Celebrity Reflection is a Solstice Class ship that launched in 2012. Though not the largest in the fleet, there's certainly enough to appease a variety of travelers. Whether you're a fan of taking advantage of all the complimentary venues or splurging on specialty dining, you'll never be bored of repetitive options!
After spending 5 nights onboard this beautiful ship, I can see why Solstice Class ships remain a favorite amongst devout Celebrity cruisers. The ship was small enough to foster an intimate feel while also having plenty of options in terms of dining, entertainment, and amenities.
From delicious three-course meals in the Opus Dining Room to indulgent Italian food at Tuscan Grille, here's a breakdown of what the food was like onboard Celebrity Cruises' Celebrity Reflection.
Of note, I'm not a food critic and am not classically trained in anything cuisine-related. Others may come to their own conclusions, as everyone has different taste buds and preferences.
Opus Dining Room
The Main Dining Room onboard Celebrity Reflection is called the Opus Dining Room. It's located on Decks 3 and 4 in the back (aft) of the ship.
All meals in this two-story room and included in the cost of your cruise fare, whether you're enjoying a leisurely sea day breakfast or multi-course dinner.
During my sailing, Deck 4 was reserved for those with Anytime Dining, whereas guests who selected traditional seating (i.e., early or late) dined on Deck 3.
Organic Roasted Red Beets
I ate in the Opus Dining Room three times for dinner on my 5-night cruise. On the first night, I ordered the Organic Roasted Red Beets as my appetizer. Before this, however, we were given a bread basket with three different dips: creamy horseradish, roasted red pepper, and whipped butter.
The beets were served with feta cheese, teardrop tomatoes, and arugula and topped with a sherry vinaigrette. As someone who is a fan of both beets and feta cheese, this appetizer was the perfect way to begin my meal. My only complaint is that I wish there had been a little bit more of the vinaigrette!
Spinach & Ricotta Ravioli
I was torn between the Oven Roasted Jerk Spiced Chicken and Spinach & Ricotta Ravioli for my main course. In the end, I went with the ravioli and was pleased with the portion. The ravioli themselves were rich and hearty.
Chocolate Cherry Trifle
The most disappointing part of my dinner on embarkation day was dessert. Typically, trifles are a layered dessert; however, this was primarily chocolate mousse. Though the mousse was light and fluffy, I wish there had been a hint more of the devil's food cake.
Read more: 10 things you didn't know about cruise ship kitchens and food
Bread basket
After a long and fun day at Perfect Day at CocoCay, we had worked up an appetite. The second dinner we ate in the Opus Dining Room began with more bread service. However, instead of the roasted red pepper and creamy horseradish dips, we were given garlic and creamy ranch dips.
Wedge Salad
Overall, the Wedge Salad was fine. What would have made this dish a home run would have been the addition of blue cheese crumbles, rather than a creamy dressing. I would have also preferred for the topping to be placed on top of the wedge. Instead, the tomatoes were buried beneath the eggs.
Turkey Parmesan
Initially, I was planning on ordering the Rigatoni Boscailoa, as I was intrigued by the Pinot Grigio cream sauce. My waiter, however, informed me that the sauce was premade, and they wouldn't be able to serve it without the mushrooms.
Instead, I went with the Turkey Parmesan, which was essentially a Chicken Parmesan but with turkey instead. The spaghetti and marinara sauce was delicious; however, they turkey was overcooked and a little dry.
Strawberry Angel Food Cake
For dessert, I ordered the Strawberry Angel Food Cake. The portion was perfect; however, it was clearly a sugar-free dessert. Still, though, I thought it was tasty! In retrospect, I think I would have enjoyed the Tiramisu more.
Read more: 5 foods not to eat on a cruise
Chicory Apple Pear Salad
My finacée and I returned to the Opus Dining Room on the fourth evening after dining at The Porch the night before. It was our last dinner here, as we had reservations at Tuscan Grill on the last night of the cruise. We began the meal with bread service served with avocado and horseradish dips.
For my appetizer, I ordered the Chicory Apple Pear Salad. Though the size of the salad was perfect, I wish there was a bit more of the cider vinaigrette on it, as it tasted pretty dry.
Barolo Braised Beef Short Ribs
Out of all the dishes I ate in the dining room, the Short Ribs were my favorite. Not only was the meat tender, but the creamy truffle polenta was to die for.
I was pleasantly surprised when my waiter was able to get the mushrooms removed, as he said they were added to the dish before it was slow-cooked.
Before leaving, I raved about the Short Ribs to the couple who had just been seated beside of us.
Apple Tart Tatin
I also loved the apple tart. It was served warm with vanilla ice cream and was the perfect treat to end the night with!
My finacée had the exotic mango sorbet, which I thought was delicious, too. The waiter said that it was a combination of passion fruit, banana, mango, and guava.
Spa Cafe
The Spa Cafe was a favorite of mine on Celebrity Ascent. It's the perfect place for some light and refreshing bites, especially if you're someone who isn't in the mood for a large meal.
After heading to Café al Bacio for a specialty coffee, I went up to the Solarium to grab one of the comfortable clamshell beds and enjoy some breakfast.
The fruit plate was refreshing, and I loved the variety of fruit, especially since it was pre-plated. The Avocado Bruschetta was a bit of a letdown. The grated eggs were overpowering, and I didn't taste much avocado. Either way, it was a good source of protein to begin the morning with!
Mast Grill
I woke up on our first sea day craving a turkey burger. To be fair, it’s on our weekly dinner rotation at home, so they’re a favorite of mine.
The Mast Grill didn’t disappoint in satisfying this craving. Though we experienced a longer wait since they don’t keep turkey burgers on the grill constantly, it was worth the short delay.
I topped mine with sautéed onions, tomato, a little bit of siracha, and ketchup. It was the perfect lunch for a day on the water!
Oceanview Cafe
We dined at the Oceanview Cafe for breakfast two mornings of our 5-night cruise. The first was before spending the day on a snorkeling excursion with Cozumel, Mexico, so it was a bit more rushed. I opted for a chicken sausage link, scrambled eggs, and a hash brown patty.
The following morning was our last full day onboard. I woke up earlier than my finacée and ventured to the buffet for a bit to eat before getting comfortable in the Solarium. In addition to the same items from the previous morning, I got some fruit and a specialty latte.
Though I prefer a simpler breakfast, there were plenty of options to satisfy everyone's morning cravings, from pastries to made-to-order omelets, beef stir fry, hard-boiled eggs, vegetable fried rice, pancakes, and more.
We ate lunch in the buffet on the last sea day, and the spread was really impressive. Everything from shrimp ceviche to freshly carved turkey, made-to-order pasta, shrimp cocktails, stunning cakes, and more was available; it was hard to narrow down the options!
I have yet to see a better lunch buffet on any other cruise line. There were similar options available when I sailed on Celebrity Ascent, and it made even the most casual eatery onboard feel more upscale.
It's not a cruise to The Caribbean without a soft-serve cone, is it? I got a cone from the Oceanview Café one afternoon after relaxing in the Solarium, and it was the perfect sweet treat to enjoy while watching the ship sail through the deep blue waters en route to Mexico!
The Porch
Jumbo prawn cocktail
The Porch is a casual restaurant featured on two Celebrity ships, including Celebrity Reflection. Their specialty is seafood, and it certainly was special eating prawns and lobster al fresco while watching the sunset!
The only gripe my finacée and I had about the Jumbo Prawn Cocktail was that it didn't come with enough of the spicy gin cocktail sauce. We ended up having to ask for more!
In total, this meal came out to $72 for two people after gratuity.
Lobster Bisque
After the prawn cocktail, I had the lobster bisque. I wish there were a few more chunks of lobster, but it was a good pick overall. It paired well with the brioche.
Lobster Roll
This was, shockingly, my first time trying a lobster roll. Though I found it to be delicious, my finacée said that there was a bit too much mayo on it. Either way, it was yummy!
Dessert Trio
When it came to the desserts, I couldn't pick just one, which is why I went with the dessert trio. It featured a small vanilla cheesecake, light chocolate mousse, and lamington vanilla cream and was served with a small sugar donut. My two favorites were the vanilla cream and vanilla cheesecake!
Tuscan Grille
Crab Cake
We treated ourselves to a meal at Tuscan Grille, Celebrity's upscale Italian restaurant, on the final night of our sailing. Everything about the experience was remarkable, from the attentive service to the intimate ambiance and, of course, the delicious food.
I started with the crab cake which was served with fresh tomatoes. The exterior was perfectly crisp, with the inside not tasting too mushy at all.
Dinner at Tuscan Grille isn't included and cost us an extra $132. It, however, was WELL worth it!
Heirloom Beets
Next, I had the heirloom beets. They were served atop a bed of cannellini beans, farro, and caper berries. Though I wish the dish had been more beet-heavy, it was still yummy and made for a great second appetizer.
Lobster Rigatoni Alfredo
The star of the meal was the Lobster Rigatoni Alfredo. It was creamy and featured rather large chunks of lobster.
Filet Mignon
I paired the rigatoni with a filet mignon, and it may have been one of the best I've ever had on a cruise ship! The outside was perfectly seared without comprising the juiciness of the meat.
Though disappointing, I started to feel rather seasick during the meal and had to return to the cabin. My partner brought some dessert back, but I didn't try any. I wish I had taken some Dramamine before the dinner!
Room service
I only ordered room service once while onboard Celebrity Reflection. Since it was Celebrity's first time visiting CocoCay since its $250 million renovation in 2019, my finacée and I wanted to ensure that we made the most of our day ashore, especially before the island warmed up too much.
Continental breakfast is included on Celebrity ships, so we opted to order some fruit, coffee, multigrain bread, and bagels. We enjoyed a quick breakfast while getting ready to disembark.
It was essentially what you'd expect for a continental breakfast. The fruit wasn't the freshest, and the bagel certainly wasn't what my finacée was used to having been raised in Connecticut. It, however, served its purpose and helped us beat the rush off the ship!
Pizza Station
Overall, I wasn't a huge fan of the pizza on Celebrity Ascent, so I was a bit hesitant to try it onboard my Reflection cruise.
I was excited to see that they had a late-night buffet again; however, the options were far more limited than Ascent. Other than a salad bar, meats and cheeses, and pasta, the only other option was pizza.
As I had expected, the pizza was just okay. As controversial as this might be, I think Carnival has some of the best pizza at sea, other than MSC Cruises, of course.
Perfect Day at CocoCay
Since Celebrity Reflection is making regular calls at Perfect Day at CocoCay, it's only fair that I share what I ate on the island, too!
My finacée and I spent the day at Hideaway Beach, the paid adults-only beach. We loved it so much that we're already talking about purchasing passes for our cruise onboard Icon of the Seas in 2025!
During the day, we enjoyed mozzarella sticks (a CocoCay staple), crispy coconut shrimp, and pizza from the Hideaway-exclusive Slice of Paradise.
Out of the three, my favorite was the shrimp from the Hideaway Hut, though the Island Guava Barbeque Pizza wasn't bad, either.
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she had the privilege of traveling frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas her freshman year of high school. She wanted to pursue a career that highlighted her passion for travel and strengths as a writer.
