ohiorob63

Look, I'm not trying to run away or anything. You all don't like my review so there's no point in fighting my opinion. It is what it is, this is how my boyfriend and I felt. We love cruises in general and wanted to be apart of this forum on cruise critic so we decided to post a review of how we felt. I'm sorry that this may have made some people upset but again this was just our opinion and I'm sure many more people will continue to sail on the Reflection and love it. We hope to be able to contribute to this forum in a positive way in the future.

 

Thank you for your review and sorry you didn't have a good time. Hopefully your next cruise will be better with whichever cruise line you choose. Sorry your "opinions" are attacked here on Critical Cruisers. Some of us enjoy reviews good or bad, and it's sad that you have to defend yourself after having a bad experience.

Come on people, 2 weeks in the Caribbean on a beautiful ship and all that some can do is complain about one port change. Time to let it go.

 

Well said, I 100% agree.

Hi Everyone,

 

Its posted on Perry's Facebook page, so im virtually certain its a fact. Now, we must decide whether to move some of our winter 2015/2016 bookings to Princess.

 

Celebrity's loss is Princess's gain. Wishing Perry all the very best of success !!!

 

Would you really move a booking from Celebrity to Princess just to see Perry? Just seems a bit extreme but let us know if it was worth the switch.

Good luck

Last year on Eclipse they ran out of some premium liquors and Evian water. If its not a deliberate thing with Celebrity, how come they didn't run out of cheap water?

We never touch a chocolate fountain,

First the chocolate is probably not real chocolate, as real chocolate will not flow like that , they have add a lot of oil to make it flow

Then just the sanitary reasons, people sticking their fingers in it :eek:

 

I'm with you on that. Its hard enough to get people to wash their hands on a cruise. We like to refer to it as the "chocolate cesspool". It's probably the least sanitary spot on the entire ship. Hope they do away with it for good, sorry kids.

Oceania cruisers don't seem to complain on their forum near as much as Celebrity cruisers do. That's a plus.:p

I just find it interesting, that, besides all the complaining on here about "class systems", the higher end suites are selling really well. We tried to book a suite last month on Reflection for next Aprils TA and all the higher end suites are already gone. Evidently, some folks, like us, are really enjoying the new program. Well done Celebrity.

We have been invited 3 times to dine at the captains table, twice accepting and once respectfully declining. We've never asked to be invited, never had to give a "gift" to anyone, and never had to "suck up to anyone". I assume it had to do with being in a suite more than anything. Both times were very nice. The first time (2012) we had food from the standard mdr menu. This last time ( Apr 2014 ) it was a modified menu with different items than the mdr and our names printed on them.

 

One last note. Both times that we have eaten at the Captains table, once 8 passengers and once 10, I was the ONLY person at the table with a tux on. I've always enjoyed the formal nights and always take my tux, but sadly, it was probably the last cruise that I will take it. A sport coat and a tie seem to be formal enough for the captain so that's good enough for me.

Just got back from the Eclipse sailing on Apr. 5. Lucky us, got the changeover week, and I'm sure that had something to do with it. My wife and I used the spa twice after it finally reopened. The treatments were ok at best, but the biggest problem was all the management confusion. No one really knew what was going on, how to schedule appointments, and the whole Persian Garden thing was a mess. The experience was neither relaxing nor enjoying.

 

And for the record, yes, they do try to sell you products, not near as aggressive as Steiner did, but they do show you what they are using and offer the products for sale. As for prices, they are up about 25 percent from Steiners treatments.

 

Hopefully in time they will get better, but for their first stint on Eclipse, I'd give them a " D "

Hi Oville,

 

Just wanted to say thank you for sharing your insights. I'm on Eclipse next week, and will report my observations while onboard. Stay Tuned !

 

Hi Andy,

I'm on Eclipse next week too. It will be interesting to get observations about the music level from two different people who have never met on the same cruise. I'll be sure to report back as well.

The only thing that should be added to your list is a nice extra tip for your butler and room attendant. Sounds as if they will deserve it.

A little background. We are Elite Plus, and Celebrity has always been our line of choice. We sailed for 28 nights on Celebrity in the last 6 months. The only other ships we have sailed are RCL and that is mainly due to the proximity of Baltimore. We are in our mid 60s and very active.

 

Well, you would think that Celebrity would love us-but maybe not and maybe they are justified. We consider ourselves savvy and usually take advantage of special pricing or promotions. We always transfer our booking to a TA. Usually prefer ocean view, but are happy with an inside depending on pricing. Occasionally balcony if the price is great. We always research excursions and almost always go independent. Due to our status, we enjoy happy hour each evening and our bar bill otherwise is rarely over $20. Most of that is pop. I might risk $20 in casino-wife none. Never buy more than a few bucks worth at on board shops. Haven't bought photos since our first cruise many years ago. Usually go to specialty once per cruise if there is a "deal." We like my time dining and don't usually do much after dinner. Maybe listen to karaoke or a good entertainer such as Perry. Don't go to clubs and buy drinks often at all. Never use up all our obc.

 

So, although we are loyalists, we may not be making Celebrity happy. I suspect our profile is fairly common. People who love Celebrity but who don't spend a lot. Ironically, it seems that the more that people cruise, the more they learn how to minimize their costs through independent excursions, TAs, etc.

 

It has become obvious that Celebrity is trying to shift to a different demographic. As much as I like traditional Celebrity, I really can't blame them. I don't know if that is an economic necessity or if they are just trying to increase their profits. Many of us have commented that we hope they can attract new customers without radically changing what has drawn us to Celebrity to begin with. I think that is going to be very difficult. One area that has generated a lot of controversy is noise level. Most of us would at least grudgingly go along with loudness at the Martini bar and disco. But, it seems that they have discovered that the Martini bar is their biggest source of revenue and have concluded that they need to spread the party boat all over the ship. That, of course, irritates those who prefer a quiet atmosphere, and we have seen hundreds of posts on that topic alone.

 

It seems to me that they are probably justified in trying to attract new and younger customers and that they hope to do so without alienating the people who have built their business.

 

But, I also think they are really just trying to reinvent themselves and are not quite ready yet to risk losing their loyalists. We're sort of necessary evils.

 

I will still sail Celebrity-at least for now. But I no longer feel as wanted and valued as I once was. Maybe the fact that I have learned how to cruise economically has something to do with that. ;) Maybe we have gotten too smart for our own good.

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

 

Thank you for your post. I agree with you 100%.

I didn't vote for any of your choices. If I had to vote it would have been: I enjoy loud music in some places, like where the party band plays dance music, but enjoy softer music or background music in the lounges, atrium and dining areas at other times.

 

You're closest selection included loud music by the martini bar and pool. I don't like loud music by the martini bar at all since it destroys any chance at good conversation. I like semi-loud music at the pool when the party band or other appropriate live entertainer is playing but wouldn't want loud DJ or loud recorded music there.

 

I agree. I also think you should add "no music at all" to your poll.

[quote name='Ma Bell']It's really a fairly simple premise. Whatever music they play should be played at a level where they don't have a lot of complaints. They managed to do it for many years.[/QUOTE]

Out of around 1,000,000 cruisers per year, exactly how many would be "a lot"?

[quote name='Seapoint']There were some 70 people at the CC gathering on the Reflection, last week in February. NOT ONE OF THESE DEFENDED THE VOLUME OF THE MUSIC. Many expressed concern about the volume. There was a strong consensus it was a problem. While this is not statistical, it is indicative, and at least as good as 5 or 6 focus groups.

To the point made by Host Andy and others, there were not complaints in the past when the music was at more reasonable volume. Why not go back to that baseline? :confused:[/QUOTE]

70 people out of 3000 is not even close to a focus group, especially when you are all Cruise Critics. That would be a group of associates complaining about a perceived problem. A focus group would have no knowledge of a prior discussion or problem.

The fixtures all belong to the current provider and must all be removed and then new contractor, Canyon Ranch, has to install all new sinks, tables, decor, etc etc so that is probably at least part of the reason.

 

The only thing to change initially will be the staff and the prices. They are doing a one day turnover on each ship and there will be no time for remodeling until dry dock. The biggest change is the price, which will go up about 20%.

Over the past 4 or 5 years or so I've calculated from Roll Call participation that about 10% of the passenger capacity of any given ship are posting here. There are many that register and only observe and don't post, and others that just lurk or read. I think your 1 or 2 % postulation is way off.

 

While the root problem and most of the conversation here is centered on the volume I feel the real problem we've seen here is the rude and dismissive way the CD on Reflection treated the CC group recently. This to me is more important for management to address right away, unless of course that is what they are looking for in their ambassadors.

 

I don't mind volume, but I hate distortion.

 

There is no way that Cruise Critics are 10% of the passengers on board Celebrity. Each year Celebrity ships handle millions of passengers and I seriously doubt there are over 100,000 Celebrity fans that use this site. The actual number is probably closer to 1%.

Why Celebrity would actually respond to posters on this board is beyond me, but maybe its because the site is run by a travel agency that's steers passengers to them.

Have to disagree. I've gone to more than 2,000+ concerts over my 30+ years in the music industry and just had my hearing check and I have no hearing loss.

 

Celebrity do your research with regard to decibels, before making any changes. Please keep the music loud enough so we can actually enjoy it!

 

Could not agree with you more. Sound like anything else is subjective. Until actual sound decibel level tests are conducted, leave things as they are.

Over NOT answering the phone? This is really turned into a problem and loyal and new customers will be looking elsewhere. Who has 30 min to an hour to hold for someone to talk to??? Not understanding this at all.

 

Maybe I was lucky, good timing or the stars just aligned right, but, I had to make a call to Celebrity last week. I called on Tuesday at around noon. Their automated system answered, I pushed the corresponding number on my phone and waited, I was on hold for a whole 37 SECONDS. A nice rep answered, took care of my call and we were done in just over 4 minutes total. Sorry your all having problems getting through but I for 1 have no problem whatsoever with the call center. Good job as far as I can see, thanks Celebrity.

Have heard Celebrity won't allow anyone to bring a hand held clothes steamer... We will be on Eclipse soon and would like to bring one. Any thoughts on this and should it be in my checked luggage or my walk on backpack?

Thanks for any help!

 

Just received my E-docs today. Clothes steamers are not mentioned on the list of banned items. Enjoy your wrinkle free cruise.