Great Reflection Transatlantic experience

[kk99]

We just returned from a wonderful time on the Reflection transatlantic. Of course there were some glitches, but the crew, officers, and 99.9 percent of the passengers were wonderful to interact with.

 

We have previously cruised with Celebrity many times and several times on the previous S class ships. We prebooked all of the specialty dining for all of the venues along with the wine package , as well as beverage packages which worked well for our small group.

 

We also prereserved a dining time for select dining for the entire cruise on the days we were going to be in the main dining room, so we could have the same time and table, so we could invite others to dine with us. If we decided to change the time or pick up another specialty restaurant, we would just call by 9:00 a.m. that day.

 

I want to say that this was one of the largest roll calls on Celebrity that I have ever participated in. Over 300 people signed up for the connections get together, and about half attended. The ship did not get all of the notices out to those who preregistered, so several people who would have attended didn't get the notice and Celebrity did not post a board about it for daily events.

 

I did witness Host Joe's good nature being taken advantage of by people yelling for prizes. It was ridiculous and I hope to never witness anything like that again on any cruise line. Nick Weir the cruise director stopped by briefly,as well as Gigi, the Celebrity event coordinator, but no one else from Celebrity to say hello. We had a lovely gift exchange hosted by two of our roll call members and many people stayed for the better part of an hour chatting and getting to know one another.

 

Celebrity could have done a better job of informing the passengers what was going on, especially those on the btb who missed two ports, but I thought it was very generous of them to give shipboard credit for missing Tenerife. I do know that some passengers had some independent tours already pad for, for which they were trying to get refunds for. Hopefully, they got it worked out.

 

I can't say enough about the dining room staff and restaurant managers for making it possible for 60 members of the roll call eat together for Thanksgiving and the farewell luncheon which had 90 people. For those of you sailing on Reflection in the future, Fabio is a tremendous asset to the company.

 

Jordan, the manager of the Lawn Club Grill arranged the seating for two roll call dinners, one of which I was at, the other arranged by Mike for 25 people each in a space that only seats 56 at a time. We liked it so much we ate there a second time.

 

The menus have been tweaked at Murano's and at Tuscan. I liked the changes very much and I understand the updates at Tuscan will be rolled out fleetwide on the S class ships. we enjoyed the Porch whch is a $5 dollar charge per person for breakfast or lunch, and it was fairly popular. we also ate lunch at Bistro, another $ 5 dollar charge on two days and it was nice service and not crowded when we went there.

 

I really liked the servers at Cafe al Bacio, as I really enjoy a good espresso. The carrot muffins which I tried to convince myself were healthy tasted just like a moist carrotcake with the frosting. I actually though all of the pastries( which are free without any purchase) were the best on any S class ship.

 

We had lots of participants in the cabin crawl, slot pull (came very close to break even) and the pub crawl. One of he funniest things on the cabin crawl, was that people not even on the crawl, were opening cabins, and asking people to view their cabin. It was great.

 

I thought that the 3 drinks per day from 5-7 which could be used in any of the bars except Molecular, Cellarmasters, or the Theatre bar worked just fine. We would just meet up with different people every day to catch up. What didn't work for the bartenders were everyone waiting until the last ten minutes trying to consume 2 drinks. I also noted that some of the passengers were just downright rude to the bartenders and then wouldn't tip them for their services.

 

We did not attend any of the Captain's Club elite events as probably a third of the sailing was elite members, and since we have done all of the activities many times before, thought it would be nicer and roomier for new members to try everything.

 

Ms. Paramonova, the event coordinator tried her very best to get roll call members who were interested, free bridge tours. I know she was able to get over 60 people on the tours. I really appreciate her making the effort for the members.

 

The music was very good on the cruise. Allegria Strings, Jefferson Ang, Peter James, the band D' Revelation, and Uncommon Ground were outstanding.

 

I had the pleasure of talking with Rory Bolton a number of times on the cruise, and such a very nice person, besides being a gifted pianist.

 

Also DJ Constantine, did a very special thing for a couple with the woman ( who looked to be in her late 50's) who had early onset Alzheimers. He noticied her tapping her feet to a few songs, and asked her partner what her favorite song was, and stopped the set and played it for them, and they had

the dance floor to themselves. She smiled the whole time.

 

The art studio was a big hit, with some free bracelet making and watercolor postcards, and some for fee classes. They were compleely full, so if you are interested, sign up on the first day of your cruise.

I brought back all of the dailies so I'll try and scan them in in the next day or so.

 

The lowlight of the cruise were the few passengers who were so rude to staff and other guests. I witnessed one passenger at guest relations demand his entire cruise fare back because of skipping Tenerife, and he was shouting at Alex, the guest relations manager. Guests would also make dinner reservations for the specialty restaurants and then not show up or cancel. We saw this at Q'sine when a table of 8 just didn't appear and the manager was upset since that was space they could have used for other guests.

 

There are some bugs with the ship especially some cabin noise with some of the cabins having constant rattling and banging sounds( not the usual wind creaks). I know that the cabin next door to us which was 2179 had major problems, and the engineers unscrewed and reassembled the panels and added additional support pieces inside the cabin on at least 5 different days to try and fix the problem. The ship was absolutely full, so we let them use our cabin in the daytime for naps. I do know that they gave them a credit for their next sailing. I did think since we were on deck 12 underneath the start of the Oceanview Cafe that the insulation between the decks was much better and we did not hear any overhead noise until disembarkation day.

 

The Celebrity Life activities staff were fun and I liked the variety of activities besides bingo and trivia. The shipbuilding contest between passengers creating one out of recycled materials found on the ship was great.

 

To those of you that I played trivia with, thank you , because I had a blast even if we weren't the top team. (Arno's team won the progressive trivia challenge).

 

If anyone has any questions, I'll be happy to answer them. We ate out at every venue, had cocktails at every bar, used the spa, the gym( well others in my gang-I just walked through it,it is a vacation after all), and participated in most of the activities offered.

 

For the 99.9% of the passengers, I would love to sail with you again. For the .01%, I hope your next vacation is a better one.

[uktog]

Thanks so much for your review and glad you had a good cruise

 

I do hope they institute the walking of the plank for the 0.1% asap as the behaviour frequently reported by several cruisers here was unacceptable. We saw some early rants on these boards in the first few days of the cruise although these posters have still to come back with reviews - I do hope they were not the characters you had the misfortune to encounter

[mari10]

The menus have been tweaked at Murano's and at Tuscan. I liked the changes very much and I understand the updates at Tuscan will be rolled out fleetwide on the S class ships.

 

Thank you very much for your very nice review. I'm glad you had such a great time.

I was wondering if you can tell me about the changes that have been made to Murano and Tuscan's menus? I know they were tweaked about a year or so ago and am wondering about the new changes. We're booked in each restaurant twice next month as well as the Lawn Club and Qsine.

 

Thank you,

Mari

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[kk99]

The two silliest rants that I personally witnessed was the lady who drank her coffee drink completely at Cafe al Bacio, and then demanded a refund because the drink wasn't good. I would think that a few sips would have been enough. They did refund the drink.

 

Then someone several cabins down from mine found out that on our last port that his butler and several other crew had to get off in Spain because of some visa issues, and could not continue on to the US. This pasenger also said very loudly at guest relations that he wanted a butler he had had before on sailings as "he didn't want to have to train a new one" for the rest of his cruise. Unfortunately he belongs to the cruise critic community, and I hope he later rethought his remarks.

 

I think that the Celebrity management wishes to hear honest assessments of their ships and sailings, but I had one guest relations desk employee state that he was tired of all of the petty criticisms.

 

I am a member of Cruise Critic but my motto on all of our sailings is to be cruise happy. I appreciate all of our vacations and look forward to our next cruise. I met many wonderful people on this sailing and hope to see them again.

 

Anyone has any questions about the shows, restaurants, activities, etc., I'll be happy to answer.

[kk99]

For the restuarant tweaks, Murano's menu has been simplified. There are still the meat, game, and fish entrees, but fewer of them, so they can devote more time to the presentation. They deboned the fish in front of us, and made the salads as well. One little know thing theat they do so well, is that for dessert you can request a half and half of the dessert souffles, half Grand Marnier, and half chocolate with the two sauces which they make in one souffle dish. The cheese board was extra good this time around.

 

In Tuscan, the portion size actually grew larger, so I asked for appetizer size(still very large) for our entrees. They added a white asparagus risotto appetizer that I made my entree and everyone kept eating from, so much so that another was brought to the table. They started every meal(we ate there twice) with an expanded antipasto selection to the table as well as the best breads on the ship. The spaghetti bolognese sauce has been changed and for the better. There were also some additional seafood options since the last menu. I liked the refined version of the Tuscan creamy leek and onion soup, it was a winner at our table.

 

Lawn Club by far had the best steaks of all of the restuarants. We went twice to this venue Others liked the lamb and shrimp and scallop skewers. The best dessert( and yes sad to say we tried them all) was the warm choclate chip cookie in the pan with vanilla ice cream. The blueberry cobbler, apple pie,and cheesecake were good, but nothing compared to that cookie combination.

 

Did I mention all of us gained a few pounds? I do think that they could cut down the portion size in all restaurants as we were eating only about half of the entree size because the portions were so large. I also thought the meals in the main dining room were very good, especially some of the vegetarian offerings.

 

Q'sine as always is the most fun with a large group of people to share the experience. One of the chefs knew I like very spicy food, so he had me some dishes that were not for the faint of tongue. There are some very good Indonesian chefs onboard and they are happy to oblige your taste preferences.

 

Aqua Spa cafe and Blu were fine, although it was crowded in Blu, and less enjoyable. They may have to go to specific dining times to ease crowd control on a completely full sailing, or they need to delete suites that are not AQ from dining there. We were in a regular suite, and we did dine there but at a very early time when they told us they had availability one night.

 

As to all of the employees I encountered they were pleasant, helpful and helped enhance the vacation.

[Karynanne]

Thank you for your review. There is no excuse for bad behavior. The staff and crew work so hard to give their passengers the best cruising experience. I never can understand why some people have to continually complain and expect entitlements from the cruiseline.

[richsea]

Thanks for your thoughts & observations. It's unfortunate that some think that the world revolves around them. We try to sail with the same attitude as you; we feel lucky to be in a position to cruise & try to treat the crew & fellow passengers with respect.

 

I'm not surprised that Arno's team won trivia, he cruises so often that he must have the answers memorized by now!:D

[didicruiser]

Thank you for the review. I will be on her in 4 days!!

[FrankinPA]

 

Lawn Club by far had the best steaks of all of the restuarants. We went twice to this venue Others liked the lamb and shrimp and scallop skewers. The best dessert( and yes sad to say we tried them all) was the warm choclate chip cookie in the pan with vanilla ice cream. The blueberry cobbler, apple pie,and cheesecake were good, but nothing compared to that cookie combination.

 

I also liked the carrot cake. I am a world expert (in my own mind) on carrot cake. Probably eaten this a 500 or more restaurants in my life. I do believe the carrot cake in the Lawn Club Grill is the best I have ever had. The young pastry chef that works for the Grill is very talented. My wife loved the blueberry crumb/cobbler. Will try the cookies next time a year from now.

 

Appreciate your very insightful review on the trip. It mirrored our experience and saved me the time to write a thorough review.

 

All the best and hope to meet you one of these days,

Larry

[bdpnatl]

As someone that will be sailing on December 8th, I appreciate your review. We already have reservations for Qsine and Tuscan Grill. My partner loves asparagus, so I will have to tell him about the white asparagus risotto. May have to make reservations at the Lawn Club also based on this feedback.

 

Very much looking forward to this cruise.

[kk99]

Here are the dailies from our trip, Hope they are helpful in planning your time on Reflection. If you can't open, just let me know.

 

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwHP791Q7f5RMmItZU9JOXE1aWs

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwHP791Q7f5RQ1VIaDEyaEN3QWM

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwHP791Q7f5RRFJrd0ZxUFItR00

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwHP791Q7f5RSTBuN2M2SU43NFk

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwHP791Q7f5RSU5CTDBQMjY1eHM

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwHP791Q7f5RU2JmX1dlLUI5TDg

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwHP791Q7f5RUndRZXNYSk1Rb1k

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwHP791Q7f5RWkVwaHhRbWxDVUk

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwHP791Q7f5RYlBrRzl2WlUwQW8

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwHP791Q7f5RZDMwRVFRRlB4aDg

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwHP791Q7f5RblQ3THVfUE8xQ28

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwHP791Q7f5Rd1JoNlA1TzlKTFE

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwHP791Q7f5RdDJtakowVlgzWUE

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwHP791Q7f5ReElEdlRwQ3VhZXc

[FLJudi]

Great review, now I don't have to write one either. It was a delight sailing with you. You went way out of your way to organize activities which made this sailing particularly enjoyable. Dan and I hope that our paths cross again.

 

Thanks for all you did!

 

Judi

[kk99]

Judi, you and Dan were such a pleasure to meet. I certainly hope I have the privilege of sailing with the two of you again in the near future as well as so many others. I already miss, the not having to cook syndrome, but I'm sure I'll adjust and maybe even lose those cruise pounds before the holidays.

Take care,

Kelcie

[dpryo319]

 

 

 

I had the pleasure of talking with Rory Bolton a number of times on the cruise, and such a very nice person, besides being a gifted pianist.

 

A

 

:) Glad to hear you were able to meet up with Rory! I'll pass the comment on, thanks!

[FrankinPA]

As someone that will be sailing on December 8th, I appreciate your review. We already have reservations for Qsine and Tuscan Grill. My partner loves asparagus, so I will have to tell him about the white asparagus risotto. May have to make reservations at the Lawn Club also based on this feedback.

 

Very much looking forward to this cruise.

 

The steaks at the LCG are all prime beef and really the best you will find anywhere, IMO. But the red snapper filets were to die for. We had them twice and actually did a surf and turf with a small filet mignon. The creamed corn side dish is also fantastic. The two chefs doing the grilling are from Jamaica and Guyana and are a hoot. They let me grill with them one night and it was a ton of fun. I learned a lot about how to grill fish.

 

Have fun.

Larry

[Lois R]

Thanks for the wonderful review:) I will be sailing her on Wednesday:D

 

I know there are a bunch of folks on the roll call who are doing different

dinners together.....not sure what I am doing yet but after reading all

these positive reviews about the Lawn Club, even if I go on my own?

I am going to eat there:D

 

Larry, I love carrot cake too but I can't compete with 500;)

[Cruising89143]

Thanks for the review.

[FrankinPA]

Thanks for the wonderful review:) I will be sailing her on Wednesday:D

 

I know there are a bunch of folks on the roll call who are doing different

dinners together.....not sure what I am doing yet but after reading all

these positive reviews about the Lawn Club, even if I go on my own?

I am going to eat there:D

 

Larry, I love carrot cake too but I can't compete with 500;)

 

But Lois, that is less than 10 pieces a year over my life time. Wife is understanding and allows my indulgence.

 

Have a great cruise. The Reflection is a lovely lady indeed.

[Turtles06]

OP: thanks very much for your review!

 

We took our first TA this past April, on the Eclipse, and absolutely loved it. Can't wait to do another, and so it was great fun reading about your crossing. Thanks again for taking the time to post.

[librarylady19]

Thanks for your insightful comments and for posting the dailies.

 

Please post your cabin report here when you have a chance:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=36247997&postcount=1725

 

I was planning to book Lawn Club upon boarding (hoping for a discount) but may have to get a time and date secured if it becomes very popular - it sounds amazing.

[Artemis]

kk99, thanks so much for sharing your experiences with us. I'm delighted you had such a lovely cruise. Your enthusiastic account has certainly boosted my excitement and anticipation--we embark in a couple of weeks!

[katgio50]

Thank you so much for your review. Could you tell me what the breakfast menu at the Porch was like?

[bdpnatl]

I am with Librarylady19, was hoping to book the Lawn Club once on the ship to use up some OBC. Might have to get on that as soon as we board.

[kk99]

Re the Lawn Club Grill, Jordan Bernstein is the Maitre D'Hotel and the Chef was Rolando Webb. It was a great experience. We prebooked and paid for the dinng reservation on the Celebrity website, and then booked a 2nd one after we had so much fun at the first one. They also sell the Lawn Grill aprons for $25.00. They also have sides such as mac and cheese, baked potato, baked beans, and some other sides that come with dinner, as well as a self serve salad bar. You can also make your own flatbreads as a starter or they will make them for you. It is a fun casual place to dine.

 

Don't worry about the temperature at night, they have overhead heaters to keep everyone warm if there is a chill out, as well as blankets if you needed one, and we didn't on either night on the TA.

 

As to the Porch, here is the menu copied from beyondships web page, I didn't bring one home with me. I really liked the egg and mushroom panini. It was never crowded when we went there for breakfast and lunch. There is a $5.00 surcharge per person, but we thought it was worth it as an experience.

 

 

Any more questions, I'll be happy to answer.

 

Everyone sailing on the ship will find much to like about the changes from previous S class ships, and some what I perceive to be minor quibbles, but to others might be more important.. The ship did creak more than previous ships, that might be a settling issue., The toilets were loud, and it sounded like water was running through the pipes often, but it didn't interfere with sleeping. Michaels, the brew pub is nice but underutilized so far. It was never busy when we were in there. The waitstaff were extremely friendly.The conference room that replaced Quasar held the art auctions and some of the watercolor classes.I still would rather have Quasar, but both the art auction and the watercolor classes were very popular.

 

The music from the party band when playing in the atrium was loud, and it did carry, but not into our room. If you were sitting in one of the reading lounges near the center elevators, you would definitely hear them. They could probably dial back the volume a bit and make people happier with that. Molecular bar was techno music, and it was loud as well.

 

As to the Celebrity Life activities offered, it was nice to see some new events. Playing cards are free from the guest relations desk, and the game room on deck 9 was fun to play the interactive games with others.

 

Internet was slow and down often, and they gave back lots of minutes to passengers buying the packages to make up for the access being down so much. I connecterd all over the ship, and found for me the best connection time was either very early in the morning or around 7:30 p.m. at night. Midday, I didn't have as much luck in staying connected. There is always room for improvement there.

 

I hope everyone has a great time on their future sailing on Reflection.