waverunner43
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Posts posted by waverunner43
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The new menus are a step in the right direction but putting a Diane sauce on a sirloin is just wrong. I don't buy sirloin and I don't eat sirloin. Putting a Diane sauce on an old boot doesn't make the boot any more appetizing. It's like ordering Chicken Marsala and you can't taste the wine. Did you really get a Marsala sauce? I would still like to see spaghetti added to the classic entree menu. Whatever happened to Lobster Bisque in the MDR?
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We did the Elite breakfast on our B2B in November on the Edge. It was held in the Tuscan Restaurant. They had a very limited menu even knowing that it was a Continental Breakfast. Never saw more than 6 or 8 people eating there on any given day while we were there which made it a quiet place for coffee or a morning cocktail. Not a great place to go if you're hungry. Found out that there was no shortage of Elites when trying to attend the Senior Officers cocktail party. Elites obviously didn't do the breakfast due to the limited menu. The Elite breakfast was much better years ago when it was a buffet.
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With the classics being eliminated, the dinner options in the MDR have been severely reduced. Royal is not about to reverse their decision until they start seeing cruises being canceled and negative comments from passengers after their cruises. For the present time, everyone will have to suffer in the MDR or dine elsewhere.
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59 minutes ago, nelblu said:
The cutbacks are not only at Royal but also affecting Celebrity based on some of the comments by recent Pax. There's a video floating around that shows that the C WJ has only 1/4 of the stations with food at dinner time.
Also, they began to charge for room service at $9.95 + 20% grats placed on these orders. We at Royal have experienced this some years ago.
Just completed 21-nights on Celebrity Edge in December and can attest to the decline in their menus although they were not nearly as bad as what Royal is about to do. Sirloin steak was a cost cutter and definitely not tender. To me having to make dinner reservations every night and then standing in line to be seated is no vacation. We prefer the same table and waitstaff every evening. They know our likes & dislikes and can serve us more efficiently. Will NOT be returning to any Edge class ship.
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I've got six cabins for a family cruise in June 2024 that I will be canceling if Royal doesn't pull their head out of their xxx. I won't be wasting money on specialty restaurants as I'm not impressed with any of them. Portofino's was great but it is gone. I'm also not paying MDR prices and having to eat in the WJ.
CC surveys on the best cruise ship dining venues reveals a lot. Chops is the only RCL venue mentioned and it is mediocre at best. There are no mentions of any of the speciality restaurants on Celebrity which in years past had always been considered exceptional.
It's time to start cruising in Las Vegas again or doing an all-inclusive land vacation.
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5 hours ago, Cruiser 5452 said:
Really not impressed with the new menu. Several nights there are no entree items that appeal to me at all. Several nights my meal will consist of three appetizers and a dessert. Windjammer is looking better than ever for Dinner.
I totally agree. The new menus and the theme nights are ridiculous. No shrimp cocktail, escargot or onion soup on a daily basis. This change in all probability has nothing to do with shortening the time spent in the dining room. It's l about cutting back. Royal will be saving at least 25% on each meal but none of the savings will be passed on to the passengers. If I wanted to eat something that would be served at Applebee's, I can skip the cruise and save $400 a day. If Royal doesn't reverse course on this ridiculous change, I will be canceling our family cruise in 2024 and pocket the cost of the six cabins.
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1 hour ago, cruisestitch said:
Regulations may have changed since your previous cruise? Perhaps that is the issue.
Believe me, if it had anything to do with a new government regulation they would have jumped on that excuse immediately.
We've cruised with Celebrity numerous times over the years and are about to become Elite Plus. We done both Aqua and Concierge and have had both terrific and terrible meals in both venues but this cruise is by far the worst.
The decline in service and overall food quality started with the previous CEO and has not gotten any better since his departure.
Our friends joined us on this cruise and it is their first on Celebrity. They also have been very disappointed in the food quality and customer service and have already stated that they will not return. As a matter of record, they just returned from a 32-night cruise last month and will be going on a 42-night cruise next month. They have been cruising for years and as pointed out above, they are very disappointed with Celebrity.
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18 minutes ago, mfs2k said:
Thank you for posting this. This information is good to know. I'm sailing on Equinox in 2 1/2 weeks in Aqua. I will be sure to compare each day the menus for Blu vs the menus in the MDR with my wife and couple we are traveling with, and make a dining decision earlier in the day to decide where we want to eat.
I understand the MDR kitchen is far from the Blu kitchen on Equinox and they share kitchens on certain ships. Assuming the distance is the main issue and if Blu guests were routinely ordering MDR items in Blu, it would cause a huge operational problem for the kitchen and service staff. I could understand this. It sounds like communication on a change in policy to you might have been better if you felt blindsided by this. I consider myself informed now.
Hope the info helps you. If this hasn't been a problem for nearly ten years I can't understand why Celebrity is being so obstinate other than they just don't care. As a note, the ham on the Eggs Benedict was not chewable on the first two mornings and the Corn Beef Hash was disgusting.
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Ever since our 1st cruise on the Solstice in 2010 we have been able to order from the MDR menu if we did not like what was offered on our Blu menu. This includes our last cruise on the Equinox last July. On the 1st night of our March 3rd Silhouette cruise they had Prime Rib in the MDR but anyone eating in Blu was denied ordering from the MDR menu. So between cruises, Celebrity made another disappointing change which resulted in another surprise on the first night. No notification was given before the cruise of this change. Anyone eating in the MDR including those with an inside cabin, paying approximately 1/2 the cost of Aqua class cabin, enjoyed Prime Rib while Aqua Class passengers were forced to make a selection off of their menu, none of which seemed appetising to me.
Corporate does not seem to want to budge on this idiodic change so it's putting up with the substandard Blu menu or dining in the noisy MDR. Celebrity customer service is virtually non-existent. The maître d, the restaraunt mgr, the Food & Beverage mgr and guest relations are all powerless and afraid to make a decision on their own. So sad when a manager at any level is not able to make a decision without fear of repercussions.
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RCI's dress code is a joke. Eighteen months ago I witnessed a man in shorts & sandals enter the MDR on the Oasis on formal night without a problem. Then within the past two weeks I've seen several pictures of individuals dressed very casual including jeans on formal night and even a sweatshirt with writing on it in the MDR of the Mariner of the Seas. If you have a dress code, enforce it or eliminate it. Maybe a separate dining area is needed for those individuals that cannot dress appropriately and give them a menu that fits their attire.Far as I know RCI never allowed shorts & tank tops in the MDR for dinner. Must have been something very new if they did. Shorts were OK in MDR for B'fast and lunch. Don't know about tank tops, but if you are over 25 years old, they shouldn't be worn anywhere. ;)Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Forums mobile app
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Mast Grill was back to normal last week on the Equinox. Interestingly, Sushi on Five offered our picky eater child "Kobe beef burger" instead!
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Sure hope they keep the Mast Grill that way. Always enjoyed their burgers & fries.
Celebrity must be toying with doing away with Sushi on Five if they are offering a burger there. I've never seen many people eating there and personally I will never forfeit a meal that is already paid for just so that I can pay even more for Sushi that is no better then what I can get locally. Bring back Bistro on Five and I'll be there several times the cruise.
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TYVM for your great follow up report.
By any chance is this what the OVC hamburgers looked like? This is what I had available on the Equinox in December.
Those burgers look terrible. I don't remember ever seeing any burger look that bad at the Mast Grill. We were on the Oasis in October and I tried the burgers at several locations. They seemed to have been prepared at a central location and farmed out to various locations. They were overcooked, dried out and not edible. Any cruise line that can't serve a decent burger at no additional cost isn't trying and should be ashamed of its food service operation.
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Going on Hal next cruise because sushi is included as are great burgers and I got a suite for balcony price on Celebrity, really like Celebrity but I was disappointed when they took the sushi and made us pay for it, haven't Ben on Hal for years.
I've been thinking of doing the same thing. Celebrity has made so many cuts that I'm no longer happy with them. Wish HAL was in the Caribbean in June next year as I have a cruise I want to dump.
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I am now confused so there is going to be a price change correct or whenever you get to Key West correct?
No price change. My understanding is that it is over. From what I have read, the charge was imposed awhile back by corporate when they boarded in Key West. Since then there has been a reversal and the Mast Grille is back to having free burgers. At least that is my understanding.
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I heard that someone who called the corp office was told that they (HQ) were unaware of the price change and they would look into it. I told my friend within earshot of the guy serving the drinks and burgers there that NOTHING happens on these ships w/out corp being aware of it, and he remarked, "ya mon, that's right!!"
Sure. On the other post someone state the charge did not take place until corporate boarded the Equinox in Key West and that they make the change.
For corporate to lie and not want to admit to making the change would not be a surprise to anyone.
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If Celebrity is looking for more cash, maybe the Board of Directors needs to start looking at paying the CEO and the other top executives what they are worth. That alone should save a few million more than they will make on the burgers. Better still, clean the swamp at corporate and start over with some folks that will grow the business rather than tarnish its reputation.
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It's a sad day when both RC & Celebrity are being out-classed by Carnival but with all of the nickel & dining it has finally happened. Celebrity/RC can take my Elite/Diamond status and stick it. At one time I could agree that Celebrity was best in class but those days are gone. Princess & HAL have surpassed them and it's only a matter of time before NCL & Carnival do the same. Celebrity has become the United Airlines of the seas with all of its ridiculous charges and cutbacks.
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Why not flatten out a few meatballs form the pasta station and put them on a roll. Wham, Bam an Emeril $25 burger parmigiana.
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On the Constellation, the new free burgers in the buffet suck! Dry crumbly buns, meat was pink inside, and the layout was all jumbled so you're crossing back and forth across fellow pax to build your burger. No one was manning the station to ask them to cook the burgers longer, too.
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This is Celebrities way of saying if you want a burger as good as before you're going to pay for it but without the upcharge it's take it or leave it and we don't care.
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Sorry, it should have read "To Celebrity, the less informed the customer is, the better it is for them "
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We left NCL because of that. The Mast Grill was our favorite place to grab a burger and fries. So maybe it's time to start shopping around for a different cruise line. Doesn't Celebrity realize that this is the fastest way to lose faithful cruisers. It's not that we can't afford the extra nickel and dimes, it's the disrespect that Celebrity spews on its customers. Keep your burgers, we sail elsewhere![emoji857][emoji857]
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Celebrity is not concerned about keeping the old faithful customer. Celebrity is looking to hook the newer customers that can accept the way it is now and have no idea as to what has been taken away in the name of corporate greed. Those that have no idea as to how great it was 10 years ago will accept the fact that everything is now an extra charge when a cruise was an all inclusive vacation except for drinks only a few years ago. To Celebrity, the less informed the customer is, the butterfly them.
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I'm going to see if Celebrity can come to their senses over the next few months. I've doubled booked cruises for next year on the same dates. One with Celebrity and one with Princess, if things don't change I will cancel the Celebrity cruise just before final payment is due. My loyalty to Celebrity will be the same as theirs towards me, zero.
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Maybe their new customers will, but we won't. We do not even go to the specialty restaurants any longer because we feel they are not worth it and cannot compare to Olympic, Normandie, etc. We did like Bistro on 5 when it first started and was only $5.
We just got off Summit on Sunday. Our final bill was $12 since we had a classic drink package and enough OBC to cover gratuities and beyond. We had to buy a hat and t-shirt the last day to make sure we didn't leave any OBC behind.
I totally agree with you. We miss Bistro on 5 but will never do Sushi on 5. On our January cruise we booked the Tuscan Grille but cancelled once we saw the new menu and found out the tomato bread was gone as well. We may do Murano just to burn some OBC but it sure won't be for a burger. If I have to switch to Carnival I no longer care. I've had it with Celebrity.
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They have already added it to 2 ships. At first I thought they would give it a longer trial on Constellation before adding it to any other ship, but seems Equinox was not far behind.
It's only a matter of time before all ships will be charging for the burgers. Celebrity stopped caring about passenger complaints years ago and is only driven by revenue. As mentioned by others earlier, it has been nothing but cutbacks for years. A once proud cruiseline offering many perks is now nothing more than a costly run of the mill cruiseline. Celebrity knows that after a short time the dust from this burger fiasco will settle and passengers will pay the new charge without thinking about it.
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Have the new menus been introduced?
in Celebrity Cruises
Posted
Here's hoping they make the needed changes but I'm not holding my breath. Celebrity & Royal are great at making cuts but put little effort into correcting problems that they caused. I've got two cruises scheduled, one with Celebrity and one with Royal, and if there is not a significant improvement on their part it's time to switch. Virgin will recognize my Captains Club status, does not charge extra for gratuities and has reasonable beverage prices. You can actually prepay a bar tab for your cruise and use it to buy yourself or others a drink. No need for both persons in a cabin to buy a drink package.