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Reflection 12/14/13 Review

TexSea

By TexSea,
in Celebrity Cruises

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TexSea

TexSea

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Hi. We’d like to share our experiences on the Reflection 12/14/13 Eastern Caribbean cruise as we receive the most useful information from the CC boards. We did the same cruise at the same time last year and really loved just about everything. And this year was no exception. We don’t have a lot of experience cruising, but like what Celebrity has to offer and the style of its ships (at least Silhouette and Reflection). This time we were in AQ 1576. This trip really emphasized the whole food/service/whatever is subjective mantra and the phrase “your mileage may vary.”

 

We arrived at POM about 11:30am and it was a fairly quick check-in. I was surprised by the number of people who had no documentation of their reservation so they were frantically trying to look up the info on their phones while in the first passport check line. A little after noon we were seated in a very busy Bistro on Five enjoying a leisurely lunch.

 

After lunch we went to Blu to see if our favorite staff were still on board. Unfortunately not, but we were strongly encouraged to use the 2 for 1 specialty restaurant offer for AQ guests the first night. We were excited to get back into Blu so we declined that offer. Once we got to our room, a letter and a voicemail were left with the same offer. Sure enough, Blu was packed that night around 7:30pm. We were seated in the slowest section ever - by the time we had our entrees, three sets of guests seated after us in other sections were already on dessert. We weren’t completely in vacation mode yet so we were a little antsy, but the food and wine were good. This definitely was the waiter’s doing, as we accidentally sat in his section for breakfast and the same thing happened. Last year we never had a problem waiting so we were a little concerned about this trip going forward.

 

The second night in Blu something odd happened. We left for dinner a little earlier this time and were seated right away. However, the two couples on either side of us kept staring at us. Then they would lean over to their dining partner and whisper something. A few minutes later this would repeat. Of course the tables being close together didn’t help things. I tried a quick “how’s your cruise going” to one couple, hoping to diffuse whatever was going on, but they wouldn’t engage at all. After about 15 minutes we left, changed out of our formal clothes, and had a delicious meal at the Lawn Club Grill. As a vegetarian it’s a little wasted on me though. ;-)

 

We changed our dining strategy after that and had wonderful, interesting meals and service in Blu with great dining companions the rest of the trip. Blu completely redeemed itself for us. The wait staff was friendly and the wine stewards accommodating. Some people we met in Blu did not like the food (or the service) as much as we did and sometimes had completely opposite opinions about it. But that’s ok.

 

We booked several AquaSpa appointments for the week. Each one was professionally handled and overall excellent. Of course, no one likes the product sell at the end, but we expect it and tolerate it. I’m a sucker for facial products so I usually bought items that I would actually use at home. Persian Gardens is one of our favorite spots on the ship. This year it was a little more crowded and unfortunately the chair hogs had migrated there too. The first couple of days we’d see the heated tiled loungers saved with a book, sandals, and a towel with no one using them for a while. Eventually AquaSpa staff made an announcement not to save the loungers and that helped the rest of the week. I would like to see Persian Gardens not as busy (thus more relaxing) with better capacity control. However, the marketing materials say you can get “unlimited” access so even if there were no entry cards available, staff let people in who complained.

 

Around the pool deck, we saw towels and dishes picked up fairly regularly. Every time we wanted to be on the pool deck, one of the padded wedge loungers magically became available and a pool waiter walked buy for our drink order. Loved it.

 

We upgraded to the premium drink package so we could enjoy whatever we wanted. And we did. The service at the bars was quick and efficient for us. Many nights the bars even seemed empty depending on what time it was. We like the Martini Bar and enjoyed DJ Miami that played there most evenings for a short time, which gave it a club feel. We walked by after the Sin City show and many people were dancing around the bar and it was a lot of fun. The new cocktails available at the Sunset Bar were delicious.

 

Our room steward Sherwin and his assistants were amazing. For the evening canapés (we requested vegetarian choices) he also brought us the fruit and cheese plate from the room service menu, which was much appreciated. The room was clean and well-appointed. I do wish they’d offer better spa-level products to AQ rooms as a way to differentiate it from other rooms. Maybe with the new spa concessionaire they will.

 

The new Sin City comedy and burlesque show was a welcome addition to the lineup. We finally made it on its final night as we kept falling asleep before it started all the other nights. We arrived at 10:30pm and it filled up rather quickly after that. The most bizarre event of the trip happened during this show. A woman on the front row kept “interacting” with the main comedian. He tolerated it at first and she was actually funny at first. He began a new joke by putting on a surgical mask as a suggestion on how to get a row to yourself on Southwest Airlines. This woman started yelling something at him while rummaging in her purse. She pulled out a small packet that I thought was a wet nap. She started opening it up above her head and yelling “here, you can have this, I paid $175 for these panties at the spa and you can have them.” Then she threw a pair of black panties on the stage. He sternly warned her not to interrupt him again and she didn’t.

 

Disembarkation the last day couldn’t have been easier. Blu is open from 6:30a-8:00a that day which is a very nice way to end a trip. We walked out of Blu at 7:50am and we were at our gate in MIA by 8:30a. Not bad at all. We wanted to do the Luggage Valet, but our flight had been changed and it now departed 3 minutes before the first allowed time of 11:30a. However, luggage pickup and customs took no time at all so it would have been wasted. You just never know what to expect from trip to trip.

 

I’d be glad to answer any questions. I can post the dailies and the luggage valet paperwork if anyone is interested. We are already looking forward to our next trip on the Reflection in June!

 

-Jayson & Matt

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TexSea

TexSea

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We are on Reflection Feb 1 and would love to see the dailies if you can post them.

 

Glad you had a good time. Looking forward to our trip even more.

 

I will scan them tonight and post them tomorrow. You’ll have a terrific time.

 

Great review, thank you. Do you have any Blu menus or wine lists?

 

Thanks. I'm sorry but I didn't take any photos of those. Sorry!!

 

 

Did you do self disembark or were you in the early group?

We were the last number of the early group, 7:00am-7:45a (I think those are the times). We had finished breakfast and on our way to the departure lounge for our number when we heard the woman at the exit call out two numbers past ours so we walked right off.

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Janet987

Janet987

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Many thanks for that thorough review, Jayson & Matt... I think we were on the same sailing last year.

 

Did you notice any significant changes in the Blu Menus? e.g. did the SPE designation really change anything? Glad to hear the waiter problem resolved. We may take up that first night offer after reading your experiences.

 

To save you work on the dailies, the Preismans already posted all from the previous week. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1958980

Assuming the Reflection one week itinerary remains similar except for holiday sailings.

Cheers, Janet

Edited by Janet987
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Bosjoe

Bosjoe

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Hi Jayson

 

Great review, so sad you had to deal with those couples in Blu to bad you couldn't send them your Lawn Grill bill for making you guys feel uncomfortable from their rudeness. It was great last year too this time of year with all the Christmas decorations.

Edited by Bosjoe
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TexSea

TexSea

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Just curious if there were any movies being shown?

Yes, I think there was at least one every day in Celebrity Central. I remember Pacific Rim and Iron Man 3 being on the list. There are also free movies on demand in your room. Surprisingly the selection changed a little mid-cruise.

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Indiana52

Indiana52

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I went ahead and scanned the dailies (if only to show there was no brunch this time), the luggage valet form, and the Classic coupon sheet. It's one PDF file available from my dropbox at https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/67289472/Reflection12142013.pdf.

 

If you look at Dailies, on Day 3 under Culinary Delites, you will see Brunch in the Opus Dining room, starting at either 10 or 11 AM, can't remember which one

 

This was on the Priesmans post

Edited by Indiana52
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TexSea

TexSea

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If you look at Dailies, on Day 3 under Culinary Delites, you will see Brunch in the Opus Dining room, starting at either 10 or 11 AM, can't remember which one

 

This was on the Priesmans post

 

True. (Un)fortunately it wasn't offered on our sailing, so it apparently varies even from one week to the next.

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