Oceanview Cafe dinner service being eliminated?

[Oceangoer2]

11 hours ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

Yes but for Celebrity it appears to be in a race to the bottom.  If you want to be a luxury line, you need to resist some of these changes and have tangible differences that make you a luxury line to the average cruiser.

I agree...but if you want to sail a luxury line be prepared for X cruise prices to increase even more than they have in the recent past.  I compare pricing often between O and X.  The consensus on  O seems to be their 'food quality' is above X offerings.  They also charge more to keep that reputation.  In another vein, I booked excursions  pre Christmas...one in particular has increased by $50.  That's quite a hike so I'm thinking X is taking a bigger slice of the excursion fees also.  Have to keep an eye on all of these 'changes' and 'charges' in the coming months.

[prmssk]

9 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Another possibility: NCL is rolling out a menu that does not change all week on their newest ships. There are a fare amount of starters and entrees', but it does not change all week (maybe one entrée changes daily, I've lost track). 

 

Not sure how a MDR experience with no variety would work on a longer itinerary but NCL is giving it a whirl.

The only thing that changes on NCL's new menu (which I'm not sure is rolled out fleet wide yet) is a daily uncharge dish from a specialty restaurant.  

 

And I don't think it works well at all on a longer itinerary.  It was fine on our five day itinerary as there were quite a few items but I can't imagine it lasting more than a week cruise.  NCL for years though has pushed people to pay for specialty dining so most people don't eat nightly in the MDR.  It also helps that they have The Local (I think it is is called something different on older ships) which is a 24 hour complimentary dining venue to give another option.  The ship I was on also had both a buffet that was pretty good at dinner and a food hall that was complimentary.

 

Since Celebrity does more longer itineraries (although less than they used to) and doesn't have many other complimentary options nor all that many specialty restaurants on their smaller ships, I may be wrong but I don't see them going to a fixed menu.

[RedneckBob]

2 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

Last august we did a cruise on the Reflection followed a few days later by on the HAL Oosterdam. We were in a Sky Suite on the Reflection and a couple of nights we did dinner in the OVC after long shore tours that came back late and all we wanted was a quick bite, I noticed the same thing about how few were there at 7pm with all the nice food options. On the Oosterdam we did the same thing dining in the Lido a couple of nights and the crowds were much larger than on the Reflection to verify your observations.  The difference could be the fewer dining options on the older HAL ships than on most Celebrity ships. Celebrity has the MDR, Blu, Luminae, and 4 to 6 specialty restaurants depending on ship.  HAL on older ships has MDR, Pinnacle Grill and Canaletto and no real suite dining options. 

 

We started sailing on Celebrity because we liked being able to book suites and get a better feeling of Luxury without having to pay "Luxury" prices. Our first suite experience was a 9 day cruise on the Equinox and our Sky Suite cost was less than $600pp than an Aqua Class cabin and found this to be a better deal and cost than more premium lines.  Now SS pricing for beyond our 2024 bookings have gotten so high that we are looking at other premium lines for our cruising dollars. Last week we booked our first Oceania cruise for Jan 2025 and if it meets our expectations, we may not be cruising with Celebrity beyond what we already have booked.

Interesting observations. Let me add that on HAL newer ships, there is Club Orange to dine for breakfast and dinner for suites and those wish to pay extra to dine there everyday. Hope you enjoy Oceania. We sailed Oceania between 2013 and 2017, over 100 days. It was great at the beginning. Speciality restaurants were all five star to us. But one interesting thing; only dined in MDR twice during all those cruises. Dined at Terrace Grille (there OV Cafe), every nite due to selections; filets, lamb chops, lobster tail, crab legs every night. 

[Oceangoer2]

9 hours ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

Yep many times the MDR is very crowded for Select Dining, you would think the answer would be to add crew and enhance the OVC experience to reduce the load on the MDR.  Sadly, Celebrity has chosen to go in the opposite direction.

We have NEVER dined in the OV for dinner in all our years cruising and now I think we've missed something we would have enjoyed and perhaps it's probably too late.  My friends tell me the O cafe experience is quite nice....and has a complete menu.  More and more I hear on this site, those who are strongly considering O over X.  Who knew x's and o's would become more than a game. but a lifestyle...LOL.

[terrydtx]

7 minutes ago, RedneckBob said:

Interesting observations. Let me add that on HAL newer ships, there is Club Orange to dine for breakfast and dinner for suites and those wish to pay extra to dine there

Club Orange is a total joke and nothing like Luminae or even Blu.  It is HAL's futile attempt to compete with the NCL's Haven Restaurant and Luminae. It has the regular MDR menu plus only one or two added entrees not available in MDR. On the older ships like the Oosterdam Club Orange is a roped off designated space in the MDR. We tried it once and it was not worth what we paid for it, BTW in 2019 it only cost us $20pp per day for non suites guests.

Edited January 8, 2023 by terrydtx

[terrydtx]

10 minutes ago, RedneckBob said:

Speciality restaurants were all five star to us. But one interesting thing; only dined in MDR twice during all those cruises. Dined at Terrace Grille (there OV Cafe), every nite due to selections; filets, lamb chops, lobster tail, crab legs every night. 

We have some very close friends and they have been on over 10 Oceania cruises, and this is exactly what they tell us. Imagin having those choices every night with no upcharges? 

[chamima]

12 hours ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

Yep, the third one is I start cancelling cruises.

 

12 hours ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

Yes but for Celebrity it appears to be in a race to the bottom.  If you want to be a luxury line, you need to resist some of these changes and have tangible differences that make you a luxury line to the average cruiser.

 

11 hours ago, RichYak said:

Celebrity purporting to be a luxury line while offering a mass-market product has always been a sore spot with me. At least now, they've finally abandoned all pretense and accepted who they are.

 

 

I'll say it again - none of these cutbacks affect us. We only use room service for Continental breakfast, we don't eat lobster, we've never eaten dinner in the buffet - BUT - all of these changes are tacky - and the romance, as someone else has said, is gone.

We have 4 cruises that are past refund dates for this winter but that will be it for Celebrity.

We are looking at Oceania and Regent. They may be more expensive but we won't feel nickled and dimed on our hard earned vacations.

[C4HCG]

35 minutes ago, chamima said:

 

 

 

 

I'll say it again - none of these cutbacks affect us. We only use room service for Continental breakfast, we don't eat lobster, we've never eaten dinner in the buffet - BUT - all of these changes are tacky - and the romance, as someone else has said, is gone.

We have 4 cruises that are past refund dates for this winter but that will be it for Celebrity.

We are looking at Oceania and Regent. They may be more expensive but we won't feel nickled and dimed on our hard earned vacations.

Why are they “tacky”? The company is in serious financial difficulties and I ask this of all the people on here complaining, what would you suggest that they do to manage the unenviable position that they find themselves in?

[Charles4515]

56 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

We have some very close friends and they have been on over 10 Oceania cruises, and this is exactly what they tell us. Imagin having those choices every night with no upcharges? 

That is true and these days I prefer Oceania over Celebrity but keep in mind that the line is very quiet and laid back. That suits me these days but it might be a shock to peeps who spend the cruise evenings at big production shows and the casino. Also it is not the cruise line to bring children. Port intensive itineraries are the sweet spot and the smaller ships can do ports Celebrity can’t do. 

[Ipeeinthepools]

28 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

Why are they “tacky”? The company is in serious financial difficulties and I ask this of all the people on here complaining, what would you suggest that they do to manage the unenviable position that they find themselves in?

 

It's been proven many times, companies can't cut their way to profitability.   Celebrity needs to invest in and improve their product so that people are willing to pay a premium for it compared to other cruise lines.  Paying for Room Service or a second lobster tail won't do it.

Edited January 8, 2023 by Ipeeinthepools

[RedneckBob]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

We have some very close friends and they have been on over 10 Oceania cruises, and this is exactly what they tell us. Imagin having those choices every night with no upcharges? 

Ok, before any one starts, I know I have paid for those choices in the cruise price. But imagine paying for those choices in the cruise price and NOT receiving them.

[RedneckBob]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

Club Orange is a total joke and nothing like Luminae or even Blu.  It is HAL's futile attempt to compete with the NCL's Haven Restaurant and Luminae. It has the regular MDR menu plus only one or two added entrees not available in MDR. On the older ships like the Oosterdam Club Orange is a roped off designated space in the MDR. We tried it once and it was not worth what we paid for it, BTW in 2019 it only cost us $20pp per day for non suites guests.

Good to know. Never tried it and don’t plan too.

By the way really like your river walk and food!

Edited January 8, 2023 by RedneckBob

[Ipeeinthepools]

2 minutes ago, RedneckBob said:

Ok, before any one starts, I know I have paid for those choices in the cruise price. But imagine paying for those choices in the cruise price and NOT receiving them.

 

Yep, I often have to explain to my family the difference between free and no additional charge.

[C4HCG]

2 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

It's been proven many times, companies can't cut their way to profitability.   Celebrity needs to invest in and improve their product so that people are willing to pay a premium for it compared to other cruise lines.  Paying for Room service or a second lobster tail won't do it.

Understand that. Doesn’t explain why “tacky” is the correct word to describe it.  Interested to know where you suggest they get the money to invest, they have none.

[Ipeeinthepools]

1 minute ago, C4HCG said:

Understand that. Doesn’t explain why “tacky” is the correct word to describe it.  Interested to know where you suggest they get the money to invest, they have none.

 

Ok, I'll try to help.  The Royal Caribbean Group has returned to profitability.  They need to reinvest their current profits in the business.  BTW, paying for a second entree seems tacky to me.  Maybe it doesn't translate correctly for you.

[terrydtx]

29 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

That is true and these days I prefer Oceania over Celebrity but keep in mind that the line is very quiet and laid back. That suits me these days but it might be a shock to peeps who spend the cruise evenings at big production shows and the casino. Also it is not the cruise line to bring children. Port intensive itineraries are the sweet spot and the smaller ships can do ports Celebrity can’t do. 

Quiet and laid back is what we prefer too. If I want to see a good production show I can go to a local venue and see really good ones. We like port intensive cruises for example our next O cruise booking will be 2024 or 25 Boston to Montreal for 11 days with 11 ports. Celebrity has in 2024, 11-day cruises from Boston round trip with only 5 ports. We are also waiting for Viking to release their 2024 and 2025 NE/Canada cruises to compare with O.

 

We booked the 18-day Buenos Aires to Santiago cruise on Marina in 2025, in 2024 Celebrity has 14 night cruise with 4 less ports than the Marina, 2025 has not been released by X yet.

Edited January 8, 2023 by terrydtx

[C4HCG]

15 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

Ok, I'll try to help. 

Please don’t be patronising, uncalled for.

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

Club Orange is a total joke and nothing like Luminae or even Blu.  It is HAL's futile attempt to compete with the NCL's Haven Restaurant and Luminae. It has the regular MDR menu plus only one or two added entrees not available in MDR. On the older ships like the Oosterdam Club Orange is a roped off designated space in the MDR. We tried it once and it was not worth what we paid for it, BTW in 2019 it only cost us $20pp per day for non suites guests.

 

From the amount of times I see posters on this board complain that they don't like the food in Luminae and want to be able to order off the main menu, perhaps HAL actually has the RIGHT idea....

 

I will never get those who want to pay for a suite and a special dining room, then complain because the food is too "upscale".  

[terrydtx]

7 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

From the amount of times I see posters on this board complain that they don't like the food in Luminae and want to be able to order off the main menu, perhaps HAL actually has the RIGHT idea....

 

I will never get those who want to pay for a suite and a special dining room, then complain because the food is too "upscale".  

We have never ordered off the MDR menu for an entrée in Luminae,  I have had the escargot and delicious Frech onion soup appetizers from the MDR menu on several occasions. We love the upscale food and service in Luminae which is a major reason why we book suites. BTW, the onion soup on Celebrity is the best we have ever had on any cruise line.

Edited January 8, 2023 by terrydtx

[NMTraveller]

36 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

Understand that. Doesn’t explain why “tacky” is the correct word to describe it.  Interested to know where you suggest they get the money to invest, they have none.

I would characterize the buffet as laughable.  However, "not having or exhibiting good taste" AKA tacky is also a good descriptor for the buffet.  You could also call it cheesy...

 

I chose to take cruises because they did a better job than land vacations.  But with a buffet spread like this,  it is a complete joke. 

Edited January 8, 2023 by NMTraveller

[Oceangoer2]

5 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

I will never get those who want to pay for a suite and a special dining room, then complain because the food is too "upscale".  

We 'pay' for a suite for a variety of reasons, one of which is dining...it doesn't have to be a private Luminae dining room, but nice that it is smaller and service is expected to be better.  In our case, however, we don't find the 'food upscale', but less than we expect...in fact, the MDR menu is preferred on some occasions.  One poster quoted a server as saying "Luminae is all about presentation" to which we agree.  If there are cutbacks to the MDR and other dining venue menus, it also shows on the L menu...only a few options, not necessarily of the quality enjoyed in 'upscale' restaurants, does not make fine dining.

[C4HCG]

3 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

I would characterize the buffet as laughable.  However, "not having or exhibiting good taste" AKA tacky is also a good descriptor for the buffet.  You could also call it cheesy...

 

I chose to take cruises because they did a better job than land vacations.  But with a buffet spread like this,  it is a complete joke. 

Maybe this is a US vs UK language thing. Tacky in the UK is something that is from a service perspective, as low as it gets. 

[RichYak]

2 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

Maybe this is a US vs UK language thing. Tacky in the UK is something that is from a service perspective, as low as it gets. 

Definitely not what it means to me. An example of tacky service would be a waiter chewing gum while taking my order. Not a problem in a diner, but unbefitting of the upscale experience Celebrity promotes.

[C-Dragons]

21 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

Maybe this is a US vs UK language thing. Tacky in the UK is something that is from a service perspective, as low as it gets. 

Two countries separated by a common language. 😉

[kwokpot]

26 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

Maybe this is a US vs UK language thing. Tacky in the UK is something that is from a service perspective, as low as it gets. 

Americans don't use the word in that context.