Have Celebrity Food & Beverage Department lost the plot?

[seawise]

Have just returned fron Celebrity Eclipse transatlantic and feel that the overall standard has dropped.

 

When the ship sails from the UK tea & coffee makers are placed in the cabins and I asked if these would be available and was told that once unpacked one would be sent to my cabin, nothing happened.

 

On several occasions had to ask why the food presented at our table was cold, food and plate! On the second formal night the Chateaubriand steak came out cold, when the maitre D finally turned up his comment was that he would ensure the meal was hot the following night, that in my opinion is not good enough, we did not return to the restaurant.

 

In our cabin was a form to fill in should we have any complaints that could be attended to rather than leave until the end of the cruise which was filled in and given to guest relations.

 

I also mentioned this to the Food and beverage manager who said he would investigate and report back - NO ONE BOTHERED!!!!

 

I mentioned this on the disembarkation questionaire form, but does anyone read all these, I think not.

 

If you want excellent food you now have to pay for it, we eat six times in the Specialist restaurants and the food and service was faultless.

 

I personally feel that in the days of food on Celebrity under the auspice of Michele Roux was far superior.

 

I appreciate that everyones taste in food is different but to present cold food on cold plates is not good enough.

 

Having cruised on all classes of Celebrity Ships, will we cruise again, it is doubtful.

 

Anyone from Celebrity like to comment?

 

Kind Regards

 

Chris

7364

[DebbieMacG]

I'm sorry you had a bad experience on the Eclipse! I hope things have improved since I will be boarding her on Saturday and I hate cold food :(

 

This is public forum and as such you won't necessarily get a reply from Celebrity here, I would suggest you contact them directly to pass on your concerns.

[coastiedee]

I recently did one of the Australian Cruises On solstice. Beautiful Ship , spotlesly clean. I felt that there was not enough waiters to deal with the amount of people in the main dining room. I have cruised a bit in the past and I have never seen waiters worked so hard, running, running all the time. In the Buffet at certain times they ran out of clean plates and spoons quiet regulary. Dirty plates piled up on tables as there was not enough staff to collect them. Passengers where moving the dirty plates themselves so they could have a table. We never had cold food in the main dining room and we dined in there every evening. How ever there was cold food in the buffet, especially at breakfast. They do market the Solstice in Australia as a 5 star ship, I dont think so.

[bplazo]

We were on the Equinox last month and I thought that the food was better in the MDR than Tuscans. I did not notice if it was cold or not because as long as I dont have to cook it or do dishes it does not matter.

[ME Guide]

We were on the same cruise and had just the opposite experience. We had select dining each night at 6PM and were seated at a deuce by the window each and every night. The service and food in the Moonlight Sonata was outstanding and so much so that by the third evening we made it a point to fill out an attention to detail card letting them know how much we were impressed! A few days later I received a nice letter from the head of hotel management thanking me for taking the time to write about the service and staff. What was equally important is that this information would be relayed to them.

 

Our food was consistently well presented and if we desired any adjustments ( I often prefer baked potato) it was taken care of with a smile. One evening I wasn't too hungry and did not finish my meal. The waiter immediately asked if I would prefer something else and I had to say that it was just my appetite. Of course we all must understand that the food in the MDR is mass produced. We found it consistently good and the choices were varied. There was always a pasta, meat, fish, and vegetarian choice. (not to mention the choices on the everyday menu).

 

I know some folks will never be completely happy with everything that is put in front of them. We overheard a gentleman ordering the chateaubriand "bloody rare". The waiter very kindly explained that the meat would probably be more medium rare because it was baked with the pastry crust. The man repeated he wanted his "bloody rare". I am sure that this request had an unhappy ending but we were not around to see the result of his request. I do agree that having the meat cold is unacceptable. Often if you politely ask to have something changed, the request will be made immediately.

 

The maitre' d, Denis, Jorgie, our waiter, and Vishway, our asst. waiter were fabulous. Our sommalier kept our glasses filled. Each night we were treated as special guests, given a warm welcome back by all as we entered, and enjoyed our evenings.

 

We will continue to sail Celebrity and enjoy the experiences that make us happy. Everyone must make their own choices. As Perry Grant would say, "we don't judge people here".

[Jane2357]

I am a person who can only enjoy my meal unless the food is served while HOT, not warm or almost hot but hot - my family makes fun of me because of it :o Cruise ships are the one place where getting food served hot if very difficult - often times the kitchen is very far from the dining room and the servers behind the scene are actually running with the large trays filled with food. However food served COLD - means that the server grabbed a plated entrée or soup off the line that had sat there too long. I could not eat cold food but understanding that the meal was not made to order for me - just mass produced and taken from a line - I would be reluctant to complain unless it was a nightly experience.

 

Read Brian David Bruns book Cruise Confidential who worked as a server on cruise line to understand the true story of what your waiter is going through and the way the food reaches your table - a real eye opener! :eek:

[6andy6]

I recently did one of the Australian Cruises On solstice. Beautiful Ship , spotlesly clean. I felt that there was not enough waiters to deal with the amount of people in the main dining room. I have cruised a bit in the past and I have never seen waiters worked so hard, running, running all the time. In the Buffet at certain times they ran out of clean plates and spoons quiet regulary. Dirty plates piled up on tables as there was not enough staff to collect them. Passengers where moving the dirty plates themselves so they could have a table. We never had cold food in the main dining room and we dined in there every evening. How ever there was cold food in the buffet, especially at breakfast. They do market the Solstice in Australia as a 5 star ship, I dont think so.

 

Whereas I, on the same ship, in the same market. Didn't see any of that. I never saw plates run out. And we always got food hot (in the MDR). And we had the sommelier always return to ask if we wanted another drink..even though we only got the cheap Chateau Plonk by the glass. We always got a seat straight away in select dinning. I didn't think the 2 seaters were close together and we don't talk to the next table. And...all the other complaints you see again and again...

 

As for cold food in the buffet...hmmmm. Not sure how people enjoy dried out food if they kept it boiling hot. In fact if food was boiling hot in the buffet these same people would be complaining about the heat or that the food was dried out and over cooked. I have yet to have been to any buffet in my 30 years as an adult and had hot buffet food.....

 

Go figure...and it does make me start to wonder when I read this forum whether in fact these are people that would have trouble where ever they went land or sea...except in their own homes where the food is cordon bleu.

[Jenna109]

We too have just returned from Eclipse TA and had no problem with food in the main dining room. Food was excellent, well presented and always at the appropriate temperature. Only one dish I did not like - poor choice by me but they quickly came to see why I was not eating it. I selected another dish because they seemed upset.

It was our first time in Select dining and to be honest we did wonder if the service would be good because we had already paid our grats. We also had a complimentary drinks package - would they fill our glasses? Absolutely no problem - excellent service and drinks refilled, admittedly sometimes by our waiter, when they were empty.

On last night when waiters normally expect extra tips all the waiters in our area seemed to disappear. We did find this odd but wondered if they were told not to expect extra as they had already been paid??? They certainly liked working in that area as their tips were guaranteed.

[coastiedee]

6 AND 6,

 

Please before quoting me again read my post properly . I am not complaining , just merely commenting on what I observed .:cool:

[City_Woman]

Have just returned fron Celebrity Eclipse transatlantic and feel that the overall standard has dropped.

 

When the ship sails from the UK tea & coffee makers are placed in the cabins and I asked if these would be available and was told that once unpacked one would be sent to my cabin, nothing happened.

 

On several occasions had to ask why the food presented at our table was cold, food and plate! On the second formal night the Chateaubriand steak came out cold, when the maitre D finally turned up his comment was that he would ensure the meal was hot the following night, that in my opinion is not good enough, we did not return to the restaurant.

 

In our cabin was a form to fill in should we have any complaints that could be attended to rather than leave until the end of the cruise which was filled in and given to guest relations.

 

I also mentioned this to the Food and beverage manager who said he would investigate and report back - NO ONE BOTHERED!!!!

 

I mentioned this on the disembarkation questionaire form, but does anyone read all these, I think not.

 

If you want excellent food you now have to pay for it, we eat six times in the Specialist restaurants and the food and service was faultless.

 

I personally feel that in the days of food on Celebrity under the auspice of Michele Roux was far superior.

 

I appreciate that everyones taste in food is different but to present cold food on cold plates is not good enough.

 

Having cruised on all classes of Celebrity Ships, will we cruise again, it is doubtful.

 

Anyone from Celebrity like to comment?

 

Kind Regards

 

Chris

7364

 

I was on the Eclipse the sailing before you and have zero complaints about food.

 

I sent one thing back and that was lamb that was too rare for me. It was taken back and cooked more with no complaints. (That was in Blu.)

 

I thought the food everywhere We ate was terrific!

 

Judy

[techwatcher]

I also mentioned this to the Food and beverage manager who said he would investigate and report back - NO ONE BOTHERED!!!!

 

I mentioned this on the disembarkation questionaire form, but does anyone read all these, I think not.

 

 

Not good that the F&B manager didn't get back to you; normally the senior people are pretty good at responding.

 

The questionnaires ARE read but they are designed to inform Celebrity about trends rather than to inform about individual comments. If a decent number of people commented about cold food that should raise alarm bells; one or two people's comments probably wouldn't register with them.

[ghstudio]

Cold food is generally due to the waiter/assistant waiter who take your meals and then let them sit on trays instead of bringing them directly to your table. The head waiter and the others that you talked to should have done something about that....not just ignored your comments.

 

Sorry this happened...it's not typical. I am more concerned that no one "higher up" did anything to resolve the situation.....that's a real problem.

[Iamcruzin]

I had the same experience with cold food on the Summit last week. Could not get a plate of warm scrambled eggs in the MDR or buffet. The only thing that was warm was the ice cream in the buffet and MDR. It was more like soup than ice cream.

[CruisingChick]

I mentioned this on the disembarkation questionaire form, but does anyone read all these, I think not.

 

Chris

7364

 

So sorry for your bad experience. I do know they use to read these cards as in the past I have gotten telephone calls regarding my comments and asked to go into detail about them. Hopefully they will read your comment card and start to improve things.

 

I really wish they would improve service and food in the MDR. It's been hit and miss for years now. You never know if you are going to get something great, good, mediocre or inedible.

[CruisingChick]

I had the same experience with cold food on the Summit last week. Could not get a plate of warm scrambled eggs in the MDR or buffet. The only thing that was warm was the ice cream in the buffet and MDR. It was more like soup than ice cream.

 

UGH, I'm going to be on Summit in 13 days, don't like hearing that!!!

[Iamcruzin]

UGH, I'm going to be on Summit in 13 days, don't like hearing that!!!

Well the ship is beautiful and everything looks new. The entertainment was great and the ship did not feel crowded at anytime in any venue. If you have a drink package service was great. I loved everything about the ship except the food was hit or miss in both the MDR and buffet. If you like Sushi they have it in the buffet everyday at 5:30 it was made fresh daily.

Enjoy your cruise to Bermuda. Also if you plan on buying the internet package hold off until you are in Bermuda. They have a pay for hotspot that the I saw the crew using. It is much cheaper than any Celebrity plan. $3 for one hour $10 for 24 hours and 29.99 for a month. The service is much better than on the ship as the service on the ship was not connecting. I saw one of the entertainers using Skype and if you down load the Viber APP to your smartphone you can make calls and text via the hotspot internet. The person you are calling or texting must have the app on their phone as well

[terrierjohn]

We were on the same cruise and had just the opposite experience. We had select dining each night at 6PM and were seated at a deuce by the window each and every night. The service and food in the Moonlight Sonata was outstanding and so much so that by the third evening we made it a point to fill out an attention to detail card letting them know how much we were impressed! A few days later I received a nice letter from the head of hotel management thanking me for taking the time to write about the service and staff. What was equally important is that this information would be relayed to them.

 

Our food was consistently well presented and if we desired any adjustments ( I often prefer baked potato) it was taken care of with a smile. One evening I wasn't too hungry and did not finish my meal. The waiter immediately asked if I would prefer something else and I had to say that it was just my appetite. Of course we all must understand that the food in the MDR is mass produced. We found it consistently good and the choices were varied. There was always a pasta, meat, fish, and vegetarian choice. (not to mention the choices on the everyday menu).

 

I know some folks will never be completely happy with everything that is put in front of them. We overheard a gentleman ordering the chateaubriand "bloody rare". The waiter very kindly explained that the meat would probably be more medium rare because it was baked with the pastry crust. The man repeated he wanted his "bloody rare". I am sure that this request had an unhappy ending but we were not around to see the result of his request. I do agree that having the meat cold is unacceptable. Often if you politely ask to have something changed, the request will be made immediately.

 

The maitre' d, Denis, Jorgie, our waiter, and Vishway, our asst. waiter were fabulous. Our sommalier kept our glasses filled. Each night we were treated as special guests, given a warm welcome back by all as we entered, and enjoyed our evenings.

 

We will continue to sail Celebrity and enjoy the experiences that make us happy. Everyone must make their own choices. As Perry Grant would say, "we don't judge people here".

This experience is certainly more in line with our last Eclipse cruise in September, and I hope our June cruise is just as good.

[KaththeTaff]

I most certainly think that if I was served with a cold meal I would not let the Maitre D' assure me that it would be hot the next day. That response is just not good enough and I would invite him or her to put it right tonight, when I would like to eat it, and not when I order something different the next night!

 

It might just be me, but I would also follow up any written complaint and promise of a response. It might be my vacation but if I am not satisfied I will spend time making sure that my concerns are addressed, and if I remained dissatisfied I would definitely contact the line again after my return home.

 

So far, though, after four cruises, I have nothing at all to complain about, I'm delighted to say!

[CruisingChick]

Well the ship is beautiful and everything looks new. The entertainment was great and the ship did not feel crowded at anytime in any venue. If you have a drink package service was great. I loved everything about the ship except the food was hit or miss in both the MDR and buffet. If you like Sushi they have it in the buffet everyday at 5:30 it was made fresh daily.

Enjoy your cruise to Bermuda. Also if you plan on buying the internet package hold off until you are in Bermuda. They have a pay for hotspot that the I saw the crew using. It is much cheaper than any Celebrity plan. $3 for one hour $10 for 24 hours and 29.99 for a month. The service is much better than on the ship as the service on the ship was not connecting. I saw one of the entertainers using Skype and if you down load the Viber APP to your smartphone you can make calls and text via the hotspot internet. The person you are calling or texting must have the app on their phone as well

 

Hi Mike, thanks for the tips on the internet. Our son lives in LA, so I think one the nights we are in Bermuda we will try and Skypehim from my smart phone since I we do have the Skype App. Will have to look into the Viber App.

 

We do like Sushi and my DH was mentioning it yesterday that we have not had it in a while. Only 13 more days to go - 9 1/2 of them at work

[Micklen2]

Hi, just read this post. We have just returned from the Fjords cruise on Eclipse. Food was good in main restaurant, but breakfast in buffet was a real bun fight. There were ques on every counter and no seats available. This may have been due to (according to waiters) that main restaurant being shut every morning, instead of being open for breakfast. This meant virtualy every passenger was in the buffet, which is not that big. A couple of day we ate outside, which was freezing. Couple this with low staffing, and cups ran out every day, and tables were not cleared quickly making the situation worse. All together we were not impressed with the Celebrity service. Would not go with them again.

[u2cruiser]

Hi, just read this post. We have just returned from the Fjords cruise on Eclipse. Food was good in main restaurant, but breakfast in buffet was a real bun fight. There were ques on every counter and no seats available. This may have been due to (according to waiters) that main restaurant being shut every morning, instead of being open for breakfast. This meant virtualy every passenger was in the buffet, which is not that big. A couple of day we ate outside, which was freezing. Couple this with low staffing, and cups ran out every day, and tables were not cleared quickly making the situation worse. All together we were not impressed with the Celebrity service. Would not go with them again.

 

Sorry you experienced this Micklen2. Why was the main dining room closed every morning? That's odd :confused:

[POPDISPLAY]

We were on the same cruise and had just the opposite experience. We had select dining each night at 6PM and were seated at a deuce by the window each and every night. The service and food in the Moonlight Sonata was outstanding and so much so that by the third evening we made it a point to fill out an attention to detail card letting them know how much we were impressed! A few days later I received a nice letter from the head of hotel management thanking me for taking the time to write about the service and staff. What was equally important is that this information would be relayed to them.

 

Our food was consistently well presented and if we desired any adjustments ( I often prefer baked potato) it was taken care of with a smile. One evening I wasn't too hungry and did not finish my meal. The waiter immediately asked if I would prefer something else and I had to say that it was just my appetite. Of course we all must understand that the food in the MDR is mass produced. We found it consistently good and the choices were varied. There was always a pasta, meat, fish, and vegetarian choice. (not to mention the choices on the everyday menu).

 

I know some folks will never be completely happy with everything that is put in front of them. We overheard a gentleman ordering the chateaubriand "bloody rare". The waiter very kindly explained that the meat would probably be more medium rare because it was baked with the pastry crust. The man repeated he wanted his "bloody rare". I am sure that this request had an unhappy ending but we were not around to see the result of his request. I do agree that having the meat cold is unacceptable. Often if you politely ask to have something changed, the request will be made immediately.

 

The maitre' d, Denis, Jorgie, our waiter, and Vishway, our asst. waiter were fabulous. Our sommalier kept our glasses filled. Each night we were treated as special guests, given a warm welcome back by all as we entered, and enjoyed our evenings.

 

We will continue to sail Celebrity and enjoy the experiences that make us happy. Everyone must make their own choices. As Perry Grant would say, "we don't judge people here".

 

 

Hard to believe. Impossible, for me anyway. Both your and the op's account.

[Micklen2]

Sorry you experienced this Micklen2. Why was the main dining room closed every morning? That's odd :confused:

 

Not sure why dining room closed, but it was obvious something was wrong. The amount of people trying to get breakfast was impossible. Maybe staff shortage. :rolleyes:

[Andy]

Hi Everyone,

 

We sailed on Eclipse last month & Constellation in January & March. We thought the Dining Room Experience, both in terms of Cuisine and Service were outstanding. We're not huge fans of Celebrity's buffet area on the S-Class, mostly due to the lack of seating during peak hours, but we can live with it.

 

So, in answer to the OP's question, on whether Celebrity's F & B dept has lost their way ? My opinion is - absolutely not.

 

As always, the topic of cuisine is extremely subjective.

[kitty9]

Hi Andy. Have you noticed a reduction in staff on your cruises? I have, especially in terms of wine stewards, waiters and assistant waiters. In past cruises the wine stewards only had to serve a certain number of tables, but now they seem to serve very large sections of the MDR. Heck, there used to be two wine stewards in Normandie, Ocean Liners and the other Murano-type specialties---now there is one. A similar situation is happening for the wait staff with fewer crew having to serve more tables.

 

I just wonder why, knowing the cruise lines pay those workers very little to begin with, did they feel the need to reduce staff so significantly? Or is it that workers are no longer interested in working on cruise ships? Are cruise lines, with their building bigger ships, unable to recruit enough workers?