Information From Our Reflection Cruise 1/4/14

[drychi]

 

My wife and I just returned from our second wonderful cruise on the Reflection. We were in Aqua Class Cabin 1584 for the second time as well. The ship and this cabin are in great shape and we noted no significant differences from our 1/3/13 cruise. That earlier cruise review is also available under member reviews if you wish to read it.

 

Since the Reflection has been reviewed and photographed so much since it's launch in the Fall of 2012, I thought it would be more helpful for me to address a few things about our recent cruise or future Celebrity plans that you might find helpful or would add our information to current discussions on this board.

 

OFFICERS AND CREW: At various times my wife and I met or spoke to the following Officers: Captain Athanasios G. Peppas, Staff Captain Nigel Smyth, Guest Relations Manager Christian Comiria, Hotel Director Julian Brackenbury Captains Club Host Ti-Ann Aure and Cruise Director Alexander Yepremian as well as several junior officers whose names I did not get written down. I mention them for two reasons, one to show how accessible the officers are to passengers on the ship, and two, to congratulate them on the wonderful work their crew does onboard. The crew of this ship was uniformly courteous, friendly, and professional in their duties throughout our cruise. Our cabin steward Sherwin, Our waiter in Blu Gode and his assistant, the personal shopper on board Kelecia, and the Dance Captain Jen were just some the examples we personally experienced.

 

BLU: This was our second time dining in Blu. The breakfast menu appears to be exactly the same as last year's breakfast menu. It is very good, but does not have Eggs Benedict, which I enjoy, so we did eat breakfast in the main dining room one morning. It was also a pleasant experience. We usually dined between 5:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. for dinner. No wait and were usually seated by a window or one table in from a window. The menu is varied and allows you to try different dishes which are not normally available in Columbia, Missouri where we live. Since food is so subjective, that is all I am going to say about Blu except, to re-state we enjoyed our experience and having the opportunity to meet and talk with fellow diners from the United States and other countries.

 

THE ENTERTAINMENT: The production shows are all excellent in our opinion. The cast of singers, dancers, aerialists, and specialty acts were the best we have seen in one show on any cruise line. The three production shows are referred to by the cast as the Broadway show, the Rock show, and the Circus show. You will enjoy aerialists, contortionists, and special stage effects which are amazing, particularly when you consider they are being done on a moving ship at sea. Don't miss these shows!

 

The days of the cruise without a production show still had entertainment in the main theatre. On San Juan night we had Bronkar Lee who was described as a rhythm comedy and beatbox juggler. Hard to describe his act, it was mostly him using his voice to make sound effects, and some very good juggling. We appreciated his effort, but it was not a show we were excited about. The ship also had Gareth Oliver do a show on Wednesday night. He was described as an unconventional ventriloquist. We did not see that show. During the last two sea days the Cruise Director also had two additional shows scheduled on the afternoon in the theatre, which featured the A Cappella group on board in concert on Thursday, and the Main Show Singers and the Cruise Director performing Broadway Music that they chose to sing. Both of these concerts were wonderful, and well worth the hour. We really liked the Broadway set on the last day. Just the 4 main production singers sitting on stage talking to the audience and singing with minimal staging.

 

I would also like to mention that prior to the Broadway show on the last sea day, the production cast and cruise director answered questions from the audience for almost an hour about the shows, their careers, and life on the ship. This was also very entertaining and informative.

 

OTHER MUSIC ON THE SHIP: My wife and I tried to hear as much of the music on the ship as we could. My wife has a doctorate in early childhood education and one of her courses is art and music integration, so we like musical entertainment. The premier act on board for us was the Kelly Broadway Quartet which normally played in the Ensemble Lounge. This talented performer performs in a cabaret style and performs jazz, American Standards, and even some pretty recent tunes. The quartet consists of a drum set, bass, and a piano along with Kelly's outstanding singing. She is also very funny, and between songs worked hard at interacting with her audience. Don't miss her performances.

 

We also enjoyed the A Cappella Group onboard. It was called Uncommon Ground. They performed in several of the lounges and on the big stage in the Reflection Theatre as a group and in the production shows. Other acts onboard that we heard included Vibes, the party band, which is based in England. They played mostly current top 40 tunes from current artists. They were good musicians, but they did not play the older style rock and cruise music that we have heard from other cruises. The Toucan Duo was an unusual act for a cruise ship. This duo played the flute and piano. We only heard them briefly, so not sure what style of music they played, the one we heard was classical in nature. The Reflection Band also played big band and popular music in the Grand Foyer on one night of the cruise. This band is under the direction of 3 time Grammy winner "Big Mike" and is worth your time.

 

The only music we did not like on board was the Miami DJ's Live who played in the Martini Lounge at an amazing volume each evening. We are not the demographic they are trying to reach, so no complaints from me, just a personal preference. I did not hear rap music as such, but their songs are what you would expect from a dance club in a major metropolitan city or even in my college town of 125,000 people which is home to the University of Missouri and it's 35,000+ students. It did not seem to dampen the enthusiasm of the people in the Martini or Molecular Bars, so I guess just stay away from them during their performances, if you don't want to listen to their music mix.

 

One final word about the entertainment. My wife and I also heard Andrew, our cruise director, state several times that Celebrity has made a corporate decision to try to present a more "edgy" and "modern" cruise experience which would attract a young professional audience to their cruise line. Andrew himself is very young for a cruise director, and comes from an entertainment background both in the United States and England. I believe that his presence as cruise director on the Celebrity Flagship is not an accident, but clear proof of this corporate initiative. He is smart, funny, and represents his generation's ideas about what they want in cruising. I also think Celebrity is trying to balance this with some of the other musical acts on board, such as Kelly Broadway and Uncommon Ground. Time and future bookings will tell if this is the correct mix. We had a great cruise.

 

SIN CITY: This has gotten some discussion on the boards. Here is what we experienced. We attended the Monday night show. It was very full with people kneeling in the aisles as well as standing in the back. The show consists of a "host" who tells a few jokes. He then introduces a dancer who comes on stage and does a five minute strip to a G-string and bra which is what I am assuming she normally wears when she is doing a show as a dancer on the Las Vegas strip. The featured comedian then comes on and does about a 20-25 minute Las Vegas style comedy routine. The show girl then does another routine, the host wraps it up and show is over. The comedy is typical of what you can see at the comedy clubs in my city or in any major comedy club, or on Showtime Adult Comedy shows. The dancer is more covered than some of the women on the pool deck.

 

THE SPA: I used the Persian Gardens every day. They are well maintained and I enjoyed them. I usually went between 1:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. on sea days and got a heated lounger each time with no wait. On port days it was less crowded so any time seemed to work for me to get a heated lounger.

 

During the Cruise Critic meeting on board, I asked Hotel Manager Julian Brackenbury about the change from Steiner. He confirmed the change is going to occur and stated that it was the result of Celebrity and Steiner being unable to agree on the future direction for the delivery of spa services and products on board Celebrity ships. "Creative differences" if you will. He did not state who the new spa company would be, but he did state the new spa management will take over on Reflection beginning in April, 2014. After an acclimation period on Reflection, the changes will be migrated over to the other ships. He also made it clear that no physical plant changes would be made, but new spa procedures and treatments are expected to be available. The Steiner personnel on-board Reflection at this time will be moving to different cruise lines if space can be found for them. That planning for these re-assignments is already underway according to a couple of spa employees I talked with on Reflection.

 

NEW SHIP PLANS FOR CELEBRITY: During his question and answer period at "Behind the Stage Door" on Friday afternoon, Andrew, our cruise director, answered a question about Celebrity's future plans for new ships. He said that Celebrity had built the 5 S-Class ships over a very short period of time and as they opened each new ship, Celebrity would assign experienced persons from the existing ships to the new one and that resulted in staffing and performance problems in some of the other ships. Celebrity realized this problem and has decided not to embark on any new ship construction projects for the next 3-4 years at least. Instead they are concentrating on improving the ships that are already in the fleet with better crews, better on-board entertainment, and new cruise destinations.

 

Andrew then went on to say, (I am not quoting, this is my memory of what he said) I know this might not sound exciting, but I can tell you that within the next year Celebrity is going to make a very exciting announcement that will make our loyal Celebrity cruisers and our shareholders very happy. It will be a significant event in Celebrity history. He gave no further hints or information despite a couple of follow up questions from the audience. So something else we can have fun speculating about on the boards for the next 3 or 4 years as we know that it is what 1 year means in Celebrity time, right!

 

I am always happy to answer any questions, and my wife and I have already booked our next cruise on Eclipse for January, 2015 so Happy Cruising to All!!

[AlexDouglass]

On behalf of all of us sailing on Reflection in the near future - thank you! It's lovely to hear such an enthusiastic endorsement. We can't wait (and not just because it's gray, cold, and drizzly here today....)!

[CruiserByHeart]

Great review. Happy you enjoyed your cruise as much as we did over the Holiday season.

 

Agree with you about the loud dj on the Martini Bar... would have prefered something more subtle.

 

We too enjoyed speaking to several of the officers onboard.

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[mrsdoc3]

Glad to hear A Cappella group was still on board. Other posts have said they are no more.

[F5Loar]

Now we must ponder on what the major change next year is going to be. Hummmm...... no more formal nights so the "don't like to dress up" crowd can feel comfortable in the mainDR without stares from the "suit" people. This will result in the closing of the Lido buffet so that everyone will eat dinner in the mainDR(or other alternate dining) thereby reducing overall food cost resulting in lower ticket prices for us. I say go for it X. I'm getting tried of getting stares for wearing a full formal tux and being in the extreme minority.

[miched]

Glad to hear A Cappella group was still on board. Other posts have said they are no more.

 

We didn't have one on the Nov 2103 Eclipse cruise and was told that they are being eliminated fleet wide. It could be that that group will remain until the end of their contract.

 

 

.⛄💨🍻🍸

[itsjb1]

Thanks for taking the time to provide such an informative posting

[20pluscruises]

We didn't have one on the Nov 2103 Eclipse cruise and was told that they are being eliminated fleet wide. It could be that that group will remain until the end of their contract.

 

 

.⛄💨🍻🍸

 

You are correct...the group told us this 2 weeks ago.

[20pluscruises]

hips over a very short period of time and as they opened each new ship, Celebrity would assign experienced persons from the existing ships to the new one and that resulted in staffing and performance problems in some of the other ships.

 

Great review!!!

 

I mentioned this a couple of days ago here on CC and got a bit of backlash for saying so. I knew it was the case as I have witness this over the years. AND why we always book the next new ship.

 

Curious what the new news will be in the coming year.......hmmmmmm

[Phxazzcruisers]

Thank you for your posting. We had the same experience on Reflection over the New Year. SO very happy yoy had a great time. One note: if you want eggs benedict in Blu, simply ask. Depending on how busy they are, they are more than willing to do whatever they can for you. We were always able to get waffles even though they are not on the menu and one person in our group did order eggs benedict and got them. It is not easy on the S Class ships as they do not have a shared galley, but again, they will TRY to do whatever thay can. Happy cruising

Edited January 14, 2014 by Phxazzcruisers

[drarill]

Excellent review!! Thanks for taking the time to share your cruise with us. We are sailing on the Reflection in July and I'm obsessed with reading as many reviews as I can!!:):)

[letsgoaway]

Thanks for the informative review.

[seguincruiser]

Thanks for the review. Looking to try Celebrity but not until October 2015, gives me lots of time to plan.:p

[TexSea]

Thanks for the review and updates. Can't wait to see what changes are in store for AquaSpa this summer.

[Lois R]

Thanks for the detailed review. Sounds like you enjoyed yourselves:)

 

As for the changes? You said he said "in the next year"....so really,

whatever it is, could be coming in 2015. Not doubting what you were

told but sometimes I wonder why they even say anything about it.

You are so right, they say things and instead of 1 year it may take 5:rolleyes:.

He made the statement and then would not take any follow up

questions? He had to know people would want more information. Why

even make the statement?:confused:

[DJSchib]

Great review. Excited for our February sailing as a newbie

[Vicjac]

Great review!!!! We sail Jan. 18th on the Reflection. After reading so many bad reviews about the music, why wouldn't they change???

 

Sent from my SM-N900V using Forums mobile app

[2SeaAll]

NEW SHIP PLANS FOR CELEBRITY: During his question and answer period at "Behind the Stage Door" on Friday afternoon, Andrew, our cruise director, answered a question about Celebrity's future plans for new ships. He said that Celebrity had built the 5 S-Class ships over a very short period of time and as they opened each new ship, Celebrity would assign experienced persons from the existing ships to the new one and that resulted in staffing and performance problems in some of the other ships. Celebrity realized this problem and has decided not to embark on any new ship construction projects for the next 3-4 years at least. Instead they are concentrating on improving the ships that are already in the fleet with better crews, better on-board entertainment, and new cruise destinations.

 

Andrew then went on to say, (I am not quoting, this is my memory of what he said) I know this might not sound exciting, but I can tell you that within the next year Celebrity is going to make a very exciting announcement that will make our loyal Celebrity cruisers and our shareholders very happy. It will be a significant event in Celebrity history. He gave no further hints or information despite a couple of follow up questions from the audience. So something else we can have fun speculating about on the boards for the next 3 or 4 years as we know that it is what 1 year means in Celebrity time, right!

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

The reference to shareholders makes me believe that it is strategic rather than operational. I cast my speculative vote on the launch (possibly by acquisition, but more likely by start-up) of a river cruise line.

They seem to have concluded both that the ocean cruise market is nearing a short to mid-term saturation point in which financial returns and risk do not support new builds [not stated that way, but plausible that it is their belief], and that they need to pause and consolidate their expansion and lock-down their quality standards.

In Europe and elsewhere river cruising is expanding faster than ocean cruising. Many dedicated ocean cruisers are now on second, third and fourth visits to certain coastal ports and desperate to find wholly or mostly new itineraries; river and ocean cruises can be connected b2b in many ports. The core competencies (hotel and transport) are the same, just different execution and economies of scale can be realized. Finally, buried in RCCL's 10-K is information about their varied interests in Europe, Asia and elsewhere beyond their three most familiar brand names; RCCL does have some joint venture/investment interests on a small, quiet scale in river cruising.

 

All just wild speculation on my part based on what I would do if I were in senior management of RCCL.

[drychi]

 

Thanks for the kind comments. Those booked on the Reflection are going to have a good time! The comment on the start of a river cruise line in Europe was interesting.

[DJSchib]

Thanks for the great review.

 

We are sailing the Reflection next month as a first time cruiser and are excited!!

 

Is there a place on the ship that you can walk for exercise other then a treadmill? Can you walk front to back in a loop?

 

Thanks

[Texed]

Dry,

 

Thanks for posting :)

[wallie5446]

Thanks for the great review.

 

We are sailing the Reflection next month as a first time cruiser and are excited!!

 

Is there a place on the ship that you can walk for exercise other then a treadmill? Can you walk front to back in a loop?

 

Thanks

 

There is a track out line on deck 15, it is center of the deck. You can go all the way forward past the basketball court, and all the way aft, but this is where it gets tricky. You have to weave thru other pax enjoying the lawn area, and the Sunset Bar. There were a lot of people doing this as the sun came up in the morning, and the deck was not yet crowded. But after 10'ish, no way to run, but you can stroll:D

[DJSchib]

I am a good "stroll'er". I have recently taken up walking 2-3 miles daily and I really hated to give that up and get on a boring treadmill. If we can navigate through a busy mall trying to get our miles in in the dead of winter here in Michigan, we can get past the loungers and people at Sunset Bar on deck 15 I hope!

 

Thanks

[wallie5446]

I am a good "stroll'er". I have recently taken up walking 2-3 miles daily and I really hated to give that up and get on a boring treadmill. If we can navigate through a busy mall trying to get our miles in in the dead of winter here in Michigan, we can get past the loungers and people at Sunset Bar on deck 15 I hope!

 

Thanks

 

Then this will be just what the Dr ordered! The view out to the water is perfect, and for people watching, there is no better area on the Ship. There is always a spot to get a cold 'beverage' close by, and in the afternoon there are burgers and dogs. You will love the Reflection.

Have a great cruise.