Decline of buffet quality, especially in evening?

[Hlitner]

We just did our first cruise on Celebrity on the Solstice and were so disappointed with the food. The Oceanview food was never hot even if it had just been put out and the scrambled eggs were runny.

The dining room wasn't great either. I felt like they should spend more time improving the food rather then trying to get everyone to buy the specialty packages.

Not sure if I will be using Celebrity again.

 

Or course the scrambled eggs were runny, because they no longer use real eggs. Now, its commercial liquid eggs that are used in both scrambled eggs and omelets. The only way to get a real egg is to get it in a form when you can see the actual yoke...such as eggs benedict, over easy, soft boiled, etc.

 

As to the dining room, it seems like the current CEO has no intention of improving anything. But some will have to wait and see. As to us, after our next X cruise...we are going to spend our money elsewhere until we get some indication that X is moving back to a quality product.

 

Hank

[bigbenboys]

We been cruising on Celebrity since 2001. If I look at the big picture the food has only gotten better with more choices over the years.

[cruising cockroach]

A TPAC on the Millennium will be my first Celebrity cruise in the modern era (the first two were Chandris in the '70s). I'm glad our daily rate is well under $50 each as it's not going to be a pleasant dining experience. It might even make the Filipino-cooked food on a Romanian-officered container ship look good!

[riclop]

YES that is on every line !!!!!

[shipshape sam]

We just returned from the Millennium , south bound Alaska cruise. We were on the same cruise 4 years ago, and we're very disappointed with both the Main Dining-room and Buffett. What a change from last time!! I can't image it could get much worse. I agree with previous reviews, too much Chinese, Indian, and junk! The best part of each meal was dessert. Especially the pastries and cakes. We refuse to pay extra to eat in the specialty restaurants. If this is the direction Celebrity is going to take, we will have to jump ship! We were actually anxious to come home to good , healthy food again.

On the plus side, we had the best room steward ever!! We gave Hiras a 10 on the review.

 

 

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Your comments made me think that there are many, many great employees that bear the brunt of poor and/or short term financial management decisions.

 

I do find that there is a wide opinion on most cruises and have seen that play out on CC where one person complains and another raves about the same cruise. Not sure that Celebrity is any worst than any other mass cruise line, but we can hope that they (management) 'Want to be the best cruise line AND not the better than.....(you fill in) cruise line!'

Edited June 14, 2017 by shipshape sam

[shipshape sam]

We been cruising on Celebrity since 2001. If I look at the big picture the food has only gotten better with more choices over the years.

 

Can you provide some good examples that did not come with a higher price/cost to passengers?

 

My experience is that any that got better got better at a higher cost. I do cannot recall and standard offering getting better. I first sailed on Celebrity in 2005.

Edited June 14, 2017 by shipshape sam

[grandgeezer]

We've been cruising since 2003 and exclusively with Celebrity the last seven years. In the last three years, or so, we've seen a decline in the quality of food in the buffet. The question is, would we patronize the buffet if it was a restaurant in our neighborhood? The answer is no. There are too many really quality places to eat so we don't have to settle for average.

The same could be said for the MDR, but we love Blu.

[Tatka]

We also cruised with X since 2003 (Century) and haven't noticed a decline. Especially in quality of buffets.

Iirc back then you even had to make reservations to attend evening buffet.

[uktraveller]

We sailed on Constellation in December and thought the buffet was the worst we had ever experienced. We sailed Reflection last month and the buffet was back to the standard we were used to, so I'm inclined to think it is an m-class v s-class difference.

We are sailing Millenium in September, and if it's as poor as Constellation (not just the food but other aspects too) we will not sail m-class again. The fact that the ships are older is not an excuse for a 3 star experience.

[Amishcountry]

We sailed on Constellation in December and thought the buffet was the worst we had ever experienced. We sailed Reflection last month and the buffet was back to the standard we were used to, so I'm inclined to think it is an m-class v s-class difference.

 

We are sailing Millenium in September, and if it's as poor as Constellation (not just the food but other aspects too) we will not sail m-class again. The fact that the ships are older is not an excuse for a 3 star experience.

 

 

 

I totally agree. I loved the Millennium , but if that has become the new standard , I will not return

 

 

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[Pushka]

I'd far prefer Asian food to Mexican style so I guess I'd be happy.

[Tatka]

We sailed on Constellation in December and thought the buffet was the worst we had ever experienced. We sailed Reflection last month and the buffet was back to the standard we were used to, so I'm inclined to think it is an m-class v s-class difference.

We are sailing Millenium in September, and if it's as poor as Constellation (not just the food but other aspects too) we will not sail m-class again. The fact that the ships are older is not an excuse for a 3 star experience.

Not sure as we had great buffet on Summit to Bermuda

[Sammigar]

To date, we've only done M class ships on X. Our first S class cruise will be this December. I don't mind the buffet, but I'm not a foodie. As long as the food offers decent nutrition and doesn't taste offensive, I'm okay, even if there's only a limited selection of decently nutritious food. My husband, on the other hand, needs food to actually be palette pleasing and he actually prefers the buffet to the MDR for dinner. All that said though, for lunch, given the choice between the buffet and the aqua spa cafe, I'll take the aqua spa cafe as food is superior in quality, nutrition and taste to what's offered in the buffet.

[shipshape sam]

I must be a picky eater and also, I do remember when the food was much better in general and had items that are not available any more other than for a fee, i.e. sushi in evening on M class ships.

 

For sure, each of us have different tastes, so that is part of our differing opinions

 

I still like the cookies most days, so can we at least get agreement that the cookies are still good?

[Hlitner]

To date, we've only done M class ships on X. Our first S class cruise will be this December. I don't mind the buffet, but I'm not a foodie. As long as the food offers decent nutrition and doesn't taste offensive, I'm okay, even if there's only a limited selection of decently nutritious food. My husband, on the other hand, needs food to actually be palette pleasing and he actually prefers the buffet to the MDR for dinner. All that said though, for lunch, given the choice between the buffet and the aqua spa cafe, I'll take the aqua spa cafe as food is superior in quality, nutrition and taste to what's offered in the buffet.

 

Sorry, but cannot resist. I do not give a hoot about the "nutrition" aspects of the buffet on this, or any other ship. What I do care about is the overall variety and quality. If things taste good. we are happy campers. If they taste awful...then we would rather be elsewhere. Given a choice between a good tasting burger with 30% fat....or a more nutritious burger with 10% fat.....give me the fat.....any time. As to nutrition, I will confess (with head held low) that I have never read the nutrition postings at McDonalds, Arby's. or any other fast food place. And when we pass a food venue that advertises "healthy food" we simply hold our nose and walk on! Sorry,

 

Hank

P.S. We do confess to preferring less healthy ice cream with a high fat content

[4774Papa]

Sorry, but cannot resist. I do not give a hoot about the "nutrition" aspects of the buffet on this, or any other ship. What I do care about is the overall variety and quality. If things taste good. we are happy campers. If they taste awful...then we would rather be elsewhere. Given a choice between a good tasting burger with 30% fat....or a more nutritious burger with 10% fat.....give me the fat.....any time. As to nutrition, I will confess (with head held low) that I have never read the nutrition postings at McDonalds, Arby's. or any other fast food place. And when we pass a food venue that advertises "healthy food" we simply hold our nose and walk on! Sorry,

 

Hank

P.S. We do confess to preferring less healthy ice cream with a high fat content

Hank,

We are not without weaknesses regarding diet. I am a sucker for good Mexican food. However, you won't get really good Tex=Mex on a cruise ship.

 

Nutrition just seems to draw me closer to watching what I eat as I get older. It started in my late 20s and gradually I have become very focused on healthy eating.

 

One reason that the buffet still seems to be a good eating place may depend on what I eat. At breakfast, I like Eggs Benedict. Eggs are healthy, just don't eat them every day. I love the Muesli that X has with all the fruit you can add. The salad bar is still excellent.

 

Sugar is you enemy. I think the fitness pioneer, Jack La Lane said it well. We don't eat desserts on a regular basis. On cruises, we do eat the modest deserts in the MDR, but not the extra at the ice cream bar, etc.

 

When X has a BBQ in the pool area, we usually choose the turkey burgers. They are very healthy and tasty.

 

The more you eat healthy, the more you want healthy. Do you eat to live or live to eat?

[Tatka]

Actually eggs are now acquitted, so no problem eating them every day.

Something about body regulating cholesterol intake and production by itself.

I am also diet conscious. :)

 

We also don't it deserts in MDR. As we are usually full from entries and startes. We could it occasional desert in buffet as a separate treat. Usually 2-3 times during the week.

And no drinking packages!

[cot427]

Just a quick comment on the buffet on Millennium. Never ate there for dinner, breakfast was probably the best in terms of consistency and quality. Lunch was okay. Late night snacks - pizza was often completely out when I went, waiting for about 10 minutes. One time I went and they cut the pizza slices into bite sized pieces. I've never seen that before! I was kind of shocked by that.

[Sammigar]

Sorry, but cannot resist. I do not give a hoot about the "nutrition" aspects of the buffet on this, or any other ship. What I do care about is the overall variety and quality. If things taste good. we are happy campers. If they taste awful...then we would rather be elsewhere. Given a choice between a good tasting burger with 30% fat....or a more nutritious burger with 10% fat.....give me the fat.....any time. As to nutrition, I will confess (with head held low) that I have never read the nutrition postings at McDonalds, Arby's. or any other fast food place. And when we pass a food venue that advertises "healthy food" we simply hold our nose and walk on! Sorry,

 

Hank

P.S. We do confess to preferring less healthy ice cream with a high fat content

That's my point. I value nutrition over taste. You're like my husband who cares all about taste and not a rip about nutrition. These things factor into our opinion of the buffet fare. It's very possible two people can eat at the same buffet and have wildly different opinions about how good it is.

Can you provide some good examples that did not come with a higher price/cost to passengers?

 

My experience is that any that got better got better at a higher cost. I do cannot recall and standard offering getting better. I first sailed on Celebrity in 2005.

 

 

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[stereo]

I just got off the Connie--liked the food in the MDR--but if the buffet lunch and dinner choices do not improve (cold and ugly) my final celeb cruise will be on the Eclipse cruise this May

[lb0103]

We also did Vancouver to Seward on the Millie, not sure if same as OP. Lunch in buffet was horrible and I am not a foodie at all. The Asian food was every day the same thing and I can not eat it, it doesn't like me, whatever is in it literally makes me sick. We ate breakfast there every morning bacon and eggs so that was fine. Dinner we ate in MDR and we had a great waiter and the food was fine, not 5 star but good choices and if you didn't like something our wonderful waiter got us something else.

 

But Oceanview for lunch was really bad and we were on a 16 day on Infinity in the fall and Summit last spring for 8 days and did not have the same stuff every day.

 

When we got to Anchorage and were chatting with the visitor center people and asked what ship we came from and said Millie, they asked how was the buffet at lunch, we said terrible and I guess everyone on that ship said the same thing.

 

We do the buffet at lunch as we never know what time we will be ready to do lunch and usually the MDR was already closed so we had no choice. We do NOT do speciality venues, our choice. This was just a 7 day cruise, I will have to read more comments about longer cruises, I am hoping it is just the Millie.

[Alatraveler1]

Food on Millennium June 23rd sailing, of course subjective, but to me not nearly the quality of my last Celebrity cruise. As for MDR, not open on port days for lunch, Seriously Celebrity, how cheap can you get? I think many Carnival ships have MDRs open on port days, and they don't advertise themselves as "Modern Luxury". Evenings, most items in MDR were acceptable, some very good such as fish dishes, some with little flavor and many sauces flavorless. Needed a magnifying glass to see shrimp the few times offered other than in cocktail which were also miniscule. Interesting that the lobster, scallop and beef wellington dishes were on same night. Guess it was a cost saving to serve less of each than offer them on different nights. Thankful for anytime choices, that with the exception of some of the tiniest escargot I've ever seen, were great each night. Soups were uninspired and chilled soups lacked greatness of years ago. Overall, and it pains me to say it, but average for cruise food.

 

Some buffet food was excellent including grilled to order fish and minute steaks near aft. Breakfast was standard with omelettes very good but bacon and other breakfast meats salty to the extreme. Quite repetitive as stir fry, make your own caeser salad and several Indian dishes EVERY DAY AND NIGHT. Ice cream was excellent, other desserts lacked fIavor and were also very repetitive. Not sure if some of the exact same items, and I don't mean recipes I mean same dishes uneaten the previous night, brought out of cold storage and served several nights in a row. I thought buffet on NCL Epic was slightly better a couple months ago. This is saying something as I used to think Celebrity food was head and shoulders above other main lines. In summary, unless this was just on off week and I can be convinced otherwise, I can no longer put the "+" sign as definitely being number one in the Celebrity column for dining when choosing between cruise lines. And this hurts, as the website and information provided in advance of cruise tour were already big "-" items. The service was excellent on almost all occasions and completely attributable to Celebrity, and the cruise was fantastic because of the ports, excursions and scenery that were not. I would have been disappointed if this were a Carib. or TA cruise, the scenery, natural beauty and experience of Alaska being amazing. As it seems with many aspects of cruising, and due to many of them now very similar in terms of quality, it seems to be coming down to itinerary and cost when deciding among cruise lines.

[CruisingUS]

While I appreciate their attempt at variety, I think they need to ease off the "world tour" fare that dominates the tables. Not everyone wants Sri Lankan, Indonesian, and Indian every meal, which seemed to be the case on our last couple of sailings. There are only so many stations, especially on M-class, so the "variety" isn't so varied in the end.

I personally don't need more hamburgers, fries, pasta, pizza, lasagna, or other kinds of American food that are ubiquitous in the cruise industry. Variety is the spice of life.

[CruisingUS]

Food on Millennium June 23rd sailing, of course subjective, but to me not nearly the quality of my last Celebrity cruise. As for MDR, not open on port days for lunch, Seriously Celebrity, how cheap can you get? I think many Carnival ships have MDRs open on port days, and they don't advertise themselves as "Modern Luxury". Evenings, most items in MDR were acceptable, some very good such as fish dishes, some with little flavor and many sauces flavorless. Needed a magnifying glass to see shrimp the few times offered other than in cocktail which were also miniscule. Interesting that the lobster, scallop and beef wellington dishes were on same night. Guess it was a cost saving to serve less of each than offer them on different nights. Thankful for anytime choices, that with the exception of some of the tiniest escargot I've ever seen, were great each night. Soups were uninspired and chilled soups lacked greatness of years ago. Overall, and it pains me to say it, but average for cruise food.

 

Some buffet food was excellent including grilled to order fish and minute steaks near aft. Breakfast was standard with omelettes very good but bacon and other breakfast meats salty to the extreme. Quite repetitive as stir fry, make your own caeser salad and several Indian dishes EVERY DAY AND NIGHT. Ice cream was excellent, other desserts lacked fIavor and were also very repetitive. Not sure if some of the exact same items, and I don't mean recipes I mean same dishes uneaten the previous night, brought out of cold storage and served several nights in a row. I thought buffet on NCL Epic was slightly better a couple months ago. This is saying something as I used to think Celebrity food was head and shoulders above other main lines. In summary, unless this was just on off week and I can be convinced otherwise, I can no longer put the "+" sign as definitely being number one in the Celebrity column for dining when choosing between cruise lines. And this hurts, as the website and information provided in advance of cruise tour were already big "-" items. The service was excellent on almost all occasions and completely attributable to Celebrity, and the cruise was fantastic because of the ports, excursions and scenery that were not. I would have been disappointed if this were a Carib. or TA cruise, the scenery, natural beauty and experience of Alaska being amazing. As it seems with many aspects of cruising, and due to many of them now very similar in terms of quality, it seems to be coming down to itinerary and cost when deciding among cruise lines.

 

Wow...would you say the X MDR > NCL MDR too?

[jacen]

I really enjoy all the comments about the food and the complaints,I wonder what people eat when they are home.l eat in the grill every morning & for lunch,2 hard-boiled eggs & fruits,a salad for lunch,no gopp on the salad,& select dining at nite.love it,no problems.l don't go on a cruise to eat pizza,hot dogs & other crap,tend to avoid desserts & cake,I don't want to go home with 50 lbs over hanging my belt,go to the gym.Ships are great,crew is wonderful,just enjoy yourself & stop complaining !

 

 

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