Reflection - 12/8/17 - 12/18/17

[spammie]

Just some random thoughts on our Celebrity Reflection cruise on 12-8-17. I am 55 and my husband is 64.

 

Embarkation: The worst we have ever had in over 20+ cruises. We arrived at the terminal around noon. There were no lines outside and we were very happy thinking this won't take long. Wrong! It took us almost 2 hours waiting in line to get on the ship. The women who work in the terminal kept pulling people from behind us and putting them in the suite line which had no people in it. I have no problem waiting my turn. I do have a problem with people who just walked up to the line being put in front of me. The girl who checked us in had no clue what she was doing and that took another long 20 annoying minutes. I had to guide her through the process as she reached for the wrong papers. :rolleyes: Then when we went to finally board the ship she hadn't taken my picture correctly and we got pulled to the side. :mad:

 

Fellow passengers: Hands down we were some of the youngest cruisers on this sailing. Average age was around 75+ and MANY using scotters. We sailed with my sister and brother in law. My sister was ran into by someone coming onto an elevator and not knowing how to stop the scotter. No apology from the person at all! My sister went to guest relations and they pretty much said "oh well, nothing we can do about it". They should not allow more than one scotter on any elevator at a time. God forbid you got on the elevator first you were trapped because they wouldn't back out of the elevator to let you off. I have no issue sailing with anyone as long as they leave their "all about me, rude, entitled" attitudes at home. We heard so many people barking orders at the crew members with no "thank you" or "please". It was very sad and annoying!

 

Food: This is always a subjective area. We usually cruise in Aqua and dine in Blu. Our last cruise was a suite and that spoiled me forever with Luminae. This cruise we were in a regular balcony cabin. We always choose "select dining". We tried the first two nights in the MDR without a reservation. We waited with a beeper for around 40 minutes. I don't mind as we usually cool our heels at the Passport Bar for a drink or two. The hostess and staff in the MDR were not pleasant at all. The MDR is so loud and busy you can't hear yourself think. We have always had very pleasant waiters in the MDR, not this cruise. After the 2nd night we decided to eat our dinners in the Oceanview. Best decision ever! Staff in there is so nice! Lots of wonderful food selections and very quiet. :)

 

I have never seen so many gross events in a buffet in my life! So many people walking around eating off their plates then reaching for the tongs and using them. We saw people not using tongs and just helping themselves with their hands. I brought over 50 Handi Wipes and continuously wiped anything and everything down with these as well as using hand sanitizer. No wonder so many people get sick! I've never seen so much cross contamination in my life!

 

Solstice Deck: Wonderful, quiet deck with lots and lots of chairs and peace and quiet! Since there is no elevator that goes there, there were always lots of chairs available since not too many elderly like to climb lots of stairs. :)

 

Chair hogs were out in full force around the pool and I heard an elderly couple blasting a pool butler for having their items removed. The woman couldn't understand why someone would move her things when she had her chair reserved with her chair clips. :eek:

 

The weather was perfect and the seas were calm. However - we will NEVER cruise this late in the year again! Way too many cranky, annoying old people. I figure all the snow birds hit Florida and jumped onto a cruise ship at the same time. :cool:

[Clarea]

Thanks for the report, nice to hear the Solstice deck was peaceful.

[Keith1010]

Thanks for the balanced review/report.

 

Clearly some things that you were pleased with and some you are not.

 

Your examples is why I am not big on buffets. Not sure why people would eat off plates, etc. Ugh.

 

Keith

[NoName]

Thanks for the report. I am trying to learn all I can about the Reflection before our first trip in Feb. The Ocean view restaurant, is this a per fee venue or is the price included in your fare?

 

Also, does the solstice deck have shade options?

 

Thanks. Kim

[Luvcrusn]

Thanks for the report. I am trying to learn all I can about the Reflection before our first trip in Feb. The Ocean view restaurant, is this a per fee venue or is the price included in your fare?

 

Also, does the solstice deck have shade options?

 

Thanks. Kim

The Ocean View Café is the buffet on deck 14 and is included in your cruise fare as is the MDR, the mast grill, the Aqua Spa Café. Luminae is included if you're a suite guest and Blu is included if you've booked Aqua Class. The desserts at Café Al Bacio are free but the coffee/teas there have an additional charge unless you have a beverage package that includes them. We just left Reflection (unwillingly;p) Dec. 8th and it's a wonderful ship with a great staff. Have a wonderful time.

[spammie]

Thanks for the report. I am trying to learn all I can about the Reflection before our first trip in Feb. The Ocean view restaurant, is this a per fee venue or is the price included in your fare?

 

Also, does the solstice deck have shade options?

 

Thanks. Kim

 

Hi Kim! Yes there are lots of shade options on the Solstice Deck. :cool: The bar servers also walk by every once in a while to take drink orders. Oceanview is the free buffet.

[Luvcrusn]

I just finished reading through this thread. We were on the November 27th sailing that disembarked on 12/8, 11 nights. Our experiences couldn't have been more different from OP's. Our boarding was delayed because of norovirus on the cruise previous to ours necessitating addition cleaning. DH and I each received calls, emails and texts from X the day prior to embarkation advising us not to arrive at PE prior to 12:30PM due to this. With the shortened boarding window, the port was extremely crowded and there were long lines. Even with this we were on board within a half hour of arrival at the port. (We were Aqua Class and did also have some Captain's Club standing that may have expedited things).

 

The first 3 days on board the crew served everything in the OVC, including beverages to prevent contamination, after that things returned to normal. We found the crew unfailingly pleasant all around the ship. There was a fairly even distribution of age ranges aboard. We often sail at this time of year on cruises about this length and the demographic aboard was about what we've come to expect. There were always chairs available at the pool and there were plenty in the shade. Of course there were empty, but obviously claimed chairs, but we always found something suitable. Sometimes people do leave their chairs to go in the pools, hot tubs, bar, mast grill or café, but we didn't see many that were unoccupied for hours. We do spend most of our sea days at the pool.

 

The dining and staff in Blu was wonderful, attentive and unfailingly pleasant. We only had to wait one evening and it was less than 5 minutes before we were seated. We never dined in the MDR this cruise.

 

The entertainment, surprisingly was the best we've seen on any of our many cruises, and we set a personal record by not walking out of a single show. If Chiko, a member of the activities staff performs, try not to miss his show. He was EXCELLENT! The audience stood at the end and shouted for more, refusing to stop until the CD brought him back to admit he had no more! (It was his first evening show in the Reflection Theater.)

 

The Guest Services staff were very on the ball. We were waiting for some OBC to show up from our TA, and after the 2nd day on board I went to inquire. On previous cruises with the same TA it's always shown up on day one. When I went to GS and said I was inquiring about OBC, they were aware before I mentioned the TA by name, and they supplied it to me and said they were waiting also, but that it should be shown by the end of the day and it was.

 

We were pleasantly surprised to receive an invitation to a sail away on the helipad when leaving Bonaire. That was a real treat and very unexpected. It was a great view from a beautiful port.

 

The ship was immaculate, the staff was excellent, the food was great and the service was outstanding. In fact, all in all, it was one of our favorite cruises ever.

[easyboy]

Thank you OP spammie for your feedback. Too bad a lot did not live up to your expectations. I guess the elderly chair hog woman has learned her lesson from relying on her chair clips.

Thank you too Luvcrusn for sharing your more positive experience on Reflection.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Hlitner]

We were on this same cruise (and also the previous cruise) and want to add a different take on some of the things mentioned by the OP. We are Elite Plus, and decided to abandon Aqua Class (our norm on Celebrity) in favor of a regular balcony (which was upgraded to Concierge) since we have grown tired of Blu. So lets get to our thoughts.

 

Yes, both the 11/27 and 12/8 cruises did have an older crowd. But as one who has cruised between Thanksgiving and Xmas for many years, this is the norm for that time of the year. I do agree with the OP that the Electric Scooter thing has gotten out of hand on Celebrity. Not sure what the cruise line can do as they must comply with ADA rules, and most of these folks do need the scooters to get around. We did witness a few inept scooter drivers...but most of the folks did fine :).

 

We had previously booked discounted dining packages (8 meals for the 11/27 eleven day cruise and 6 meals for the 12/8 ten day cruise) and used Open dining in the MDR for the other 7 meals. We did notice some folks with beepers, but most seemed to be those who had specific demands such as a 2-top- certain table, etc. We simply walked-in about 8pm, asked to share a large table, and were always quickly seated (while others with demands were waiting outside with their beepers). All of our larger tables were fantastic and we always found ourselves with a decent group of fellow diners. As to our other meals we dined 10 times in Murano (love this venue), 2 times in Qsine, and once each in the Lawn and Tuscan. My one caution about anyone thinking of having most meals in Murano is that you WILL GAIN WEIGHT. Our experience in Murano was near-perfection and by the end of the 2nd cruise the restaurant seemed like coming home...as we had interacted with all the waiters (and chef) throughout the cruises. During th 10 dinners in Murano, DW and I managed to sample just about everything on the menu (not to mention the cheeses on the cheese cart) and everything we had was perfection.

 

As to the MDR, the cut-backs on Celebrity were quite evident in terms of the food. But this is why we had decided to dump Aqua Class in favor of a lower cost balcony and use some of the savings to have many meals in Murano. I should mention that the only alternative restaurant where we were underwhelmed was Tuscan (which is why we only dined there once in 21 nights). The Lawn and Qsine were both excellent. As to the Sushi on 5....we have no clue...but neither do most others since the venue was generally empty.

 

Kudos to the staff on the Reflection. From our wonderful cabin stewardess to many terrific bar tenders (especially Sasha) everyone was near perfection. The lounge entertainers were excellent from the amazing "Valentina and Peter" to the classical due (violin and cello). The production shows were OK (just OK) and the Guest Entertainers generally quite good. I have previously been critical of Celebrity cut-back, and this is still the case. But, our 21 days met or exceeded all expectations.

 

A few other comments. Two couples who were in Aqua (both with lots of cruise experience) were not really happy with Blu..and both couples said they would return to Celebrity but not do Aqua Class. One couple (with whom we shared a lot of bar time) were in a nice suite. They liked Luminae so much that they only ate 1 dinner (out of 10) in that venue. They remarked that even the dinner buffet (in the Lido) was better than eating in Luminae. Go figure.

 

And finally, we have no future Celebrity bookings (even though we cruise over 70 days a year) and may or may not return to this line depending on itineraries, price and CC reviews/comments from others.. We think there are too many other better options in the cruise industry and we are also going to try some other new (for us) cruise options (we have only been on 14 cruise lines and there are more on the sea).

 

Hank

[Luvcrusn]

We were on this same cruise (and also the previous cruise) and want to add a different take on some of the things mentioned by the OP. We are Elite Plus, and decided to abandon Aqua Class (our norm on Celebrity) in favor of a regular balcony (which was upgraded to Concierge) since we have grown tired of Blu. So lets get to our thoughts.

 

Yes, both the 11/27 and 12/8 cruises did have an older crowd. But as one who has cruised between Thanksgiving and Xmas for many years, this is the norm for that time of the year. I do agree with the OP that the Electric Scooter thing has gotten out of hand on Celebrity. Not sure what the cruise line can do as they must comply with ADA rules, and most of these folks do need the scooters to get around. We did witness a few inept scooter drivers...but most of the folks did fine :).

 

We had previously booked discounted dining packages (8 meals for the 11/27 eleven day cruise and 6 meals for the 12/8 ten day cruise) and used Open dining in the MDR for the other 7 meals. We did notice some folks with beepers, but most seemed to be those who had specific demands such as a 2-top- certain table, etc. We simply walked-in about 8pm, asked to share a large table, and were always quickly seated (while others with demands were waiting outside with their beepers). All of our larger tables were fantastic and we always found ourselves with a decent group of fellow diners. As to our other meals we dined 10 times in Murano (love this venue), 2 times in Qsine, and once each in the Lawn and Tuscan. My one caution about anyone thinking of having most meals in Murano is that you WILL GAIN WEIGHT. Our experience in Murano was near-perfection and by the end of the 2nd cruise the restaurant seemed like coming home...as we had interacted with all the waiters (and chef) throughout the cruises. During th 10 dinners in Murano, DW and I managed to sample just about everything on the menu (not to mention the cheeses on the cheese cart) and everything we had was perfection.

 

As to the MDR, the cut-backs on Celebrity were quite evident in terms of the food. But this is why we had decided to dump Aqua Class in favor of a lower cost balcony and use some of the savings to have many meals in Murano. I should mention that the only alternative restaurant where we were underwhelmed was Tuscan (which is why we only dined there once in 21 nights). The Lawn and Qsine were both excellent. As to the Sushi on 5....we have no clue...but neither do most others since the venue was generally empty.

 

Kudos to the staff on the Reflection. From our wonderful cabin stewardess to many terrific bar tenders (especially Sasha) everyone was near perfection. The lounge entertainers were excellent from the amazing "Valentina and Peter" to the classical due (violin and cello). The production shows were OK (just OK) and the Guest Entertainers generally quite good. I have previously been critical of Celebrity cut-back, and this is still the case. But, our 21 days met or exceeded all expectations.

 

A few other comments. Two couples who were in Aqua (both with lots of cruise experience) were not really happy with Blu..and both couples said they would return to Celebrity but not do Aqua Class. One couple (with whom we shared a lot of bar time) were in a nice suite. They liked Luminae so much that they only ate 1 dinner (out of 10) in that venue. They remarked that even the dinner buffet (in the Lido) was better than eating in Luminae. Go figure.

 

And finally, we have no future Celebrity bookings (even though we cruise over 70 days a year) and may or may not return to this line depending on itineraries, price and CC reviews/comments from others.. We think there are too many other better options in the cruise industry and we are also going to try some other new (for us) cruise options (we have only been on 14 cruise lines and there are more on the sea).

 

Hank

Interesting how shipmates have such varying opinions. We were on Reflection 11/27. We dined in Blu all but one night and found both the food and service excellent. The other night we dined in Murano which was as excellent as ever. I thought that on that cruise there were fewer than normal number of scooters/walkers than we usually encounter during that time period. And we sail approximately that same time period yearly.

[Silkroad]

Thanks for your informative review Spammie. And thanks to the rest of you for your reviews. You’ve given me valuable information along with a dilemma! We’re booked on the lovely Reflection for our first Caribbean cruise 7 December 2018. Spammie, we’re in the same age range as you and your DH. I’ve nothing against scooters as long as their users are competent and civil. The descriptions I’ve read on this thread, as well as one other, make me think I should swap my lovely 14-night cruise for one during a different month. BTW we’re booked in Concierge because they cost slightly less than Veranda at the time I booked. So it’s MDR or specialty dining for us. We did have a brilliant experience in MDR in April (on Reflection) but some of staff moves to Equinox before we return.

[crash3x]

Thank you for your review.

 

Yes elevators get crowded and over used by able bodied people who could walk up a floor or two. As for the scooters it can't be helped on Celebrity because it is an older crowd they cater to.

 

I have issues with buffets. No matter how many times a crew member says washi , washi, you know people just walk by....and I hate to say it but I have seen the ladies in the restrooms...you know who you are that don't wash their hands afterward.

On the cruise I was on (Equinox) when we were in Jamaica the brought on a band to entertain us for they day . With the large band and equipment managers and crew came large numbers of their family I would say more that 35 people came on board and attacked the buffet like no bodies business.

I saw a guy eating a plate of chicken drums , grabbing food with his hands and leaving the bones on the cold food bar ice.......it was disgusting.

 

We go to the dinning room for lunch , master grill on occasion. for burger. But surprisingly on days we can't go to the dining room we do room service. The sandwiches and cheese plates etc. are amazing...we sit on our balcony and enjoy the port sites.

 

As for your embarkation experience , I get it...last year when we arrived at the pier they were putting people on buses and offering to take guests to the local mall for several hours because the ship wasn't ready. It just returned from Europe and they had to do an extensive cleaning before they were cleared to allow guest to board. They wouldn't let people stay inside to wait. It did take several hours then had suite guests and priority guests stand in a line and let everyone else on before us...I swear some people were about to create a mutiny

because they have paid for the privilege.

[crash3x]

Thank you for your review. Yes elevators get crowded and over used by able bodied people who could walk up a floor or two. As for the scooters it can't be helped on Celebrity because it is an older crowd they cater to. I have issues with buffets. No matter how many times a crew member says washi , washi, you know people just walk by....and I hate to say it but I have seen the ladies in the restrooms...you know who you are that don't wash their hands afterward. On the cruise I was on (Equinox) when we were in Jamaica the brought on a band to entertain us for they day . With the large band and equipment managers and crew came large numbers of their family I would say more that 35 people came on board and attacked the buffet like no bodies business. I saw a guy eating a plate of chicken drums , grabbing food with his hands and leaving the bones on the cold food bar ice.......it was disgusting. We go to the dinning room for lunch , master grill on occasion. for burger. But surprisingly on days we can't go to the dining room we do room service. The sandwiches and cheese plates etc. are amazing...we sit on our balcony and enjoy the port sites. As for your embarkation experience , I get it...last year when we arrived at the pier they were putting people on buses and offering to take guests to the local mall for several hours because the ship wasn't ready. It just returned from Europe and they had to do an extensive cleaning before they were cleared to allow guest to board. They wouldn't let people stay inside to wait. It did take several hours then had suite guests and priority guests stand in a line and let everyone else on before us...I swear some people were about to create a mutiny because they have paid for the privilege.