Celebrity's New Menu: I'm just the messenger.

[takemewithyou]

[quote name='Celebrity Cruises']Hello All,
We thank you as always for your passion and support for Celebrity. It was important to us to offer some additional information as a part of the discussion happening here regarding some exciting updates we have been testing in our main restaurants. The combination of our valuable guest feedback as well as leading culinary trends, seasonality, and availability of food items (as is the current, temporary situation with Escargot which we will offer as soon as it becomes available) are all factors that inform updates to our menu selections, enabling us to deliver a superior breadth of choices of the highest quality. We have been testing some different menu concepts on Solstice that have been highly received by our guests that include several enhancements specifically requested by guests. These include beloved entrees such as Broiled Lobster Tail and Chateaubriand as well as delicious new offerings of hot and cold appetizers. Also, please know that we continue to offer a full assortment of your choice of side dishes, including baked potatoes, as well as selections for those guests with special dietary needs, including gluten free. We will continue to innovate and test new culinary offerings, learning always. We look forward to having you aboard to sample these offerings for yourself and taste the ways we are always striving to bring culinary excellence and evolution as part of a fabulous vacation experience.[/quote]

Thank you so much for responding to this discussion. The menu changes I have seen and that you have mentioned sound wonderful to me. Good to hear that baked potatoes are still available and that lobster returns! Thanks for listening, Celebrity! :)

[The_Big_M]

What was someone saying about Delta just mentioning the 'enhancements'? ;-)

[Andy]

[quote name='bellasorella']Andy....
Your loyalty is admirable. But as a longtime Celebrity passenger just off the Ssilhouette, let me tell you.....

Food quality in the MDR is significantly diminished.
Service, while pleasant, is unskilled, and below Celebrity's standards.
The reduction in MDR personnel is apparent, and reflected in the )(lack of good) service
It is clear to all that the emphasis on the specialty restaurants is a profit initiative, and has had a deleterious effect in the MDR, which was the heart and soul of Celebrity's reputation and distinction from close competitor Princess.

On the positive side, on our recent cruise on Silhouette, escargots were back on the anytime menu. And a good thing, as the steaks were often inedible. Don't know about cold soups, but the onion soup was wonderful.[/quote]

Hi Bellasorella,

Just as an FYI, I've been critical of Celebrity's cuisine when it was warranted. I was quite vocal when Celebrity changed their menus in Summer 2010, and removed Chateaubriand, in favor of Beef Cheeks. I tried to be open minded about the change. However, everyone at my table thought the dish was a huge downgrade, and no match for Chateaubriand.

On our December Constellation sailing, we thought the cuisine had improved nicely vs. our two previous sailings. We also had service issues. Our Waiter (Jefferson) was outstanding, but his assistant had no experience, seemed completely untrained, and could not get anything right. Fortunately, Jefferson more than made up for his assitant's shortcomings.

Celebrity posted tonight, and mentioned that Lobster Tail & Chateaubriand are back. There have been comments about Rack of Lamb making a return. This was not on Constellation's menu in December. While the subject of food is entirely subjective, IMO, this sounds promising.

At any rate, I remain hopeful. I'm eagerly looking forward to trying the new items on Eclipse in April. I will be sure to report back, after our Cruise.

[Despegue]

[quote name='Celebrity Cruises']Hello All,
We thank you as always for your passion and support for Celebrity. It was important to us to offer some additional information as a part of the discussion happening here regarding some exciting updates we have been testing in our main restaurants. The combination of our valuable guest feedback as well as leading culinary trends, seasonality, and availability of food items (as is the current, temporary situation with Escargot which we will offer as soon as it becomes available) are all factors that inform updates to our menu selections, enabling us to deliver a superior breadth of choices of the highest quality. We have been testing some different menu concepts on Solstice that have been highly received by our guests that include several enhancements specifically requested by guests. These include beloved entrees such as Broiled Lobster Tail and Chateaubriand as well as delicious new offerings of hot and cold appetizers. Also, please know that we continue to offer a full assortment of your choice of side dishes, including baked potatoes, as well as selections for those guests with special dietary needs, including gluten free. We will continue to innovate and test new culinary offerings, learning always. We look forward to having you aboard to sample these offerings for yourself and taste the ways we are always striving to bring culinary excellence and evolution as part of a fabulous vacation experience.[/QUOTE]

Dear Celebrity,

I would like to give my sincere thank you for doing the trouble watching and reponding to this thread in specific, and Cruise Critic Celebrity Forum in general.
It is a proof that you DO care about us, your passengers (or guests as you like to call us) and gives me a warm feeling of being appreciated.
As I said before, I will gladly try the new dishes and I am sure I will not lose weight during my upcoming cruise with Constellation on 03/24...

Yours sincerely,

Tino Coddé
aka. Despegue

[blueboro]

I am just really shocked at the number of people who would consider cancelling a cruise because they can't get cold soup or baked potatoes. If that is all we have to complain about life must be pretty good and pretty boring.

[Cruise Junky]

[quote name='blueboro']I am just really shocked at the number of people who would consider cancelling a cruise because they can't get cold soup or baked potatoes. If that is all we have to complain about life must be pretty good and pretty boring.[/QUOTE]

Normally I would agree with you, but in my case, my mother honest to god eats next to nothing...she will however eat a baked potato so that's what she'll have for dinner, sometimes that's all she'll have, occassionaly with a plain grilled chicken breast. Do I condone it, no. But can I change it? No. She's 70, it saddens me that she has probably never gotten any enjoyment from food, but that's the way she is.

[cantw8togo]

[quote name='NLH Arizona']Not thrilled about many of the changes, but to look on the bright side...it will certainly help my diet, since I don't find much on here that I would like! If I could lose a pound or so a day on my upcoming November b2b...that would be wonderful.[/quote]

Don't count on it! No matter what you finally chose to eat, it would likely be heavy handed on the oil and calories. As someone who is trying to eat more healthfully, (especially since I had a gallstone attack three days before we sailled,) I found that most of the food on our recent Summit sailling to be more calories than the dish was worth. The exception being the Creme Brule, especially the Dulche De Leche version (a girl's gotta splurge sometime!) Whether it was the MDR, the stirfrys in the Cafe or the panini's in Bistro on 5, I found that the food was heavier than it needed to be.

The two bright spots for me with regards to the food were the Aqua Spa for lunch and the expanded room service breakfast menu in the conceirge class. Breakfast on the balcony was bliss. Otherwise the food was a dud.

[ellbon]

[quote name='Xellent'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]In 2012, Millennium will sail on March 15th and March 19th. Are you planning to catch the ship in Cozumel?[/SIZE][/FONT][/quote]


and where are you now??? been sailing azamara again. .but will try the reflection with family in 2013.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

[quote name='blueboro']I am just really shocked at the number of people who would consider cancelling a cruise because they can't get cold soup or baked potatoes. If that is all we have to complain about life must be pretty good and pretty boring.[/QUOTE]

[FONT="Verdana"][SIZE="3"]I never said I would cancel my cruise because there wouldn't be cold soups. I was just mourning their demise. It's something Celebrity did consistently well.

Thanks, Celebrity, for monitoring the boards and listening to what your customers have to say. Having now looked at the new menus which were posted, quite frankly, they don't look all that different from the current menus. I have no problem with their changing the menus from time to time; if one cruises more than once a year, the same menu can get boring after a while.

Are we still going to get profiteroles au chocolat the first night? I'll probably survive without cold soups, but start messing with my chocolate and who knows what will happen. :D[/SIZE][/FONT]

[Kathie44]

The only thing on the list that I sometimes order is the baked potato, so I hope it will still be offered as was mentioned by the Celebrity poster. I can't stand cold soups and the whole concept of escargot gags me. I don't eat lobster, either, but friends who do will be thrilled if they bring back the whole tail. The only seafood I ever order on a ship is the crab cake appetizer. I can't eat fish unless it's deep fried and disguised, lol.
Seems to me they had rack of lamb on my recent Summit cruise. I think one of my tablemates ordered it.
Happy Cruiser 6143--I'm with you on the subject of chocolate--no messing with it! :D

[Andy]

[quote name='Happy Cruiser 6143'][SIZE=3][FONT=Verdana]Are we still going to get profiteroles au chocolat the first night? I'll probably survive without cold soups, but start messing with my chocolate and who knows what will happen. :D[/FONT][/SIZE][/quote]

I know what you mean Linda ! While we are on the subject of Chocolate... please dont mess with the Chocolate Croissants. If they get any smaller, we will have to use tweezers to get them from the basket, instead of tongs ! Boy, do I love those... and it shows :)

[middlehaitch]

[FONT=Lucida Sans Unicode][COLOR=dimgray]Kill me if you like.:D[/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=Lucida Sans Unicode][COLOR=dimgray]I would be in favour of keeping quality and making portion sizes smaller. they are all huge.[/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=Lucida Sans Unicode][COLOR=dimgray]It is a 4 course meal so no part of it need be overly large, except the desert, of course.[/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=Lucida Sans Unicode][COLOR=dimgray]If you end up peckish before bed there are snacks available until the early hours and room service.[/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=Lucida Sans Unicode][COLOR=dimgray]Cheers, h.[/COLOR][/FONT]

[Kan't Wait]

[quote name='Xellent'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]In 2012, Millennium will sail on March 15th and March 19th. Are you planning to catch the ship in Cozumel?[/SIZE][/FONT][/quote]

No I'm just an airhead. :o We leave for Miami on the 17th so I just had that on the brain. But after reading your post I went "Doh" it is the 19th.

Thanks because I might have tried to leave on the 15th for the 17th sailing...lol.

[gold1953]

[quote name='middlehaitch'][FONT=Lucida Sans Unicode][COLOR=dimgray]Kill me if you like.:D[/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=Lucida Sans Unicode][COLOR=dimgray]I would be in favour of keeping quality and making portion sizes smaller. they are all huge.[/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=Lucida Sans Unicode][COLOR=dimgray]It is a 4 course meal so no part of it need be overly large, except the desert, of course.[/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=Lucida Sans Unicode][COLOR=dimgray]If you end up peckish before bed there are snacks available until the early hours and room service.[/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=Lucida Sans Unicode][COLOR=dimgray]Cheers, h.[/COLOR][/FONT][/QUOTE]

Absolutely agree!!! I especially find the meat portions large..way more than a person needs. Too many fatty sauces too! Try a 5 star restaurant and see how small your portions are . Less food of a higher quality would be nice' but that quality with mass cooking cannot be expected! My biggest goal while cruising is of course to have the best time of my life every time I go. I can't do this if I eat too much or eat the wrong food as it all zaps energy. Eat healthy for a few days and then throw in a high fat meal or extra large portions an see how you feel. 26 nights on the Solstice coming up April 15th!!!:D Looking forward to the MDR but will skip some nights for sure.

[mundi]

[quote name='GranthamMommy']We are supposed to be first time Celebrity cruisers in January 2013. I am seriously thinking of cancelling our trip. We've booked a two week cruise so we could relax and enjoy the food. All of the items we were looking foward to are missing from the new menu. The appetizers and soups are the items I look foward to trying - since I don't often try them when I'm out dinner (and saving my for a cruise!) And yes, a baked potato might be a deal breaker for my husband. He's always disappointed when baked potatoes aren't available until dinner.

Sigh.......very disappointed. I live in New England.....lobster isn't going to do it for me. Chateaubriand - give me my own ribeye cooked the way I like. Wow...bad move Celebrity........IMHO.[/quote]
I too love the baked potato and might be a deal breaker, from spuds r us.

[tunaman2011]

[quote name='blueboro']I am just really shocked at the number of people who would consider cancelling a cruise because they can't get cold soup or baked potatoes. If that is all we have to complain about life must be pretty good and pretty boring.[/quote]

Greetings

Why wouldn't people consider changing? If you had a choice of similar itineraries on different cruise lines and your deciding factor for choosing Celebrity was the menus, then it would make total sense to reexamine the decision if new data presents itself. Why stick you head in the sand and just take it. Maybe you will decide that Celebrity is still the best cruise, maybe you will choose differently. The Menus obviously don't matter to you, but they do to others for all kinds of different reasons.

Good Sailing
Tom

[Texed]

[B][COLOR=darkred]Hopefully, they haven't changed the waffles. :D[/COLOR][/B]

[hcat]

[quote name='cantw8togo']Don't count on it! No matter what you finally chose to eat, it would likely be heavy handed on the oil and calories. As someone who is trying to eat more healthfully, (especially since I had a gallstone attack three days before we sailled,) I found that most of the food on our recent Summit sailling to be more calories than the dish was worth. The exception being the Creme Brule, especially the Dulche De Leche version (a girl's gotta splurge sometime!) Whether it was the MDR, the stirfrys in the Cafe or the panini's in Bistro on 5, I found that the food was heavier than it needed to be.

The two bright spots for me with regards to the food were the Aqua Spa for lunch and the expanded room service breakfast menu in the conceirge class. Breakfast on the balcony was bliss. Otherwise the food was a dud.[/QUOTE]

IMHO Salmon in the Aquaspa is the best on board--don't know why???

1/2 baked potato is a daily request for me at dinner with dbl veggies . I expect it'll be available in BLU...mashed potatoes can be instant or doctored--I just like them baked in the skin ...

[Lsimon]

[quote name='From Constellation']...Also gone are escargot but he says that they will return when their supplier problem clears up, and they have been replaced for the time being with crab-stuffed mushrooms...[/quote]

While I do like the escargot I'd love to see crab-stuffed mushrooms as an every day replacement!

[TMLAalum]

[quote name='GranthamMommy']We are supposed to be first time Celebrity cruisers in January 2013. I am seriously thinking of cancelling our trip. We've booked a two week cruise so we could relax and enjoy the food. All of the items we were looking foward to are missing from the new menu. The appetizers and soups are the items I look foward to trying - since I don't often try them when I'm out dinner (and saving my for a cruise!) [B]And yes, a baked potato might be a deal breaker for my husband[/B]. He's always disappointed when baked potatoes aren't available until dinner.

Sigh.......very disappointed. I live in New England.....lobster isn't going to do it for me. Chateaubriand - give me my own ribeye cooked the way I like. Wow...bad move Celebrity........IMHO.[/quote]

[quote name='Cruise Junky']Normally I would agree with you, but in my case, my mother honest to god eats next to nothing...[B]she will however eat a baked potato so that's what she'll have for dinner, sometimes that's all she'll have,[/B] occassionaly with a plain grilled chicken breast. Do I condone it, no. But can I change it? No. She's 70
, it saddens me that she has probably never gotten any enjoyment from food, but that's the way she is.[/quote]

I'm sure I missed several fellow 'potato heads' who've posted on this thread, but let us all unite!

I love potatoes- fried, oven-roasted, potato skins, mashed and my favorite of all- Baked!!

Celebrity, please let the words of your representative on this thread be true and make sure baked potatoes remain on the "always available" menu. Thanks!

[koalakid]

Shame about the cold soups - I love them. Just haven't been able to get the same choice on other lines. HAve them most nights & DH often has the escargot so at least he will be happy.
I know food is subjectI've & in our experence we think that Celebrity's MDR is better than other lines we've tried. So we shall see.
We sail Summit in Sept so it will all have sorted itself out by then & no doubt there will be some tweaks.

[blueboro]

[quote name='tunaman2011']Greetings

Why wouldn't people consider changing? If you had a choice of similar itineraries on different cruise lines and your deciding factor for choosing Celebrity was the menus, then it would make total sense to reexamine the decision if new data presents itself. Why stick you head in the sand and just take it. Maybe you will decide that Celebrity is still the best cruise, maybe you will choose differently. The Menus obviously don't matter to you, but they do to others for all kinds of different reasons.

Good Sailing
Tom[/quote]


Menu's matter VERY much to me. And the new ones look pretty darn good. I got escargot every night on our last Solstice cruise but if they are not available I would never consider canceling over such an insignificant issue. But that is just me "sticking my head in the sand".

[Redtravel]

Everything changes with time. As costs increase, food and service decreases. That's the way they save money. I looked at the menus. They still look nice. I do enjoy the simple choices: shrimp, caesar salad, steak and a baked potato. I often get this dinner on the ship. I will miss the baked potato. I'll make do. Will it ruin my cruise? I don't think so. There are many other good choices.

[Bridge Maven]

Look at the bright side. At least you still get food that is included in your cruise fare :)

[CRUZBUDS]

I know it's not the menu, but it was a change. We were really bummed on the Century last September to learn they no longer bring the dessert tray so you could see what they look like. That was always a highlight of the meal.

One of our best waiters, Terek, years ago on the Infinity put on quite a show with the tray every evening. It was great fun. He would pretend to forget what things were. "I practice and practice and still I forget!" :)