Does anyone miss the Brunch?

[Christine Frances]

Yes. I miss it.

 

Just of the Solstice this morning and they had a really sad excuse for brunch in buffet one day. With shrimps, chocolate fountain and pretty much standard lunch. Sad, indeed

 

 

 

Same thing with no cheese in the Cellar Masters. Sad.

 

 

Shrimps and the Chocolate fountain were the only things that I would miss by not having the Brunch as everything else was available in the buffet. So now I am happy to hear that my favs are still available:)

 

 

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Edited April 29, 2014 by Christine Frances

[Cruise a holic]

Good question and easy answer for me. NO!

 

I missed the brunch as much as I missed the acapella group on our last 10 day Equinox voyage. Nothing to do with cost cutting I think people just got bored with both.

 

Shameless plug next: (my Equinox Photo Trip Report)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2017737

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

 

Do not miss the brunch-another excuse to overeat and gain weight- however I do miss the Acapella group. Now nothing has replaced it- it was nice to sit in the lobby or Café al Baccio and hear music throughout the day and evening- the piped in music is awful and I wish they would discontinue it (especially in the restaurants) or play just relaxing instrumentals.

[lovemylab]

I won't miss the brunch. Both times we have gone we found it be underwhelming. It's the same food that can be found in the oceanview only with longer line ups.

 

On my December Equinox cruise I witnessed someone eating off the same stick over and over again while standing at the chocolate fountain. Needless to say, and desire I had to use the fountain was gone.

[elena7seas]

Hello

 

The Hot Glass Show are still going strong, they had lots of shows during this cruise with a big crowd every time. Was very popular.

 

The main pools are in need of some paintwork, aome sofas in the buffet are a bit torn. Otherwise the ship is in top shape. And the small issues are nothing else than small issues. If you're not looking for something bad, you will not find a lot.

 

The staff were among the best I have ever experienced. The cabin attendant, the waiters, the sommeliers, the bartenders, all of them were super firendly and really made the trip.

 

They know you by name on day three. All of them. It is amazing.

 

I'm not really a theatre kind of guy, but many of the guests were a bit dissapointed with the shows in the theatre. Although I believe it's hard for Celebrity to get guest entertainers onboard an 18 day cruise with almost only seadays that starts and ends on two different continents.

 

Food was as good as ever. Murano, wonderful. They had a few nights when they had discounts in the specialty restaurants, they don't make it public tough, so to speak. But their waiters walks around in the buffet and such and offers it to guests. We had 30% off in Murano on the third night.

The food in the Oceanview Cafe was the best buffet food I have ever had on a ship.

 

They also had quite a few activities on the lawn.

 

Lots of live music all around the ship all the time. From a String trio in the Ensemble lounge or Cellar Masters to the "house band" in the Grand Foyer to an accoustic trio on the pool deck. And lots of other live acts. So, if you like live music you're in for a treat.

 

Hi Roxette:

 

Thanks so much for the great reply. I am glad to hear that the Solstice is still in good shape. This will be the fourth time I have sailed on her, the first having been 3 weeks after she arrived in North America. She was brand new then, but on my last cruise on her in September 2013, she was just as wonderful.

 

Who was her captain, and do you know who the CD will be, once she returns to the west coast?

 

I am very glad to hear that the Hot Glass show is still being performed, as we are taking some new cruisers with us, and I know they will enjoy the show very much.

 

Thanks again for taking the time to reply. :)

[malibudez]

Yes. I thought it was a nice touch.

[deelastcre]

When we were on the Century to Hawaii last Eastertime, the brunch was a festive touch for Easter Sunday with waiters coming around with trays of mimosas or champagne. Costumed staffer as Easter bunny, beautiful displays.

 

A zoo, unfortunately, as others have posted. In the crush, an older guy leaned against a waiter's rack next to our table which of course collapsed, tumbling the man, dirty dishes, food, crockery, etc on the floor. The staff could not have been nicer to him and all was well. But just all part of the somewhat chaotic atmosphere.

 

But yes, it is a shame to see the old buffet display tradition go away. It was one special thing you could always find that was traditional for cruising.

 

That said, at a Captain's Club party we went to (we are below the Elite level), there were special carvings, flowers, wonderful stations with chefs making sushi and other special things, so it was a much more civilized buffet-style event with the smaller crowd. I hope they do at least keep some elegant brunch buffet opportunities on board.

Hi Chris, we sailed with you on Century last year. The Easter Brunch was beautiful if you found a seat. The Captain's Club Reception was very nice. I sailed on Infinity in October(Wine Immersive Cruise) and the brunch was not as elaborate and the food during the reception was reduced to a few bites. Yes, I will miss the Brunch. It was a nice way to spend the last sea day on a long cruise.

[The_Big_M]

They had a relevant comment about this in the Q&A on the Solstice cruise just off.

 

One passenger asked what about the brunches of old, and not running them anymore.

 

The executive chef retorted that they use funds from that being stopped to enable 10 chefs to do shopping in each port to provide local meals, "and wouldn't you rather have local dishes relevant to your cruise?"

 

Unfortunately, I didn't find the result matched the spin. The MDR menu is not changed, the change is only in the buffet. And in the buffet meals, the number of local, especially tasting dishes, on their themed nights was negligible in my opinion.

 

Possibly a good idea, but execution wasn't successful if that's the aim.

[Brad1185]

They should have been honest that the brunch is gone due to cost cutting and saved the bs storyline they gave you.

[Cruise a holic]

They had a relevant comment about this in the Q&A on the Solstice cruise just off.

 

One passenger asked what about the brunches of old, and not running them anymore.

 

The executive chef retorted that they use funds from that being stopped to enable 10 chefs to do shopping in each port to provide local meals, "and wouldn't you rather have local dishes relevant to your cruise?"

 

Unfortunately, I didn't find the result matched the spin. The MDR menu is not changed, the change is only in the buffet. And in the buffet meals, the number of local, especially tasting dishes, on their themed nights was negligible in my opinion.

 

Possibly a good idea, but execution wasn't successful if that's the aim.

 

What a poor answer from the chef! We now pay more and should receive more! While I do not love the buffets, so many things are being skimmed on, in all areas, entertainment, staff ratio, quality of food overall was he kidding?

[Jem 12]

One of the things we enjoyed about the Gala Brunch (and Midnight Buffet) were all the beautiful ice sculptures, fruit carvings, and other "food as art" displays. It was a way for the artisans in the galley to showcase their talents. On our first galley tour of Solstice, several years ago, we were treated to a demonstration by the fruit carvers -- who were working on their displays for the next day's Gala Brunch.

 

So, for me anyway, this is just one more elegant little touch that has gone "poof". But, I have no doubt that Mr. Bayley will soon find some up-charge, for-fee venue or activity to replace it. :(

 

Hi We have just returned from our cruise on the Eclipse, we didn't have the brunch but we did have lovely Ice Carvings in the Ocean view Cafe one lunch time near the end of the cruise. I was quite surprised when I mentioned about the ice carvings to somebody who was eating that they hadn't even noticed them.

 

We didn't miss the brunch at all but I did miss the daily free Zumba!!!!

[ghstudio]

They had a relevant comment about this in the Q&A on the Solstice cruise just off.

 

One passenger asked what about the brunches of old, and not running them anymore.

 

The executive chef retorted that they use funds from that being stopped to enable 10 chefs to do shopping in each port to provide local meals, "and wouldn't you rather have local dishes relevant to your cruise?"

 

Unfortunately, I didn't find the result matched the spin. The MDR menu is not changed, the change is only in the buffet. And in the buffet meals, the number of local, especially tasting dishes, on their themed nights was negligible in my opinion.

 

Possibly a good idea, but execution wasn't successful if that's the aim.

 

I wish someone had asked the executive chef what local dishes they saw or would be seeing as a result of this change. After an embarrassed cough, the chef probably would have been stumped. But wait..in about a year, he can point to the local dishes served in the suite dining room.

Edited May 7, 2014 by ghstudio

[hulamoon]

I admit I miss seeing nice ice sculptures.

[wrk2cruise]

On our Reflection cruise in April the day they had the ice sculptures in the OceanView they also had steamed clams and mussels. For those of us who found the station we enjoyed it. I'd say 90% of the people had no idea there was anything different in the buffet that day. Still a far cry from the gala brunch.

[DiamondSuiteCruiser]

They had a relevant comment about this in the Q&A on the Solstice cruise just off.

 

One passenger asked what about the brunches of old, and not running them anymore.

 

The executive chef retorted that they use funds from that being stopped to enable 10 chefs to do shopping in each port to provide local meals, "and wouldn't you rather have local dishes relevant to your cruise?"

 

Unfortunately, I didn't find the result matched the spin. The MDR menu is not changed, the change is only in the buffet. And in the buffet meals, the number of local, especially tasting dishes, on their themed nights was negligible in my opinion.

 

Possibly a good idea, but execution wasn't successful if that's the aim.

 

I'm wondering if what you are saying has anything to do with the Suite dinning?

 

The new Suite Class will include:

 

Private dining - A dedicated private restaurant reserved exclusively for all Suite Class guests will be available morning, noon and night. Each meal will feature unique menus that offer sumptuous dishes not available anywhere else onboard. Guests can truly immerse themselves in the local culture with specially crafted menus inspired by the local destination, and enjoy the world's best ingredients. Memorable and inspiring dishes will be served, from locally caught seafood, to the freshest pasta. The Suite Class chef can provide a tailor-made experience to suite guests and prepare a dish to their liking, and the Cellar Master - Celebrity's head sommelier - will select from more than 450 wines to provide the perfect pairing.