January 3 Reflection Review: Horrible Cruise

[Seabourn Pearls]

I was at a party yesterday and spent a few minutes chatting with a friend's wife. Now, my buddy is richer than a troll. They have a beautiful home, tons of land, boats, trips everything. But she is the most miserable person I know. It's as if she's a tragic character from mythology whose curse is her inability to be satisfied by anything. She is not mindlessly acquisitive. But water drawn from the deepest well isn't quite cold or fresh enough and the song on the radio never sets her toe to tapping.

 

At times I think these boards make us all sound like a version of this poor soul. It's called "Cruise Critic" after all, and we have a tendency to rise to the occasion. In most instances I think we describe what went wrong so that deficiencies - real or perceived - can be addressed and improved.

 

But in all honesty, I've never had a better vacation than the week we spent on the Reflection. It was relaxing. It was fun. The service was terrific. Yes, the steak in the MDR on Friday was overcooked and bland. Big deal.

 

Celebrity is in the vacation business and, IMHO, they deliver on the promise. It's reasonable, especially when paying top dollar, to expect a lot from the experience X provides. It won't be perfect. But I've never seen a company try so hard to make it perfect. When they fall short if you bring it to their attention with a bit of class and courtesy X will do just about anything to satisfy its guests.

[Texed]

At times I think these boards make us all sound like a version of this poor soul. I When they fall short if you bring it to their attention with a bit of class and courtesy X will do just about anything to satisfy its guests.

 

Mr. Pearls,

 

Great post, thanks for posting. :)

[CathyCruises]

I was at a party yesterday and spent a few minutes chatting with a friend's wife. Now, my buddy is richer than a troll. They have a beautiful home, tons of land, boats, trips everything. But she is the most miserable person I know. It's as if she's a tragic character from mythology whose curse is her inability to be satisfied by anything. She is not mindlessly acquisitive. But water drawn from the deepest well isn't quite cold or fresh enough and the song on the radio never sets her toe to tapping.

 

At times I think these boards make us all sound like a version of this poor soul. It's called "Cruise Critic" after all, and we have a tendency to rise to the occasion. In most instances I think we describe what went wrong so that deficiencies - real or perceived - can be addressed and improved.

 

But in all honesty, I've never had a better vacation than the week we spent on the Reflection. It was relaxing. It was fun. The service was terrific. Yes, the steak in the MDR on Friday was overcooked and bland. Big deal.

 

Celebrity is in the vacation business and, IMHO, they deliver on the promise. It's reasonable, especially when paying top dollar, to expect a lot from the experience X provides. It won't be perfect. But I've never seen a company try so hard to make it perfect. When they fall short if you bring it to their attention with a bit of class and courtesy X will do just about anything to satisfy its guests.

 

Best post ever!!!!

[upwarduk]

I do like reviews with pictures.

Thanks.

[wwcruisers]

Seabourn Pearls -- Thanks for your review. I've enjoyed reading this thread -- especially the "Ode to the stinky rose"! :D

[EagleRocker]

I was at a party yesterday and spent a few minutes chatting with a friend's wife. Now, my buddy is richer than a troll. They have a beautiful home, tons of land, boats, trips everything. But she is the most miserable person I know. It's as if she's a tragic character from mythology whose curse is her inability to be satisfied by anything. She is not mindlessly acquisitive. But water drawn from the deepest well isn't quite cold or fresh enough and the song on the radio never sets her toe to tapping.

 

At times I think these boards make us all sound like a version of this poor soul. It's called "Cruise Critic" after all, and we have a tendency to rise to the occasion. In most instances I think we describe what went wrong so that deficiencies - real or perceived - can be addressed and improved.

 

But in all honesty, I've never had a better vacation than the week we spent on the Reflection. It was relaxing. It was fun. The service was terrific. Yes, the steak in the MDR on Friday was overcooked and bland. Big deal.

 

Celebrity is in the vacation business and, IMHO, they deliver on the promise. It's reasonable, especially when paying top dollar, to expect a lot from the experience X provides. It won't be perfect. But I've never seen a company try so hard to make it perfect. When they fall short if you bring it to their attention with a bit of class and courtesy X will do just about anything to satisfy its guests.

 

Agree that this is a great post. The constructive and informative criticism CC posters offer allows us all to make better informed choices. I always appreciate hearing of others' experiences, good and bad, and particularly appreciate those who take the time to post detailed reviews. But sometimes the nitpicking and complaints seem petty when considered in the context of the overall experience.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

 

Celebrity is in the vacation business and, IMHO, they deliver on the promise. It's reasonable, especially when paying top dollar, to expect a lot from the experience X provides. It won't be perfect. But I've never seen a company try so hard to make it perfect. When they fall short if you bring it to their attention with a bit of class and courtesy X will do just about anything to satisfy its guests.

 

Excellent post. That has been my experience as well.

 

[Cruisewoman79]

Mother of God! It's even worse than I remember. It's an atrocity.

 

It should be gifted to the Royal Family of Yemen in grateful recognition of their humanitarian efforts around the globe.

 

OH so well said. That is UGLY. I have a Concierge Balcony booked for New Year's cruise on the Reflection but not sure I can handle that ugly rose!

[Seabourn Pearls]

OH so well said. That is UGLY. I have a Concierge Balcony booked for New Year's cruise on the Reflection but not sure I can handle that ugly rose!

 

It's a big ship. You can handle it. If the rose is the worst of your troubles on board you will have a marvelous vacation. Proceed without caution.

[UpcountryTravelers]

Here are a couple more pieces:

 

 

 

 

 

We LOVED the whimsical art all around the Reflection!

[BosoxI]

So do I have to sneak into the men's room to find out what you are talking about? The ladies' room has no such embellishments.

 

:confused:

 

Yup, and don't make a mess :D

[renitamc]

Just kidding.

 

We loved it. Every minute of it. It's hard for me to fathom how anybody could take a ride around the Caribbean on the Reflection and not have a great time. We weren't ready to get off.

 

I'm going to do a list of the things we really liked or that exceeded our expectations. Then I'll nitpick and throw out a few suggestions for improvement.

 

1. The public bathrooms. They're cool. They're clean. They smell good. I loved the riddles above the urinals. The first time you discover the automatic slider to the Lawn Club restrooms feels like a scene from Bond, James Bond.

 

2. The Buffet. We're not buffet people but we thought the offerings at the Oceanview Café were terrific. We had no trouble finding plenty of items to our liking.

 

3. The Music. We loved the hip, groovy vibe throughout the ship. I'll agree with others who have complained that at certain times the atmosphere would benefit if the volume were dropped down just a notch or two. But, to us, music is make or break to finding a place to hang out. We thought Reflection had a great sense of how the music should build during the day from very chilly almost ambient beats early in the day to a little bit more of a beat in the afternoon to a good party/dance vibe after dark.

 

We also enjoyed Stan the Pan Man - especially when he was tapping out Zeppelin and Aerosmith, Five O'clock Somewhere, the Soulful Electronica Duo around the Martini Bar, the jazz quartet in the Ensemble Lounge and especially the big band swing sound of the orchestra.

 

4. Lighting -- I believe luck, timing and lighting are the three most important things in life -- with lighting the most often neglected. Reflection's designers understand lighting. All around the ship there are a lot of very thoughtful ideas about how to use lighting to create the right mood.

 

5. Room Steward - Is there anything better than returning to find your cabin all spiffed up? We had Michelle. She was awesome.

 

6. The Sunset Bar -- Sunset. A view of the propeller wash. Great furniture layout. Good music. Meeting new people. And a group of flower shirted dudes wryly delivering any libation you desire. I couldn't spend enough time at the Sunset Bar. I've never seen a better vacation venue for hanging out and knocking back a few cocktails. Take me back there now.

 

7. Café Al Bacio - Great coffee. Great atmosphere. Great service.

 

8. Anytime dining - Never a problem. Minimal wait if any. Not having a schedule on vacation....priceless.

 

9. Meeting New People - Hello Dave, Lorraine, Mark, Jerry, Scott, Cindy, Bruce, Rosemary and many more. There were a ton of nice people on board. I wish we could have met more of you.

 

10. The Captain's voice. My half Greek wife loved the accent. It was somehow both pleasant and reassuring. She had a chance to meet him and let's just say Captain Pappas is a very serious man.

 

11. Flair Bartending -- We'd seen it on YouTube and were expecting it to be cheesy. And maybe it is. But it was still fun seeing a dozen-drink pyramid filled without missing a drop and it never failed to send a jolt into the crowd. We loved it.

 

12. My wife won $1,300 playing roulette. It was even more delightful because the pit boss was a miserable hag.

 

13. Crowding - We never really felt crowded. The main pool was a zoo but that wasn't our scene so we just avoided it. The AquaSpa café was also overrun and we might have liked that. But by and large we had no trouble finding a little space, peace or quiet.

 

I could go on. I'd love to hear what others love about cruising on Celebrity. Please chime in.

 

A few suggestions......

 

1. Cocktail Hour Snacks - From say 4-7pm I'd like to go down to the Oceanview Café and find a station of cocktail hour snacks - some olives, some nuts, some wasabi peas, a snack mix, perhaps some decent cheeses and an assortment of crackers. It would be nice to grab a couple of small bowls or plates and bring them up to the sunset bar or your cabin for snacks to go with drinks before dinner.

 

2. Atrium Microphone Barking -- the atrium is a bad place for trivia, dance classes, game shows....basically any event that involves a lot of loud talking into a microphone. When that stuff is happening it shuts down the Hideaway, the Library, Café Al Bacio, the Passport Bar, Gest Services and so forth. It would be better to relocate it to a confined space like the Skyview Lounge or Celebrity Central or even the Conference Center.

 

3. Main Pool - Okay, this was not our scene. It was noisy, greasy and jammed with humanity.

 

4. The Grass -- It was a clever idea and a great marketing ploy. But the grass, IMHO, is a colossal waste of precious space. It requires a ton of maintenance, is often roped off, and is underutilized. I think it's time to reimagine that space, perhaps with a fountain or reflecting pool (ha, get it) or some other water feature that might relieve some of the crowding by the main pool.

 

5. Art - I found the art on board underwhelming.

 

6. The Red Rose - It should be thrown overboard.

 

I wish I was back on board right now.

9P0p

 

Agree that this is a great post. The constructive and informative criticism CC posters offer allows us all to make better informed choices. I always appreciate hearing of others' experiences, good and bad, and particularly appreciate thosellp who take the time to post detailed reviews. But sometimes the nitpicking and complaints seem petty when considered in the context of the overall experience.

[seahaver]

Calling someone a "hag"is not nice

[prefer2cruise]

Joining you the 21st - my wife and I can't wait to pose by the infamous rose! Perhaps some Mardi Gras beads would help? See you all at Sunset Bar for sail away!