Changes in Celebrity's Dining Room in September?

[xplrcrzn]

Maybe it'll be a system like in some sushi bars where the various food dishes are sent around the restaurant on a conveyor belt and patrons simply grab whatever appeals to them. The good news will be no more gratuities needed for waiters.

[bob brown]

Perhaps paranoia is getting the best of some of us (myself included), and the 'big change' will amount to little if anything. I have been thinking about all of the guesses mentioned, as well as thinking of all the different possibilities that I've experienced at restaurants, and I really don't thing it could be very much.

 

One thing...usually whenever a new concept is being considered, before extending it fleetwise, it will be quietly introduced and thoroughly evaluated on one ship. I haven't heard of anything that fits that description as yet...

[Snorkeler]

Why do so many on this thread seem to think the change will be a bad change? :confused:

 

negative people.

[Tenn4ever]

Why do so many on this thread seem to think the change will be a bad change? :confused:

 

Let's be positive. Maybe, the change will be a free glass of wine with every dinner in the MDR and let's add caviar appetizers :D

 

Maybe it'll be a system like in some sushi bars where the various food dishes are sent around the restaurant on a conveyor belt and patrons simply grab whatever appeals to them. The good news will be no more gratuities needed for waiters.

 

I would rather pay the gratuities :D:eek:

[uktog]

Maybe it is new tableware with different dishes used more like how the various dishes are served in Blu - perhaps also more innovative presentation as well which moves it from banguet food to something that looks more individual

[Brad1185]

negative people.

 

I have not seen a positive change in years. Everything is a cutback especially with quality or an extra charge. Cant inagIne this being any different

[tine-tine]

When we cruise which tends to be 14 days and over, b2b in January on Connie, we try to make the dining experience as special as we can given the sometimes repetitive nature of menu, particularly when you are a regular cruiser. To do this we never check the menu in advance, coming fresh to the dining room in anticipation of what we may be offered. Being Scottish we do not mind slower service and like time before and during courses, I am always slightly suspicious of food that arrives too quickly! We like the whole experience to be similar to that expected in a quality restaurant and dining being a major part of our holiday would not like to see that diminished. We choose select dining and although service can be varied we ensure if we get poor service from one station we request not to be placed at these tables again.

 

What Celebrity need to do to enhance the experience is increase the amount of space for select tables for two which are frankly a bit cramped and have a more accurate booking service for dining times.

 

What we do not need are gimmicks, invest the money instead in the quality of food offered.

[Broch]

What Celebrity need to do to enhance the experience is increase the amount of space for select tables for two which are frankly a bit cramped and have a more accurate booking service for dining times.

 

Can anyone tell me if there are plenty of tables for two on Silhouette and are they as cramped on this ship as the previous poster points out.

[happy cruzer]

When we cruise which tends to be 14 days and over, b2b in January on Connie, we try to make the dining experience as special as we can given the sometimes repetitive nature of menu, particularly when you are a regular cruiser. To do this we never check the menu in advance, coming fresh to the dining room in anticipation of what we may be offered. Being Scottish we do not mind slower service and like time before and during courses, I am always slightly suspicious of food that arrives too quickly! We like the whole experience to be similar to that expected in a quality restaurant and dining being a major part of our holiday would not like to see that diminished. We choose select dining and although service can be varied we ensure if we get poor service from one station we request not to be placed at these tables again.

 

What Celebrity need to do to enhance the experience is increase the amount of space for select tables for two which are frankly a bit cramped and have a more accurate booking service for dining times.

 

What we do not need are gimmicks, invest the money instead in the quality of food offered.

 

I agree. The reason I would like to know what the change would be is that I have booked a longer cruise and a more expensive one. If I were cruising out of my home port at a value price it would be easy to just roll with a change but when it is a special event at a premium I do not care to be surprised. I do not like to trust that someone will enhance the experience rather than enhance their bottom line.

 

I also agree that the change may be positive, but I would like to be able to judge for myself before final payment.

[PS90]

What we do not need are gimmicks, invest the money instead in the quality of food offered.

 

This is the best sentence of this whole thread. I hope X reads this...

[buramiko]

My guess is, you can order any food or drinks from any restaurants (even the dishes from specialty restaurants) on the ship via iPad at a la carte fee, someone just bring those dishes to you at MDR. Cruisers can taste only the most famous dish from each specialty restaurant all in one night rather than paying cover for several restaurants on several nights. X can make more money because $ generated from specialty restaurants will no longer be limited by no. of seats available for booking. And the iPads, pictures and videos of dishes will be available for viewing before placing order which would induce more ordering of wines and specialty dishes.

[JezzaC]

My guess is, you can order any food or drinks from any restaurants (even the dishes from specialty restaurants) on the ship via iPad at a la carte fee, someone just bring those dishes to you at MDR. Cruisers can taste only the most famous dish from each specialty restaurant all in one night rather than paying cover for several restaurants on several nights. X can make more money because $ generated from specialty restaurants will no longer be limited by no. of seats available for booking. And the iPads, pictures and videos of dishes will be available for viewing before placing order which would induce more ordering of wines and specialty dishes.

 

That would a good thing.

[dmwnc1959]

Can anyone tell me if there are plenty of tables for two on Silhouette and are they as cramped on this ship as the previous poster points out.

 

Check out this picture from Andreas Depping's Celebrity Silhouette album

 

http://www.depping-design.de/test/displayimage.php?album=166&pos=21

[lysolqn]

My guess is, you can order any food or drinks from any restaurants (even the dishes from specialty restaurants) on the ship via iPad at a la carte fee, someone just bring those dishes to you at MDR. Cruisers can taste only the most famous dish from each specialty restaurant all in one night rather than paying cover for several restaurants on several nights. X can make more money because $ generated from specialty restaurants will no longer be limited by no. of seats available for booking. And the iPads, pictures and videos of dishes will be available for viewing before placing order which would induce more ordering of wines and specialty dishes.

 

Speculation aside, while the introduction of a la carte menu items for a fee in the MDR may be considered an enhancement, it will not necessarily be accepted as an improvement.

[CelebrityMan]

My guess is, you can order any food or drinks from any restaurants (even the dishes from specialty restaurants) on the ship via iPad at a la carte fee, someone just bring those dishes to you at MDR. Cruisers can taste only the most famous dish from each specialty restaurant all in one night rather than paying cover for several restaurants on several nights. X can make more money because $ generated from specialty restaurants will no longer be limited by no. of seats available for booking. And the iPads, pictures and videos of dishes will be available for viewing before placing order which would induce more ordering of wines and specialty dishes.

 

I believe this is a fairly good 'guess,' a rather observant and astute 'guess.' I have noticed an increase in the past year or so of so-called 'sample' or 'teaser' items from various specialty restaurant menus making their way onto the MDR menu.

 

But, on the longer sailings we customarily take, I've also noticed a marked decrease in the number of pax dining in the specialty restaurants, and a commensurate increase in discounts for the specialty restaurant(s) to encourage more folk to dine there.

 

In fact, on our last cruise this spring (where we were escorting a group of 60 folk) the SS United States' maitre d' came to find me in the MDR one evening to announce to our group a special discount.

 

What we do not need are gimmicks, invest the money instead in the quality of food offered.

 

...and I most heartily agree with this poster! Celebrity, if you pay attention to nothing else on this thread, understand this concept. Make the quality of food offered stunning and the service unparalleled and that will be your drawing card.

 

 

CM

[PS90]

My guess is, you can order any food or drinks from any restaurants (even the dishes from specialty restaurants) on the ship via iPad at a la carte fee, someone just bring those dishes to you at MDR. Cruisers can taste only the most famous dish from each specialty restaurant all in one night rather than paying cover for several restaurants on several nights. X can make more money because $ generated from specialty restaurants will no longer be limited by no. of seats available for booking. And the iPads, pictures and videos of dishes will be available for viewing before placing order which would induce more ordering of wines and specialty dishes.

 

While that would seem like a good idea, couldn't that possibly have a pretty severe impact on the number of people paying for the specialty restaurants? If you could buy the best dish from Murano for $15, and get the rest of your meal for free from the MDR, I would be willing to bet that many people would rather do that than spend $35 to go to Murano. I know

I would.

 

The cruiselines seem to be going more and more to extra-charge niche restaurants, while this "change" would be a giant step in the other direction, IMO.

[PS90]

...and I most heartily agree with this poster! Celebrity, if you pay attention to nothing else on this thread, understand this concept. Make the quality of food offered stunning and the service unparalleled and that will be your drawing card.

CM

 

Again, I totally agree. I sure hope Celebrity would rather market a cruiseline with excellent food and service, than a cruiseline with ipads and upcharges.

[lysolqn]

...Celebrity, if you pay attention to nothing else on this thread, understand this concept. Make the quality of food offered stunning and the service unparalleled and that will be your drawing card.

 

Stunning and unparalled are two great superlatives but you seem to have forgotten two other words - profit center. No matter the cruise line, no matter the ship, the trend in the cruise industry over the last several years has been the introduction of specialty restaurants designed to turn dining into one more of many onboard profit centers. Considering the increasing number of pay-to-play dining options available on ships, I don't see that trend reversing itself anytime soon, if ever - even on our favorite cruise line. JMHO.

[Tenn4ever]

I think adding an item from each specialty restaurant as an a la carte item/fee attached in the MDR would be okay and would be seen as an improvement by some. However, don't take items which are already part of the MDR menu and make them a la carte/fee attached items. This would be a distinctive downgrade for those who look at their cruise as an all inclusive price experience.

[bellybutton530]

Stunning and unparalled are two great superlatives but you seem to have forgotten two other words - profit center. No matter the cruise line, no matter the ship, the trend in the cruise industry over the last several years has been the introduction of specialty restaurants designed to turn dining into one more of many onboard profit centers. Considering the increasing number of pay-to-play dining options available on ships, I don't see that trend reversing itself anytime soon, if ever - even on our favorite cruise line. JMHO.

 

I agree with you. In fact, I'm wondering which cruiseline will announce the FIRST fast food restaurant (ie, McDonald's, Burger, King, etc) at sea....

[CelebrityMan]

Considering the increasing number of pay-to-play dining options available on ships, I don't see that trend reversing itself anytime soon, if ever - even on our favorite cruise line. JMHO.

 

...but we can hope! ;)

 

The seemingly ever-increasing trend of all manner of pay-to-play items (dining related or not) is a trend I don't care for, but certainly one designed to bolster the profit margin.

 

 

CM

[CruisingChick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tine-tine

What we do not need are gimmicks, invest the money instead in the quality of food offered.

 

This is the best sentence of this whole thread. I hope X reads this...

 

Agreed....

 

I too wish they would put the extra money into quality and not gimmicks or even quanty.

[mferranti]

Agreed....

 

I too wish they would put the extra money into quality and not gimmicks or even quanty.

What "extra money"?

[excitedofharpenden]

However, don't take items which are already part of the MDR menu and make them a la carte/fee attached items. This would be a distinctive downgrade for those who look at their cruise as an all inclusive price experience.

Did you just make that one up? LOL A $5 fee for a venue that nobody has had any experience of (The Porch on Silhouette) is creating much disturbance for some on this board. If they take something off the MDR menu and start charging for it I think there could be a full scale mutiny!

 

Phil

[Tenn4ever]

Did you just make that one up? LOL A $5 fee for a venue that nobody has had any experience of (The Porch on Silhouette) is creating much disturbance for some on this board. If they take something off the MDR menu and start charging for it I think there could be a full scale mutiny!

 

Phil

 

LOL - I was just going by some posts early on in the thread that indicated adding selections to the MDR menu as a la carte items but the posts didn't state exactly where these items would come from. That's what I was responding too . I can just see that now - leave the meat balls, chopped beef patty and a baked chicken breast on the MDR menu as part of the all-inclusive price but start adding a fee to all the other nice items that have been part of that menu for years.

 

Later posts indicated maybe the for fee items would be those from one of the specialty restaurants. This would entice people to try them without having to book a specialty restaurant. Celebrity then would make money from these items in the MDR and possibly entice passengers to come to the specialty restaurants. I can see this working.