Goodbye to Free Burgers and Mast Grill ???

[hcat]

Maybe they are Kobe beef hot dogs. LOL!

 

Like!!!!

 

We'd be lucky if they were beef at all..,

If folks pay for it, it' ll stay..,if we ignore it, maybe they will re think,

[MVPinBoynton]

If you go to the Celebrity Facebook page and click on Visitor Posts and scroll WAY down you'll find this:

 

(I find the post I enlarged and highlighted in red unbelievably insulting.)

They must think we're absolute idiots - "Increasing our complimentary offerings" :mad:

 

 

Celebrity Cruises Hi Tracey,

Our new Top Deck Burger Bar will offer gourmet burgers and hot dogs at a la carte pricing.

Like

· Reply · May 10 at 2:31pm

 

Tracey Peat LaPointe Thank you.

Like

· Reply · May 10 at 2:39pm

 

 

 

Ken Van Riper Sickening and unacceptable that you would start charging extra for burgers and hot dogs

Like

· Reply · Yesterday at 1:12am

 

Christine Lasko Gebhard Will non gourmet burgers and hot dogs be offered there or elsewhere still for no charge?

Like

· Reply · Yesterday at 5:33am

 

Marty LaVere I am also interested in the answer to Christine's question above. It will be informative to read Celebrity's answer.

Like

· Reply · Yesterday at 10:12am

 

 

Celebrity Cruises Hi Christine,

We are actually increasing our complimentary offering by moving complimentary burgers into the Oceanview Café.

Like

· Reply · Yesterday at 12:56pm

 

 

 

Celebrity Cruises Hi Ken,

Thank you for your feedback. Please note that Top Deck Burger Bar will be serving gourmet burgers such as an 8 oz. dry aged Kobe Beef burger served on a Homemade Brioche Bun. We will be moving our complimentary burgers into the Oceanview Café.

Like

· Reply · 1

· Yesterday at 12:59pm

 

Erik Hanson Does this include the turkey and vegetarian options?

Like

· Reply · 13 hrs

 

 

 

Celebrity Cruises Hi Erik,

Yes, we will have vegetarian and turkey gourmet burger options.

Like

· Reply · 3 hrs

 

Erik Hanson Will they be extra cost or moving to the buffet with the other burgers? Thanks

Like

· Reply · 2 hrs

 

 

 

Celebrity Cruises All gourmet burgers and hot dogs will be $9.95.

Like

· Reply · 51 mins

 

Thanks Karen. I am still not seeing the post on my FB; but now I don't need to.

[dkjretired]

Our new Top Deck Burger Bar will offer gourmet burgers and hot dogs at a la carte pricing. Top Deck Burger Bar will be serving gourmet burgers such as an 8 oz. dry aged Kobe Beef burger served on a Homemade Brioche Bun. We will be moving our complimentary burgers into the Oceanview Café.

 

 

So now if I'm at the pool I have to get dressed and go into the buffet to get a burger or hot dog. Not modern luxary taking away something so popular. Bad, bad move

[Beanb41]

Can someone please tell me where I can get my own doom and gloom soothsayer crystal ball. The ship hasn't come out of dock yet and already doom and gloom is going to befall the planet. With all the negativity over a simple hamburger which to be honest could only ever be described as barely average I am looking forward to having a chat with chicken licken when we join the Connie on 26th May. I will also carry my umbrella to prevent getting crushed by the sky falling in

[vtcruising]

That is funny; am guessing the waiter meant well and was just woefully misinformed than that he was lying.

 

 

I am 100% certain there is ZERO actual Kobe beef in anything used on a Celebrity ship. Only a small number of facilities outside of Japan use Kobe beef (there is actually a website that lists all places that have legitimate Kobe beef). Any restaurant serving Kobe beef has a certificate of authenticity for the beef - not just authenticating that they use beef, but a certificate for the individual cow the beef was sourced from. This is even true of authentic Wagyu beef from regions of Japan other than Kobe - i.e. if a restaurant advertises a specific origin and grade of Japanese beef (for example A5 Miyazaki beef) they have a certificate - that even has the nose print of the cow the beef was sourced from (the certificates are pretty cool looking and interesting - I have a picture of one at home I will try to upload to this thread tonight). Even a tiny, minuscule portion of Kobe beef ground into the sliders at Sushi on 5 would be absurdly expensive - as well as very difficult for Celebrity to source - (and would have no discernible bearing on the taste or texture of the product if only a small quantity was used).

 

 

In the U.S. it is (at least for now) acceptable to use terms such as "American Kobe" or "Kobe style" (or to simply use the term Wagyu in a generic way). Even those these terms are meaningless, say nothing about the actual quality or style of the beef, and are simply advertising gimmicks, as of now venues get away with these terms. However for the past few years restaurants in the US have not been able to get away with simply advertising something as "Kobe beef" (without a qualifier that it is not from Japan). Several restaurants were sued (for false advertising) and and paid out in settlements and agreed to stop using the term.

 

 

Best burger I have ever had (and I've consumed many) is also local - an English pub near my residence called Owen & Engine that sources the beef from a nearby farm called Slagel (very high quality beef and they use excellent cuts for the burger). Delicious homemade potato bun and incredible cave aged Cheddar cheese. Love that burger; so juicy with wonderful beefy flavors! Would gladly pay $9.95 for something half that good on a Celebrity ship (and it costs $20 at the restaurant in Chicago - and for the quality/quantity is very reasonable priced).

 

That is very interesting. The waiter seemed very sincere - likely the package said "Kobe-style" or some such thing.

 

That Slagel Cheddar burger sounds amazing! The next time I'm in Chicago....

 

The farm near us in rural Vermont has quite the business - a guy quit his engineering job at IBM several years ago after he had studied and used trial and error to figure out how to raise good tasting, tender beef for his family and then made it a family business. Our small local store grinds the beef fresh every day - grilled and topped with Vermont cheddar or bleu cheese, it is better than steak. It happens to be what we are having for dinner tonight! :D

[Gonzo70]

The farm near us in rural Vermont has quite the business - a guy quit his engineering job at IBM several years ago after he had studied and used trial and error to figure out how to raise good tasting, tender beef for his family and then made it a family business. Our small local store grinds the beef fresh every day - grilled and topped with Vermont cheddar or bleu cheese, it is better than steak. It happens to be what we are having for dinner tonight! :D

 

Nice, that sounds delicious! Have a wonderful dinner.

[vtcruising]

Nice, that sounds delicious! Have a wonderful dinner.

Thanks!

[Wansbrough]

Our new Top Deck Burger Bar will offer gourmet burgers and hot dogs at a la carte pricing. Top Deck Burger Bar will be serving gourmet burgers such as an 8 oz. dry aged Kobe Beef burger served on a Homemade Brioche Bun. We will be moving our complimentary burgers into the Oceanview Café.

Will they be available to all with the same opening hours as the Mast Grille? :confused:

My guess is no..................

[Beanb41]

Will they be available to all with the same opening hours as the Mast Grille? :confused:

My guess is no..................

 

How many hamburgers a day do you want to eat?

[Fouremco]

This article is a bit dated now, but provides some interesting insight into the availability of Kobe beef in Canada:

 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/food-trends/if-you-think-youve-had-kobe-beef-in-canada-youre-wrong-but-now-you-actually-can/article24079613/

[chamima]

Will they be available to all with the same opening hours as the Mast Grille? :confused:

My guess is no..................

 

How many hamburgers a day do you want to eat?

 

 

It's not how many - it's WHEN.

We eat dinner late so very often didn't get lunch until the buffet was closed down for the day (for lunch).

We could always get a (veggie) burger by the pool.

Now that option is gone.

 

Also, as someone said, if you come back from an excursion around 3:30 or 4:00 your only option is now either pay for lunch (burger or sushi) , room service or cake at Al Bacio

[russg140]

I saw the title of this thread and thought....."OH HERE WE GO!"

 

I got the email announcing the change. My thought was, "Wow! Real gourmet burgers with special toppings? Awesome." But I knew what many folks response would be: Just as when X changed Bo5 to Sushi on 5 (and eliminated the FREE sushi in the Oceanview), people are going to be po'd that the Mast Grill was providing a much better product at a fee (but not eliminating FREE burgers altogether). We were on Silhouetter on a TA 11/16 and the Lawn Club Grill was testing lunch with various gourmet burgers (it was free btw) and they were EXCELLENT! I assume this was the precursor to the Mast Grill change.

 

Bottom line: Celebrity is a business. A business is supposed to make money. If they give everything away for free they LOSE money and are not in business for long. You don't want to pay for a burger? Go to the Oceanview. You want don't want to pay for sushi? Pick one of the 1000's of other FREE food options on the ship.

[hubofhockey]

I have never seen a $10 hot dog before, even at ball parks where they overcharge for everything. How do they justify that? Is it because they value the fries so much? :D

[dkjretired]

Can someone please tell me where I can get my own doom and gloom soothsayer crystal ball. The ship hasn't come out of dock yet and already doom and gloom is going to befall the planet. With all the negativity over a simple hamburger which to be honest could only ever be described as barely average I am looking forward to having a chat with chicken licken when we join the Connie on 26th May. I will also carry my umbrella to prevent getting crushed by the sky falling in

 

Again, it's not about a burger, read the whole thread.

[ABoatNerd]

Take a look at all consumer related issues out there. Take the rose coloured glasses off if you can and have the guts to want too!

 

Corporate America is about reducing value to the consumer and increasing profit. Get on the program!.

 

Weather cruise lines, air lines, hotels, restaurants, food production, grocery stores - it is all about reducing the product to the consumer (smaller size, lower quality, lower volume etc) and increasing profit. Celebrity is no different.

 

Every consumer can choose to allow this or simply say no.

 

Celebrity a while back gave up the value proposition of being a bit better than the mass cruise lines - their former advertising emphasized "premium" - the Tina Turner song "simply the best" - now they are simply a run of the mill mass cruise line - a very far away from the Celebrity of the early years.

 

New customers know nothing of the previous Celebrity - it was SOMETHING folks!

 

Fortunately, there are other cruise lines that are the former Celebrity - so sail on I say!

 

Celebrity - as Ab Lincoln said "You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time" - Ha!

 

Happy and Safe Sailing Everyone

[richsea]

$9.95 for a hot dog??? Seriously!!!

 

It is common knowledge that baseball studuims are notorious for outrageous hot dog prices. In 2016, the most expensive hot dogs in the Major Leagues were sold by the Boston Red Sox & the Philadelphia Phillies @ $7.75 a pop.

Celebrity, you have got to be kidding! Anyone who would pay $9.95 should contact me. I have a certain bridge for sale; great location.

[Gonzo70]

$9.95 for a hot dog??? Seriously!!!

 

 

Yeah, that is pretty crazy for a cruise ship hot dog; better though then this restaurant that was scamming people for $17 a pop for a fake Kobe beef hot dog (the article is a good read about restaurants scamming people by falsely calling product Kobe beef):

http://www.insideedition.com/headlines/16132-many-restaurants-with-kobe-beef-on-their-menus-are-not-actually-serving-kobe-beef

 

Though $10 is a real bargain compared to a $2,300 hot dog:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2332554/Worlds-expensive-hot-dog-2-300-nearly-long-baseball-bat-New-Yorks-230-Fifth.html

 

Am attaching a photo of the Wagyu beef authenticity certificate I mentioned earlier this thread; this is for Miyazaki beef; not nearly as rare as Kobe beef in the US, but still rare, very expensive and incredibly delicious - one of my very favorite foods. Any restaurant serving the real deal should be able to produce such a certificate.

 

[Hlitner]

The problem with management in the "Lisa: era is that they are totally disconnected from reality. How many Celebrity passengers are going to pay $10 or a hot dog or burger? We suspect the folks working at the venue will be very bored. I am a senior, do like a decent hot dog...and will admit that I have never...ever...paid $10 for a hot dog in my entire life! As to burgers, yes I have paid that kind of money but it was for a really decent burger (served rare) in a restaurant where it was served! Would I go to a grill and order a $10 burger? No. But even more important, would we continue to cruise on a mass market line that thought it was reasonable to charge $10 or a burger or hotdog? No. Celebrity is just helping to make a case for us to return to Crystal, Seabourn, etc. When nickel and diming become ten dollar bills......no thank you.

 

Hank

[DYKWIA]

I have never seen a $10 hot dog before, even at ball parks where they overcharge for everything. How do they justify that? Is it because they value the fries so much? :D

 

Maybe they will be made from the finest Kobe Beef a#us and eyeballs :-)

 

or maybe they will go full on and make the hot dogs from authentic French Andouillette sausages, better have some sating onions and mustard for those not used to the stink

 

See this being as popular as the Slush bar on the Eclipse, never even seen that open.

[AAAAmerican]

Free Burgers?

 

What is actually FREE but the word being another four leter one. Marketing on the Boob Tube by a cruise line which now makes TIPS a Mandetory FEE? They by the way just raised those FEEs too. Room Service charges too..

 

RCL :NYSE the Parent of Celebrity is trying on each Shareholder benefit to DENY these!

 

What is next to charge a Burgermeister Fee?

[The_Big_M]

Unless they moved the grill since our September 2016 cruise to Canada/New England on Summit, burgers, fries, hot dogs, etc are still grilled outside near the pool area. We have been sailing Summit twice a year since 2012.

 

Yes, that's where the mast grill is. Not sure where the buffet patties are supplied from. May well be from the internal galley.

I just hope the quality doesn't go down on the burgers and fries. RCCL serves their burgers in the Windjammer and they are dried out since they are precooked and then they sit there under heat lamps.

 

Yes, that's how they're served in the buffet. Just delivered on trays and sit under heat lamps for you to make yourself.

[The_Big_M]

My point really in asking the question was, that whenever they would move it, there are gong to be issues for some people. So for someone to say just move it inside, it will cause just as many disappointed people as replacing the Mast Grill with this new venue.

 

Far from it. There are still multiple bars throughout the ship, including a smaller one in the café (Which incidentally took over the previous ice cream bar), plus an additional one inside.

 

Whereas this is the removal of an included burger grill venue, and there are no more. The replacements in the buffet aren't as fresh, they aren't as extensive in range - and given the flexibility of food choices in the buffet, it's just as likely that will be removed entirely in say a year - since they have a "proper burger venue outside"...

[The_Big_M]

Upcharge for a hot dog?????

 

Heck, you even get an extensive, complimentary range on their junior line, RCL.

 

Welcome to 3* sailing.

[The_Big_M]

Bottom line: Celebrity is a business. A business is supposed to make money. If they give everything away for free they LOSE money and are not in business for long.

 

Actually, we're paying for the food in the price we pay for the cruise. They're not "giving it away for free."

 

Plus from your description you must believe they are currently losing money. I suggest you check their financial statements. You will find that is far from the case, and the inclusion of food that we pay for has actually resulted in significant profits.

[poffles]

I am one that likse the 'free' burger at Mast Grill, guess my tastes are not high standard like some others. In fact, my last cruise this is where I ate after first steps on the ship, it was just what I felt like and liked that I didn't have to venture into the buffet. I didn't intentionally run to this venue, it just happened to be the right place at the right moment.

 

Not sure I will pay or a better burger there, maybe/maybe not, but I do feel sad that so many things/venues are becoming 'for fee'. For me those added fees have the added hit of US$ exchange on our Canadian dollar and yes I realize that is not Celebrity's concern but it's the reality of what every extra dollar might means to all who sail them.

 

And yes I know the burgers will be available in the buffet. Maybe the 'for fee' gourmet burgers will be so good that everyone will line up for them and Celebrity will look to the next innovative change and consider taking a section of the buffet and convert to a gourmet pizza shop 'for fee' :)