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Oceanview Cafe dinner service being eliminated?

LMaxwell

By LMaxwell,
in Celebrity Cruises

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Bo1953

Bo1953

Posted
Posted
On 1/8/2023 at 11:29 PM, MamaToMany said:

So I get chocolate on my pillow, but almost zero dinner at night? I call BS. How is that anything resembling good business practice? (I booked free room service, full Oveanview Cafe hours, and much more. Its all gone.). What I bought and what exists now are two VERY different products. And that’s not in any good way.

.... I think a viable option to manage your disappointment, is to cancel any sailings you have on X ASAP in order to dodge the new situations, currently in place.

 

Your travel insurance may offer a clause under which you can file for reimbursement...

 

bon voyage

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NMTraveller Holiday Sharing Rare

NMTraveller

Posted
Posted (edited)
4 hours ago, anniegb said:

The fish choices or lack of concern me most and I am very grateful for the information provided here. As a native of Scotland and accustomed to quality seafood, this may be a deal breaker.

 

Annie

 

The whole MDR menu has gone downhill whether it is fish or steak.

 

Quality seafood is a must for myself also.

Edited by NMTraveller
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Bo1953

Bo1953

Posted
Posted
16 minutes ago, dodger1964 said:

maybe some passengers can volunteer to catch fish from off the back of the ship?

👋🏿👋🏿👋🏿

 

I do not mind helping those who require such protein...

 

🐟🐟🐟

 

bon appetit and bon voyage

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D C

D C

Posted
Posted
17 minutes ago, dodger1964 said:

maybe some passengers can volunteer to catch fish from off the back of the ship?

I can hear the complaints when they catch something not published in the app menu before the cruise, even if it's better. 

 

Though not from me, as I'm not sure what exactly constitutes "better" when it comes to fish. They all fall into the dreaded "swimming food" category. 

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welshwizards

welshwizards

Posted
Posted

I sent an e mail to both the people in Celebrity referred to in this thread. I asked what I consider to be pertinent questions, including capacity in the MDR, dress codes for the MDR for those who want to wear shorts. I also reminded them that I have other cruiselines to choose from - that perhaps are not as chic but still provide a great choice. I have received a reply asking for my phone number (by the way they managed to work out the sailing I am on in September because they referred to that in their reply - I didn't include the details in my e mail) and a convenient time to speak to me. I have replied by telling them that I would prefer a reply via e mail

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D C

D C

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, welshwizards said:

I sent an e mail to both the people in Celebrity referred to in this thread. I asked what I consider to be pertinent questions, including capacity in the MDR, dress codes for the MDR for those who want to wear shorts. I also reminded them that I have other cruiselines to choose from - that perhaps are not as chic but still provide a great choice. I have received a reply asking for my phone number (by the way they managed to work out the sailing I am on in September because they referred to that in their reply - I didn't include the details in my e mail) and a convenient time to speak to me. I have replied by telling them that I would prefer a reply via e mail

When I have been in contact with them in the past, they were very responsive with real people getting involved.  Not necessarily to a satisfactory solution though (like when they cancelled a sailing and gave us a pittance of an offer to shift to another ship at prevailing prices...an offer that was bested by our travel agency talking to X).  

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Jim_Iain "Live from...." Rare

Jim_Iain

Posted
Posted
On 1/6/2023 at 4:14 PM, Charles4515 said:

The grilled meat was usually a tough cut of meat. 

I have to agree.   Last cruise I had the beef and I think the sole of shoe would have been more tender.  I gave up on it and got something else.

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chamima

chamima

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

I have to agree.   Last cruise I had the beef and I think the sole of shoe would have been more tender.  I gave up on it and got something else.

 

 

So Jim, with hints of charging for a second entree, do you think you might lose that option in the future?

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cruisemom42 Great Review Rare

cruisemom42

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, chamima said:

 

 

So Jim, with hints of charging for a second entree, do you think you might lose that option in the future?

 

I would hope that if an entree is unsatisfactory to inedible, it would be replaced with another option gratis.

 

Even the cheerleaders would have to agree that this is something restaurants on land do. It's a minimum standard.

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Honolulu Blue Great Review Rare

Honolulu Blue

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, welshwizards said:

I sent an e mail to both the people in Celebrity referred to in this thread. I asked what I consider to be pertinent questions, including capacity in the MDR, dress codes for the MDR for those who want to wear shorts. I also reminded them that I have other cruiselines to choose from - that perhaps are not as chic but still provide a great choice. I have received a reply asking for my phone number (by the way they managed to work out the sailing I am on in September because they referred to that in their reply - I didn't include the details in my e mail) and a convenient time to speak to me. I have replied by telling them that I would prefer a reply via e mail

I think they like to reply by phone from LLP's office for whatever reason.  I also prefer e-mail, so I hope you get what you want.  Please keep us posted either way.

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dilbertsdaddy

dilbertsdaddy

Posted
Posted (edited)

First time poster, and first time Celebrity Cruiser.

 

I have an Alaska cruise on Millennium in July. 

 

I had not planned on eating dinner at the buffet but thought it might be a good option if we get back late from shore days.  However, what concerns me about the posts is about the menu in the MDR.  I've not read all of them and in true blog fashion it's hard to decipher, but from what I can ascertain they are limiting buffet choices AND reducing MDR menu?  Is this the reason all the menus (that sounded awesome) from my cruise were deleted from the app a week or so ago?  The sample that someone posted did not contain anything I would want while the choices that were previously on the app had me thinking I would choose from 2-3 really nice options.  I don't eat fish but my wife does, and the menus that were on the app had some nice sounding fish entrees.....Tilapia!  What?

 

I am a world traveler but have only done a few cruises, so I'm somewhat of a kettle in this regard.  What I do know is you can usually get away with reducing service or raising prices, but NOT BOTH at the same time!.  Delta and Marriott for example,  which are my preferred and on both I am top elite, have me more than disgruntled at the moment.

 

I've gone from being very excited about this cruise to being rather ticked off from reading this string.  Can someone please post some more current MDR menus?

 

Edited by dilbertsdaddy
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Oceangoer2

Oceangoer2

Posted
Posted (edited)
5 minutes ago, dilbertsdaddy said:

First time poster, and first time Celebrity Cruiser.

 

I have an Alaska cruise on Millennium in July. 

 

I had not planned on eating dinner at the buffet but thought it might be a good option if we get back late from shore days.  However, what concerns me about the posts is about the menu in the MDR.  I've not read all of them and in true blog fashion it's hard to decipher, but from what I can ascertain they are limiting buffet choices AND reducing MDR menu?  Is this the reason all the menus (that sounded awesome) from my cruise were deleted from the app a week or so ago?  The sample that someone posted did not contain anything I would want while the choices that were previously on the app had me thinking I would choose from 2-3 really nice options.

 

I am a world traveler but have only done a few cruises.  What I do know is you can reduce service, raise prices, but NOT BOTH.  Delta and Marriott for example.

 

I've gone from being very excited to being rather ticked off from reading this string.  Can someone please post some more current MDR menus?

 

Don't let this criticism of Celebrity dissuade you from enjoying your cruise.  This site is famous for beating the line with a rubber hose.  Posting current menus will help you decide if dining is your main reason for cruising.  You mentioned MDR which will offer palatable options if not some items posters here have taken for granted in the past and sincerely wish to continue. Menus will change if you're Suite or Aqua class due to allocated restaurants. 

Edited by Oceangoer2
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NutsAboutGolf Holiday Sharing Rare

NutsAboutGolf

Posted
Posted
50 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

I have to agree.   Last cruise I had the beef and I think the sole of shoe would have been more tender.  I gave up on it and got something else.

 

Absolutely agree; even worse was on the Solstice they didn't off a steak every night; the timeless classic NY strip wasn't on the MDR menu every night

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dilbertsdaddy

dilbertsdaddy

Posted
Posted (edited)
9 minutes ago, Oceangoer2 said:

Don't let this criticism of Celebrity dissuade you from enjoying your cruise.  This site is famous for beating the line with a rubber hose.  Posting current menus will help you decide if dining is your main reason for cruising.  You mentioned MDR which will offer palatable options if not some items posters here have taken for granted in the past and sincerely wish to continue. Menus will change if you're Suite or Aqua class due to allocated restaurants. 

 

Thank you!

 

I am not Suite or Aqua - the reason I joined CC is to get the lowdown on bidding for upgrades to Veranda - I won't be bidding on Suite or Aqua because we have a group and I want to eat with everyone else in MDR.  I just thought this was timely as the menus just disappeared from the app.

 

Looking forward to learning from the group here, I've found Flyertalk to be very good information for airlines, hotels, etc.  But I know what you mean; there are apologists and flamers on all such sites!  The truth always lies between...

Edited by dilbertsdaddy
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psuboater

psuboater

Posted
Posted
On 1/9/2023 at 8:04 AM, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

I'm sure someone will be offended by the sloppy comment since it is inaccurate across the population. My hubby wears golf shorts, a short sleeve collared golf shirt, and boat shoes. He looks HOT, not at all  sloppy. We prefer the buffet for reasons other than just being casual, although casual is certainly a positive for us.

 

You mentioned the steak wasn't good. Have you tried the fresh grilled chicken? Pork? Fish? The Oceanview cafe is a casual alternative where people can get a quick made-to-order meal that is also fresh, hot, and healthy. Often times the MDR food comes floating in sauce. I prefer a nice piece of grilled fish with a garden salad. Have you tried the stir fry where you select the protein and ingredients? The MDR doesn't offer made-to-order items. Made to order items are often the hottest/freshest on the ship which is why the made to order omelet station is so popular. 

 

Let's not become divisive. This isn't "sloppy buffet person" vs "well dressed MDR person". This is about amenities being reduced that effect everyone. 

This is exactly why we loved the Oceanview Cafe for dinner. The Stirfry was my absolute favorite because I was able to control (as much as one can dining out) how healthy I wanted to be. The grilled fish or chicken made to order with a salad was also a go-to choice. Our favorite meals are taking our OVC meals out  on the Sunset bar. With the smaller class ships (Summit) having limited dining options, I'm a bit worried what this will look like for our cruise in June.

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