GastroBar price increases (DOUBLED?) !

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

I guess we will never have a burger in Dallas. Never have paid that much for a hamburger and that includes some of the most expensive cities in the world including London, Singapore, Sydney, New York and dozens of others. Have no idea what you would get for that kind of money since we can get a grass fed, hand ground and formed ground beef burger for about half that.

 

I think you are paying a wee bit more for a hamburger than it is worth.

 

I've had a couple $20+ burgers in Vegas. They were very good. Having said that, I've had plenty for way less elsewhere which were equally good.

 

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[Alsmez]

Wow, GastroBar looks great on Equinox - a big improvement over Cellar Masters in terms of the space being inviting. I do like the idea of a dedicated wine bar, but having spent time in Cellar Masters on both Equinox and Reflection I never cared much for the space. It is IDEALLY located for a pre-dinner drink if you're eating in the MDR, though, which meant we used it a lot on Equinox (we were in Blu on Reflection). I would think they would be better off keeping that space as a bar of some kind and putting GastroBar in the Bistro on 5 space (especially since they clearly have no idea what to do with that area).

[wallie5446]

I guess we will never have a burger in Dallas. Never have paid that much for a hamburger and that includes some of the most expensive cities in the world including London, Singapore, Sydney, New York and dozens of others. Have no idea what you would get for that kind of money since we can get a grass fed, hand ground and formed ground beef burger for about half that.

 

I think you are paying a wee bit more for a hamburger than it is worth.

 

See if you can find a grocery that offers fresh American Wagyu Beef, it normally starts at $40-50 a pound, and 6 oz filets at $70 ea. Many rate it better than Kobe beef.

Look at Allen Brothers.

[wallie5446]

Wow, GastroBar looks great on Equinox - a big improvement over Cellar Masters in terms of the space being inviting. I do like the idea of a dedicated wine bar, but having spent time in Cellar Masters on both Equinox and Reflection I never cared much for the space. It is IDEALLY located for a pre-dinner drink if you're eating in the MDR, though, which meant we used it a lot on Equinox (we were in Blu on Reflection). I would think they would be better off keeping that space as a bar of some kind and putting GastroBar in the Bistro on 5 space (especially since they clearly have no idea what to do with that area).

 

They keep a nice selection of 8-10-12 wines in stock there also, and when the wifester found one elsewhere she liked, they had it there for her that night.

The Ladies homesteaded the end of the bar, while some from our Roll Call talked about the great Craft selection.

EW

[wallie5446]

Here are some pics of the Equinox Gastrobar.

 

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Thanks Mike! Your pic postin skills are way better dan mine is!:D

EW

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

See if you can find a grocery that offers fresh American Wagyu Beef, it normally starts at $40-50 a pound, and 6 oz filets at $70 ea. Many rate it better than Kobe beef.

Look at Allen Brothers.

 

Well marbled (FAT) = YUM !!

 

Ordered a Kobe Ribeye (so they said, but I doubt it) at Bellagio a few years ago. Something like $175... would not have ordered it if the casino had not been picking up the tab!

 

Tom

[wallie5446]

Well marbled (FAT) = YUM !!

 

Ordered a Kobe Ribeye (so they said, but I doubt it) at Bellagio a few years ago. Something like $175... would not have ordered it if the casino had not been picking up the tab!

 

Tom

 

WOW! Of all the adds to see here on CC, one for Allen Brothers just popped up at the top of the page!

http://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=C2r86BejMVrjHKsqKBfn7jvAJ8sPK50LavPG3vwGSueGn9wMQASDF3vAbYMmm84zkpMAToAHO3aXXA8gBAuACAKgDAcgDmQSqBLEBT9CTHcOXcyfQd9AlEBxe8kZEJDmBFTkBHxbtC0o3fm0ZXCcF4KJGo5IGt8Dh7XnBEkGma_SlRx68JyPp2v8Rr12wEztxz3FuiZAj3RST8Ovo8vKjqAr3dnC_B_--Au_L9sPa6DGP_S4x1tgXwungHGLEi8DIcTKhC7iP3f-hlXTNWIidjHYf3aSD-sJH__W0dLvQcbKf8-0DFjQ0iEasuZoqXAIHoBWhzpoOJ4-WXfVb4AQBiAYBoAYCgAeaotooqAemvhvYBwE&num=1&cid=5GjKfIY2XzQ2dEhlPPgHUA-i&sig=AOD64_3WanhKUlyQgqzwMxS9-BSoBdR8dg&client=ca-pub-3284748043784390&nm=3&nx=176&ny=54&mb=2&adurl=http://www.allenbrothers.com/wagyu.html%3Futm_campaign%3DRemarketing%26utm_medium%3Dcpc%26utm_source%3Dgoogle%26utm_content%3DWagyu-Remarketing

[SusieV]

We had a look at the menu when we were on Eclipse. I can't imagine the venue is going to do well. By the time two people have an appetizer, main course, and dessert, you're getting close to the cost of one of the "good" specialty restaurants. Paying that for basically bar food feels a little ridiculous to me.

 

If people like and enjoy it though, more for them.

[Shirley C]

The only S-Class with a dedicated GastroBar is the Equinox. On the other 4 Cellar Masters remains and the craft beers were added to the Passport Bar along with the food choices, almost as an after thought.

 

We loved the area on the Equinox. Just across from the Martini Bar at the entrance to the Casino, it was always hard to get a seat when open.

 

Do you know if any of the drinks part of a beverage package?

[wallie5446]

Do you know if any of the drinks part of a beverage package?

 

Sorry, no. The last 3 cruises we have had the Premium pkg. from the get go. So never paid attention except to how much over each time we spent.

 

Last cruise, 7 pages of card swipes, a final bill of $18.00. The SOM at dinner did not swipe the card every time, only at the bars.

EW

 

Maybe I did not understand your question?

Edited February 24, 2016 by wallie5446

[Shirley C]

Sorry, no. The last 3 cruises we have had the Premium pkg. from the get go. So never paid attention except to how much over each time we spent.

 

Last cruise, 7 pages of card swipes, a final bill of $18.00. The SOM at dinner did not swipe the card every time, only at the bars.

EW

 

Maybe I did not understand your question?

 

My question was did you have to pay extra for drinks in Gastro Pub or was it included with premium drink package.

 

It's definitely nice having the package and getting a low or zero bill at the end. Our last cruise we didn't even use all our OBC credit.

 

Shirley

[Christine Frances]

We had a look at the menu when we were on Eclipse. I can't imagine the venue is going to do well. By the time two people have an appetizer, main course, and dessert, you're getting close to the cost of one of the "good" specialty restaurants. Paying that for basically bar food feels a little ridiculous to me.

 

If people like and enjoy it though, more for them.

 

The large plates are usually shared as there is lots of food. You should try the smoked cheddar ale soup though OMG it's fabulous. That soup and a couple of excellent beers made a perfect lunch:)

[wallie5446]

My question was did you have to pay extra for drinks in Gastro Pub or was it included with premium drink package.

 

It's definitely nice having the package and getting a low or zero bill at the end. Our last cruise we didn't even use all our OBC credit.

 

Shirley

 

Gotcha!

Yes, the Premium pkg coverage worked great there too.

 

There is a Happy Hour where everything is half price, and the drink pkg does not work. That was when I had the $35 bomber of Rouge Double Choclate Stout, for $17.50. With the pkg it would have been $22.

[Shirley C]

Gotcha!

Yes, the Premium pkg coverage worked great there too.

 

There is a Happy Hour where everything is half price, and the drink pkg does not work. That was when I had the $35 bomber of Rouge Double Choclate Stout, for $17.50. With the pkg it would have been $22.

 

Thanks. We're going to give it a try next January when we are on the Equinox.

 

Shirley

[kevinyork]

I also struggle with Xs restaurant pricing. We've only been on Eclipse so no Porch/Lawn Grill. We've tried Tuscan. It was good but OH struggled with Vegetarian options. We did Murano with some cruise friends but found it style over substance. We only tried these two after being offered/negotiating discounts. Waiters are everywhere over the ship all day trying to get you to eat in these restaurants. If they were so good and pricing was correct why do they need to try so hard to get custom in there?

 

We saw the Gastrobar in the Passport bar last year and thought it was a muddled concept. The only people we saw eating were two cruise friends who waited over an hour for their entrees which were described 'adequate' and that was at the lower prices.

 

We ate at Bistro in our 2nd voyage and had cold crepes when they should have been hot and with the price increase we've not been back. We don't like Sushi and with the prices on their new menu wouldn't eat there if we did like Sushi.

 

So we will remain happy with the included offerings and won't be giving X any extra for other dining options. We would be happy to pay a fair price for different restaurants with good food options but for us X are not offering anything that excites.

 

As a comparison on the UK line P&O one of their speciality restaurants offers Asian/Indian cuisine by a Michelin starred London restaurant owner. The charge is £15/$25 for a meal that would set you back closer to £85pp in his London establishment. As a result it's popular and very well regarded. At lunch they offer three tapas plates for £5. A bargain for such top quality food.

 

 

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[hcat]

On our EQ cruise, Gb was fairly empty (like its predecessor wine bar) , except for playoff games... and then all the TVs were on very hi volume...

It was nice cozy spot during the day with lounge chairs for reading..

Tried to order lunch / snacks once but we were too early...seems they were a later in the day kind of place...neither the old or new menu is very appealing to us, esp the higher prices but it is another option for those who enjoy it.... definite trend to a la carte pricing at the extra price places.....