No more prime rib?

[davekathy]

2 minutes ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

 

Yeah, but Carnival is still serving filet and doesn't charge for a second lobster tail. Not a good look for X.

Some sacrifices are well worth taking. 🤣

[SRQbeachgirl]

1 minute ago, davekathy said:

Some sacrifices are well worth taking. 🤣

 

Which is why I am still happy to board the Reflection next Sunday. 😁

[davekathy]

1 minute ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

 

Which is why I am still happy to board the Reflection next Sunday. 😁

Bon Vonage. 🍻

[NMTraveller]

20 minutes ago, RichYak said:

I have to laugh because I just accidentally clicked onto the Carnival board instead of the Celebrity board just now and the top post is "No more Sierra Mist". So they have similar problems too, just a different scale.

They can just bring a case or two of Sierra Mist onboard at embarkation.

 

Will Celebrity let us bring a full cow onboard?  Or is there a corkage or porkage fee associated with this?

Edited January 14, 2023 by NMTraveller

[drowelf]

32 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

They can just bring a case or two of Sierra Mist onboard at embarkation.

 

Will Celebrity let us bring a full cow onboard?  Or is there a corkage or porkage fee associated with this?

That may be hard. Pepsi is (or already has) discontinuing Sierra Mist. So it could be hard to fine. 

 

Won't porkage be for the pigs brought on board. Beef would either be beefage or moooage.

[Baron Barracuda]

In their most recent quarter RCG reported Food expense amounted to 6.5% of revenue (X is not broken out discretely in their financials).  For the first 9 months of 2022 it was 7.2%, so as ships fill up the number appears to be trending down.  In 2019 however Food was only 5.5% of revenue.  So if over the past three years food costs have increased by 1% of revenue wouldn't a 1% increase in fares have made them whole?  Given that fares have risen much more than that believe X is using "food inflation" as a smoke screen to pad the bottom line.

[terrydtx]

40 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

They can just bring a case or two of Sierra Mist onboard at embarkation.

 

Will Celebrity let us bring a full cow onboard?  Or is there a corkage or porkage fee associated with this?

What is Sierra Mist, some type of hard cider?

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

1 minute ago, terrydtx said:

What is Sierra Mist, some type of hard cider?

 

Pepsi's attempt to have a caffeine-free lemon-lime soda to compete with Sprite. It has failed and is being discontinued.

[TravelingCircusof5]

It is disappointing that people are reporting no prime rib and no filet +  no oceanview + no mains listed in the menus for my upcoming cruise. I have celiac disease and have to be very careful what i eat. I cannot eat any of the pasta dishes, or anything with bread or breadcrumbs, nor most meats with a sauce bc they have wheat in the sauce,  not to mention almost any dessert. Now, this is MY problem, and I take responsibility for it. BUT before I paid, I closely checked the menu options and saw that i could get a nice steak and veggies most nights- or choose something simple, put together myself from the many options in OVC. That was only a couple months out when i booked.  NOW, we are only 40ish days out, and those food options don’t seem to be there. For me, this is NOT what I paid for in good faith. We did not get a good deal on the room either (Beyond)  I would absolutely cancel if we wouldn’t lose thousands because I didn’t want to pay $$$$ to have plain, disappointing food options every day. Not sure what to do… This is a very real issue for me.

[hcat]

suggest you contact Special Needs dept and  let maitre ds know ahead..

they will customize and work with you to plan

[terrydtx]

2 minutes ago, TravelingCircusof5 said:

It is disappointing that people are reporting no prime rib and no filet +  no oceanview + no mains listed in the menus for my upcoming cruise. I have celiac disease and have to be very careful what i eat. I cannot eat any of the pasta dishes, or anything with bread or breadcrumbs, nor most meats with a sauce bc they have wheat in the sauce,  not to mention almost any dessert. Now, this is MY problem, and I take responsibility for it. BUT before I paid, I closely checked the menu options and saw that i could get a nice steak and veggies most nights- or choose something simple, put together myself from the many options in OVC. That was only a couple months out when i booked.  NOW, we are only 40ish days out, and those food options don’t seem to be there. For me, this is NOT what I paid for in good faith. We did not get a good deal on the room either (Beyond)  I would absolutely cancel if we wouldn’t lose thousands because I didn’t want to pay $$$$ to have plain, disappointing food options every day. Not sure what to do… This is a very real issue for me.

If you let the MDR manager know ahead of time many of the dishes can be prepared for you glutton free.  In the Tuscan Grill they have available glutton free pasta. The first night usually your waiter in the MDR will ask if you have any food allergies.

[drowelf]

16 minutes ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

Pepsi's attempt to have a caffeine-free lemon-lime soda to compete with Sprite. It has failed and is being discontinued.

I don't know if I would say failed, it was around for over 20 years. Now a flavor that I would definitely classify as a failure was New Coke, it lasted a whooping 77 days. 

[miched]

I think eggs may be next on what is eliminated.  The price of eggs has doubled.   They are now about $5/dozen for the cheapest eggs at our local  large chain store.  
 

With that increase I am sure many items using eggs will also be eliminated or limited 

 

I don’t mind them not having Prime rib.   I make it 2 times a year,  Easter, and Christmas.   I get it on sale for $7.99/lb and freeze one.  If it wasn’t on sale I wouldn’t serve it.  I would replace it with a slow cook brisket on a smoker.  
 

 For what is is worth i think a hamburger or meat  loaf is better than Prime rib but it does makes  holiday dinner  more special.  
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[Cruzinforpeace***]

Some Useful Tilapia Information.  

Bon appetite!

“Reports of farming practices are concerning

As consumer demand for tilapia continues to grow, tilapia farming offers a cost-effective method of producing a relatively inexpensive product for the consumer.

However, several reports over the past decade have revealed some concerning details about tilapia farming practices, especially from farms located in China.

Tilapia are often fed animal feces

One report from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revealed that it is common for fish farmed in China to be fed feces from livestock animals (11).

Although this practice drives down production costs, bacteria like Salmonella found in animal waste can contaminate the water and increase the risk of foodborne diseases.

Using animal feces as feed wasn’t directly associated with any specific fish in the report. However, around 73% of the tilapia imported to the United States comes from China, where this practice is particularly common (12).”

[Ipeeinthepools]

I may end up becoming Vegan on my next cruise.

[Cruzinforpeace***]

2 hours ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

 

Yeah, but Carnival is still serving filet and doesn't charge for a second lobster tail. Not a good look for X.

Maybe I’ll change my July cruise to Carnival.  Seems like a better value at this point.

[miched]

5 minutes ago, Cruzinforpeace*** said:

Maybe I’ll change my July cruise to Carnival.  Seems like a better value at this point.

If you look google the history of lobster it use to be a pauper’s dinner.  It was served to prisoners and they protested.  
 

 

From Wikipedia 

 

Lobster continued to be eaten as a delicacy and a general staple food among coastal communities until the late 17th century. During this time, the influence of the Church and the government regulating and sometimes banning meat consumption during certain periods continued to encourage the popularity of seafood, especially shellfish, as a meat alternative among all classes. Throughout this period, lobster was eaten fresh, pickled, and salted. From the late 17th century onward, developments in fishing, transportation, and cooking technology allowed lobster to more easily make its way inland, and the variety of dishes involving lobster and cooking techniques used with the ingredient expanded.^[70] However, these developments coincided with a decrease in the lobster population, and lobster increasingly became a delicacy food, valued among the rich as a status symbol and less

 

likely to be found in the diet of the general population.^[71]

The American lobster was not originally popular among European colonists in North America. This was partially due to the European inlander's association of lobster with barely edible salted seafood and partially due to a cultural opinion that seafood was a lesser alternative to meat that did not provide the taste or nutrients desired. It was also due to the extreme abundance of lobster at the time of the colonists' arrival, which contributed to a general perception of lobster as an undesirable peasant food.^[72] The American lobster did not achieve popularity until the mid-19th century when New Yorkers and Bostonians developed a taste for it, and commercial lobster fisheries only flourished after the development of the lobster smack,^[73] a custom-made boat with open holding wells on the deck to keep the lobsters alive during transport.^[74]

Before this time, lobster was considered a poverty food or as a food for indentured servants or lower members of society in Maine, Massachusetts, and the Canadian Maritimes. Some servants specified in employment agreements that they would not eat lobster more than twice per week,^[75]however there is limited evidence for this.^[76][77] Lobster was also commonly served in prisons, much to the displeasure of inmates.^[78] American lobster was initially deemed worthy only of being used as fertilizer or fish bait, and until well into the 20th century, it was not viewed as more than a low-priced canned staple food.^[79]

As a crustacean, lobster remains a taboo food in the dietary laws of Judaism and certain streams of Islam.^{[note 1][}

 

To me lobster, and snails wouldn’t have any taste or flavor without the garlic butter, but that can apply to many other foods that need some kind of extra seasoning, gravy, or sauce.  

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

 

[RD64]

18 hours ago, grandgeezer said:

I give them six more months and the only steak on the menu will be tube steak, also know as hot dogs.

Tube Steak -thank you - haven’t heard that since my adolescence years.

[PineappleTraveler]

1 minute ago, miched said:

lobster was considered a poverty food or as a food for indentured servants or lower members of society

I guess I'm lowly, because I'd happily eat lobster 7 nights a week over any other meal!

[cruisemom42]

3 minutes ago, miched said:

If you look google the history of lobster it use to be a pauper’s dinner.  It was served to prisoners and they protested.  
 

 

From Wikipedia 

 

Lobster continued to be eaten as a delicacy and a general staple food among coastal communities until the late 17th century. During this time, the influence of the Church and the government regulating and sometimes banning meat consumption during certain periods continued to encourage the popularity of seafood, especially shellfish, as a meat alternative among all classes. Throughout this period, lobster was eaten fresh, pickled, and salted. From the late 17th century onward, developments in fishing, transportation, and cooking technology allowed lobster to more easily make its way inland, and the variety of dishes involving lobster and cooking techniques used with the ingredient expanded.^[70] However, these developments coincided with a decrease in the lobster population, and lobster increasingly became a delicacy food, valued among the rich as a status symbol and less

 

likely to be found in the diet of the general population.^[71]

The American lobster was not originally popular among European colonists in North America. This was partially due to the European inlander's association of lobster with barely edible salted seafood and partially due to a cultural opinion that seafood was a lesser alternative to meat that did not provide the taste or nutrients desired. It was also due to the extreme abundance of lobster at the time of the colonists' arrival, which contributed to a general perception of lobster as an undesirable peasant food.^[72] The American lobster did not achieve popularity until the mid-19th century when New Yorkers and Bostonians developed a taste for it, and commercial lobster fisheries only flourished after the development of the lobster smack,^[73] a custom-made boat with open holding wells on the deck to keep the lobsters alive during transport.^[74]

Before this time, lobster was considered a poverty food or as a food for indentured servants or lower members of society in Maine, Massachusetts, and the Canadian Maritimes. Some servants specified in employment agreements that they would not eat lobster more than twice per week,^[75]however there is limited evidence for this.^[76][77] Lobster was also commonly served in prisons, much to the displeasure of inmates.^[78] American lobster was initially deemed worthy only of being used as fertilizer or fish bait, and until well into the 20th century, it was not viewed as more than a low-priced canned staple food.^[79]

As a crustacean, lobster remains a taboo food in the dietary laws of Judaism and certain streams of Islam.^{[note 1][}

 

To me lobster, and snails wouldn’t have any taste or flavor without the garlic butter, but that can apply to many other foods that need some kind of extra seasoning, gravy, or sauce.  

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

 

 

Super tired of hearing this trope.

 

Many other foods we value today and consider luxuries were also once considered a poor man's food.

 

[OysterD]

43 minutes ago, Baron Barracuda said:

In their most recent quarter RCG reported Food expense amounted to 6.5% of revenue (X is not broken out discretely in their financials).  For the first 9 months of 2022 it was 7.2%, so as ships fill up the number appears to be trending down.  In 2019 however Food was only 5.5% of revenue.  So if over the past three years food costs have increased by 1% of revenue wouldn't a 1% increase in fares have made them whole?  Given that fares have risen much more than that believe X is using "food inflation" as a smoke screen to pad the bottom line.

 

The tricky thing for Celebrity is most of the people currently onboard most likely booked their cruises almost a year ago, some even further back. You can't ask those people to pay extra after booking, nor is it really fair to expect people booking now for next year to pay even more, for both increases in their own food costs and to cover the increases of those sailing now. 

 

Also fuel costs have risen a LOT over the last 12-18 months (although falling again now), as have staff costs. 

 

Celebrity know much better than any of the people commenting here on what they need to do and what they realistically can do to remain profitable while being hit with a worldwide pandemic, a war in Eastern Europe, massive debt together with interest rate hikes, labour shortages and massive inflationary pressures on food, labour and fuel. 

 

I've read on here over the last few weeks constant complaining and moaning about room service charges, what cut of steak is served, increased drink prices, reduced service in the buffet in evenings, how evil tilapia is.... but does anyone have any better suggestions as to what Celebrity (& other cruise lines) can do because they absolutely have to do something. Genuinely curious. 

 

None of the changes (either announced or merely speculated over) bother me one bit. We had a fantastic cruise a couple months ago and I'm sure our next one later this year will be just as good. 

 

[Laurab23]

4 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Don't fret,  if Tilapia does not fit your palette, there is always turkey 🙂

I like turkey.

 

Laura

[Cruzinforpeace***]

11 minutes ago, OysterD said:

 

The tricky thing for Celebrity is most of the people currently onboard most likely booked their cruises almost a year ago, some even further back. You can't ask those people to pay extra after booking, nor is it really fair to expect people booking now for next year to pay even more, for both increases in their own food costs and to cover the increases of those sailing now. 

 

Also fuel costs have risen a LOT over the last 12-18 months (although falling again now), as have staff costs. 

 

Celebrity know much better than any of the people commenting here on what they need to do and what they realistically can do to remain profitable while being hit with a worldwide pandemic, a war in Eastern Europe, massive debt together with interest rate hikes, labour shortages and massive inflationary pressures on food, labour and fuel. 

 

I've read on here over the last few weeks constant complaining and moaning about room service charges, what cut of steak is served, increased drink prices, reduced service in the buffet in evenings, how evil tilapia is.... but does anyone have any better suggestions as to what Celebrity (& other cruise lines) can do because they absolutely have to do something. Genuinely curious. 

 

None of the changes (either announced or merely speculated over) bother me one bit. We had a fantastic cruise a couple months ago and I'm sure our next one later this year will be just as good. 

 

The issue is being sold something different than you originally bought; it’s deceptive advertising and frankly unethical. They are literally stealing from their guests.  How would you feel if a car dealership told you you were getting the top of the line, loaded model of your car and then when they delivered it to you it was the bare bones model but still the high price?  Celebrity should allow an “out” for those close to cruising at this moment.  No penalty cancellation.  Going forward they will have to raise prices significantly and continue to cut service to survive.  If you want to cruise with them at that point it’s your choice.  You will know up front what you’re signing up for.  I guarantee you if this keeps up the vast majority of mass market cruise lines will be“done”.  Only luxury liners for the very wealthy will continue to float.   Enjoy these last days of “modern luxury”.

Edited January 15, 2023 by Cruzinforpeace***

[SRQbeachgirl]

30 minutes ago, Cruzinforpeace*** said:

Maybe I’ll change my July cruise to Carnival.  Seems like a better value at this point.

 

The two new ships, Mardi Gras and Celebration, are in a completely different category from the normal Carnival experience. They definitely upped their game with all the dining options on those ships.  

[LGW59]

Just now, SRQbeachgirl said:

 

The two new ships, Mardi Gras and Celebration, are in a completely different category from the normal Carnival experience. They definitely upped their game with all the dining options on those ships.  

It's still Carnival...