Review of Reflection TA October 2016

[cruise47]

Thanks for your review and some awesome photos.

[johhnnyt]

Thanks for your review and some awesome photos.

 

I enjoyed taking them . Glad you enjoyed them. They did a remarkable job all around, but especially loved the TLC of the Halloween decorations on the Grand Staircase and Guest Relations

[Jim_Iain]

Johhnnyt - thank you for the wonderful review. Really enjoyed both you photos and your dialogue.

 

We did the Reflection TA last year and am currently on the Silhouette TA. Looks like they went all out for Halloween. Being in between the holidays Silhouette has had no festive decorations at all so far.

 

Jim

[johhnnyt]

Johhnnyt - thank you for the wonderful review. Really enjoyed both you photos and your dialogue.

 

We did the Reflection TA last year and am currently on the Silhouette TA. Looks like they went all out for Halloween. Being in between the holidays Silhouette has had no festive decorations at all so far.

 

Jim

 

Thanks Jim. My last TA was on Silhouette, and absolutely loved it, but do admit that I liked Reflection a bit more as the crew onboard this time was truly outstanding and seemed to go the extra mile. I used the book onboard option that they offered for 2018 TA's where you get perks and OBC if you put a $100 deposit down. I think they said the schedule would be announced on November 30 2016 for all the TA's in 2017. 2018

Edited November 19, 2016 by johhnnyt

[jagoffee]

Johnnyt,

 

Again, good job and your review. We were on the same cruise and I concur the staff was excellent.

 

As you probably know the Michael's Club and Luminae on this cruise was very busy and I thought it was because the Reflection has so many more suites than the other S Class ships.

Do you know if this cruise and other people besides yourself that were allowed to us the suite benefits?

 

Did it impress you enough to spend the extra money for a Suite on your next cruise?

 

I believe the perk for the future booking was free gratuities and OBC.

 

Enjoy your next cruise.

[johhnnyt]

Johnnyt,

 

Again, good job and your review. We were on the same cruise and I concur the staff was excellent.

 

As you probably know the Michael's Club and Luminae on this cruise was very busy and I thought it was because the Reflection has so many more suites than the other S Class ships.

Do you know if this cruise and other people besides yourself that were allowed to us the suite benefits?

 

Did it impress you enough to spend the extra money for a Suite on your nexuise?

 

I believe the perk for the future booking was free gratuities and OBC.

 

Enjoy your next cruise.

 

I think you are correct that it was because the Reflection has so many more suites than the other S Class ships, and also because of the older demographic also brought in additional members who were Zenith, who would also be using the benefit. I think there were only 6 of us that weren't in suites that were allowed to use perks of the suites.One of the people was a board member of RCCL and 3 of his family/friends, and there were two others that I know of.

 

In my opinion (and talking with some of the staff), because the demographic is older and have more cruises under their belt on a TA I think thats another reason Michaels and Luminae seem filled more , as an older crowd is more likely to stay with the no upcharge venues, and be less likely to revisit specialty dining.

 

I go back on forth in my mind on booking a suite, as I don't really entertain much, hardly ever use the butler, and storage seems more than adequate in a regular balcony cabin.The 5 or 6 times I had a suite, it was terrific, but certainly underutilized since I rarely spent time in the room.

 

Don't get me wrong, if I could afford the suites every cruise I would, but economics necessitates a bit less most times unless a W Guarantee (or a Sweet(suite) deal pops up at a good price, then I jump on it.

 

I'd love to try a RS sometime, just for the shower:D

 

Yes and you are 100% right about the future booking perks , I think it is free gratuities and OBC

Edited November 19, 2016 by johhnnyt

[El Crucero]

Coupons-There has to be a better way.

 

Johhnny, you appear to have some influential friends at the head office. Why is Celebrity not more responsive to guest questions, suggestions, and concerns on CC? Azamara does a much better job on CC in being responsive to their customers. Why can't Celebrity do the same? In my opinion, Celebrity offers a great product and value, it is just that a few things need to be tweaked or refined.

[Ginnyfyr]

Thank you for a great review and photos! We will be on Reflection in February 2017 - our first time on one of X's bigger/newer ships (prior to this we have sailed Summit, Infinity, and we even managed to sneak one cruise in on the Century before she was retired!) so we are really looking forward to something new.

[jagoffee]

I think you are correct that it was because the Reflection has so many more suites than the other S Class ships, and also because of the older demographic also brought in additional members who were Zenith, who would also be using the benefit. I think there were only 6 of us that weren't in suites that were allowed to use perks of the suites.One of the people was a board member of RCCL and 3 of his family/friends, and there were two others that I know of.

 

In my opinion (and talking with some of the staff), because the demographic is older and have more cruises under their belt on a TA I think thats another reason Michaels and Luminae seem filled more , as an older crowd is more likely to stay with the no upcharge venues, and be less likely to revisit specialty dining.

 

I go back on forth in my mind on booking a suite, as I don't really entertain much, hardly ever use the butler, and storage seems more than adequate in a regular balcony cabin.The 5 or 6 times I had a suite, it was terrific, but certainly underutilized since I rarely spent time in the room.

 

Don't get me wrong, if I could afford the suites every cruise I would, but economics necessitates a bit less most times unless a W Guarantee (or a Sweet(suite) deal pops up at a good price, then I jump on it.

 

I'd love to try a RS sometime, just for the shower:D

 

Yes and you are 100% right about the future booking perks , I think it is free gratuities and OBC

 

Johnnyt, thank you for the additional information and insight. Good explanation.

Thank you.

[johhnnyt]

Johnnyt, thank you for the additional information and insight. Good explanation.

Thank you.

 

Yes, it made sense to me when I heard some of those details as from some of the team onboard

 

Johhnny, you appear to have some influential friends at the head office. Why is Celebrity not more responsive to guest questions, suggestions, and concerns on CC? Azamara does a much better job on CC in being responsive to their customers. Why can't Celebrity do the same? In my opinion, Celebrity offers a great product and value, it is just that a few things need to be tweaked or refined.

 

I couldn't agree more with what you are saying that Celebrity offers a great product and value, and that a few things still need to be tweaked or refined . I get frustrated too sometimes. The last time I contacted them using the “Contact Us” form, it took 3 weeks before I heard back, and by then had already figured out the issue. I do have some friends in the corporate office, but generally I only contact them as a last resort, as they are friends first, corporate contacts second. I know the social media teams monitor Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pretty well. I’m not sure how any of the Cruise lines can keep up with Cruise Critic though. On any given day alone there has to be a few hundred open threads that are active, and generally all you know is a screen name of the poster in most cases.

 

Like any hospitality or travel related business, they do listen whether you realize it or not. I have friends that work at Virgin Australia Airlines, Jet Blue Airlines , Celebrity Cruises, Mandarin Oriental Hotels, & MGM/Mirage Resorts and one of the commonalities I’ve heard is if you do see something amiss put it in writing, and attach your name to it. The complaints do get logged and if they see a trend they do take action to remedy it. A post on facebook or twitter, or a thread on cruise critic might get overlooked because it doesn’t have a specific name/address/email attached to it or specific detail of what was wrong, where it happened.

 

I usually fill out the attention to detail cards while at sea if I notice any issues, and always have found the teams onboard responsive to any suggestions. If it’s a more systematic issue, I will generally write a letter when I get home detailing the issue and any possible remedies I could think of. I also like to detail what I see that they are doing very well. I love going on vacation and returning without any criticism, and just sending a Thank You letter detailing their exceptional performance. In May of this year we stayed at the Hotel d'Angleterre in Geneva, and there was not one thing they did that I thought they could do better, so I loved writing them a thank you praising their performance and all the little extras they did to make that visit extraordinary. Nine times out of ten I hear something back even if it’s only a thank you.

[El Crucero]

Johhnny, you do a better job of representing Celebrity than Celebrity does! But maybe that's the way it should be, happy customers being the best advertisement. Your explanations are clear and logical and positive while still recognizing where improvements can be made. I wish there was a way to "friend" you on CC. Do you have a Facebook page? Hope to cross paths with you on a future Celebrity cruise.

[johhnnyt]

Johhnny, you do a better job of representing Celebrity than Celebrity does! But maybe that's the way it should be, happy customers being the best advertisement. Your explanations are clear and logical and positive while still recognizing where improvements can be made. I wish there was a way to "friend" you on CC. Do you have a Facebook page? Hope to cross paths with you on a future Celebrity cruise.

 

Thanks, happy to accept a compliment anytime, and I really do appreciate that you said that. Happy to cruise with you anytime.

 

I work as a mediator in the courts, and I think it has helped me in my own head try to understand both sides of an issue, and the challenges both sides have in coming up with a remedy sometime.

 

Yes, has a facebook page John Tolliver, but it's no pearls of wisdom, just gripes and joys like anyone else

[MarinaDCA]

Thank you very much for your review, photos and follow up posts. I am on the reflection in Dec and I love reading all about it and getting excited to go.

 

You sound like such an even headed person, I very much appreciate your honesty and straight forward manner.

[Clarea]

Excellent review, thank-you.:)

[johhnnyt]

Thank you very much for your review, photos and follow up posts. I am on the reflection in Dec and I love reading all about it and getting excited to go.

 

You sound like such an even headed person, I very much appreciate your honesty and straight forward manner.

 

Thanks MarinaDCA, but writing in a honest and straight forward manner is always easier than the practice of it :D

 

Excellent review, thank-you.:)

Thank You Clarea

[Compass Rose Monica]

.....

Second- we had the drink package so were not affected BUT- we are Elite and were given drink coupons for nightly drinks- the bars that you could use your coupons at were always too full. We did struggle to find a meeting place before dinner for our group. They should have kept the sky lounge for this so the bars would not be affected for everyone else. The passport bar, the martini bar and Ensemble lounge were packed every night !!!....

Brockmom

 

Celebrity started using the drink coupons because over the last few years or so, the number of elites/elite+ passengers has grown; equating to at least 1,000-1500. Having the "happy hour" only in the observation sky lounge just didn't work any more. I agree the other bars are full, but in my experience not too bad. On my last two cruises, I hung out at the sunset bar. When the weather was bad, I went to the sky lounge.

 

What I'd really like to see Celebrity do is allow those with coupons (or loaded to the cards) to use them anytime of day, not just between 5-7pm. This would allow me to have a drink poolside if I wanted one, or before 5pm or after 7pm. I think it would reduce the crowds in the bars. Three complimentary drinks is three complimentary drinks. Why limit it to just 5-7pm?

 

Monica

[Compass Rose Monica]

Thanks John for your review.

 

I'm on the Reflection (first time) next October's TA cruise. :)

 

Monica

[jagoffee]

Celebrity started using the drink coupons because over the last few years or so, the number of elites/elite+ passengers has grown; equating to at least 1,000-1500. Having the "happy hour" only in the observation sky lounge just didn't work any more. I agree the other bars are full, but in my experience not too bad. On my last two cruises, I hung out at the sunset bar. When the weather was bad, I went to the sky lounge.

 

What I'd really like to see Celebrity do is allow those with coupons (or loaded to the cards) to use them anytime of day, not just between 5-7pm. This would allow me to have a drink poolside if I wanted one, or before 5pm or after 7pm. I think it would reduce the crowds in the bars. Three complimentary drinks is three complimentary drinks. Why limit it to just 5-7pm?

 

Monica

 

The obvious answer for limiting it to between 5-7 PM is to increase the revenue for drinks before 5 PM and after 7 PM. Probably the same reason that they do not include coupons on embarkation day. I suspect the first night is the highest drink revenue night.

 

Three coupons anytime during the day would decrease the crowds between 5-7 PM, but it would certainly increase the use of the coupons IMO.

 

The increased selection of the drink package as a perk certainly decreases the advantage of the cocktail party benefit for a lot of people. Personally when I have the drink package I like it better when they do not use coupons because then only the Sky Lounge is crowded, but I certainly understand the importance for those without a drink package.

 

It is easy to forget that the benefit as defined is for a 5-7 PM all you can drink cocktail party in a single location, but it can always be changed.

 

It appears that Celebrity offers and promotes the drink package more than RCL which is a good reason for RCL to be different.

 

Obviously just my opinion.

[tweetylori]

Great review, tx!

[mit429]

Thanks for sharing, this was a great review!

[easyboy]

Great review!

[elliekate]

EXCELLENT REVIEW! Thank you for taking so much of your time to write such a detailed review!

[loosygoosy]

Johhnny, you appear to have some influential friends at the head office. Why is Celebrity not more responsive to guest questions, suggestions, and concerns on CC? Azamara does a much better job on CC in being responsive to their customers. Why can't Celebrity do the same? In my opinion, Celebrity offers a great product and value, it is just that a few things need to be tweaked or refined.

 

 

Definitely the right friends...and not the number of Celebrity cruises. I've been on 26 X cruises (all categories of cabin) with 4 more booked right now, and have NEVER received anything from Celebrity in all these years...not even the hint of an upgrade! They, like all cruise lines, are not perfect, but are perfect for me.

 

 

 

 

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