Brunch

[lbw]

I agree that the brunch is a nice change of pace from the rest of the meals during the cruise. They do serve some different menu items and many of the dishes and breads are displayed in artistic arrangements. Depending on the ship, some brunches are more hectic than others. When you are escorted to a table and a drink order is taken before you get up for your food, it's fine. On occasion we have had to find our own seat and flag down a waiter...not so fine. I find that the majority of cruisers are well mannered; it's not like going through a cafeteria line at a middle school. I have yet to see anyone "paw" over the food.

I enjoy the brunch because I love breakfast items (any egg dish, fruits and especially waffles.) It seems we are always missing the MDR breakfast because we can't get away from Michael's and those wonderful cappuchinos before breakfast hours end. So, having a late breakfast at brunch time if great for us.

My one bad brunch experience was the time I sat in a chair which was sopping wet (I assume from a previous diner who had a wet bathing suit hopefully wet with pool water.) Tip...check the chair before you sit down. For those who want a more refined experience, maybe they could implement smart casual dress code for brunch?? After all, they have one for Elegant Tea. (Oops...did I just bring up yet another hot topic.)

[CruisingChick]

[quote name='lbw']After all, they have one for Elegant Tea. (Oops...did I just bring up yet another hot topic.)[/quote]

I love Elegant Tea and the big difference between that and brunch is the don't have to close down the dining room for lunch on a sea day to have Elegant Tea.

[jg51]

[quote name='Bruin Steve']Counter opinion: ...
Here's the deal: You can get a similar "brunch" any day you want...it's up on Deck 14 in the "Oceanview Cafe"...it's called a buffet...[/quote]
I agree with your post almost completely, "Bruin Steve." When I saw the "brunch," I was amazed that they bothered to do it. It's nothing but a merging of the Oceanview Cafe's breakfast and lunch buffets -- and presenting it in the MDR. Where I disagree with you, however, is in the fact that I LOVE buffets!

[Bruin Steve]

To any of you upset with my comments...
I was not trying to be a "snob"...
I was only pointing out that some people seem to prefer buffets while others enjoy proper dining room service...I, myself am in the group that prefers a full service dining experience and, generally, avoid buffets...
Each dining situation has its merits...and people have different values and standards and needs...

And, yes, it does appear to me that a good number of the comments here favoring the brunch come from people who ordinarily dine at or prefer the buffets...hence comments like "they serve items not ordinarily at the regular buffet" or "the feeling is more elegant than the regular buffet"...These obviously come from people who like the brunch because they ordinarily dine at the buffet and enjoy this "step up"...Am I wrong?

The problem for us regular dining room diners is that in having the brunch, they have taken away our dining room experience.

Normally and traditionally, they accommodated BOTH groups--the full service crowd in the MDR and the buffet crowd in the Oceanview Cafe...

In recent years, they have cut back on the full service by not offering it during port days...not a big deal as a lot of us eat in port on those days anyway...

But the "Brunch" cuts back on the full service lunch and additional time or two depending on the length of the cruise...

What they are doing is cutting back on service...eliminating one of the options--actually TWO of the options as it replaces the traditional full service Breakfast AND full service Lunch on the day it is held...

We do not object to the idea of a brunch for those who enjoy it...but it is something they already had...They could easily have done the usual--up in the Oceanview--and added those "extra" items there that day...and maybe dress the place up a bit more formally...and LEAVE the MDR alone...

But, clearly, the Brunch is a cut-back, not an improvement...

If one normally would have eaten one meal during the day up at the buffet, this is an upgrade...I understand that...

But, to those of us who normally wake up early and head to the MDR at around 7:00 am for a sit down breakfast, maybe some french toast and bacon--served to us...then go to the gym or do laps up on the top deck, then off to a program or two...then return to the MDR at noon for a nice sit-down full service lunch, this is a considerable downgrade...

Some of us would rather eat two smaller meals, spread out over the course of the day than one large meal mid-morning...if fact, due to health reasons, that is what my doctor prescribes...and some of us really don't like buffets--we cruise largely for the service at meals...It does NOT make us "snobs"...

I would hope the cruise lines would understand this and go back to the service they built their reputation on...Of course, as it becomes accepted, no doubt it will continue and expand...Dining room service for breakfast and lunch may some day cease to exist as we know it...

How would you all feel if one day a week, they stopped offering Dining Room Service at Dinner and had a large buffet instead? Go get your own food...
What if they started doing this EVERY MEAL, EVERY DAY? Would you not think it a downgrade?

[Freecall]

[quote name='Bruin Steve']To any of you upset with my comments...
I was not trying to be a "snob"...
[/QUOTE]

Well put Steve.

.

[Freecall]

Actually, the more I think about it the less I understand the attraction of buffets.

Perhaps one of the fans of such things could explain the attraction for me.

At the end of the day the food can be the same so the only real difference is the way that it is presented and served. From my point of view either I can be individually served at my table by a knowledgeable and personable waiter or I can stand in line and grab what I can from a communal table.

If the buffets are so attractive then perhaps the same should be done in the bars. People such as me would still be individually served at my table by a knowledgeable and personable bar waiter but those who want to can stand in line somewhere awaiting their opportunity to grab for themselves.

To me there is absolutely no contest, perhaps I am missing something.

.

[We're The Groupnors]

To each their own...

While I'm not a fan of buffets and will happily eat room service on my balcony, this brunch sounds like a perfect "second breakfast" for my 5-meal-a-day eating husband.

[GeorgeL]

[quote name='Freecall']Actually, the more I think about it the less I understand the attraction of buffets.

Perhaps one of the fans of such things could explain the attraction for me.

At the end of the day the food can be the same so the only real difference is the way that it is presented and served. From my point of view either I can be individually served at my table by a knowledgeable and personable waiter or I can stand in line and grab what I can from a communal table.

If the buffets are so attractive then perhaps the same should be done in the bars. People such as me would still be individually served at my table by a knowledgeable and personable bar waiter but those who want to can stand in line somewhere awaiting their opportunity to grab for themselves.

To me there is absolutely no contest, perhaps I am missing something.

.[/QUOTE]

As I mentioned before in my previous post, I dislike buffets mainly because I have seen enough disgusting, unhygienic behavior by those who serve themselves to make me lose my appetite completely.

[Gonzo70]

[quote name='Freecall']Actually, the more I think about it the less I understand the attraction of buffets.

Perhaps one of the fans of such things could explain the attraction for me.

perhaps I am missing something.

[/quote]

I am not a "fan" of buffets, but do enjoy them from time-to-time. There are both advantages and disadvantages to a buffet vs. being served. Since you seem to be aware of the disadvantages of a buffet, I will simply comment on the advantages:

*There is often a larger variety of food available at a buffet than when ordering of a menu.
*With a buffet you tend to obtain your food quicker, so generally not nearly as much waiting around for your server to take your order and for your food to be prepared.
*You can control portion size at a buffet - therefore you can try a small bit of something you do not know if you like and, if you like it, go back for more. Likewise if there is something you know you love you can take as much as you want.
*A buffet affords the opportunity to eat many different foods for your meal whereas when you order of a menu you are generally limitted to a few items.
*It is easier to obtain seconds (and thirds if desired) at a buffet than at a served meal.

[Gonzo70]

[quote name='Bruin Steve']
But, clearly, the Brunch is a cut-back, not an improvement...

If one normally would have eaten one meal during the day up at the buffet, this is an upgrade...I understand that...

But, to those of us who normally wake up early and head to the MDR at around 7:00 am for a sit down breakfast, maybe some french toast and bacon--served to us...then go to the gym or do laps up on the top deck, then off to a program or two...then return to the MDR at noon for a nice sit-down full service lunch, this is a considerable downgrade...

[/quote]

While you make some good points, you also seem to be mistaking your personal preferences as being "better" rather than as being "better [I]for you." [/I]I think that is why some are perceiving your posts as being snobbish. When you say that the brunch is a "cut-back" you are way off base. Cruise lines do cut-backs to decrease cost. The cost of putting on the MDR brunch is considerably more than serving the normal breakfast and lunch in that venue. Much more food is consumed, some of the foods are more expensive foods than are available when ordering off the normal breakfast/lunch menu, more staff time goes into the MDR brunch, and the elegant fruit, butter and ice carvings have cost. Whether or not [I]you[/I] like the MDR brunch, it is an [I]extra[/I] opportunity Celebrity is providing, not a cut-back.

Also you keep referencing the MDR brunch as a "downgrade." I do not think you mean this in an offensive manner, but the way it reads (at least to me) is that you feel the traditonal breakfast and lunch service in the MDR is somehow higher class/higher end. Being served by a waiter in no way, shape or form makes a dining venue of higher class or of a higher standard than a buffet. There are cheap buffets and there are elegant fancy buffets. There are cheap full service restaurants and elegant fancy ones. People would not be taking offense at your posts if you simply spoke about how [I]you yourself[/I] prefer to be served by a waiter rather than making comments about how the MDR brunch is a "considerable downgrade" and a "cut-back."

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

[quote name='bighairtexan']Thanks for answering my question, Happy Cruiser.[/quote]

You're welcome. By the way, I love your screen name! Great sense of humor.

[jg51]

[quote name='Gonzo70']... Since you seem to be aware of the disadvantages of a buffet, I will simply comment on the advantages: ... [/quote]
Very good list, "Gonzo70." I would add these facts about buffet restaurants ...

~~~ Almost all of us, sometimes, are in the mood for the extreme informality available there.

~~~ We can choose where (and with whom) to sit -- sometimes perhaps beside a floor-to-ceiling window, viewing the sea, the port, the wildlife, etc..

~~~ We can interact (and often have fun with) many more members of the crew.

~~~ We can sometimes ask for things "made to order" (e.g., pizza, pasta, stir-fried dishes, omelets, even incorporating items brought from another part of the buffet).
.

[cruisecriticmember]

OK enuf chit chat...Let's EAT!:p

[hersheyl]

My DH and I were on the Solstice in September...we are not big buffet lovers...we loved the brunch. We were escorted to a table...yes there were other people there but you could talk to them or not...the food was great! As an avid cruiser that loves cruise critic...you have to find your own way on certain things...There is so much great information on this board but there is also alot of opinion..we did not one time go to the regular buffet on the cruise. We were either MDR or specialty dining...but really enjoyed the brunch. The best thing about cruises is it is what you make it...our Solstice cruise was the best ever...and the brunch...just sayin.:)

[harryfat1]

[quote name='d4m']I have found a few threads that mention an "amazing brunch," & although I have searched, I can't find much about it. Apparently there is one brunch served, on a sea day? Can someone tell me about this, such as time, menu etc? In particular, am talking about on Equinox. Thanks![/quote]

[FONT=Arial]Food is such a subjective topic, I won’t even try to add in my comments as whatever I say has no impact on others just as others comments has no impact on what I believe in when it comes to food preference.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]For our Alaska cruise last summer, we had the Seafood brunch in the morning from 10 AM to 1 PM (your waiter at the MDR will remind you the time the night before) as the ship was sailing into Hubbard Bay for the glacier viewing. Here is my photo link (also at the bottom of my signature section) from the cruise. I uploaded all food based photos into its own page. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Seafood brunch starts with photo #56 and end up #82 if you are interested in taking a look.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][URL="http://travel.webshots.com/album/574262235wsRMGp"][COLOR=#800080]http://travel.webshots.com/album/574262235wsRMGp[/COLOR][/URL][/FONT]

[2SeaWithMe]

I'd probably at least visit it.

Buffets vary widely. Some are nasty, some are ok. I visit the occasional buffet when I'm starving and just want to eat right away. It doesn't mean I don't practice portion control. There's actually a sushi buffet in my town that I thought had to be disgusting...but has rave reviews and runs around $60pp. A great way to introduce someone to a new cuisine, as well.

Honestly, the buffet is nice for me on a cruise...I have a disease that I help manage by eating many small meals in one day...usually 5-6 and really SMALL...1 oz of this, 3 oz of that...it's much easier to take what I want at a buffet for a in-between meal and just have soup or one egg in the MDR at the main meals.

[d4m]

Harry, what great food pictures~~thanks!

I love poached eggs, too, but unfortunately I have developed an egg allergy & can't eat them any more:mad:

[curiouscat]

Get out of head...LOL... my thoughts exactly... thank goodness we will have the expanded brkfst menu and I'll eat on my balcony that day..don't like buffets... only one I ever liked was at the Royal Hawaiian in Oahu


[quote name='Bruin Steve']To any of you upset with my comments...
I was not trying to be a "snob"...
I was only pointing out that some people seem to prefer buffets while others enjoy proper dining room service...I, myself am in the group that prefers a full service dining experience and, generally, avoid buffets...
Each dining situation has its merits...and people have different values and standards and needs...

And, yes, it does appear to me that a good number of the comments here favoring the brunch come from people who ordinarily dine at or prefer the buffets...hence comments like "they serve items not ordinarily at the regular buffet" or "the feeling is more elegant than the regular buffet"...These obviously come from people who like the brunch because they ordinarily dine at the buffet and enjoy this "step up"...Am I wrong?

The problem for us regular dining room diners is that in having the brunch, they have taken away our dining room experience.

Normally and traditionally, they accommodated BOTH groups--the full service crowd in the MDR and the buffet crowd in the Oceanview Cafe...

In recent years, they have cut back on the full service by not offering it during port days...not a big deal as a lot of us eat in port on those days anyway...

But the "Brunch" cuts back on the full service lunch and additional time or two depending on the length of the cruise...

What they are doing is cutting back on service...eliminating one of the options--actually TWO of the options as it replaces the traditional full service Breakfast AND full service Lunch on the day it is held...

We do not object to the idea of a brunch for those who enjoy it...but it is something they already had...They could easily have done the usual--up in the Oceanview--and added those "extra" items there that day...and maybe dress the place up a bit more formally...and LEAVE the MDR alone...

But, clearly, the Brunch is a cut-back, not an improvement...

If one normally would have eaten one meal during the day up at the buffet, this is an upgrade...I understand that...

But, to those of us who normally wake up early and head to the MDR at around 7:00 am for a sit down breakfast, maybe some french toast and bacon--served to us...then go to the gym or do laps up on the top deck, then off to a program or two...then return to the MDR at noon for a nice sit-down full service lunch, this is a considerable downgrade...

Some of us would rather eat two smaller meals, spread out over the course of the day than one large meal mid-morning...if fact, due to health reasons, that is what my doctor prescribes...and some of us really don't like buffets--we cruise largely for the service at meals...It does NOT make us "snobs"...

I would hope the cruise lines would understand this and go back to the service they built their reputation on...Of course, as it becomes accepted, no doubt it will continue and expand...Dining room service for breakfast and lunch may some day cease to exist as we know it...

How would you all feel if one day a week, they stopped offering Dining Room Service at Dinner and had a large buffet instead? Go get your own food...
What if they started doing this EVERY MEAL, EVERY DAY? Would you not think it a downgrade?[/quote]

[gracecarmo]

I have to agree with BruinSteve....we went a few years ago when it was first presented, and had to take a table on deck 5 (M class) and walking up the stairs was not fun with a plate of food.
also: it seemed like a free-for-all all around the food stations. It was not a pleasant meal at all.
We saw the same situationm a few weeks ago on the Summit.
We do like to be served, and the elimination of the opportunities in the MDR are a disappointment to us.
On occasion, we do visit the buffet on deck 10 for breakfast (very early) and also the Spa Cuisine.

[mom2threecuties]

Great pictures!

[quote name='harryfat1'][FONT=Arial]Food is such a subjective topic, I won’t even try to add in my comments as whatever I say has no impact on others just as others comments has no impact on what I believe in when it comes to food preference.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]For our Alaska cruise last summer, we had the Seafood brunch in the morning from 10 AM to 1 PM (your waiter at the MDR will remind you the time the night before) as the ship was sailing into Hubbard Bay for the glacier viewing. Here is my photo link (also at the bottom of my signature section) from the cruise. I uploaded all food based photos into its own page. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Seafood brunch starts with photo #56 and end up #82 if you are interested in taking a look.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][URL="http://travel.webshots.com/album/574262235wsRMGp"][COLOR=#800080]http://travel.webshots.com/album/574262235wsRMGp[/COLOR][/URL][/FONT][/QUOTE]

[curiouscat]

[quote name='harryfat1'][FONT=Arial]Food is such a subjective topic, I won’t even try to add in my comments as whatever I say has no impact on others just as others comments has no impact on what I believe in when it comes to food preference.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]For our Alaska cruise last summer, we had the Seafood brunch in the morning from 10 AM to 1 PM (your waiter at the MDR will remind you the time the night before) as the ship was sailing into Hubbard Bay for the glacier viewing. Here is my photo link (also at the bottom of my signature section) from the cruise. I uploaded all food based photos into its own page. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Seafood brunch starts with photo #56 and end up #82 if you are interested in taking a look.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][URL="http://travel.webshots.com/album/574262235wsRMGp"][COLOR=#800080]http://travel.webshots.com/album/574262235wsRMGp[/COLOR][/URL][/FONT][/quote]


OK... that was pure food porn...OMG... my hubby would love the sushi..is the sushi available on all Celeb cruises...or just the Alaska ones???

[Lois R]

[quote name='curiouscat']OK... that was pure food porn...OMG... my hubby would love the sushi..is the sushi available on all Celeb cruises...or just the Alaska ones???[/quote]

Hi, I have seen Sushi on every cruise~Caribbean or Alaska:)

[joanne59]

..for all the reasons previously posted above. Interesting enough, we just spent 12 nights onboard Celebrity Century and their brunch was very pleasant. Ironically, the only lunch we ate in the main dining room was a huge disappointment. The menu was so limited, I had difficulty finding an option that appealed to me and ended up getting a chef's salad, which is very pedestrian in my book, and something I ordered as a child in our local Friendly's. The couple sitting next to us also had trouble eating what was placed in front of them. We make it a habit to visit other venues during the day for breakfast and lunch, either Michael's Club to take advantage of the delicious complimentary beverages and/or the Aqua Spa Cafe. When we were on Solstice and had a breakfast in the DR one morning, we were once again disspointed with the choices. I love a variety of foods, taking only small bites and trying my best to ignore those that try and feed a small country with the food they pile on their plates. I recently did a live food blog of our cruise focusing on all the food we ate in every venue available, including food we ate off the ship...and even some food we did not eat, but I just enjoyed looking at. The link is below, if you are interested, and yes there are pics from the brunch as well as the chocolate buffet.

As with most aspects of cruising...their are choices to soothe every palate....how lucky are we with all that variety, which makes for a very enjoyable vacation experience.

Happy cruising...Joanne

[cruisecriticmember]

[quote name='harryfat1'][FONT=Arial]Food is such a subjective topic, I won’t even try to add in my comments as whatever I say has no impact on others just as others comments has no impact on what I believe in when it comes to food preference.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]For our Alaska cruise last summer, we had the Seafood brunch in the morning from 10 AM to 1 PM (your waiter at the MDR will remind you the time the night before) as the ship was sailing into Hubbard Bay for the glacier viewing. Here is my photo link (also at the bottom of my signature section) from the cruise. I uploaded all food based photos into its own page. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Seafood brunch starts with photo #56 and end up #82 if you are interested in taking a look.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][URL="http://travel.webshots.com/album/574262235wsRMGp"][COLOR=#800080]http://travel.webshots.com/album/574262235wsRMGp[/COLOR. ][/URL][/FONT][/QUOTE].>>>>>>> Thank you for these wonderful photos. The only dish that seems a little odd to me is the frogs legs that seem to have been prepared like Buffalo chicken wings!<<<<<<<

[BroncosFan2010]

[quote name='harryfat1'][FONT=Arial]Food is such a subjective topic, I won’t even try to add in my comments as whatever I say has no impact on others just as others comments has no impact on what I believe in when it comes to food preference.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]For our Alaska cruise last summer, we had the Seafood brunch in the morning from 10 AM to 1 PM (your waiter at the MDR will remind you the time the night before) as the ship was sailing into Hubbard Bay for the glacier viewing. Here is my photo link (also at the bottom of my signature section) from the cruise. I uploaded all food based photos into its own page. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Seafood brunch starts with photo #56 and end up #82 if you are interested in taking a look.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][URL="http://travel.webshots.com/album/574262235wsRMGp"][COLOR=#800080]http://travel.webshots.com/album/574262235wsRMGp[/COLOR][/URL][/FONT][/quote]

Your food pictures were great! Thanks for sharing!