Oceanview Cafe dinner service being eliminated?

[LMaxwell]

Just now, Mittens101 said:

I’m on the phone checking with celebrity now. When I booked it was for the better food, better room service etc the cutting of services is not what I signed up for

I just spent over an HOUR trying to get them on the phone to sell me an upgrade cabin.  So it cuts both ways. 🤣

[Mittens101]

6 minutes ago, LMaxwell said:

I just spent over an HOUR trying to get them on the phone to sell me an upgrade cabin.  So it cuts both ways. 🤣

The first cut is the deepest lol

[LB_NJ]

33 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

If this is going to be instituted fleet wide that's setting a very disappointing precedent and I don't see how they can consider themselves a premium cruiseline when they're offering less than and literally every other cruiseline. 

I really don't think of Celebrity as a premium cruise line, just a step over RCI.  If this holds, I think more people will cancel or just not book in the first place.  I have two cruises this month so too late to cancel but will be very disappointed.

[Bo1953]

Okay, okay rumor or not...

 

Once aboard, it is easy enough to get a group together and corner the F&B Manager or even better The Captain, about the issue and I Am sure they would reverse course immediately...

 

Especially if they believed they would be put on the grill for chow time.... when there was nothing else!!!

 

Issue resolved.

 

Next...

 

bon appetit and bon voyage

[ChucktownSteve]

33 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

Did you write it up on the survey???

 

More importantly, did you notify the OVC Manager and the F&B Manager about the less than spectacular challenges???

 

If so, what was their response?

 

bon appetit and bon voyage

The short answer is yes I did write it up mid cruise.  No response to an Elite+. They don't address people who have diabetes with items in the buffet except for eating a salad.    They don't understand the difference between no sugar added and sugar free.

 

I also wrote a positive comment on the Apex buffet earlier this year with no response.

As a side note, in January '21 I booked three Regent cruises at less pp/PN for an identical SF suite than Celebrity since XXX  jacked up prices when people were trying to eat up their FCC.  Plus Regent included airfare,    excursions at all port, all specialty restaurants, gratuities, Premium liquors set up in suite. We had Fairmont hotel pre-cruise with luggage plus passengers transferred to ship, and more. 

So in our case the Regent value far exceeded Celebrity.

 

The food was incredible.  The everyday menu included crab legs, lobster, USDA Prime filet, shrimp and scallops.  The other menu items were incredible as well.

Unfortunately the Regent prices have now skyrocketed because their largest ships only have about 750 passengers at full capacity.  But we will be enjoying our Panama Canal cruise.  Flying out tomorrow.

I cruised four times in 2022. Twice on Celebrity and twice on Regent.  I have one upcoming Azamara cruise on the books and will be looking towards Oceania to fill in gaps.  Celebrity is still a mass market line regardless of what they try to claim even though our February Apex cruise was in an S1 aft suite. 

Edited January 4, 2023 by ChucktownSteve

[LB_NJ]

Just now, Bo1953 said:

Okay, okay rumor or not...

 

Once aboard, it is easy enough to get a group together and corner the F&B Manager or even better The Captain, about the issue and I Am sure they would reverse course immediately...

 

Especially if they believed they would be put on the grill for chow time.... when there was nothing else!!!

 

Issue resolved.

 

Next...

 

bon appetit and bon voyage

Once on-board it is too late.  The food is ordered weeks to months in advance. The captain or manager can't make it magically appear if it was never loaded.

 

Since the buffet normally takes some of the load off the MDR it will severely overload the MDR.

 

The only reason to do this is if Royal is in severe financial straits and they have to cut everything to survive.

[Bo1953]

Just now, LB_NJ said:

Once on-board it is too late.  The food is ordered weeks to months in advance. The captain or manager can't make it magically appear if it was never loaded.

 

Since the buffet normally takes some of the load off the MDR it will severely overload the MDR.

 

The only reason to do this is if Royal is in severe financial straits and they have to cut everything to survive.

If so many people are in their face, they can get food along the sailing from somewhere.... OR move some of the food supplies from the MDR to accommodate.

 

So it is not all that impossible if there are many complaints real time, they would make something happen, regardless of the pre-planning and provisioning...

 

bon appetit and bon voyage

 

[Cruzinforpeace***]

On 1/2/2023 at 1:12 PM, NutsAboutGolf said:

Another reason I don't see it going away, a lot of Officers and entertainment staff eat their dinner there

All the officers and entertainers have their own staff and officers’ mess.  Eating in the public areas is an extra privilege.

[natshala]

I think salt in the wound is X’s lack of transparency. All changes should be clearly spelled out on their site. This would eliminate speculation and mistrust. Honesty is always respected.

[Cruzinforpeace***]

36 minutes ago, LMaxwell said:

Hopefully nothing more than a bad test that is retracted quickly. 

 

Or; introduce a few unpopular changes concurrently and then rescind the most onerous and appear to be "listening to the voice of the customer"

The cruise lines have lost a ton of money over the last few years, plus add in the inflation.  They either have to raise prices or cut services, or both.  I believe it will be both. The good old days are gone.

[LGW59]

16 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

Okay, okay rumor or not...

 

Once aboard, it is easy enough to get a group together and corner the F&B Manager or even better The Captain, about the issue and I Am sure they would reverse course immediately...

 

Especially if they believed they would be put on the grill for chow time.... when there was nothing else!!!

 

Issue resolved.

 

Next...

 

bon appetit and bon voyage

Do I need to leave the bridge to assist with this dilemna?

 

[Bo1953]

4 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

Do I need to leave the bridge to assist with this dilemna?

 

I think so.... at least as a mediator!!!

 

LOL bon voyage

[LB_NJ]

9 minutes ago, Cruzinforpeace*** said:

The cruise lines have lost a ton of money over the last few years, plus add in the inflation.  They either have to raise prices or cut services, or both.  I believe it will be both. The good old days are gone.

Royal also took out a huge amount of loans to get through the pandemic.  They now have to pay very high interest rates on those loans.

[NutsAboutGolf]

13 minutes ago, Cruzinforpeace*** said:

All the officers and entertainers have their own staff and officers’ mess.  Eating in the public areas is an extra privilege.

I understand but many of them seem to love it there…regardless, it would appear they scaling dinner back vs outright eliminating it

[Cruzinforpeace***]

Just now, LB_NJ said:

Royal also took out a huge amount of loans to get through the pandemic.  They now have to pay very high interest rates on those loans.

Yes.  Eventually they have to pass the costs on to their guests.  Sadly, that’s the reality.

[LGW59]

15 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

I think so.... at least as a mediator!!!

 

LOL bon voyage

OK but not until after dinner.  Right now I'm tryng to decide if I want a baked russet or nuked sweet potato to go along with my over cooked ribeye swimming in gravy from yesterdays dinner

[Susanb10567]

It will be interesting to see how this plays out…I usually don’t eat dinner in the buffet but we have some long excursions coming up in Israel and Egypt on the Apex and it was going to be a good option…

[BermudaBound2014]

@LMaxwell

 

I'm sad to announce the rumors appear to be true. I posted a new thread asking for anyone on the current Edge to post photos of the OV cafe and @RICCruisers was kind enough to post two photos of the OV cafe tonight.

 

The photos show that the OV cafe is EXTREMELY scaled back tonight :(. 

 

 

 

[kwokpot]

56 minutes ago, natshala said:

I think salt in the wound is X’s lack of transparency. All changes should be clearly spelled out on their site. This would eliminate speculation and mistrust. Honesty is always respected.

They set the precedent when they went to all Anytime Dining on the Beyond and then the rest of the E-Class ships with NO NOTIFICATION, not even a letter in the room for those that had booked set dining.    

[LMaxwell]

1 hour ago, LB_NJ said:

Royal also took out a huge amount of loans to get through the pandemic.  They now have to pay very high interest rates on those loans.

Those loans will get refinanced.  The amount they owe isn't Royal's problem...it's the BANKS problem. They aren't interested in cooking the goose. 

[LMaxwell]

39 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

@LMaxwell

 

I'm sad to announce the rumors appear to be true. I posted a new thread asking for anyone on the current Edge to post photos of the OV cafe and @RICCruisers was kind enough to post two photos of the OV cafe tonight.

 

The photos show that the OV cafe is EXTREMELY scaled back tonight :(. 

 

 

 

 

Forum members should feel insulted by this display. 

[retird]

46 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

@LMaxwell

 

I'm sad to announce the rumors appear to be true. I posted a new thread asking for anyone on the current Edge to post photos of the OV cafe and @RICCruisers was kind enough to post two photos of the OV cafe tonight.

 

The photos show that the OV cafe is EXTREMELY scaled back tonight :(. 

 

 

 

I believe we need clarification whether those two photos depicted the only stations in the oceanview that had food or if it was a photo of two random stations

[LMaxwell]

3 minutes ago, retird said:

I believe we need clarification whether those two photos depicted the only stations in the oceanview that had food or if it was a photo of two random stations

You can see the other stations are empty, the whole grill area is closed, lights are off in seating areas. It really looks like a snack stop. I too would like to see more photos but this is very meager looking at first glance.  It's not uncommon for 1 or 2 stations to not be in use, but this looks paltry and empty. 

Edited January 4, 2023 by LMaxwell

[jelayne]

2 hours ago, Mittens101 said:

I’m on the phone checking with celebrity now. When I booked it was for the better food, better room service etc the cutting of services is not what I signed up for

The people on the phones have little, if any, information on what is happening on the ships.  

[Algebralovr]

A friend is on Solstice now. 

In his words, the Oceanview is cut way back.  Only pizza, pasta, salad and one line with chicken nuggets,burgers etc is there

 

Evening time only, bfast and lunch same

 

My reponse, and what I'm saying to LLP in email:

They want to be a “family friendly” line, but this is NOT a family friendly move. No one wants a crabby small child in the MDR and a family who is choosing to dine elsewhere for the sake of that small child should not be penalized