Currently onboard the Reflection

[pgpthirty]

Hi All!

 

Currently onboard the Reflection for a cruise December 24-31/16.

 

It's been a great cruise so far! This is our sixth cruise in three years, all on Celebrity and our third time on the Reflection. The last time on her was in November 2015.

 

A few observations in no particular order:

 

- Embarkation was ridiculously fast! We arrrived at the Port of Miami at 1:45pm and were on the boat in 15 minutes. Other ships had line ups out to the luggage drop off area. The fastest boarding of all our cruises.

 

- DW and I booked this cruise at the last minute and we were lucky to get the last cabin on the ship, a Sky Suite, 2115 on deck 12. We've stayed in Royal and Celebrity suites in the past and this is our first time in a Sky Suite. Perfectly sized for two people with tons of storage! I was a bit concerned with the potential of noise coming from the deck above, but it's been amazingly quiet!

 

- The ship is in great shape, all decorated for Christmas with a gingerbread village set up on deck 5 between the elevator banks. As always, the staff has been excellent, and can't do enough to make sure that you're taken care of.

 

- We made our specialty dining reservations ahead of time, thinking that with a sold out cruise it would be difficult to get reservations. My mistake. We ate at the Lawn Club Grill on the first night. It was frustrating, as the only time available to book online was 8pm. We were starving, waiting for 8pm to roll around, and when we went to the LC, it was totally empty! They have been offering discounts on the specialty restos every night so far.

 

- The Oceanview Cafe has been good. A good selection of everything. A little nuts for breakfast! I can confirm they have eliminated the sushi in the evening. They have added the salad bar to the pizza and pasta in the "all day" dining option in the Oceanview.

 

- Sushi on 5 seems to be pretty empty each time I walked by, but the menu looked decent.

 

- We have the Unlimited Internet as part of our perks, and it's been very good. A few dropouts for a few seconds, every now and then, but fast and reliable compared to other Celebrity cruises we've been on.

 

- The in-room snacks and afternoon tea for suites has been eleminated, and replaced with a daily afternoon tea and snacks in Michael's Club. The Elite coupons are history, and the associated perks are now pre-loaded on your seapass card. Our butler Hilario, mentioned they aren't very happy with the change, as it reduces the interaction with the guests in the suites. They take turns serving in the snacks and tea in Michael's Club.

 

- They have new tables and chairs on the top deck, midship by the pool in the smoking area. I seem to recall couches and club chairs in the outdoor dining area of the OVC. Maybe I'm getting my ships mixed up! If not, they are gone, and they seem to added some small round tables in their place.

 

- We rented an Alcove for our port day in St Kitts. All of the Alcoves have been rented, but more than half are sitting empty. They are refuelling on the starboard side today, and the Royal Princess is moored our port side. It's quite windy here today, and the combination of the fuel fumes rising up the side and the fumes from the Royal's stacks are making for a stinky, headache inducing stay!

 

- From what I've read and seen onboard, they have eliminated the assistant room steward position, and the main room steward is responsible for everything in the room. We haven't noticed any drop in service to our room.

 

Keep in mind, we haven't been on Celebrity in a year, so some of these changes may be "old news"!

 

That's all I can think of for now. Let me know if anyone has questions, and I'll try to answer.

 

Paul

[Bob7]

Hey Paul, thx for all the info, we're on the Reflection in 2 weeks. There are some reports of weird tasting food in the Tuscan Grill, many dishes tasted over-sweetened, would you give us your opinion, thx. And what area of the MDR is used for Select dining? Also, are drink orders in the MDR slow to come?

-Bob

[pgpthirty]

Hi Bob,

 

I saw the same reports of overly sweetened dishes in the Tuscan Grill. We're eating there tonight, so I'll let you know. I see they've changed the entire menu from the last time we were on Celebrity, so I'm curious to try it. I believe deck 4 is the area of the MDR they use for Select dining. Staying in a suite, we have access to Luminae, so we probably won't eat in the MDR, but our experience with drink service in the MDR in the past, has always been good.

[fielddreamer]

We were on Dec 3 and the select was deck 4 ! We loved the ship and booked 10 day So. next Sept in Aqua . We ate 4 nights in Spec and loved all of them ! Bob

[JRWLOBO]

Hi All!

 

Currently onboard the Reflection for a cruise December 24-31/16.

 

- The in-room snacks and afternoon tea for suites has been eleminated, and replaced with a daily afternoon tea and snacks in Michael's Club. The Elite coupons are history, and the associated perks are now pre-loaded on your seapass card. Our butler Hilario, mentioned they aren't very happy with the change, as it reduces the interaction with the guests in the suites. They take turns serving in the snacks and tea in Michael's Club.

 

Paul

 

I will be very disappointed if this is true for all ships. We have a cruise scheduled in April on the Eclipse in a SS. We enjoy the snacks in the room while relaxing and/or getting ready for the show or dinner. Still shows as a provided service on the website for espresso and cappuccino. Do you know if you can still request the service?

Thanks and have a great cruise.

[Brendaflamingo]

Ask the sommelier is the ship has Caymus wine by the bottle?

I cant seem to get an exact answer on that. Current menu do not show it but that means nothing.

thanks

Brenda

[pgpthirty]

It was our butler who mentioned the changes to the in suite snacks and tea. He did however mention that if we wanted something, i.e. mini sandwiches or a cappuccino he would be happy to drop something by. I guess they've just eliminated it as an automatic service. I eat too much on a cruise, so I'm happy for the lack of temptation! ;)

[CruisinNewb]

Paul:

 

I know that you aren't dining in the MDR but if isn't a great inconvenience could you ask your waiter if they have a separate vegetarian menu in the MDR? I have received conflicting reports depending on the ship and we are sailing on the Reflection is less then two weeks.

 

Thanks so much.

 

Ron

[pgpthirty]

Hi Ron,

 

We've eaten in the MDR on past Celebrity cruises and haven't seen a separate vegetarian menu, but they always seem to have an vegetarian option as part of the evening's offerings. I have always found the servers and kitchen to be very accommodating and can substitute things if asked.

[debvm]

Thank you so much for your post! We will be on the Reflection January 14. We have a C1 suite aft balcony. I will look forward to more of your posts!

 

 

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[Ce U At Ce]

I hope that we can still request the in room afternoon tea service. I love relaxing and enjoying a snack prior to getting ready for the evening.

[Sandtrap328]

I will be very disappointed if this is true for all ships. We have a cruise scheduled in April on the Eclipse in a SS. We enjoy the snacks in the room while relaxing and/or getting ready for the show or dinner. Still shows as a provided service on the website for espresso and cappuccino. Do you know if you can still request the service?

Thanks and have a great cruise.

 

Yes, you can still request afternoon snacks delivered to your suite. We were in SS on Reflection 12/3 sailing and had a standing request for a small shrimp platter with added cheese platter on days we spent in port and missed lunch. Our butler happily delivered these items everyday and kept asking us if he could bring us more items.

[Mr E Yan]

I'm also on board Reflection this week. While I agree the ship is in good order, and staff as obliging as ever, my experience is rather different. Posting this as a regular Celebrity cruiser and Elite CC in a Concierge room.

 

I may post more later, however Tuscan was disappointing. The new menu is rather dull, and the higher cover charge does not reflect a premium product.

 

The lack of dining packages appears to have hit the take-up of speciality dining and discounted offers are now available; this wasn't the case earlier in the week.

 

Select dining is chaotic. Waiters are covering more guests than before, still with a smile, however with no time to engage with guests. It's a case of in -> fed -> out.

 

So neither being a big fan of the Select MDR experience or ambiance as it is now, nor of being exploited at Speciality dining prices and quality, I'm rather torn as to where my Celebrity journey goes next. If this is Modern Luxury, then dearest Lisa, I regret that I am neither modern nor luxurious enough (or perhaps too modern and too luxurious?) for the direction you are taking the brand.

 

In other news, it's easy enough to get a seat at all bars and lounges and the staff are as delightful as always.

 

Finally, I know i have spent the day in the sun, but have just seen a woman with a small dog, the tiny Paris Hilton type (dog, not woman) on board. That's a first for me.

[JRWLOBO]

It was our butler who mentioned the changes to the in suite snacks and tea. He did however mention that if we wanted something, i.e. mini sandwiches or a cappuccino he would be happy to drop something by. I guess they've just eliminated it as an automatic service. I eat too much on a cruise, so I'm happy for the lack of temptation! ;)

 

Thanks, appreciate this. Good to know we can still request something. I agree that we tend to over eat as well, but usually a light snack of cheese and fruit is very appealing while relaxing in our room.

Thanks again for the information. It is great that you are doing this.

[traveller]

I'm also on board Reflection this week. While I agree the ship is in good order, and staff as obliging as ever, my experience is rather different. Posting this as a regular Celebrity cruiser and Elite CC in a Concierge room.

 

I may post more later, however Tuscan was disappointing. The new menu is rather dull, and the higher cover charge does not reflect a premium product.

 

The lack of dining packages appears to have hit the take-up of speciality dining and discounted offers are now available; this wasn't the case earlier in the week.

 

Select dining is chaotic. Waiters are covering more guests than before, still with a smile, however with no time to engage with guests. It's a case of in -> fed -> out.

 

So neither being a big fan of the Select MDR experience or ambiance as it is now, nor of being exploited at Speciality dining prices and quality, I'm rather torn as to where my Celebrity journey goes next. If this is Modern Luxury, then dearest Lisa, I regret that I am neither modern nor luxurious enough (or perhaps too modern and too luxurious?) for the direction you are taking the brand.

 

In other news, it's easy enough to get a seat at all bars and lounges and the staff are as delightful as always.

 

Finally, I know i have spent the day in the sun, but have just seen a woman with a small dog, the tiny Paris Hilton type (dog, not woman) on board. That's a first for me.

 

_____________________________________________________________________________

We always do one nite in the Tuscan Grille for their veal chop..Is it still on the menu?

Has service slipped? Is the food still good? It used to be the highlight of our cruise.

we have tried all the specialty dining rooms and Tuscan was our best when we were on last Dec. 2015..

 

Please help..we leave Jan 7-2017

 

THX

 

Andrea

[pgpthirty]

Hi Andrea,

 

We just had dinner at the Tuscan Grille. I'll say it was okay. Not horrible. Not great. They've changed the menu since the last time we were there (December 2105). No more beef tartar, French onion soup or truffle fries, and I double checked the menu and with the waiter.....no veal chop. I'm not a fan of the rib-eye cut, and I should have gone with my first instinct and gotten the filet mignon. As we had some OBC credit to use up, I decided to "upgrade" to the NY strip. Again, it was okay. Not worth the upgrade though. Everything but the mashed potatoes was lukewarm. The lighting was turned down quite low. Hard to see the menu and your food! The classic rock playing on the speakers was a bit strange as well!

 

The Tuscan Grille has always been a favorite of ours and we've been at least six times, on three different ships. Maybe the "magic" is wearing off for us. We preferred the old menu. Give it another try and you can decide.

[riclop]

Hi All!

 

Currently onboard the Reflection for a cruise December 24-31/16.

 

It's been a great cruise so far! This is our sixth cruise in three years, all on Celebrity and our third time on the Reflection. The last time on her was in November 2015.

 

A few observations in no particular order:

 

- Embarkation was ridiculously fast! We arrrived at the Port of Miami at 1:45pm and were on the boat in 15 minutes. Other ships had line ups out to the luggage drop off area. The fastest boarding of all our cruises.

 

- DW and I booked this cruise at the last minute and we were lucky to get the last cabin on the ship, a Sky Suite, 2115 on deck 12. We've stayed in Royal and Celebrity suites in the past and this is our first time in a Sky Suite. Perfectly sized for two people with tons of storage! I was a bit concerned with the potential of noise coming from the deck above, but it's been amazingly quiet!

 

- The ship is in great shape, all decorated for Christmas with a gingerbread village set up on deck 5 between the elevator banks. As always, the staff has been excellent, and can't do enough to make sure that you're taken care of.

 

- We made our specialty dining reservations ahead of time, thinking that with a sold out cruise it would be difficult to get reservations. My mistake. We ate at the Lawn Club Grill on the first night. It was frustrating, as the only time available to book online was 8pm. We were starving, waiting for 8pm to roll around, and when we went to the LC, it was totally empty! They have been offering discounts on the specialty restos every night so far.

 

- The Oceanview Cafe has been good. A good selection of everything. A little nuts for breakfast! I can confirm they have eliminated the sushi in the evening. They have added the salad bar to the pizza and pasta in the "all day" dining option in the Oceanview.

 

- Sushi on 5 seems to be pretty empty each time I walked by, but the menu looked decent.

 

- We have the Unlimited Internet as part of our perks, and it's been very good. A few dropouts for a few seconds, every now and then, but fast and reliable compared to other Celebrity cruises we've been on.

 

- The in-room snacks and afternoon tea for suites has been eleminated, and replaced with a daily afternoon tea and snacks in Michael's Club. The Elite coupons are history, and the associated perks are now pre-loaded on your seapass card. Our butler Hilario, mentioned they aren't very happy with the change, as it reduces the interaction with the guests in the suites. They take turns serving in the snacks and tea in Michael's Club.

 

- They have new tables and chairs on the top deck, midship by the pool in the smoking area. I seem to recall couches and club chairs in the outdoor dining area of the OVC. Maybe I'm getting my ships mixed up! If not, they are gone, and they seem to added some small round tables in their place.

 

- We rented an Alcove for our port day in St Kitts. All of the Alcoves have been rented, but more than half are sitting empty. They are refuelling on the starboard side today, and the Royal Princess is moored our port side. It's quite windy here today, and the combination of the fuel fumes rising up the side and the fumes from the Royal's stacks are making for a stinky, headache inducing stay!

 

- From what I've read and seen onboard, they have eliminated the assistant room steward position, and the main room steward is responsible for everything in the room. We haven't noticed any drop in service to our room.

 

Keep in mind, we haven't been on Celebrity in a year, so some of these changes may be "old news"!

 

That's all I can think of for now. Let me know if anyone has questions, and I'll try to answer.

 

Paul

Lots of eliminations and higher $$$$, not a good mix.

[CruisinNewb]

Hi Ron,

 

We've eaten in the MDR on past Celebrity cruises and haven't seen a separate vegetarian menu, but they always seem to have an vegetarian option as part of the evening's offerings. I have always found the servers and kitchen to be very accommodating and can substitute things if asked.

 

 

Thanks Paul. My understanding is they don't offer the seperate vegetarian menu unless asked. I know they have one option but it is nice to have a selection. I'm sure omnivores wouldn't like a menu with one choice, lol.

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/onboard-celebrity/onboard-special-dietary-needs

 

 

This shows the option of a separate 7 day vegetarian menu but I found this by googling it, and couldn't navigate to it through the site directly. I've heard people who have traveled who said they definitely have one and other who say they don't. Which is why I asked if you could ask a server.

 

Anyway sorry to take your thread off topic. Have an awesome cruise!

Edited December 28, 2016 by CruisinNewb

[Neil_c]

 

Select dining is chaotic. Waiters are covering more guests than before, still with a smile, however with no time to engage with guests. It's a case of in -> fed -> out.

 

.

 

HI Was on Reflection 2/12 with DW had no problems with Select dining which we did all 7 nights. Longest wait about 5 minutes, but then we do not mind if we share or where we sit, or that we have same waiters every night, we are capable of ordering what we want and do not need our preferences remembered. Service was good as ever, 1 night when we seemed to be getting through the meal quickly waiter was concerned and asked if we wanted gap between courses so as not to rush us.

[Mr E Yan]

Tonight is the second evening chic night. I can only assume this was a surprise given how many gentlemen seem to have read the Celebrity Today as tonight is wear a polo shirt night.

 

Sartorial elegance aside, I can say this is without question the worst evening meal I have had in the MDR in over fifteen years cruising.

 

The goats cheese soufflé arrived within seconds of ordering, and had the consistency of a 1970s semolina pudding.

 

For main, I ordered the lobster. Fortunately this arrived with rather less urgency. I can only assume this was because the crustacean had spent longer cooking than it had at the bottom of the sea. In comparison, the broccoli side had barely seen the inside of the pot.

 

Dessert was another 1970s favourite: jam rolly-polly, or according to the menu, citrus roulade. To be fair, given its consistency, it could have been made in the 70s.

 

I am obviously disappointed, clearly let down, somewhat confused, and still hungry.

 

Lisa- I thought the first couple of days were a blip, and things recovered. However Tonight's experience was a major disappointment. I would not return to any local restaurant after such a meal. I only hope your VIP guests Danny de Vito and Daisy Low had a more enjoyable experience, at my expense, in Tuscan yesterday lunchtime.

Edited December 30, 2016 by Mr E Yan
Formatting

[beltane]

have just seen a woman with a small dog, the tiny Paris Hilton type (dog, not woman) on board. That's a first for me.

 

We saw one on our cruise last year. We actually got a chance to speak to the owner and the little dog was her service/therapy dog. She showed us all her paperwork giving permission for the dog to go wherever she does -- she has to carry it with her whenever the dog is with her on "official work". It was quite a lengthy process to get her dog certified and she said it took quite a long time to get all the medical approval. Apparently her dog calms her anxiety issues.

[uktog]

Tonight is the second evening chic night. I can only assume this was a surprise given how many gentlemen seem to have read the Celebrity Today as tonight is wear a polo shirt night.

 

Sartorial elegance aside, I can say this is without question the worst evening meal I have had in the MDR in over fifteen years cruising.

 

The goats cheese soufflé arrived within seconds of ordering, and had the consistency of a 1970s semolina pudding.

 

For main, I ordered the lobster. Fortunately this arrived with rather less urgency. I can only assume this was because the crustacean had spent longer cooking than it had at the bottom of the sea. In comparison, the broccoli side had barely seen the inside of the pot.

 

Dessert was another 1970s favourite: jam rolly-polly, or according to the menu, citrus roulade. To be fair, given its consistency, it could have been made in the 70s.

 

I am obviously disappointed, clearly let down, somewhat confused, and still hungry.

 

Lisa- I thought the first couple of days were a blip, and things recovered. However Tonight's experience was a major disappointment. I would not return to any local restaurant after such a meal. I only hope your VIP guests Danny de Vito and Daisy Low had a more enjoyable experience, at my expense, in Tuscan yesterday lunchtime.

 

Mr Yan

I so feel for you having paid good money to have a chic meal reminiscent of the old High School dinners. I'm struggling with the definition of modern luxury if the chefs cant cook.

If you ever cruise Celebrity again, I suspect you are going to purchase a pooch to help you with your stress :D:D

In the meantime I heard Queen Lisa was onboard, hope you bump into her in the lift, I 'm sure you will have your elevator pitch ready just in case.

[gold1953]

We saw one on our cruise last year. We actually got a chance to speak to the owner and the little dog was her service/therapy dog. She showed us all her paperwork giving permission for the dog to go wherever she does -- she has to carry it with her whenever the dog is with her on "official work". It was quite a lengthy process to get her dog certified and she said it took quite a long time to get all the medical approval. Apparently her dog calms her anxiety issues.

 

I may have sailed with the same woman... but having your dog walking all over furniture and yapping is not acceptable to most. Service dogs are supposed to be trained. The little white dog we saw often was a nuisance (and we love dogs). The have been other threads about these dogs and they say it I easy to buy papers on the internet. Maybe this dog is legit but many are just people who are obsessed with their dogs who are abusing the system

[mafig]

[quote name=Mr E Yan;51856253

 

Sartorial elegance aside' date=' I can say this is without question the worst evening meal I have had in the MDR in over fifteen years cruising.

 

.[/quote]

 

That reminds me of our last year's cruise on Reflection. The food was not good.

 

We decided to give up Celebrity. We cruised in the Yacht Club on Divina and were very impressed and want to try Seaside when she comes out.

 

However, we wanted a cruise this Spring so we are thinking that maybe if we upgrade our experience to Aqua (and Blu), and a different ship, it'll be better.

Hope so. Our Celebrity cruise before Reflection also did not impress us with the food so three bad experiences is a lot more than I usually give a cruise line.

[bigbilly]

Do they still do a brunch in the Dining Room ? Thanks

 

 

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