Awful State of Ocean View Cafe for dinner

[kayehall]

I am aware that the cost of food has skyrocketed.  And cut backs are pretty much the norm right now.  But not everybody likes Oriental cuisine.  The variety seems very limited.  That pizza has got to be like cardboard.  The pasta dishes are probably stuck to the pan.  I see they were carving turkey.  How about complimenting that with mashed, stuffing and fresh veggie.  Good sides for a meat selection would be scalloped potatoes or mac and cheese.  And they should have 1 station for burgers/grilled chick sandwiches/hot dogs open.  How about beef stew and biscuits?  Switch it up.  IMO.  (tired of watching football...LOL)

 

[bonagrad]

1 minute ago, kayehall said:

I am aware that the cost of food has skyrocketed.  And cut backs are pretty much the norm right now.  But not everybody likes Oriental cuisine.  The variety seems very limited.  That pizza has got to be like cardboard.  The pasta dishes are probably stuck to the pan.  I see they were carving turkey.  How about complimenting that with mashed, stuffing and fresh veggie.  Good sides for a meat selection would be scalloped potatoes or mac and cheese.  And they should have 1 station for burgers/grilled chick sandwiches/hot dogs open.  How about beef stew and biscuits?  Switch it up.  IMO.  (tired of watching football...LOL)

 

Agreed and this has been my feedback to them.  You can reduce waste, while still offering decent variety.  They went to the extreme.  The only thing worse would be closing it all together.

[bonagrad]

9 minutes ago, RichYak said:

It doesn’t take long to eat dinner in OVC. Maybe 20-30 minutes. If you saw 75-100 at various points in time during dinner, that would indicate to me that 300-500 people are eating dinner there in total. That doesn’t include passengers that took the food elsewhere like cabins or out on deck. That’s significant.

And this is totally the point of those of us that enjoy a buffet for dinner.  We don't want a two hour dining experience.  I'd say our last 5 or 6 cruises we eaten most in buffets or specialty restaurants.  Each cruise has seen plenty of traffic in the evening and that's across Celebrity, Royal, and Princess.

[MamaFej]

5 minutes ago, RichYak said:

It doesn’t take long to eat dinner in OVC. Maybe 20-30 minutes. If you saw 75-100 at various points in time during dinner, that would indicate to me that 300-500 people are eating dinner there in total. That doesn’t include passengers that took the food elsewhere like cabins or out on deck. That’s significant.

That 20-30 minutes is just one of the reasons folks like the option of a good, varied buffet. 

 

We had dinner there on an August  cruise, even though we were in Blu, as we had gotten back onboard fairly late and just didn't have the enrgy to shower, change, and sit through a 90 minute or longer dinner service. 

 

There are many good reasons to have a nice buffet, albeit less extensive than at lunch. I think most folks understand why executives at X thought that decimating it for dinner was a good idea, but it sure doesn't seem to have been well thought-out. 

 

[MamaFej]

14 minutes ago, kayehall said:

(tired of watching football...LOL)

 

Pro Tip: Become a Chargers fan. Even when they make it to the playoffs, it's never for long. 

 

Case in point: yesterday

 

 

(and many past years) 

[mpdog42]

21 minutes ago, kayehall said:

I am aware that the cost of food has skyrocketed.  And cut backs are pretty much the norm right now.  But not everybody likes Oriental cuisine.  The variety seems very limited.  That pizza has got to be like cardboard.  The pasta dishes are probably stuck to the pan.  I see they were carving turkey.  How about complimenting that with mashed, stuffing and fresh veggie.  Good sides for a meat selection would be scalloped potatoes or mac and cheese.  And they should have 1 station for burgers/grilled chick sandwiches/hot dogs open.  How about beef stew and biscuits?  Switch it up.  IMO.  (tired of watching football...LOL)

 

This!!!! 

Edited January 16, 2023 by mpdog42

[volk904]

Just my opinion but Royal has had both RCCL and Celebrity make big dinning changes for 2023.  We know prices have gone up but I would rather them raise the prices a bit than cut back on the quality of dinning.  

[morfred]

1 hour ago, retird said:

What is really sad about most of the posts about food availability/quality/volume  on the current Celebrity sailings are by people who have not been on any of the ships since the changes.    You are trashing a Cruise Line’s reputation based on what you read and in some cases snippits of misinformation.   Things change and most of us roll with the changes.   People commenting on here number a hundred or so compared to the hundreds of thousands who sail on Celebrity yearly and some, i have talked to dont even frequent these boards anymore because of the negative rhetoric and misinformation.    Im not blowing Celebrity’s horn and my cruising alternates between four major lines.    

LLP? Is that you?

[miched]

Some need it as a bridge to help them in between meals.   We were walking thru the buffet from the aft bar around 5 pm going to our cabin to get ready for dinner.   There was a couple with plates loaded to the brim.   Another couple seen them and asked “we thought you were dining with us tonight, why are you eating now?”  Answer.  We are but that isn’t until 6.  
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[jagoffee]

OP, very nice explanation and video.  Thank you for taking the time to put it together.

 

My wife and I seldom have dinner in the OV, so it does not impact us much.  Occasionally we dine there when we are not very hungry.  It looks a lot better than what a lot of people were saying.  If they added a grill, it would be fairly reasonable.  I seriously doubt that the evening OV will ever fully return.  IMO, the best hope is the addition of freshly grilled items.

 

 

 

[cgolf1]

6 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

I would have also liked to have seen a full E class ship on their review.  Their first B2B was full and they did not have good things to say about a full E class ship.

 

Many who have not sailed on a full E class ship will not know what we are talking about.

 

We have sailed a full E class ship and had no issues. The ship had a good flow and with 6 dining rooms, 4 free and the Aqua and Suite options none of the food venues were really all that packed. Last time we sailed an inside room, this time we may end up in an infinite veranda, will see. 

 

We don't do the bars, but did notice the martini bar was oddly shaped with not a lot of seating in the area because of the design, so could see some issues for some.

 

For the video, I was interested in the oceanview and was glad they zoomed in on a lot of the cards to see that they did have gluten free options I could do. It was both better and worse than I expected if that makes sense. We have 3 nights we don't have an early reservation, if we end up not getting one, that may work for us after all.

Edited January 16, 2023 by cgolf1

[NMTraveller]

4 hours ago, RealBatman said:

Like Jeal, it bothers me about the waste of food - especially what I've seen in Oceanview cafe at the noon hour. Mom always said: "If you take it, you eat it".

Sorry to hear your needs are not being met. 

I think that there is a bunch more waste in the MDR.  It is just that the waiters quickly take away the half empty plates.

 

In the OCV I can get the exact amounts that I want to consume.  I can even go back and get small tastes for a second plate.  No waste there.

 

When I dine in the MDR about half of the food is wasted.  The plates are too big.  And when I want just a taste of something I must order the full plate.

 

So my opinion is that the MDR wastes more food, you just don't see it as it is quickly taken away by a waiter.

[goofysmom99]

18 minutes ago, cgolf1 said:

 

We have sailed a full E class ship and had no issues. The ship had a good flow and with 6 dining rooms, 4 free and the Aqua and Suite options none of the food venues were really all that packed. Last time we sailed an inside room, this time we may end up in an infinite veranda, will see. 

 

We don't do the bars, but did notice the martini bar was oddly shaped with not a lot of seating in the area because of the design, so could see some issues for some.

 

For the video, I was interested in the oceanview and was glad they zoomed in on a lot of the cards to see that they did have gluten free options I could do. It was both better and worse than I expected if that makes sense. We have 3 nights we don't have an early reservation, if we end up not getting one, that may work for us after all.

Don't trust the gluten free cards.  They had them over the pizza and pasta.  Plus in another video, over soy sauce.  X's soy sauce is NOT gluten free (because GF soy sauce is a lot more expensive).  You have to get it from Sushi on 5 by request.

[cgolf1]

5 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

I think that there is a bunch more waste in the MDR.  It is just that the waiters quickly take away the half empty plates.

 

In the OCV I can get the exact amounts that I want to consume.  I can even go back and get small tastes for a second plate.  No waste there.

 

When I dine in the MDR about half of the food is wasted.  The plates are too big.  And when I want just a taste of something I must order the full plate.

 

So my opinion is that the MDR wastes more food, you just don't see it as it is quickly taken away by a waiter.

 

The only difference is the OVC they best guess the amount of food they need to make for the night where it isn't made to order. While the main dining rooms aren't 100% made to order Celebrity is much more flexible than say RCCL or even Disney. On Celebrity I have changed my mind night of what I wanted, I preorder for gluten free and they can make edits to get me the new dish. Also something new for us is we asked then to only say bring out the chicken and no sides and they are the first line we have had do exactly that. So while they provision for what they thin people will order in the MDR, I am not convinced they cook everything up every night. 

[cgolf1]

5 minutes ago, goofysmom99 said:

Don't trust the gluten free cards.  They had them over the pizza and pasta.  Plus in another video, over soy sauce.  X's soy sauce is NOT gluten free (because GF soy sauce is a lot more expensive).  You have to get it from Sushi on 5 by request.

 

Pizza we now to special order and the gluten free crust they have is very good. Thanks for the heads up on the soy sauce. I don't believe I have had it in there because I do a lot of Indian food because I don't get it at home, but I will be on the look out.

 

GF soy sauce isn't really all that expensive. We got some of the Kroger brand that I believe is GF, but it is a tough one to find in general.

Edited January 16, 2023 by cgolf1

[goofysmom99]

21 minutes ago, cgolf1 said:

GF soy sauce isn't really all that expensive. We got some of the Kroger brand that I believe is GF, but it is a tough one to find in general.

It is if you're cutting food costs as drastically as X is.  X has used both regular and GF Kikkoman for years but I suppose even that is subject to change now.

Edited January 16, 2023 by goofysmom99

[cgolf1]

7 minutes ago, goofysmom99 said:

It is if you're cutting food costs as drastically as X is.  X has used both regular and GF Kikkoman for years but I suppose even that is subject to change now.

I won’t complain with that brand as the soy sauce is made in WI along with the grassland butter. 

[zgscl]

The dinner looks much more to me like the late night snack buffet which is quite sad for a cruise line trying to position itself at the upper end of the premium market or into the luxury segment. I can totally understand the need for a change, but there has to be a happier medium. One thing HAL does is they largely have the same food in the buffet at dinner that is on the MDR menu, just served off the buffet. I think something like this with better options while still having fewer stations would be workable. I also would hope they expand this on select days like late night port calls where the buffet is likely to see increased traffic. I also feel like the room service charges should be waived for Aqua Class & possibly concierge class. Or maybe include hot breakfast for Aqua class at least. 

[NutsAboutGolf]

1 hour ago, volk904 said:

Just my opinion but Royal has had both RCCL and Celebrity make big dinning changes for 2023.  We know prices have gone up but I would rather them raise the prices a bit than cut back on the quality of dinning.  

 

Totally agree...FYI, Holding parent company is now RCG/Royal Caribbean Group and the cruise line is now RCI/Royal Caribbean International

[NMTraveller]

3 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

.... and I detest the viking commercials I see and hear...

 

I have told my spouse to not expect us to sail on that line anytime soon, unless something changes, especially their payment due date or I come into some unexpected riches to give it to them for such a long lead time IMO... LOL

 

bon voyage

You should try a River Cruise.  Perhaps not Viking though.

[NMTraveller]

3 hours ago, retird said:

What is really sad about most of the posts about food availability/quality/volume  on the current Celebrity sailings are by people who have not been on any of the ships since the changes.    You are trashing a Cruise Line’s reputation based on what you read and in some cases snippits of misinformation.   Things change and most of us roll with the changes.   People commenting on here number a hundred or so compared to the hundreds of thousands who sail on Celebrity yearly and some, i have talked to dont even frequent these boards anymore because of the negative rhetoric and misinformation.    Im not blowing Celebrity’s horn and my cruising alternates between four major lines.    

So exactly what about the detailed video that was posted do you disagree with?

 

It was from a very recent cruise.

[Honolulu Blue]

I'll make a few comments and then get out.  Some of them will repeat what I've said in other threads; I apologize for that.  Anyway, here goes:

 

• OP, thanks for the video link!
• Several people reported getting responses from LLP's office on this issue.  The responses were noncommittal on what they did and what they're going to do, but they seemed to be open to changing things and encouraged more feedback.
• One response from customer service (not LLP's office) seemed to imply that the change to the OVC was in part made to encourage people to go to the MDR
• Reports seem to be that E-class ships were hit worst by this, with S-class ships somewhat less, and M-class ships least
• I'm hoping that the above it true because my next Celebrity cruise will be on the Summit in 6 weeks.  That cruise will be a charter where the buffet use will be above the norm for regular cruises.  I hope this means we'll get something approaching what was the norm back in the good old days of 2022.  But that remains to be seen.
• If the buffet is as sparse as the worst reports have shown, not only will I give feedback to LLP's office, but I'll have no choice but to complain to the charter company.  Maybe it'll be the tipping point to move them and their various charters to a different cruise line.  I like Celebrity for a lot of reasons, but they're not the only good cruise line out there.

[CU64]

8 hours ago, 81Zoomie said:

Thank you for taking the time to document this.  The food options look less appetizing and less healthy than a college cafeteria.  Additionally, the entire Oceanview appeared to be a ghost town.  Perhaps that is the goal.  I am wondering how this will affect wait times in the dining rooms.  This is not what someone would expect from how Celebrity describes itself, a “luxury” cruise line.  The problem is that unless you have very recently sailed or are on Cruise Critic, you are not aware of the changes.  Posts on the more frequented social media sites (we can’t mention here) will help spread the word. Looks like it’s time to write directly to Lisa LP to tell her how disappointing this is. 

I do not agree. The food options on the video were ample. People can find 2 proteins, some plant based, vegetables, a huge salad center, breads, fruits, desserts, pizza, cheese. There is no need for more to be wasted. 

[CU64]

6 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

lw - I Am doing my best to convince my spouse...

 

I understand the value proposition presented by Oceania, but, but, but, but My spouse prefers X's ship size and many of the activities offered...

 

I do prefer the smaller ship offerings and presentation...

 

Maybe I can try it at least once... and most likely by myself, at that... LOL

 

Cannot wait to read about your take on Oceania...

 

Cheers and bon voyage

Oceania is lovely and intimate during HH. Food is very good. That’s it. Nobody at casino. Sparse music offerings. Entertainment is people gathering to talk, which is good considering our current culture. People are civilized. Met some lovely, interesting travelers. 

[Ipeeinthepools]

5 hours ago, volk904 said:

Just my opinion but Royal has had both RCCL and Celebrity make big dinning changes for 2023.  We know prices have gone up but I would rather them raise the prices a bit than cut back on the quality of dinning.  

 

I agree, but Celebrity has done both.  They've raised the prices and cut back on the quality of dining.  So now what will you do?