michel roux gone, what a difference!!!

[C 2 C]

Good luck in getting the hotel mgr! On this cruise we requested to speak to the hotel mgr 3 days in a row and kept only getting a guest relations mgr. Kept telling us he was busy!

 

Do you have his name?

 

 

On Galaxy, the Hotel Manager Phillip Herbert, was visible around the ship and highly approachable. He also made a point of getting other officers to be available at the Captain's Club party.

[chrismch]

Yes, I asked for him by name and got no response. I even asked an officer seated at the Cova Cafe, what was the best way to reach the hotel mgr. He told me that everything is handled through guest relations and that the hotel mgr was probably busy so I should just wait until someone contacts me.

[Karynanne]

We will be on Connie for the Transatlantic on the 15th, and hopefully won't encounter negative food issues.

 

Since we're big on over-salted food, we've always felt that Celebrity's food was a bit salty. But everyone's palate is different...

 

Karyn

[Sky Sweet]

ships chefs are replaced by others in time...lets hope that is the case...

 

cant comment on the entertainment since for us it was all mostly repeats...we had seen Lindsay Hamilton 5 times...her repetoire has not changed...lovely voice but we just cant hear about her daughter any longer.......

 

Hi Amanda :)

 

We were on the Constellation twice last year... for a Baltic Cruise in June and a Carribbean Cruise in November. The food was much better on our Baltic Cruise in June than it was on our Carribbean one five months later, but I attributed that factor to the itinerary/resources available.

 

Lindsay Hamilton performed on both cruises. The first time we saw her I was very impressed by how well she related to the musicians and audience, as well as her spontaneous manner in doing so.

 

Then when we saw her perform on that other cruise, her performance was identical in every way. We didn't mind hearing the same songs again because she has a beautiful voice, but it was somewhat disappointing to learn that her seemingly down to earth spontaneous manner was merely a collection of canned verbiage.

[Host Kewlguy]

we have just returned from the Baltic on the constellation...we were on the same ship in December...what a difference in the taste of the food and choices....

 

this was our 15th cruise on celebrity and we have never had such a poor opinion of the food both in taste and presentation...

 

the soups so salty that it would rival the dead sea...entre plates almost empty....in most cases only one vegetable in sight and then only a few....

 

pastry chef is now from India....the european pasties had no vanilla or other flavourings that remotely resembled what we have been used to....

 

at lunch buffets there were no whole cakes only tiny pieces previously cut and put on trays...no pies in sight for most of the 14 days...

 

I know most of you may say, well its a good thing the food is lousy now, that will solve the weight gain issue...

 

for us the food quality and taste is what set Celebrity apart..certainly not the magnificence of the ships or the entertainment....

 

there are other changes too since we sailed last...subtle changes....no soothing music in the thellasapool..no amenities in the staterooms...no amenities in the sauna areas....in increase in the prices of shuttles...two years ago the shuttles into baltic ports were free....

 

but it was the awful food that we noticed the most...

 

even the aquaspa cafe which was a favourite of ours and many others, had no one there as others discovered that it had changed...

 

the pizza was still good...so was the grill...and the pasta station...

 

yes I have made note of all this on the questionaire....and hope that there will be improvements made by the time we sail again on the summit next october....

 

one more try before we go back to another cruise line...

 

I will also write to head office..something I have never done...

 

Celebrity had the edge with Michel Roux....now he is gone..and so seems the edge...

 

yes there will be many that will disagree...but that was our experience, those that we travelled with and those that we met....

 

We'll be sailing on Constellation in less than two weeks and will be sure to report what we find. We sailed on her in April 2006 so we'll be able to notice any changes.

[negc]

Exactly what we thought about the food when we sailed Jan, 07 on the Connie. Horrible food.

 

Since that may have been prior to Michel Roux' actual departure, I have to assume that he wasn't the reason, but even if your experience followed his departure, I'm of the opinion that the onboard chef, cooks and the rest of the kitchen staff on any cruise have much more of an impact on the food served, than some "name" restaurateur who provides oversight from afar.

[amanda blake]

oh yes Evie just a beautiful little girl...

 

we sat with three other couples, one from england...they did not come to the dining room for 4 nights, preferred the food in casual dining..they said it was much better up there..they also said it was the worst food they have ever had...and will go back to sailing with Thompson cruises...a line I have not heard of before..must be popular with Brits.....we just kept giving it one more chance...and the meat was quite good...no complaints there...

 

 

did not notice the upper decks...too busy with ports this time to sit out on deck or even to walk...the few attempts we made it was just way too windy...

 

yes the aqua spa tables were taken but one reason was that people with babies seemed to squat there..maybe the warmth...whatever the reason it certainly changed the serenity of the place...the babies were even in the Hot tub beside the thellasopool...not a good idea for anyone...but I didnt complain about it...

 

we love the thelasopool and would bring our hamburgers and french fries from the grill near by to eat there as it was too windy and cold on deck..maybe that is why the tables at the aqua spa were full certainly not because people were enjoying the fare there....too bad I had so loved the whole wheat pasta with the pine nuts...no pine nuts this time and the pasta tasted strange....

 

oh the cheesecakes...they were like a jello texture...both in the cova cafe and the bits served at the buffet...not at all like the amazing ones we have had previously....even the neopolitans tasted differently....

 

but hey the hamburger at the grill was still good and the fries were the same...

 

we will be on the summit to the Med next October and will probably like the food this time ....you tend to compare to your last cruise and anything will be a step up from this one....I hope....I can hope...lol...

 

thanks everyone....we love our cruises..and yes we all have different tastes and opinions..

[hermang]

Don't know that anyone noticed that she was hired. Questionable whether she is a real replacement for Roux or not. Sort of up in the air.

 

She does have a lot of input to the Wynn Mirage/MGM casino restaraunt operations. Keep in mind that most of the operations, such as at Bellagio, are independent.

 

Leads me to believe that Solstice might have a real "WOW" speciality restaraunt on it. The casino chain includes Todd English and Wolfgang Puck restaraunts plus some other folks that are working on making their names well known.

 

Don't know if what she does will crossover into feeding good food to 2000 folks in 2 shifts for dinner. Of course, why would anyone expect Roux to be able to do it.

 

We just came back from a 12 night cruise on the Millenium.

 

Our waiter told us we were the guinneas pigs for the "new menu" - I intendf to write to Dan Hanrahan and tell him find a new chef - I have never tasted such bland food - it was not bad food just bland - not sure if that is because it is geared to european pax who don't like seasoned food but Johnny Rockets had better taste except for the Olympic

[luvtocook]

We were on Connie late March this year and we are also on the 15th TA. We thought the food was very good in March. A couple of the choices were not to our liking but really, all the food in the main DR was very good.

We also love the Aqua Spa cafe & ate breakfast there most of the time--excellent. Several lunches in the AS were also very good. Pizza & grill at pool were consistently good and equal to any of the other Celeb ships we have sailed.

The Cova had excellent selections of pasteries and they offered us cheese & fruit plates when we stopped for a glass of champagne several times.

In the buffet, we were pleased with the pasta bar several times, some of the breakfast items, some of the lunch items & we liked the salad/sandwich area. The sushi we liked better than we had on Mercury.

We are really looking forward to enjoying Connie again in a little over a week!

[hcat]

Interesting thread!

We were on Century in April & both food & pastries were excellent. Met both the head chef & pastry chef at a special demonstration & they did not think things would radically change without M. Roux. I have noticed that the veggie helpings on X recently have dwindled--three asparagus on a plate just doesn't do it for me but you can alway request more veggies... The specialty restaurant Muranos was the best of any we tried. The only low point was the Cova Cafe where they could not really make any of the special drinks--like a frozen capucino--we just gave up going there!

I wish I could recall the ship but on a fairly recent cruise(it may have been Royal carib) the chef was from India & the food was not so great,.,,,,maybe it's the style of cooking we disliked but we tried to stay with the safe stuff no one could ruin.! ..Hoping for the best on Centruy later this month & will report back with a comparison from April.....

[Pontius Navigator]

Just read a couple of very good critics on the food served on the Connie, the majority of Europeans have a very wide and eclectic taste in food and spices. What we are used to and like are regional foods. If you go to Scandinavia then the expectations are usually very high with regard to food. We are keen to sample all the regional delicacies such as smorgasborg, and for the Baltic that means high class fish and shell fish, good quality meats especially pork and delicious and delicate fruits especially berries. That was not what we were served on board, very bland boring tasteless food that could have come from anywhere. We were served Bavarian food in the far north of Germany on the Polish border. I agree that the hamburgers were first class, the fruit juices and iced teas on tap excellent,but when you have paid $4000 each for a "5" star cruise you expect a bit more than a good hamburger and fruit juice. We will not be giving celebrity a second chance, I cannot afford to spend my hard earned cash in this way. We are going back to good old P&O.

Mrs PN sends

oh the cheesecakes...they were like a jello texture

actually we thought all the sweets tasted like jello.

C2C et al, the Hotel Services Manager was Ken Ismail. He was out on the shop floor and peeling people off the back of the guest relations queue; I was lucky. He sorted my problem there and then and said it should not have taken 4 days and 4 visits to get my bill sorted. He also took the name of the purser who had been dealing (not) with my issue.

Luvtocook

We also love the Aqua Spa cafe & ate breakfast there most of the time--excellent. Several lunches in the AS were also very good. Pizza & grill at pool were consistently good and equal to any of the other Celeb ships we have sailed.

In the buffet, we were pleased with the pasta bar several times, some of the breakfast items, some of the lunch items & we liked the salad/sandwich area. The sushi we liked better than we had on Mercury.

This too echoes our experience although the pasta was becoming a bit samey as we were refugees from the main dining room. It took us a while to find the advantage of casual dining.

Last point though, we thought Ocean Liners was tops but our table companions in the main restaurant thought their second visit was not so good.

[warmwinds]

It's interesting that on the same thread the food can be described as both TOO BLAND and TOO SALTY. Celebrity, if you're listening, here's one vote for TOO BLAND...you can always ADD more salt, for those of us who don't use it, or CAN'T due to a medical reason (high blood pressure), you can't take it OUT.

 

But GOOD cuisine gets it's flavor from the quality of the ingredients, and from herbs and spices, not from salt.

 

For us, too, the food on Celebrity was one of the reasons that we keep coming back. If that is changing, then, BUH-BYE!

[Tjaltz]

We were also on the August 18th sailing of the Constellation in the Baltics, and we also felt that the food was generally very poor. Probably the worst food we have had on any of our six cruises. We complained to our waiter who acknowledged that there were a lot of complaints about the food, and blamed it on the recent departure of the chef. Our waiter referred our complaint to our Assistant Maître‘de who also stated that there had been complaints since the change of chefs. We were disappointed with the lack of fish dishes on the menu, and the lack of variety on what was listed. We were told that the Constellation only served white fish dishes, with the exception of frozen salmon which is always available from the “left side” of the menu. When we did order the salmon, it was so dry and overcooked that it was inedible.

 

I agree that the other foods and deserts were extremely bland. I actually felt bad for our waiter who seemed very frustrated that so many guests were unhappy with the food. On several occasions when I ordered my dinner, our waiter just shook his head and suggested I order something else. I never had that experience on a cruise before. And he was right. When I ordered something that he did not recommend, it was even worse than usual. The food in the buffet was worse. We actually ate in restaurants in port as often as we could to avoid the dining room.

 

For us, we would not sail Celebrity again. I think that Holland America is a far superior cruise line overall, and the food on HAL and every other line we have been on (mostly RCL and Princess) was considerably better.

 

 

Other than the poor food, we loved the cruise. The ports were excellent, and we enjoyed every one of them. Our cabin was clean and comfortable, and the ship seemed well cared for. The only thing we noticed was that dirty dishes and glasses stayed out in the pool area for some time before they were cleaned up, which gave the pool areas a messy appearance. There are not enough chairs or chaise lounges around the Thelaso pool, as people stake claim to them by 7:00 am, and remain there for the day.

 

The entertainment was typical and consistent with most other cruise lines. I thought the onboard musicians in the lounges were very average, with the exception of a the Seranada string quartet, who were excellent. Unfortunately, they were only playing in a very small area above the staircase, and there were usually no seats. They should be moved to one of the larger lounges where more people could enjoy them.

 

The Constellation was alright, but we will be returning to Holland America.

[amanda blake]

Tjaltz, your experience was very similar to ours...we also spoke to the Matre'd and he took copious notes....and our waiter was new and did not really know what the expectations were around taste and presentation, he could not really recommend anything different on the menu..and quite honestly there would have been no difference...

 

even those slicing the bread at the bread station were having difficulty as often they had no vatiety of breads to offer...the same light rye...in the past there were breads with all kinds of seeds baked in...there was even a low carb very dark bread that was delicious...why has all this vanished....

 

I will put these questions to celebrity in my letter as soon as I catch up on sleep and laundry...

[Pontius Navigator]

Amanda,

 

Apart from being disappointing it must also be a relief to know that you were not alone. Everything you have mentioned has been confirmed by someone else or you have reminded us of little things which, on their own, were nothing.

 

The bread as you said.

 

The sandwich bar, great ingredients but I soon got to ask for themaking and make the sandwich as I wanted, butter spread rather than little chuncks pressed into the bread.

 

Ordering Carlsberg and getting Grolsch; she didn't understand my accent.

Reporting an open electrical box, getting a blank stare, pointing it out, he looked. Two days later it was fixed.

 

Made to order pizza was excellent.

 

The grill was excellent.

 

The spa food was good.

 

As you said the white fish was like rubber.

 

My breakfast kipper could have been served on a side plate it was so small.

 

The shps officers kept themselve to themselves except for those that got close to the passengers or entertainers - Michael's Club pianist for instance.

 

As I said before, the ship certainly had a WoW factor but . . .

[judyfssw]

I'm wondering who was the ship's captain when you sailed, Amanda? I can't imagine the Captain Papanikolou would be happy with your comments and would do something to correct it.

[warmwinds]

I'm not sure why Celebrity is choosing to go in this direction (Down). What is really troubling is that you have few alternatives, especially on sea days. You MUST eat Celebrity's food. At least in port you can choose to go to a restaurant - BUT WHY SHOULD YOU HAVE TO? You are already paying a lot for your cruise, why should you incur this additional expense?

 

Several months ago when it was first announced that Ms. Blau was taking over, I made the comment that she is a marketer, NOT a chef. She sells the "sizzle", not the Steak.

 

Give me the steak any day.

[Pontius Navigator]

I'm wondering who was the ship's captain when you sailed, Amanda? I can't imagine the Captain Papanikolou would be happy with your comments and would do something to correct it.

 

The master was Dimitris Manetas.

[mncruise]

What messages. I have a small group doing the Panama Canal on the Infinity on Septermber 29. I chose Celebrity because of the quality of the food and service. We are Elite because we have sailed them so much and have always been pleased with the food and service.

Sounds like a lot of probems were in the Baltic.

Leona

[CaroleSP]

When we sailed on the Connie in Spring 2006, we noticed a difference in the food, based on prior Celebrity Cruises. Because we love the ship and the friends sailing with us, we are leaving again in 10 days and again in 2008. I hope it was just a bad week or two, as we do love our food.:D We try to never miss a feeding. However, I should mention that we always found something to eat and never went to bed hungry!

[Pontius Navigator]

we sat with three other couples, one from england...they did not come to the dining room for 4 nights, preferred the food in casual dining..they said it was much better up there..they also said it was the worst food they have ever had...and will go back to sailing with Thompson cruises...a line I have not heard of before..must be popular with Brits.....

 

Amanda, you mention Thomson. I believe it was once a Canadian based company. When it floated in UK (no pun) we bought shares and became Founder members. A few years ago it was bought out by a German company but still trades as a UK business. Thomson is a travel company as opposed to a cruise company; they do holidays, flights and cruises.

 

Although we still have Founder's priviledges we have never exercised them as the holidays on offer have never appealed or the commercial price, as opposed to the brochure price, is less expensive.

[Pontius Navigator]

we always found something to eat and never went to bed hungry!

 

Very true and it of course depends on what you eat which is why some people think we are over critical.

 

But twice I just looked at the menu and really should have asked for a raw carrot and a lettuce leaf as the offering simply did not prick my appetite.

 

DO TRY OCEAN LINERS :)

 

We went for the menu exceptionale with the different wines for each course. It seems expensive at the outset but is by far the only way to dine in style. It is no more expensive than one good bottle of wine which is inappropriate for most of the meal.

[amanda blake]

there are enough cruisers here that have noticed a difference ....that must mean there IS a difference...just not sure if it is because the chefs on the ship have changed since others have said that on other ships the food has remained top notch...

 

in any case...we love the constellation for other issues...for example it does not offer the climbing walls, skating rinks or many other things that attract a lot of kids...so it is usually calm...just hope that they are working out the wrinkles with the new direction they have taken post Roux...meanwhile we should all help them iron out those wrinkles by writing, if we want to restore the edge celebrity had when it came to food over any other lines...

 

and yes the silver lining is of course that I lost weight on this cruise instead of gaining a pound or two as I usually do...but even that is not much of a silver lining since weight is not an issue for me...

 

we will see what kind of response we get once I send my letter ...hopefully it will be that they are looking into it...

 

hey maybe the different captain made a difference...we sat right next to the captains table...he was there once....and we were the top cruisers on the ship this time but declined to go up and get our reward at the captains party....maybe we should have taken these opportunities to speak to him...just kidding of course....lol..

[C 2 C]

and we were the top cruisers on the ship this time but declined to go up and get our reward at the captains party...

 

Just curious about how many and why??

[amanda blake]

it was most unusual...we have done 22 cruises and only 15 with celebrity..we were really surprised that only 15 got us the honours...we have been to these things before when people with 50 or 60 were honoured...we just didnt want to make a big deal out of it..we are low key and dont look for the limelight....but it was certainly nice to be recognized...the roses and chocolates came to the cabin...