Reflection 1/3/15

[sheista]

Just returned from sailing Reflection 1/3/15. We previously sailed our first ever cruise on Reflection December '13.

We were very much looking forward to the week based on our experiences last year. However, we noticed a few things that were disappointing and changed our perception of Celebrity/Reflection.

SERVICE service has declined measurably. We witnessed/experienced 3 levels of service: good, slow & inattentive, rude and disrespectful. Last year all service was exceptional. We never saw our stateroom attendant. Had to search him out if we needed anything and he was unable to answer any questions we had.

CAFE AL BACIO we waited a whole year for this cup of coffee! This year it was consistently weak and often cold. I threw 2 cups away after the first sip.

AVAILABILITY from the first day many beverages were just unavailable. We often heard that the 2 holiday weeks were "tough". We are wine drinkers and were always looking for another wine because they simply just didn't have a lot in stock. A side note about wine: per glass pricing has increased significantly.

 

Two things of note:

1. While we had good weather, seas were very rough the last 2 days. SIL attended an engineering seminar on how the ship runs. She learned that this was the roughest water the Reflection had ever encountered.

2. We were in St. Maarten the day of the terror attacks in Paris. Sometime between 3:30 and 4:00(we had already boarded the ship), there was an hour + delay to board. There were rumors in the elevator that there was a threat. Someone said the threat was a hoax. I called guest relations and was told local authorities had to come on board. When I questioned why, it was because they needed to make sure "they were doing everything right"... One of the servers in the bar stated the ship was on lock down. I'm not sure what the real reason was but we left over an hour late.

 

Overall we had a good week; weather was fabulous, great times in ports and good to spend fun time together. I will be reading reviews carefully before deciding which ship/line we will book for next year.

[vulcan1971]

Just returned from sailing Reflection 1/3/15. We previously sailed our first ever cruise on Reflection December '13.

We were very much looking forward to the week based on our experiences last year. However, we noticed a few things that were disappointing and changed our perception of Celebrity/Reflection.

SERVICE service has declined measurably. We witnessed/experienced 3 levels of service: good, slow & inattentive, rude and disrespectful. Last year all service was exceptional. We never saw our stateroom attendant. Had to search him out if we needed anything and he was unable to answer any questions we had.

CAFE AL BACIO we waited a whole year for this cup of coffee! This year it was consistently weak and often cold. I threw 2 cups away after the first sip.

AVAILABILITY from the first day many beverages were just unavailable. We often heard that the 2 holiday weeks were "tough". We are wine drinkers and were always looking for another wine because they simply just didn't have a lot in stock. A side note about wine: per glass pricing has increased significantly.

 

Two things of note:

1. While we had good weather, seas were very rough the last 2 days. SIL attended an engineering seminar on how the ship runs. She learned that this was the roughest water the Reflection had ever encountered.

2. We were in St. Maarten the day of the terror attacks in Paris. Sometime between 3:30 and 4:00(we had already boarded the ship), there was an hour + delay to board. There were rumors in the elevator that there was a threat. Someone said the threat was a hoax. I called guest relations and was told local authorities had to come on board. When I questioned why, it was because they needed to make sure "they were doing everything right"... One of the servers in the bar stated the ship was on lock down. I'm not sure what the real reason was but we left over an hour late.

 

Overall we had a good week; weather was fabulous, great times in ports and good to spend fun time together. I will be reading reviews carefully before deciding which ship/line we will book for next year.

 

Welcome back from your cruise and thanks for sharing some of your thoughts on your recent sailing.

 

A couple of things that strike me in this post:

 

1) Regarding your comments on "service", did you bring this to the attention of anyone while on the ship? If yes, with whom and did you need to do so more than once? If no, then why not? Lately I seem to see more cruisers coming to cruise critic to share their "less than stellar" time on the ship, but took no action when they could have to change/improve their experience. And your stateroom attendant not available? Well, each stateroom is equipped with a telephone and I found that the best way to reach mine when I didn't see him/her in the hallway.

 

2) Regarding Cafe al Bacio... if your experience there was indeed as "bad" as you describe, I'm even more confused. First, they serve espresso based coffee (in the form of an Americano) and I seriously doubt it was "cold" or "weak" as it is made with piping hot water and a shot(s) of espresso. If the beverage was as you described, why not return it and have another made fresh?

 

3) Regarding the "availability" of beverages on a sailing. Unfortunately, that can happen. Sometimes a ship's restock of items doesn't include everything as usual, sometimes the ship goes through some items faster than expected. Maybe that was the situation on your specific cruise. That can prove to be a pain, but not one that I would let spoil my trip. When I am confronted with a similar situation (and I have in the past), I find something new and different, maybe a recommendation from the bar staff or sommelier, and go on to enjoy different offerings. And on a side note regarding "increased pricing" on wine by the glass, that isn't anything new. This has been a regular discussion on numerous threads for more than 6 months. Maybe you haven't been reading these types of threads and weren't aware, but the information is widely available for those that went to look for it.

 

 

Not sure how many cruises per year that you do, but from the way your post was written, it doesn't sound like you do more than 2 per year. IMHO, and not to sound like I have completely discounted your experience and disbelieve in your comments.... as I do think you could have experienced some issues with service, but that can happen from time to time, but a bad sailing does not indicate a decline of overall service around the ship... or at least that is not the sentiment being shared by other posters returning from their recent cruises and sharing their experiences here on Cruise Critic.

 

While my thoughts here are no consolation to you for your "imperfect" experience, I wouldn't want you to have a perception that was based incorrectly on one sailing that was not up to par for you. Reading reviews are only one way of identifying what is happening with a ship or cruise line and it's been my experience that far more unhappy cruisers post reviews than happy cruisers... and that can bias the available published information.

Edited January 12, 2015 by vulcan1971

[Queen of Oakville]

Vulcan, I believe the OP has only been on 2 cruises - both with Celebrity.

 

 

From our Nov 2014, sailing, I can only say that the service was phenomenal. Other than one encounter in the ilounge, I think each and every crew member provided us with top-notch service. We have had good even great service on other cruise lines, but it is always done with the underlying motivation of a good rating on the guest satisfaction survey or the intent of getting a good tip. On X, we received excellent service "just because"; there was no constant mention of surveys or tips like we always find on other lines.

 

As for the coffee, I found the Americano disappointing. I did find the espresso to be quite good (tasted like good coffee to me). I would have several double espressos throughout the day in lieu of coffee.

 

OP sorry your cruise was not what you expected.

[Princesshhi]

We will be sailing for the 3rd time this November. The first time the service was wonderful. The 2nd time (Jan 2014) bar service was very very bad. The worst of any cruise we have been on. Both times we had the beverage package. The bars were not overly busy.

 

 

We were totally ignored several times - not even "I be with you soon", nothing. We should have complained. We will be giving it a another try this year because we love the ship. But I will take your advice

and complain this time if it happens again.

Edited January 12, 2015 by Princesshhi

[JerryAM]

I was on the same cruise. As to service, our stateroom attendants were the best we ever had (including the Reflection in 2014). They were always around and kept us fully stocked. I do believe that there is inconsistency in the quality of stateroom attendants on ships and consider us very lucky this time. I had a daily decaf cappuccino at Cafe al Bacio and found them as good or better than on my 2014 cruise. I did notice that many different people were making the drinks, so that could have been a factor for the OP. Thanks for the comment on the rough seas -- they were the worst that I have ever experienced. A bit more info as to the reason for the St. Martin delay would have been nice -- we were kept off the ship for about 45 minutes, with the directions from the police and dock security personnel sometimes being contradictory as to where to go and where to wait. Of course, this was St. Martin police and had nothing to do with the ship's crew.

[vulcan1971]

Vulcan, I believe the OP has only been on 2 cruises - both with Celebrity.

 

 

From our Nov 2014, sailing, I can only say that the service was phenomenal. Other than one encounter in the ilounge, I think each and every crew member provided us with top-notch service. We have had good even great service on other cruise lines, but it is always done with the underlying motivation of a good rating on the guest satisfaction survey or the intent of getting a good tip. On X, we received excellent service "just because"; there was no constant mention of surveys or tips like we always find on other lines.

 

As for the coffee, I found the Americano disappointing. I did find the espresso to be quite good (tasted like good coffee to me). I would have several double espressos throughout the day in lieu of coffee.

 

OP sorry your cruise was not what you expected.

 

Queen of Oakville - Since many folks don't advertise their past sailing history, unlike you or me, I don't assume to know their frequency of cruising to assess their understanding (or lack thereof) when things change on a ship.

 

Regarding Americanos, I know I don't like them at Starbucks so I would never order one on a cruise ship. In fact, I bring my own Strabucks VIA packets to make my own coffee as I know far too well how terrible cruise ship coffee can be. I even take those packets with me to dining venues, such as Blu, specialty restaurants, etc., and ask for a pot of hot water so I can prepare/dissolve my packets and enjoy a wonderful cup of coffee. I even pack my partner's favorite teas to enjoy around the ship at various dining venues.

 

Now that ship surveys on Celebrity have moved to "electronic" post-cruise actions to take care of, I think this puts even less emphasis on cruise ship staff hoping/expecting good reviews and ratings for their service being good. In fact, wonder how many passenger really taking the time/effort for filling out the survey or are they only filling out when things go poorly?

Edited January 12, 2015 by vulcan1971

[sheista]

Welcome back from your cruise and thanks for sharing some of your thoughts on your recent sailing.

 

A couple of things that strike me in this post:

 

1) Regarding your comments on "service", did you bring this to the attention of anyone while on the ship? If yes, with whom and did you need to do so more than once? If no, then why not? Lately I seem to see more cruisers coming to cruise critic to share their "less than stellar" time on the ship, but took no action when they could have to change/improve their experience. And your stateroom attendant not available? Well, each stateroom is equipped with a telephone and I found that the best way to reach mine when I didn't see him/her in the hallway.

 

2) Regarding Cafe al Bacio... if your experience there was indeed as "bad" as you describe, I'm even more confused. First, they serve espresso based coffee (in the form of an Americano) and I seriously doubt it was "cold" or "weak" as it is made with piping hot water and a shot(s) of espresso. If the beverage was as you described, why not return it and have another made fresh?

 

3) Regarding the "availability" of beverages on a sailing. Unfortunately, that can happen. Sometimes a ship's restock of items doesn't include everything as usual, sometimes the ship goes through some items faster than expected. Maybe that was the situation on your specific cruise. That can prove to be a pain, but not one that I would let spoil my trip. When I am confronted with a similar situation (and I have in the past), I find something new and different, maybe a recommendation from the bar staff or sommelier, and go on to enjoy different offerings. And on a side note regarding "increased pricing" on wine by the glass, that isn't anything new. This has been a regular discussion on numerous threads for more than 6 months. Maybe you haven't been reading these types of threads and weren't aware, but the information is widely available for those that went to look for it.

 

 

Not sure how many cruises per year that you do, but from the way your post was written, it doesn't sound like you do more than 2 per year. IMHO, and not to sound like I have completely discounted your experience and disbelieve in your comments.... as I do think you could have experienced some issues with service, but that can happen from time to time, but a bad sailing does not indicate a decline of overall service around the ship... or at least that is not the sentiment being shared by other posters returning from their recent cruises and sharing their experiences here on Cruise Critic.

 

While my thoughts here are no consolation to you for your "imperfect" experience, I wouldn't want you to have a perception that was based incorrectly on one sailing that was not up to par for you. Reading reviews are only one way of identifying what is happening with a ship or cruise line and it's been my experience that far more unhappy cruisers post reviews than happy cruisers... and that can bias the available published information.

 

 

 

Regarding service: I/we did. Luca, asst. Matre d. Hense the move of table after the 3rd night. Regarding using the telephone, I did use the phone when he or his assistant wasn't visible. Many times it went unanswered. One time we needed shampoo. I called. Thirty minutes later, I had to call again.

 

Cafe al bacio. You can find it hard to believe. But, I really have no reason to take the time to write out an experience that is not true. I understand it is Americano. It was weak and cold. Fact. We did return and have them remade.

 

Availability. It didn't ruin our trip. Just a true observation/experience. We did attempt to find other options to enjoy but those were unavailable as well. The point is inventory was limited/low overall. I did miss the other comments on per glass pricing increase.

 

I stated at the beginning of my thread that it was my 2nd Celebrity cruise, our first ever cruise in December of '13.

I wrote a positive review after returning home.

 

I shared our experience because we do read and value what is written by others here. I did state that overall we had a good week. The point of expressing my experience is that there was a vast difference overall in a year's time. Service(which all 3 comments, in my opinion, can fall under the same umbrella) is an important aspect to us when considering a vacation. And, constantly having to "take action" detracts from the week overall.

Edited January 12, 2015 by sheista

[sheista]

I was on the same cruise. As to service, our stateroom attendants were the best we ever had (including the Reflection in 2014). They were always around and kept us fully stocked. I do believe that there is inconsistency in the quality of stateroom attendants on ships and consider us very lucky this time. I had a daily decaf cappuccino at Cafe al Bacio and found them as good or better than on my 2014 cruise. I did notice that many different people were making the drinks, so that could have been a factor for the OP. Thanks for the comment on the rough seas -- they were the worst that I have ever experienced. A bit more info as to the reason for the St. Martin delay would have been nice -- we were kept off the ship for about 45 minutes, with the directions from the police and dock security personnel sometimes being contradictory as to where to go and where to wait. Of course, this was St. Martin police and had nothing to do with the ship's crew.

 

 

I agree: more info would have been nice. Especially in your situation being kept off of the ship.

I'm jealous of your great coffee ;)

[sheista]

Vulcan, I believe the OP has only been on 2 cruises - both with Celebrity.

 

 

From our Nov 2014, sailing, I can only say that the service was phenomenal. Other than one encounter in the ilounge, I think each and every crew member provided us with top-notch service. We have had good even great service on other cruise lines, but it is always done with the underlying motivation of a good rating on the guest satisfaction survey or the intent of getting a good tip. On X, we received excellent service "just because"; there was no constant mention of surveys or tips like we always find on other lines.

 

As for the coffee, I found the Americano disappointing. I did find the espresso to be quite good (tasted like good coffee to me). I would have several double espressos throughout the day in lieu of coffee.

 

OP sorry your cruise was not what you expected.

 

Your description of service is what we experienced last year. ITA re: Americano.

[C 2 C]

We were on last week as well. However we never left the ship and the St Maarten delay was never mentioned on board.

 

Every morning we go down to cafe el baccio for our morning breakfast a double shot capucino and tea plus a sticky bun or croisant. We take a seat and have never had to wait more than five minutes from ordering to delivery.

 

The room stewards on our floor always greet us and the entire corridor for their assignment are completed in sequence. The location of the service cart always indicate where they are working at the time.

 

One must really have a black cloud following one in order to have bad service not only from their room steward as well as the cafe staff and bar staff.

 

We were onboard for two weeks a month ago as well and we have never been denied our wine of choice either at dinner, in the ocean view cafe or at the passport bar.

[sheista]

 

One must really have a black cloud following one in order to have bad service not only from their room steward as well as the cafe staff and bar staff.

 

.

 

yep~that's me

 

I did not say cafe staff was rude. I said they couldn't make a decent/hot Americano. I did not wine steward was rude. I said many wine choices were not available.

[vulcan1971]

I did not say cafe staff was rude.

 

Neither did the person you quoted.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6 Plus on the T-Mobile 4G LTE Network using Tapatalk Pro

[jzad]

We were on last week as well. However we never left the ship and the St Maarten delay was never mentioned on board.

 

 

 

Every morning we go down to cafe el baccio for our morning breakfast a double shot capucino and tea plus a sticky bun or croisant. We take a seat and have never had to wait more than five minutes from ordering to delivery.

 

 

 

The room stewards on our floor always greet us and the entire corridor for their assignment are completed in sequence. The location of the service cart always indicate where they are working at the time.

 

 

 

One must really have a black cloud following one in order to have bad service not only from their room steward as well as the cafe staff and bar staff.

 

 

 

We were onboard for two weeks a month ago as well and we have never been denied our wine of choice either at dinner, in the ocean view cafe or at the passport bar.

 

 

We were also on this sailing, our first on Celebrity. Our stateroom attendant (Michelle) was absolutely fantastic and extremely thorough and helpful.

 

I actually said to my husband that the coffee was so hot, both in Al Bacio and everywhere else, that I needed 2 sleeves on my cup. I was great with this however as I love hot coffee!

 

We were delayed leaving St. Marten and we did see police on the pier but never heard any mention of anything terror related on board. I did see a woman who appeared to have hit her head or nose on something being brought back on board in a wheel chair.

 

Every person who served us what excellent. Best cruise we've ever been on.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[vulcan1971]

Just goes to show that two different people can have the exact opposite reaction on the same cruise.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6 Plus on the T-Mobile 4G LTE Network using Tapatalk Pro

[sheista]

Neither did the person you quoted.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6 Plus on the T-Mobile 4G LTE Network using Tapatalk Pro

 

you are correct. My error. Mentally I exchange rude for bad.

I did not say cafe or bar service was "bad". I stand by the rest of my statement.

 

As I stated above, I posted my experience because of the difference between my 2 sailings. I stand by what I posted. I discussed my experiences to appropriate people on board and filled out my on line survey(both positive and negative in both instances). Nothing in my original post was untrue or flagrant.

[sheista]

Just goes to show that two different people can have the exact opposite reaction on the same cruise.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6 Plus on the T-Mobile 4G LTE Network using Tapatalk Pro

 

 

"experience" would be the more appropriate term. I did not react, I responded.

[jerseycandyman]

We just got off that sailing also while I must say not everything was perfect but this was absolutely one of our best cruises. There were a lot of little things wrong but the experience we had having the premium beverage package was absolutely fantastic. I will say we thought the bartenders at the martini bar were some of the worst. We had a fantastic time at molecular bar with the best bartenders ever Sergy Marius and the lovely Alexandra that truly made our trip amazing

John & Donna

[Duanerice1]

Too bad the cruise wasn't up to snuff. Just off a 10 night on the Equinox and the service couldn't have been better. Everything you mentioned, ours was the opposite. Service was fantastic. That stinks yours wasn't.

 

The coffee is what really surprised me. I couldn't hold the cup every time I got it as it is made with 2 shots espresso and scalding hot water. But I got the to go cup and you probably had your there. Could have sat for a while I guess.

 

Hope the next cruise is better. I think that is what set Celebrity apart is the service.

enjoy,

Duane

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for your review.

[gopro63]

Service in the stateroom. Do not put your disturb sign on your door, next time?

in the morning, wake up, open and reclose your door, to drop the tissue wedged in the door. these are two tips, to get your stateroom attendant.

 

Deck five café, they re busy, and the lines long. to speed up service, you may not get the great attention you deserve.

 

Weather, the Ship had rougher weather than your sailing date.

 

If the ship did not meet your standards, then you had that chance to fill your complaint.

 

I will say this, the Reflection is not the best Sailing ship, has a lot of creaking and has a lot of noise, on a number of decks and places, especially in some cabins.

 

Some people complain about Staff, but some complain about structure.

 

Staff I can deal with, structure, you can not.

[wedding96]

Welcome back from your cruise and thanks for sharing some of your thoughts on your recent sailing.

 

A couple of things that strike me in this post:

 

1) Regarding your comments on "service", did you bring this to the attention of anyone while on the ship? If yes, with whom and did you need to do so more than once? If no, then why not? Lately I seem to see more cruisers coming to cruise critic to share their "less than stellar" time on the ship, but took no action when they could have to change/improve their experience. And your stateroom attendant not available? Well, each stateroom is equipped with a telephone and I found that the best way to reach mine when I didn't see him/her in the hallway.

 

2) Regarding Cafe al Bacio... if your experience there was indeed as "bad" as you describe, I'm even more confused. First, they serve espresso based coffee (in the form of an Americano) and I seriously doubt it was "cold" or "weak" as it is made with piping hot water and a shot(s) of espresso. If the beverage was as you described, why not return it and have another made fresh?

 

3) Regarding the "availability" of beverages on a sailing. Unfortunately, that can happen. Sometimes a ship's restock of items doesn't include everything as usual, sometimes the ship goes through some items faster than expected. Maybe that was the situation on your specific cruise. That can prove to be a pain, but not one that I would let spoil my trip. When I am confronted with a similar situation (and I have in the past), I find something new and different, maybe a recommendation from the bar staff or sommelier, and go on to enjoy different offerings. And on a side note regarding "increased pricing" on wine by the glass, that isn't anything new. This has been a regular discussion on numerous threads for more than 6 months. Maybe you haven't been reading these types of threads and weren't aware, but the information is widely available for those that went to look for it.

 

 

Not sure how many cruises per year that you do, but from the way your post was written, it doesn't sound like you do more than 2 per year. IMHO, and not to sound like I have completely discounted your experience and disbelieve in your comments.... as I do think you could have experienced some issues with service, but that can happen from time to time, but a bad sailing does not indicate a decline of overall service around the ship... or at least that is not the sentiment being shared by other posters returning from their recent cruises and sharing their experiences here on Cruise Critic.

 

While my thoughts here are no consolation to you for your "imperfect" experience, I wouldn't want you to have a perception that was based incorrectly on one sailing that was not up to par for you. Reading reviews are only one way of identifying what is happening with a ship or cruise line and it's been my experience that far more unhappy cruisers post reviews than happy cruisers... and that can bias the available published information.

 

I find your reaction to this post troublesome. Why can't people just post their experiences on this board without having to be implicitly reprimanded? And why do certain posters always feel the need to defend Celebrity? I concur with the poster--Celebrity standards have fallen, leading to a very inconsistent product. If you don't agree, that's fine. But to challenge Sheista's perceptions of their own experience is really inappropriate and not particularly helpful.

Edited January 13, 2015 by wedding96

[wallie5446]

WOW ya'll! Lighten up here. We have all been on a sailing where our experience was different from others.

 

We are just off the 11 day on the Equinox, it was so good we booked the 10 day for this Nov along with 2 other couples we cruised with, and are up to 5 booked again from that cruise.

 

BUT!:eek: The wifester tells everyone it was just a so-so cruise, was not impressed with the food quality in the MDR, service poor in Tuscan, yada, yada, yada, no where close to the Reflection in 2013. Yet here we are, booked in an A2 for 10 days on the same ship.

 

So many times we tend to overlook 90% of the good items, and focus on the 10% that did not make the cut.

EW

[gacruisergal]

On our last celebrity Cruise on the Silhouette in December '13, we also had a problem seeing our room steward however, later I discovered he was performing in the Crew Talent Show and was so excited about it. I think his practicing took precedence over his daily job. We didn't complain because of his youth and excitement...............hoped to become a STAR, but it happens. I bring my own stuff and if my DH is low on something I mention it needs replacing before it's gone. There is also more than one staff member in the hallways.

[Seabourn Pearls]

We had Michelle as our room steward also. She was adorable, efficient, agreeable and punctual. I miss her terribly.

 

I saw Arno in Café Al Bacio with his lovely wife. They were into Sudoku so I didn't bother them. However, with their shiny black Zenith cards I suspect he could walk around drooling with his pants at his ankles and he'd probably get great service. Given Arno's status it's probably not fair to use the service he experiences on board as representative.

 

The gals in Al Bacio were working very hard. Table service could be a tad slow but I was too relaxed to care. My only complaint would be that the Capuccino served in the china cup and saucer was 4-5 oz. The "to-go" cappuccino was 10-12 ounces and more of a latte and not especially hot as it had at least 8 ounces of milk which, if things were busy, may not have steamed to sufficient temperature.

 

This was our first Celebrity cruise and, overall, we thought the experience was a 10. The ship was clean, chic and elegant. In fairness to others who have cruised more often, they have other cruises against which to measure the experience and so are in a position to make comparisons which they may not find favorable. Seems like a blessing and a curse.

 

We loved our cabin, our balcony, the Sunset bar, the Martini bar, the gym, and the solarium. We're not buffet people but thought the Reflection buffet was terrific. The rum raisin and pistachio ice creams were awesome and we thought the crème brulee was on point. The restrictive smoking policy was much to our liking.

 

We also loved the big band stylings of the orchestra and the overall jazzy/groovy/loungy vibe of the music. Never had a problem getting cocktail service at the Sunset Bar. The Martini Bar could get crowded and the showmanship can sometimes slow the service. Oh well.

 

For us, the negatives would mostly relate to ship design. The main pool was a hive of noisy humanity. The lawn was a clever marketing gimmick but it sure seems like a lot of wasted space that requires a great deal of maintenance. Surely a third type of pool or water feature in lieu of grass/alcoves would relieve some of the congestion around the scrawny main pool. The side grass for bocce? Again, limited hours to baby the grass. Shuffleboard would work better and get more play on at least one side.

 

Cellar Masters is, IMHO, attractive but wasted space. I thought the atrium worked well at night when the ship went into party mode. But dance classes and trivia and game shows with the hostess' voice reverberating throughout the ship at 20 decibels is terrible. Those events evacuate the Passport Bar, Library and Hideaway and burden Guest Relations. They should be relocated to the theater or Celebrity Central or the conference room.

 

With the exception of the main pool and certain times at the gym I didn't feel overcrowded. But there is a lot of space on the ship that could be put to better use. I'd start by reimagining the lawn and the alcoves.

[Artemis]

OP, I'm sorry you didn't have the best week.

 

One time, we cruised the first week of the new year and similarly experienced some instances of poor service and other lapses. After visiting with some crew members, we came to appreciate how exhausted they were from the extra demands of the preceding two holiday cruises. That made sense, as recovering from the holidays was one of our motivators for choosing that week! So once we figured that out, we were more sensitive to what everyone was feeling and tried to be a bit more flexible, patient and forgiving of inconsistencies. I realize that's not quite what you expect to do when you pay to be treated royally, but hey, we're all human!

 

I'm not saying that's what happened in your case or attempting to justify what happened. It's simply food for thought.

 

Incidentally, we were on Reflection the second week of December and had a very positive experience overall, including consistently good service from all staff and crew.

 

 

 

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