkable things was that it didn’t have one pool deck. Instead, it had 7 different pools located in different areas across the ship, splitting up crowds and offering different experiences.

On Hero of the Seas, they’re going even bigger, adding two more pools to give it the most pools at sea.

One of the new pools is called Coconut Cove. It’s located on Deck 15 next to one of The Lime & Coconut bars and outside the entrance to AquaDome Market (one deck down from Cloud 17). On previous ships, this was a seating area and whirlpool.

This new family-friendly infinity pool will offer in-water chairs to cool off and provide a view of the Central Park neighborhood.

Splashaway Bay in the kid-friendly Surfside neighborhood will also get some new water features.

Better Adult-Only Areas on Hero of the Seas

One of the biggest complaints about the Icon Class was that its adult-only area wasn’t big enough to accommodate everyone. Royal Caribbean heard that complaint and made a few changes.

First, they’re adding a second pool to The Hideaway, the adult-only area at the back of Deck 15. The second pool replaces underutilized lounger space on previous ships with a brand new pool that includes the largest swim-up bar at sea.

For the original infinity pool in The Hideaway, they’re getting rid of the poorly conceptualized extra-fee daybeds to free up space for guests.

Swim & Tonic, the original swim-up bar from Icon of the Seas, will be expanded. It will also remain adults only (originally, Royal Caribbean thought it’d be a good idea to have children swimming around at the swim-up bar).

New Slides at Category 6 Water Park

So far, the waterslides in Category 6 Water Park have been identical across the Icon Class (except for new colors on Legend of the Seas). For Hero of the Seas, they’re switching it up a bit.

Category 6 Water Park will feature two new family raft slides, including the first funnel raft slide at sea. It will replace the slingshot element found on Storm Surge on the other ships. For the second raft slide, it looks like they’re removed the bowl portion found on Hurricane Hunter.

They’ve also changed the footprint of the mat-racing Storm Chasers duo slide and added an open air section at the beginning and removed the clear sections toward the end.

New Dining Options on Hero of the Seas

You’ll have a lot of choices for where to eat on Hero of the Seas. Some new additions include:

Orleans Parish Supper Club: Each Icon Class ship has had its own unique supper club experience. These are the fanciest restaurants you can find on any Royal Caribbean ship. It offers a multi-course experience that pairs food, drinks, and music for a fully curated experience. On Hero of the Seas, the theme will be New Orleans, with live jazz and Creole-inspired cuisine.

Royal Railway – Hero Station: This venue will be the third incarnation of Royal Railway, a unique experience that seats guests in an old-school train car and takes them through a themed dining experience. When it first launched on Utopia of the Seas, the Western-themed experience seemed to be more geared toward children and families. On Legend of the Seas, it appears to be more of an adult experience with a focus on the Spice Road. They haven’t yet released what the main theme will be aboard Hero of the Seas (although shows can be swapped out).

AquaDome Market: The popular food hall concept, AquaDome Market, will make a return on Hero of the Seas. It will feature four new concepts, as well as Crème de la Crêpe and fresh juices at Simply Pressed.

Cooking Classes: Royal Caribbean is adding new hands-on cooking classes. It’s focused on family cooking and they’ll have classes that will cater to both younger cruisers and more advanced techniques. It will take place in a new venue that will be in the Surfside Neighborhood (it hasn’t been announced yet, but according to deck plans, it looks like it will take the place of Pier 7.

No More Sugar Beach?: Looking at the deck plans, Sugar Beach in the Surfside Neighborhood is noticeably absent, as it’s previous location replaced has been replaced by more cabins. It’s hard to image Royal Caribbean getting rid of the extra revenue generated by a candy store in the family neighborhood, so most likely, it’ll be combined with the new venue where the cooking classes will take place.

All your other favorite restaurants will be returning as well. For complimentary dining, you can enjoy Basecamp, El Loco Fresh, Sorrento’s, Surfside Bites, Surfside Eatery, and more. For specialty dining for an extra fee, you’ll find Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar, Chops Grille, Hooked Seafood, Izumi, and Izumi in the Park.

Two-Story Casino Returns

While Royal Caribbean hasn’t been promoting this much, Hero of the Seas will have a two-story casino with a dedicated non-smoking casino on the lower level. This design will debut on Legend of the Seas this summer.

It will hopefully solve the problem of the cramped and smoky casino found on the first two Icon Class ships.

New Ultimate Family Treehouse

Royal Caribbean seems to love its high-end, over-the-top accommodation options like the Ultimate Family Townhouse on Icon of the Seas, which can cost $75,000 to $150,000 per week, or the Ultimate Family Cabana at Royal Beach Club Nassau that can run $10,000 per day.

On Hero of the Seas, they’ll debut the Ultimate Family Treehouse. It’s a three-deck treehouse that has a private rooftop terrace with a private whirlpool, a two-deck teen space, and two main bedrooms. It’s located off The Grove Suite Area.

Other Returning Favorites

Of course, it wouldn’t be an Icon Class ship if it didn’t bring back some favorites. Guests will still board by walking onto the expansive Royal Promenade and seeing the centerpiece, The Pearl.

It will still include eight distinct neighborhoods, including Central Park, which will have more than 30,500 real plants. The AquaTheater will offer impressive acrobatic shows in the AquaDome, while Absolute Zero will feature ice skating spectaculars.

Hero of the Seas Will Debut in August 2027

Hero of the Seas will set sail in August 2027. It will homeport in Miami, taking the place of Icon of the Seas, which will be moving to Galveston.

It will run 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries, with every cruise visiting Perfect Day at CocoCay. The Western itineraries will visit Roatán, Cozumel, and Costa Maya, while the Eastern itineraries will visit St. Maarten and St. Thomas.

My Take: Great to See Some Changes

Personally, I’m not a big fan of when cruise lines just make a carbon copy of a ship. Beyond the fact that I like to try new ships, it often means the cruise line didn’t take the time to learn from the previous ship to adjust and optimize.

But when ships are built so close together, there isn’t much opportunity for change because much of the design is locked in years before the ship even debuts. For example, Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva are nearly identical, and it wasn’t until their third ship that they could start making meaningful changes, with even bigger updates on the fourth. That seems to be the case here.

I loved my sailing on Star of the Seas (read that blog here) and thought it was one of the best-designed ships I’ve ever sailed, but I saw some pain points, and it looks like Royal Caribbean took them into account.

I especially like that Royal Caribbean is improving the adult-only area, as that seemed to be the biggest issue with the original ships. The Hideaway wasn’t originally meant to be the main adult-only pool (that was supposed to be Cloud 17), so it really didn’t have enough space or the right layout. Getting rid of those daybeds makes the space look much bigger, and the new swim-up bar will help reduce pressure on the original bar while providing better drink service.

Still, I’m surprised they didn’t address a few things. Playmakers still feels tucked away in the middle of nowhere, and having to walk through a store and Playmakers to get to Absolute Zero still feels awkward. They also brought back Crown’s Edge, which I enjoyed, but it still feels a bit half-baked and falls behind some of the complimentary offerings on competing cruise lines.

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Razzle Dazzle Becomes Ariya at Night on Valiant Lady

During the May dry dock, the Razzle Dazzle restaurant onboard Valiant Lady will be getting a makeover and will transform into Ariya. The restaurant’s menu was made in partnership with celebrity chef Maneet Chauhan, who you may have seen on Chopped and various other Food Network shows. Some of the dishes on the menu will be lamb shank biryani, Goan curried mussels, puffed rice & avocado chaat, and tandoori pistachio-crusted snapper.

The bar inside the venue will also get a makeover and use Indian flavors to create truly unique cocktails. Try the Maharani Morning with rose, cardamom, and sparkling wine or a Bangalore Old Fashioned with jaggery and cardamom. Each guest will also get a complimentary welcome beverage of jaljeera, a chilled blend of tamarind and cumin.

As for the space, the decor will be swapped out to something more inspired by the spice markets of India. Expect to see warm, layered wood tones and rich, textured grasscloth wallcoverings. Gone are the long communal tables that never really resonated with guests and instead more cozy alcoves and booths for intimate seating; the renders show a space that is almost unrecognizable from its previous incarnation.

North America’s First Indian-Inspired Sit-Down Restaurant at Sea

In North America, Indian cuisine has become increasingly popular in recent years. While several cruise ships have fast-casual style Indian food, or Indian stations at the buffet, Ariya will be the first proper sit-down Indian restaurant on a cruise ship (at least among the major North American cruise lines).

Indian cuisine is finally getting the global recognition it has always deserved and our Sailors get to experience it at its best, with Chef Maneet. The spice combinations alone will surprise people. That’s the goal: to make every Sailor at that table think, ‘I didn’t know food could do that,’” – Chef Levi Mezick, Senior Director of Culinary Program Development, Virgin Voyages.

Giving Different Choices Across the Fleet

When Virgin Voyages first launched, all their ships were nearly identical copies of each other apart from the art. This meant all the ships had the exact same dinner options. Unlike other cruise lines, Virgin Voyages doesn’t have any main dining rooms or extra-fee restaurants; guests book individual restaurants each night for dinner.

But over the past 5 years, repeat guests have indicated they’re getting a little tired of the same dinner options. While some of the restaurants had unique dishes, it was the same dining concepts on each ship.

When Virgin Voyages had the dry dock for Scarlet Lady, they transformed Razzle Dazzle into a new concept called Lucky Lotus. The restaurant features Chinese-inspired cuisine and drinks. Then, when Brilliant Lady launched, they took Razzle Dazzle and made it Rojo by Razzle Dazzle with a focus on Spanish foods and beverages.

During the day, the restaurants still serve the standard Razzle Dazzle lunch/dinner menus, but at night, the menu switches to the more original cuisine. The spaces also got a makeover, removing the busy and loud decor of the original Razzle Dazzle and giving it a more subdued yet elegant vibe.

My Take: Variety is the Spice of Life, but Will It Lead to More Seating Problems?

I’m really happy to see Virgin Voyages diversifying its restaurants and adding new options that are different across the fleet. It gives you a reason to try all the different ships in the fleet. With Indian food being very popular in England and gaining popularity in the US, it makes sense for Virgin to bring it to the ships; people already rave about the Indian options at The Galley that they have some days.

That said, I’m a bit concerned with how it will impact wait times and reservations for dinner. Virgin Voyages has struggled to accommodate everyone at dinner and trying to score reservations can feel like a free-for-all; something exacerbated even more by their new tiered pricing that differentiates how long before a cruise you can make your reservations.

While leadership has said they clearly have enough seats and tables for all their guests, that doesn’t take into account guest demand. The Test Kitchen, which is a very unique concept using innovative food and molecular gastronomy, isn’t for everyone and picky eaters shy away from the space. Similarly, Gunbae‘s shared tables and meat-heavy menu is not for everyone either.

While Indian food is popular, there are still many parts of the US where the cuisine hasn’t become popular yet, and it might be another restaurant some guests avoid, putting more pressure on the remaining venues.

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