goofysmom99

Don't trust the gluten free cards. They had them over the pizza and pasta. Plus in another video, over soy sauce. X's soy sauce is NOT gluten free (because GF soy sauce is a lot more expensive). You have to get it from Sushi on 5 by request.

Just an FYI, none of X's sauces have been wheat-based for at least 5 years. I have celiac (20 yrs next month) and haven't had a problem for over a decade, i.e., merely order turkey sans stuffing. I frequently don't need preorder the night before, but they always ask me anyway. My issue is I'm disgusted with MDR menu choices. Tilapia night after night? Really? I'm going to wait until after my upcoming Summit cruises next month before I decide whether to jettison X altogether. I receive a lot of things from them gratis, although I paid dearly for a long time to get them. If the food goes south, though, I'm outta there. BTW, in the OVC, the chicken fajitas, assuming they still have those, and a salad made a decent evening meal with everything except the flour tortillas. The OVC GF pasta and bolognaise sauce have been a go-to for me on the nights when they served stuff in MDR that I didn't like. May be a lotta pasta on my plate next month. I suppose they'd confiscate it if I brought a small microwave aboard and shelf-stable nuke food. 🙄

Duplicate

It's still there, at least today it is.

I just checked Summit MDR dinner menus for next week's 5 night cruise. If it doesn't improve by my cruises, I'll be skipping most evenings. This is Night 5 offering

Not my choice but haddock is not cheap.

This doesn't have to do with room service, per se, but I bring along my Yeti 20 oz. tumbler with a handle and use it for coffee, tea, smoothies, or drinks. Bartenders/baristas won't pour into it directly, though, so you have to do that part yourself. Keeps a decent-sized pour hotter/colder longer. Can hold an entire Al Bacio teapot which is my favorite on the balcony with a book.

One of my all-time favorite cruises was a TA where the maitre d' put together a table of six experienced solo cruisers (Elite, Elite+ ladies, and Zenith gent) at late seating. We all agreed we preferred set dining to select so we could sit with others. We compared war stories one of which was of how old it got every time we heard "I could never travel alone." It was truly refreshing to be with others who "get it" and we shared our solo travel hacks on both land and afloat. I still keep in touch with two and we've visited. BTW, land travel in Europe/on trains is easy with a rollaboard, backpack, and a retractable bicycle lock (and cell phone for GPS and translation😉 - wifi is everywhere, including trains).

I'm so sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing with us.

Even though I don't personally have to pay the $9.95 for room service, the changes afoot in OVC and MDR menus have me considering eating a few $100 deposits for 2023/4/5. Not sure I'm willing to lower my expectations any further. And I've relayed this to management.

Way back in the day, I worked in an office on Lackland AFB right next to the school where they trained AF recruiters. Every single morning began with a loud, unison "Boy, am I enthusiastic!" I listened-in for a year. Negative: "You don't want orange juice, do you?" (negative voice, shake your head no = "You don't want to join the Navy, do you?") Neutral: "Do you want orange juice?" Positive: "You want orange juice, don't you?" (chirpy voice, nod your head yes enthusiastically = "You want to join the Air Force, don't you?") Works for a lot of things when you want a particular outcome. My mother used it a lot on me, too. 😉

Did X ever have if officially written somewhere that you could order room service dinner from MDR menu? Many moons have passed since last I did that and I wonder if there will still be a room service, paid, option. If the OVC offerings are a dud, a tray of multiple appetizers and/or soups could be my Plan C (on M-class aft balcony). I'm going to specifically try that next month just to see how it goes.

I also just sent an email. I'm a solo zenith and it will be interesting to see how fast/if I receive a response.

I just checked the app for upcoming February Summit cruises. No beef in sight. On all my cruises from Aug 2021 thru Nov 2022, first night in MDR has been seared salmon and prime rib. Now it's seared salmon (which is pretty good) and a pork chop. There's still beef most nights in Luminae and about half in Blu. It'll be interesting to see if the 4 oz filet is still an option. It was in Nov on the Connie but asst maitre d' (nametag now says headwaiter BTW) had to get it blessed each time. This year's Nov 16-night Connie TA is going to be a loooong haul if OVC is so severely limited and the MDR menu is, too. I'll be watching to see how this plays out before making final payment in July. My air can be canceled (miles) so I'd only be out $100 (booked on board). We shall see (wish they had a skeptical emoji, with one eyebrow raised).

Sort of a Delphic Oracle?

I always booked concierge for the hump balconies on S-class and aft balconies or 6144/5 on M-class. And the extra points (quest to make it to the next level). Still prefer concierge locations on S-class and will try to book the now SV designated cabins on M-class when I can (or better yet, FV). I request a cheese plate in lieu of the mystery canapes. Hope they'll still allow that substitution; will find out next month.

I had dinner up there a couple of nights on the TA when I wanted some peace and quiet. Captain sat next to me twice (guess he needed some space, too). 😉

Will the pasta station be open anymore at night? I can't quite tell from what's being/been reported. TIA.

Maybe they could add room service to Elite Plus benefits. 😉

The charge is showing on the app on my upcoming February cruises. This one actually may be the straw that breaks this camel's back. One of the things I enjoy most about cruising is having room service breakfast. I don't have to get dressed to walk the dog first like I would at home. And it's decadent to have someone bring me my breakfast. Then there's the gluten-free thing. GF dinner is easy but it's tough to really enjoy the hassle of gluten-free breakfast. Trying to get someone to toast the GF bread in OV is always an adventure, just one of many. Lunch can be worse. In the MDR breakfast, they're very often clueless about GF choices and have made mistakes. Over the years, I've discovered the safest way to stay "unglutened" is to order room service breakfast and about 50% of the time, lunch. I'm going to spend a few hours researching other cruise lines (Azamara, O, etc., not the big ones) today. I'll be darned if I'm going to give X nearly $12 per delivery for the privilege of having a GF breakfast/lunch.

That's what the zenith concierge handles.

I was diagnosed with celiac 20 years ago and, happily, traveling, especially cruising, is so much easier now than it used to be. An easy I GF hack in OV is a taco salad. Get the lettuce elsewhere and doctor it up at the Mexican food station. Crumble a taco shell onto it if they're out of the chips. I've been cruising on S-class ships since Solstice inaugural and only last month did I discover the limoncello cheesecake in Tuscan is GF (as long as they hold the graham cracker crust sprinkles). When one of my tablemates ordered it and I finally, after all these years, saw the presentation, I had the maitre d' ask the chef if the bare limoncello cheesecake was actually GF. Yup. That, along with a shot of limoncello, was the food highlight of a 24-night cruise! 🥰 I order my cheeseburgers from room service without the bun; also order two slices of GF toast "not raisin." Much better than anywhere else I've found aboard. BTW, I don't order until around 2:00 so that it always arrives promptly and hot. Another room service option is ordering two house salads, extra dressing, and two club sandwiches "no bread." Makes a very respectable chef's salad to enjoy on my balcony. The GF muffins from the Spa Cafe are somewhat moist and taste better than the unbelievably dry ones from Cafe al Bacio. The Spa Cafe cookies are so-so. Best tasting GF cookies are the coconut macaroons, all flavors, at al Bacio (their sugar content isn't for the faint-hearted, however). Before dinner, I stop at the Martini or Passport Bar and grab a straight-up shot of a liqueur (Chambord, creme de menthe, Kahlua, etc.) every evening to carry into the MDR to pour over vanilla ice cream for dessert. Very tasty sundae. On the outside chance there's something worth ordering for dessert, I'll pour it over ice and drink it. They can also make sundaes with the various cheesecake toppings. I never feel deprived on Celebrity but occasionally need to be creative. p.s. The GF pizza is made from 100% rice flour which is hard and awful. Pure rice flour is the problem with most of their GF offerings. Anyway, if you order a GF pizza, just peel off the toppings and enjoy that part. 😉

In 2024, the Iceland to Boston leg will begin with an overnight in Reykjavik.

Having to actually cruise for points....what a concept!

I don't.