Changes on the Reflection in last two years

Last cruises were on the Reflection and Eclipse I think in February 2015. We found the Reflection far superior in so many ways. Now we have booked another cruise on the REFLECTION in Dec 2018. After reading on these boards how much the quality has decreased, I am wondering if I should just cancel my booking. I see that on the Equixox, there is now a charge for the hamburger place near the pool, and that it is now no longer included. I see people mention that less and less is covered in the classic drink package. I see people saying that the quality of the food in the MDR has decreased even more. Service is less. Maybe we will we told at the last minute that our cruise has been chartered by others and we are out of luck?

So am I reading right for these multiple messages? Has it gone down so much in quality? We are elite members and obviously taken a number of celebrity's cruises. I tend to plan my travel long in advance due to large commitments, etc. This will be a lot of money to spend if there has been this large drop, and at the same time an increase of $1500 over the cost we paid two years ago for the identical cruise.

Your views appreciated.

Michael

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You surprise me, we have booked Reflection 14 night cruise in December 2018 it was significantly cheaper than what I paid last or this year. We are only paying $3800 with drink pkg. plus $300 obc for a balcony cabin. We were aboard Reflection last month in the med, can't complain, was a great cruise. MDR food is no different to what it was in the last few years, yes it has declined but still of an acceptable standard. Celebrity S ships still offer a great cruise experience better than most in the same price range. We cruised Oceania last year, almost twice the price of Celebrity and I definitely preferred the Reflection.

Don't listen to all the moaners..........or try P&O then you'll have something to moan about.

We are Canadian so perhaps a premium increase for exchange rate. We are paying for a C2 concierge level 10 cabin $6344 CDN including nothing but the classic drink package included in the deal. Just booked last week with a $960 deposit (also increased since our last time. We went last time on the Reflection for a week cruise and then did a week in Fort Lauderdale and then rejoined for a two week cruise similar to this one (except no St Kitts or St Marteen, both of which we liked). This cruise stays for two days in another port (I assume for them to save money on fuel). On the last trips in Feb 2015, we found that the food, service, and just about everything else was better on the Reflection and worse on the Eclipse, so that is why I booked this time on this ship. Do you know anything about a new charge for the pool hamburger place? When we went that was included.

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In my past life I managed a Payroll department; rarely did anyone comment when their check was delivered on time & correct. However when someone made an error (they were human) resulting in a incorrect check everyone heard about it.

i would venture that the majority of the people who complain continue to sail on Celebrity.

We were on the Reflection last October & loved it. We will be back on her in Oct.

We've sailed Reflection 6 times, most recently this past February / March. Everything is still fine, there is nothing to worry about. I think there are some people that are not happy unless they are complaining. They can find sand in a snow storm!

We've been very impressed with the crew on the Reflection. Excellent wait staff throughout, excellent bar staff and our cabin stewards and butlers have been excellent.

Regarding the charge for burgers this is a new thing that was recently implemented. The charge is $9.95 or $4.95 for a smaller burger (4oz versus 8oz). The burgers you enjoyed previously are still on the ship they are just now located in the dreaded buffet. We have not tried the burgers from Mast Grill since they have started charging (they just started this) but we were on the Reflection multiple times when they had the pay burgers in Lawn Club. On the transatlantic we found the burgers for pay very good. For the cruise in the Caribbean we found the pay burgers Excellent. I believe this is due to the meat quality being sourced from the states.

I can't speak to pricing as we've seen pricing fluctuate all over the place, but as you said perhaps the exchange rate has something to do with it.

So to sum up, we like the staff on the Reflection better than any other ship in the fleet. Though we've never been disappointed with the staff anywhere else. Upcoming we're trying the Equinox and the Eclipse (for a third time) in the next couple of months not because we don't love the reflection but just because itinerary and pricing worked out better for us

Enjoy your trip!!!

We are paying for a C2 concierge level 10 cabin $6344 CDN including nothing but the classic drink package included in the deal. Just booked last week with a $960 deposit.

Hi, I see that we are on the same cruise, seen your post on the Roll Call. I just checked a UK Travel online Agency for a C2 concierge cabin with free drinks pkg. - £3204 with £319 deposit (that's CDN $5219).

We previously booked our Celebrity cruises via a US travel agent until June of last year when the UK became significantly cheaper. Why don't you get a UK quote, you will save a lot.

If you need any further info my email is mhs1@talktalk.net .

See you aboard, regards Mike

We cruised on the Reflection two years ago ( western Med). Great cruise. On of our members on our roll call was thinking about cancelling because of all the negative comments about Celebrity. Many of us assured him it while be fine. They had a terrific cruise. There have always been negative comments for years. We have done several cruises with Celebrity. Yes, things are not the same as years ago ( seems to be on all line) but whenever we meet someone on the ship who is doing their first cruise, they often remark how much better it is compared to other lines they have cruised on. Enjoy your cruise.

Mast Grill not free: Keep in mind that Ocean View is enforcing dress code. No pool attire. So if you are at the pool, you are now forced to pay for lunch unless you go back to your room and change. Celebrity has joined the NCL nickel and dime club.

Mast Grill not free: Keep in mind that Ocean View is enforcing dress code. No pool attire. So if you are at the pool, you are now forced to pay for lunch unless you go back to your room and change. Celebrity has joined the NCL nickel and dime club.

Mast Grill not free: Keep in mind that Ocean View is enforcing dress code. No pool attire. So if you are at the pool, you are now forced to pay for lunch unless you go back to your room and change. Celebrity has joined the NCL nickel and dime club.

Wear a swimsuit cover up or shorts & a t-shirt over your swimsuit, no need to go back to the room and change.

At this point the for fee Mast Grill is just on Constellation and Equinox.

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We have not sailed on the Reflection yet, but have sailed on other S class ships, once per year, for the past five years. We have not noticed any significant reduction in quality during that period. We have very much enjoyed all of the cruises.

By contract, we sailed on the Mercury in 2008, and felt that the quality had gone down from our prior Celebrity cruises. As a result, we did not sail with Celebrity again until 2012.

We think our recent cruises have been just as good if not better than our cruises from the "good old days." Additionally, prices have gone down, especially since we now always seem to get the drink package included for no extra cost.

We were on the Reflection in March and going again in October for the fifth time. It is our favorite Celebrity ship. We have found a decline in the MDR on all ships across all the cruise lines , yet overall still some decent food, we do tend to do speciality restaurants for dinner more often and they are pricey but well worth it. We did not have to pay at the Mast grill in March.

I do not know of Lawn club is still doing the speciality lunches with burgers but they too were well worth it.

I say go for it, it is a wonderful ship and service we have been really happy with .

I completed a Reflection TA in May. I too am concerned about the direction that Celebrity is headed. I worry that one day the Celebrity experience will degrade to the point that that it is no longer enjoyable or an acceptable value. That said, it has not reached that point yet and hopefully never will. Our cruise was very enjoyable. For the most part the staff were great. The ship is in very good condition. The main dinning room food was fine - not fine dinning, but I don't expect that from a venue that serves several thousand patrons. The buffet is also fine for what it is. The Lawn Club Grill was great! Both for lunch and dinner. I hope with the LCG serving upscale hamburgers for lunch, Celebrity will keep the Mast Grill as it is - free. The evening shows provided a variety of entertainment. Were they an entertainment experience that you will remember for years to come? Nope, but they serve their purpose. The casino is a nice size and a fun way to spend an evening. Room service is still free and we used it most mornings for breakfast. The ship doesn't feel overly crowded and we didn't have a problem with excessive lines. I've got another cruise coming up in October on the Equinox. Celebrity still provides a good product. Let hope it continues to do so.

Is lunch at the lawn club included free to PH RS and Sig S guests?

Celebrity still provides a quality cruise experience. However, there have been some changes over the years. For instance, lunch at the Lawn Club Grill used to be $25 and you had the entire menu to choose from. Then it went to an abbreviated menu minus items like filet mignon, scallops, shrimp, etc. Now they are serving gourmet burgers. Exercise classes used to be free but there is often a fee for them now. You have an idea of the trend.

Is lunch at the lawn club included free to PH RS and Sig S guests?

yes. In January we were in a sig s and all spec dining was included. We ate at the LCG one day for lunch. It was good but too much food.

For those concerned about the negative comments, I read them and think if the negative comment/complaint is something I really care about and 95% of the time I could care less. That is how I feel about the mast grill. I have eaten there when it was free and will probably do the same for the 5.00 burger. To the OP, don't get too swayed by the negative comments. Happy sailing.

yes. In January we were in a sig s and all spec dining was included. We ate at the LCG one day for lunch. It was good but too much food.

Thanks for that! Agree re too much food! We will occasionally skip breakfast to enjoy lunch!

What we certainly found disconcerting was has different the two ships were at the same time. Went first on the Reflection - all was great, really impressed with everything. The food was Ok, service, etc. Then two weeks later on the Eclipse, and the reverse. The same menu in the MDR it seemed, but smaller portions and less taste. Had to return a few meals. I always take photos of my meals, just as I do for so many parts of the trips I have been on. I saw the difference in those photos. Then the difference in the buffet breakfast. Reflection served these very tasty large croissants - next ship, small mingy ones that seemed dry. Etc for so many things regarding the food. Had I not been on the two ships one after the other, I might not have noticed the differences. In addition, the configuration of the ship itself, somewhat different in the places to sit in shade on the higher decks. Less on the Eclipse. I had thought that there would have been less structural differences. After the second cruise, we determined not to bother again with the Eclipse as the Reflection seemed to have been a better experience. We felt the Reflection was almost perfect but had a lot of complaints on the other. Also the cooling. We found the Reflection, OK, but the Eclipse was too hot, The MDR was kept too warm as was the showroom and other places.

So that is why we chose to repeat our cruise again on this ship, even though we were not happy with the removal of the two ports and the increase in cost. We are looking forward to this cruise, hopefully, it will be OK.

I wouldn't ignore any of the comments around here, but I would take all comments with a big grain of salt, both the positive and the negative. Those with negative comments aren't just complainers. They often have valid complaints, but those complaints may or may not effect your vacation.

Our first Celebrity trip was on Reflection and it was our best X experience by far. That being said it's also our experience the level of food in the MDR has gone way down in quality and the level of service has too. So much so in fact that our last vacation was an all-inclusive, which we found to be almost as good and significantly cheaper. If you expect fine dining, you will be unhappy. If you expect the Olive Garden at sea, you'll likely be very happy. If you expect the large hall experience, you're probably on the right track.

At this point the for fee Mast Grill is just on Constellation and Equinox.

 

 

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That is what I thought, so I wonder why someone would say it is on the Reflection, when it has not been added there.

The person probably was thinking of the hamburgers available at the Lawn Club Grill for lunch. That is something new.

The person probably was thinking of the hamburgers available at the Lawn Club Grill for lunch. That is something new.

Sailed on Reflection in May, thought it was fantastic. Old quality in the MDR has declined across all lines, but still good. The buffet imho better than any line I've been on as yet since 2014, especially RCI which is now shocking as far as I'm concerned.

The speciality restaurants wonderful. All staff helpful, friendly and efficient.

Can't wait to get on Eclipse in 98 days.

An interesting situation. Was told here in this thread by one of the very helpful folks in the UK (Thanks for your comments), that the prices for the cruise do not seem to be the same in different countries, even taking into consideration the exchange rate. Seems that Celebrity feels that they can milk us poor sun starved Canadians for a much higher fare price for the same cruise. For example, my cruise is the December 7, 2018 Reflection cruise. I am paying $6344 CDN (including the Basic Drinks) and the UK folks are paying the equivalent of $5034 CDN with the same drinks package. So I am paying $1300 more for the exact same product. That seems rather unfair. I have not checked what it would cost from the US site, but I assume that it is also less based on some of the comments here. Anyone else looked into this, especially from Canada?