Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Reflections from the Reflection....a RS experience.

chemmo

By chemmo,
in Celebrity Cruises

 Share

Recommended Posts

chemmo Holiday Sharing Rare

chemmo

Posted
Posted

Greetings from the Celebrity Reflection!

 

I know some of you have been following our pre cruise adventures following our flight cancellation via Philadelphia, our re routing, baggage loss and recovery and our subsequent shopping purchases in Fort Lauderdale! I promised to follow with our onboard experiences so this is the start!

 

As an introduction we are regular Celebrity suite cruisers usually booking a RS with a few PH treats! We have cruised a couple of M class ships and several S class but this is our first Reflection experience.

 

Whilst we really fancied the novelty of a slightly different ship we did have some reservations before booking incase with so many more suites on board that ‘personal feeling’ touch may not be there....we also had some reservations about whether public spaces may be busier...we will comment on these aspects as the cruise progresses.

 

So, our experiences so far!

 

Shore side concierge.....All our requests had been sorted. Bar set up, pillows, sodas, beers, dining requirements.....This has been the most efficient service so far. Often one or two requests have been missed. They have always been speedily sorted, so never a real issue, but it was so nice to enter a room already perfectly set up. At the point on our journey to join Reflection where most of our luggage was missing I contacted the shore side concierge by email. It was so reassuring to hear from her that if, at boarding time, we still had luggage missing she would help us to liaise with necessary services. Thank you Zoey!

 

Boarding....we had received an email pre cruise that the ‘Special Delivery’ service for upper suites was being introduced on our cruise. As we arrived at the port the traffic was manic! We saw the ‘Special Delivery’ banner but our taxi driver was not allowed to stop there. When he pulled into the directed spot the baggage handlers were ready to take our luggage and did not seem to know about the service...Fortunately, we spotted a lady with a sign and headed over. From that point life became very easy! Sylvia quickly had our luggage loaded onto a trolley then we were escorted through security and to the desk. At the desk we were then handed over to David, future cruises manager, who escorted us to Michael’s - time from luggage drop off was about 15 mins. When we arrived at our suite at 1.30 after lunch in Luminae all our suitcases were there. We were all sorted and unpacked well before muster!

 

Last night we enjoyed a lovely meal with excellent friendly service in Tuscan. Tuscan has become a first night tradition for us....we watch the wake of the ship and imagine all our cares and worries of the real world fading over the horizon as we start our magical Celebrity experience....

 

More to follow....

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Silkroad

Silkroad

Posted
Posted

I’m so pleased that your first day went well. We had a wonderful time on Reflection last April, though we were in a Veranda cabin. Other than the inevitable pool lounger hogs (and sometimes the Cafe al Bacio table hogs) we did not find public spaces too crowded. I’m looking forward to your impressions, as I’m considering an upgrade to a Sky suite on Reflection for one of our bookings. I wish you smooth sailing for the rest of your holiday! Cheers:cool:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mkbruce

mkbruce

Posted
Posted

Anyone have any more info on "Special Delivery"? Is it being rolled out fleetwide and in all ports?

 

We're boarding Solstice in Seattle in May and staying in PH and are hoping that Celebrity will offer this service there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
CHEZMARYLOU

CHEZMARYLOU

Posted
Posted

Glad you and your luggage made it to the ship. Good to hear about luggage delivery because that was the one off on our Silhouette cruise in February. Looking forward to hearing about your Reflection experiences, we sail on her in November for a special birthday.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
chemmo Holiday Sharing Rare

chemmo

Posted
  • Author
Posted

For those of you contemplating booking a RS a little about the room. It is very comfortable and well designed. The walk in wardrobe swallows your clothes and luggage leaving everywhere else uncluttered. If you are traveling with a third adult the guest toilet/sink does take pressure off sharing a bathroom and gives added privacy at night.

Room perks are the same as the PH. Unlimited speciality dining, premium drinks package, laundry, bar set up etc.

 

 

We have a wonderful butler! After having an excellent one on Eclipse we were worried incase we just had an ‘OK’ one...But no, Vishnu is very proactive. We found him first night with our dining list in hand heading from restaurant to restaurant to confirm all our bookings had gone through. I asked if it was possible to have a kettle in the room and by magic a kettle, tea/coffee appeared. Yesterday our afternoon tea selection arrived at requested time and our shrimp platter was chilling in the wine cooler! Like all really good butlers he seems to appear by magic as we need him! Our room attendant Leroy has one of those smiles that brightens your morning! Very efficient so far!

 

 

We had decided to try The Porch at lunch. What a great lunchtime venue! We loved it! The menu had many tasty but ‘light’ options and the service really was good! We sipped our Sangria and could imagine ourselves in a quiet little Spanish taverna....I can see us there most lunchtimes we are on board. It is one of those places where the relaxed ambiance is as important as the food...

 

 

As a sea day poolside was heaving! All chairs were occupied by towels! Many also had fancy towel pegs and books, less had people! One of the joys of a RS is that you can promenade the decks, go for a swim and then return to your balcony pour yourself a drink, have a jacuzzi and relax! Was it any worse than other S class ships on a sea day? I’m not sure, we will continue to monitor!

 

 

We spent a little time in Michael’s last night, it was fairly busy but lots of seating. Very nice singer was performing there last night, we unfortunately we had to leave mid performance for our meal.

 

 

Last night was Murano’s. We were able to secure our favourite table and enjoy the dining theatre Murano’s does provide! Food and service excellent.

 

 

We have woken up this morning far more back to normal, our disjointed pre cruise adventures had been physically and emotionally exhausting! So good to start a cruise with two relaxing sea days!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
wendyam76

wendyam76

Posted
Posted

Chemmo,

So glad your cruise is going well. Have you spotted if there are any Beyond the Podium speakers on your cruise? I can't see any on the app for our cruise, the one following yours? We usually enjoy listening to them and if there aren't any I will make sure to download a few more movies and books for my iPad!

Wendy

Link to comment
Share on other sites
chemmo Holiday Sharing Rare

chemmo

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Chemmo,

So glad your cruise is going well. Have you spotted if there are any Beyond the Podium speakers on your cruise? I can't see any on the app for our cruise, the one following yours? We usually enjoy listening to them and if there aren't any I will make sure to download a few more movies and books for my iPad!

Wendy

 

None on today (sea day)....will keep looking!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
chemmo Holiday Sharing Rare

chemmo

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to following your trip. Where are you going? We are looking into cruising with this ship later this year.

 

We are presently on a ten night Southern Caribbean itinerary including Antigua, St Maarten, Barbados and St. Lucia.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
chemmo Holiday Sharing Rare

chemmo

Posted
  • Author
Posted

First complaint of our cruise......it was really cloudy today and late afternoon it rained!!!

 

As a sea day, despite the clouds, the pool area was really busy....We went down to the Solarium for a swim at about 10.30 and there were no sunbeds anywhere available.

 

We plonked our stuff on a chair in the Aqua Spar cafe area (closed at the time) and had a swim and jacuzzi then made our way to the sunset bar area for a drink and drip and blow dry!

 

Despite the weather not being particularly pleasant people were clinging to their sun beds rigourously with the philosophy of ‘I got up at 7am to get this bed and even if it rains I am keeping it....’

 

This evening we dined at the Lawn Grill, a new experience for us. We ordered far too much food but, hey we are on holiday! There were a few family groups in. So nice to see the staff ensuring that some of the tweens and teens enjoyed making their own pizzas! I would add that all the youngsters in the restaurant were extremely well behaved....We really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of the restaurant.....service really good! We are booked in again and looking forward to it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
chemmo Holiday Sharing Rare

chemmo

Posted
  • Author
Posted
We had Vishnu as our Butler on the Reflection in 2015 & we agree he is great!

 

Yes, it is often hard to define what the difference between a ‘good’ and a ‘great’ butler is but it is definitely something to do with them anticipating what would add to your cruise experience/comfort....

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cdnrn24

cdnrn24

Posted
Posted
Also interested in this answer.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

 

Got a call from the shoreside concierge today who confirmed it’s now called special delivery. She told me they renamed it due to some confusion about who could use the service. Here is the info I was emailed today about the service

 

Furthermore, I am excited to advise of a new perk the exclusive to the Celebrity Equinox! Celebrity Cruises has started a new luggage program for our Penthouse and Royal Suite guests! Our goal is to have your luggage in your suite shortly after the suite is ready.

 

Please note, boarding begins at 11:00 am and ends promptly at 2:30 pm EST. If you have a change in plans or need arrival assistance, please contact us at 305-491-4363. To ensure a seamless experience, please adhere your luggage tags prior to arrival and check to make sure your phone is on.

 

Upon arrival to the pier, please make your way to Terminal G, between to pillars #9 and #10. Once there, you will be able to see the Intercruises Desk.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites
colocop004

colocop004

Posted
Posted
Got a call from the shoreside concierge today who confirmed it’s now called special delivery. She told me they renamed it due to some confusion about who could use the service. Here is the info I was emailed today about the service

 

Furthermore, I am excited to advise of a new perk the exclusive to the Celebrity Equinox! Celebrity Cruises has started a new luggage program for our Penthouse and Royal Suite guests! Our goal is to have your luggage in your suite shortly after the suite is ready.

 

Please note, boarding begins at 11:00 am and ends promptly at 2:30 pm EST. If you have a change in plans or need arrival assistance, please contact us at 305-491-4363. To ensure a seamless experience, please adhere your luggage tags prior to arrival and check to make sure your phone is on.

 

Upon arrival to the pier, please make your way to Terminal G, between to pillars #9 and #10. Once there, you will be able to see the Intercruises Desk.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

 

That is cool, thanks for sharing!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...