New to Celebrity Cruses

Today we boarded the Celebrity Reflection for a ten-day round-trip cruise departing from Civitavecchia, with stops in Sicily, Athens, Ephesus, Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes and Naples. A mere 3,046 passengers are on-board this 126,000 ton ship. This is one of the largest cruise ships on which we've recently traveled. It is also our first experience with the Celebrity cruise line. One of the major differences between Celebrity and the Princess cruise line seems to be a  Celebrity focus on different suite classes and unique privileges afforded those staying in more expensive cabins.

Being long-time Princess customers and first-time Celebrity passengers, we have an opportunity to observe the differences between the two cruise lines. There are many more small bars and gathering areas on the Celebrity Reflection than the Princess ships. This might be related to the 3,000 passengers on board and the need to provide space distractions for this large number. We also noticed that the  on-board shops cater to a wide range of potential customers, with some very high end items being offered. As the Reflection is a relatively new ship, the fit and finish of the common and cabin areas are extremely well done.  The Celebrity dining buffet selections on the Reflection are broader than we've experienced on the many Princess ships we've sailed - but frankly we've never been left hungry on Princess. There is a mid-ship coffee station on this Celebrity ship and the fitness club is very large - likely the largest of any ship we've ever been on. That said, we have not sailed on any of the latest 5,000 passenger megaships (and unlikely to do so). The main theater shows on the Reflection are later in the evening, at 9pm and 11pm, versus three 30 minute shows from 7 to 10pm on Princess. Finally, the Reflection has several real grass areas on the 15th floor. We're waiting to watch someone come out with a lawn mower.

As to our veranda cabin, the Reflection floor space is a just a bit smaller (less wide), has very few adjustments for enabling different ceiling light configurations and a trundle bed sofa rather than hide-a-bed sofa. The Reflection veranda cabin also has cabinets above the bed headboard. We found that our packing cubes fit perfectly within these cabinets and offered some clothes organization. The Reflection veranda cabin has just a shower but the shower has more floor space than the Princess balcony cabin's shower. Our cabin bathroom cabinetry is a natural wood style veneer. The Reflection cabin balcony area is very attractive with wood flooring rather than the typical plastic mat found on a Princess mini-suite and cabin balcony.

Regardless of the differences, we're looking forward to an enjoyable cruise.