Celebrity Reflection - - interview, review, menus, video

This week we complete our profile of Celebrity Reflection with several new items.

First, we have an interview with Hotel Director Julian Brackenbury and Cruise Director Paul Buya. I first met Julian on the stately Celebrity Summit when that ship was cruising the Caribbean. I met him again when Celebrity was preparing to re-vilatize Summit adding a panoply of features as part of the line's Solsticization project. Paul, I know from Celebrity Silhouette, a ship I found to have a strong pulse. As the person in charge of entertainment there, Paul played no small part in making it a lively cruise experience.

I asked them to tell us what is new about Celebrity Reflection? The ship is the fifth and final ship in the Solstice class Each ship in the class has retained the essential Solstice design but each of the prior ships has been somewhat different. As they replied, Celebrity has not run out of new ideas but has channel in its thinking in a new direction. The interview is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-reflection-interview.html

We also have a review of the Murano specialty restaurant. There are Muranos on each of the Solstice class ships and on Celebrity Century. They offer perhaps the most elegant, old school fine dining experience at sea. The review is at http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-reflection-murano.html

We have also added a menus page to the Celebrity Reflection profile with examples of menus from the main dining room and some of the specialty restaurants. http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-reflection-menus.html

Finally, we have a short video showing the ship in several Caribbean ports. http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-reflection-video.html

So who is Celebrity Reflection for? In my opinion, she is for experienced cruisers who like what used to be called the better things in life. She ius a pretty ship with attention to detail in the design. She has an excellent array of dining options. She has a good enrichment program although not as strong as Cunard or Holland America. She is not a party boat but rather is sophisticated without being stuffy.

St. Croix Cruise Destination Photo Guide; Talking with Celebrity Silhouette's Cruise Director

          

  To round out our coverage of the United States Virgin Islands, this week we are presenting a cruise destination photo guide to St. Criox.  The largest of the USVI islands, St. Croix may be the least visited by cruise passengers.  This is probably due to several things including the fact that the island is too far from St. Thomas practically to do a day trip during a call there but yet too close for ships to visit both as ports of call.  Also, St. Croix has suffered from an image of being crime ridden.

            Nonetheless, St. Criox appears to be gaining popularity as a port of call.  A large investment was made in recent years to improve the cruise port facilities.  In addition, locals appear to be successful in getting the word out that its crime rate is not really different than elsewhere in the Caribbean.

            Like the rest of the Virgin Islands, St. Croix has some pretty beaches and scenic mountains.  However, the island has also managed to preserve much from its past.  Both Christiansted and Frederiksted, the island’s principal towns, have quite a few buildings dating back to the Danish colonial period.  Indeed, some of these have been declared landmarks of the U.S. government.  Thus, St. Croix has something of interest for the historically and architecturally-minded.

            Our cruise destination photo guide to St. Croix begins at http://beyondships.com/Ports-StCroix-1.html

            My last visit to St. Croix was on the Celebrity Silhouette.  She is a beautiful, elegant new ship.   However, one of the things that brings a ship to life and which can make or break a cruise experience is the entertainment.  Therefore, I spoke with Silhouette’s cruise director Paul Baya about what type of entertainment people should expect on Silhouette.  That interview is posted at  http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-silhouette-cruise-director-interview.html

            In addition, I have put together a slideshow of scenes from a cruise on Silhouette.  My hope is that this will supplement our extended photo tour of the ship and help you to get a feel for this fine ship.  It is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-silhouette-slideshow.html