Reflection Summer 2018

There are a couple of threads on here saying how bad Reflection has been over the past year or so.

Things like being overcrowded, bad food, bad service etc.

It’s making me worried about our upcoming booking.

I know things can change fast, just wondering if people who have travelled on Reflection recently could chip in with updates as to how good or bad their experience has been this year?

Is it possible to change a booking to a different ship after final payment if it turns out that Reflection is quite bad this Summer?

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I am booked on the July 30th sailing. Having sailed the Reflection last year I am eagerly looking forward to the cruise. Don’t let a few negative comments from random people worry you. I’m sure you’ll enjoy your cruise just as I am sure that I will enjoy mine.

We cruised Reflection earlier this year. We had a fantastic cruise. We particularly enjoyed the extra speciality dining choices. Really recommend The Porch one sea day lunch, really nice light menu, great ambiance and nice Sangria. In the evening give ‘Le petit chef’ a try, great fun!

The only negative we found was the the pool area really was busy on sea days. I would say more so than we have experienced on other S class ships. So if a sunbed is important to you get up early! We tended to not bother....If we fancied a swim we would simply plonk our flip flops and tops somewhere out of the way, enjoy our swim then ‘drip’ to the sunset bar and enjoy a nice refreshing drink there. We also made the most of our balcony. It will only spoil your enjoyment if you let it. I would also add pool bar service was very efficient even on those busy sea days.

We would love to be about to board Reflection again! Hope you have a fantastic cruise!

There are a couple of threads on here saying how bad Reflection has been over the past year or so.

 

Things like being overcrowded, bad food, bad service etc.

 

It’s making me worried about our upcoming booking.

 

I know things can change fast, just wondering if people who have travelled on Reflection recently could chip in with updates as to how good or bad their experience has been this year?

 

Is it possible to change a booking to a different ship after final payment if it turns out that Reflection is quite bad this Summer?

 

 

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We’re just off Reflection’s Transatlantic. We had a great time. We ate dinner mainly in the MDR - Select Dining. We eat early around 6pm so we never had to wait. We had the same section each time with Peggie as our server. She was very attentive as was the assistant water. Our sommelier was Marvin who was also very good but that might have been helped by the fact we had the Premium Beverage Package and were drinking one of the more expensive wines on the menu. I can truthfully say we only had one meal that was not very good, the lamb was a bit tough and my husband said the duck was also not great.

We have in the past found food in the OVC to be a bit cool but this time the food we had at lunch was always hot. Service again was good and the tables were cleared and cleaned.

Bar staff were also very friendly and efficient .

Our cabin Stewart Andy was lovely, cabin was always serviced well and he was always asking us if we wanted anything.

The crew seemed really happy and friendly to us, the ship was immaculately clean, painting, cleaning, maintenance going on all the time.

We never found the ship to be overly crowded. Our weather was good so the pool deck was used a lot during the day. Certain times you had to plan on being at a certain place to get a seat, ABBA, Beatles night and other things at the Grand Foyer. Also as the shows came out the Al Bacio could be quite busy for a time. Liars Club, Newly and Not So Newly Wed, Late night comedy were held in the theatre instead of Celebrity Central so that helped a lot.

We were never really in the Ensemble Lounge. I find it a bad venue on all the S Class ships for entertainers. Can barely hear artists for the noise. I can live with the noise at the bar but the constant trail of noisy people on their way to the various restaurants drives me mad. This is not solely a Reflection issue and I would happily sail on Reflection again.

Sandra

Thanks all for the reassurances so far, looks like, I hope , a crew or staffing issue, leadership issues perhaps. Hopefully only isolated incidents then.

We were on the April 2 sailing and thoroughly enjoyed our cruise. We said time and again how friendly the entire crew was. That starts from the Captain down. His influence was noticeable on every level.

Would recommend to stay away from the duck on the menu but other than that food was excellent. Be sure and try the Lawn Club Grill. On our sailing Petite Chef was $25/pp and worth it.

As others have mentioned, pool area crowded and difficult to find a lounger. Entertainment was good and there’s always live music somewhere.

Both our room attendant and butler were wonderful, always asking if we needed anything.

Go and enjoy with a positive attitude and you won’t be disappointed!

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We'll be on our first Reflection cruise next year. We rely heavily on CC reviews and these boards whenever we research a new ship or itinerary. We've never been steered wrong using that method. Just keep in mind that there will always be some negative reviews - as long as they don't dominate they can often be taken with a grain of salt. I always get a chuckle out of reading a negative review followed by a glowing review from folks on exactly the same cruise.

We'll be on our first Reflection cruise next year. We rely heavily on CC reviews and these boards whenever we research a new ship or itinerary. We've never been steered wrong using that method. Just keep in mind that there will always be some negative reviews - as long as they don't dominate they can often be taken with a grain of salt. I always get a chuckle out of reading a negative review followed by a glowing review from folks on exactly the same cruise.

Fair point. I apply the same filtering process on Tripadvisor also.

We'll be on our first Reflection cruise next year. We rely heavily on CC reviews and these boards whenever we research a new ship or itinerary. We've never been steered wrong using that method. Just keep in mind that there will always be some negative reviews - as long as they don't dominate they can often be taken with a grain of salt. I always get a chuckle out of reading a negative review followed by a glowing review from folks on exactly the same cruise.

Agree, so when several pax on the same cruise come on CC and state several negative thoughts on the same cruise, then I take note. Exactly what happened to us last year on Reflection - several, all unrelated pax, came on here and stated what we thought of the cruise ;). Conclusion: it wasn’t just us that thought the cruise was off ;). If you know no different, then it may be the best cruise ever. We didn’t state it was the worse cruise ever, it just wasn’t what we were used to with X.

I think the OP is referring to another thread where there appears to be a high number of negative comments concerning Reflection compared to all X’s other ships - it wasn’t a thread totally about Reflection, it just so happened that an observation was made that there appeared to be a pattern: most negative comments were about one ship - Reflection.

The OP’s sailing may be a totally different kettle of fish to ours as many factors can alter a sailing, including: time of year, itinerary, pax, quantity of guests, staff changeover etc. You don’t know until you go and try it. ‘Butlins at Sea’ just wasn’t what I was expecting on X last year, especially as it had never occurred previously on any of our other sailings ;). You will never know what your ‘thing’ is until you try it.

Agree, so when several pax on the same cruise come on CC and state several negative thoughts on the same cruise, then I take note. Exactly what happened to us last year on Reflection - several, all unrelated pax, came on here and stated what we thought of the cruise ;). Conclusion: it wasn’t just us that thought the cruise was off ;). If you know no different, then it may be the best cruise ever. We didn’t state it was the worse cruise ever, it just wasn’t what we were used to with X.

 

I think the OP is referring to another thread where there appears to be a high number of negative comments concerning Reflection compared to all X’s other ships - it wasn’t a thread totally about Reflection, it just so happened that an observation was made that there appeared to be a pattern: most negative comments were about one ship - Reflection.

 

The OP’s sailing may be a totally different kettle of fish to ours as many factors can alter a sailing, including: time of year, itinerary, pax, quantity of guests, staff changeover etc. You don’t know until you go and try it. ‘Butlins at Sea’ just wasn’t what I was expecting on X last year, especially as it had never occurred previously on any of our other sailings ;). You will never know what your ‘thing’ is until you try it.

I don’t fancy the idea of Butlins at Sea myself!

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We were on Reflection in October for a Greek Isle cruise and so enjoyed her that we booked on board for the end of the month for the Med. We usually go suite but I don't think that alters your 'whole ship' perspective, I know it's all relative to your personal expectations but find the negative comments unjustified. Had many, many X cruises and Reflection compared well.

There are many factors at play. For instance:

- Time of year. Core holiday season or not.

- Destination.

- Management.

- Luck.

The last is important. If you experience transport issues plus a bad dish (both ordering lamb and duck which disappoints), a bit of isolated bad attitude from a staff member, noisy kids or inconsiderate adults beside you on the pool deck, problems with air conditioning in your cabin, and what could be pleasant for 98% of guests could become unpleasant for you. Plus at that stage minor issues which ordinarily would not bother you start to bother you.

The really good thing about Reflection is that there is something for everyone. If you don’t like the Martini Bar then try Ensemble. If you have a balcony sitting out there with a book on a nice day looking out at the sea is very relaxing.

We were disappointed with Equinox a few years back - a bit of the bad luck mentioned above and I think the transition period. But we still had a great holiday. We were determined to enjoy the ports. We did walking tours, had great tapas, nice sea swims, visited great markets.

I have no doubt that Celebrity know when there are real problems and when it was just unfortunate. They will monitor the trends and react accordingly. I was impressed last year that they reversed bad decisions such as making the mast grill a pay venue.

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I’ve sailed the Reflection twice. 2014 11nt med cruise and 2016 15nt WB TA. We loved the ship and service on both cruises. I would not worry in the least about the fodder you see on CC.

My SIL has spent the last 3 days aboard Refection and was still impressed having last been on it for the opening season over 5 years ago!

My DD who is currently working on it has definitely not noticed any difference in food quality compared to her previous contract aboard Millennium.

The on board activities are fantastic too. But she would stay that being the activities manager!!!!

we were on the 3/23/18 caribbean cruise, we loved it so much that we booked another for this year.11/26..abc carribean., let me say that this is a first for us to take 2 cruises in such a short space between, but it was the staff and crew on the reflection that made this decision for us.

we had a great steward (1A), and we dined select, but ended up making a reservation each night for the same table because of waiter,his assistant, wine sommelier, and the tables location.

we had a scary experience on board, and it was taken care of pronto with the assistance of guest relations.

we loved the entertainment,the only problem was the chair availability around pool..first day there wasn't a chair to be had except a few on deck 5...(lovely quiet area)..

i would recommend this ship to anyone!

We were on Reflection in October for a Greek Isle cruise and so enjoyed her that we booked on board for the end of the month for the Med. We usually go suite but I don't think that alters your 'whole ship' perspective, I know it's all relative to your personal expectations but find the negative comments unjustified. Had many, many X cruises and Reflection compared well.

Just shows how different one sailing to another can be:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2644374

There are a couple of threads on here saying how bad Reflection has been over the past year or so.

 

Things like being overcrowded, bad food, bad service etc.

 

It’s making me worried about our upcoming booking.

 

I know things can change fast, just wondering if people who have travelled on Reflection recently could chip in with updates as to how good or bad their experience has been this year?

 

Is it possible to change a booking to a different ship after final payment if it turns out that Reflection is quite bad this Summer?

 

 

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Having returned from Reflection this weekend it remains a super ship with excellent staff and service as can be found across the whole X fleet. Our only complaint was the apparent down turn in Luminae food quality compared with our October sailing on her in the Greek Isles.

In hindsight we should have given it a miss a few more nights instead of returning in the hope things improved. Murano was as always superb.

Having returned from Reflection this weekend it remains a super ship with excellent staff and service as can be found across the whole X fleet. Our only complaint was the apparent down turn in Luminae food quality compared with our October sailing on her in the Greek Isles.

 

 

 

In hindsight we should have given it a miss a few more nights instead of returning in the hope things improved. Murano was as always superb.

We were on the same cruise. Having experienced smaller ships like Azamara we are still not convinced on the big ship experience. But Reflection was excellent in delivering what it promised - the old stalwarts such as Al Bacio and Ensemble were great, and Murano where we ate for 6 nights was fantastic. Great service and food.

MDR felt very rushed with wine service lacking - the sommelier was very nice but she was very stretched and was pushing some very mediocre wines (on instruction).

TG was just ok. The highlight was the view. Service and food quality was not in the same league as Murano.

LCG was mixed - pizza followed by steak is too much food and the concept to me felt strange - but others love it. I am really not convinced it is used as best as it can be - it could be a great informal pizza/pasta restaurant with a small upcharge. The porch was empty so combine the two and it could be a great venue.

We were on the same cruise. ....

 

MDR felt very rushed with wine service lacking - the sommelier was very nice but she was very stretched and was pushing some very mediocre wines (on instruction)..

My Goodness, did she tell you that she was so instructed? By whom?

Luckily. so far I have had far more positive than negative experiences with sommeliers.

DH however is very cynical in general about waiter food recommendation in restaurants, maintaining that very often the recommendations is to shift less desirable dishes:o

My Goodness, did she tell you that she was so instructed? By whom?

 

 

 

Luckily. so far I have had far more positive than negative experiences with sommeliers.

 

DH however is very cynical in general about waiter food recommendation in restaurants, maintaining that very often the recommendations is to shift less desirable dishes:o

She was very pleasant and polite - but had recommended wines for the evening which were not great to be honest. She was professional enough not to say it.

The waiter recommended dishes in the MDR were all excellent. I followed them but my wife less so and I had much better.

We just got back from a 21-day B2B on the Reflection. She isn't perfect, but there is a lot to like. I just posted a very detailed review:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2644656

We just got back from a 21-day B2B on the Reflection. She isn't perfect, but there is a lot to like. I just posted a very detailed review:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2644656

Awesome review. Thank you for your trip report.

The only problem with the Reflection is for the Suite passengers. There are many more Suites and the same size Michaels Club and Luminae. This was especially noticeable on the transatlantic as more people utilized the Michaels Club for drinks. Luminae was also more crowded. The rest of the ship is wonderful.

 

‘Butlins at Sea’ just wasn’t what I was expecting on X last year, especially as it had never occurred previously on any of our other sailings ;). You will never know what your ‘thing’ is until you try it.

which was your itinerary last year? we have never experienced this on Celebrity on Med cruises out of ports such as Rome and Barcelona,

But then there were not that many Brits with families on board.

We are on Reflection in July and hope its not going to be anything like Butlins at sea.

We have had something similar on RCi out of Southampton

which was your itinerary last year? we have never experienced this on Celebrity on Med cruises out of ports such as Rome and Barcelona,

 

But then there were not that many Brits with families on board.

 

We are on Reflection in July and hope its not going to be anything like Butlins at sea.

 

We have had something similar on RCi out of Southampton

We'll be on Reflection too sailing 20 July, and there will be over 1,000 Brit's on board. Our summer cruises aboard IOTS and Britannia out of Southampton were indeed like Butlins at sea at times. The sail away from Madeira on Britannia with singing and Union Jack waving was something else!