Equinox Menu - Main Dining Upcharges Showing on App

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Thanks, we are sailing in September and I hope there are some positive changes by then.  We are close to Zenith too but may not make it.

[mjschutte]

3 hours ago, gerelmx said:

 

My App show the free Lobster on day 7, nothing about extra charge for the 2nd

Hmm. I'm sailing EQ in 2 weeks.  My app hasn't updated the menu yet.  Still showing premium charges,  and "venue closed" the last few nights. 

[phoenix_dream]

1 hour ago, crusin'k said:

I have only read through the first 6 pages of this topic so I am not sure if my comments will be duplicates. I apologize  if they are.

Today is day 1 of our b2b2b cruise on Equinox and, unfortunately, it may be our last Celebrity cruise. We have been loyal X cruisers for over 24 years, Elite Plus and well on our way to Zenith.  So it saddens me to say this.

Many on this thread have stated that we shouldn't  judge based upon last week's  menus since it was only 6 nights. But let me give you some more observations. We have been on other Celebrity 6 night cruises and they had lobster. However, lobster isn't the only issue.  In addition to other things already stated (shrimp cocktail only every other night, cheeseburger, etc) during this 6 night cruise we had Pasta/Penne Primavera 2 nights in a row and roast pork with cabbage both Wednesday and Friday. Several nights there was no beef entree unless you ordered the sirloin steak. Most nights had 2 of the 6 entrees as meatless (portobello mushroom, some kind of potato dish, etc). For us, it was not just about the lobster, but also all the other decreases in quality.

And I know this is off the main topic and has been discussed to death. But shorts and flip-flops are now seen and apparently  accepted  throughout the MDR as well as no cover-up required over swimsuits and thong bikinis anywhere throughout  the ship (although, thankfully, that hasn't made it to the MDR yet). I wish they would discontinue posting the recommended dress  code  outside the MDR and nightly in the stateroom newsletter if is not enforced.

Sorry this was such a long post. I am waiting to get home so I can email "the powers that be" but I sadly feel, they won't  care.

I sailed Equinox on a B2B this past January.  Had a wonderful experience.  Full disclosure - I was in Luminae so cannot honestly comment about the food in the MDR, although we did order off that menu several times and had no issues.  This was, granted, before the very recent cut-backs.

As to dress - I have to say I did not see any of what you are talking about.  I am NOT saying you are incorrect in what you saw - just maybe reassuring you that this is not usually the case and certainly was not like that in January.  It's interesting (and discouraging) that it could have changed so much so fast.  

[phoenix_dream]

54 minutes ago, bandp407 said:

Thank you for sharing this with us. Yes, it goes beyond the food. It’s sad as we too have become very comfortable sailing with Celebrity, particularly the S class ships. Based on what I have read on this and other posts as well as the menus on the app for our upcoming Equinox  sailing,  I sent an email to Laura Hodges Berthge. It’s very sad as you say that the won’t care. They certainly should, especially from someone like yourself. I have never seen so many negative comments regarding Celebrity as this week. We all have seen the prices go up and hoped they would maintain their high standards across the board. Hopefully you will be able to share your feelings while onboard. 
 

BON VOYAGE! 

I think the issue about caring is that those of us at the highest level Captains Club (Zenith or high Elite Plus) are not generally in their desired demographic.  They want the younger crowd, the ones who are willing to splurge on high suite prices, buy photo packages, pay for shore excursions, gamble, etc..  Many of us in the higher levels are of an age that we don't do that much anymore.  I know this is of course not true for everyone, but I think it describes a large percentage of Zenith and high level Elite Plus passengers.  

[NantahalaCruiser]

On 6/23/2023 at 8:17 AM, bEwAbG said:

Any truth to the rumor I'm starting that the cheese plate is now just unwrapped Kraft singles? 

 

Supplier issue means it's really an off-brand substitute (Krafteez™). 

 

 

Up charge for Velteeta 🤑

[crusin'k]

7 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

I think the issue about caring is that those of us at the highest level Captains Club (Zenith or high Elite Plus) are not generally in their desired demographic.  They want the younger crowd, the ones who are willing to splurge on high suite prices, buy photo packages, pay for shore excursions, gamble, etc..  Many of us in the higher levels are of an age that we don't do that much anymore.  I know this is of course not true for everyone, but I think it describes a large percentage of Zenith and high level Elite Plus passengers.  

I think  you are exactly right.  They probably  look at us as a dwindling  market. But I  had hoped they could cover both markets. Probably a pipe dream  at best

[poeticlicensed]

21 minutes ago, crusin'k said:

I think  you are exactly right.  They probably  look at us as a dwindling  market. But I  had hoped they could cover both markets. Probably a pipe dream  at best

I think Celebrity is trying to hit that sweet spot of marketing itself as the "grown up" cruise line and trying to appeal to a wider demographic than they used to but hanging on to loyal cruisers. I suspect that since the restart you have seen and will continue to see them try things, like changing menus, then back off if it doesn't work. 

Edited June 24, 2023 by poeticlicensed

[crusin'k]

55 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

I sailed Equinox on a B2B this past January.  Had a wonderful experience.  Full disclosure - I was in Luminae so cannot honestly comment about the food in the MDR, although we did order off that menu several times and had no issues.  This was, granted, before the very recent cut-backs.

As to dress - I have to say I did not see any of what you are talking about.  I am NOT saying you are incorrect in what you saw - just maybe reassuring you that this is not usually the case and certainly was not like that in January.  It's interesting (and discouraging) that it could have changed so much so fast.  

You are right about dress changing rapidly. We did not see this on our b2b2b in Dec-Jan but have seen too much of it these past 2 weeks/ cruises

On a brighter note, we are getting ready to set sail for the ABC's any minute now

[NMTraveller]

1 hour ago, crusin'k said:

You are right about dress changing rapidly. We did not see this on our b2b2b in Dec-Jan but have seen too much of it these past 2 weeks/ cruises

 

Welcome to Carnival.

 

Edited June 24, 2023 by NMTraveller

[NutsAboutGolf]

1 hour ago, phoenix_dream said:

I think the issue about caring is that those of us at the highest level Captains Club (Zenith or high Elite Plus) are not generally in their desired demographic.  They want the younger crowd, the ones who are willing to splurge on high suite prices, buy photo packages, pay for shore excursions, gamble, etc..  Many of us in the higher levels are of an age that we don't do that much anymore.  I know this is of course not true for everyone, but I think it describes a large percentage of Zenith and high level Elite Plus passengers.  

 

Mostly agree; its really about simple math which is to fill up the suites.  Age, status, etc, is all secondary.  Specifically with status, they give you the benefits they think you entitled to with the Captains club, nothing more, nothing less

[goofysmom99]

3 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

Parmesan dishes can easily be done GF just by not breading the protein. Not on Celebrity, but I've had chicken parmesan done gluten-free MANY times. If a chef is even slightly educated they should have no problem doing it. Cheeseburger - I'm almost positive they will have some type of GF bun...or have it sans bun.

 

If I had 50% of my dishes incorrect, I'd be speaking with the dining manager immediately about it. And if it wasn't corrected, I'd be changing all future cruises to a line where that wasn't happening.

Is isn't that they can't redo something GF, it's that frequently I've found their workarounds to be inedible, or at least something I think is not worth eating.  Many times I excuse myself and head to OVC (less drama).  I get to know the F&B Mgr on every cruise and usually the Hotel Director.  Lately have had multiple bottles of wine delivered in apology.  Not always due to the MDR - saw couscous labeled as GF in OVC in February.  Regarding GF hamburger buns, I'm equally positive Celebrity does NOT have them; your option is two slices of GF toast (and be sure to add "not raisin").  I manage just fine on my cruises but Celebrity should be and needs to be better than this.  The current Equinox menus, especially Night #6, are inexcusable.  I believe my favorite cruise line is stupidly shooting itself in the foot in its cost-cutting zeal.

[yogini06]

3 hours ago, crusin'k said:

I have only read through the first 6 pages of this topic so I am not sure if my comments will be duplicates. I apologize  if they are.

Today is day 1 of our b2b2b cruise on Equinox and, unfortunately, it may be our last Celebrity cruise. We have been loyal X cruisers for over 24 years, Elite Plus and well on our way to Zenith.  So it saddens me to say this.

Many on this thread have stated that we shouldn't  judge based upon last week's  menus since it was only 6 nights. But let me give you some more observations. We have been on other Celebrity 6 night cruises and they had lobster. However, lobster isn't the only issue.  In addition to other things already stated (shrimp cocktail only every other night, cheeseburger, etc) during this 6 night cruise we had Pasta/Penne Primavera 2 nights in a row and roast pork with cabbage both Wednesday and Friday. Several nights there was no beef entree unless you ordered the sirloin steak. Most nights had 2 of the 6 entrees as meatless (portobello mushroom, some kind of potato dish, etc). For us, it was not just about the lobster, but also all the other decreases in quality.

And I know this is off the main topic and has been discussed to death. But shorts and flip-flops are now seen and apparently  accepted  throughout the MDR as well as no cover-up required over swimsuits and thong bikinis anywhere throughout  the ship (although, thankfully, that hasn't made it to the MDR yet). I wish they would discontinue posting the recommended dress  code  outside the MDR and nightly in the stateroom newsletter if is not enforced.

Sorry this was such a long post. I am waiting to get home so I can email "the powers that be" but I sadly feel, they won't  care.

Perhaps it would be more effective to make your concerns known while onboard?  I sailed on the Apex earlier this month. I recall seeing a QR code in the nightly bulletin in which you could provide immediate feedback.  

 

[poeticlicensed]

1 hour ago, crusin'k said:

You are right about dress changing rapidly. We did not see this on our b2b2b in Dec-Jan but have seen too much of it these past 2 weeks/ cruises

On a brighter note, we are getting ready to set sail for the ABC's any minute now

Suspect its a function of summer vacation and families traveling. I find a big difference in the passengers at different times of the year

[phoenix_dream]

55 minutes ago, poeticlicensed said:

Suspect its a function of summer vacation and families traveling. I find a big difference in the passengers at different times of the year

That's a good point.  At the risk of sounding like the boomer than I am, it seems that today's younger crowd seems to enjoy a much more casual experience and (I'll really annoy some here) doesn't seem to care as much about following rules as those of us older folks do (or at least a large majority of us).  To me it's a matter of respect.  But not everyone thinks the same way I do.

[phoenix_dream]

1 hour ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Mostly agree; its really about simple math which is to fill up the suites.  Age, status, etc, is all secondary.  Specifically with status, they give you the benefits they think you entitled to with the Captains club, nothing more, nothing less

I agree it is all about the $$ as it is with all businesses.  But I think that translates directly to age and status.  The younger crowd are the ones (more often these days) paying the prices of the expensive suites, buying photo packages, buying shore excursions, etc.. Those of us older and higher level CC status have mostly been there; done that and don't spend as much onboard.  Not all of course - some got to Zenith or Elite Plus fairly quickly by sailing in high level suites for example.  But I don't think that describes the majority.  So I think at the end of the day we are saying the same thing - I just maybe didn't explain myself well.  Bottom line - it is the bottom line that matters.

Edited June 24, 2023 by phoenix_dream

[NMTraveller]

1 hour ago, poeticlicensed said:

Suspect its a function of summer vacation and families traveling. I find a big difference in the passengers at different times of the year

You are correct.

 

However shorts and flipflops in the MDR is a new one that I have not seen.  Other cruise lines such as Carnival allow it.

 

IMHO enforce the dress code rules or change the rules.

 

I also don't recall seeing thong bikinis throughout the ship.

 

My recollection of Celebrity cruises were more classy.

Edited June 24, 2023 by NMTraveller

[poeticlicensed]

3 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

You are correct.

 

However shorts and flipflops in the MDR is a new one that I have not seen.  Other cruise lines such as Carnival allow it.

 

IMHO enforce the dress code rules or change the rules.

That turned us off from NCL. We dressed smart casual for dinner on the first night and looked over and the couple next to us were in t shirt, Jean shorts and flip flops. Im not stuffy but it looked like they could be eating at McDonald's instead of the MDR on a cruise ship. 

[HMR74]

51 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

That's a good point.  At the risk of sounding like the boomer than I am, it seems that today's younger crowd seems to enjoy a much more casual experience and (I'll really annoy some here) doesn't seem to care as much about following rules as those of us older folks do (or at least a large majority of us).  To me it's a matter of respect.  But not everyone thinks the same way I do.

Its absolutely the philosophy of the younger generation. 
i do not mind shorts in mdr, or luminae for that matter as long as they are dressy shorts and shirts will collar and deck shoes, if you know what I mean.

 

i have no desire to bring coat and tie and dress shows. Just finished 5 weeks in Europe and never wore the dress slacks. And went to nice places for dinner, but we cleaned up if for no other reason than for each other..

 

kind of like an upscale golf course. No torn shorts or t shirts and no sandals. I have some nice colorful shirts. 
 

and especially in the Southern Carrib in winter, its warm, so shorts are appropriate. 
 

as long its dressy casual shorts, not just off the pickleball court.

[NMTraveller]

1 hour ago, phoenix_dream said:

That's a good point.  At the risk of sounding like the boomer than I am, it seems that today's younger crowd seems to enjoy a much more casual experience and (I'll really annoy some here) doesn't seem to care as much about following rules as those of us older folks do (or at least a large majority of us).  To me it's a matter of respect.  But not everyone thinks the same way I do.

They also enjoy water slides and have kids.  Is this what is next for Celebrity?

Hamburgers and pizza vs fine dining.

 

The line between Celebrity and Carnival is growing smaller with every change.

Edited June 24, 2023 by NMTraveller

[Keys Kathy]

6 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

They also enjoy water slides and have kids.  Is this what is next for Celebrity?

Hamburgers and pizza vs fine dining.

 

The line between Celebrity and Carnival is growing smaller with every change.

I told DH I want to go on a cruise, he said Carnaval? I said no, he said Norwegian. I said beggars can't be choosers. I would prefer to be on Celebrity, but if the food is that bad, why be there at their prices? We did the Miami to San Juan on the Millie, and several times ate at the buffet. At least the stir fry and pasta were fresh. The dining room was pathetic to the point I sent my entree back and order more soup. At this point, since the food is soooo bad, I would go on Norwegian just to get away.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

When I spoke with the rep from the executive office today she said that RC had revamped their menus and they were well received for the most part.  She also acknowledged that RC and Celebrity have different cruisers with RC being more geared towards families and Celebrity geared towards a more mature, sophisticated cruiser.  She acknowledged that the new menus may not work for Celebrity but they are still being evaluated.

 

Feedback is important to them.

Edited June 25, 2023 by CHEZMARYLOU

[HMR74]

3 hours ago, yogini06 said:

Perhaps it would be more effective to make your concerns known while onboard?  I sailed on the Apex earlier this month. I recall seeing a QR code in the nightly bulletin in which you could provide immediate feedback.  

 

Is that the QR code many seniors do not want to use on phones, vs getting large enough menus to read. Without reading glasses.

[TommyD3]

33 minutes ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

When I spoke with the rep from the executive office today she said that RC had revamped their menus and they were well received for the most part.  She also acknowledged that RC and Celebrity have different cruisers with RC being more geared towards families and Celebrity geared towards a more mature, sophisticated cruiser.  She acknowledged that the new menus may not work for Celebrity but they are still being evaluated.

 

Feedback is important to them.

What email address did you use?

Today I looked thru the app and apparently lobster has also been deleted from the Blu and Luminae menus on 6 night Equinox cruises !!! In my mind that is absurd !!!

[prmssk]

39 minutes ago, HMR74 said:

Is that the QR code many seniors do not want to use on phones, vs getting large enough menus to read. Without reading glasses.

You can get the same comment card from guest services.  Or you can use an iPad to scan the QR code to have a larger screen to enter your comments.

 

I have heard that it is worth it to submit written comments in whatever format is most comfortable for you while on board.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

@TommyD3

 

ExecutiveOffice@celebrity.com