Reflection March 29, 2014

[cruiserziggy]

We just returned from Reflection and I thought I would post some information about our cruise on this forum. I have gained a lot of info from people on these boards in the past so hopefully I can contribute something useful as well.

 

Every review comes from the perspective of the writer. Different people have different perspectives. So many things are a matter of personal taste and opinion.

 

This review comes from the perspective of a couple in the 45-50 year old demographic who are fairly avid cruisers. Our bias is definitely toward Celebrity. We have sailed more than 15 times total. More than half of those have been on Celebrity. There is a reason that we keep coming back. In the past couple of years we travelled mostly in suites. We value our vacation time and do not mind spending money in the right places to have an enjoyable vacation. We have reasonably high standards when we travel, but we do not expect perfection.

 

With that introduction regarding where this review is coming from - we thought there were a few noticeable deficiencies on our recent cruise. Compared to all of our previous experiences on Celebrity, we found the most lacking this time. We were on this same ship one year ago and the differences in some areas were clearly apparent.

 

Bar service- To our surprise, there were no limes on the ship during the entire cruise. Maybe that's not a huge deal, but it did seem strange to not be able to get a lime on a caribbean cruise originating in South Florida. I suspect that there are at least a couple of people who would enjoy a lime in their margarita or Corona on a caribbean holiday. Also, premium brand alcohol was limited around the pool during the first 2-3 days. I don't know if these were intentional cutbacks due to so many people having beverage packages, or if they were just slow getting the bars restocked early in the cruise. At times I had to go to 2 or 3 different bars to get simple items that were always readily available on prior cruises. The situation markedly improved as the cruise went on.

 

Spa-If you aren't interested in the spa just skip over this part. It won't interest you. If you enjoy the spa, keep reading. Our cruise was the first one with the new Canyon Ranch Spa. We were not impressed. First, due to the turnover, the spa wasn't even opened until day 3. So, no spa on the first sea day. They probably should have let guests know about this to just give them a "heads up" but that didn't happen.

 

When they did finally open we scheduled a couples massage. We presented our Captains Club coupons (that were in our stateroom when we boarded) to the receptionist when we paid for our services. We were abruptly told that the coupons were not valid for the new spa. These coupons were given to us on the ship! I explained that to the receptionist who clearly wasn't interested in discussing it. He didn't ask for help or even consult a manager. He just refused to accept to coupons. Rather than have an awkward confrontation, we just left the spa and I discussed the situation with Guest Relations. It became a matter of principle at that point. The Guest Relations officer seemed to completely understand and promised to provide credit for the value of the coupons. That ultimately did occur on the final night of the cruise, but it required multiple followup calls on our part to make it happen. It became an unnecessary, ongoing annoyance.

 

In addition, the massages were mediocre (not bad, but just average) and expensive, even by cruise ship standards. Ordinarily, I would given them a "pass" on the spa being brand new, but there really isn't any excuse for bad customer service, new or not. We usually enjoy the spa, but we did not return during this cruise and would think twice before patronizing them in the future.

 

Dining-This is always subjective and maybe controversial. I will try to keep it "factual." My steak in Tuscan Grill was just slightly below what I would get at an Outback or other similar chain restaurant. It was no better than a MDR steak that I have had on prior cruises. The service and appetizers were good. Overall, we didn't find value in the added charge on this cruise. We had previously enjoyed it on prior cruises.

 

We thought Murano was up to its usual standards. We found the food and service to be outstanding and went back a second time. For us, it was well worth the added charge.

 

Lawn Club-My steak at lawn club was far better than the one at Tuscan Grill. The service was friendly and attentive. The atmosphere is creative. We enjoyed it.

 

Blu-When not in specialty restaurants, we ate in Blu. We enjoyed the quality of the food, presentation and service. For me, the lamb chops served there were far better than the steak in Tuscan grill (just my subjective opinion.) My wife found the menu at times to be a little bit limited for her taste, but she is admittedly a choosey eater. Nevertheless, she always found something to suit her taste and enjoyed dinners there.

 

Stateroom- We had an aft corner Sky Suite. It was immaculate. The view from the corner veranda was great. The stateroom was spacious with plenty of storage for our things. The bathroom was also a nice size with a full tub and rain shower head. Our attendant did a great job. With the suite comes a butler. He was friendly and always offered to provide things for us. Overall, the butler doesn't add much for us, but it's a nice little perk on vacation.

 

Staff/Service- We found it to be excellent overall. It is really hard to complain when these individuals seem to work tirelessly from early morning to late at night to provide guests with a nice vacation experience. They do this day in and day out, usually with smiles on their faces and pleasant words, while being half a world away from their families and loved ones for months at a time. I couldn't do it, and I won't criticize those who do. As with anything with lots of people involved, there will be a variety of personality types. Some people take to certain types more than others. However, as a group, we found the service to be attentive, very friendly, and mostly professional. It's not always perfect, but neither are we. We give them kudos.

 

Entertainment- We really enjoyed the live music on board. Again, this is completely subjective, but we really liked the house band and all of the musical entertainers. We didn't go to any of the production shows, as our dining times always seemed to conflict with them. However, we really liked the Sin City Comedy show. Apparently, they have tickets available for the comedy shows early in the cruise. We didn't know that and there were't any available when we finally asked. However, we just went early and lined up and we were able to get in without a problem. It was busy, though, so if interested try to get tickets or be sure to get there early.

 

So, we encountered a few problems that we haven't previously experienced with Celebrity. However, this should be viewed as an objective, even-handed review, not a negative one. Overall, we still really enjoyed our cruise and we will go again. However, in keeping it real, I would have to say that it was about a half star to one star lower than our previous Celebrity experiences. It was noticeable enough to concern us and to hope that this was just an aberration and not a trend. A lot had to do with the spa experience. It really was awkward and uncomfortable, two things we like to avoid when trying to relax on vacation, especially after dropping a few $$ on an 80 minute couples massage to RELAX. Perhaps it is just growing pains and will get better with time.

 

I could go on further, but this is already too long. If anyone has specific questions, I will try to answer.

[2Nkotb]

Thank you for your review. :)

 

We were on the same cruise with you, and we wholeheartedly enjoyed ourselves. I completely agree with you that we had a great crew on this sailing. I remember telling my husband that everybody just seemed to love their job; if they didn't, they surely didn't show it. :)

[Oville]

Thanks for your review. We were on the previous cruise and had a great time. I chuckled reading your steak comments. I had one of the best filets ever in Tuscon Grill and perhaps one of the the worst in The Lawn Club.

 

Limes are an issue everywhere. We too had none at the beginning of our cruise but picked some up along the way. Check this article out:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/30/opinion/sunday/is-the-lime-an-endangered-species.html

Edited April 8, 2014 by Oville

[cruiserziggy]

Thanks for your review. We were on the previous cruise and had a great time. I chuckled reading your steak comments. I had one of the best filets ever in Tuscon Grill and perhaps one of the the worst in The Lawn Club.

 

Limes are an issue everywhere. We too had none at the beginning of our cruise but picked some up along the way. Check this article out:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/30/opinion/sunday/is-the-lime-an-endangered-species.html

 

Thanks for sending the link to that article. It was interesting to read. I wasn't aware of the problem. At least that provides some explanation. I guess when you are buying for thousands of people every week the cost is quite significant. I think the steak issue (yours compared to mine) speaks to consistency (or lack thereof.) Mine was NY Strip, btw.

Edited April 8, 2014 by cruiserziggy

[drarill]

Great review! Thanks for taking the time to share your cruise experience with us. We are looking forward to our Reflection cruise in July. :)

[Xcitdcruiser]

Thank you for your review - just wondering how much the couples massage was?

[cruiserziggy]

Thank you for your review - just wondering how much the couples massage was?

 

It was $209 per person and they automatically add 18% gratuity. So it's just about $500 total.

Edited April 10, 2014 by cruiserziggy

[Xcitdcruiser]

It was $209 per person and they automatically add 18% gratuity. So it's just about $500 total.

 

Ouch. That must have hurt - sorry to hear it wasn't as good as what it should have been!

I've mentioned your review, in my review, regarding the Canyon Ranch massages. hope that is ok!

[cruiserziggy]

Ouch. That must have hurt - sorry to hear it wasn't as good as what it should have been!

I've mentioned your review, in my review, regarding the Canyon Ranch massages. hope that is ok!

 

Those 80 minute massages are always pricey, but I thought that was high even for a cruise. But, it was vacation. We don't do that at home. It should have been better and the entire attitude of the spa should have been different. Also, NO discount for services while in port. The previous spa used to offer that. Overall, maybe it's just a slow start, but I think they have a lot of work to do in order to improve.

 

Did I mention that the head rest on my wife's table (while her head was in it) went crashing to the floor about 30 minutes into the massage?

 

No problem referring to the review. I wrote it to provide the information.

[robnbill]

Does the new Spa management have male massage therapists now? The old one stopped several years ago so only woman were available to give massages.

[cruiserziggy]

Does the new Spa management have male massage therapists now? The old one stopped several years ago so only woman were available to give massages.

 

We both had females. Not sure if males are available or not.

[JohnSnowGOT]

It was $209 per person and they automatically add 18% gratuity. So it's just about $500 total.

 

 

OH wow $500 for a couples massage ! and it wasn't fabulous!!!!

I would be just crazy upset. Call me cheap but this is a lot money for a massage on a cruise ship...justsayin

[cruisetimeforme]

Sailed Silhouette just prior to Canyon Ranch coming in next sailing. Steiner girls we talked to claimed canyon Ranch employees could be ex Steiner staff that had been fired, so not the greatest. Never felt any of the massages or facials I'd received to be of very high quality or training of the staff, sorry to say. Can't imagine paying more to possibly receive even less satisfaction, let alone fight over price. Glad you were able to get things straight and for the heads up for the rest of us.