Equinox Mast Grill Now Extra Cost

[offnoncruiser]

Made by Grandma no doubt in her own little kitchen. And of course it's real Kobe beef. They have Geisha Girls massaging the Texas cattle.

 

Boy it didn't take Celebrity long to consider the Constellation experiment a success huh?

 

Watch out, the homemade ice cream is next. $10 for two dips. (just a prediction not announced YET)

 

Noooo!!! Now that would DEFINITELY be the last straw for us. Getting close to that already. We've got one cruise booked (Celebrity) and really aren't that excited about it unfortunately.

 

As someone somewhat jokingly mentioned, could it be the "we've got all that OBC to use up, so let's go ahead and buy a couple of those $10 burgers" attitude? Wouldn't surprise me a bit that Celebrity is thinking along those lines.

 

Thx.

[riclop]

Unreal and not that good.

[bob brown]

I've sailed on NCL mostly recently, and they did similar to the Breakaway, and other ships....

They used to serve outstanding burger's at the "Uptown Grill". located outside the pool area....

Now they've converted those venues into "Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville At Sea". They now charge for the burger's served there.

However, you can still get free burger's in the buffet, and also, the great burger's they used to offer at the Uptown Grill are served free at the "O'Sheehan's Pub", above the atrium in the ship's interior.

 

We're all hoping that passenger's will "vote with their wallet", and boycott the Margaritaville, until NCL drops the charge, and/or return the venue to the former Uptown Grill, when the contract with Jimmy Buffet hopefully ends...

[DYKWIA]

Isn't there still the Spa Cafe at no charge for SOME items?

 

Yes they serve up yoghurt and slices of fruit with chilli flakes sprinkled on

[DYKWIA]

Reminds me of a sign I saw outside a store in the Turkish countryside that read "Genuine Fake Watches".

At least they were honest.

 

In Thailand the guides tell you there are different levels of Fake. My first fake Rolex was very good. It lasted about 5 years. A friend of mine who is a jeweller said he thought it was the best fake Rolex he'd seen. Always feel the weight!

[DYKWIA]

How much longer will it be before there is a charge just to enter the Ocean View Cafe?

 

Hate to say it but it would be very easy to turn one of those stations into a Premium station and charge extra for stuff from it.

[cruiseerf]

Glad Celebrity is making these changes. The Free burgers will continue to available AT THE BUFFET so people will have to walk another 50 feet. celebrity is a Luxury line and a Luxury Burger will be fun to try. Our experience at the burger bar is that they are pre made frozen and mediocre so we welcome the change. Also.....Maybe the cost will cut back on the lines....some people are tight..if they want free burgers by the pool.....perhaps its time to change cruiselines.........

[ChucktownSteve]

Glad Celebrity is making these changes. The Free burgers will continue to available AT THE BUFFET so people will have to walk another 50 feet. celebrity is a Luxury line and a Luxury Burger will be fun to try. Our experience at the burger bar is that they are pre made frozen and mediocre so we welcome the change. Also.....Maybe the cost will cut back on the lines....some people are tight..if they want free burgers by the pool.....perhaps its time to change cruiselines.........

 

So you're expecting fresh, unfrozen burgers at the changed venue? Kinda like their fresh squeezed OJ brought on board at embarkation?

[Spursgirl]

Glad Celebrity is making these changes. The Free burgers will continue to available AT THE BUFFET so people will have to walk another 50 feet. celebrity is a Luxury line and a Luxury Burger will be fun to try. Our experience at the burger bar is that they are pre made frozen and mediocre so we welcome the change. Also.....Maybe the cost will cut back on the lines....some people are tight..if they want free burgers by the pool.....perhaps its time to change cruiselines.........

 

With respect, Celebrity may describe themselves as Modern Luxury but no way are they a luxury line.

 

Have you ever been on one? You can see the differences in a heartbeat which of course you are paying for

[excitedofharpenden]

With respect, Celebrity may describe themselves as Modern Luxury but no way are they a luxury line.

Spot on.

 

Phil

[ChucktownSteve]

With respect, Celebrity may describe themselves as Modern Luxury but no way are they a luxury line.

 

Celebrity is to Modern Luxury as their web site is to award winning. ;p

[villauk]

Glad Celebrity is making these changes. The Free burgers will continue to available AT THE BUFFET so people will have to walk another 50 feet. celebrity is a Luxury line and a Luxury Burger will be fun to try. Our experience at the burger bar is that they are pre made frozen and mediocre so we welcome the change. Also.....Maybe the cost will cut back on the lines....some people are tight..if they want free burgers by the pool.....perhaps its time to change cruiselines.........

 

I think you'll find none of the burgers are free - you'll have paid for them in your initial cruise price ;).

[maherp]

Looks like they have decided to recoup the costs of giving away all perks when they relocated Equinox.

[Poodleleena]

Yes Spa Cafe remains the same. Grilled salmon is excellent!

 

 

 

I love the grilled salmon at the Spa cafe. That's my go to lunch most days, but I always plan to have a burger at least once. I used to love the Mast grill burgers. My first thought was that I would never pay in principle. However, I might buy a small one to compare to the included (not free) burgers from the Oceanview cafe.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Gracie115]

I'll be on Equinox next month. On sea days, I'll be a captive and will have to eat ship food, but the up-charges will make it easier to justify having lunch in port. I can live a week without a burger, and with the exception of Guy's on Carnival, most burgers on cruises are terrible, so it's nothing I'll be too upset about.

 

 

Actually the "Dive In" burgers on Holland are outstanding, cooked to order AND FREE!!

[grimace95120]

So here’s the rub for me.

To me, this isn’t about the burger itself it’s about choices, or lack thereof. I’m not going to debate the validity of Celebrity trying to generate revenue ( however I have to think this will not move the needle much on the bottom line)

Lots of great posts on here about the inconvenience of moving the previously included product. That, to me, is where Celebrity may have missed the mark.

The previously included burgers are still coming on board.They still have to be processed, stored, and delivered to the final prep area.Now that prep area has been moved to the buffet, which adds some level of extra logistics.

If it were me, and this is just my opinion, I would have made the conscious effort to have BOTH products available at the grill. Why?

I look at it this way. Folks who want a burger, but may not want to pay extra, will find a way to get it regardless. However, Celebrity has made it inconvenient for them.

Folks who want to buy a premium product will do so,regardless if there’s a free offering.

These products don’t compete against each other, in fact in many ways they complement one another.

So why not make everyone happy?

You’ve got the facilities in place already. I’m sure there’s plenty of capacity at the Mast Grill to do both. You also have common elements( fries ,toppings etc.) that could potentially end up causing less waste then by splitting them up.

I go to a burger joint in Toronto that serves standard Sysco frozen burgers, but also offers a “home burger”. They’re smart and they coverall the bases, with a little extra effort. Now when I go in and pay for the premium, larger product, my wife can get a smaller, less expensive burger and we are both happy.

This could have been an enhanced customer experience, with some thought prior to rollout. Imagine the tone of this thread, had the roll out been “ Look valued customers, we’ve upgraded your cruise experience by adding an additional product, but there is a cost. Your previous offering is still here though, so please enjoy “.

Instead people got a “so sorry if you want what you previously had access to, get dressed go to the buffet and bring your plate back to the pool”.

 

Perception is key here, and Celebrity has, in my opinion, hurt their reputation on this one.

Edited July 18, 2017 by grimace95120
formatting issues

[The_Big_M]

Maybe the cost will cut back on the lines....some people are tight..

 

 

 

Seems some cruise lines are tight too...

[The_Big_M]

This could have been an enhanced customer experience, with some thought prior to rollout. Imagine the tone of this thread, had the roll out been “ Look valued customers, we’ve upgraded your cruise experience by adding an additional product, but there is a cost. Your previous offering is still here though, so please enjoy “.

 

Exactly. Unfortunately this implementation has just been another chapter in the story of their business. It's gotten old.

[dkjretired]

I mentioned this in the other thread but the Mast Grill has already been dumbed down over the past years. They used to have the usual burgers, hot dogs and one other item such as ribs which changed every day. The extra item was eliminated a few years ago. I'm guessing this will go fleet wide but right now Equinox is in the Caribbean so lots of pool time for people and thus the change. My guess is that Summit is next. I liked getting a burger or hot dog without going inside and thus dressing. I agree with MaBell, there will be people in the buffet in wet clothes because of this change and the possibility of a fall

[richsea]

So here’s the rub for me.

To me, this isn’t about the burger itself it’s about choices, or lack thereof. I’m not going to debate the validity of Celebrity trying to generate revenue ( however I have to think this will not move the needle much on the bottom line)

Lots of great posts on here about the inconvenience of moving the previously included product. That, to me, is where Celebrity may have missed the mark.

The previously included burgers are still coming on board.They still have to be processed, stored, and delivered to the final prep area.Now that prep area has been moved to the buffet, which adds some level of extra logistics.

If it were me, and this is just my opinion, I would have made the conscious effort to have BOTH products available at the grill. Why?

I look at it this way. Folks who want a burger, but may not want to pay extra, will find a way to get it regardless. However, Celebrity has made it inconvenient for them.

Folks who want to buy a premium product will do so,regardless if there’s a free offering.

These products don’t compete against each other, in fact in many ways they complement one another.

So why not make everyone happy?

You’ve got the facilities in place already. I’m sure there’s plenty of capacity at the Mast Grill to do both. You also have common elements( fries ,toppings etc.) that could potentially end up causing less waste then by splitting them up.

I go to a burger joint in Toronto that serves standard Sysco frozen burgers, but also offers a “home burger”. They’re smart and they coverall the bases, with a little extra effort. Now when I go in and pay for the premium, larger product, my wife can get a smaller, less expensive burger and we are both happy.

This could have been an enhanced customer experience, with some thought prior to rollout. Imagine the tone of this thread, had the roll out been “ Look valued customers, we’ve upgraded your cruise experience by adding an additional product, but there is a cost. Your previous offering is still here though, so please enjoy “.

Instead people got a “so sorry if you want what you previously had access to, get dressed go to the buffet and bring your plate back to the pool”.

 

Perception is key here, and Celebrity has, in my opinion, hurt their reputation on this one.

 

That would be a win win.

 

If only you were in charge of those decisions at Celebrity.

[jerseycandyman]

Imo I think while it would be very nice to offer both at mast grill but they are trying to give a more private. And relaxing atmosphere if they offered both they would still have long line and hard to find table so if you are willing to pay you might get better service and more personal experience live sushi on 5. Not that I like it will be on equinox in Oct will see then

[richsea]

Imo I think while it would be very nice to offer both at mast grill but they are trying to give a more private. And relaxing atmosphere if they offered both they would still have long line and hard to find table so if you are willing to pay you might get better service and more personal experience live sushi on 5. Not that I like it will be on equinox in Oct will see then

 

If they wanted a private, nore relaxed atmosphere, they shouldn't have located it at the Mast Grill, or the pool grill as they did on Constellation. Both venues are outside with limited seating. They don't even offer table service; it's like a fast food place. IMO, the whole thing is ill conceived.

[foodsvcmgr]

Grimace - you are correct in that offering both free and upcharge would have been a much better tactic.

Princess has done exactly that at the newly renovated burger bar on Caribbean Princess.

Most offerings are still free, the specialty burger has a fee.

[keesar]

People need a way to spend their OBC and this will be a good place to do so. As others have mentioned, most have already paid for the OBC. I expect this arrangement will survive.

[anniegb]

Actually the "Dive In" burgers on Holland are outstanding, cooked to order AND FREE!!

 

 

Plus 1

 

Annie