Review of Reflection Eastern Mediterranean June 23, 2014

[TexSea]

Hello everyone. Just back from a fantastic June 23 Eastern Mediterranean cruise on the Reflection. This was our third time on Reflection in AquaClass and it was probably the best experience overall - the food and service were up a notch or two. I have the dailies and some Blu menus and will post them in the next few days. This part of the review is mostly about the ship experience and I'll post information about the ports later. And of course I'll try to answer any questions.

 

Embarkation...We dropped off our bags and after a very quick check-in we were sipping sparkling wine and making our way to Bistro on 5. It really felt good to be "home." I upgraded our classic drink package beforehand and it was correctly noted on our seapasses. The rooms ready announcement was made a little after 1:30 (I think). We went to drop off our carry-ons and our luggage was already there. So easy.

 

Stateroom...We were in 1578. Nice location between the two sets of elevators. Rogelio the room attendant was attentive, always with something nice to say in the hallway. Absolutely no problems with the room. After a week we happen to notice there were no flowers - not sure if it was just an oversight or a discontinued amenity. The bath products have been changed and upgraded (in my opinion) to Gilchrist & Soames. Loved the scent. Were the products changed for all rooms?

 

Blu…I know a lot has been said about Blu on Reflection, including comments I have made. But dining there was a pleasure every time on this cruise. I thought they had actually separated some of the tables, but my partner says they didn't. A lot has been hyped on CC about Jose and his section. All I can say is the hype is much deserved and he's well aware of his CC reputation. Our first dinner there we requested his section - in the back, behind the partition this time. He seemed to recognize us even though he had never served us. His assistant Lestari we already knew and she immediately was excited to see us. Every dinner he was warm and welcoming, ready with recommendations. I'm a vegetarian and he would give options that he thought I would like. He learned we liked spicy food and would make sure to add heat to dishes when appropriate. Even during breakfast when we weren't in his section he made a point of making sure we were taken care of. There was a misstep during the second breakfast when it seemed the servers were forgetting everything that was ordered in our section. But the personable, sweet and funny hostess Mirjanna and the manager Murat were more than willing to help out to make sure things worked. Overall the mood in Blu felt less hectic to us and I think that is due to Murat and Mirjanna. Our sommelier Fernando was just OK, more like a wine server. He never offered suggestions based on our actual meal orders. But he was attentive and quick to come to the table when we sat down. I noticed that both Jose and Lestari refilled our wine glasses sometimes. While I don't know if that's supposed to happen, I didn't care because from a customer perspective I liked it.

 

Bar service…excellent. Never a problem with the drink package or getting prompt service at any bar. And we tried them all at busy and less busy times. On this cruise the Molecular Bar (Barbara and George) and the Ensemble Bar (Nigel) were particularly outstanding. All servers seemed very aware of the packages and made sure to check your card before serving a premium drink. Saw very few slips being signed.

 

Cellar Masters…We never spent much time there before. However, we found out that Stephania, our favorite sommelier from Blu, was now working there, so we used Cellar Masters a bit more. We did a California wine tasting and the premium wine tasting there and both were a lot of fun. A few nights we popped in there before dinner to get a glass of wine to take back to Blu, much to the chagrin of the Blu sommelier. Cellar Masters does have bottled wine that you can use with the premium drink package. Or at least we did. Whenever we went in before dinner it was pretty busy. One night Cellar Masters was turned into a dance club with a small stage.

 

Canyon Ranch spa...On previous cruises we each have had three to four treatments so we are familiar with the AquaSpa experience and eagerly anticipated the Canyon Ranch takeover. The treatments that we had on this cruise were very good. There was no hard sell of products at the end. I was offered one product half-heartedly, I said no, and that was that. However, the experience outside the treatment room was a disorganized mess. I will give them the benefit of the doubt and hope that their customer service will improve as they gain more experience on the ship. Questions at the front desk were usually met with blank stares until they realized they should help. The treatments we had all began at least 15 minutes late. While it wasn't an issue for me personally to be anyplace else on time, other guests were agitated they would be late for their other engagements. For a massage when my name was called in the Relaxation Room another guest said that it was him. I assumed I misheard but my partner was sure it was my name. I asked someone and sure enough the therapist had taken the wrong person back who wanted a different treatment. I made an appointment for a facial consultation. First the male (yes, they have males working there now) massage therapist who was working the front desk was confused about what I was asking for and kept asking me to repeat. He claimed the aesthetician was with another client so I waited. For the fifteen minutes I waited I saw the front desk completely empty for several minutes at a time while agitated guests queued up. A young man came in for a "massage trial." The desk had no idea what he was talking about and tried to setup a massage. He left frustrated. Then four other people came in for the "thai massage tester". Why the staff didn't realize that's what he wanted I'll chalk up to a language issue I guess. After fifteen minutes no one came to get me so I walked out and we didn't schedule any future appointments. This was the smallest cruise bill ever for us so it wasn't all bad.

 

Persian Gardens...Relaxing as usual with a great view. No problem getting the tiled beds when we wanted. However, there were definitely chair hogs that prevented others from using them. One bed didn't work at all and another was so hot you needed at least three towels to buffer the heat. When we notified the front desk about the broken beds and the chair hog issue they were only mildly interested. The locker rooms no longer need a checked out key and use a self-setting combination. Not sure why some literature says there is a fee for using the locker rooms as anyone can just walk in.

 

Pool deck and solarium...busy on sea days. We could always find two chairs though. Chair hogs were out in force of course. I do wish that people would discard their towels if they weren't using the chairs anymore and the pool butlers were more aggressive about picking up used towels from chairs so that more chairs would appear available.

 

Oceanview Cafe...Great for a late night pizza run after the Molecular Bar. Otherwise didn't eat there.

 

Mast Grill...Our favorite non-Blu dining location. The long lines have been much improved with more patties being made ahead of time. However, you have to stand in line before they will put a veggie burger on the grill, which takes another ten minutes to cook. So for veggie burgers it still takes some time. The french fries are the best and kept us going back. The Mast Grill was also the scene of the only rude guest behavior we saw. I think the wait in line brings out the worst in people.

 

Room service...Due to early touring days we did room service breakfast twice. We ordered omelettes that seemed almost pre-made and warmed up. Disappointing but got the job done I suppose.

 

Specialty restaurants...Throughout the cruise we received several voicemails offering discounts. They were from the Blu hostess so I assume these were offered just to AquaClass. We did Tuscan Grille the first night at 50% off. It was our first time to eat there. We had the filet and the mushroom ravioli. The food and service were excellent. And the view from our table by the window - outstanding. Another couple we met were very good at negotiating discounts and we ended up at Murano (also our first time there) for 50% off the second formal night. I loved the attentive service there and the deliciously rich food.

 

Entertainment...The Momentum show was a little tedious as we had seen it twice before, but the aerialists were fun to watch again. We wish the song "Runaway" at the end would be retired - it goes on forever and ever. The featured violinist was entertaining. The ventriloquist was hilarious. We made the mistake of going to a blackjack class which emboldened us to play for real. Celebrity is a few bucks richer because of it. We were never bored or lacked things to do. Other guests commented to us about the lack of the acapella group and guest lecturers. The World Cup was a scheduled event in several areas, for better or worse.

 

Liquid and Indulgence...One night they turned the Solarium into a Miami-inspired club called "Liquid." I know it's been done before but this was a first for us. They had mermaids, contortionists and bubble boys. I'll post a video of the bubble boy later. It was fun to watch and a number of people were dancing. Indulgence I hadn't heard about on CC before. This was the first Indulgence scheduled for Reflection. For a $39 fee you get unlimited food and drinks for a couple of hours in a "Moulin Rouge type experience." They decorated the Ensemble Lounge and down to the restaurant courtyard with velvet curtains with staging areas for different acts. We initially made a reservation but cancelled it thinking it'd just be "stupid". A couple we met went and they enjoyed it for the most part. They said the food and drinks was pretty good and different. However, the drinks were unique to this event so the bar staff was completely overwhelmed and frustrated. Kudos to the cruise director for trying out different events.

 

Exiting the senses...I wish Celebrity would hire me as a proofreader. How many times did I see "Exiting the senses" instead of "Exciting the senses"? Or question marks instead of periods? Or black type on a dark purple background?

 

Disembarkation...Walked right off at our assigned time, luggage was there, got in our hired car to go back to Rome. So easy. Neither of us have received the end of cruise questionnaire survey.

 

Celebrity is a great fit for us and we love the product and the new things they are trying out.

[drychi]

Thanks for the review. My wife and I have enjoyed having Lestari as part of our serving team in Blu on both of our Reflection cruises. I am glad to see she is still on board and still doing a great job. Hope Celebrity is noticing! Happy Cruising.

[drarill]

Excellent review!! We are doing the same itinerary next week and I can't wait. Can you let us know if you had two or three formal nights and which days were formal? Also, when was the Liquid party?

Thanks for taking the time to share your cruise with us. :)

[Tommy3putts]

Great review. We had a very similar experience.

 

Two formal nights on the first and third sea days.

[wpgcycler]

Great review - thank you!

[drarill]

Great review. We had a very similar experience.

 

Two formal nights on the first and third sea days.

 

Thanks Tom!! Do you remember when was the Liquid Party? :)

[Tommy3putts]

Every day at the Sunset Bar for me. :)

 

Not sure what the liquid party is other than a beer in my hand.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[Texed]

Thanks for posting. :)

[JonnyCT81]

 

Pool deck and solarium...busy on sea days. We could always find two chairs though. Chair hogs were out in force of course. I do wish that people would discard their towels if they weren't using the chairs anymore and the pool butlers were more aggressive about picking up used towels from chairs so that more chairs would appear available.

 

This annoys me to no end.....you would think that people would think of others when they are doing this. I have seen some people come out, put down towels, and then leave for lunch or to go somewhere else on the ship. I know Celebrity doesn't want to have to "babysit" some of their guests however I am one of the "if there are rules, they are there for a reason" crowd. Pool Butlers should be out and enforcing the rule; sorry for the rant, it just gets under my skin. I loved your review BTW, we are doing the same cruise next year and I am very much looking forward to it! :-)

[TexSea]

Excellent review!! We are doing the same itinerary next week and I can't wait. Can you let us know if you had two or three formal nights and which days were formal? Also, when was the Liquid party?

 

Thanks for taking the time to share your cruise with us. :)

 

 

I will find out the Liquid day as soon as my luggage appears with my saved schedules. Lufthansa is supposed to be Fedexing our one late suitcase tomorrow.

 

You'll have a great time!!

[Keith1010]

Enjoyed your review and glad you had a nice time.

 

Keith

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[gordylad]

We were on this cruise.

 

Re Pool deck and solarium...busy on sea days. We could always find two chairs though. Chair hogs were out in force of course. I do wish that people would discard their towels if they weren't using the chairs anymore and the pool butlers were more aggressive about picking up used towels from chairs so that more chairs would appear available.

 

Just wanted to say that sometimes we found the loud music unbearable at the pool especially on the first few days before they toned it down a bit. We also noticed towels out on beds very early!

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Thank you for the report!

 

Would you mind commenting on the seas, were they rough anywhere? We are doing eastern Med. next year and I hear sometimes the winds can pick up. Resulting in rough waters and missed ports.

 

Thanks!

[drarill]

I will find out the Liquid day as soon as my luggage appears with my saved schedules. Lufthansa is supposed to be Fedexing our one late suitcase tomorrow.

 

You'll have a great time!!

 

Thanks Jayson. Hope you get your missing luggage soon. We are using Lufthansa for the first time this year...

[gordylad]

RE: Would you mind commenting on the seas, were they rough anywhere? We are doing eastern Med. next year and I hear sometimes the winds can pick up. Resulting in rough waters and missed ports.

 

No rough seas on this cruise excellent sunshine all the way

[Tommy3putts]

I was on this cruise. Going into this cruise I was worried about rough waters and seasickness. However for our cruise, the seas were for almost the entire cruise were calm and never and issue for me.

 

Mykonos is the island that is notorious for high winds. It was very windy for our visit, but because we were docked it did not affect ship movement in the least. I believe a smaller cruise ship in the area that same day was not able to dock and could not find a place to anchor for tendering so it was forced to miss stopping in Mykonos.

 

Great cruise and recommend it.

[vulcan1971]

Jayson - enjoying your review with the detail you are highlighting throughout. I look forward to hearing more.... and thinking a Bermuda cruise may be in my plans for 2015.

[CruisingGatorGirl]

RE: Would you mind commenting on the seas, were they rough anywhere? We are doing eastern Med. next year and I hear sometimes the winds can pick up. Resulting in rough waters and missed ports.

 

No rough seas on this cruise excellent sunshine all the way

 

I was on this cruise. Going into this cruise I was worried about rough waters and seasickness. However for our cruise, the seas were for almost the entire cruise were calm and never and issue for me.

 

Mykonos is the island that is notorious for high winds. It was very windy for our visit, but because we were docked it did not affect ship movement in the least. I believe a smaller cruise ship in the area that same day was not able to dock and could not find a place to anchor for tendering so it was forced to miss stopping in Mykonos.

 

Great cruise and recommend it.

 

thank you both!

[TexSea]

I completely agree with what Gordy and Tommy said about the calmness. Some days the Med looked like blue glass.

 

Though interestingly, one of the of the spa employees said the seas were "rough" compared to the usually calm Med. But if that's rough I'll take it!

[vulcan1971]

Jayson - enjoying your review with the detail you are highlighting throughout. I look forward to hearing more.... and thinking a Bermuda cruise may be in my plans for 2015.

 

Before the comments come rolling in.... I know the Reflection doesn't sail to Bermuda. I just happen to have Bermuda cruise reviews on the brain this week.

 

Sent from my Samsung Note 2 on the T-Mobile 4G LTE Network

[bluewhite]

I was on this cruise. Going into this cruise I was worried about rough waters and seasickness. However for our cruise, the seas were for almost the entire cruise were calm and never and issue for me.

 

Mykonos is the island that is notorious for high winds. It was very windy for our visit, but because we were docked it did not affect ship movement in the least. I believe a smaller cruise ship in the area that same day was not able to dock and could not find a place to anchor for tendering so it was forced to miss stopping in Mykonos.

 

Great cruise and recommend it.

We are on this cruise in the Fall. Tommy3putts do you know if Mykonos is always a docked port with the Reflection now?

Thanks in advance for the answer.

[Tommy3putts]

I'm not exactly sure but I believe that they usually tender there. The main port is a mile or two from the village and it's only big enough for one ship. I think they docked there because of the wind. I'll need someone else to verify though.

[hirobmay]

Hi, Great review so far. We're on this cruise in August..CANNOT wait!

One question, did you get Turkish Lira for Istanbul?

Did you bring it with you of change it locally?

Maybe you used euros?

 

As yet, i've not sorted any.:confused: