What restaurant chains would you compare Celebrity food to?

[Veronda817]

I could not get enough of those succulent waffles. They were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. OMG...I want more. Do they put crack in those waffles????? I drenched them in the melted butter and syrup!

 

Forget the butter and syrup...mine were drenched in chocolate!! I'm still thinking about those waffles and chocolate a month later. It wasn't even like "chocolaty syrup", the chocolate flavor was genuine. YUM!!!

[marylizcat]

It sounds like there are varying opinions. Has anyone been on both celebrity and Carnival (recently) and if so, is the food better on Celebrity. My first two cruises with Carnival, the MDR food was very good. Last two cruises (2012 and 2013) food has MOSTLY been between good and pretty good. (As an aside, I can say that Carnival's non MDR options have improved significantly with the 2.0 upgrades and Carnival's food is not bad). But we are paying more for this cruise than Carnival, so the food hopefully is better.

 

We will be dining at Blu for dinner, so hopefully the food suits us okay. DH likes his food pretty simple (he is a meat and potato type of guy). I like things a little more complex with sauces and spices, but I am not into more "exotic" things (like goat cheese, liver). :eek:

 

Is goats cheese exotic in the US then? It certainly isn't here in England! I doubt you could find a menu that did not feature it! Love it!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[neverbeenhere]

Americans only eat American cheese, freedom fries, rocky mountain oysters, and too much.

[cibumcupio]

This will be my first Celebrity cruise, and I'm SO excited that they have LavAzza onboard. Italian espresso is yummy!

 

Oh really? Where did you hear? Is it on all of the ships? That is exciting. There's one restaurant by us who just got a LavAzza machine, and the owner says he thinks it might be the only one in the US right now.

[Gianni15]

If you enjoy dining at Bonefish or Ruth Chris than you will be happy with Celebrity

[rwr235]

Oh really? Where did you hear? Is it on all of the ships? That is exciting. There's one restaurant by us who just got a LavAzza machine, and the owner says he thinks it might be the only one in the US right now.

 

Hi,

 

Yes...Cafe al Bacio uses LavAzza coffee in their Espresso drinks...here is a small blurb from the Celebrity website:

 

 

Italy's leading espresso coffee company Lavazza, has been roasting coffees for over 100 years at its plant in the northwest Italian city of Torino.

 

Lavazza's state-of-the-art roasting facility boasts the world's highest concentration of advanced coffee technology. Special attention is paid to each bean as it is inspected for any imperfections and then roasted in air convection roasters which guarantee that each bean is evenly browned and never scorched.

 

Lavazza's investments in technology, research and development and its dedication to quality control combined with the long roasting tradition of this family-owned company, have made the Lavazza brand recognizable worldwide as the leader in espresso coffee.

 

Now as for the coffee in the OceanView machines and other areas on the ship...sometimes I think perhaps they obtain in bulk, those bags of used coffee grounds that Starbucks gives out for people to take home and use in their gardens as fertilizer:(:D...Sorry, Celebrity...but regular coffee is not tasty !!

 

But do enjoy Cafe al Bacio !! (I know I do :) )

 

Woody

Edited November 14, 2013 by rwr235

[surebeatssailing]

I am easy to please. I am as happy as can be when I am on a cruise with someone else planning, preparing & cleaning up! I can honestly say that I have been satisfied with the food in any venue . The few times we ate dinner at the Oceanview Café on the Infinity were good because aft we found the grill where steaks, chicken ,etc were prepared to order.

As a previous poster noted , there are thousands of meals prepared on a cruise ship daily. Surely one can be happy with something.;)

[mrsdoc3]

One good thing if you decide you don't like the food -- you won't gain as much weight!

[north29]

We were on the Century out of Vancouver to Alaska Sept 8. The food in the Island Cafe was hit and miss to say the least. Coffee was not refilled on at least eight occasions with folk walking around to get a cup of coffee. Same with water. Tables were cleaned but rarely wiped - I had to ask at least five times for the table to be wiped down from the previous diner's debris. Servers were unsmiling and surly and the queue for sandwiches during lunch was long due to only one server being appointed to that station. Same for bread and toast at breakfast. Hot food wasn't hot. We had select dining and the service was inconsistent. On one evening, the food was served before the wine order was even taken despite several requests to see the sommelier. On another evening, we had to ask three times for coffee and were not even offered a refill. Cheese arrived without biscuits. Some evenings, depending on the table, the service was excellent, on other evenings totally chaotic. The Murano was superb. Our daughter and SIL tried the dining room for breakfast on the morning of her birthday and gave up as the waiter was unable to take the order correctly due to his poor usage of English. I couldn't compare the food and service to a restaurant because it was so disappointing.

 

On RC, this has been our experiences to a T More so now days that in the past. It also varies from ship to ship, but the prices have not changed much so you have to take the fun, good and forget about the just OK(looking for a better word)

[rjrpar]

It sounds like there are varying opinions. Has anyone been on both celebrity and Carnival (recently) and if so, is the food better on Celebrity. My first two cruises with Carnival, the MDR food was very good. Last two cruises (2012 and 2013) food has MOSTLY been between good and pretty good. (As an aside, I can say that Carnival's non MDR options have improved significantly with the 2.0 upgrades and Carnival's food is not bad). But we are paying more for this cruise than Carnival, so the food hopefully is better.

 

We will be dining at Blu for dinner, so hopefully the food suits us okay. DH likes his food pretty simple (he is a meat and potato type of guy). I like things a little more complex with sauces and spices, but I am not into more "exotic" things (like goat cheese, liver). :eek:

 

Celebrity's MDR is probably slightly better than Carnival but it is still mass produced food for thousands of people. Never have eaten in Blu.

[stormynow]

Have done both X and CCL this year and really hard to tell any difference in the MDR. Feel the service may have been better on X.

[Downdie]

Hi,

 

Yes...Cafe al Bacio uses LavAzza coffee in their Espresso drinks...here is a small blurb from the Celebrity website:

 

 

Italy's leading espresso coffee company Lavazza, has been roasting coffees for over 100 years at its plant in the northwest Italian city of Torino.

 

Lavazza's state-of-the-art roasting facility boasts the world's highest concentration of advanced coffee technology. Special attention is paid to each bean as it is inspected for any imperfections and then roasted in air convection roasters which guarantee that each bean is evenly browned and never scorched.

 

Lavazza's investments in technology, research and development and its dedication to quality control combined with the long roasting tradition of this family-owned company, have made the Lavazza brand recognizable worldwide as the leader in espresso coffee.

 

Now as for the coffee in the OceanView machines and other areas on the ship...sometimes I think perhaps they obtain in bulk, those bags of used coffee grounds that Starbucks gives out for people to take home and use in their gardens as fertilizer:(:D...Sorry, Celebrity...but regular coffee is not tasty !!

 

But do enjoy Cafe al Bacio !! (I know I do :) )

 

Woody

However, it's a pity they charge handsomely for it when their RCCL sister line. the Spanish budget line, Pullmantur, serves all their Lavazza specialty coffees FREE in all their bars and cafes

[Hlitner]

Saw the topic and could not resist a comment. We could not compare Celebrity food to any restaurant chain because we would not dine in any chain that had food comparable to Celebrity. While we think that the MDR food on Celebrity is some of the best food of all the mass-market cruise lines....we still put it into the category of "cruise food" which is not something we would be willing to buy ashore. Now if we want to apply this standard to the alternative restaurants that is a different story. If there was a local Murano or Qsine....we would probably visit those restaurants.

 

Hank

[lovey1103]

If you like hot food served cold in the buffet as in Old Country Buffet or banquet type food in the MDR served lukewarm, you will like the food on Celebrity and Princess. Blu is OK, sorta like dining in a very expensive hotel restaurant with minuscule servings. Now, with that said, typically the food is at least on the warm side. IMHO

[K.T.B.]

I've rarely had any problems with the food I get on board of a cruise ship. My experience at Blu (for breakfast) was the first time I actually sent food back and complained.

 

I just love to eat. :D I'm just as comfortable eating at White Castle as I am at Morton's. Great example of that: While in Seattle we ate at Sky City one night and the next morning we had breakfast at Biscuit Bitch. They're on the complete opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of price, but the quality of the food at each place was great.

 

If the food is good, the food is good. It doesn't matter what kitchen it comes out of in that regard!

[Chitown12562]

I've rarely had any problems with the food I get on board of a cruise ship. My experience at Blu (for breakfast) was the first time I actually sent food back and complained.

 

I just love to eat. :D I'm just as comfortable eating at White Castle as I am at Morton's. Great example of that: While in Seattle we ate at Sky City one night and the next morning we had breakfast at Biscuit Bitch. They're on the complete opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of price, but the quality of the food at each place was great.

 

If the food is good, the food is good. It doesn't matter what kitchen it comes out of in that regard!

 

Well said. I love Morton's. I also love a hotdog wrapped in bacon served by a street vender in LA. Good food is good food.

 

As for the OT, well at first I was intrigued by this question. Then I had a thought. Red Lobster is like what? Really it's like Red Lobster. Even the fast food burger places are different from each other.

 

Celebrity is Celebrity. Some great, some good, some so-so, but mostly very good. Add the Carribean sun, the gentle swap of the ship, the view from my balcony, and some formal night photos. There's no restaurant I know of that hast that great combination.

[frankt]

come on a hot dog from a vendor is way better than the ships food

[Hlitner]

What an interesting thread. We cruise a lot (over 70 days a year), enjoy Celebrity (Elite Plus), but have often said that we would never pay for the MDR quality food in any land-based restaurant. Cruise food is pretty good, Celebrity's is better then most, but it just does not rise to a level that would satisfy us on land.

 

Now the alternative restaurants are a different story and if Qsine existed on land we would be occasional customers.

 

Hank

[Tommy3putts]

Haven't sailed X yet, but from my research and a year on this forum I'm hoping my 2014 Med Cruise on Reflection would equate to a stay at the

Bellagio or Wynn Hotels in Las Vegas. Just the right amount of fancy with some fun thrown in.

[rjrpar]

We always enjoy all the dining venues on cruises(X,CCL, RCCL, Princess). The rooms are elegant, the service is good(and fun), the selection is more than adequate and we are on vacation.. However, when you think of some of the choices and how they compare to any decent land restaurant, the cruise lines don't compare well. Some examples in the MDR: salads, shrimp cocktails, soups, steaks, most desserts. If served these items onshore, would anyone not return them because of portion size, quality, or lack of taste?

This is not a complaint, with the prices of cruises I think they do a great job. You get what you pay for.

[graphicguy]

Haven't sailed X yet, but from my research and a year on this forum I'm hoping my 2014 Med Cruise on Reflection would equate to a stay at the

Bellagio or Wynn Hotels in Las Vegas. Just the right amount of fancy with some fun thrown in.

 

Boy...I hope your expectations are met.

 

On the Solstice, I'd say the experience wasn't even in the Bellagio or Wynn ballpark. That doesn't make it bad, just not close (and I've stayed in both).

 

Using the Vegas reference, think more along the lines of Treasure Island or Riviera without the "glitz" and you'll get close. Actually, the food at Treasure Island or Riviera would be better.

[Tommy3putts]

Boy...I hope your expectations are met.

 

 

 

....Using the Vegas reference, think more along the lines of Treasure Island or Riviera without the "glitz" and you'll get close. Actually, the food at Treasure Island or Riviera would be better.

 

 

Ouch. Stayed all of the above except the Riv (but been to Riv and its a dump these days) Bellagio is still one of my Favs. TI??? Really? Today's TI is no where near the Steve Wynn TI of old. I'll pass judgement myself on X once I sail. But my friends who are very knowledgable about X would probably respectfully disagree with your analogy. It is subjective though.

 

Cheers

[20pluscruises]

Ouch. Stayed all of the above except the Riv (but been to Riv and its a dump these days) Bellagio is still one of my Favs. TI??? Really? Today's TI is no where near the Steve Wynn TI of old. I'll pass judgement myself on X once I sail. But my friends who are very knowledgable about X would probably respectfully disagree with your analogy. It is subjective though.

 

Cheers

 

Ruh Roh...Celebrity is in no way a Bellagio...Venetian, maybe? AND some of the older ships...we're talkin' Luxor.

[20pluscruises]

What an interesting thread. We cruise a lot (over 70 days a year), enjoy Celebrity (Elite Plus), but have often said that we would never pay for the MDR quality food in any land-based restaurant. Cruise food is pretty good, Celebrity's is better then most, but it just does not rise to a level that would satisfy us on land.

 

Now the alternative restaurants are a different story and if Qsine existed on land we would be occasional customers.

 

Hank

 

Do you remember when it was Michael Roux? It was very good in 1990. Not a Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée, Paris France good, but it was very good.

Edited February 4, 2014 by 20pluscruises

[Tommy3putts]

Ruh Roh...Celebrity is in no way a Bellagio...Venetian, maybe? AND some of the older ships...we're talkin' Luxor.

 

 

Better than Circus Circus, Union Plaza, or God forbid.....The Imperial Palace (May she rest in peace). :-))