nancyshaw

This was a year ago and maybe things have improved. After speaking to the chef and all others concerned, in person and in writing, maybe the MDR has improved somewhat. We will see in October on the Eclipse. 

Yes I think think the Ops topic has been derailed, im sorry for my part in it. I think this was supposed to be some sort of comparison to the past. 

As I said so long ago, on three cruises in a row, we could not eat what was served on multiple occasions in 

the MDR. When you cant eat something, it is called inedible. I will always stand by that. If you cant eat something because of poor quality or awful taste, it is INEDIBLE. How much more of a definition does the word need. Others cant believe something could be inedible,  they are fortunate that they did not have our experience. Then there are those   that say they will never eat in MDR again. Really does not matter what word is used to describe the meals in MDR, the outcome is the same. 

The Buffet was very good for dinner, we are prepared to eat there again on the one sailing we have coming up. 

8 hours ago, alcpa1 said:

We too have sailed Celebrity since 1999. When Aqua's Blu restaurant became available we booked so we could dine there in a smaller venue with better food (for our palates) and service. Fast forward to May 2019 we were back in the MDR. Never again. The entire experience was lacking in taste quality and care.  

It wasn't just Michel Roux but the Food and Beverage VP, Scott, who elevated the menu and insured quality from ship to ship.

We have not given up on Celebrity. We have another voyage or two, or more, in our future but we will not be dining in the MDR.

We share your sentiments. Others will ask you why you would sail again on Celebrity or maybe they just ask me.

12 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

I am very surprised Nancy Shaw is again sailing Celebrity!?    Other ships regularly sail round trip to Hawaii including Royal and NCL.    Why spend money and time to be disappointed and eat in the buffet.   

 

well here is one that is still surprised by my posts but not others...so many have said Celeb food in MDR is now inferior but only my posts get attention...interesting...

I got viciously attacked for saying that on the last 3 cruises in 2018,2019 the food was inedible on the two ships we sailed on, eclipse and infinity. After 3 nights in MDR  on the eclipse, we ate dinner in the buffet for the rest of the cruise.

Some here wanted me to explain every which way what inedible meant. I think it is pretty clear.

Since then , we have done a Viking O, cruise and are about to do some Oceania. Wonderful dining on Viking, no matter what stateroom you have. 

Here MDR is almost for those in steerage..after all what can we expect....if you want better, you have to spend and spend.....aqua, suites and above.....that is how classist Celebrity has become. 

are we still sailing Celeb? one out of seven cruises booked is Celeb..that says a lot, since we are elite plus and have spent many years and dollars with Celeb only.

for the one Celeb cruise I am prepared again to eat in Buffet...have no expectations..why then am I doing another celeb cruise...it is the only one I found that sails round trip to hawaii from LA.

on one of our first cruises with Princess, all got a ticket for participating in all kinds of activities...

if you were interested in collecting the tickets, you traded them in for some kind of memento at the end...

that satisfied all...

on Oceania it is the worst I have ever seen...many challenge the staff conducting the trivia and insist that further research be done for the answer they insist on....the debate rages for the entire cruise...

viking ocean, no prizes of any kind are given...you participate to meet others and enjoy the camaraderie...

Celebrity has a variety of methods, it is inconsistent from ship to ship and  to the whim if the activities director...

I have seen on many cruises, the same teams win  over and over again...it becomes silly , all can predetermine who will win......

but the most bizarre thing I have ever witnessed is a passenger who right after playing, will go directly to the library, with his briefcase, to study....that is intense.... 

my preference is to get a ticket for participation, that satisfies everyone...those who want a prize at the end collect them, those who dont care for it, can just enjoy the non competitive atmosphere....

and yes I have suggested this method many , many times on our Celebrity cruises...the answer I get most often will surprise you, I am usually told to participate and then come out at the end , if I wish to collect some kind of prize....

what methods do others prefer, so  the ridiculous, the laughable and the disgusting can be diminished?

what region to  look for Black Sea in the available itins? asia?

ok...got it...the answer to another level between Elite plus and Zenith is NO....

that should put to rest all the speculation that was done earlier...

over and out....

I didnt read through all the posts but did anyone get any kind of an answer regarding a new level between elite plus and zenith?

 Not that it really matters to us anymore we have only one celeb sailing and all the rest elsewhere, where there is very little classicism, all get treated the same, all is included.

Yes paying a bit more, but not that much more and getting a lot more. 

there are some very good promos for the carib that have replaced the cuba itineraries...a great getaway from winter and a good way to enjoy the ship...as the carib ports need very little time in them....

yes the MED is very port intensive...you will miss meals and activities, since the whole point of going to the med is to enjoy the ports....

just my opinion.....

will keep checking the on line reservations...

we have a Cat G guarantee, all insides are sold out...so interesting what we will end up getting...

bewildering...really dont understand what they are trying to do...

how can you tell if a cabin has been assigned? by looking on line at your reservations?

4 hours ago, cayman09 said:

A secret promo, not on the website and not with a TA......how would customers know that it existed? This makes absolutely no sense. 

agree with you exactly..

a friend called to see if a better cabin was available....they would not tell her, since she uses an agent, so she said it was for someone else, they told her availability and the fact that there is a promo on it...

she relayed the info to me...

a 400pp saving on the new years insignia sailing....

since our agent did not inform us, we would not have known...

yes Celeb web site is awful, but I sure know when there is a promo...

O on line, does not show the promo. Of course this is the first place I looked.

I got the info I needed by calling O and pretending to be a new client. The point I am making is that it is too bad it is not more transparent.

As for my agent, you are right, he should be able to respond immediately. Have not found one yet that does. Have never minded checking things out on my own, only with O have I not been able to. 

6 hours ago, ORV said:

It's not a matter of lying, it's that once you have an agent you need to go through them for most changes on your cruise. Celebrity is the same. But there are different deals for different people, especially when upgrades, upsells moveovers etc. start happening. 

Celebrity is not the same, I can clearly see the promos on line and no problem if I call to see if the price has changed. Not that I am a fan of Celebrity. But that transparency I find very useful. 

I called O, gave diff name, got the price...definitely a 400 drop pp....called my TA and had it adjusted....and let the agent know that he should have informed me and taken care of it....

but on line , no promo shows ...

so I am learning that O does not show on line what is going on behind the scenes...

very diff from Celeb, when there is a price drop or a promo, you can clearly see it on line....

also with Viking, there is no problem checking the prices by calling them, no need to lie,  no need to wait for the agent to call you....

On line the promo is not shown. That is often the case. I know for a fact the price has gone down, was confirmed by someone else who had no booking. 

Every time I want to check the price, I dont want to call my agent. That usually results in playing phone tag. It takes very little time to be told the current price.

Ok, I got it, just lie, give a different name and pretend you are doing a new booking. Really silly.

I wanted to check the prices on our booking without calling my agent. 

Was told, you have to call your agent.

The agent is a busy guy, just wanted to see if pricing has gone down.

Called again, didnt give my reservation number, just asked for pricing. Was asked for my name

and told to call my agent. 

Do I really have to lie about who I am in order to see if the price of a booked cruise has come down?

I see, well then maybe there will be further reductions. For us it is a great getaway from winter. Has nothing to do with the ports.

Interesting that even with the reduction, the Dec 28, new years sailing , 11 days on Insignia has lots of availability. Any explanation for that? You would think that it would be all sold out.

Thank you for posting. It has been a while since I first posted that.  Our last cruise was in February 19 with Viking O. It was wonderful. Met some lovely people. We traveled by ourselves for the first time in a long while.

Yes roll calls can be  great place to make acquaintances. 

Thanks "rakes", I needed that reminder...

so it is the luck of the draw or maybe depends who you get looking after your request...

so I will make the attempt and will report back here ....cruise not till end of October and loaded on with all kinds of goodies...so very much doubt there will be anything else for a shareholder....

has anyone gotten the benefit having  booked before June 1?

dont want to bother trying if that is the case...my last/only cruise with Celeb was booked before June 1.

you are right , I dont know all the details...

the whole thing is as clear as mud....