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Equinix Passengers: Everyone on the cruise should give management an earful, and ask for refunds. Most would have reserved prior to the cutbacks and final payment would have been in July, which was before cookiegate and other issues became well known. Know your cruise would have undoubtedly been better before current management was in charge, even after the pandemic. We recently stayed at a US resort where the corporate swat team was deployed to address quality issues after there had been a very large financial investment in the property. In that instance, the food and beverage needed work, but corporate was there to address it. Even then we still had to speak with them due to some specific issues. On Equinox that Celebrity management is present is almost the opposite situation. The ship by all accounts is not getting a renovation and the crew is okay, but the management needs to be convinced by customers there are issues. So, Equinox passengers please tell them the menus and quality are crap, call them out on OVC issues, dirty cabins, and anything else. Don't get blinded by the crew (They are there to be helpful and should be cheerful), don't get blinded by the allure of management (you are their customer, not the other way around), don't project your own feelings about supply chain, and so on. Don't pull your punches. You will be doing everyone a favor by not only sharing your feedback, but also raising the very issue that having to give feedback is part of the problem. A vacation should not be lots of the flies, or self service. It's not normal for a cruise line and food program to go from well regarded (and just about the only thing it had as a differentiator) to virtually last place. Thank you!

Most or all of the dates do not go to CocoCay, and availability seems to be odds and ends. Also, there's a good chance the total fare is close to what it would have been under prior promos. And, at best the promos may generate clicks. The ability to actually view specific fares, and to confirm the promo is included remains difficult.

This was my experience, and our waiter mentioned it when we first sat down at the embarkation lunch. That, combined with the rest of the way they handle food allergies and preferences, was definitely a plus in past cruises.

In light of your Luminae mention, book Eden if it's available. It's a fraction of the SS, and will be a cooked to order meal.

Bembridge is https://youtube.com/@tipsfortravellers?si=RC57ehAXynfXw_sD, and has one of the larger, or largest, subscriber numbers. And, he's not a travel agent. His recent raving and avoid videos gets in to annectdotes in various lines and reviews he's read. He did not do stats. While Celebrity is in the rave about video, he highlights criticisms of the older ships vs Edge, and non-Retreat vs Retreat experiences. So, not all roses. I don't believe he sailed Celebrity recently. But, no doubt he'd call out bad food if that's what he had. And, while about NCL, Ben and David just panned Haven given the price and issues observed. Some were less to do with quality more to do with what isn't included even after paying for Haven, and reduced access to inclusions like a 1 hour window for breakfast at the Haven restaurant and no coffee in the lounge. (The vacationers with YouTube videos tend to be a bit more positive and less critical of their experiences.) For annectdotes, the Traveling Gamblers tend to be on a ship several times a month, and post relatively free form thoughts, shipboard annectdotes, and personal reviews of food. They had first hand video of the OVC cutbacks and it's restoration, for example. They aren't necessarily critical, as much as they are first hand witnesses leaving viewers to reach their own conclusions.

FWIW, I've observed more blistering reviews by established YouTubers in recent weeks. Zach, Ben and David, Jared and Justin, Gary Bembridge, Don, and others. Their type and level of criticism varies, as do the cruise line products they are reviewing, but it's present, public, and accessible. My guess is the shipboard push by crew to complete the post cruise survey is just as strong as ever.

Something you also might notice is that Luminae staff rotate shifts at the OVC on port days. So, you may very well encounter some familiar faces at the OVC. That's not to be a substitute for speaking to the head chef or following your protocol, but it may be helpful to know. We were even told the evening before one port day who may see if we went to the OVC (they know I'm advance) when we were discussing the next days plans. (I think we also asked if they knew the theme for the OVC lunch, which I dont recall being noted in the app). For example the maitre d assistant / host may play a quasi host role at the OVC pointing guests in the direction of something they may be looking for, keeping track of where items need to to be refilled, etc. On our visit, the host kindly pointes us to the fresh guacamole station and another station that had something we saw on someone's plate. Sharing this because they will very likely know you from dinner and sea day lunch service plus the allergy, and be able to be a facilitator with the kitchen. We also saw the head Luminae waiter everywhere (they will often lead the Dinner on the Edge), and may help address the special requests that take them out of the dining room. Also, the Eden wait staff work Eden Cafe, and the Rooftop Grill team rotate, but on our cruise our waiter was also the supervisor for Mast Grill. So, he helped us out there when we needed a cone refill, and he probably would have helped in other ways connected to the role had we needed anything. I have an unverified allergy or intolerance to soy (it's in too many things, including a lot of cooking spray, though oil will often not qualify due to how it's refined, though one plus of some of the non US purchasing is some items don't have it due to their country of origin). So, the Eden waiter knew that (and they adapted), and remembered when I came through Eden Cafe, Luminae handled it, and etc. Not as serious as your situation or most others and I am not so cautious as to 100% avoid all potential exposure, yet still very appreciated. For all my concerns about cutbacks, it's the crew being cross trained, having a memory, and working multiple roles, plus that the ship isn't so big that if you need something or have flagged it/ introduce yourself, etc, plus the iPad customer software, has helped create a level of responsiveness that has made a difference. I wouldn't let my guard down given the need, but they can definitely help. I'm not familiar with the procedure you'd follow in terms of bringing food from home, but it's snack items that generally can be challenging regardless of food allergies. So things like a preferred cracker, snack bar, candy, etc. Stuff that if they had the brand you use, you'd be fine, but if they don't you're out of luck. Hope you have a wonderful cruise.

If you haven't found any, I would ask a bartender, and perhaps one with two, so one can work the phone or ask a bar back to pull a few. While not the same, they should be able to give you a pour of any of the monin syrups to add to a water. They also could create a slush with syrup, ice and some club soda or water. Those won't solve the electrolyte need, but can help with drinking water to hydrate. My guess is the syrups have more calories than the flavored water in the dispensers in the OVC. On Apex last Spring there were occasional Powerade bottles that we found in the Retreat self serve fridge in small numbers, and Vitamin Water bottles. We may have also had one at a bar. I recall Orange (this was the Powerade), which seemed rare, and Lemonade (vitamin water). We had the premium package with a child, although we all enjoyed them. We also travel with Gatorade and Propel packets to add to the bottled water.

Ask about the cutbacks while you're at it. Thanks Per previous information about 3 months ago, my understanding is is that she is scheduled for the March 22 cruise

Meanwhile over at Royal they appear to be giving a lot more thought to their food and how it syncs with their expected passengers:

You paid good money, and don't get these days back for what is inexcusable. Ask for a senior hotel operations person to take responsibility. Take video and pictures of the issues, send them to the Executive Office, the QR code, show them around in the Retreat Lounge, when the hotel director smiles and asks how are you show her the video and pictures, when you see the senior officers show them the filth you cleaned, and so on. At the meet the captain at and crew clap along at the plaza, share your pictures. The operation is mismanaged at the most basic of levels. Consider posting the video and pictures in a thread, YouTube, and Instagram. Sharing far and wide is more than appropriate.

If Celebrity were up to modern practice, they would allow one to order through the app (or traditional methods), from any open venue, and deliver wherever you ask within reasonable area (like the Retreat deck or lounge). That's not the case, but would help offset the reduction in personnel that Celebrity has implemented despite marketing butlers and the 2:1 ratio. What are all the staff doing if they are restricted in their service? But, Celebrity does not want paying customers to have access to food and service beyond the most basic level. The food quality has been so downgraded it may not matter or be desirable, too. Apparently some Princess ships have an order to your location of a RFID band type gimmick, but I don't know if that continues or worked.

No one considers their vacation temporary. And, the downgrade in quality is more significant in recent months, and not evident to this degree during the cruises in the year or more after return to sail.

My take and caution if anyone is considering Celebrity and finding themselves reading this topic -- With the exception of a speciality restaurant having a really good night and fulfilling a craving, they aren't that special to merit relying upon them exclusively. Perhaps they can and must have to be a stop gap for a "last" Celebrity cruise that is taken during this period of mediocrity. However, based on capacity alone, they are not a sustainable solution for poor food quality, lame menus, and declining service.

For Beyond in March 2024 the MDR menus had been kind of present a few weeks ago, as lunch was missing. Now all gone. Luminae is now also missing, and never showed lunch as an open time or menu for sea days. We can add this to the list of poor customer service, and probably worse. At least theoretically for the Edge Class MDRs gimmicks, there should be a handful of menu items themed to each dining room each day plus some classics. But, it would not surprise me if they gut the gimmicks and utilize the same menu in each dining room.

Amen. No one would book reservations at a restaurant with the baseline being they "won't starve." In 2023, for restaurant dining, one can look at the menu, read reviews, see pictures, and generally make informed decisions. On Celebrity they make that difficult, and have run their food program into the ground. The only reason why the ships are full are because of past reputation. The menus aren't even contemporary in their preparations. Scoops of mashed potatoes that appear as if they are from a 1960s hospital cafeteria are not normal for modern dining. The local Applebees, Cheesecake Factory, Chili's and other chain restaurant menus are more interesting. The pandemic and supply chain issues are over, and any company that purchases as much food as Celebrity does that can't figure out how to have interesting menus, choice, and some semblance of quality should go out of business.

Thanks. We found the ingredient quality in Eden to be stellar in Spring 2023, and it was covered by a small amount of Retreat included OBC that came with our CS booking. So, it was essentially included. That wouldn't happen with new bookings since OBC is no longer provided with Retreat. We haven't seen any recent reviews of Eden post cutbacks.

Price transparency is the future of boards like this and others, as the cruise lines benefit for keeping it hard to pin down. Despite the cutbacks and riding on past reputation, many of the current deployments are full or close for Retreat where booking nuances may have come into play. So it's a good time for them to have cut their staff. They got about 1.5 or more years fairly loaded up. We used them, and generally would have not had better sweeteners had we found an agent in a hurry (about 5 weeks from first cruise in Retreat, and then subsequently a Retreat room that we ended up with an excess of OBC, but those days are over). For future travelers: Big box pricing should always be a benchmark, as should looking at a portal that shows all fare classes for the same exact room. That becomes a good way to start to disaggregate inclusions (if the company has them), and then see how the current promotion gets to the same price or close. Now with changes to pricing and inclusions, I expect to see less FCC, OBC, and other more complex nuances that people want to make sure made it in the booking. TAs are a great deal for the cruise companies because they handle the customer service and help with online booking that some customers may not be comfortable with, but even that is becoming more commoditized. And, who has the time to find and speak with a TA or any phone rep? The process has got to become more efficient regardless of who is providing it.

How is the food quality any better for upper suite guests? Strictly on food the money for an upper suite would go far on the ship or land. So, I'm curious if the quality of the food is actually any better.

Anyone know if they have tacos every day in the OVC on all ships?

Has anyone spoken to anyone in charge on the ship, e.g., a hotel director or captain? It's known Celebrity officers have time to be part of the entertainment and activities, including performing at the martini bar or in the theater. They'll often mingle, and ask about how ones cruise is going when they are around the ship. Captain Kate is posting on Instagram multiple times a week, and the twins are going to be front and center with the Ascent journey to FLL. Since the shipboard experience has deteriorated it seems that the issues go beyond the so called head butler that survived the purge, or the room steward / housekeeper, and shouldn't wait for a post cruise survey.

There's been many posts about diminished food and beverage due to changes in menus, lesser quality ingredients, inconsistent and poor execution, and more. Does anyone know if there has been any change in the head of food and beverage? Has anyone seen any comments about the changes (besides Laura's September 2023 deflection and denial (at least with respect to Luminae))? https://corneliusgallagher.com/

That's the problem with Retreat. There's isn't a whole lot of substance except a larger room, which is more like a room in any land hotel that is more than 1k a day. What existed before cutbacks may have been smoke and mirrors, but without it the room is just a room with access to a lounge (not a novel concept for anyone that travels on land), and a restaurant concept that seems to have become hit or miss for many reasons. For warmer weather climates there's access to a sun deck, but that is of little use in cooler weather especially since there are no heaters. Still no forward views from inside on Edge class, and certainly not for only Retreat. The laundry example above is a good one, as a housekeeper is unlikely to expedite anything whereas a butler would troubleshoot with an eye towards meeting the customers needs. I also take issue that size of the suite room should dictate the level of service.

Very unsurprising, but unfortunate. On Apex in March 2023 (before the cuts) the total Retreat staffing levels to deliver the marketed experience already seemed to be stressed. Not to take away from any of the hardworking crew, but considering the reduced cost of cruise ship labor as compared to landside, is Celebrity really saving that much by reduced headcount / mismanagement of Retreat, and making it harder to get in room beverages? (This has been bugging me since the cutbacks were made). I know, I know, there's debt to be paid down, etc. What's got a lot of us disappointed is these are not amenities and roles higher end hotels usually choose to skimp on, and apparently not what the higher end cruise lines skimp on either (and some don't have the additional revenue sources that Celebrity ships have).

@Baynanno1thank you for posting the video in appropriate threads. @terrydtx did you share your recent experience and I missed it?