Main Dining Room - Not so hot

[July_Cruiser]

We totally agree with postings concerning MDR food. We had a table of nine at second seating and nobody at our table enjoyed the food. Luke warm was as good as it got on the Summit.

 

Can you believe a waiter serving escargot with the butter solid and not melted? Two of us were served it that way one evening. After enjoying it previous evenings, we knew that this was not appropriate. The people accross the table could tell it was gross.

 

Our tablemates were great and that's what kept us coming back. We all agreed that previous Celebrity sailings the food was good. This time - no.

 

We did enjoy the Aqua Spa Cafe's food, it was excellent. The level of service in the Aqua Spa was way beyond what you expect in a cafeteria and it made us feel special whenever we dined there. Sure glad we read the boards ahead of time and you clued us in.

 

Our Cruise was April 3rd through the 10th. Even though this was Easter week there were no Easter decorations or even mention of Easter on the menu, there was no Easter ham.

[Solstice23]

It could just be the chef you had that week, it can vary from week to week! on any ship on any line! Sorry you felt that way, Our last cruise a few weeks back on Solstice was some of the best food we have ever had!

 

As for Easter ...hmmm never heard of Easter decorations ?? I find any season even holiday decorations on some ships tacky anyway

[ellbon]

your ship had no Easter dinner - who eats ham? most people want a roast. no rabbits or an easter hunt. does not sound like Celebrity at all.

 

in Jan i had some good meals and not so good ones but over all they were good.

[Denny01]

Thanks for the review - it carries credibility when a reviewer describes issues they had and add positives. The previous 'hated eveything' reviews are useless, at least to me. We all know dining is subjective, but you gave an example of an issue we'd all have, and also described positive dining experience in the Aqua Cafe.

 

thanks, Denny

[DACmom]

I agree Denny, I appreciate this kind of review. I am new on this site, keep reading the reviews. I see very good, very bad and then reviews that state positives and negatives. I tend to listen to this kind, as I know there can be things not great, but certainly hope that not EVERYTHING is bad.

I plan on coming here after my first cruise on June 6 and give a review. Hoping I will have all positive things to say, but if I don't I will be sure and list the bad and the good. I am hoping whatever chef was on the Summit during this cruise will have off the week of our cruise. :) ha

 

By the way, I like your wings. My husband is still in the Navy Reserves, but no longer flying. He is very proud of his pilot wings. Always makes me smile when I see pilot or NFO wings.

[Texed]

July,

Thanks for posting. :)

[bikinibottom]

I am going to chime in on your post, hope you don't mind.

 

In the past I have gotten some grief on this board for saying it but I have to agree with you. After 5 cruises on X we have not found the MDR to be described as excellent but more like inconsistent.

 

We were just on the Infinity over the past Easter holiday. There were a few bright spots on the at the MDR, but some big disappointments too. It was a 14 night cruise so I do feel like I got a good understanding the situation. A good example - one of our tablemates ordered escargot every night we were eating there (we missed 3 nights for the specialty restaurant) and 2 nights his escargot were stone cold. The waiter took them back and brought them again - lukewarm. The rest of the nights they were sizzling. Three nights I ordered the beef entree - medium. Once it came out bloody red, once tough as a shoe well-done, and once it was perfect. I could give many examples of less than stellar moments.

 

Bright spots in dining were Aquaspa cafe and the SS United States - both were excellent!

MDR - hit and miss.

 

On the bright side our waiter was outstanding and made our dining experience something to look forward to each night! We had a fabulous cruise and we will continue to sail X in the future, we have just learned to not set our expectations too high in the MDR.

[JEDIKNIGHT]

*Uh oh*

 

Gonna be on Summit this May. HOW cant it be that bad?

 

Jan 2010 Mercury MDR was marvelous. Some nights, I almost burned my lips on the French Onion soup. (A problem I LOVE having at the dinner table, cause it means the food is hot like it should be!)

[cruise kitty]

The MDR food on the Solstice in Dec. in our opinion, wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either... the service, however was excellant, & the presentation nice. Yummy breadsticks:D The items on the classic menu were better, & each night they'd have a special appetizer... Tuscan Grill was outstanding, food as well as service, reminded me of the MDR on our first X cruise.

[luvtocook]

I am just wondering--we're these Spring Break cruises??? I am here to tell you these are way more scrutinized!!!

[JEDIKNIGHT]

Lynn...

 

What do you mean about Spring cruises being more scrutinizes?

 

Curious Jedi

[AAAAmerican]

July_Cruiser,

 

Thanks for your honest review.

 

Did you comment on the problems? To the HotMan? Head Waiter? Comment Cards? Chairman ?

 

As hot food should be hot and cold food cold. Health inspectors all over America and other countries require certain temperatures of food served/shown in a buffet too at.

 

On Snails, did you know that is one of Rome's first type of currency?

 

 

They are delicious creatures if prepared well then served hot at least 190- 210 f .

 

 

In the ships galley the chef is really only one or two per ship and if that large staff is not supervised well ..you know things go a muck and mire.. Hello Muck. Hello Mire.

 

Same as the ships staff.. they need a great Second in Command. That HotMan ( Hotel manager ) has to be like a 3 Star General aboard. If supervision/administrative skills are lacking then right down the line it does follow suit...

 

Telling the Head Waiter helps if problems arise with food ..service..speed..temperature... etc..etc.. Usually they will go above to benefit the customers.. they are paid to please.

 

By writing the Chairman of RCL :NYSE in Miami, FL o helps as that way they are able to see the pros and cons from Cruisers eyes. If you don't write they never shall know.

 

He wants this feedback !:cool:

 

 

Companies pay many thousands of Dollars to get Customer Feedback. A Cruise Line is a Service Based Company.

 

 

 

 

We totally agree with postings concerning MDR food. We had a table of nine at second seating and nobody at our table enjoyed the food. Luke warm was as good as it got on the Summit.

 

Can you believe a waiter serving escargot with the butter solid and not melted? Two of us were served it that way one evening. After enjoying it previous evenings, we knew that this was not appropriate. The people accross the table could tell it was gross.

 

Our tablemates were great and that's what kept us coming back. We all agreed that previous Celebrity sailings the food was good. This time - no.

 

We did enjoy the Aqua Spa Cafe's food, it was excellent. The level of service in the Aqua Spa was way beyond what you expect in a cafeteria and it made us feel special whenever we dined there. Sure glad we read the boards ahead of time and you clued us in.

 

Our Cruise was April 3rd through the 10th. Even though this was Easter week there were no Easter decorations or even mention of Easter on the menu, there was no Easter ham.

[Longboysfan]

We totally agree with postings concerning MDR food. We had a table of nine at second seating and nobody at our table enjoyed the food. Luke warm was as good as it got on the Summit.

 

Can you believe a waiter serving escargot with the butter solid and not melted? Two of us were served it that way one evening. After enjoying it previous evenings, we knew that this was not appropriate. The people accross the table could tell it was gross.

 

Our tablemates were great and that's what kept us coming back. We all agreed that previous Celebrity sailings the food was good. This time - no.

 

We did enjoy the Aqua Spa Cafe's food, it was excellent. The level of service in the Aqua Spa was way beyond what you expect in a cafeteria and it made us feel special whenever we dined there. Sure glad we read the boards ahead of time and you clued us in.

 

Our Cruise was April 3rd through the 10th. Even though this was Easter week there were no Easter decorations or even mention of Easter on the menu, there was no Easter ham.

 

I found the food hit or miss on Summit this past January.

Service was never an issue. Great waiters and room attendent.

[kitkat9438]

I'm sorry but I have to disagree. We were on the Summit in December. I know food is subjective though so I'm not saying that they didn't have an "off" week for some reason. We are however "foodies" in that we live in Houston, have wonderful restaurants here and travel extensively. We travel with a large group of 11 and everyone of us loved the food in the MDR. There may have been one or two dishes that someone didn't like but for the most part it was excellent. We ordered the escargot every single night and actually ordered "extras" for the table of most entrees and appetizers for everyone to share.

 

Did you address the problem with your waiter? Our waiter bent over backwards to make sure EVERYTHING was as it should be and we were all happy with our food.

[labeachcomber]

Disappointed to hear that food on Celebrity may not be up to par. I've only sailed Royal Caribbean before, and I've never really had a problem with any of their food. I think it's all about perspective. I'm a foodie and enjoy eating at fine dining restaurants. But when I go on a cruise, I know not to expect a five star French Laundry type experience. As long as you keep an open mind and lowered expectations, then I think you'll find yourself pleased. At least that's what I'm hoping. Cruising is just as much about the experience, the ambience, and the ports as well as the food itself.

[sptrout]

But some new posters may not be aware, but there is an Edit button on your post that is active for about 15min(?) or until other posts are added (I think) that allows you to modify your post - can't remove it but can erase all the contents as needed if repetative. Denny

 

Can one of the Moderators (or others) comment on why the "edit" function is time limited? I am a memeber of several other non-travel boards and the edit function is always available. Very handy to be able to go back and correct, or update, older posts.

[gtexan]

I don't know if you had a different person preparing your meals or if you just ordered poorly, but we were on the exact same sailing April 03 through April 10 on Summit and found the food to be incredible.

 

Ive been on 3 cruises: NCL, Carnival, and Celebrity now. Celebrity was the best, hands down.

 

My wife and I eat out a lot, and really enjoy nice food. We cook regularly, and are aware of the differences between average and good or good and great food. I found the food in the MDR on Summit to be good to great.

 

Thats not to say its perfect, but it was great overall.

 

It seems like the thing that the OP complained most about was temperature. If you had a good waiter, this wasn't an issue. Our watier never brought us out cold food. In fact, it was always the perfect temperature. There are very few dishes that need to be served blazing hot. Usually poor quality food is served very hot because it lessens the flavor impact. And like I said, a good waiter will fix that for you.

 

Did you speak to your waiter? The maitre d? Ours came by every single night to ask how we were doing. He was very helpful, and if you had asked, Im sure you could have had the problem resolved.

 

Again, the foods not perfect, but we found it great. The only complaint I have is with the salads. They are pretty sparse, especially on lettuce. But the appetizers, entrees, and deserts were fantastic. Im sorry you had such a bad time, but to everyone about to go n Summit, don't be worried. Everyone at our table loved the food

[gracecarmo]

We have always had the first seating for dinner, and rarely have had hot food delivered luke warm or cold.

I wonder if the seatings have differences in food temps?

 

Our last X cruise was on the Connie, Panama Canal....no complaints. But, on an Alaska Cruise 2 years ago on the Infinity food was not up to par qualitywise.

[Host Walt]

Can one of the Moderators (or others) comment on why the "edit" function is time limited? I am a memeber of several other non-travel boards and the edit function is always available. Very handy to be able to go back and correct, or update, older posts.

 

The fundamental problem with editing a post at any time is that posts are frequently quoted in later posts. Thus if you post something at 2:00pm, like "Black is White," then at 3:00pm I quote it as you wrote it, then a day or two later after a page full of discussion, you go back and change it to "White is Black," confusion reigns.

 

A second problem is that, with a limitless edit capability, someone can intentionally kindle a flame war, let the flaming start, then edit out the incendiary stuff without a trace.

 

The majority of message boards on the web use one of three methods to control these issues; the first is to permit no editing at all, the second is a 15 minute time limit, and the third is to permit editing until the first reply to a post is posted.

 

A characteristic of message boards is their permanence. Unlike texting and/or IM'ing, a message doesn't go away. So people who are heavy texters or IM'ers, and who don't worry much about grammar, spelling, syntax or much else are in the habit of typing a stream of consciousness. If they are aware that they cannot edit a post on a message board, there's a very good probability that the post will be written so that it is understandable to those who read it.

 

From our guidelines:

 

Posts Appear Immediately

We do not review messages before they are posted and you cannot delete your own messages once they are posted. As much as we'd like to, our volunteer staff is too busy to delete messages for you, extend spell-check services or rescue you from a momentary lapse in good judgment!

[cruzeluver]

While I don't have a long history of sailing with Celebrity (two cruises in the past year), in my experience, while not five-star dining, the MDR food is still superior to what we have had on Norwegian, Royal and Carnival in terms of taste, presentation and overall quality.

[stereo]

I agree with the last post---Was onthe summit last year--The food was excellent--However I think that the cruiser either fails to discuss the problem with the staff--expects too much or does not know how to order-IfI kept on getting a dish that was not prepared the way that I like it I would look over the menu and find another dish---unless ofcourse if the only reason that I took the cruise was to eat a particular dish.-If you have ever read a restaurant review the reviewer may say that a particular dish is not up to par and still gives a 5 star ratingI found that a few dishes were not for me and ordered another dinner--One night a few of us ordered the fish dish---It was bad--we all ordered another dish--I told the head waiter and he said that they would not serve the dish at the second seating---I would caution any cruiser not to look for perfection

[cruie4ever]

We have cruised many times with Celebrity ships including the Summit & we never had any problems with the food quality ,temperatures ,ie . A very important thing is that the food plates with Celebrity are covered in metal which keeps the food much hoter . Royal covers the plates with plastic covers & the food cools off faster. Thus ,the food trays are much heavier on Celebrity than Royal

[ellbon]

The fundamental problem with editing a post at any time is that posts are frequently quoted in later posts. Thus if you post something at 2:00pm, like "Black is White," then at 3:00pm I quote it as you wrote it, then a day or two later after a page full of discussion, you go back and change it to "White is Black," confusion reigns.

 

A second problem is that, with a limitless edit capability, someone can intentionally kindle a flame war, let the flaming start, then edit out the incendiary stuff without a trace.

 

The majority of message boards on the web use one of three methods to control these issues; the first is to permit no editing at all, the second is a 15 minute time limit, and the third is to permit editing until the first reply to a post is posted.

 

i have hit the back button a couple of times and watch the post that i started go. but once i hit the save bitton ot os there for good. the hard thing if yu have to walk away from the computer due to a phone call etc you might have posted something you prefer not too.

 

A characteristic of message boards is their permanence. Unlike texting and/or IM'ing, a message doesn't go away. So people who are heavy texters or IM'ers, and who don't worry much about grammar, spelling, syntax or much else are in the habit of typing a stream of consciousness. If they are aware that they cannot edit a post on a message board, there's a very good probability that the post will be written so that it is understandable to those who read it.

 

From our guidelines:

 

Posts Appear Immediately

We do not review messages before they are posted and you cannot delete your own messages once they are posted. As much as we'd like to, our volunteer staff is too busy to delete messages for you, extend spell-check services or rescue you from a momentary lapse in good judgment!

 

as far as food goes- i never had a really bad meal but had some i like better. many nightsi skip the main course and enjoy more starters.

[CruisinNole]

Our Cruise was April 3rd through the 10th. Even though this was Easter week there were no Easter decorations or even mention of Easter on the menu, there was no Easter ham.

 

I've cruised over Easter before and have never seen any decorations or special dinners. Maybe they don't do it because not everyone celebrates Easter?

[Snorkel2Much]

We have cruised many times with Celebrity ships including the Summit & we never had any problems with the food quality ,temperatures ,ie . A very important thing is that the food plates with Celebrity are covered in metal which keeps the food much hoter . Royal covers the plates with plastic covers & the food cools off faster. Thus ,the food trays are much heavier on Celebrity than Royal

Must..........resist.......temptation ......to lecture on thermodynamics.........;):D