Not to pile on, but it’s bad…

[RichYak]

45 minutes ago, Married90 said:

How come every time someone states that MDR was great the same question keeps getting asked was prime rib on the menu?   We ALL for at least  the hundredth time is is presently not on the MDR menu .   Give it a break….   Sorry for the rant….

Because food is subjective and yes/no questions are easier to decipher. The same person that says "the MDR was great" might not notice or care that all the quality proteins are gone and all the starters are just soups and salads. I ask if there was prime rib, beef wellington, grilled snapper and appetizers like spring rolls and crab cakes. To me, "great" food begins with quality ingredients. Specific questions about them make it easier to determine if the cutbacks are still in place or have been rolled back. Sorry if that annoys you

[HMR74]

18 minutes ago, RichYak said:

Because food is subjective and yes/no questions are easier to decipher. The same person that says "the MDR was great" might not notice or care that all the quality proteins are gone and all the starters are just soups and salads. I ask if there was prime rib, beef wellington, grilled snapper and appetizers like spring rolls and crab cakes. To me, "great" food begins with quality ingredients. Specific questions about them make it easier to determine if the cutbacks are still in place or have been rolled back. Sorry if that annoys you

I guess I have either a handicap or leg up on this.

I had very minority investments in restaurants over the years, sold the last one early during the lockdown at a fire sale price.

 

I know what goes into a fantastic restaurant versus hash house.I do not have the skills/discipine  to run the places but I could observe the operations and X could learn a lot. Its an attitude, a culture, of how to please the customer in return for the customers money.  I had  investments, with other partners in 3 places which meets or exceeds  Le Voyage and one problem is how does Le Voyage get fresh  ingredients on a 14 day TA to truly be a top 4 or 5 star restaurant. . Our top chefs would go to market every day and the menu that night was dependent on what they could find  that was "the right stuff". The main course and sides appetizers and deserts. Gale Gand was in charge of deserts. We served (and charged appropriately) for a staircase of cavier -several different types,

 

every little detail mattered.! X is not there even being graded on an institutional basis. It was good for what it was, better than competition. But on food not better or close to IMHO the tru premium cruise lines and headed the wrong way at the wrong time

 

You just cannot say you are premium and you become premium

 

I apologize for TMI, but I see whats wrong at X.

 

 

 

 

[mayleeman]

9 hours ago, OysterD said:

 

I agree with a lot of what you said, apart from this. I'm in the camp that thinks they shouldn't increase fares for everyone to cover the costs of providing a service to a handful of people. I've not used room service before and probably never will. I don't know what percentage of passengers do use room service but based off a very unscientific method of observing how many trays you see sat outside cabins while walking corridors I'd guess it was way less than half of passengers. 

 

Friends recently booked a cruise for themselves and extended family on a Celebrity ship. I had actually encouraged them to think about other cruise lines instead, ones which would have more activities for all their kids. However, in this case it came down to comparing prices on different lines for the week long period when everyone could get off work and school. The headline price of the Celebrity cruise was the most reasonable so they've booked 5 or 6 cabins and saved a good few hundred pounds versus the alternatives they saw.

 

The headline price of a cruise still matters to a lot of people, especially when there are so many comparison websites where you can easily just plug a date and destination in and sort by price. You don't want your cruiseline to appear at the bottom of that list all the time. I told my friends there is now a charge for room service and the response was "that doesnt matter, we'll never use it". 

 

 

 

If the MDR or OVC are diminished (either in quality or service), then a fee for room service, which is also reported to have a shorter menu, basically punishes anyone trying to find an acceptable alternative. 

 

I would agree with you about the reasonableness of paying a fee if they had raised fares enough to keep up their standards in the restaurants. But cutting quality and charging more, plus a few add-ons, while eliminating low-cost beverage packages, adds up to a real message to lower budget cruisers who likely booked many months or even a year or more, before these policies began. Kick in the face is a very realistic description.

[countess5]

I am sitting at Al Bacio right now on Equinox. 
 

Everything is subjective in my view, but we have been on this ship for 18 days and the staff and officers have been outstanding. We have eaten in every specialty restaurant, that’s all we do and the food has been very good. 
I wrote in my live that the shine has come off of Murano but that wasn’t for the lack of staff.

we have seen very little change and have enjoyed our cruise.

we are boarding The Beyond Sunday for 14 days so will see how that goes. 
we sailed for 48 days last winter and will sail 47 this winter, as said 18 days in so far so will report.

so far very enjoyable and worth the money! 
 

Cheers! 

[Married90]

3 hours ago, RichYak said:

Because food is subjective and yes/no questions are easier to decipher. The same person that says "the MDR was great" might not notice or care that all the quality proteins are gone and all the starters are just soups and salads. I ask if there was prime rib, beef wellington, grilled snapper and appetizers like spring rolls and crab cakes. To me, "great" food begins with quality ingredients. Specific questions about them make it easier to determine if the cutbacks are still in place or have been rolled back. Sorry if that annoys you

So I guess next time someone says they enjoyed their meal I should ask if they were served caviar and Lobster Bisque because that will better tell if they knew what they were enjoying? My point (while admittedly poorly worded) is that I have seen it time and time again over the past month when a person bucks the trend and states a positive comment they get slammed with could you order 5 lobsters again? did you get prime rib and beef wellington served to you?  If they say their steak was tender the response is not nearly as tender as when the cut of beef was better.  We all know "X" updated their menus at the first of the year.   That by now "should" be a given.   Do I like it that prime rib (one of my personal favorites though the wife could take it or leave it) is not on the menu?  nope   Is that going to stop me from ordering the lamb instead that is on the menu?   Hell NO!     Everyone of us has a choice.  Enjoy the cruise or ***** about it.  For those that ***** they have more then made it well know to anyone that doesn't want to listen all the reasons we should all cancel our upcoming cruises in protest for there not being prime rib...   Personally I would much prefer hearing some of the positive things also but many on this board can't accept that someone could have a positive experience.   YMMV

[HMR74]

10 minutes ago, Married90 said:

So I guess next time someone says they enjoyed their meal I should ask if they were served caviar and Lobster Bisque because that will better tell if they knew what they were enjoying? My point (while admittedly poorly worded) is that I have seen it time and time again over the past month when a person bucks the trend and states a positive comment they get slammed with could you order 5 lobsters again? did you get prime rib and beef wellington served to you?  If they say their steak was tender the response is not nearly as tender as when the cut of beef was better.  We all know "X" updated their menus at the first of the year.   That by now "should" be a given.   Do I like it that prime rib (one of my personal favorites though the wife could take it or leave it) is not on the menu?  nope   Is that going to stop me from ordering the lamb instead that is on the menu?   Hell NO!     Everyone of us has a choice.  Enjoy the cruise or ***** about it.  For those that ***** they have more then made it well know to anyone that doesn't want to listen all the reasons we should all cancel our upcoming cruises in protest for there not being prime rib...   Personally I would much prefer hearing some of the positive things also but many on this board can't accept that someone could have a positive experience.   YMMV

My opinion, but you might want to look at yourself

[mayleeman]

40 minutes ago, Married90 said:

So I guess next time someone says they enjoyed their meal I should ask if they were served caviar and Lobster Bisque because that will better tell if they knew what they were enjoying? My point (while admittedly poorly worded) is that I have seen it time and time again over the past month when a person bucks the trend and states a positive comment they get slammed with could you order 5 lobsters again? did you get prime rib and beef wellington served to you?  If they say their steak was tender the response is not nearly as tender as when the cut of beef was better.  We all know "X" updated their menus at the first of the year.   That by now "should" be a given.   Do I like it that prime rib (one of my personal favorites though the wife could take it or leave it) is not on the menu?  nope   Is that going to stop me from ordering the lamb instead that is on the menu?   Hell NO!     Everyone of us has a choice.  Enjoy the cruise or ***** about it.  For those that ***** they have more then made it well know to anyone that doesn't want to listen all the reasons we should all cancel our upcoming cruises in protest for there not being prime rib...   Personally I would much prefer hearing some of the positive things also but many on this board can't accept that someone could have a positive experience.   YMMV

 

People ask for details about positive expriences just as happy cruisers immediately jumped on the OP for details of what was worse.

 

You might be ignoring that many of the positive reviews include statements about not seeing any difference. Early in 2023, the reports were all over the place: Extra RS charges? not on some ships. Filets? maybe, maybe not. OVC minimized? NO!!! (well, we only saw lunch). Prime rib available? Yeah..(but we sailed in December). Details flesh out descriptions and educate people. The questions you complain about have provided a broader sense of what is going on and whether any improvements are being seen. And the answers for suites are very different.

 

Everyone has different things that are important to them. If someone said that a particular thing, venue, or activity you had enjoyed wasn't included on their cruise 2 weeks after yours, wouldn't you be interested in knowing if it was permanent?

 

Why attack people for being concerned about what they expected when they booked vs what they may have to settle for?

Edited February 17, 2023 by mayleeman

[mayleeman]

1 hour ago, countess5 said:

I am sitting at Al Bacio right now on Equinox. 
 

Everything is subjective in my view, but we have been on this ship for 18 days and the staff and officers have been outstanding. We have eaten in every specialty restaurant, that’s all we do and the food has been very good. 
I wrote in my live that the shine has come off of Murano but that wasn’t for the lack of staff.

we have seen very little change and have enjoyed our cruise.

we are boarding The Beyond Sunday for 14 days so will see how that goes. 
we sailed for 48 days last winter and will sail 47 this winter, as said 18 days in so far so will report.

so far very enjoyable and worth the money! 
 

Cheers! 

 

Are you by any chance in a suite?

[countess5]

12 minutes ago, mayleeman said:

 

Are you by any chance in a suite?

No, we are 47 days at sea so suites were a bit much. Shorter trips we are in suites. 
 

Cheers! 

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, Married90 said:

So I guess next time someone says they enjoyed their meal I should ask if they were served caviar and Lobster Bisque because that will better tell if they knew what they were enjoying? My point (while admittedly poorly worded) is that I have seen it time and time again over the past month when a person bucks the trend and states a positive comment they get slammed with could you order 5 lobsters again? did you get prime rib and beef wellington served to you?  If they say their steak was tender the response is not nearly as tender as when the cut of beef was better.  We all know "X" updated their menus at the first of the year.   That by now "should" be a given.   Do I like it that prime rib (one of my personal favorites though the wife could take it or leave it) is not on the menu?  nope   Is that going to stop me from ordering the lamb instead that is on the menu?   Hell NO!     Everyone of us has a choice.  Enjoy the cruise or ***** about it.  For those that ***** they have more then made it well know to anyone that doesn't want to listen all the reasons we should all cancel our upcoming cruises in protest for there not being prime rib...   Personally I would much prefer hearing some of the positive things also but many on this board can't accept that someone could have a positive experience.   YMMV

I think you need to take a breath. Context is everything. If someone posts "I had a fantastic dinner last night in MDR" that's great. But if someone posts "I don't see the problem. the MDR is as great now as it's always been, nothing's changed", then I'm going to ask my pointed questions to see if that's really true. That's not slamming. That's not pi$$ing in anyone's cheerios. That's looking for context. You complain vehemently about negativity, but good grief, read your own comment.

[mayleeman]

7 minutes ago, countess5 said:

No, we are 47 days at sea so suites were a bit much. Shorter trips we are in suites. 
 

Cheers! 

I am envious! We have cancelled over the past 3 years exactly the number of nights you are cruising...in a total of 5 cruises. 

[countess5]

2 minutes ago, mayleeman said:

I am envious! We have cancelled over the past 3 years exactly the number of nights you are cruising...in a total of 5 cruises. 

😩 

you’ll get back to cruising. 
 

Cheers! 

[Keys Kathy]

I have to say the Gumbo Soup was delish. I ordered the quatro fommagie gnochi, which was so bad, I sent it back. They asked what I wanted instead. I had bites of the steak, the sauce was nice, the steak was tough, so I opted for more Gumbo. Another item I can recommend was baked Alaska. Very nice.

 

Oh, and the peanut butter ice cream! 

 

These were positive MDR items.

[catgirl411]

49 minutes ago, RichYak said:

I think you need to take a breath. Context is everything. If someone posts "I had a fantastic dinner last night in MDR" that's great. But if someone posts "I don't see the problem. the MDR is as great now as it's always been, nothing's changed", then I'm going to ask my pointed questions to see if that's really true. That's not slamming. That's not pi$$ing in anyone's cheerios. That's looking for context. You complain vehemently about negativity, but good grief, read your own comment.

Yes but your “pointed questions” may make people feel like their opinions are being challenged and they are being interrogated. Their opinions are theirs and yours are yours. 

[RichYak]

6 minutes ago, catgirl411 said:

Yes but your “pointed questions” may make people feel like their opinions are being challenged and they are being interrogated. Their opinions are theirs and yours are yours. 

Well I guess I give people on CC more credit for having strength of character than you do. Asking someone if Grilled Snapper is on the menu is not at all threatening and has nothing to do with anyone’s opinions. 

[MamaFej]

47 minutes ago, Keys Kathy said:

I have to say the Gumbo Soup was delish. I ordered the quatro fommagie gnochi, which was so bad, I sent it back. They asked what I wanted instead. I had bites of the steak, the sauce was nice, the steak was tough, so I opted for more Gumbo. Another item I can recommend was baked Alaska. Very nice.

 

Oh, and the peanut butter ice cream! 

 

These were positive MDR items.

Thanks for a straightforward post with the good the bad, and none of the hyperbole. 

[SusieAV8R]

1 minute ago, MamaFej said:

Thanks for a straightforward post with the good the bad, and none of the hyperbole. 

Salut!!!

1 minute ago, MamaFej said:

Thanks for a straightforward post with the good the bad, and none of the hyperbole. 

 

1 minute ago, MamaFej said:

Thanks for a straightforward post with the good the bad, and none of the hyperbole. 

 

1 minute ago, MamaFej said:

Thanks for a straightforward post with the good the bad, and none of the hyperbole. 

 

[NMTraveller]

4 hours ago, mayleeman said:

 

If the MDR or OVC are diminished (either in quality or service), then a fee for room service, which is also reported to have a shorter menu, basically punishes anyone trying to find an acceptable alternative. 

 

I would agree with you about the reasonableness of paying a fee if they had raised fares enough to keep up their standards in the restaurants. But cutting quality and charging more, plus a few add-ons, while eliminating low-cost beverage packages, adds up to a real message to lower budget cruisers who likely booked many months or even a year or more, before these policies began. Kick in the face is a very realistic description.

It is a quadruple attack on dining.

 

The MDR, OVC, and room service are diminished.  You want to upgrade to specialty dining?  The new fees for this are laughable for another diminished experience.

Edited February 18, 2023 by NMTraveller

[HMR74]

1 hour ago, NMTraveller said:

It is a quadruple attack on dining.

 

The MDR, OVC, and room service are diminished.  You want to upgrade to specialty dining?  The new fees for this are laughable for another diminished experience.

I am behind the times, thinking X was premium and all inclusive.

What's this quarters strategy? If you don't like it wait 90 days til a new one is started and implemented.

 

[randomcruise]

7 hours ago, HMR74 said:

What's this quarters strategy? If you don't like it wait 90 days til a new one is started and implemented.

Exactly my main issue with Celebrity's current cutbacks.  I don't trust Celebrity to provide what is promoted and paid for in full because Celebrity proved in January of this year that they are willing to downgrade the experience in a way that many passengers find significant after they have taken full payment from the passengers.  

[weregoingcruising]

13 hours ago, Married90 said:

So I guess next time someone says they enjoyed their meal I should ask if they were served caviar and Lobster Bisque because that will better tell if they knew what they were enjoying? My point (while admittedly poorly worded) is that I have seen it time and time again over the past month when a person bucks the trend and states a positive comment they get slammed with could you order 5 lobsters again? did you get prime rib and beef wellington served to you?  If they say their steak was tender the response is not nearly as tender as when the cut of beef was better.  We all know "X" updated their menus at the first of the year.   That by now "should" be a given.   Do I like it that prime rib (one of my personal favorites though the wife could take it or leave it) is not on the menu?  nope   Is that going to stop me from ordering the lamb instead that is on the menu?   Hell NO!     Everyone of us has a choice.  Enjoy the cruise or ***** about it.  For those that ***** they have more then made it well know to anyone that doesn't want to listen all the reasons we should all cancel our upcoming cruises in protest for there not being prime rib...   Personally I would much prefer hearing some of the positive things also but many on this board can't accept that someone could have a positive experience.   YMMV

I'm positive I was happy on my last cruise.

[Sigyn]

I have a dear friend who is on the Solstice this week, her first Celebrity cruise in 20 years, and she's been texting me, telling me how beautiful the ship is, how clean and well maintained everything is, and how delicious all of the food is in the MDR. Just thought I'd share. 

[islabahia]

Flogging a dead 🐎 

[kidz_rn]

On 2/16/2023 at 2:12 AM, gkbiiii said:

How about wasting billions with new ships they don't need, while not improving the guest experience on their current fleet!  This is a quick way, to bankruptcy liquidation.

Just disembarked from Beyond last week. Ship sailed at 100% capacity. X appears to be heading toward profit nirvana, not bankruptcy liquidation.

[grandgeezer]

23 minutes ago, kidz_rn said:

Just disembarked from Beyond last week. Ship sailed at 100% capacity. X appears to be heading toward profit nirvana, not bankruptcy liquidation.

Based on one ship, on experience? Rose colored glass and glass half full will do that for you. The billions of dollars in debt makes a real profit nirvana many years down the road