Report on APEX Oceanview Cafe Jan 8-13, 2023

[Cjonthesea]

Ahoy! Here's a menu synopsis observed on APEX Oceanview Cafe.

 

Notes: I was unable to access CCritic boards until I returned from a 2nd week (1/14-1/21 B2B). I did not review the buffet that second week; probably repeated.

The 1/8 section was posted previously on CCritic. 

After 1/8, I  focused on the "main" station, as I did not notice wholesale changes in salads, breads etc.

Desserts station rotated things (Lots of small goodies plus a feature item: banana splits, Brownie Sundaes, chocolate fountain)

There may be details missing as I did some quick walk-throughs while en route to MDR or entertainment.

I cannot speak to dietary restriction needs.

I do not recall last year's selections for comparisons.

Ship was about 60% capacity

 

Saturday 1/7

No Report

 

Sunday 1/8

Main Station: Chicken cacciatore, Eggplant parmesan, Tilapia, Beef Lasagna, Mac n Cheese, Ratatouille, Mixed grilled veggies, Spaghetti, maybe one or two more dishes. No Carving Station.

 

Salad Station: three green leaf bases, about 10-12 toppings, three 'other' salads, various dressings

 

Dessert Station: 8 or 9 small items like Red Velvet Cake, Carrot Cake, Chocolatey stuff, etc.  And a person making Banana Splits for you. 

Ice Cream Station is separate for cones or dishes of about 6 rotating flavor ice creams and frozen yogurts, plus a couple gelatos (still extra fee for those). Three toppings--M&M, Chocolate Sprinkles, Rainbow Sprinkles.

 

Bread Station: Many rolls, breadsticks, salami, cheeses (Cheddar, Provolone, Pepper Jack and other), plus dried apple, figs, raisins and some other stuff. 

Pizza by the slice is adjacent--four types including Cheese, Pepperoni, Margherita and Alfredo. Flavors varied each night. 

The Pizza Station far aft was open for late night. 

 

 

Monday 1/9

Irish stew, Seafood Chowder, Creamy Corn, Pork Loin (carved), Fish and Chips, Beef with Onions, Chicken Pasta, Rice w/ Butter (?),  Chicken (?)

 

Tuesday 1/10

Beef Moussaka, Grilled Vegetables, Grilled Lamb Chops, Lemon Roasted Potatoes, Tilapia with Rosemary Sauce, Grilled Lemon Chicken, Greek Rice Pilaf, Butternut Squash Soup, Chicken Soto(?) Soup, Mac n Cheese, Steamed Vegetables, White Rice, Meatloaf, Roasted Pork Loin (carved, w/ applesauce) 

 

Wednesday 1/11

Cream of Broccoli Soup,  Alternate Soup(?), Beef Pasta, Beef and Broccoli, Roasted Pork Loin (carved), Chicken (?), Fish Fingers, Stir-Fry Noodles, Chicken Chop Suey, White Rice, Chili Roasted Potatoes, Asian Chicken Noodles, Vegetable Cassarole, Duck ala Orange, Prime Rib (carved, w/ horseradish), potatoes(?), Baked Pasta, Seared Tilapia w/ pink peppercorn sauce, Citrus BBQ Pork Ribs(?), Herb Rice, Rice Pilaf, Steamed Veggies

 

Thursday 1/12

Creamy Mushroom Soup, Chicken tonola(?) Soup, Pumpkin Rice, Pork Chops with Honey-mustard glaze, Steamed Veggies, Chicken Fricassee, Turkey (Carved, w/cranberry and gravy), Baked Ziti, Stir-fry Vegetables (NOT cooked on the spot), Sweet and Sour Tilapia

 

Friday 1/13

No report. (Go see "Rockumentary" in main theater!!)

[jelayne]

Thanks for doing the checking.  Sounds like carved meat is available which is good. 

[mnocket]

Thanks.  That looks like more confirmation that the dinner offerings are being drastically cut back.  Whether what remains in the buffet is "acceptable" or not is subjective and probably not worth arguing about.  Suffice it to say the dinner buffet has significantly changed and customers should be aware of this.

[Cap_D]

Thank you @Cjonthesea.  Very nice of you to post.

[SoBe2010]

Indeed, thanks a lot. Dinner buffet was never a strong point on Celebrity. Food might have been fine, atmosphere was always a bit lacking. But this list ist another step down. No loyalty perk is worth enough for us to justify this lousy dinner experience.

[MarkWiltonM]

It's a shame they aren't serving Indian food at dinner. They always had a stew or two which, by their saucy nature, aren't dried out as many things can be on a steam table. I assume they still always have an Indian station at lunch. 

[pilot]

Here are a few pictures of the buffet, on Apex, last night at 7:15 pm. The picture with the server carving the flank steak was the only main food island. Other island had desserts. 
 

In Celebrity’s defense, there were not many people eating. Perhaps because of the football game.

 

It was the first night of the cruise, so I believe most passengers were not aware of the limited choices, and that was the reason they didn’t go to buffet. 

[jelayne]

1 hour ago, pilot said:

Here are a few pictures of the buffet, on Apex, last night at 7:15 pm. The picture with the server carving the flank steak was the only main food island. Other island had desserts. 
 

In Celebrity’s defense, there were not many people eating. Perhaps because of the football game.

 

It was the first night of the cruise, so I believe most passengers were not aware of the limited choices, and that was the reason they didn’t go to buffet. 

So there was no salad bar, pizza or meat, cheese & breads that other ships seem to have included with the reduced offerings?

[pilot]

36 minutes ago, jelayne said:

So there was no salad bar, pizza or meat, cheese & breads that other ships seem to have included with the reduced offerings?

Yes there was a nice salad bar. Large selections of desserts. No pizza.

 

Flank steak was good. I thought the food was good, just not the selections that we have had on Celebrity in the past. 
 

I am not complaining, just reporting. 

[pilot]

3 hours ago, pilot said:

Yes there was a nice salad bar. Large selections of desserts. No pizza.

 

Flank steak was good. I thought the food was good, just not the selections that we have had on Celebrity in the past. 
 

I am not complaining, just reporting. 

Correction:  Pizza is available in the back of OVC. 
 

[Mark_T]

5 hours ago, pilot said:

In Celebrity’s defense, there were not many people eating. Perhaps because of the football game.

If I’d walked through I probably wouldn’t have stopped to eat there either if that was all there was on offer…

 

If they make it bad enough, the reduced numbers will become an inevitable consequence…

 

We are not really impacted by these changes as we never eat there in the evenings, but I do understand the impact it has on those who do prefer the casual, eclectic options that used to be available. 

Edited January 23, 2023 by Mark_T

[Croooser]

Thanks OP This info is helpful. FWIW, we do not share the somewhat rampant negative opinions. If we decide to skip MDR, what you have reported will work for us.

 

Thanks again for taking the time and effort.

 

[Dreamer68]

21 hours ago, Croooser said:

Thanks OP This info is helpful. FWIW, we do not share the somewhat rampant negative opinions. If we decide to skip MDR, what you have reported will work for us.

 

Thanks again for taking the time and effort.

 

I was on this cruise and honestly after a few misses at the MDR (Normandie & Tuscan), and checking out OVC options early in the evening half the week, especially the Tuesday and Wednesday offerings (we only got late seating at all the MDRs), DH and I almost chose the OVC for our final night dinner. Sometimes, it's nice to have the choice of small nibbles of more than a handful of dishes. There's enough to have a good meal at dinner time... just not as extensive and bountiful an option as lunch or breakfast. The cake showcase was gorgeous though and I'm glad I saw it. I actually liked the different dessert options in the evening for the OVC. One night they had churros with chocolate sauce or caramel sauce. No chance of getting a churro at the MDR. 😉 

 

Oh, and definitely sometimes, I prefer to just stay in my shorts and t-shirt to have my meal. 🙂 In the end, we went to Cyprus for our final dinner because the OVC offering on Friday night (Rockumentary was GREAT!)  was actually smaller than other nights. I thought it surprising for a final night at the OVC. 

 

The staff at the pizza oven said we could definitely order a whole pizza with ingredients we wanted. 

 

And looking at the sparse crowd at dinner at the OVC, I am not against Celebrity cutting down on waste. But then again, there are those who will argue that there are less people because of less options available. Capt. Nikolas said we were at 2250 pax vs about 3200 at Christmas/ New Year the week before.

[miched]

It is too bad that they wasted all that money on the buffet stations and not utilize them.  I wonder if the newer ships will downsize in that area and use the space for something else?  
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[Mark_T]

8 minutes ago, miched said:

It is too bad that they wasted all that money on the buffet stations and not utilize them. 

They are using the vast majority of them at breakfast and lunch, so not really a waste…

[Covepointcruiser]

The OP menus for the OV evening buffet look fine for folks who want to skip the MDR.   Even with this list of buffet offerings, let the complaints continue.

[miched]

49 minutes ago, Mark_T said:

They are using the vast majority of them at breakfast and lunch, so not really a waste…

Scale it down and do it cafeteria style.  
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅