Just Off Celebrity Reflection Review- if under 30 MUST READ

I read your post and just had to post the double burger I brought to my stateroom from the Mast grill. I got some blue cheese and other toppings from the buffet. The desserts were from the buffet and Cafe Al Bacio. Hope I made you hungry :):):)

Stop it! Stop it right now! This is torture! I had to let my belt out a notch just looking at your pictures! :D

We were on the Reflection from 9 to 16 jan. Seems like we were not on the same ship! The food was great and I was able to find something I could easily swallow despite a throat that has been severely affected by cancer. The dining room staff was great, always bringing extra sauce or gravy.

Shows were great, the dancing in the atrium very lively. The ship was very much alive, A lot more than HAL. (We do most of our cruising with HAL - for the destinations) . Lots of 20-30 years old having a great time! Will be back next winter with X, already put down the deposit.

I want to say how much I appreciate your posting this. While I would probably disagree with your assessment if I were in your shoes. Albeit I am a tad older at 50, I appreciate your post and allowing other 30 somethings the opportunity to read it. And lucky you to have so many cruises under your belt

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Last October you posted "We have been on about 20-30 each." Your OP in this topic mentions over 40 cruises.

I'm even more curious about your dad's catering on cruise ships. Please elaborate on what he caters! I've been on a few galley tours. Plenty of cooks on board without relatives for Celebrity to feed & put up in a stateroom. One executive chef I've chatted with many times on many cruises & different ships had his wife on board on a port day in his country. One hotel manager I can think of travelled with his wife and baby. Rare! Some entertainers travel with a spouse. Guest speakers, yes, but children also? Hmmm. Just what does your dad cater?

We were on the Reflection from 9 to 16 jan. Seems like we were not on the same ship! The food was great and I was able to find something I could easily swallow despite a throat that has been severely affected by cancer. The dining room staff was great, always bringing extra sauce or gravy.

 

Shows were great, the dancing in the atrium very lively. The ship was very much alive, A lot more than HAL. (We do most of our cruising with HAL - for the destinations) . Lots of 20-30 years old having a great time! Will be back next winter with X, already put down the deposit.

Going off topic here: I truly hope you beat your cancer. My wife is a survivor. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Didn't say it was the worst cruise ever. Actually, staff had confirmed that they have more people on board than room at the pool deck. So my observation was confirmed.

No cruise line has one lounger per passenger. Do you expect 3,000 loungers out on the pool deck just in case every passenger decides to hit the pool at the same time?

Cruising even on RCL is orientated toward much older passengers. I think you would enjoy the resort idea more than any cruise line. Celebrity is not a party ship and with the average age over 50 the music is set up for their regular clientele.

 

Do find it interesting that you found nothing in the MDR menu that ever interested you! Really? There are some 6 choices each night that rotate and 6 regular ones. fish, meat and vegetarian and nothing? As to portions chicken breast is a standard 4oz. portion cut and if you had asked your waiter would have brought you two, three or four portions. Similar to other food. They will bring you whatever you want and as much of it as you eat. Four desserts? Fine. Five shrimp cocktails? OK.

As to the buffet - how about cooked to order steak or chicken? Pasta or wok cooked to order? Agree the food you dish up that is precooked is - well . . . . buffet food.

Yes,

I usually have a hard time picking my entree, since there are always two or three items that I really want.

We have cruised on NCL and X and find the food on X to be superior.

Of course, food is subjective, some people like meat and potatoes, others like some foreign flair.

Still, the poster did not explain in any detail why the food did not appeal.

It is always interesting to read about what others like in cruises. We rarely use the pool, and love the solarium with the hot spas, which we like.

I hope you aren't saying only positive reviews are "real" reviews.

Looking forward to reading a real review... We sail soon so will be good to hear what you say! [emoji4]

Beatles good. Madonna yuk.

How could anyone not like music from the Beatles and Madonna?

 

How could anyone not find any food on the Reflection that they enjoyed eating?

The possibilities seem endless.

As I mentioned earlier, I'm in my 50s and my husband is late 60s. When we were on Reflection last year the band was a great one from St. Lucia named XtaSea and they were fantastic!! We old timers had never heard Blurred Lines, which they played at every set, and we loved it!! There we were on the crowded dance floor singing and dancing along! And we play it at home a lot now too...."You tha hottest b--ch in tha place..." Really, Reflection is not just for old fogeys!

I hope you aren't saying only positive reviews are "real" reviews.

Where did I say anything like that!?[emoji848][emoji57]

Where did I say anything like that!?[emoji848][emoji57]

Well, you did infer.... Whereas, I blatantly said it. :D

Well, you did infer.... Whereas, I blatantly said it. :D

Not in the slightest... Just saying I didn't consider the OPs review was very genuine...

I'm all for hearing what people do & DON'T like as its all about opinions... Would it affect my choice of cruise... No as I make my own mind up on what I consider good/bad! But as I said I look forward to hearing what the other poster thought of the cruise as we are joking the reflection soon so it's always good to hear genuine/real reviews... Good & Bad! [emoji4]

Would just like to say a big thank you to those of you that have posted your opinions/experiences on the celebrity X cruises.... This has been of a great help in trying to decide what package to book.

Please please keep them coming & I will let you all know what I finally decide & will also post up my experience upon my return. A great forum & so glad I signed up.

Very best regards

Mark.

Hi Mark

I assume you are aware that Celebrity has an offer on until 29th Feb that most 2016 cruises booked under the current UK offer include a free classic drinks package. This does include most beers, wines up to $9 and mixed drinks up to $8 ..... They also serve a decent Prosecco within the classic package.

We always try to book when there is a UK offer inc drinks package as worth it to us ..... we always upgrade to premium on the ship, NEVER prior to sailing as there is no advantage and you may find the classic package covers everything you need. Also only one of you needs to upgrade if the other is covered by classic.

We've cruised X, RCI and P&O and X is our favourite so far .... another coming up in June :)

Might be worth your while starting a new thread regarding any questions or concerns you have as unfortunately you may get missed in the middle of a "controversial" thread such as this

Last October you posted "We have been on about 20-30 each." Your OP in this topic mentions over 40 cruises.

 

I'm even more curious about your dad's catering on cruise ships. Please elaborate on what he caters! I've been on a few galley tours. Plenty of cooks on board without relatives for Celebrity to feed & put up in a stateroom. One executive chef I've chatted with many times on many cruises & different ships had his wife on board on a port day in his country. One hotel manager I can think of travelled with his wife and baby. Rare! Some entertainers travel with a spouse. Guest speakers, yes, but children also? Hmmm. Just what does your dad cater?

Yes, I was also very puzzled by this. Never had any idea that outside food was brought onboard ships.

Yes, I was also very puzzled by this. Never had any idea that outside food was brought onboard ships.

I have definitely never heard of it. And I have a sister who works for DCL, so I'm 99% sure they don't.

Hi Mark

 

I assume you are aware that Celebrity has an offer on until 29th Feb that most 2016 cruises booked under the current UK offer include a free classic drinks package. This does include most beers, wines up to $9 and mixed drinks up to $8 ..... They also serve a decent Prosecco within the classic package.

 

We always try to book when there is a UK offer inc drinks package as worth it to us ..... we always upgrade to premium on the ship, NEVER prior to sailing as there is no advantage and you may find the classic package covers everything you need. Also only one of you needs to upgrade if the other is covered by classic.

 

We've cruised X, RCI and P&O and X is our favourite so far .... another coming up in June :)

 

Might be worth your while starting a new thread regarding any questions or concerns you have as unfortunately you may get missed in the middle of a "controversial" thread such as this

Fantastic thank you & yes I was aware of the current offer which is tipping the scales towards cruising with celebrity X.

If a moderator could delete my posts on this forum & I will start a new thread as suggested as it feels ive posted up within a war zone here...

Thank you.

OK...

 

 

Additionally, attitude is everything. Your review came across very attacking & negative. Perhaps that wasn't your intention. But my family has joked that even if we were on that Carnival ship that was floating at sea for a few days with no power, we would STILL have had a good time...

Agree completely with everything you said, particularly this. Whether you think you'll have a good time or you think you'll have a bad time, you'll be right! :)

We were on the same trip as the OP and had a completely different experience. At five years of age, our granddaughter was definitely in the under 30 crowd and had a great time. ;)

Complaints about food ("everything was gross") on a cruise ship give me pause. Food is highly subjective. While I wouldn't call MDR or Oceanview fine dining, there was certainly a great selection of good food. Perhaps wandering away from a comfort zone of chicken fajitas and chicken breast might have helped. I found the beef (and we live in cattle country) and lamb dishes very good.

And complaints about serving size? Our granddaughter knew enough about cruising (she's been on two cruises) to order three plates of frogs legs.

Sorry, not buying much of her "review". For someone like her with so much cruising experience, it doesn't add up. Only a first-time cruiser would not realize that if you want more potatoes, just ask for them. There is no doubt, based on her review, that she is very fussy in terms of food. Every lunchtime is filled with many different items, including lots of salad choices. The MDR menu always has a chicken, a steak, and a salmon on it -- every single night. There are also 6 additional entrees that change every night. There are at least 6-8 appetizers offered every night. There are at least 7 desserts on the menu every night. As other posters have mentioned, on a sea day, finding a comfortable spot near the pool is pretty tricky, but an experienced cruiser would know that. Do NOT let this one review sway you from booking with Celebrity.

This is why I had to counter many of the complaints--any seasoned cruiser (and we have measly 10 under our belt) knows about poolside loungers, ordering more/different food, etc.

I understand picky--but all her other cruises were great, but this one suddenly didn't work?

I respect negative reviews that make sense.

BUT this just doesn't add up.

If you want a prime seat by a pool whether it is on a cruise ship or in a hotel, you need to do certain basic tasks, the first of which is to get up and sit on the sun beds. If you don't want to do,that, you get what is left, if any.

The ship next to us was the Norwegian Escape we begged to get on board to that ship because they were blasting amazing music from the pool and from getting on the boat. We were so depressed we weren't allowed on board.

Let me get this straight. You've been on over 40 cruises, yet you didn't realize you wouldn't be able to board a ship that you weren't booked on?!?!

It's because of comments like the above that nobody is taking your review seriously.

As for the food, you admit you ate the same thing everyday, but then go on to say how everything was gross. How can you say that all the food on the ship was gross if you were only willing to try a few items?

Perhaps if you had tried other items you would have found something you liked.

Pizza, pasta station, salads and sandwiches are available daily in the buffet and would appeal to even the most pickiest of eaters. This is on top of the stir fries, grilled items, curries, Asian and Mexican cuiseine and other hot items which change daily. Hotdogs, hamburgers and French fries can be found at the grill. There is also the Aqua Spa Café.

The MDR has an everyday favorites menu, which stays the same throughout the cruise, and another menu which changes daily. Someone who has cruised 40 times would also know there is a vegetarian menu. So that's over 15 entrees every night. This is in addition to the kids menu which adults can order from.

Yet, with all these choices available, you ate the same thing everyday and came to the conclusion that all the food on the ship was gross?

If you couldn't find something to eat on a cruise ship, I don't recommend an AI resort. While I've enjoyed the food at resorts, there isn't as much selection. A picky eater like yourself would have a very hard time finding something to eat.

I think she was using hyperbole in regards to not being allowed to board Escape.

She admits to being a picky eater so I'm not sure why she is blaming Celebrity for her self imposed dietary limitations.

She was using hyperbole throughout her review. :)

I am curious to know what she eats every day when she's at home, work, etc.

She was using hyperbole throughout her review. :)

 

I am curious to know what she eats every day when she's at home, work, etc.

Probably chicken tenders and chocolate cake. :)

She was using hyperbole throughout her review. :)

 

I am curious to know what she eats every day when she's at home, work, etc.

I wonder if her dietary restrictions are due to her abnormally large toe.