Celebrity Reflection Experience - Mixed Bag

[Syd58]

Observations from recent Reflection cruise (Aft -Sunset Sky Suite):

 

Entertainment - Great, the best I've seen on any ship: 5 out of 5

Food - Mixed Bag: Luminae not as good as expected: 3.5 out of 5

Service: Mixed bag - butler excellent, although he had 21 suites on different levels; cabin steward, poor, always asking us if we wanted him to clean our room; Luminae, some excellent service, some poor:  3 out of 5

Room: very roomy, loved the huge wrap around deck, but room decor is dated:  3.5 out of 5

Ship: very nice decor, better than expected: 4 out of 5

 

Overall: 3.8 out of 5

 

 

[didicruiser]

Thanks for the review. 
 

[Georgia_Peaches]

Thanks for the review. We are on Reflection in July in a Signature suite. I don’t see any reason for us to even dine in Luminae as specialty dining is included. 

 

Question of the day:  did you have a lounger on your Sunset Sky Suite?

[markeb]

2 hours ago, Syd58 said:

Food - Mixed Bag: Luminae not as good as expected: 3.5 out of 5

 

Curious about this. Would you mind expanding a bit? What about it was good and what wasn't as good as expected?

[zitsky]

Thanks.  I would be interested in more details.

[Syd58]

41 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

Curious about this. Would you mind expanding a bit? What about it was good and what wasn't as good as expected?

We did not find the choice of entrees very appealing. The food was not seasoned particularly well. For example, one night we had a crab cake appetizer, which was bland.  The desserts weren't very good. The first night I had to wait 28 minutes for a glass of wine after ordering. Choice of wines was pretty limited.

Edited May 21 by Syd58

[Syd58]

45 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Thanks for the review. We are on Reflection in July in a Signature suite. I don’t see any reason for us to even dine in Luminae as specialty dining is included. 

 

Question of the day:  did you have a lounger on your Sunset Sky Suite?

There was not one upon arrival.  I asked the cabin steward if he could get us one. He said he would have to check with his supervisor. After checking, he got approval and brought us one, but complained about having to carry it down the stairs.

[markeb]

4 minutes ago, Syd58 said:

We did not find the choice of entrees very appealing. The food was not seasoned particularly well. For example, one night we had a crab cake appetizer, which was bland.  The desserts weren't very good. The first night I had to wait 28 minutes for a glass of wine after ordering.

 

Everyone's taste is different. I've always found the choices very good. My wife sometimes has issues with them. That's why I was asking.

 

Was that the Ginger Crab Cake? We've had that before and it was excellent. Makes me wonder if they were doing something different. Again, it's one shot one night on a cruise and if it's wrong, it's wrong.

 

We're on Summit in 11 days and I'm curious about our wine service. We had good wine service in November on Equinox, although we had to work harder for selections some nights. We had a lot of OBC and just bought a bottle a couple of times. But the sommelier was responsive. This time we paid for excursions in Alaska, so that bottle is our money...

[Syd58]

7 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

Everyone's taste is different. I've always found the choices very good. My wife sometimes has issues with them. That's why I was asking.

 

Was that the Ginger Crab Cake? We've had that before and it was excellent. Makes me wonder if they were doing something different. Again, it's one shot one night on a cruise and if it's wrong, it's wrong.

 

We're on Summit in 11 days and I'm curious about our wine service. We had good wine service in November on Equinox, although we had to work harder for selections some nights. We had a lot of OBC and just bought a bottle a couple of times. But the sommelier was responsive. This time we paid for excursions in Alaska, so that bottle is our money...

We lived along the Gulf coast most of our adult lives - so we know what good crab cakes taste like - these were bland and had little flavor. It was a shame as they had a good amount of crabmeat. We like Sauvignon Blanc and there were only two on the premium list.  There was simply no excuse of having to wait 28 minutes to get a glass of wine.  The sommelier never did not come to our table at first, so the waiter finally ended up taking our drink order. We changed waiters after this experience and the level of service was outstanding.

[NutsAboutGolf]

9 hours ago, Syd58 said:

Observations from recent Reflection cruise (Aft -Sunset Sky Suite):

 

Entertainment - Great, the best I've seen on any ship: 5 out of 5

Food - Mixed Bag: Luminae not as good as expected: 3.5 out of 5

Service: Mixed bag - butler excellent, although he had 21 suites on different levels; cabin steward, poor, always asking us if we wanted him to clean our room; Luminae, some excellent service, some poor:  3 out of 5

Room: very roomy, loved the huge wrap around deck, but room decor is dated:  3.5 out of 5

Ship: very nice decor, better than expected: 4 out of 5

 

Overall: 3.8 out of 5

 

 

 

Would you mind expanding on the entertainment?

[cruisetonowhere10]

6 hours ago, Syd58 said:

We lived along the Gulf coast most of our adult lives - so we know what good crab cakes taste like - these were bland and had little flavor. It was a shame as they had a good amount of crabmeat. We like Sauvignon Blanc and there were only two on the premium list.  There was simply no excuse of having to wait 28 minutes to get a glass of wine.  The sommelier never did not come to our table at first, so the waiter finally ended up taking our drink order. We changed waiters after this experience and the level of service was outstanding.

SB is what I like as well.  Also have the premium package, do you recall the options?

[NutsAboutGolf]

6 hours ago, markeb said:

 

Everyone's taste is different. I've always found the choices very good. My wife sometimes has issues with them. That's why I was asking.

 

Was that the Ginger Crab Cake? We've had that before and it was excellent. Makes me wonder if they were doing something different. Again, it's one shot one night on a cruise and if it's wrong, it's wrong.

 

We're on Summit in 11 days and I'm curious about our wine service. We had good wine service in November on Equinox, although we had to work harder for selections some nights. We had a lot of OBC and just bought a bottle a couple of times. But the sommelier was responsive. This time we paid for excursions in Alaska, so that bottle is our money...

 

Never tried a ginger crab cake but give X kudos for introducing bold flavors as I feel their MDR crab cakes have too much filler.  We live near a restaurant that serves award-winning (non-traditional) crab cakes called Fishing with Dynamite in Manhattan Beach which has ruined us.  While they use a crust made with Ritz crackers and Worcester sauce, they don't use fillers at all with the idea being you can dip the crab in the sauce if you wish.  I grew up in New England and was never a fan of the Maine-style lobster rolls which are served with a mayo filler.  Always preferred the Connecticut-style lobster roll which is served with hot lobster dipped in butter and often some herbs and spices

[Syd58]

6 hours ago, cruisetonowhere10 said:

SB is what I like as well.  Also have the premium package, do you recall the options?

Emilio (which is good - we drink at home) and a New Zealand SB.

[Syd58]

6 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Never tried a ginger crab cake but give X kudos for introducing bold flavors as I feel their MDR crab cakes have too much filler.  We live near a restaurant that serves award-winning (non-traditional) crab cakes called Fishing with Dynamite in Manhattan Beach which has ruined us.  While they use a crust made with Ritz crackers and Worcester sauce, they don't use fillers at all with the idea being you can dip the crab in the sauce if you wish.  I grew up in New England and was never a fan of the Maine-style lobster rolls which are served with a mayo filler.  Always preferred the Connecticut-style lobster roll which is served with hot lobster dipped in butter and often some herbs and spices

Had the lobster roll one day for lunch at Luminae - it was subpar - bland.  Also, had the shrimp po-boy for lunch there one day. Bread was almost burned/hard and the few shrimp on it were too large for a po-boy -subpar. The best po-boys have a lot of smaller shrimp (I've had a lot of lobster rolls and shrimp po-boys, so I know what good ones taste like). 

Edited May 21 by Syd58

[PTC DAWG]

Food is so subjective, I find it hard to even comment on..even food in your area where you live is very regional..everyone has the best something and they are sure of it. 🙂

[zitsky]

10 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Food is so subjective, I find it hard to even comment on..even food in your area where you live is very regional..everyone has the best something and they are sure of it. 🙂

 

I’ve been happy in Blu/Luminae/MDR.   It’s true I’m not really picky but I’ve been to Michelin restaurants all over the world.  Celebrity must be doing something right.  I know for sure they can make a banana split.

[Syd58]

7 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

Food is so subjective, I find it hard to even comment on..even food in your area where you live is very regional..everyone has the best something and they are sure of it. 🙂

I rated the food overall 3.5 out of 5, which is still above average.  It just wasn't as good as expected or it could have been.

Edited May 21 by Syd58

[Syd58]

7 hours ago, zitsky said:

 

I’ve been happy in Blu/Luminae/MDR.   It’s true I’m not really picky but I’ve been to Michelin restaurants all over the world.  Celebrity must be doing something right.  I know for sure they can make a banana split.

I thought the food in the Ascent 4 MDRs was better than most of the food in Luminae.

[Syd58]

14 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Would you mind expanding on the entertainment?

There was singing/dancing, a boyband, Broadway tunes, and acrobats.  The singers, dancers, and acrobats were all very good.  Really impressive..

[zitsky]

8 minutes ago, Syd58 said:

I thought the food in the Ascent 4 MDRs was better than most of the food in Luminae.

I bet you can’t get a “le split du banana” in the MDR.  Only Luminae or Murano have such high end desserts.

Edited May 22 by zitsky

[Liao]

7 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

Food is so subjective, I find it hard to even comment on..even food in your area where you live is very regional..everyone has the best something and they are sure of it. 🙂

This!!

[SusieAV8R]

8 hours ago, Syd58 said:

Had the lobster roll one day for lunch at Luminae - it was subpar - bland.  Also, had the shrimp po-boy for lunch there one day. Bread was almost burned/hard and the few shrimp on it were too large for a po-boy -subpar. The best po-boys have a lot of smaller shrimp (I've had a lot of lobster rolls and shrimp po-boys, so I know what good ones taste like). 

I think taste is subjective and may be impacted by age (some friends have said as they age that they need stronger flavors.)  That said, in April on Summit, I loved the lobster roll and shrimp po'boys..  (DH loves Maine lobster, so not a fan of the lobster roll.) 😄

[hcat]

Agree on the subjective aspect of food  taste . In EDEN on Ascent, I sampled my husb' s crabcake ( everyone raves abt it). 

 

I thought it was too salty; glad I did not order it but my  husb enjoyed it 

[Syd58]

1 hour ago, SusieAV8R said:

I think taste is subjective and may be impacted by age (some friends have said as they age that they need stronger flavors.)  That said, in April on Summit, I loved the lobster roll and shrimp po'boys..  (DH loves Maine lobster, so not a fan of the lobster roll.) 😄

Certainly, people have preferences regarding food.  With that said, if a lobster roll is bland with little taste, there's no sugarcoating that. 

Edited May 22 by Syd58

[Cruisegirl6]

On 5/20/2024 at 8:00 PM, Syd58 said:

Observations from recent Reflection cruise (Aft -Sunset Sky Suite):

 

Entertainment - Great, the best I've seen on any ship: 5 out of 5

Food - Mixed Bag: Luminae not as good as expected: 3.5 out of 5

Service: Mixed bag - butler excellent, although he had 21 suites on different levels; cabin steward, poor, always asking us if we wanted him to clean our room; Luminae, some excellent service, some poor:  3 out of 5

Room: very roomy, loved the huge wrap around deck, but room decor is dated:  3.5 out of 5

Ship: very nice decor, better than expected: 4 out of 5

 

Overall: 3.8 out of 5

 

 

I just booked a suite for the Equinox was debating.  Can't you eat in the MDR also or at Blu?