1st Night Blu Menu Equinox

[helen haywood]

I have seen the Blu menus posted that show a filet on the 1st night, but I just read a review of a cruiser in Blu that said filet was not offered.  Does anyone who has recently been on Equinox have a picture of the menu in Blu on the first night?  Or can remember the entree choices?  Thanks!

[mfs2k]

11 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

I have seen the Blu menus posted that show a filet on the 1st night, but I just read a review of a cruiser in Blu that said filet was not offered.  Does anyone who has recently been on Equinox have a picture of the menu in Blu on the first night?  Or can remember the entree choices?  Thanks!

Did you look at the Celebrity app for the menus for your sailing?  Idk if it’s accurate but I’m guessing they may change the menu order sometimes. 

[Oville]

[Luvcrusn]

Thanks for posting that menu! DH and I always avoid eating in our dining venue the first night to avoid the first night craziness and instead dine in specialty restaurants. We may have to change our plans next trip.

[mfs2k]

This is what the X app shows for first night in Equinox Blu for my cruise in 3 weeks. 

(Pics in reverse order)

 

Edited March 3, 2019 by mfs2k

[Oville]

3 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

This is what the X app shows for first night in Equinox Blu for my cruise in 3 weeks. 

(Pics in reverse order)

 

That typically is night 3.  Beware of relying on the app before you board.  Once onboard it corrects itself.

[keesar]

5 minutes ago, Oville said:

That typically is night 3.  Beware of relying on the app before you board.  Once onboard it corrects itself.

 

That menu was served on the first night on our cruise last week

10 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

This is what the X app shows for first night in Equinox Blu for my cruise in 3 weeks. 

(Pics in reverse order)

 

 The above was the menu for the first night on our cruise on Equinox last week.    There was short ribs, smoked chicken breast, etc.  The filet mignon was served on the last evening and it was fantastic.

Edited March 3, 2019 by keesar

[keesar]

46 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

I have seen the Blu menus posted that show a filet on the 1st night, but I just read a review of a cruiser in Blu that said filet was not offered.  Does anyone who has recently been on Equinox have a picture of the menu in Blu on the first night?  Or can remember the entree choices?  Thanks!

 

Filet mignon was offered on the LAST evening on last weeks cruise on Equinox.

[helen haywood]

Thanks so much guys!  My DH loves the prime rib on the first evening in the MDR but I thought if filet was offered that night in Blu I could appease him....  Since it looks like that 1st night menu isn't thrilling to us we'll eat in the MDR that night and Blu thereafter.  Again, many thanks.

[hcat]

We like the MDR Prime Rib and sometimes book an early time there on the 1st  night..   

 

If you can do that and also get the BLU filet mignon , that's a win win.!

[keesar]

26 minutes ago, hcat said:

We like the MDR Prime Rib and sometimes book an early time there on the 1st  night..   

 

If you can do that and also get the BLU filet mignon , that's a win win.!

 

They did have prime rib in the MDR on the first night.  Cruisers raved about it.   On the first night, we went to Murano instead of Blu and got a 30% discount.  Lobster was the 6th night (Evening Chic) and the next night was filet mignon.  It was outstanding --and I am fussy.

[waverunner43]

Ever since our 1st cruise on the Solstice in 2010 we have been able to order from the MDR menu if we did not like what was offered on our Blu menu. This includes our last cruise on the Equinox last July.  On the 1st night of our March 3rd Silhouette cruise they had Prime Rib in the MDR but anyone eating in Blu was denied ordering from the MDR menu. So between cruises, Celebrity made another disappointing change which resulted in another surprise on the first night.  No notification was given before the cruise of this change.  Anyone eating in the MDR including those with an inside cabin, paying approximately 1/2 the cost of Aqua class cabin, enjoyed Prime Rib while Aqua Class passengers were forced to make a selection off of their menu, none of which seemed appetising to me. 

 

Corporate does not seem to want to budge on this idiodic change so it's putting up with the substandard Blu menu or dining in the noisy MDR.  Celebrity customer service is virtually non-existent.  The maître d, the  restaraunt mgr, the Food & Beverage mgr and guest relations are all powerless and afraid to make a decision on their own.  So sad when a manager at any level is not able to make a decision without fear of repercussions. 

[Xport]

16 minutes ago, waverunner43 said:

Ever since our 1st cruise on the Solstice in 2010 we have been able to order from the MDR menu if we did not like what was offered on our Blu menu. This includes our last cruise on the Equinox last July.  On the 1st night of our March 3rd Silhouette cruise they had Prime Rib in the MDR but anyone eating in Blu was denied ordering from the MDR menu. So between cruises, Celebrity made another disappointing change which resulted in another surprise on the first night.  No notification was given before the cruise of this change.  Anyone eating in the MDR including those with an inside cabin, paying approximately 1/2 the cost of Aqua class cabin, enjoyed Prime Rib while Aqua Class passengers were forced to make a selection off of their menu, none of which seemed appetising to me. 

 

Corporate does not seem to want to budge on this idiodic change so it's putting up with the substandard Blu menu or dining in the noisy MDR.  Celebrity customer service is virtually non-existent.  The maître d, the  restaraunt mgr, the Food & Beverage mgr and guest relations are all powerless and afraid to make a decision on their own.  So sad when a manager at any level is not able to make a decision without fear of repercussions. 

 

[mfs2k]

Thank you for posting this.  This information is good to know.  I'm sailing on Equinox in 2 1/2 weeks in Aqua.  I will be sure to compare each day the  menus for Blu vs the menus in the MDR with my wife and couple we are traveling with, and make a dining decision earlier in the day to decide where we want to eat.  

 

I understand the MDR kitchen is far from the Blu kitchen on Equinox and they share kitchens on certain ships. Assuming the distance is the main issue and if Blu guests were routinely ordering MDR items in Blu, it would cause a huge operational problem for the kitchen and service staff.  I could understand this.  It sounds like communication on a change in policy to you might have been better if you felt blindsided by this. I consider myself informed now. 

Edited March 6, 2019 by mfs2k

[cruisestitch]

"Corporate does not seem to want to budge on this idiodic change so it's putting up with the substandard Blu menu or dining in the noisy MDR.  Celebrity customer service is virtually non-existent.  The maître d, the  restaraunt mgr, the Food & Beverage mgr and guest relations are all powerless and afraid to make a decision on their own.  So sad when a manager at any level is not able to make a decision without fear of repercussions. "

 

US Public Health comes into play here.  There are restrictions about moving food from one kitchen to another.  On the M Class ships, Blue was carved out of the MDR, so they essentially share a kitchen.  On the S class ships, this is not the case.

 

Regulations may have changed since your previous cruise?   Perhaps that is the issue.  

Edited March 6, 2019 by cruisestitch

[waverunner43]

18 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

Thank you for posting this.  This information is good to know.  I'm sailing on Equinox in 2 1/2 weeks in Aqua.  I will be sure to compare each day the  menus for Blu vs the menus in the MDR with my wife and couple we are traveling with, and make a dining decision earlier in the day to decide where we want to eat.  

 

I understand the MDR kitchen is far from the Blu kitchen on Equinox and they share kitchens on certain ships. Assuming the distance is the main issue and if Blu guests were routinely ordering MDR items in Blu, it would cause a huge operational problem for the kitchen and service staff.  I could understand this.  It sounds like communication on a change in policy to you might have been better if you felt blindsided by this. I consider myself informed now. 

Hope the info helps you.   If this hasn't been a problem for nearly ten years I can't understand why Celebrity is being so obstinate other than they just don't care.  As a note, the ham on the Eggs Benedict was not chewable on the first two mornings and the Corn Beef Hash was disgusting.  

 

 

[mfs2k]

Here's the Deck plan for Silhouette which is similar to Equinox.

 

As you can see, the kitchen for Blu is on a different deck than the MDR kitchen.

 

[Luvcrusn]

36 minutes ago, waverunner43 said:

Hope the info helps you.   If this hasn't been a problem for nearly ten years I can't understand why Celebrity is being so obstinate other than they just don't care.  As a note, the ham on the Eggs Benedict was not chewable on the first two mornings and the Corn Beef Hash was disgusting.  

 

 

I'm puzzled. On S class ships we've been unable to order from the MDR menu in Blu other than the standard appetizers (Caesar salad, shrimp cocktail,  French onion soup, escargot) and the everyday items (salmon, chicken, steak). We could do it on M-class where Blu was carved out of the MDR space. We've all of course been served meals aboard ship we didn't care for at times, regardless of dining venues, but by and large we've found that we like Blu, the service and the food and honestly have never been served anything  that was unchewable or disgusting. I'm a fairly accomplished cook, and a bit of a foodie and while the food on any large cruise ship that's serving thousands of meals in a short period of time will not compare to a small land based specialty restaurant, DH and I enjoy our meals on board. If we don't care for something we've ordered, they are only too happy to bring something else. As for Blu menus being "substandard" I don't find that to be true at all. If we don't care for a particular menu we check out the MDR and while it's certainly more crowded and noisier than Blu, it's far from a hardship to eat there. We've eaten many a pleasant meal there, and we'd not hesitate dining there on a nightly basis if the cost differential between verandah and aqua class was greater than what we care to pay. As far as first night menus, DH and I most often dine in specialty restaurants that night, so we've almost never seen them. We like first night specialty dining for three reasons. First, doing so avoids the crowding in regular dining venues when staff and passengers are getting settled and used to one another. Second, speciality dining is a lovely, quiet and more luxurious way to start our vacation. Third, the specialty restaurants offer discounts because they're not crowded.

Edited March 6, 2019 by Luvcrusn

[Xport]

1 hour ago, waverunner43 said:

Ever since our 1st cruise on the Solstice in 2010 we have been able to order from the MDR menu if we did not like what was offered on our Blu menu. This includes our last cruise on the Equinox last July.  On the 1st night of our March 3rd Silhouette cruise they had Prime Rib in the MDR but anyone eating in Blu was denied ordering from the MDR menu. So between cruises, Celebrity made another disappointing change which resulted in another surprise on the first night.  No notification was given before the cruise of this change.  Anyone eating in the MDR including those with an inside cabin, paying approximately 1/2 the cost of Aqua class cabin, enjoyed Prime Rib while Aqua Class passengers were forced to make a selection off of their menu, none of which seemed appetising to me. 

 

Corporate does not seem to want to budge on this idiodic change so it's putting up with the substandard Blu menu or dining in the noisy MDR.  Celebrity customer service is virtually non-existent.  The maître d, the  restaraunt mgr, the Food & Beverage mgr and guest relations are all powerless and afraid to make a decision on their own.  So sad when a manager at any level is not able to make a decision without fear of repercussions. 

 

Sorry, a phone call interrupted my earlier response and, by the time I got back to it, the edit time had expired...  Others have since contributed my thoughts...

-----

 

[waverunner43]

1 hour ago, cruisestitch said:

Regulations may have changed since your previous cruise?   Perhaps that is the issue.  

Believe me, if it had anything to do with a new government regulation they would have jumped on that excuse immediately. 

 

We've cruised with Celebrity numerous times over the years and are about to become Elite Plus.  We done both Aqua and Concierge and have had both terrific and terrible meals in both venues but this cruise is by far the worst.

 

The decline in service and overall food quality started with the previous CEO and has not gotten any better since his departure.  

 

Our friends joined us on this cruise and it is their first on Celebrity.  They also have been very disappointed in the food quality and customer service and have already stated that they will not return.  As a matter of record, they just returned from a 32-night cruise last month and will be going on a 42-night cruise next month. They have been cruising for years and as pointed out above, they are very disappointed with Celebrity. 

[helen haywood]

As I started this thread, I’d like to thank those who responded to my original question.  It will be our first time in Aqua Class and I plan to enjoy it.  We are Elite Plus on Celebrity and while some cruises have been better than others, Celebrity remains our favorite line.

[helen haywood]

Well, back from our cruise and first experience in Aqua Class.  Just an FYI (although of course Celebrity could change any of this at any time with no warning...) I was surprised that the “always available” starters of escargot, shrimp, onion soup and Caesar salad are not listed on the menu.  You would have to know to ask.  We didn’t care for the Blu menus so after four nights we ate the remaining three in the MDR.  I happened to run into the Blu hostess in the OV and she inquired as to where we were.  When I told her we preferred the MDR menu she told me that anything on the MDR menu can be ordered in Blu.  I said I didn’t know that.  Honestly, even if is temporary, I think either it should state that on the Blu menu or a waiter should mention it!

[keesar]

You should have been given a small menu that listed the starters available on a daily basis. We were given that on the first night.   As for items from the MDR menu, they really don't like to do that as it is a good distance from the MDR  kitchen to  the Blu kitchen.  

[DevilinaBluDress]

On 3/3/2019 at 12:20 PM, Oville said:

That typically is night 3.  Beware of relying on the app before you board.  Once onboard it corrects itself.

Sitting in Blu on the first night of our cruise. The short rib dinner not filet is on the menu tonight.

[helen haywood]

On 3/16/2019 at 5:44 PM, keesar said:

You should have been given a small menu that listed the starters available on a daily basis. We were given that on the first night.   As for items from the MDR menu, they really don't like to do that as it is a good distance from the MDR  kitchen to  the Blu kitchen.  

 

That was what I had surmised from Cruise Critic before we sailed.  I don’t want to ask for something that is going to create a problem.  So I was extremely surprised to have the hostess tell me that I could order anything off the MDR menu.  It sounds like this changes from ship to ship and even sailing to sailing.  If they don’t want you to order off the MDR menu then she shouldn’t have told me anyone in Blu could; it’s very likely I’ll pass that along.