randomcruise

I really liked the production shows in Eden and in the Theater, and heard that the Jazz production show in the Club was also good. The Eden shows start late and you need to get there at least 30 minutes early to get a good seat. Eden tended to clear out pretty quick after the end of a production show. I like playing the cash Texas Hold'em, which doesn't start until 9:30 pm. I played several nights until they closed the casino (again closing varied from 11:30 to about 1:00am) and the Grand Plaza was always pretty dead after by the time the Casino closed. The Club always seemed to have a dedicated late-night/early morning crowd after the casino closed, but I think that was the only venue that was still open.

I was on the Beyond in Feb., and the casino tended to shut down between 11:30 and 1:00 am and the Craft Social Bar next to the casino tended to shut down at the same time. The Club was always open after that.

I really hope that is the new norm every night on the Apex and all the other Celebrity ships.

We did the same, and got the same kind of call. Very polite, but also no indication that there was any real commitment to improve. I suspect that improvement will happen only if Celebrity experiences a decline in bookings, and based on the vast majority of posts here, I don't really expect that to happen.

Very sorry to hear that Celebrity continues to fall short on the Apex.

Some of the reports of improved dinner options in the OVC indicate Celebrity is listening to some complaints about the reduced service. I suspect it is from people who have recently cruised and provided feedback directly to Celebrity rather than from any of the posts here. If Celebrity were reviewing the vast majority of posts here, it could easily conclude that there is huge core of Celebrity supporters who will accept any, or almost any, reduction in service and who will also attack those who dare voice complaints about those reductions.

You can also order off of any of the other MDR menu’s even if you stay with the MDR you currently have reserved. I ordered of the Normandie menu when our group was in Cyprus.

Here is a good response that would satisfy: "I am very sorry that Celebrity fell so short by providing a ridiculously small lobster tail coupled with an unattractive blob of white rice and a single stalk of broccoli. It clearly isn't the kind of meal experience we here at Celebrity promoted and that you believed you were paying for when you entrusted us with your hard earned money. We will seek to do much better in the future and again apologize for taking your money and providing far less than what we promote."

Exactly my main issue with Celebrity's current cutbacks. I don't trust Celebrity to provide what is promoted and paid for in full because Celebrity proved in January of this year that they are willing to downgrade the experience in a way that many passengers find significant after they have taken full payment from the passengers.

Great! Hope this sticks and is applied to other ships

Not really contrary to the complaints about the lack of sufficient crab and lobster offerings in the MDR's since you didn't dine in any of the MDR's. Glad to hear that the Retreat venues and specialty restaurants provided you a such a great experience.

I was also on the Feb. 5th Beyond sailing with a group of 17. We had a 5:45 dinner seating every night in the MDR's with the hope of going to the 7:30 show, but we never came close to finishing dinner before 7:45. While we usually had less than 17 for dinner and always split into two tables, I suspect our group size impacted the time it took to complete the dinner each night and we always stayed for coffee/dessert. I suggest you attempt to get an earlier seating than 6:00 (which you should easily be able to do based on what I saw in the MDR's) if you want a more relaxed dinning experience and/or do not want to skip coffee/dessert and/or do not want to run to the theater to get a seat before the show. As kidz_rn pointed out, the theater filled really early on the Feb, 5th cruise which was a full ship of passengers.

Just got off the Beyond last week and didn't see Prime Rib or Ribeye any night in any of the MDR's. However, as someone mentioned earlier, the Normadie MDR does offer Beef Tenderloin En Croute (pretty similar to Beef Wellington) as one of their signature dishes. I had it twice and it was good both times.

Questions for Jason Liberty: Do you understand that some passengers see the recent Celebrity cutbacks as significantly downgrading the experience that Celebrity promoted and that the passengers paid for in full months ago as essentially a bait-and-switch scam that exposes a lack of integrity in the executive level decision making at Celebrity/RC Group? Do you understand that in the future many of those same passengers are going to be very reluctant to trust that Celebrity will actually provide the experience that Celebrity promotes and demands full payment for months before their cruise date?

FWIW, we were on the Beyond last week with a group of 17 people, many with unconnected reservations. The main "planner" from our party went to what I assume is a concierge desk in guest services but may simply be a desk in guest services dedicated to MDR reservations, and was able to secure 5:45 pm reservations for the group every night in the MDR's of her selection (rotated through all 4 MDR's and then returned to several for a second night). As you walk into guest services from the Martini Bar area, the desk was located to the right of the entrance to the elevator lobby. Based on our experience, I think you will easily be able to arrange a table for three each night in the MDR's at a time you prefer.