Reflection review EC 11/14 and comparisons to RSSC and Silverseas

[SuzCruise]

This review is long and rambling and sometimes overly detailed so consider yourself warned. When I'm reading a review, I like to know who is writing it. My husband and I are mid 40s professionals who live to travel. We have cruised about 8 or 9 times, mostly on Regent Seven Seas, last on Silverseas and once on Celebrity to the Baltic 6 years ago. We do lots of other travel besides cruise and do enjoy forging our way across foreign countries. But sometimes we like the ease of boarding a cruise ship and kicking back to relax. We don't do ship excursions as we like to do our own thing and get away from the crowds, so RSSC including excursions in the cruise fare makes that line less appealing than it used to be. Being on a tour bus is not on my to do list, ever. We are still looking for the perfect line for us. We chose this cruise for the ship alone, not being big fans of the Caribbean and having visited all of these ports before. We wanted to experience a big ship and all it had to offer. I'll say now that we did enjoy our cruise, despite the criticism that I will throw at it in this review. But we would probably not cruise this ship again, and our next cruise will probably be on a luxury line, but we will consider Celebrity again.

 

Embarkation

We flew in early on sail away day so we arrived early at the port. There was some confusion as the woman checking us in forgot to take our photo until I reminded her and they tried to give us someone else's sea cards and we were sent to the wrong waiting area at first. The suite waiting area needed a good cleaning. It was nasty. But we were on the ship by 11:30, so it's all good!

 

Once onboard we were a bit taken aback at the crowds. Our last cruise had 300 passengers on the ship. This one had 10 times that. And it showed as everyone was boarding and going to and from the muster drill. There were not enough elevators for the number of people on the ship. We used the stairs a lot that first day and were rethinking our cabin placement. But the crowds thinned out a bit after the first day.

 

Cabin

We were in a sky suite on deck 12 under the pool area on the hump. 2161. This cabin was large and well laid out. It didn't have a walk in closet, but who cares. It had great drawer space, which is something missing on RSSC and Silversea and was more than enough storage for us. It seemed a bit wider, or maybe just better laid out so it seemed roomier. We asked the fridge be emptied since we weren't going to be using the mini bar, and we kept it stocked with water. It did a surprisingly good job of keeping it cold. The bed and sofa were comfy and we loved that there were foot stools on the veranda. There was just a sofa instead of side chairs as well, but we didn't miss them. We didn't have a problem with noise from above really. Maybe one day early there was some chair dragging above us. And there was a serious squeak on one side of the ceiling above the bed. But a pair of ear plugs covers all sins.

 

We did miss the double vanities of Silversea. And the bathroom was a bit tight, but more than enough room for one person at a time. The shower had a fake rain head and 4 wall jets. The shower head was better than a regular head, but not big enough to deliver the rain head experience. And the jets were just funny because they were set so short.

 

Staff

The vast majority of the staff was very friendly and seemed genuinely interested in making your vacation better. From the staff at the bars happy to suggest a drink that might be even better than the one you ordered to everyone you pass in the hallways always smiling and saying hello. And as we ran to get scones one day after bingo to discover we missed them, again, one of the chefs said he would save them for us the next day so we could come by after bingo and get some. It was a lovely treat after losing at bingo! ;). That's the kind of service that makes a vacation and keeps people coming back.

 

The funny thing was that the staff that was charged with making our vacation better, personally assigned to us, didn't really excel at that. Our Butler was asked for little, and never delivered. The first morning we discovered breakfast happens very early on Celebrity and we were turned away from Luminae as they closed. We ran back to the room and asked if we could order room service. No. But then later in the day he said he called us and stood outside our room for some time right after that to tell us that he could bring us pastries and coffee. Why didn't he say that in the beginning instead of telling us that we needed to go to Oceanview? And he almost never offered tea and canapés in the afternoon and more than once when we requested it he said we missed it.

 

Our assistant room steward was similarly lackluster. A request for an ottoman in the room to use with the sofa was met with him moving the foot stool for the deck chair inside and telling us we could move it back and forth to use it.

 

The best was the sky suite concierge, Karen, who is lucky I can't find her business card at the moment or I'd share her last name too. We asked her for one thing, if we could be placed on a wait list for Murano as it was booked for the entire cruise. She told us that ALL of the restaurants were doing Top Chef dinners at EVERY dinner so they were closed to the rest of the ship. A bold face, shockingly ignorant, lie. My husband repeated that back to her and I pointed out there were not enough Top Chef contestants onboard to make that possible and she backed off. But still said no wait list and we couldn't possibly get in. We went by Murano and inquired and got reservations for a late dinner the next night. She is awful at her job, she downgrades the Celebrity experience and she makes the entire company look bad. Her salary is an offense to everyone who has ever paid for a cruise or God forbid, stock in Celebrity.

 

Food

 

I have to add a bit about us here. We love food. Food is a very important part of any vacation for us. We have had entire trips center around getting reservations at hard to get in places (Per Se and 11 Madison Park in one trip - major score) and will travel some distance to eat in the worlds best restaurants (going across Spain to San Sebastian).

 

We ate the majority of our meals in Luminae and were extremely impressed! It isn't Michelin starred, but it is better than any other food we have had, or probably will have, at sea, ever The menu was limited, but we always found something we really wanted to try. We had heard that they would be happy to make you something else if you asked, but we never asked because there was no need. In fact, we often had extra courses, either pastas as an additional starter or more than one starter in addition to an entree. We did order off of the Top Chef menu that was being served in the main dining room since this was a Top Chef cruise. This was not the normal Top Chef menu served on every cruise. Each chef onboard prepared their own recipe in a challenge and then those recipes were made by the MDR for Top Chef night. Our waiter told us that Nina was in the kitchen telling them how to plate her dish. Every dish we had in Lumina for lunch and dinner was really top notch. The food in Luminae is better than the food on RSSC and light years ahead of Silverseas.

 

The staff in Luminae also really make the experience. The ambiance is lovely, they seemed to always try to put us near a window if possible. And the service was genuine, elegant without being stuffy, perfectly timed and just about perfect in all ways. Celebrity has really done it right here. The sommelier, Randy, got to know us and made fabulous recommendations which were always within the premium beverage package. I appreciate that there was never an effort for an up charge. And he was always happy to have us taste a few wines before making a decision. He also gave us a small sample of some dessert wines when we said we'd love to have one but knew that might push us over the edge of sobriety. Ryan, who served us water and bread, was also a star. He quickly noted our preferences and was always quick to offer exactly what we wanted. And he was always so cheerful and friendly!

 

Breakfast was a little bit less stellar. For starters, the hours are awful. Breakfast just ends way too early for people on vacation. But that seemed to be a problem everywhere other than the buffet and you heard about it a lot on the ship. This crowd is too young to eat that early. Period. Back to Luminae at breakfast, it sort of seemed like the staff might have been a little tired at each breakfast, which I can understand considering how late and hard they work. Breakfast pastries were not always offered, silverware might be missing when your dish arrived and the chef made some mistakes. But it wasn't a big deal and didn't detract from the overall experience. We had read on CC that there had been an amazing brunch offered in Luminae on sea days which we were very excited about trying. That seems more appropriate for the modern luxury theme they tout and the younger passengers they seem to be attempting to attract. Unfortunately they were doing breakfast only on our cruise, no brunch.

 

We also ate at Bistro on 5 when Luminae was closed while in port. We had a very good Croque Madame. The milkshake was too thin and the crepe didn't live up to the hype given it on these boards, but it was all okay.

 

Murano:

As previously mentioned, we had dinner in Murano. It did not live up to the reputation it has been given on this board as a fine dining experience. It is a lovely room. But it was quite loud. And the service was beyond rushed. Our amuse was dropped at the table without explanation while our waiter had two people speaking to him in hushed tones in front of us. They clearly had other things going on and it showed. The amuse was quickly followed by our next two courses. This was speed eating. Then the waiter asked if we would like a little more time before our next course, which we said yes to, of course. But then there was a VERY long time before the main. The timing and ambience were anything but fine dining and certainly not worthy of an up charge.

 

Our waiter was very nice once we got a chance to chat with him, but he wasn't great at his job. Likewise the sommelier was nice once we engaged him in conversation, but he was simply awful. I hadn't seen the wine list when he came to take our order so I asked for a suggestion to go with my dish telling him that I liked crisp white wines and detest oak and butter therefore most California Chardonnays. He promptly recommended a California Chardonnay, which was buttery and oaky. Huh? Once I saw the wine list I saw it was the most expensive glass on the list. Did I just get the up charge/supersize move on a cruise that claims to be modern luxury? Yep. There was a Top Chef dinner going on when we were there which might have explained the noise level, but not the service problems. The food was excellent. That goat cheese soufflé was fabulous. Would we eat there again? No chance.

 

Other food notes: We also had a sweets a couple of times at al Bacio. They had been raved about on CC, but we did not like anything we tried. The canapés delivered to our room when we fought for them were terrible. Not just poorly executed and lacking flavor, but disgusting choices for an afternoon treat left in a suite. Shrimp or chicken salad slopped on a plate next to a couple of olives and left in our room. That's food poisoning, not modern luxury.

 

The ship:

The ship is lovely! We loved how many of the bars and restaurants had very different feels, not just from each other but from any other space at sea. Martini lounge is fun and the staff make it more so. Cellar Masters is a lovely room that looks very inviting. We weren't blown away by the menu there though and the one server there really couldn't be bothered to help us the first time we went in and was completely missing the next time. This space really would have been more popular if the wait staff was friendly. We once got drinks elsewhere and then brought them in there to enjoy the lovely setting. Ensemble lounge had great music and a good drink list and was a frequent stop for us in the evening. It could be a bit dark in there, which is the only reason I could guess it was so often uncrowned. I do wish they would have opened the blinds during the day as it would have been a great hang out spot. We loved the drinks at the molecular bar, but it was a bit tucked away in the shopping mall and I think most people didn't know it was there.

 

The observation sky lounge would have been our favorite place on the ship. Except it was never open. During the day there was no bartender so you had to go to the pool bar to get a drink. During evening hours, it was always closed for a private function. Actually it was often closed for a private function at other times of the day. It was only open and staffed at night when it was sort of a disco. That was tons of fun. But we REALLY missed having a lounge where you can look out at the ocean while someone else brings us a drink. RSSC and Silverseas have at least one, if not one aft and one forward. We were both a little surprised to find that is an essential part of a cruise for us. The lack of that space on Reflection would make it hard for us to ever book a cruise on this ship again.

 

There is the sunset bar, but it is small, outdoor and half of it is reserved for smokers. It rained most of our cruise, so it was useless. On a nice day, the non smoking section was always filled and you would be hard pressed to find a seat.

 

That brings me to service. On RSSC and Silverseas, you don't really have to go to the bar too often as the minute you sit down a server comes to you. Cocktail, water, food? They want to bring you something. With the exception of the Martini bar, the bars were not well staffed with servers. My recommendation to Celebrity, get rid of the butlers and the concierges that don't do anything and hire more servers.

 

Entertainment and activities:

The music was very good. Ear Candy and the male guitarist that played in Ensemble Lounge were fabulous! One of thE DJ's (not Dragon, but the other one) was excellent and didn't just play music I wanted to dance to, it was music I had to dance to! LAX played the same set everyday including painful renditions of several songs including "all about that bass". Men in skinny jeans just shouldn't attempt a cover of that song. It's sort of like the scoop of lukewarm chicken salad as a canapé, it isn't just execution, it's a horrible idea! We didn't see any of the shows because the timing just wasn't great for when we like to eat. We did see the dancers do Alice in Wonderland in the atrium and they were great and the music was more modern than anything we have ever heard on RSSC or Silverseas. The piped in music played around the ship was normally excellent. Popular music that didn't make me feel like I was in a nursing home, (I'm looking at you RSSC!). There was one afternoon we sat in the observation lounge as they sat up the art auction du jour that they piped in music so bad we had to leave. It was like s stuck record of elevator music.

 

I was a bit sad there weren't more activities on board. I figured on a ship of this size there would be tons to do. But no. Bingo, trivia, that damned art auction and a bunch of "activities" that were really sales at the spa, gym, or the stores. Same old crap, bigger ship. And we missed the afternoon tea tied to trivia on RSSC.

 

Top Chef at Sea:

This was a Top Chef at Sea cruise where Celebrity partners with Bravo TV and 6 former contestants from the show are aboard the ship and really beef up the entertainment offerings. We did not take part in any of the extra cooking classes or dinners because they were sold out before we booked. But we did go to a couple of the cooking competitions on board and they were very entertaining. We also chatted with some of the chefs at the bars around the ship. They were very nice and some were hilarious!

 

Other passengers: the demographic here is much younger than RSSC or Silverseas. We thought that made for a more fun environment as people stayed up late and danced and hung out. We met some lovely, fascinating people. We also saw some sloppy drunks and some demonstrations of how not to behave in public. I will note for those dress code police reading this that the worst behavior we saw was from an elderly woman, dressed to the nines, being drug through the ensemble lounge as she could barely walk but was still fighting to stay out drinking. 45 minutes later she was still fighting with her friends at the elevators. We also saw a young woman sunbathing topless at the sunset bar. Classy. Her boyfriend spent a good 10 minutes putting suntan lotion on her, to the delight of the deck hand cleaning the railing and glass right by them. No part of the ship has ever been cleaner. But none of that has to do with Celebrity. Every cruise has tasteless people on it, regardless of the cost of the cruise.

 

This was a hard drinking crowd! I'm not sure if it was because everyone had an included beverage package and wanted to get the value from it. But I have never seen so many people drinking on a ship. Not drunk, just drinking. All hours of the day tons of people had a cocktail in hand and the bars were busy.

 

A word about the stores. The boutiques were great and I could not stop going in and looking at Kate Spade bags and talking to Billy at Bulgari each time I passed. But the t-shirt shops and the gold by the inch and purses stuck out in the hallways that you just had to fight your way through were so tacky! Modern luxury? Not even close. It was like a floating flea market.

 

The art auction: Can this hideous staple of cruise ships please die its long overdue death? Every ship we have been on has one. It's interesting, once. But it is such an odd idea to buy art on board a ship and such a pain in the butt in that it is always clogging up a space that could be holding an interesting activity. Odd and awful. That is how I would sum up Park West gallery.

 

In summation, we had a very good time. But the Reflection is missing a key element we look for in a cruise. Celebrity, however, is a very good product for the money. We will cruise Celebrity again on a smaller ship, but first we'd like to try Crystal.

[tybeelucy2]

Very insightful. Thanks for sharing.

[lodinayr]

This is one of the most enjoyable reviews I've read in a long time. I agree, the drinking seems to be getting a little out of hand. Agree with the shopping. The tacky "sales" of costume crap have to go; as well as Park West! Funniest line, "That's food poisoning, not modern luxury."

[padgman1]

A very thoughtful and thought-provoking review.........thank you very much..

 

In my (limited) experience, most sommeliers on Celebrity will try to sell passengers on either the "wine of the day," usually a Cabernet or Chardonnay from USA / California, OR their preference given what they see you drinking early on, usually more expensive.

 

Your comments regarding the food and service at Luminae are most illuminating and will serve to sell out the Sky Suites on all Celebrity ships quickly....

[jenniebnyc]

You and I can be friends :)

 

Thank you for your detailed and honest review.

 

I do hope Celebrity is reading these reviews and considers your comments about Luminae...and also takes a look at their staff (Karen, the bulter, etc.). You should not have to experience this kind of service or attitude. Hopefully you completed you comments card.

 

If you ever need restaurant recs in NYC, feel free to reach out.

[AlexDouglass]

We were on the same cruise and with you in Luminae, and I do agree with you much of the way.

 

I have to admit we didn't mind the canapes so much, in part because we last had Cunard's woeful interpretation of the idea (they rely heavily on very lightly salmon-infused cream cheese on soggy toast rounds), but mostly because our excellent butler, Walter, was always so happ to add a nice cheese plate or fruit platter to the the sandwiches and cakes that come daily at the same time as the canapes.

 

The lack of non-commercial activities did indeed stand out - the one daily trivia was s shouty sort of affair back on the Oceanview deck, and my husband did enjoy the pool games, but there wasn't much. I couldn't tell, actually, if the art studio was ever used at all. That's one area where Cunard - lectures, dance lessons, fencing(!), acting classes, etc. - does pull ahead.

 

And the breakfast hours are simply incomprehensible. We 9:30 cutoff on sea days, but had ours in the room or up in Oceanview otherwise.

 

As for the "art" - well, Park West does provide some comedy value, but it seemed like on this cruise it was _everywhere_. Given that the ship itself has an interesting, if wildly inconsistent, collection of contemporary art, it's even funnier that they sell such schlock, and in so many venues.

Edited November 24, 2015 by AlexDouglass

[Grandma Gilly]

SuzCruise. Thank you for your interesting review, I really enjoyed reading it.

We are returning to Celebrity after many cruises on smaller ships and this was destination-driven.

I noticed you mentioned Ear Candy. Are they two young guys, both singers and one playing keyboard?

If you are looking for another cruise line, why don't you consider Azamara? Definitely my favourite.

[SuzCruise]

Ear candy is actually two women. One plays the guitar, beautifully I might add. The other plays some sort of sound machine and adds some percussion and sings. They were very good. Michael the guitarist who sings was even better. His guitar playing alone could have kept me entertained for hours. Mind you, we aren't old fogeys and I LOVE to dance and love pop music more than I should admit. But before dinner I want to have a cocktail with some background music and conversation. These guys were great for this. Modern mellow music. RSSC and SS could use either one of these groups. While those lines provide a proper cocktail hour (hot appetizers in a lounge with great service overlooking the ocean) the music is normally the lost recordings or Bennie Goodman or something else beyond outdated and obscure.

 

One other thought. The Tuscan Grill is a beautiful space. It would make a fabulous aft facing lounge. Imagine whiling away the day reading, playing a game, or just chatting while looking at the wake of the ship and having someone bring you drinks? Celebrity, if you are reading this, THAT is modern luxury. If you take that suggestion, we'll be back on board in a heartbeat! From the other reviewers complaints, I think that lounge will be quite full.

[hcat]

Great Review!

[JERSEYGIRL1983]

Thank you for your review. Can you please tell us what time you arrived in Puerto Rico

[SuzCruise]

Thank you for your review. Can you please tell us what time you arrived in Puerto Rico

 

We arrived late due to horrible weather the beginning of the trip. We arrived at 5 in the rain and the threat of rain continued all night.

[xkisses]

Thanks for such a detailed review. My fiance and I hold the same interests and preferences that you listed, and my outlook on my upcoming trip is growing soggier by the day. I booked Celebrity because I thought it was supposed to be excellent food, service, and wine...but everyone who knows about these things is writing quite terrible reviews. .

[jelayne]

Very complete review and it is unfortunate your did not have a better butler.

 

We were on the Reflection TA and our butler was fantastic. We were brought a selection of afternoon snacks every day - mini-sandwiches ham, tuna, chicken, salami, on a variety of breads/rolls. Tarts, cookies, small cakes and things like olives, dips, etc. After a few days if we were not in the cabin when he came by he would leave us a plate with some things we had picked in the past. OJ and coffee arrived every morning at the time we requested.

 

He handled our reservations for speciality restaurants, decorated our cabin for my DH's birthday and set up a small party for 8 of us in our cabin to celebrate. I could go on and on but we didn't ask for all of this service he looked for opportunities to pamper us.

 

We didn't use the Concierge so I can't comment on her but it should be noted that she is not just the Concierge for the Sky Suites she is the Concierge for all guesst except those in Celebrity Suites and above.

 

We agree that Randy is a wonderful sommelier and we too have not had great luck with Murano on other Celebrity ships so didn't try it on the Reflection.

 

I hope when you sail Celebrity you get the wonderful service that we had on the Reflection.

[need2bespoiled]

Excellent review. You hit the common challenges and benefits of Celebrity we too find. I was happy to read your opinion on Luminae. As you said, not w Michelin star, but nice to read it rivals the lines we haven't sailed on, I have been trying to convince my partner to try, but maybe not worth it. Maybe we need to start the "perfect" cruise line :)

 

If you do sail again, a few hints / pointers to make life even better:

 

1. If your butler isn't up to snuff, ask for a new one, it is completely unacceptable what you experienced. The afternoon snacks are gross, so we ask for a standing order of what we want, shrimp cocktail alternating with cheese and crackers and maybe occasionally sushi. Their not grommet, or Luminae quality but a nice snack and far better than the standard offering. We also have scones and cream which is a proper tear and very tasty.

 

2. Booking one cabin level higher or above will open up additional benefits that would enhance your cruise in ways you may not realize. While some are complaining celebrity suites are loosing benefits you would receive access to that private function in the upper front lunge in the evening because those suites are given elite benefits for the cruise. You'd also review a more limited Michaels Club concierge who is serving a much smaller number of guests. They are however expanding this to sky suites very soon. You will likely receive a better butler and not be told "no" as often. With a separate bedroom, we can skip breakfast because we ask the butler to leave a carafe of latte on the table with pastries, berries and fruit so when we wake it is there. No need to rush to breakfast. However, they are more accommodating with special / late orders the higher the level of suite. With just the small breakfast when we get up later, we can then do lunch mid-day and all is ok for us with some small nibbles late afternoon / early evening.

 

3. While the other S-class ships are similar to Reflection, and she is a bit bigger, she has more passengers and feels more crowded. Silhouette and Eclipse might give you a more spacious feel. We enjoyed Eclipse and Equinox more than Reflection even though they are less stunning ascetically (but still beautiful).

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[Keith1010]

I enjoyed your review.

 

Keith

[Jade13]

QUOTE=SuzCruise;48362140

Our Butler was asked for little, and never delivered.

 

Our assistant room steward was similarly lackluster.

 

The best was the sky suite concierge, Karen, who is lucky I can't find her business card at the moment or I'd share her last name too. We asked her for one thing, if we could be placed on a wait list for Murano as it was booked for the entire cruise. She told us that ALL of the restaurants were doing Top Chef dinners at EVERY dinner so they were closed to the rest of the ship.

 

A bold face, shockingly ignorant, lie.

 

My husband repeated that back to her and I pointed out there were not enough Top Chef contestants.

 

onboard to make that possible and she backed off. But still said no wait list and we couldn't possibly get in. We went by Murano and inquired and got reservations for a late dinner the next night.

 

She is awful at her job, she downgrades the Celebrity experience and she makes the entire company look bad.

 

Her salary is an offense to everyone who has ever paid for a cruise or God forbid, stock in Celebrity

.

 

WOW. Sorry to hear you had a poor butler, room steward, and sky suite concierge.

 

Are you planning on writing a letter to Celebrity?

Edited December 5, 2015 by Jade13

[warmwinds]

At our last specialty restaurant on the M class (Olympic, Normandie, can't remember which), the sommelier told us they had a "special" on a very nice bottle of red that evening, would we be interested? Sure, we said, how much is it? $600 for the bottle.

 

I wish he had been kidding. So glad we asked (which some might find tacky to do).

 

Truly, beware of the sneaky upcharge.