Oceanview Cafe dinner service being eliminated?

[dlh015]

This change in the dinner buffet dovetails nicely into the added $9.95 charge for Room Service...

[zitsky]

2 hours 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

Bo thank you for trying to bring some clarity to a bad (???) situation.   If service is heading south, it will help if Celebrity gets all this feedback.

[NMTraveller]

12 minutes ago, dlh015 said:

This change in the dinner buffet dovetails nicely into the added $9.95 charge for Room Service...

And I wonder if they can reprice your cruise when you are already on it ?? 🙂 🙂

[WonderMan3]

13 minutes ago, dlh015 said:

This change in the dinner buffet dovetails nicely into the added $9.95 charge for Room Service...

Now you’re starting to think like a Celebrity Cruises revenue analyst…

[MamaFej]

I just got an email from a fly who was on the wall of the Celebrity Conference Room when these latest changes were being discussed*.

 

Excerpts from the transcript:

 

Exec. 1-- We are getting a lot of complaints about how understaffed the MDR is. Crew is trying very hard, but service is slow, meals are not at the correct temperature, the sommelier only comes by once per meal...

 

Exec. 2-- What the heck? We have already cut food quality, especially meats and veg. What more do these people want? Is there no pleasing them?

 

Exec. 3-- I know! Let's start charging $12 for room service and decimate the evening buffet! That will put more people in the dining room at once. 

 

Intern-- Masterful plan! I'll get it out to the ships right away!

 

 

*In case it's not clear, this fly is a figment of my imagination

 

- - - - - - - - -

 

I have three (maybe four) names in mind for those who will attack me for this post. Let's see if I'm right. 🍿

 

[Ipeeinthepools]

Ok, if this is really true I'm cancelling my future cruises until they bring back the evening buffet.  Final Payment of my next cruise is January 26.  I need to know if this is really the plan by then.

[zitsky]

2 minutes ago, MamaFej said:

I just got an email from a fly who was on the wall of the Celebrity Conference Room when these latest changes were being discussed*.

 

Excerpts from the transcript:

 

Exec. 1-- We are getting a lot of complaints about how understaffed the MDR is. Crew is trying very hard, but service is slow, meals are not at the correct temperature, the sommelier only comes by once per meal...

 

Exec. 2-- What the heck? We have already cut food quality, especially meats and veg. What more do these people want? Is there no pleasing them?

 

Exec. 3-- I know! Let's start charging $12 for room service and decimate the evening buffet! That will put more people in the dining room at once. 

 

Intern-- Masterful plan! I'll get it out to the ships right away!

 

 

*In case it's not clear, this fly is a figment of my imagination

 

- - - - - - - - -

 

I have three (maybe four) names in mind for those who will attack me for this post. Let's see if I'm right. 🍿

 

I don’t believe any of this is true.  It wasn’t posted on Facebook.

[LB_NJ]

1 hour ago, LMaxwell said:

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. 

At a certain point Royal declares bankruptcy if they can't repay.

[aggiejd2000]

I have mixed feelings about buffets.  I get that some like the ability to have a casual meal and be able to pick and choose what they want.  We occasionally eat at OVC for late breakfast.  My qualm really to do with food waste and I wince whenever I see the incredible amount wasted.  I'm sure X is concerned about the costs.  I don't know how to strike a balance between those competing factors.  Maybe a more limited buffet, like a salad, pasta, and pizza bar, and sides, along with a carving station and some cooked to order stuff?    

[NutsAboutGolf]

X Executive:  "Elon Musk stepped down as CEO from Twitter?  Let's offer him a Consultant position!"

 

[WonderMan3]

1 hour ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

Ok, if this is really true I'm cancelling my future cruises until they bring back the evening buffet.  Final Payment of my next cruise is January 26.  I need to know if this is really the plan by then.

It's not true BUT according to someone on Edge right now (and I believe on another ship) they have drastically reduced the number of items in the buffet for dinner service. Sounds like it's just pasta station, salad, pizza and one station of other hot items. It sounds like grill and carving station may be closed. There is another thread about the Edge report. Can't recall where I saw the comment about the other ship.

[kguerriero]

For those affronted by this or other changes, probably the most impactful thing to do, besides giving direct staff feedback, is to fill out every survey offered to you by Celebrity and leave an unfavorable result. These satisfaction surveys are used to calculate "NPS," or "Net Promoter Score." Specifically, the question of "Would you recommend a Celebrity Cruise to friends or family?" While it sounds innocuous, the travel industry (and travel industry analysts and investors) use these a barometer of success for the executive teams and outlook for the brands. RCL has mentioned multiple times on their business calls that their NPS scores remain high, as proof that pricing isn't an issue. They're obviously trying to push the limits as far as they can go.

[LGW59]

3 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

And I wonder if they can reprice your cruise when you are already on it ?? 🙂 🙂

They won’t need to, the vacuum hose they insert in our pocket now as soon as we board will let suck the cash right out of our pocket while in our happy place inspecting the food less buffet 

Edited January 4, 2023 by LGW59
Typo

[NutsAboutGolf]

17 minutes ago, aggiejd2000 said:

I have mixed feelings about buffets.  I get that some like the ability to have a casual meal and be able to pick and choose what they want.  We occasionally eat at OVC for late breakfast.  My qualm really to do with food waste and I wince whenever I see the incredible amount wasted.  I'm sure X is concerned about the costs.  I don't know how to strike a balance between those competing factors.  Maybe a more limited buffet, like a salad, pasta, and pizza bar, and sides, along with a carving station and some cooked to order stuff?    

 

Cruise ships (and the shipping industry as a whole) are incredibly dirty; many book SVs in the E-Class to avoid the IV in favor of a real balcony but are disappointed by the amount of soot.  If you want to be green then food waste, turning off your stateroom lights, re-using towels and conserving water are all mere drops in the bucket.  The largest impact you can make is to cruise on ships that use LNG which is clean burning.  We have to remember the larger ships will last up to 30-50 years (may be sold off by the cruise line).  A cruise large ship can use up to 250 tons. Per day. In terms of regular gasoline, that would be about 80,645 gallons or more fuel than you'll use in an entire lifetime of driving cars.  It's also dirty to procure crude, refine it to diesel and to transport it around during all stages

 

https://www.colorado.edu/mechanical/2016/07/25/how-much-fuel-does-cruise-ship-use

[aggiejd2000]

1 hour ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Cruise ships (and the shipping industry as a whole) are incredibly dirty; many book SVs in the E-Class to avoid the IV in favor of a real balcony but are disappointed by the amount of soot.  If you want to be green then food waste, turning off your stateroom lights, re-using towels and conserving water are all mere drops in the bucket.  The largest impact you can make is to cruise on ships that use LNG which is clean burning.  We have to remember the larger ships will last up to 30-50 years (may be sold off by the cruise line).  A cruise large ship can use up to 250 tons. Per day. In terms of regular gasoline, that would be about 80,645 gallons or more fuel than you'll use in an entire lifetime of driving cars.  It's also dirty to procure crude, refine it to diesel and to transport it around during all stages

 

https://www.colorado.edu/mechanical/2016/07/25/how-much-fuel-does-cruise-ship-use

I'm well aware of how just cruising itself is detrimental to the environment.  But cruising on ships running on regular gas doesn't mean it's okay to otherwise engage in wasteful behavior.  It's easy to just say "who cares" and not do anything by arguing that it is basically meaningless.  If everyone thought that, we'd never be able to make a collective difference.    

[Guest]

I can see why they have done this. I rarely go in the OVC on an evening, but whenever I have done, its been quiet, lights off and not much atmosphere. For RCI/X its an easy move.  Less food waste and repurpose staff to MDR to ease pressure of busy dining timings. 

I'm not saying its the right thing to do, but in a post covid world, its an easy decision to make. Hopefully it will come back when the economy does. 

[Cruzinforpeace***]

6 hours ago, kguerriero said:

For those affronted by this or other changes, probably the most impactful thing to do, besides giving direct staff feedback, is to fill out every survey offered to you by Celebrity and leave an unfavorable result. These satisfaction surveys are used to calculate "NPS," or "Net Promoter Score." Specifically, the question of "Would you recommend a Celebrity Cruise to friends or family?" While it sounds innocuous, the travel industry (and travel industry analysts and investors) use these a barometer of success for the executive teams and outlook for the brands. RCL has mentioned multiple times on their business calls that their NPS scores remain high, as proof that pricing isn't an issue. They're obviously trying to push the limits as far as they can go.

The most important thing for them is their bottom line and surviving.  They may restore some of the cut services but then they will definitely raise the prices. Remember EVERYTHING is costing more nowadays.  They can’t survive charging the same prices unless they cut service (employees, food quality and quantity, etc).  My bet is they charge more AND cut services.  We are in a recession.  The writing is on the wall.

[weregoingcruising]

9 hours ago, MamaFej said:

I just got an email from a fly who was on the wall of the Celebrity Conference Room when these latest changes were being discussed*.

 

Excerpts from the transcript:

 

Exec. 1-- We are getting a lot of complaints about how understaffed the MDR is. Crew is trying very hard, but service is slow, meals are not at the correct temperature, the sommelier only comes by once per meal...

 

Exec. 2-- What the heck? We have already cut food quality, especially meats and veg. What more do these people want? Is there no pleasing them?

 

Exec. 3-- I know! Let's start charging $12 for room service and decimate the evening buffet! That will put more people in the dining room at once. 

 

Intern-- Masterful plan! I'll get it out to the ships right away!

 

 

*In case it's not clear, this fly is a figment of my imagination

 

- - - - - - - - -

 

I have three (maybe four) names in mind for those who will attack me for this post. Let's see if I'm right. 🍿

 

Duh is this true?

[LMaxwell]

9 hours ago, aggiejd2000 said:

I have mixed feelings about buffets.  I get that some like the ability to have a casual meal and be able to pick and choose what they want.  We occasionally eat at OVC for late breakfast.  My qualm really to do with food waste and I wince whenever I see the incredible amount wasted.  I'm sure X is concerned about the costs.  I don't know how to strike a balance between those competing factors.  Maybe a more limited buffet, like a salad, pasta, and pizza bar, and sides, along with a carving station and some cooked to order stuff?    

Dinner is entirely different than breakfast or lunch. Many items are cooked to order. 

 

I don't think there is a ton of waste from dinner, honestly.  There is going to be some waste. It is inherent. Just as there is in MDR and specialty restaurants. No one intends to be wasteful, but its part of running a resort, and  we also pay for it. This is just cost cutting and profit seeking. There is no magnanimous movement by management going on here. 

 

I don't want a salad bar and pizza for dinner. Celebrity dinner buffet is high quality with many meats, cheeses, hummus/Greek appetizers, cook to order grill, stir fry station prepared to order, and rotating entrees, many of which are in the MDR, some are not.

 

I'm not looking for some low effort Old Country Buffet with tasteless corn and powdered mash potatoes. 

 

I like to dress resort casual; this offends some - so I go to the buffet instead of dining room.

 

In the dining room I often get a view of nothing, but am 8 inches from people at another table - in the buffet I get an ocean view, inside or outside, and can choose a seat not on top of someone else. Who here has NOT caught a table near a bussing station or kitchen exit in the MDR? I have. Rather a spacious quiet table at a buffet. 

 

In the buffet drink service happens at lightning flash speed compared to the MDR

 

I have never been prompted with "the speech" regarding surveys at the buffet 

 

I can try a variety of items without causing more work for the overworked MDR servers. 

 

People that NEVER have dinner in OVC are claiming it is already dead and lights off in there. Bizarre. 

 

Maybe I should write a letter stating that the new $16 for an extra lobster tail in MDR is too little. I don't want to eat lobster and am sick and tired of paying for 2500 others to have lobster. Double it. Quadruple it. Discontinue it. Make us Row for dinner. 

[LMaxwell]

They should charge for hot tubs. I don't use them often, sometimes not at all.  I resent paying for a hot tub others use all day. Can't they just use the pool and take a hot shower later? Make it $5 for 10 minutes please. 

[zitsky]

Pizza for dinner?  Every day?  Where do I sign up?

 

My partner will be at Blu.  Waiting in the one hour line with everyone else from the buffet.

[Ipeeinthepools]

7 minutes ago, LMaxwell said:

They should charge for hot tubs. I don't use them often, sometimes not at all.  I resent paying for a hot tub others use all day. Can't they just use the pool and take a hot shower later? Make it $5 for 10 minutes please. 

 

Now you've gone too far.  The pool and the hot tub are the heartbeat of the ship's activity.  I object to any charges for using the pool or the hot tub.  Please look somewhere else for your nickels and dimes.

[cw2go]

7 minutes ago, LMaxwell said:

Dinner is entirely different than breakfast or lunch. Many items are cooked to order. 

 

I don't think there is a ton of waste from dinner, honestly.  There is going to be some waste. It is inherent. Just as there is in MDR and specialty restaurants. No one intends to be wasteful, but its part of running a resort, and  we also pay for it. This is just cost cutting and profit seeking. There is no magnanimous movement by management going on here. 

 

I don't want a salad bar and pizza for dinner. Celebrity dinner buffet is high quality with many meats, cheeses, hummus/Greek appetizers, cook to order grill, stir fry station prepared to order, and rotating entrees, many of which are in the MDR, some are not.

 

I'm not looking for some low effort Old Country Buffet with tasteless corn and powdered mash potatoes. 

 

I like to dress resort casual; this offends some - so I go to the buffet instead of dining room.

 

In the dining room I often get a view of nothing, but am 8 inches from people at another table - in the buffet I get an ocean view, inside or outside, and can choose a seat not on top of someone else. Who here has NOT caught a table near a bussing station or kitchen exit in the MDR? I have. Rather a spacious quiet table at a buffet. 

 

In the buffet drink service happens at lightning flash speed compared to the MDR

 

I have never been prompted with "the speech" regarding surveys at the buffet 

 

I can try a variety of items without causing more work for the overworked MDR servers. 

 

People that NEVER have dinner in OVC are claiming it is already dead and lights off in there. Bizarre. 

 

Maybe I should write a letter stating that the new $16 for an extra lobster tail in MDR is too little. I don't want to eat lobster and am sick and tired of paying for 2500 others to have lobster. Double it. Quadruple it. Discontinue it. Make us Row for dinner. 

I can see your point of view. I mostly eat in MDR or Specialty but on occasion depending on my port day I have opted for the buffet and honestly many times I have said "Why don't we do this more" its so calm and the views are great. 

In Alaska as example I really enjoyed showing up casual and having dinner while watching the views sail by. Another spin I see is that I have reserved the Rooftop Garden Grill, not because I expect an amazing meal but because I enjoy eating alfresco. For me.... Sometimes seeing the world while dining is more appealing than any indoor dining options, by land or sea. 

 

 

Patty 

[LMaxwell]

4 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

Now you've gone too far.  The pool and the hot tub are the heartbeat of the ship's activity.  I object to any charges for using the pool or the hot tub.  Please look somewhere else for your nickels and dimes.

 

Deck chairs should require daily rental fee for Lido deck and Solarium.  Front row premium. Chairs on a different deck can be free.  I am not a sun worshipper, why am I paying for others to lay in the sun? 

[gold1953]

16 minutes ago, LMaxwell said:

Dinner is entirely different than breakfast or lunch. Many items are cooked to order. 

 

I don't think there is a ton of waste from dinner, honestly.  There is going to be some waste. It is inherent. Just as there is in MDR and specialty restaurants. No one intends to be wasteful, but its part of running a resort, and  we also pay for it. This is just cost cutting and profit seeking. There is no magnanimous movement by management going on here. 

 

I don't want a salad bar and pizza for dinner. Celebrity dinner buffet is high quality with many meats, cheeses, hummus/Greek appetizers, cook to order grill, stir fry station prepared to order, and rotating entrees, many of which are in the MDR, some are not.

 

I'm not looking for some low effort Old Country Buffet with tasteless corn and powdered mash potatoes. 

 

I like to dress resort casual; this offends some - so I go to the buffet instead of dining room.

 

In the dining room I often get a view of nothing, but am 8 inches from people at another table - in the buffet I get an ocean view, inside or outside, and can choose a seat not on top of someone else. Who here has NOT caught a table near a bussing station or kitchen exit in the MDR? I have. Rather a spacious quiet table at a buffet. 

 

In the buffet drink service happens at lightning flash speed compared to the MDR

 

I have never been prompted with "the speech" regarding surveys at the buffet 

 

I can try a variety of items without causing more work for the overworked MDR servers. 

 

People that NEVER have dinner in OVC are claiming it is already dead and lights off in there. Bizarre. 

 

Maybe I should write a letter stating that the new $16 for an extra lobster tail in MDR is too little. I don't want to eat lobster and am sick and tired of paying for 2500 others to have lobster. Double it. Quadruple it. Discontinue it. Make us Row for dinner. 

I love the buffet for dinner as well.. Love sitting outside under the stars. Love the choices , love the quite

 Husband hates the dining room when we are near dish stations as he is hearing impaired