Food, another perspective

[celebritydave]

I have not sailed on Celebrity yet but I am booked for a cruise in 2013. However You see these same threads on the RCI board also and I have previously posted the same thing you are saying over there. Having spent some time during my military career managing dining facilities, I can say it is indeed a challenge to put out meals in those numbers daily. You cannot prepare meals to order due to the sheer number of prepole that are being served. Could you imagine how long you would be waiting for dinner if they took you order in the MDR and and cooked it when they received the ticket??? Lunch is being prepared while the breakfast meal is still going on. Dinner is being prepared while lunch is still going on. Preparations for the next day are happening while you are tucked away in your cabin sleeping. No you are not going to get 5 star restaurant quality as you would when your meal is made fresh upon ordering it.

 

Like you I commend these cruiselines for being able to serve that many meal to 2,000 or more people each day of the cruise to give you a gourmet type meal experiance! I have not seen yet anybody being wheeled off a ship on a gurney at the end of the cruise because they were suffering from malnutrition!

 

I totally agree. I have been cruising Celebrity since the '90s, and the cost of cruising has gone down. My latest is the Silhouette TA in December - I booked one of the hump C2 cabins for a little less than $1500 dollars for 15 night cruise.

 

On my 2 TAs in 2010, I thought the food was very good. There were only one or two meals out of 28 that were not very good. That is a pretty good batting average for serving so many meals.

 

I think what Celebrity is trying to say in their ads, is that they area step above the average cruise line in the dining experience.

 

I have to admit that the food was somewhat better in the '90s, but it is still very good.

 

Dave

[Massnatives]

Thank you Maxsales, and others, for putting a positive spin on Celebrity. Sometimes it seems like all anyone wants to do is complain. You put one meal into perspective - not even including salad, price of coffee and multiple additions if wanted.

Thanks again!

[Tenn4ever]

I think cruising is a good value as one who has traveled excluvsively by land before. It sounds like the MDR food is mostly well-liked which is fine with me. DH and I are not big on worrying about food. Having said that the MDR will do. I WILL NOT dine in a specialty restaurant :).

[maxsales]

We love Celebrity but book our cruises in the UK so a bit surprised at the OP pricing. $100 is approx £75. All our cruises have been in middle range but ordinary balcony cabins and we have paid from £1700 to £2100 for 14 days. This works out at $183 to $225 a night. This years is even more expensive but we are in Aqua.

We actually think cruising is a great holiday and good value for money, we have only cruised with Celebrity. We enjoy the food and the fact the staff will swop anything you really don't like in the MDR.

Is the $100 based on a late or special price? Is the difference per night due to the fact we have only cruised in Europe?

We not complaining just wondering ?

 

I was just using 100 as an example, however it is a number that is very achievable. For example the Constellation is sailing TA tomorrow and there are still inside cabins listed for 899. This works out to about 81 dollars a day!

 

Certainly there are many cruises and cabin categories available for more then 100 per. However, in my original statement I used the lowest cost item on the menu in each category so the lowest cost cabin is a fair comparisonn

[NukeIT]

I was just using 100 as an example, however it is a number that is very achievable. For example the Constellation is sailing TA tomorrow and there are still inside cabins listed for 899. This works out to about 81 dollars a day!

 

Certainly there are many cruises and cabin categories available for more then 100 per. However, in my original statement I used the lowest cost item on the menu in each category so the lowest cost cabin is a fair comparisonn

 

Unfortunatly it is comparing apples to oranges...

 

You are trying to compare the cost of single prepared meals to mass produced... We all know when you buy/cook/prepare in mass amounts cost goes down...

[Ando]

I agree wholeheartedly with the OP. The value of cruising is ridiculously good.

 

We have a CC angled hump with large balcony booked for 16nts Singapore-Sydney at $109pppd and this was booked 9 months in advance - not even a last minute rate which will most likely be even lower.

 

We live on the Gold Coast, Australia, and eat out often, and IMHO you would be paying $100pp just for a 4 course dinner of the same standard as mass market premium cruise lines MDR's. The cruise fare of course also includes breakfast, lunch, snacks, entertainment, transport and your bed etc.

 

Every now and then we look at doing a land based resort and even a 4 star for us works out at close to $200pppd when you factor in the room cost and meals and a few entertainment options. We can't afford not to cruise....lol

 

I agree that the overall food quality has diminished a little over the past 17 years that I have been cruising, but in no way relative to the decrease in the cruise fares. We are very happy cruisers with the current value proposition offered by the major lines and I too think they provide an excellent product for the fare paid :D

[TLCOhio]

I have not sailed on Celebrity yet but I am booked for a cruise in 2013. However You see these same threads on the RCI board also and I have previously posted the same thing you are saying over there. Having spent some time during my military career managing dining facilities, I can say it is indeed a challenge to put out meals in those numbers daily. You cannot prepare meals to order due to the sheer number of prepole that are being served. Could you imagine how long you would be waiting for dinner if they took you order in the MDR and and cooked it when they received the ticket??? Lunch is being prepared while the breakfast meal is still going on. Dinner is being prepared while lunch is still going on. Preparations for the next day are happening while you are tucked away in your cabin sleeping. No you are not going to get 5 star restaurant quality as you would when your meal is made fresh upon ordering it. Like you I commend these cruiselines for being able to serve that many meal to 2,000 or more people each day of the cruise to give you a gourmet type meal experiance! I have not seen yet anybody being wheeled off a ship on a gurney at the end of the cruise because they were suffering from malnutrition!

 

Great, added perspective by Mike. On ships such as the Solstice, it is 4,000 people on the ship counting the staff, plus 2800 or so passengers. Good luck on your 2013 cruise. Which ship will you be sailing and where? Agree that nobody departs a ship saying that missed too many meals.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 78,100 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[Ando]

I agree wholeheartedly with the OP. The value of cruising is ridiculously good.

 

We have a CC angled hump with large balcony booked for 16nts Singapore-Sydney at $109pppd and this was booked 9 months in advance - not even a last minute rate which will most likely be even lower.

 

We live on the Gold Coast, Australia, and eat out often, and IMHO you would be paying $100pp just for a 4 course dinner of the same standard as mass market premium cruise lines MDR's. The cruise fare of course also includes breakfast, lunch, snacks, entertainment, transport and your bed etc.

 

Every now and then we look at doing a land based resort and even a 4 star for us works out at close to $200pppd when you factor in the room cost and meals and a few entertainment options. We can't afford not to cruise....lol

 

I agree that the overall food quality has diminished a little over the past 17 years that I have been cruising, but in no way relative to the decrease in the cruise fares. We are very happy cruisers with the current value proposition offered by the major lines and I too think they provide an excellent product for the fare paid :D

[Fixit2010]

Perhaps if people stopped eating 3 meals in one and only had one starter for example, there would be less excess, less waste, less need to buy in 5 times the srhimp and be able to have more money left over for better quality, though I have never complained about the quality/

[phyllisrf]

Celebrity Dave

How are you able to book a TA in December for the fare mentioned?

[jveevers]

With cruise fares consistently being in the $100 a day range per person, I think Celebrity is doing a really nice job providing all that they do for the price I pay. Cruise prices are the same or lower per day then they were 15 years ago. What else are you buying today that has the same or lower price then it did 15 years ago?

 

Do I wish the food was six star quality? Sure I do! Do I wish all of my cruises were free? You bet! But my reality is that Celebrity is offering a very good value that I appreciate. :)

Which cruises can you get for $100- per person, per day??

 

I just booked 2 celebrity Cruises.

 

The 7 day one was $394- per day (2 people)

The 14 day one was $350- per day (2 people)

[curtdesilets]

We love Celebrity but book our cruises in the UK so a bit surprised at the OP pricing. $100 is approx £75. All our cruises have been in middle range but ordinary balcony cabins and we have paid from £1700 to £2100 for 14 days. This works out at $183 to $225 a night. This years is even more expensive but we are in Aqua.

We actually think cruising is a great holiday and good value for money, we have only cruised with Celebrity. We enjoy the food and the fact the staff will swop anything you really don't like in the MDR.

Is the $100 based on a late or special price? Is the difference per night due to the fact we have only cruised in Europe?

We not complaining just wondering ?

 

Those costs are far more than we are paying. An Average 7 day cruise for a balcony, considering all itineraries is about $1000 (<$150/day) for a balcony. Caribbean is by far the cheapest, then Alaska and then Europe. But currently, the supply for Europe is not meeting the demand, and you can now get 12 day European cruises for under $1000.

 

$183-225 a night is highway robbery, IMO :mad:

[Beach Nut]

Both DH and I agree that Celebrity does a great job with the food. And we love the option of going to eat when we want to, taking our time, at a table for two, just like we do when we go to a land-based restaurant - that's luxurious to us.

 

We've seldom had an "off" dish, but when we do, we just order something else.

 

I have no desire to pay 2 or 3 times as much for a cruise to get "better" food than X serves. We'd rather save several thousand dollars on each cruise and go splurge on a "better" land-based restaurant a couple of times a year for special occasions, and come out way ahead cost-wise.

 

To be able to come back from a day of sightseeing, have a snack of sushi and miso, take a cup of tea back to the cabin and relax before getting ready for dinner at 8, while gazing upon the sea from your balcony cabin - it really doesn't get much more luxurious than that.

[dabear]

IMHO Celebrity has done a good job in keeping the basic cost of a cruise down (while food also has diminished). On the other hand, the cost of the extras has gone up quite a bit, eg drinks, specialty restaurants, internet, etc. Thus, it is becoming more ala carte cruising, which many pax prefer, but don't mix apples with oranges. Further, the cost per day clearly depends on itinerary, cabin selection, season, supply and demand, Caribbean lowest off season, followed by Europe and then Alaska, which has a short season. Eg. next month on the Millie (with a great price), we are paying approx $225pp/nt for Aqua class, but before final payment the rates were about $350pp/nt.

[Azulann]

dabear,

But to be consistent with the OP, you need to compare the cost of the lowest price stateroom on your upcoming cruise.

[BKFlowerMound]

I agree with the OP.

 

Just after graduating from high school in 1981, my one year younger brother, two friends, and I embarked on a fabulous cruise all by ourselves on the Carnival Mardi Gras. They had a special rate for singles (which we were) sharing 4 to an inside cabin. It was $409 per person, $1636 for the cabin.

 

The cabin had 4 berths, a very small bathroom, and not a single plug. You could do down the hall to the hair drying room to dry your hair (and since it was 1981, all 4 of us needed to do that to get the appropriate butt-cut feather in our Bieber-length hair). Tips were $7 per day and you had to find the cash to make them.

 

All meals were in the MDR. There was no buffet on the Mardi Gras, no pizza, and I'm scratching my head to recall if you could even get a burger by the outdoor pool. I do remember that the food was good (but what did I know as I was 17). It was a great time (perhaps because there was no such thing as a drinking age at sea in those days and the two high schools from Georgia that had a high ratio of girls to guys).

 

Flash forward to today. 1981's $409 is worth $1032 in 2012, which gives me $4128 to spend on a cruise for 4. Let's see what that gets me on Celebrity (Carnival is no longer my cup of tea):

 

- 4 of us could share an inside cabin on the Summit and go to Bermuda for $2296 ($849 x 2 + $299 x 2)($82 per day). That would be a tight fit but I guarantee that the stateroom on the Summit was much larger and more comfortable than what we had on the Mardi Gras; or

 

- The 4 of us could go on the Silhouette out of Venice for 11 days in two veranda staterooms for $4326 ($98 per day). (See signature below for the actual cruise). Now, that would actually cost an additional $17.81 in 1981 money but if that were available in 1981 (and no ship had balcony cabins), I'm sure that even my 17-year old self would've taken that deal.

 

Truth be told, you couldn't get me on a ship like the Mardi Gras today even if they were charging 1981 prices. Today, I'm paying less for more. Now is the food better today than it was then? When you consider all the options that you have today, my answer is yes. Some of those options, you have to pay a little extra for. So what, it's still cheaper.

 

Some of the complaining that we hear on this board are just "Good Ol' Days" syndrome.

[sloopsailor]

Perhaps if people stopped eating 3 meals in one and only had one starter for example, there would be less excess, less waste, less need to buy in 5 times the srhimp and be able to have more money left over for better quality, though I have never complained about the quality/

 

Oh, now I understand! It is these gluttonous people who are personally lowering the quality of the food. It's nice to finally know who to blame. Finding a scapegoat is always helpful.

 

I've read several of your posts on the topic of food where you have continued your crusade against over eaters. You are a great humanitarian, having bravely appointed yourself the "Plate Police" to protect us from those over-eating, wasteful miscreants who are forcing us to endure poor quality meals. :rolleyes:

[hypercafe]

I think going to the MDR on any mass market line is like going to a wedding. The food is ok but not something to rave about. The comments also depend on your experience. The other point is if you go to a shore side rest you can't say bring me two or one of each. We have gone on Oceania and had lobster for lunch but the fare is 2X that of X. It boils down to you get what you pay for. I think a cruise on any line is a real bargain today. We live in NYC, if we go to diner for dinner it's 50bucks. It also depends on the type of cabin you have. Before I drop the price of a upscale room on a mass market line I would rather have a outside on a 5 star line. Unlike Cunard these are really one class ships, once outside of the room all is equal.

[Orator]

Reading some comments on this thread leads me to conclude that:

 

1. Food is really bad;

2. People take too much of it

3. Taking too much drives up cost

 

Therefore, if the quality improves people will take less and cost will decrease.

 

Anthing wrong here?

 

Well, several false premises.

 

Food has been excellent. Many people are making healthy choices and we are indeed getting a good value for our money.

[YOW]

I think going to the MDR on any mass market line is like going to a wedding.

 

Quite often, yes ... only with less people incessantly snapping their cameras and texting /blogging/Facebooking instead of enjoying the moment (oops, did my bias show through?! :eek: ).

[hypercafe]

I was only speaking to the food and service !!!

[maxsales]

Unfortunatly it is comparing apples to oranges...

 

You are trying to compare the cost of single prepared meals to mass produced... We all know when you buy/cook/prepare in mass amounts cost goes down...

 

Are you kidding me? Applebee's isn't a mas produced meal?

[maxsales]

With cruise fares consistently being in the $100 a day range per person, I think Celebrity is doing a really nice job providing all that they do for the price I pay. Cruise prices are the same or lower per day then they were 15 years ago. What else are you buying today that has the same or lower price then it did 15 years ago?

 

Do I wish the food was six star quality? Sure I do! Do I wish all of my cruises were free? You bet! But my reality is that Celebrity is offering a very good value that I appreciate. :)

Which cruises can you get for $100- per person, per day??

 

I just booked 2 celebrity Cruises.

 

The 7 day one was $394- per day (2 people)

The 14 day one was $350- per day (2 people)

 

It's great that you are sailing in a suite. I can show you many sailings for 100 per person per day. Look at the recent Tuesday exciting deals for Europe there were a number of seven day cruises for between 699 and 899 per person.

 

I just looked on the celebrity website and it lists multiple seven night Alaska cruises for $699.00 so that certainly makes the price less then $100.00 per day person. Just do a little research.

[wtrmdr]

Having just read this thread, I have a few comments:

[1] We have been cruising since 1985. The first few years of cruising I raved to everyone that it was like having 5 star restaurant food every meal.

[2] There has been a steady decline in the quality of the food. And for us, we find it ridiculous that in order to get the quality of food that used to be included, we must pay exorbitant fees for the specialty restaurants.

[3] The quality of the food is sometimes dictated by the head chef. In 2011 the Millennium and the Constellation had basically the same exact menu. The Indian chef on the Milly was wonderful in the buffet, but very poor in the MDR. The German chef on the Connie was fantastic. I tried many of the same dishes just to do a comparison between the two ships.

[4] DH and I do not eat enough for 3 full meals, and tend to skip some courses in order to not be too full. We eat breakfast in the buffet - we eat lunch in the buffet, and those tend to be smaller meals. I don't think we can be blamed for the poorer quality food.

[5] Many of us would be willing to pay a few dollars a day more to have the quality of the wonderful food we used to get on Celebrity (and if you see below, most of our cruises have been on X). We were on the Equinox on a B2B (27 nights) and the food was fantastic throughout the cruise the end of 2009.

[6] We are neither one more than 10 lbs or so over weight - we don't base our cruise around eating. But in the evenings it IS nice to sit down to a top quality meal. I would think with the price they charge for drinks (especially the Martini Bar, which is MY favorite place) they could afford to keep the quality of the food up.

 

But that is just my humble opinion.

[boogs]

Having just read this thread, I have a few comments:

[1] We have been cruising since 1985. The first few years of cruising I raved to everyone that it was like having 5 star restaurant food every meal.

[2] There has been a steady decline in the quality of the food. And for us, we find it ridiculous that in order to get the quality of food that used to be included, we must pay exorbitant fees for the specialty restaurants.

 

But that is just my humble opinion.

 

I find it amusing that you mention a difference in food quality since 1985 and feel that the "ridiculous" prices for specialty restaurants offends you so much, but say nothing about the cost differences for a cruise then and now.

 

It is well documented that cruises today cost no more than they did in the past, and in many cases, cost even less. A simple use of an inflation calculator (one is available at http://146.142.4.24/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=100&year1=2012&year2=1985 ) reveals facts that if you were to acknowledge would dissuade many of your complaints. (But of course, don't let facts get in the way of your opinion!)

 

Let's assume, for the sake of this example, that in 1985 a stateroom could have been booked for a mere $100. Flash forward to 2012, and utilizing the calculator mentioned above, we see that because of inflation that $100 now has the buying power of only $46.91. Put another way, to match the same purchasing power of today's $100, you would have had to spend $213.19 in 1985, over twice the amount.

 

But you don't. Today you pay virtually the same dollar amount as in 1985.

 

The result? Even if you spent $40 at a specialty restaurant for that 5 star quality meal you so miss and refuse to pay extra for today, you have only spent $140 per day. That compares quite favorable to the $213.19 is should cost you based only on inflation alone.

 

Seems to me we are getting a pretty good deal, EVEN if we eat in the specialty restaurants every day. In fact, we still come out ahead by almost $75 in today's dollars!!!

 

And that isn't my humble opinion - that is fact.