Kind of review kind of not - reflection - 7 night western caribbean - nov 7, 2015

We just came back from 7-night Caribbean cruise on Reflection (November 7th Caribbean sailing after TA crossing). It won't be a very detailed review, but a few comments in bullet points on what I noticed, liked or disliked. We didn't care that much about shows, specialty restaurants/dining, entertainment, gambling, spa. So I won't comment on that, however if you have any questions I will try to answer them. But I will review the most basic stuff like: food in MDR, food in Ocean View Cafe, service in general.

So here we go - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

The Good:

1. As always, the ship is clean and absolutely beautiful. It is very well maintained and constantly being cleaned: all public areas, stateroom(s), outside window washing.

2. For the first time in many cruises I felt like we hit the jackpot. We had the best team combination. Sometimes our stateroom attendant and his helper are great, but waiter is not that good. Or our waiter is excellent, but Sommelier has an attitude. This time the combination was the best! We applaud to our great team of stateroom attendant Xeviour and his helper Rishin, waiter Mihai and his beautiful wife and assistant Corina, our very knowledgeable Sommelier Dadan, and also bar attendant Jimmy (we know him from our previous cruises). I will definitely send an email to Miami office about these wonderful people who helped make our vacation even better.

3. Cruise Critic Connections party - nice outside location was provided (Lawn Club Grill). Lots of officers including the Captain showed up and were available for questions. It is great that they recognize and respect cruising community.

The Bad:

1. Priority Tender tickets: To my big surprise (something tells me that it will not be the last time I will be surprised by Celebrity), priority Tender tickets for Elite/Elite+ were eliminated. So we had to be in line like everybody else. :-)))))) However, the tender process was really well organized in the Cayman Islands - so no complaints here. But the same tender process had some hiccups in Cocobay. We were on the second tender so didn't have to stay in line and were transferred to the beach in a matter of minutes. But when we returned to the ship right after 10 AM there was an extremely long line curving like a snake all over deck 3.

2. Beverage package: Another surprise from Celebrity - smoothies and sundaes have disappeared from the Classic Beverage package. You could get them only with Premium Bev Package. Last November we had Classic Bev package and smoothies and sundaes from Aqua Spa Cafe were included. This time we found Classic Bev Package absolutely useless - not a great choice of wines. Premium water wasn't included. So needless to say - we had to upgrade it to the Premium BP.

3. Food. We didn't dine at the specialty restaurants, so my comments are only for MDR and OceanView Cafe. Food wasn't totally bad, but it was very mediocre. We skipped the dinner a couple of times and replaced it with a buffet dinner at Ocean View cafe because there was nothing on the menu that looked worth while. And when on third night I had the same dilemma, I was offered to order gnocchi. Sorry, I didn't pay top $$$ for gnocchi. I never have them at home. We are not steak lovers/eaters, but we heard a lot of complaints from the guests. E.g. "Steak Diane" was not what Celebrity tried "to sell" under this name. Crepes for desert were served cold.

4. Maitre D' in our MDR area totally alienated herself from the group. She showed up once to curve the lobster out of the shell. She never stopped by our table to introduce herself or to check on the food or service. Oh, she actually stopped by on the last night to remind us about the survey we need to fill out.

The Ugly:

And the Oscar goes to: Embarkation process!

There were a lot of complaints about a messy disembarkation/embarkation process last November after TA crossing. There were a lot of comments on our RollCall about it. We thought that Celebrity had learned its lesson. Nope! Celebrity dropped the ball! Again. It was the worst embarkation process in my cruising experience. We spent one hour inside the cruise terminal. And we considered ourselves very lucky. Those who arrived shortly after 12:15 PM had to be under the sun for two hours and then one more hour inside the terminal. BTW, no water was provided to those individuals who arrived at the port after 12 PM and had to stand in the Florida heat for hours. And BTW, the embarkation was bluntly ignored by the senior offices at Connections party. When one of the guests mentioned it the only comment was: "Oh, we heard about it." No apologies - nothing. Dear Celebrity, do you know that "embarkation" is the cover of your "book" and the first impression is very important?

And the Bonus:

There is a huge Thread on this topic already. But... Could someone please educate me on this new thing Celebrity introduced - Evening Chic? OK, No Formal nights - I got this part, but what the heck does "rubbing the elbows with the officers" mean? Do I have to pay airline fees for the luggage so I could bring my formal wear and then to pay extra $$$ if I want to wear it to impress 2-3 officers on the ship who:

a) do not care to talk to me on any other occasion

b) are not always interesting conversationalists

c) speak poor English

Don't get me wrong, I think highly of all of them and respect them for what they do, but I already paid for my cruise and do not see the logic in paying extra for a possibly artificial and meaningless conversation with a stranger.

Like I said at the beginning - it's not a review. It's just my experience and my notes.

Now you may crucify me.

What do you mean by paying extra for to rub elbows with the officers?

Thank you for sharing your experience. I'll be on Reflection in March, so it's always interesting to begin hearing about others' cruise experiences on the ship, now that the Caribbean season has started.

Did you have a traditional dining time, or did you do Select? You said you had the same waitstaff and sommelier, so if you did Select, I assume you would have made a reservation for the same table every night...

Also, I second cgcags47 question. Maybe I haven't read enough on the topic on these boards, but that's the first I've heard of paying extra money to "rub elbows" with the officers.

Thanks!

I was in that embarkation line last November and it was horrific. The line started backing up into the space of the ship behind us. With the number of elderly people on a cruise, I am surprised there were no medical emergencies from the heat and lack of water. No apologies forthcoming from Celebrity, so I assume that they considered the situation to be normal. BTW, I did not see any effort or accommodation made for people in wheelchairs; maybe I just didn't notice.

We were also on the November 7th sailing, and I agree with everything the OP has mentioned, and will add my 2 cents.

EMBARKATION: We were advised by Celebrity, via text, email, and phone call, to arrive to the port between 12:00 and 3:00, so we followed their instructions and arrived at 1:00 to find a VERY long line. After standing in line for nearly 1 hour, we were offered a bottle of warm water. Once we went through security, we were directed to the priority check-in line because we were Concierge/Elite. We stepped on to the ship at 3:00. Those who were behind us in line and didn't go through the priority check-in, were in line an additional 1 hour. We had heard that the people who arrived to the port prior to 12:00, were allowed to board the ship very quickly. The muster drill was scheduled for 3:15, but was delayed until 4:15. Our departure, originally scheduled for 4:00, was delayed until about 5:30. I have been on 25+ cruises, and this was the worst embarkation we have ever experienced.

FOOD (MDR): The food ranged from mediocre to inedible. The last night my dinner was overcooked, tasteless and fatty/grizzly. It should not have left the kitchen and served to a passenger. The food was certainly not what we have experienced in the past on Celebrity and what we expected on this cruise. We only ate in the MDR 4 of the 7 nights. Service, however, was excellent. We did have a problem with our table assignment. Our reservation was linked to another reservation, and we were assigned to different tables, but it was quickly resolved by the maitre d'.

OCEANVIEW: Food was good and a good selection. Made to order eggs and omelets were very good and the waffles (my favorite) were great!!

SPECIALTY RESTAURANTS: Food and service were excellent!! We ate at Tuscan Grill, Qsine, and The Lawn Club. We would highly recommend all three. Our only regret is that we did not purchase the Ultimate Dining so we could dine in the specialty restaurants every night.

BAR SERIVCE: Very slow, especially at the Martini Bar and the Sunset Bar. There were fewer bartenders, and they seemed very overworked. Maybe because most people have a drink package, Celebrity has decided the bartenders no longer have to "sell" drinks, just serve them.

TENDER: We did not experience any problems. We, too, were surprised there was no priority tender for Elite.

 

1. Priority Tender tickets: To my big surprise (something tells me that it will not be the last time I will be surprised by Celebrity), priority Tender tickets for Elite/Elite+ were eliminated.

WHAT??!!!:eek:

They're still listed as a benefit for Elite and higher on the web site. :confused:

A one-off?

the waffles (my favorite) were great!!.

Believe it or not, I think they are great also. :)

What do you mean by paying extra for to rub elbows with the officers?

Since lots of items quietly disappeared from "perks list" or "free items list" I assume that this "rubbing" thing will cost us. Here is the paragraph from Celebrity website:

"Another popular formal night tradition that will be expanded with evening chic nights is officer-hosted dining tables. But where previously only a Captain's Table was available, there will now be tables hosted by several officers ranking three stripes and above, such as the hotel director or guest relations manager, and tables will be at multiple dining venues on the ship."

Do you think this "three stripes and above" service will be complimentary? Celebrity charges for everything now: Bridge tour - pay! Galley tour - pay! Chef's Table - pay! The next one is "rubbing the elbows with the officers". :)

Did you have a traditional dining time, or did you do Select? You said you had the same waitstaff and sommelier, so if you did Select, I assume you would have made a reservation for the same table every night...

We had a traditional "early" dining time. That is why we had the same team every night. We never had a select dining, but I've heard that you can request/book the same time and also request the same table and waiter for every night.

Also, I second cgcags47 question. Maybe I haven't read enough on the topic on these boards, but that's the first I've heard of paying extra money to "rub elbows" with the officers.

 

Thanks!

I already commented in the post # 8. :)

WHAT??!!!:eek:

 

They're still listed as a benefit for Elite and higher on the web site. :confused:

 

A one-off?

Yes. That one is gone.

Honestly, I don't really rush to get off the ship if it is a Caribbean port. But I can imagine the frustration if it is a "popular" European port and all want to get off the ship as early as possible - meaning "at the same time".

Welcome Home T, glad it was mostly "Good" and you had a good MDR team. Miss you and L. I hope you don't get too much bad weather tonight :(

Happy sailing,

Jenna

Welcome Home T, glad it was mostly "Good" and you had a good MDR team. Miss you and L. I hope you don't get too much bad weather tonight :(

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

Hi Jenna, :)

It's always good to hear from you and Dee! Lyuba and I had a great time and didn't let little things to spoil our vacation. :)

If the world doesn't fall apart then we'll see you girls pretty soon!

And it's pretty ugly outside - I am not ready for snow at all! :(

Tatiana

Hi Jenna, :)

 

It's always good to hear from you and Dee! Lyuba and I had a great time and didn't let little things to spoil our vacation. :)

If the world doesn't fall apart then we'll see you girls pretty soon!

 

And it's pretty ugly outside - I am not ready for snow at all! :(

 

Tatiana

I sent you a pvt somewhere else, ;) I have plans to make trouble :D

Please send my best to Lyuba!

Happy sailing,

Jenna

I sent you a pvt somewhere else, ;) I have plans to make trouble :D

 

Please send my best to Lyuba!

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

I love TROUBLE! Muwhahaha!.............:D:D:D

What cabin were you in? We just got off, and I thought our cabin steward spelled his name Xaviar .... you might be correct. I want to get the spelling down right before I answer the survey. You're right. He was very good. Didn't get his assistant's name, but he was so nice and efficient too.

Yes. That one is gone.

 

Honestly, I don't really rush to get off the ship if it is a Caribbean port. But I can imagine the frustration if it is a "popular" European port and all want to get off the ship as early as possible - meaning "at the same time".

Great... we'll finally be the "E" word on our trip in May, & this (& the laundry) are the only two things that have any value to me, I was just telling DH that for the first time, I won't have to wake up at 4 so I can be in line at 5 for tender tickets... I'm just beyond disappointed, this just pretty much gave our hard earned Elite level about zero value for us... except for the laundry.

& I agree about the Carib port part, we're on one in a few weeks & don't really plan on getting off the ship except to walk around a bit...so tender ports there won't have any effect on us, it's our Europe trips that matter...

What cabin were you in? We just got off, and I thought our cabin steward spelled his name Xaviar .... you might be correct. I want to get the spelling down right before I answer the survey. You're right. He was very good. Didn't get his assistant's name, but he was so nice and efficient too.

mafig, we were in 6141. I just checked my notes and, honestly, I don't know who is right now.:D I wrote his name in my notebook like "Xevior". But if you put your stateroom number and the date of the sailing then they [Miami office] will know who was your stateroom steward.

mafig, we were in 6141. I just checked my notes and, honestly, I don't know who is right now.:D I wrote his name in my notebook like "Xevior". But if you put your stateroom number and the date of the sailing then they [Miami office] will know who was your stateroom steward.

Xavier is a common Spanish name...remember Xavier Cugat?

Xavier is a common Spanish name...remember Xavier Cugat?

Thank you for 5 seconds of Spanish lesson.

Xavier was Indian.

And welcome to CruiseCritic! :)

[quote=TroubleT;48340766

Xavier was Indian.

:)

You know, some Indians have Portugese names. I remember being on a cruise where the Indian waiters were names Jose and Pedro. DH and I kept thinking maybe the cruiseline gave them names that could be pronounced by Americans.:o So after a few wines I asked them why they had spanish (in their cases really Portugese names) and they told us their part of India was at one time a Portugese colony and everyone gave their kids Portugese names.

I agree, though, that whatever the spelling is we had a great cabin team.:)

You know, some Indians have Portugese names. I remember being on a cruise where the Indian waiters were names Jose and Pedro. DH and I kept thinking maybe the cruiseline gave them names that could be pronounced by Americans.:o So after a few wines I asked them why they had spanish (in their cases really Portugese names) and they told us their part of India was at one time a Portugese colony and everyone gave their kids Portugese names.

 

I agree, though, that whatever the spelling is we had a great cabin team.:)

If Indian guys have Christian names, they most likely from Goa state and they are Christians.

All of a sudden my post turned into something very educational! :-)

Also on the Nov 7 sailing, and agree with pretty much all the comments from the OP.

I was very surprised that there were no medical issues from people standing outside in the heat. It happened to be a record high temperature for that date, too!

I've commented elsewhere on this board about the issues from this cruise, so I won't reiterate. I doubt I will ever sail Celebrity again.

But I also will no longer refer to Celebrity cruises as "Celebrity", but rather "SELLebrity."

Everywhere. Everything. I expected to be sprayed with perfume when walking near the shops!

You said you had the same waitstaff and sommelier, so if you did Select, I assume you would have made a reservation for the same table every night...

We had Select dining and the same 'wait staff' every night except the first night.

I had pre booked our times for 7-7.15pm. We were allocated the same table in the same area. I am Lactose intolerant and pre ordered my food the night before. After a few days our waiter Han and his assistant Andrew knew exactly what I couldn't have.

Priority tendering was my main reason for booking an 'extra 2 day cruise' in September 2012 to gain Elite status. We had a dreadful 3 hrs waiting to get off Eclipse in Split in 2010. We were told not to go for our tender tickets until we were ready to get off. When I complained to John Grantham, the CD, who had told us to have breakfast before collecting our tickets, he replied, ' You will get priority tendering if you book a Celebrity excursion.'

Well, the good news - if no consolation to those a week earlier - is that the embarkations problems seem isolated to that first week. This past week (Reflection's second in the Caribbean), embarkation was fast and smooth, as was the - sadder - getting off.

On other fronts, I actually felt like there was a little less hard-selling while on board - although we didn't spend much time, except walking through, around the shops.

I do agree that drinks packages mean busier bars and less engaged bartenders, but we never suffered from lack of drink. Another issue is that with Molecular, at least for the moment, more or less dead, there's more traffic to other, more popular spots, especially the Martini Bar, which seemed to be at capacity daily from 5 until well after 10.

We were genuinely surprised by what seemed to be significant improvements over our previous experience with Oceanview - nice choices, lots of them, and excellent fruit and produce.