just back from Reflection Feb 15 cruise

[beltane]

LOVED it! Hubs and I had a wonderful time. The ship was beautiful, the food great. Probably our best cruise ever... except for our first one which was magical because it was our first :)

 

We had Concierge Class cabin 2170 on the hump

 

LOVED:

--ease of transfer from airport to pier (went through X)

--ease of embarkation at the terminal

--the layout of the ship, easy to get about

--lots of elegant maps everywhere in case I did get lost

--the decor

--how clean everything was

--the bed

--LOVE LOVE LOVED the bathroom! :eek:

--our hump cabin had a huge balcony

--MDR was elegant and understated

--reserved seating in the MDR. I booked online a table to two each night for 6:00 p.m. and we were seated immediately every single night

--often someone was personally squirting the Purell into diners' hands to ensure sanitation

--ambiance in the MDR was lovely, no 'clanging' pots and pans, noticed that servers never rushed or appeared to be hurrying... all calm and in control

--the food in the MDR, very good quality

--service in the MDR, very good

--our sommelier in MDR Jennifer was helpful and personable

--waiters and assistant waiters worked very well together, checking and suggesting

--the classic alcohol package... never missed the premium at all, can't think of another drink I would have wanted

--the cold fresh towels to wipe up upon return to the ship from port

--the thin crust veggie pizza from the Oceanview Cafe!!!

--LOVED seeing so many people enjoying getting dressed up in the evenings. My husband brought a tuxedo this time (daughter was married this past summer, so he bought a tux instead of renting) and we really loved that feeling of having a special romantic night.

--love the variety of live music all over the ship in the evenings all evening long. We could wander through the ship at any time and find talented live performers. It was the best we've ever enjoyed!

 

LIKED:

--bar service was fine. Sometimes a little slower at peak times, but not as bad as I feared. There were VERY few servers wandering the pool. No biggee, we don't mind getting our a**es out of the lounger to get another beverage.

--we were never pestered to "buy this" "buy that" as with other cruise lines we've been on

--didn't need a credit card to open and lock the room safe

--could leave the cabin patio doors open and the A/C would stay on in the room. We don't do it often, but sometimes it's nice to leave them open and come and go and not have the room get hot

--easily switched the bottle of champagne for a bottle of red wine

--plenty of nice towels at both pool areas

--TV was fine. I like to watch at night while hubs sleeps and I was able to find lots of stuff to help me get drowsy.

--lots of choices for music on the music channels

--internet speed was fine, never had trouble getting on, never found it to be slow

 

NOT SO MUCH:

--our cabin stewards were not terribly on the ball, but I think that was THEM and not Celebrity in general... had to ask for basic things often, fresh ice, enough towels for two people, took 3 days just to get binoculars which were supposed to be standard in the room, twice found our room not tidied from breakfast and not turned down when we were exhausted and ready for bed at night (one night it was still a mess from morning) ....not a big deal, but certainly a nice cruise "perk" that I enjoy when I'm on vacation. I honestly expected a little more attention to detail with a concierge class cabin. I plan to address this in my follow up with Celeb. I didn't want a confrontation with them, not wanting any discomfort with the stewards taking care of our cabin.

--didn't care for the fragrances of the bathroom products, just a personal thing. Was glad I brought my own just in case

--didn't enjoy the brunch buffet -- found that it was chaotic and crowded, long lines, all to simply find a repetition of all the foods that had been served all week at the cafeteria up top. Some cruisers can be ruthless in their pursuit of the all mighty food! Buffet was 3 hours long, but you'd think they were worried we'd run out of food the way some guests push and shove to get to the cattle trough! The time my plate was full and I was seated, my food was cold. (Mind you, I'm just never a big fan of lots of people having sneezing access to my meal. Hubs and I will probably forego the brunch buffet on our next cruise.)

--to be honest, seen better shows on other cruises... but we really don't cruise for the shows, so that would never be a deal breaker for us

--wish there had been $5 blackjack tables, really enjoy easy fun blackjack, but I'm not a big player

--wish there had been a light on the balcony

--cabin was a little smaller than I had imagined, though I had been warned

--found the CC afternoon appetizers teensy and meh, never bothered after the second night

 

HATED:

--the hair dryer. I've got long thick hair and the hair dryer was horrible. I will bring my own next time. Again, not a deal breaker. None of these are.

--the lack of cabin storage space. Hubs and I tend to be 'shelf and drawer' kind of folks, not much on hangers for us. Fortunately I was forewarned and I brought two collapsable hanger-shelves (photo to follow) which helped. Still, we found it hard to manage our shoes and clothes in the tight space provided.

--the keyboard for the internet. I'm old, and that little thing was beyond frustrating. Fortunately I brought my ipad for reading, and ended up using it for my internet needs

--the debarkation after off the ship, but that is not Celebrity's fault, that is the Miami Pier's fault. It was slow and chaotic.

--the Miami airport. Again, not Celeb's fault. Not to offend anyone who lives there, but not my fave airport.

 

I think that's it... hope the not-so-much's and the hates don't give the wrong impression. I simply wanted to say what crossed my mind. NONE of those critiques would cause me to avoid Celebrity in the future. On the contrary, as I said in the opener, we had a great experience. Just enough fun happening here and there, just enough fun the the bars, our kind of music, no pestering to buy things, lots of pampering. Celebrity has two new devotees.

Edited February 23, 2014 by beltane

[DebbieMacG]

Thanks for a great review :)

 

I would have complained about the cabin attendant as that's really not acceptable :(

 

Storage - you mention you are shelf people? You did find the two huge overbed storage cupboards/shelves? :D

[Feelin' Nauti']

twice found our room not tidied from breakfast and not turned down when we were exhausted and ready for bed at night (one night it was still a mess from morning) ....not a big deal, but certainly a nice cruise "perk" that I enjoy when I'm on vacation. I honestly expected a little more attention to detail with a concierge class cabin. I plan to address this in my follow up with Celeb. I didn't want a confrontation with them, not wanting any discomfort with the stewards taking care of our cabin.

:eek: Wow!

[gundlach]

Wow, we thoroughly enjoyed our fifth cruise with celebrity. Couldn't rate them more highly. Only problem we had was it was my husband Sixtieth birthday and they ignored it until after the event. In fairness they did make amends but it should not have happened in first place.

Saying that we would not have any hesitation in cruising again with celebrity

[deise17311]

I think that's it... hope the not-so-much's and the hates don't give the wrong impression. I simply wanted to say what crossed my mind. NONE of those critiques would cause me to avoid Celebrity in the future. On the contrary, as I said in the opener, we had a great experience. Just enough fun happening here and there, just enough fun the the bars, our kind of music, no pestering to buy things, lots of pampering. Celebrity has two new devotees.

 

It's sad, but I agree now you have to have disclaimers from all the 'know it all's" and "flamers" on CC. You can't post your own experiences before the standard few come out with knives. Glad you had a wonderful trip...my sister and her family were on the the same cruise and loved it!

[beltane]

Storage - you mention you are shelf people? You did find the two huge overbed storage cupboards/shelves? :D

 

Yes, our trouble is, hubs and I are short statured people. I'm 5'3" and he's 5'7", so to reach those cupboards meant we had to stand on our bed. Not easy or nice. I can't imagine if I were a senior, those cupboards would be useless for my elderly parents.

 

Deal breaker? No way! I would live out of my suitcase all week for a bathroom as nice as that one was! :D

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[beltane]

Here is a photo of the shelves I brought from home (I hope it's not too large.) I got them at the Dollar store for $2 each. Thanks to other reviewers I had been forewarned that there was plenty of hanging space, but no shelves and few cupboards. Problem solved! :)

 

[drarill]

Great review!! thanks for sharing your cruise experience with us. Looking forward to our cruise on the Reflection in July!!:):)

[fridaythe13th]

LOVED it! Hubs and I had a wonderful time. The ship was beautiful, the food great. Probably our best cruise ever... except for our first one which was magical because it was our first :)

 

We had Concierge Class cabin 2170 on the hump

 

LOVED:

--ease of transfer from airport to pier (went through X)

--ease of embarkation at the terminal

--the layout of the ship, easy to get about

--lots of elegant maps everywhere in case I did get lost

--the decor

--how clean everything was

--the bed

--LOVE LOVE LOVED the bathroom! :eek:

--our hump cabin had a huge balcony

--MDR was elegant and understated

--reserved seating in the MDR. I booked online a table to two each night for 6:00 p.m. and we were seated immediately every single night

--often someone was personally squirting the Purell into diners' hands to ensure sanitation

--ambiance in the MDR was lovely, no 'clanging' pots and pans, noticed that servers never rushed or appeared to be hurrying... all calm and in control

--the food in the MDR, very good quality

--service in the MDR, very good

--our sommelier in MDR Jennifer was helpful and personable

--waiters and assistant waiters worked very well together, checking and suggesting

--the classic alcohol package... never missed the premium at all, can't think of another drink I would have wanted

--the cold fresh towels to wipe up upon return to the ship from port

--the thin crust veggie pizza from the Oceanview Cafe!!!

--LOVED seeing so many people enjoying getting dressed up in the evenings. My husband brought a tuxedo this time (daughter was married this past summer, so he bought a tux instead of renting) and we really loved that feeling of having a special romantic night.

--love the variety of live music all over the ship in the evenings all evening long. We could wander through the ship at any time and find talented live performers. It was the best we've ever enjoyed!

 

LIKED:

--bar service was fine. Sometimes a little slower at peak times, but not as bad as I feared. There were VERY few servers wandering the pool. No biggee, we don't mind getting our a**es out of the lounger to get another beverage.

--we were never pestered to "buy this" "buy that" as with other cruise lines we've been on

--didn't need a credit card to open and lock the room safe

--could leave the cabin patio doors open and the A/C would stay on in the room. We don't do it often, but sometimes it's nice to leave them open and come and go and not have the room get hot

--easily switched the bottle of champagne for a bottle of red wine

--plenty of nice towels at both pool areas

--TV was fine. I like to watch at night while hubs sleeps and I was able to find lots of stuff to help me get drowsy.

--lots of choices for music on the music channels

--internet speed was fine, never had trouble getting on, never found it to be slow

 

NOT SO MUCH:

--our cabin stewards were not terribly on the ball, but I think that was THEM and not Celebrity in general... had to ask for basic things often, fresh ice, enough towels for two people, took 3 days just to get binoculars which were supposed to be standard in the room, twice found our room not tidied from breakfast and not turned down when we were exhausted and ready for bed at night (one night it was still a mess from morning) ....not a big deal, but certainly a nice cruise "perk" that I enjoy when I'm on vacation. I honestly expected a little more attention to detail with a concierge class cabin. I plan to address this in my follow up with Celeb. I didn't want a confrontation with them, not wanting any discomfort with the stewards taking care of our cabin.

--didn't care for the fragrances of the bathroom products, just a personal thing. Was glad I brought my own just in case

--didn't enjoy the brunch buffet -- found that it was chaotic and crowded, long lines, all to simply find a repetition of all the foods that had been served all week at the cafeteria up top. Some cruisers can be ruthless in their pursuit of the all mighty food! Buffet was 3 hours long, but you'd think they were worried we'd run out of food the way some guests push and shove to get to the cattle trough! The time my plate was full and I was seated, my food was cold. (Mind you, I'm just never a big fan of lots of people having sneezing access to my meal. Hubs and I will probably forego the brunch buffet on our next cruise.)

--to be honest, seen better shows on other cruises... but we really don't cruise for the shows, so that would never be a deal breaker for us

--wish there had been $5 blackjack tables, really enjoy easy fun blackjack, but I'm not a big player

--wish there had been a light on the balcony

--cabin was a little smaller than I had imagined, though I had been warned

--found the CC afternoon appetizers teensy and meh, never bothered after the second night

 

HATED:

--the hair dryer. I've got long thick hair and the hair dryer was horrible. I will bring my own next time. Again, not a deal breaker. None of these are.

--the lack of cabin storage space. Hubs and I tend to be 'shelf and drawer' kind of folks, not much on hangers for us. Fortunately I was forewarned and I brought two collapsable hanger-shelves (photo to follow) which helped. Still, we found it hard to manage our shoes and clothes in the tight space provided.

--the keyboard for the internet. I'm old, and that little thing was beyond frustrating. Fortunately I brought my ipad for reading, and ended up using it for my internet needs

--the debarkation after off the ship, but that is not Celebrity's fault, that is the Miami Pier's fault. It was slow and chaotic.

--the Miami airport. Again, not Celeb's fault. Not to offend anyone who lives there, but not my fave airport.

 

I think that's it... hope the not-so-much's and the hates don't give the wrong impression. I simply wanted to say what crossed my mind. NONE of those critiques would cause me to avoid Celebrity in the future. On the contrary, as I said in the opener, we had a great experience. Just enough fun happening here and there, just enough fun the the bars, our kind of music, no pestering to buy things, lots of pampering. Celebrity has two new devotees.

 

We were in 2162 the week before and we must have had the same steward. We had to keep reminding him we wanted ice in our cooler. Our cabin was always made up and turned down though.

Edited February 24, 2014 by fridaythe13th

[The2Dads]

Just reserved 2170 for a July, 2015 Mediterranean Cruise! Very excited about getting a cabin on the hump, especially this one as the deck space seems A LOT larger than most of the other decks on the hump! Just curious if you experienced any noises from the upper deck? Also, is the TV/sitting area next to the deck, then the bed, then the bathroom? Great idea about the collapsible shelves...will definitely bring some with us ;-)

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[beltane]

Wow! You are in for a treat with cabin 2170 on the Mediterranean! It's nice and central, and close proximity to the elevators.

 

We did not hear a thing all week from up above. Yes, the Oceanview Cafe is directly overhead, but we never heard a thing! And I'm a very light sleeper.

 

The room is set up: balcony, bed, sitting area, bathroom, door.

 

The balcony is MASSIVE! You will have plenty of room out there. We enjoyed it because there is always sun and always shade, depending on what you prefer.

 

Enjoy!

[The2Dads]

Thank you for the response and feedback...very much appreciated! Not so sure about the bed next to the balcony, but I guess one benefit is waking up to the Mediterranean Sea!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[RG306]

Wow! You are in for a treat with cabin 2170 on the Mediterranean! It's nice and central, and close proximity to the elevators.

 

We did not hear a thing all week from up above. Yes, the Oceanview Cafe is directly overhead, but we never heard a thing! And I'm a very light sleeper.

 

The room is set up: balcony, bed, sitting area, bathroom, door.

 

The balcony is MASSIVE! You will have plenty of room out there. We enjoyed it because there is always sun and always shade, depending on what you prefer.

 

Enjoy!

 

You wouldn't happen to have a picture of the balcony? We have this cabin book for our upcoming cruise

[cruisestitch]

This thread is over a year old. It's quite possible that the posters no longer come to Cruise Critic.

[keithm]

This thread is over a year old. It's quite possible that the posters no longer come to Cruise Critic.

Loved tghe "hanging" shelf idea. We might plan that for ourselves.

[OuiOnboard]

We did Reflection a few years ago and enjoyed it much. Thanks for posting.

[beltane]

You wouldn't happen to have a picture of the balcony? We have this cabin book for our upcoming cruise

 

Unfortunately I don't.

[RG306]

Unfortunately I don't.

 

 

Thanks for getting back to me. How was the overhang? Do you get any sun? Also how was the noise?

 

Thanks

[wallysdtr]

Wow, we thoroughly enjoyed our fifth cruise with celebrity. Couldn't rate them more highly. Only problem we had was it was my husband Sixtieth birthday and they ignored it until after the event. In fairness they did make amends but it should not have happened in first place.

Saying that we would not have any hesitation in cruising again with celebrity

 

Sorry to hear about the lack of notice for your husband's birthday. We celebrated my husband's birthday on the reflection in March. They had a happy birthday sign on the door, cake at dinner and guest services had a bottle of red wine delivered to our cabin with a nice note for him.

[beltane]

Thanks for getting back to me. How was the overhang? Do you get any sun? Also how was the noise?

 

Thanks

 

This balcony had the perfect balance of sun and shade. I am not the kind of person to roast in the sun, I like a little, but I mostly like to sit in the shade and look out AT the sun :D Loved the overhang, it offered the shade I like and it also was nice on the rainy day. And no problem at all with noise. I am very sensitive to noise at night. I wake easily.