Service Issues on Reflection

[PORT ROYAL]

Looks like it could be the time for an intervention by "Fabio" the RM on board.

 

Tell him Mr & Mrs Pomerol send their regards from table 409

[Jane2357]

Is it just me that thinks that sometimes being on CC gives us unrealistic expectations for our cruise, the crew, the food, etc.? I think it gives some people the opinion that they need to be hypercritical as we read all the reviews and posts.

 

I cruise to have fun, relax, spend time with dh or friends - I don't cruise expecting that it is the staffs purpose to fawn over me, as in it would never occur to me to expect the staff from a specialty restaurant to remember me from a prior night. It would be nice if they did but to expect that - no. Rude bartender - so don't give him an extra tip, happens twice - report it. All just seems very minor to me.

[Grumpy100]

It should be a good cruise as this is a newer ship. We have always found the food and service on every Celebrity ship that we have been on to be outstanding. Sometimes in the MDR the waiters are given too many tables so you have to be patient. That would be my only complaint. We have been on Solstice twice and Infinity once. Solstice the first time the service was slow in the MDR and we had the early seating. All the other cruises we pick anytime dining so you can change sections if the service is not good in that particular area.

Happy sailing.

[BEAV]

Clearly the OP came on here for sympathy.

 

Personally, I consider that statement an opinion, and not necessarily fact!

[junglejane]

Is there nothing to say about your cruise that is good?

 

Some people are treating SusieV as if she were some one post wonder who posted the "cruise from hell" type of post. But as others have pointed out, she's a regular X cruiser (I would say an X enthusiast:)). If she wants to vent about some service issues, I think she's entitled to do so. She's certainly cruised enough on X to have realistic expectations, which apparently aren't being met this time.

[BEAV]

Some people are treating SusieV as if she were some one post wonder who posted the "cruise from hell" type of post. But as others have pointed out, she's a regular X cruiser (I would say an X enthusiast:)). If she wants to vent about some service issues, I think she's entitled to do so. She's certainly cruised enough on X to have realistic expectations, which apparently aren't being met this time.

 

My thoughts exactly. From the OPs other posts, it's pretty clear she and her husband enjoy fine dining (and professional service to match). I do as well and have always enjoyed (and learned) from her previous posts. I don't find anything in her writing that I would consider over the top or outrageous.

[Mepsie]

Is it just me that thinks that sometimes being on CC gives us unrealistic expectations for our cruise, the crew, the food, etc.? I think it gives some people the opinion that they need to be hypercritical as we read all the reviews and posts.

 

I cruise to have fun, relax, spend time with dh or friends - I don't cruise expecting that it is the staffs purpose to fawn over me, as in it would never occur to me to expect the staff from a specialty restaurant to remember me from a prior night. It would be nice if they did but to expect that - no. Rude bartender - so don't give him an extra tip, happens twice - report it. All just seems very minor to me.

 

It's definitley not just you.

 

It's amazing to me what seems to ruin some folks' expensive vacations.

 

But the hypercritical stuff is not exclusive to CC. Most of my travels are landbased. So, I've spent a lot of time reading reviews on TripAdvisor or Yelp. Over there, the reviewers are just as quick to give a hotel or restaurant a terrible ratings over some very minor issue that is generally irrelevant to their overall stay or meal.

 

Ultimately, I just think it's the nature of an anonymous message board.

[frogsgirl]

My hubby & I are not a needy couple, we both work on the premise that if you are polite & treat people as you expect to be treated it is rare to have someone, particularly in the service industry, be outwardly rude to you.

When we were on Eclipse we weren't remembered by anyone specifically but that certainly didn't spoil any enjoyment for us and being polite & courteous in our requests was always reciprocated by the cruise staff.

 

Maybe the OP was a bit rushed in her post & with hindsight would have probably waited until she had finished the cruise & provided a considered review rather than a rushed mid cruise negative post. The bit about the drink request & the interaction between her husband & bar staff comes across as a someone trying to be a bit clever/sarcastic/rude & maybe the way this was requested provoked the response he got?

 

Anyway OP I hope the rest of your cruise is trouble free & you post a full review on your return :)

[richsea]

I got the impression that because Susie is an experienced Celebrity cruiser, she is used to a certain level of service that she isn't experiencing on this sailing, & because she is a "regular" on the X boards, thought she would share her experience with everyone, nothing more.

 

I think that Celebrity is going through a training crisis of sorts, due to the rapid expansion of their fleet, necessitating the hiring of a large number of new crew. It seems to me that lately there have even more & more reports of service issues, some small & some not so small. Rudeness should never be tolerated, period. What makes a small service issue stand out so much is the fact that Celebrity's service has been excellent for many, many years, so when there is slippage, it is magnified. I do find it troubling that they seem to have decreased the number of waitstaff in the MDR to the point that it is affecting service, & that will not improve much with experience.

 

Hopefully with time, they can weed out the bad apples & the balance of the new crew will settle in & provide the level of service that Celebrity has been noted for in the past. I sure hope so!

[AlaskaGolden]

OP - I really hope the service and the attitude of some of the staff improve quickly for you and your husband!

 

For the rest of us sailing on Reflection in the future, I sure hope the service is up to high standards we expect from Celebrity!

[cruzbynite]

I've only got a few minutes since I'm using the ship internet, but I just wanted to make a quick post and comment at how different we are finding Reflection from any of our previous cruises, and it's been very disappointing. We have never encountered such indifferent at best or downright rude service on any Celebrity ship and a lack of caring at correcting the issues when they were raised to the appropriate personnel.

 

We have met some outstanding staff- notably Jordan, the LCG maitre d' who we met on Silhouette, and Eduardo, a GR staff member who personally had my husband's tuxedo repaired and pressed in time for formal night when we inquired how to get a button repaired.

 

Unfortunately it seems that the rest of the staff we have encountered have simply been doing the minimum or less. A bartender was rude to my husband when he ordered a drink from the menu that the bartender clearly did not recognize (asking him whether he wanted his Pyrat Alexander as a shot or on the rocks or frozen, then snapping at my husband of course he knew what it was when my husband said he wanted the one on the menu, clearly depicted as a frozen drink). A poker dealer was abrupt and unfriendly to both of us but I don't want to detail the incident now. We had dinner on night one at Murano and there was little to no interaction with the staff, which again was out of character with what we've grown to expect. My husband commented that he would not be surprised if they don't even recognize we dined there already when we go tonight. We've only seen our stateroom attendant once, and our minor requests (more hangers, please remove the CC champagne) were not dealt with until we asked the housekeeping supervisor.

 

It's just been disappointing to wait and anticipate a cruise for so long and then find that things are nowhere near what they were only a year ago. Hopefully things will improve because at this point we are not interested in cruising Reflection again.

 

SusieV - Based on your future bookings, you are clearly an experienced cruiser and Celebrity appreciates your business. Arrange to meet with the Hotel Director (via the Captains Club Host/Hostess) and take with your future booking numbers with you to that meeting. Explain to them your concerns and tell them in a polite and respectful voice what needs to be done to make the balance of your cruise enjoyable. If they cannot make it any better, tell them you will be taking business elsewhere. Again, maintain a calm and respectful tone and they should make good. Just be prepared to say what you want (e.g., comp meals in the specialty, spa treatment, credit to your bill), if anything. I had a similar experience on the Constellation a few years back and I was moved to a Royal Suite. I have not stepped foot on another cruise line since that time. The tend not to upset their loyal customers. Best of luck.

[Orator]

SusieV - Based on your future bookings, you are clearly an experienced cruiser and Celebrity appreciates your business. Arrange to meet with the Hotel Director (via the Captains Club Host/Hostess) and take with your future booking numbers with you to that meeting. Explain to them your concerns and tell them in a polite and respectful voice what needs to be done to make the balance of your cruise enjoyable. If they cannot make it any better, tell them you will be taking business elsewhere. Again, maintain a calm and respectful tone and they should make good. Just be prepared to say what you want (e.g., comp meals in the specialty, spa treatment, credit to your bill), if anything. I had a similar experience on the Constellation a few years back and I was moved to a Royal Suite. I have not stepped foot on another cruise line since that time. The tend not to upset their loyal customers. Best of luck.

 

I think that this advice could be counterproductive. You need not involve the CC Hostess,she has enough to do and she is really a low levelplayer in this case. .Just ask to speak to Sue Richardson,the HD. She is driven by her desired to maintain a strong staff. I would not make any threats. I know most of the Senior Staff on Reflection and don't believe that they would react well if threatened. Start by saying how much you've enjoyed your past X cruises and where this one has failed to meet your expectations. Good luck!

[SusieV]

I appreciate the posters who have understood my point!

 

No, we don't go into a cruise expecting perfection- far from it. But it seems like this is considerably out of character from what we expect on a Celebrity cruise. I don't think openly rude staff has anything to do with my expectations. As for the other details, yes they were relatively minor but it is certainly adding up.

 

Orator, thank you- we will make an appointment to discuss our issues with the HD. I had suggested that to my husband as a next step as he is disappointed with this cruise.

 

To the other posters, of course there are things we are enjoying. We're cruising with friends and absolutely having a great time with them. The meals have been good and we love the Ultimate Specialty package, which I'll discuss when I review the cruise on my return. But we are certainly experiencing a definite slide in service and this was one of the areas where Celebrity always shone on previous cruises, so it's been a disappointment.

 

I was surprised to see some of the responses I got, but I guess when you jot out a brief post not all the content gets across.

 

By the way, the weather is beautiful here in St Maarten today :)

[richsea]

Glad you checked back in Susie. I hope that your issues get resolved to your satisfaction. Please let us know how everything was resolved when you return. Righy now, just enjoy the rest of your cruise!

[go noles]

I'm almost at a loss.

 

What I have always enjoyed about these boards is the opportunity for all of us to share with each other the good, bad and ugly about our experience.

 

The OP has come on and done just that and I thank her.

 

What I don't understand is all the folks that try to minimize the opinion of the OP and practically chastise her by suggesting she is too nit picky.

 

If you are on the Reflection right now and have a differing view then it may be appropriate to share. On the other hand, please don't tell us how great it was last month, last year etc. It almost sounds like you are calling the OP a liar. If you want to write about your experiences start a new thread and call it a trip report.

[cruzbynite]

I think that this advice could be counterproductive. You need not involve the CC Hostess,she has enough to do and she is really a low levelplayer in this case. .Just ask to speak to Sue Richardson,the HD. She is driven by her desired to maintain a strong staff. I would not make any threats. I know most of the Senior Staff on Reflection and don't believe that they would react well if threatened. Start by saying how much you've enjoyed your past X cruises and where this one has failed to meet your expectations. Good luck!

 

For me when I raised my concern in a very respectful and professional tone with a major service failure, which is what I had suggested to SusieV, it was not a threat that I would cancel my future cruises on Celebrity. I felt strong about my position and was prepared to stop giving business to Celebrity. I am of the belief when you give a company a significant amount of business, and something goes wrong, give them the opportunity to fix it and be reasonable (e.g. it would be ridiculous to ask for a full refund). Also, you need to be clear about what you are looking for and how Celebrity can correct a bad situation. I could be something as simple as an apology and management talking wiht the people SusieV encountered. Celebrity is a fantastic company and they have my confidence they will fix the service failures because they want SusieV and her family back. This is one of the main reasons I only sail Celebrity now and they get all of my cruise business.

 

I appreciate the posters who have understood my point!

 

No, we don't go into a cruise expecting perfection- far from it. But it seems like this is considerably out of character from what we expect on a Celebrity cruise. I don't think openly rude staff has anything to do with my expectations. As for the other details, yes they were relatively minor but it is certainly adding up.

 

Orator, thank you- we will make an appointment to discuss our issues with the HD. I had suggested that to my husband as a next step as he is disappointed with this cruise.

 

To the other posters, of course there are things we are enjoying. We're cruising with friends and absolutely having a great time with them. The meals have been good and we love the Ultimate Specialty package, which I'll discuss when I review the cruise on my return. But we are certainly experiencing a definite slide in service and this was one of the areas where Celebrity always shone on previous cruises, so it's been a disappointment.

 

I was surprised to see some of the responses I got, but I guess when you jot out a brief post not all the content gets across.

 

By the way, the weather is beautiful here in St Maarten today :)

 

Best of luck SusieV and enjoy your cruise on the Celebrity Reflection.

[kasowell2]

I read these forums to learn and over the years I've learned a lot of useful information both from people's enjoyment of their cruises and from people's disappointments along the way. Being truthful I've probably learned more from others problems than I did from the good things so for that I am thankful when someone posts in god faith of a problem they encountered on a cruise. It's very easy to tell those that are truly posting because they want to help other people avoid the same problems. I believe the OP was in fact trying to help others.

 

Now for my soap box. I, as well as others, pay a lot of money to cruise. I may pay more or less than someone else but regardless it's hard earned money. When I purchase a service I have high expectations from the service provider. These are not unreasonable expectations but nonetheless they are high expectations. As a teacher I have high expectations for my students and because of this the majority of them strive to meet these expectations. I have no less expectations for a service I'm paying for with my hard earned money. If I in turn tell others that my expectations were met or not met its because I believe that advertisement whether good or bad will improve the service and possibly help someone else learn from my good times or help them avoid the mistakes I encountered.

 

It's not bashing Celebrity or anyone but it is letting others know that Celebrity or whatever company didn't provide what I expected and others should know about it so Celebrity will improve or go out of business if they continue to not I'd a problem or problems.

[Adammara]

I agree with the OP. Having had a lot of cruises, we have learnt that they are never quite perfect but our last cruise was very disappointing.

We had far to many issues on Constellation last September, Cabin balcony not as described in our brochure, problems with Select Dining, promised $500 OBC, only got $300. Not to mention the last passengers property left in the cabin, broken tiles in the shower, tears in the bed sheets and the dirty balcony flooded and un-useable for 2 days. Yes, they were reported and ‘Attention to detail’ cards handed in, to no avail. In the end we just gave up. We put it down to overstretched new barely trained staff, and some of the managers were not up to the job.

Our worst cruise of the 39 we have taken, it has put us off cruising for the time being, so much so that we cancelled 2 future cruises for this year, which in the UK means we have lost our £600 deposit.

Richard

[wwcruisers]

I appreciate the posters who have understood my point!

 

No, we don't go into a cruise expecting perfection- far from it. But it seems like this is considerably out of character from what we expect on a Celebrity cruise. I don't think openly rude staff has anything to do with my expectations. As for the other details, yes they were relatively minor but it is certainly adding up.

 

Orator, thank you- we will make an appointment to discuss our issues with the HD. I had suggested that to my husband as a next step as he is disappointed with this cruise.

 

To the other posters, of course there are things we are enjoying. We're cruising with friends and absolutely having a great time with them. The meals have been good and we love the Ultimate Specialty package, which I'll discuss when I review the cruise on my return. But we are certainly experiencing a definite slide in service and this was one of the areas where Celebrity always shone on previous cruises, so it's been a disappointment.

 

I was surprised to see some of the responses I got, but I guess when you jot out a brief post not all the content gets across.

 

By the way, the weather is beautiful here in St Maarten today :)

 

Susie -- thanks for taking time from your vacation to let us know how things are going -- hope you are able to get your issues resolved. Looking forward to a full review, when you get home. :cool:

Oh, and be sure to leave some of that St. Maarten sunshine for us -- we'll be there in a few weeks! :D

[Christine Frances]

I agree with the OP. Having had a lot of cruises, we have learnt that they are never quite perfect but our last cruise was very disappointing.

 

We had far to many issues on Constellation last September, Cabin balcony not as described in our brochure, problems with Select Dining, promised $500 OBC, only got $300. Not to mention the last passengers property left in the cabin, broken tiles in the shower, tears in the bed sheets and the dirty balcony flooded and un-useable for 2 days. Yes, they were reported and ‘Attention to detail’ cards handed in, to no avail. In the end we just gave up. We put it down to overstretched new barely trained staff, and some of the managers were not up to the job.

 

Our worst cruise of the 39 we have taken, it has put us off cruising for the time being, so much so that we cancelled 2 future cruises for this year, which in the UK means we have lost our £600 deposit.

 

Richard

 

I thought that you could transfer your booking to another cruise without losing your deposit. That you would only lose your deposit if you outright cancelled?

[gelo7]

I hope that the rest of your cruise goes better.

[Germancruiser]

Well those service issues concour exactly with our experiences - on the Eclipse, we never had so different service on our previous X- cruises- and I too was a die hard X- Fan. Seems the service standarts have a " slight" tendency to slip!

[Adammara]

I thought that you could transfer your booking to another cruise without losing your deposit. That you would only lose your deposit if you outright cancelled?

 

We could have, but frankly at the moment we are not interested in cruising again, so we have booked land based holidays instead. We normally have 3 cruise holidays a year, but last year only did 2, as we had bought a new car. Our cruise in May 2012 on Eclipse was also disappointing, and the September one was the last chance as far as we were concerned. Cruising has changed a lot in the 22 years we have been enjoying it, and not for the better in many ways!

 

To be fair, after complaining, Celebrity did refund the deposits, but in the form of a future cruise credit, which we probally won't use.

 

Richard

[Jenna109]

I agree with the OP. Having had a lot of cruises, we have learnt that they are never quite perfect but our last cruise was very disappointing.

We had far to many issues on Constellation last September, Cabin balcony not as described in our brochure, problems with Select Dining, promised $500 OBC, only got $300. Not to mention the last passengers property left in the cabin, broken tiles in the shower, tears in the bed sheets and the dirty balcony flooded and un-useable for 2 days. Yes, they were reported and ‘Attention to detail’ cards handed in, to no avail. In the end we just gave up. We put it down to overstretched new barely trained staff, and some of the managers were not up to the job.

Our worst cruise of the 39 we have taken, it has put us off cruising for the time being, so much so that we cancelled 2 future cruises for this year, which in the UK means we have lost our £600 deposit.

Richard

 

Such a shame that you had such a terrible cruise. All I can say is that things have certainly changed from your experience. We recently returned from a cruise on the Constellation and certainly did not have any similar problems. Officers and staff were all very efficient, cabin kept spotless and food was wonderful. The chef even cooked a meal for us which was not on the menu - we gave him a days notice. I had problems making Internet connection after purchasing a package and there was no problem returning the cost to my account. oBC was exactly as given so no problems with Customer Services. Do try Celebrity again as , we have found, them to be the best for food and service

[slp123]

Each of us is ultimately responsible for our own good time.

 

So if something negative occurs on a cruise which is more than trivial (such as a one time encounter with a staff person who was not doing a great job) and has the potential of negatively impacting my vacation, rather than putting it aside or complaining to a friend or companion who is not the source of the upset, I ask myself "Am I upset because what is happening is causing an unfulfilled expectation (such as the expectation that service be of a certain caliber) or a thwarted intention (such as when a port or ports on a cruise are cancelled or skipped). Generally I rid myself of the upset by letting go of an expectation or altering an intention or exchanging it for something else.

 

But if I cannot do that, that is where the unwanted event(s) are too significant I make sure I don't sit there with the issue because perhaps the greatest source of upset can be traced to undelivered communications. I am not talking about communication that is just about complaining and highlighting how we have been wronged. But rather communicating to convey to someone who both can understand what is not working for me and who has the power to make a difference in my situation. Because this requires effort, I do it only when I can't resolve it for myself and let it go.

 

On every cruise, some little things may go wrong . . . I can hardly remember as I am too busy having a good time . . . but I do recall a cruise 5 years ago on another line around the British Isles when the Captain of the ship kept cancelling ports claiming the weather was either too rough to tender or too rough to leave port and move on to the next port. And while the weather was inclement, there were some cancellations which made no sense when I learned on line that other ships of equivalent size from other lines were keeping their schedules and making calls at the same ports. Well there was nothing to do while on board, the Captain is the boss. But when I got off I wrote the President of the line saying that while we had been given a partial credit and some free wine, I felt that either the line had the wrong Captain or had not disclosed an issue with the Ship which caused us to holdover in ports already visited. I received a letter back which did not agree with the Captain being at fault or that there was an issue with the ship, but they gave me a credit equal to 75% of that cruise to use on any future cruise or cruises over the next 24 months.

 

Was I satisfied? Yes because needing to be right is a waste of time but being respected is completely worthwhile.