Our 50 Night Reflection Odyssey

[2morecruises]

First... Arno, thank you so much for taking your time and $$$ to update us almost on daily basis.

 

Second, the more I read your posts and other threads about Reflection the more I realize that the ship is a mess, huge mess! I am trying to stay positive, but looks like nobody is really thrilled by the ship. There are a lot of problems with the ship (original design and added mechanical issues) and Celebrity doesn't look to be in a hurry ot fix them. ...

 

Yea, they (X) might as well scrap her now. :p

 

Looks like the upgrade fairy will be calling me for my New Eve's Cruise since hardly anybody will be sailing her on Dec 29th. :D

[MJonTravel]

While our 11/4 cruise aboard Reflection was not perfection personified, I surely wouldn't call the ship a mess. Like food, an overall cruising experience can be subjective, or others may just be looking for different things to make they cruise a good one. The only reason I'm not still on Reflection is a lack of time off. I enjoyed the ship, the service, the ports, everything. Personally, I've never sailed on a brand new vessel. I can't help but think that there are some "kinks" that have to be ironed out early on....though I didn't have any real issues with this cruise.

 

As I stated previously, I did not personally experience a line issue at Blu, but I know it happened. There were signs of understaffing, and I've shared this feedback with Celebrity. That said, we were blessed with the 2 best servers who took very good care of us, so much so, that we elected to wait 10 minutes to be seated in their area on the last night of the cruise rather than take a table that was immediately available.

[Bosjoe]

First... Arno, thank you so much for taking your time and $$$ to update us almost on daily basis.

 

Second, the more I read your posts and other threads about Reflection the more I realize that the ship is a mess, huge mess! I am trying to stay positive, but looks like nobody is really thrilled by the ship. There are a lot of problems with the ship (original design and added mechanical issues) and Celebrity doesn't look to be in a hurry ot fix them. ...

 

Its funny how people like to comment on a ship, they never been on. Everyone has different opinions and you need to take them with a grain of salt. New ships will have some issues they are just working the kinks out of them. I look forward to sailing her in 3 weeks.

[richsea]

First... Arno, thank you so much for taking your time and $$$ to update us almost on daily basis.

 

Second, the more I read your posts and other threads about Reflection the more I realize that the ship is a mess, huge mess! I am trying to stay positive, but looks like nobody is really thrilled by the ship. There are a lot of problems with the ship (original design and added mechanical issues) and Celebrity doesn't look to be in a hurry ot fix them. ...

 

A mess, really?? Wow, I would say that is overstating it just a bit.

 

Thanks for the update Arno.

[boogs]

Its funny how people like to comment on a ship, they never been on. Everyone has different opinions and you need to take them with a grain of salt. New ships will have some issues they are just working the kinks out of them. I look forward to sailing her in 3 weeks.

 

I was on her from Oct 21 to Nov 4. She is hardly a "mess". In fact, she is the most spectacular ship I have ever been on. Beautiful, easy to find your way around, and a great crew. And since we aren't elitist "elite" members, we didn't have to encounter the "overcrowding" these people claim they are having to endure at their all important "for us only" events. We enjoyed every aspect of her, as did our traveling companions. We are already considering when we can sail on her again.

 

Too many "doom and gloom" and "the sky is falling" people on this board. I wonder how they can survive a single day considering how negative they insist on being about something they haven't even experienced first hand. A lousy way to live a life, IMHO.

[Royalpair]

We are just off of her in Barcelona, and this was our 3rd new Solstice class ship to sail on (Solstice before her original first sailing, and Eclipse at her third sailing). This is the first time we had any "problems", and none that I considered affected us that much. The day we missed port, it was raining out at sea, so I figure it was probably raining in port, and that would've been our only port day with rain.

As for the Elite issue - this was our first saiing as Elite. We don't drink much, and I like more to eat at breakfast than what was offered in Tuscan, so those two items weren't important to us. Now the free laundry and internet coupons are another story. Maybe because I never went to these venues when they were less crowded in the past that I didn't know what I was missing.

We had a great time on a beautiful ship. My problem was the trip was so port intensive, we really didn't get to enjoy the ship. I guess we'll have to sail her again!

 

MK

[NETSEG]

I was on the 11/4 cruise and am not elite. I enjoyed the ship and did not experience the crowding others are posting. It appears to be mainly with Elite events and Blu. As I mentioned in reply to another post, Celebrity doesn't need to change their ships but they do need to change their perks to better fit the ships. The perks are their problem now on sailings with lots of elites.

[MJonTravel]

Hey folks. I'm working on pulling all my pictures together from our 11/4/12 Med. Empires cruise on Celebrity Reflection. In the meantime, I'm indexing my photos and you can find the links here....including a link to my post on my initial impressions of Reflection. Here's the link.

[C 2 C]

Sunday November 25th: Somewhere in the mid-Atlantic

Another time zone closer to home but now under partially sunny skies and a temperature in the mid 70’s is preparing us for the warmer waters closer to Florida. Our Celebrity Condo for this voyage is on the port side, great for sun lovers but a bit warm for extended periods on the balcony for those who normally avoid direct sunlight. We continue on at 18Kts in moderately rolling seas produced by an Easterly wind of 23Knts. Walking a straight line today is a bit easier than the last few days as the seas settle a bit.

Last evening all the bars were fully occupied again as the elites gathered for their favourite “watering holes”. We don’t mind the drink vouchers since we can sample other parts of the ship but I would suggest that Celebrity remove the time restriction in order to reduce the congestion from 5 to 7. I truly wonder about the impact on bar revenue when non-elites no longer have a place to sit for relaxation prior to dinner. This morning Qsine was opened for the Tuscan overflow. At 8:30am Tuscan was as good as full for specialty coffee lovers and the noise levels do rise as occupancy increases. Blu dining does continue to be busy as all suite passengers can also take advantage of the AQ perk.

At the beginning of this cruise odyssey we asked that if “superior” cabins became available we would be interested in purchasing an upgrade while on board. It is very common for ships in the fleet to put up a “fully booked” sign even though we will hear through the grapevine that passengers have received an upgrade. Joanne talked to someone last night who was upgraded at no cost from an OV to AQ. However the person told her that she purchases spa treatments nearly every day. I am sure that X monitors passenger spending and picks people more likely to spend than frequent cruisers who have seen it all, book few excursions and no longer need daily pictures. I just wish that X was a bit more forthright and state their upgrade policy without the need to “fib”. I am sure that a value added policy would be appreciated by many who would consider spending more for an upgrade onboard if the rules were clear.

[C 2 C]

Monday November 26th: just over half way across the Atlantic to Miami.

The sea is much calmer today, almost as if oil has been spread over the mirror-like ripples. The sky is partly cloudy and the temperature now approaches 80.

“There are good ships and there are bad ships, but the best ships of all are friendships”.

As our odyssey comes to a close it is time to make some generalizations about this cruise in comparison to our other voyages. Over the years, many cruise critic fans have witnessed posters who have been savagely berated for voicing an opinion not shared by another. Experiences differ! Some cabins flood. Some toilets don’t flush. Some cabins creak. Some balconies are right above the smoking area. Some cabins are located beneath treadmills. Some waiters have years of experience while others are rookies.

There is nothing like being on a cruise with people you like, whether with long time friends or with people that bond immediately over a drink, a shared experience such as a dance floor, an excursion or a trivia contest. We would rather be on a mediocre ship with good friends than on a stunning ship with strangers.

We are absolutely happy with the food and service on this ship. The crew is as outstanding as ever, trained to standards of Celebrity excellence. Every meal has not been perfect, including offerings in Blu but nothing that would cause us to criticize food on board. At lunch time we prefer to nibble at different tastes in Oceanview Cafe rather than having a meal in the MDR.

Ship Design: I have mentioned before that I prefer Millennium-Class to Solstice Class ships. Unless a spectacular itinerary was offered by a specific sailing, I would pick the ship with more public space and less noise concentrated in the Grand Foyer. If we were to sail on an S-class again, we would also pick the one with fewer passengers and a larger Sky Lounge and one that offered some seating around a dance floor. Reflection has a giant steel rose blocking a substantial part of the only dance floor offering daily live music. The S-ships are beautiful but people who love to dance are not in the target demographic and Reflection offers the least incentive and dancing opportunity of any ship in the fleet. Passengers who were onboard Reflection on earlier sailings when only 300 or 600 elites were onboard have no concept of the crowding issue from 5 to 7 pm. The fault does not lie with passengers who have been promised perks for cruising repeatedly with Celebrity but with the people who designed and offered a program that cannot deliver the goods. When 1,100 elites and suite guests congregate with other friends in the various bars throughout the ship there is insufficient seating capacity. The noise levels and crowding does not make for a pleasant social hour experience. I will follow Yogi Berra’s observation: “No one goes there anymore; it’s too busy.” For my cruising obsession, I will look for the sea less-travelled.

[ghstudio]

question on Blu for those on board the reflection. Are they allowing suite guests to dine at dinner or turning them away during the busy period around 7:00 - 7:45 PM ?

 

If they are just allowing suite guests to dine there, it would be a likely disaster.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

question on Blu for those on board the reflection. Are they allowing suite guests to dine at dinner or turning them away during the busy period around 7:00 - 7:45 PM ?

 

If they are just allowing suite guests to dine there, it would be a likely disaster.

 

I was wondering how they gauge the demand from AQ guests, so that they know how many suite guests they can accommodate - without impacting the AQ guests.

 

This New Year's will be our first time trying an AQ cabin - and BLU was one of the reasons!

 

We like to dine at about 7, though if coming a bit earlier avoids crowds we can manage.

 

Tom

[ghstudio]

I was wondering how they gauge the demand from AQ guests, so that they know how many suite guests they can accommodate - without impacting the AQ guests.

 

This New Year's will be our first time trying an AQ cabin - and BLU was one of the reasons!

 

We like to dine at about 7, though if coming a bit earlier avoids crowds we can manage.

 

Tom

 

They learn the dining pattern after the second night. I know that sounds strange. For some reason, unknown to anyone, when you arrive in your cabin, you will find a letter telling you that you should dine in Blu at 6:00 or 8:30....and many do just that, they follow the letter. If you actually go to blu and ask, they will tell you to just ignore the letter and come when you like....go figure!! Left hand and right hand obviously don't communicate. The second night, everyone comes when they want...and they quickly find out if there is a balanced arrival or if there are many brazilians and spanish as on one of our recent cruises, they find that many eat late. Generally speaking, they don't (or shouldn't) allow suite guests to be seated between 6:45 and 7:45 (IMHO) because those are pretty much the prime time for aqua passengers. I know that on our recent TA on the eclipse, they did turn away suite passengers and ask them to come back after 8PM.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

... I know that on our recent TA on the eclipse, they did turn away suite passengers and ask them to come back after 8PM.

 

I'm pleased to see that they had the ability to ask some suite guests to return later.

 

Thanks.

 

Tom

[rozen]

Who is the Captain Club Host on the Reflection?

[Gitte]

Who is the Captain Club Host on the Reflection?

Captains Club host is Chandru. He is doing great. We enjoyed the cruises on the Reflection when he was the host.

Gitte

[MicCanberra]

I am so jealous, enjoy your adventure.:D

[uktog]

I am sure that X monitors passenger spending and picks people more likely to spend than frequent cruisers who have seen it all, book few excursions and no longer need daily pictures. I just wish that X was a bit more forthright and state their upgrade policy without the need to “fib”. I am sure that a value added policy would be appreciated by many who would consider spending more for an upgrade onboard if the rules were clear.

 

I suspect there is a formulae used. I was talking to someone who is learning revenue management in a shore based hospitality organisation and he explained their guests have "scores" which is a relationship between number of times rebooked, value of profit business and some other factors he could not share. What he did say was the most loyal guests whom they know always come have the scores on rebook which technically work against them if they do not score highly in other categories - the theory being the marginal cost to retain their next booking is low.

 

There are evidently well researched and tested statistical models that show the risk of losing a loyal guest is much less than the rewards of converting a less loyal guest and the theory goes the less loyal guest who has booked, they have been captured so the marketing cost has been "sunk" elsewhere and can be capitalised on in the short term

 

Celebrity are a profit driven corporation, bet they use models like this which would explain why you are seeing this kind of activity re upgrades

[mimito4]

 

Second, the more I read your posts and other threads about Reflection the more I realize that the ship is a mess, huge mess! I am trying to stay positive, but looks like nobody is really thrilled by the ship. There are a lot of problems with the ship (original design and added mechanical issues) and Celebrity doesn't look to be in a hurry ot fix them. ...

 

This ship is far from being a mess! Lovely all around. Service, food, all has been grand. And this is from a seasoned traveler of many lines. Sometimes when I read these posts I wonder if I'm on the same ship.

 

I don't know Arno, haven't met him, but I, along with many others are having joyful days and all is good. Very. Good.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Is Heineken the only draught (draft) beer offered on the Reflection?

 

Tom

[Sanatee]

Is Heineken the only draught (draft) beer offered on the Reflection?

 

Tom

 

Heineken and Amstel light. Many others by bottle.

[Lois R]

Hi Arno, are you and Joanne staying on board after the ship arrives

in Miami? I booked the 3 nighter on Dec 5th and it would be nice to

see you both again:)

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Heineken and Amstel light. Many others by bottle.

 

Heineken I might try on draft (never cared for it in the bottle). Amstel Light is good, though not as good as Amstel Bright, which is hard to find! We enjoyed Amstel Bright last week in Curacao and Aruba - though I'm intrigued by ever smaller bottles... 9.3 oz (at least from my American 12.0 oz standards)!

 

Thanks.

 

Tom

[MicCanberra]

Heineken I might try on draft (never cared for it in the bottle). Amstel Light is good, though not as good as Amstel Bright, which is hard to find! We enjoyed Amstel Bright last week in Curacao and Aruba - though I'm intrigued by ever smaller bottles... 9.3 oz (at least from my American 12.0 oz standards)!

 

Thanks.

 

Tom

They use the smaller bottles and sell for approximately the same price as the larger bottles for competitive pricing.:D

[C 2 C]

The end is near... if anyone has any questions that don't consume time, I might be able to squeeze in an answer or two