Responses from Celebrity?

[D C]

4 hours ago, Sunshinehearts said:

I emailed the CEO email address shared on here about Ocean View Cafe and room service changes for my  3 upcoming cruises.  I got an email back the same day asking if they could call me, which they did today.  As a good will gesture I received $100 additional OBC for each cruise.

 

They did say that the feedback was being monitored and the approach would be reviewed at the 6 and 12 month point (so seems unlikely anything will change in the near term)

Nice!  I'm impressed that they admitted fault enough to credit you! 

[NMTraveller]

6 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Or the MDR menu cutbacks are not that bad,  but I am in a suite eating in Luminae...

 

THIS seems to be a common theme.

[Nemanoxer]

TUI Cruises, the German sister of Celebrity, had officially blocked all telephone lines and contacts to everybody outside their corporate communication last year because of what was going on. You could not contact them on any way. They only reacted after my lawyer sent a letter...

 

Tbh, we refrain from cruising these days for good reasons. And that is not only the pricing. It´s just a mess that we do not want to have to face in context with our holidays.

 

[kathynorth]

On 1/23/2023 at 6:02 AM, southernbreezes said:

I agree with you and think 90% of Celebrity customers do also. The 2 or 3 times I had dinner in the OVC because we were late getting back from a tour tired and did not want to dress I saw maybe 20-30 there having dinner. Total waste of food and manpower! You are right Carnival is great for those that do not want a more upscale Cruise experience.  People can write all they want the changes are here to stay only because 90% of us like them.  

I really don’t think 90% of customers would agree with you or the other poster, that destroying the buffet is the means to reduce food waste. It will instead result in food waste in the MDRs as others have surmised. Instead of totally changing options, just don’t put out so much food. Celebrity hasn’t just reduced the amount of food on display, they have reduced options and quality of the offerings. There was a time when we could go to the buffet after a long day in port and have the same main dishes from the MDR menu. Celebrity could instead shift to a reduced make to order service rather than cafeteria model. They could also focus on the enjoyment of cruisers who eat in the buffet to lessen the sting of changes. I think most people do recognize the need for Celebrity to save where they can, but IMO a significant alteration of the customer experience is a mistake. The buffet is a visual representation of product cuts, which is why posters have responded so strongly on this topic. I’m sure there are hundreds of smaller, less noticeable changes that may or may not affect the cruiser experience. 

Edited January 24, 2023 by kathynorth

[southernbreezes]

11 hours ago, D C said:

Bizarre that you actually wish for other people to have a worse vacation experience. Heaven forbid someone wishes to have a quiet al fresco meal on the back of the ship. It's wonderful, but I'm guessing you would hate it on principle alone. Clearly their experience should be miserable because YOU think they should be having a more "upscale" experience, whatever that is. 

 

And again, if you're purely here to elate in the misery of others, you can find plenty of other threads on CC where you can gloat in whatever way you wish.  I presume once again that you have not contacted X regarding the changes and thus have not received any response.  If you have, please share your experience.  

Well all I can say is...what misery the Edge Class ships have four complimentary main restaurants.

Plus Blu, Plus Luminae, plus Mast Grill, plus Eden Cafe, plus Le Petit Chef, plus Fine Cut Steakhouse, plus Raw on 5, plus Magic Carpet on 5, plus Rooftop Garden Grill, plus Spa Cafe & Juice Bar.

[jgmorgan]

5 minutes ago, southernbreezes said:

Well all I can say is...what misery the Edge Class ships have four complimentary main restaurants.

Plus Blu, Plus Luminae, plus Mast Grill, plus Eden Cafe, plus Le Petit Chef, plus Fine Cut Steakhouse, plus Raw on 5, plus Magic Carpet on 5, plus Rooftop Garden Grill, plus Spa Cafe & Juice Bar.

Yeah, but you have to wear pants.😂

[the penguins]

48 minutes ago, southernbreezes said:

Well all I can say is...what misery the Edge Class ships have four complimentary main restaurants.

Plus Blu, Plus Luminae, plus Mast Grill, plus Eden Cafe, plus Le Petit Chef, plus Fine Cut Steakhouse, plus Raw on 5, plus Magic Carpet on 5, plus Rooftop Garden Grill, plus Spa Cafe & Juice Bar.

Strange maths. 4 main complimentary restaurants ?- surely that's just the old MDR split into sections. Blu is Aqua only, Luminae is Suites only. Mast Grill for dinner? only in very good weather. Spa Cafe - is that open for dinner?. The rest are not free. 

[kathynorth]

56 minutes ago, southernbreezes said:

Well all I can say is...what misery the Edge Class ships have four complimentary main restaurants.

Plus Blu, Plus Luminae, plus Mast Grill, plus Eden Cafe, plus Le Petit Chef, plus Fine Cut Steakhouse, plus Raw on 5, plus Magic Carpet on 5, plus Rooftop Garden Grill, plus Spa Cafe & Juice Bar.

 

What about the other 12 ships that have fewer dining options? The majority of cruisers don’t have suites or Aqua cabins, so don’t have access to Luminae or Blu. The mast grill, spa cafe and juice bars aren’t open at dinner time. By listing all the specialty restaurants you seem to believe that paying an additional $140+/Couple/dinner is a viable alternative to eating in MDR, when dinner at the buffet would have met our needs. For us low-born staying in a regular veranda, oceanview or inside cabin, our only alternative to the MDR is the buffet or a specialty at additional cost.

Edited January 24, 2023 by kathynorth

[RichYak]

57 minutes ago, southernbreezes said:

Well all I can say is...what misery the Edge Class ships have four complimentary main restaurants.

Plus Blu, Plus Luminae, plus Mast Grill, plus Eden Cafe, plus Le Petit Chef, plus Fine Cut Steakhouse, plus Raw on 5, plus Magic Carpet on 5, plus Rooftop Garden Grill, plus Spa Cafe & Juice Bar.

Well none of these are an option if one doesn't want the drawn out ordeal of menu service for dinner. I don't understand the disconnect that some have in not understanding this.

[southernbreezes]

8 minutes ago, the penguins said:

Strange maths. 4 main complimentary restaurants ?- surely that's just the old MDR split into sections.

Surely you have not cruised in some time now. They are all different restaurants look at the deck plan. For those of you that like the buffet its still there just limited but its also there for breakfeast and lunch so you can sit out and enjoy the view. With so few eating there at night  sorry but I understand why they are limiting it for dinner. Celebrity no longer may be a good fit for some but you have lots of other cruise lines to pick from. I have been on over 60 cruises and have yet to have a bad meal experence on any of the lines. My wife thinks the food is better on Celebrity I say they are all about the same...all good none excellent. Why not sit back and let somone serve you.

[Spurs Fans]

7 hours ago, Nemanoxer said:

TUI Cruises, the German sister of Celebrity, had officially blocked all telephone lines and contacts to everybody outside their corporate communication last year because of what was going on. You could not contact them on any way. They only reacted after my lawyer sent a letter...

 

Tbh, we refrain from cruising these days for good reasons. And that is not only the pricing. It´s just a mess that we do not want to have to face in context with our holidays.

 

Just curious - what issue did you have that needed the help of a lawyer to resolve? 

[Nemanoxer]

3 minutes ago, Spurs Fans said:

Just curious - what issue did you have that needed the help of a lawyer to resolve? 

 

They kept ignoring my rightful refund processing.

[NutsAboutGolf]

2 hours ago, the penguins said:

Strange maths. 4 main complimentary restaurants ?- surely that's just the old MDR split into sections. Blu is Aqua only, Luminae is Suites only. Mast Grill for dinner? only in very good weather. Spa Cafe - is that open for dinner?. The rest are not free. 

 

2 hours ago, kathynorth said:

 

What about the other 12 ships that have fewer dining options? The majority of cruisers don’t have suites or Aqua cabins, so don’t have access to Luminae or Blu. The mast grill, spa cafe and juice bars aren’t open at dinner time. By listing all the specialty restaurants you seem to believe that paying an additional $140+/Couple/dinner is a viable alternative to eating in MDR, when dinner at the buffet would have met our needs. For us low-born staying in a regular veranda, oceanview or inside cabin, our only alternative to the MDR is the buffet or a specialty at additional cost.

 

1 hour ago, RichYak said:

Well none of these are an option if one doesn't want the drawn out ordeal of menu service for dinner. I don't understand the disconnect that some have in not understanding this.

Agree with all and wanted to add, good luck getting a specialty dining reservation at a favorable time if at all…

[kathynorth]

3 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

Agree with all and wanted to add, good luck getting a specialty dining reservation at a favorable time if at all…

 

Great point!

[the penguins]

2 hours ago, southernbreezes said:

Surely you have not cruised in some time now. They are all different restaurants look at the deck plan. For those of you that like the buffet its still there just limited but its also there for breakfeast and lunch so you can sit out and enjoy the view. With so few eating there at night  sorry but I understand why they are limiting it for dinner. Celebrity no longer may be a good fit for some but you have lots of other cruise lines to pick from. I have been on over 60 cruises and have yet to have a bad meal experence on any of the lines. My wife thinks the food is better on Celebrity I say they are all about the same...all good none excellent. Why not sit back and let somone serve you.

Just curious. 4 restaurants but I understood they have the same menus - is that correct? If not what are the differences?

[CaroleSS]

1 minute ago, the penguins said:

Just curious. 4 restaurants but I understood they have the same menus - is that correct? If not what are the differences?

Totally different menus

[RichYak]

1 minute ago, CaroleSS said:

Totally different menus...

...that I believe you can order from in any of the other 3 rooms. If that's true, the only difference is ambience.

[the penguins]

2 minutes ago, CaroleSS said:

Totally different menus

So each one totally different every nigh

 

Just now, RichYak said:

...that I believe you can order from in any of the other 3 rooms. If that's true, the only difference is ambience.

Thanks that sounds more logical because otherwise how could you choose.

[D C]

5 minutes ago, the penguins said:

Just curious. 4 restaurants but I understood they have the same menus - is that correct? If not what are the differences?

 

4 minutes ago, CaroleSS said:

Totally different menus

The daily menus are identical to one another.

The "Classic" available everyday menus are slightly different from one to another.  

[RichYak]

3 minutes ago, the penguins said:

otherwise how could you choose.

I would do whatever my wife wants. 😇

[CaroleSS]

I'm not sure if you can eat at one venue and order from another, but each of these has a totally different menu.

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/cruise-ships/celebrity-edge/eat-and-drink/main-dining

[CaroleSS]

7 minutes ago, the penguins said:

So each one totally different every night.

No, same menu at each place every night. You move to get a different menu.

[jean87510]

4 hours ago, southernbreezes said:

Well all I can say is...what misery the Edge Class ships have four complimentary main restaurants.

Plus Blu, Plus Luminae, plus Mast Grill, plus Eden Cafe, plus Le Petit Chef, plus Fine Cut Steakhouse, plus Raw on 5, plus Magic Carpet on 5, plus Rooftop Garden Grill, plus Spa Cafe & Juice Bar.

The 4 complimentary you have to get dressed up for and may not get in right away and when you do you are sitting for a while, having to use the bathroom and right on top of another table.  Luminae is suites.  Blu is AquaClass.  The rest are pay venues.  So the alternative for a comfortable quick dining experience is gone.  You either sit with the masses for a while, get room service, get a suite, get AquaClass or you pay to eat.  Note this is the dinner option.  

[jean87510]

3 hours ago, RichYak said:

Well none of these are an option if one doesn't want the drawn out ordeal of menu service for dinner. I don't understand the disconnect that some have in not understanding this.

I don't either.  I guess when you are usually in the Retreat, you can't visualize what the masses have to deal with.

[RichYak]

8 minutes ago, jean87510 said:

I don't either.  I guess when you are usually in the Retreat, you can't visualize what the masses have to deal with.

No that's not it. I sailed in Retreat my last 2 Celebrity cruises and again on my next one and I get it. Some nights you just want to roll out of the hot tub, dry your drunken self off, and grab a quick dinner without sacrificing quality. Anyone who doesn't understand this simply doesn't know how to have a good time.