Blue is past it's prime, it appears.......

[pris993]

We are elite on X, started cruising X when the Constellation was new. Generally have booked CC class cabins. Tried BLU on the Ecilpse a few years ago, did not see what all the excitment was about, it was okay, better than the MDR which we don't like at all, because it is too crowded and noisy and we have found the food hit and miss. To be honest we have always found the food hit and miss on X, we don't cruise for the food.

We still cruise on X, for the itinerary, we are booked on the Silhouette in October, booked a 1B cabin, figured no reason to pay more for a CC or AQ cabin, the cabins are all the same. The ship is simply a floating hotel for us, we do find the buffet has a lot of choice and we go with it. May check out Murano's... a night. Other wise the buffet will do it for us.

[hulamoon]

[quote name='Kevnzworld']I've sailed on six Celebrity ships in AQ or a suite in the last two years. I agree with the OP
The service isn't great.
First....why dos the host/ hostess have to greet and sit every guest? It creates a line of 10-20 minutes when tables are empty.
Why is someone asking for my food order before I've been asked if I would like a glass or bottle of wine?
No real restaurant on land could survive with Blu's food or service.
This is a management issue. The individuals working there try hard, and I tip many of them for their efforts.
Don't get me started on the food. One word game bird. The wait staff warns you that they overcook them. My question, if you're going to cook the bird until it's into edible, why serve it?[/QUOTE]

Kevin I have been wondering why there is so much duck served. The menu seems unbalanced to me.

[jenniebnyc]

We ate in BLU in January and felt it went downhill too. We used to love the soups and this time they were a watery flavorless mess. And most of the apps and entress just didn't sound appealing. If they just made the menu a little more simple, used fresh ingredients, cooked food at the right temp and got the food out hot, we would be in business. It's really is all about the chef and who is cooking and getting the food out the door. If they can't do it here, I am not sure how they are going to do it in the new suite MDR. We found on Reflection eating in the back room away from the windows was quieter and the service was much better. We sill had to send the food back many times bc it was room temp, but that only meant the microwaved the food so it was hot. We did not get a new/fresh meal. And as for breakfast, I am convinced they serve what they can from chaffing dishes now. Pancakes, meats, etc were all dry and luke warm at best. Very sad bc BLU really did used to be great. Here's to hoping X is reading this thread. I am a gourmet, but if you can't get that right on the ship, just give me a well-prepared simple meal with a nice sauce that is FRESH AND HOT. Cheers.

[shoesonfire]

We also hope Celebrity is reading these negative Blu posts too. We sailed Blu on the Summit last June and are also cruising in Aqua/Blu on the Infinity in October and we hope to find some significant improvements particularly since we encouraged friends to book Aqua/Blu along with us on this itinerary. Edited May 30, 2014 by shoesonfire

[jenniebnyc]

Maybe what they need are runners who are waiting to bring the food out at all times so it is hot the first time!

[wpgcycler]

[quote name='jenniebnyc']Maybe what they need are runners who are waiting to bring the food out at all times so it is hot the first time![/QUOTE]

Maybe what they need is someone to monitor how they can get it so right one month and completely screw it up the next. It's beyond my comprehension how the standards can be so volatile.

[mickeysgal]

Ugh. Cannot stand lukewarm food - it has to be hot. I hope this goes well for us; very nervous seeing all these comments about Blu. I'm sure overall it will be fine but really it sounds like Celebrity has to regroup and provide consistency and quality each and every cruise.

[lexdisic]

[quote name='Mack704']Just curious and playing a little devil's advocate here. How did you know or find out that numerous diners were sending back meals and for what reasons? Did you look around the room when you were dining? Did you walk around the room when you weren't dining? Did you stay at the hostess station and poll the diners as they were leaving? And for the entire dining hours? Every day? Or just a random sample? Did your waiter tell you? Did you find out from the host(ess) or Maitre' d?

I've seen many generalizations on these boards similar to the claim you made. I'm just curious how you found out. No hostility, just curiosity.

Harvey[/QUOTE]

No problem at all :)

On numerous occasions - cant give a definitive answer as I wasnt counting - BUT - as we were sitting close to the entrance to the kitchens, we could see meals being taken from diners to the kitchen and returned with the staff making apologies on behalf of the chef maybe 3-5 times while we were there. This was happening most nights on the first leg. We experienced incorrect cooking ourselves - in particular the beef dishes which were "well done" when asked for a medium rare. This was a common complaint we experienced or heard about. A neighbouring 2 top table both sent their chateaubriand 2 times and in the end gave up and didnt eat their meal. We did inform the Maitre'D and it was him that told us of the change of chef. My stomach cant take a rare steak as it used to and so I tend to have it medium these days, but we had to order it medium rare in the hope it came back medium otherwise it would have been well done. I did not send my meal back as my partners meal would have been interrupted, so I just ate it with the hope it was a one off - unfortunately it was not - hence I spoke to the Maitre'D. As I previously mentioned, the second leg was not as bad, but we still had to order how we thought it would arrive instead of how we would like it. We had numerous conversations (wasnt counting :p) with other diners and we were asking how it compared to other X ships and ALL said there was no comparison to their previous experience of Blu. There were also issues of missing ingredients e.g. no avocado on the avocado and arugula salad, to me again this showed that the kitchen was under great stress for whatever reason - which I could only conclude would be understaffing in the kitchen. That was sent back and was returned complete so it could not have been due to the shortages that were happening (bananas and berries missing for nearly a week which then became a standing joke with the waitstaff as the deserts were still listed but didnt have the ingredients for them e.g. banoffee pie with no bananas :))

I have to say that thanks to the wait staff in there, that things stayed in control - if anything we were embarassed for them as they were trying their best to please everyone - so kudos to them for a fine job done. None of the problems were unsolvable, but were enough to put us off Blu on Millie, and would try it on an S class ship as it was recommended by others on Millie.

Hope that helps :)

[jenniebnyc]

(bananas and berries missing for nearly a week which then became a standing joke with the waitstaff as the deserts were still listed but didnt have the ingredients for them e.g. banoffee pie with no bananas :))
______________________________________________________________

But it is things like this that are easily fixable by simply adding a note to the menu stating - We aplogize, but we we are currently out of berries and bananas. In their place we are offering xxxx. THIS would solve part of the problem when ordering a banana or berry dessert and being surprised/disappointed that there are none. Full disclosure upfront would be nice.

[Paulras]

Curious if these overcrowded experiences were at certain times of the night? We'll be in AQ for the first time in December on Equinox. We tend to eat around 8:30 or 9:00. Still crowded around that time?

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Forums mobile app

[jenniebnyc]

[quote name='Paulras']Curious if these overcrowded experiences were at certain times of the night? We'll be in AQ for the first time in December on Equinox. We tend to eat around 8:30 or 9:00. Still crowded around that time?

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Forums mobile app[/quote]

8:30 there might be a short wait. At 9 you should be all set. Between 8-9 we have never waited more than 5 minutes. This was on the Eclipse, Summit and Relfection. All in mid-January.

[lexdisic]

[quote name='jenniebnyc'](bananas and berries missing for nearly a week which then became a standing joke with the waitstaff as the deserts were still listed but didnt have the ingredients for them e.g. banoffee pie with no bananas :))
______________________________________________________________

But it is things like this that are easily fixable by simply adding a note to the menu stating - We aplogize, but we we are currently out of berries and bananas. In their place we are offering xxxx. THIS would solve part of the problem when ordering a banana or berry dessert and being surprised/disappointed that there are none. Full disclosure upfront would be nice.[/QUOTE]

No note was necessary as we all knew they were missing and it added some light heartedness to the evening. It was a relief too for the staff who did have a hard time constantly apologising for the kitchens misdemeanors and we all saw the funny side of it.

[Kevnzworld]

[quote name='hulamoon']Kevin I have been wondering why there is so much duck served. The menu seems unbalanced to me.[/QUOTE]

I like duck if it's prepared correctly , and the only venue on Celebrity that comes close is Murano. Even there it's still a little fatty and tough. ( tip, ask for it to be sliced thin )
Serving a whole boneless duck breast as Blu does is insane. It's just an inedible piece of rubber. The pecan crust falls off. The worst single entree on the menu.
Overall Blu offers many game birds. They aren't consistent and rarely cooked properly. Once I was served pheasant that was undercooked and had freezer burn. Our waiter on the Reflection recommended that his customers avoid the game birds because they are so often returned.

[jenniebnyc]

[quote name='Kevnzworld']I like duck if it's prepared correctly , and the only venue on Celebrity that comes close is Murano. Even there it's still a little fatty and tough. ( tip, ask for it to be sliced thin )
Serving a whole boneless duck breast as Blu does is insane. It's just an inedible piece of rubber. The pecan crust falls off. The worst single entree on the menu.
Overall Blu offers many game birds. They aren't consistent and rarely cooked properly. Once I was served pheasant that was undercooked and had freezer burn. Our waiter on the Reflection recommended that his customers avoid the game birds because they are so often returned.[/quote]

Mine was not an inedibile piece of rubber (lucky me I guess) but the pecan crust does crumble off and I remember the sides were off. I agree a nice sliced duck breast would be a winner. Add a nice cherry reduction, wild rice with some sort of nut (maybe the pecans) and some sauteed swiss chard and we are in business.

[wpgcycler]

[quote name='Kevnzworld']I like duck if it's prepared correctly , and the only venue on Celebrity that comes close is Murano. Even there it's still a little fatty and tough. ( tip, ask for it to be sliced thin )
Serving a whole boneless duck breast as Blu does is insane. It's just an inedible piece of rubber. The pecan crust falls off. The worst single entree on the menu.
Overall Blu offers many game birds. They aren't consistent and rarely cooked properly. Once I was served pheasant that was undercooked and had freezer burn. Our waiter on the Reflection recommended that his customers avoid the game birds because they are so often returned.[/QUOTE]

My duck in Blu on Reflection was cooked perfectly both times - pecan crusted and pomegranate glazed - and was tender with the fat layer perfectly rendered down to between 1/8 and 1/4 inch. Even though it was as tender as it should be, I would also prefer it carved into slices prior to plating.

[BosoxI]

[quote name='bigbenboys']Our only other time in Blu they never had Prime-rib. They did have rib-eye. It is easy to cook 1 or 2 rib-eyes on the grill, but harder to cook Prime rib for 1 or 2. PS tonight is a rib-eye night for 1.quote]

Prime rib. Oh, joy. Something anyone can prepare at home. No thanks. I want the chef to be challenged at least a little.

[Northern Aurora]

[quote name='Paulras']Curious if these overcrowded experiences were at certain times of the night? We'll be in AQ for the first time in December on Equinox. We tend to eat around 8:30 or 9:00. Still crowded around that time?

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Forums mobile app[/QUOTE]

If we don't attend the 7 PM show then we go to Blu around 7:15 or so; if we attend the show then we walk directly to Blu afterward. We rarely have had to wait for a table for two, and have been in Aqua Class both on M- and S-class ships.

We were most recently in Aqua Class on the Constellation, and left that ship in May. We were again very pleased with Blu and didn't notice any problems with either service or food quality.

[richard1s]

[quote name='BosoxI. Prime rib. Oh, joy. Something anyone can prepare at home. No thanks.[/QUOTE']

Pardon me for treading on your sarcastic wit and put-down - but my family can prepare some pretty good Italian food at home but that doesn't stop us from enjoying a good Italian restaurant. Since when is what you can make at home a criteria for appreciating and enjoying a meal someone else prepares and serves you?

[Germancruiser]

blue past it´s prime- well X is past it´s prime- IMO!

[MisterBill99]

[quote name='wpgcycler']My duck in Blu on Reflection was cooked perfectly both times - pecan crusted and pomegranate glazed - and was tender with the fat layer perfectly rendered down to between 1/8 and 1/4 inch. Even though it was as tender as it should be, I would also prefer it carved into slices prior to plating.[/QUOTE]
Did they do it properly medium rare? I never managed to have the MDR serve my duck breast at the correct temp on Constellation last summer. Went thru 3 of them at dinner one night. And if you make the mistake of ordering it when it's on the lunch menu they'll tell you that it can't be cooked to order, even though the F&B Manager and Executive Chef will tell you otherwise (and I had one of them ask me for the name of the server when I told him about it; sadly I didn't remember it).

I agree that pre-sliced at dinner would be nice (and certainly the norm in restaurants) but if it's cooked properly, I can cut it myself. Edited May 31, 2014 by MisterBill99

[BosoxI]

[quote name='richard1s']Pardon me for treading on your sarcastic wit and put-down - but my family can prepare some pretty good Italian food at home but that doesn't stop us from enjoying a good Italian restaurant. Since when is what you can make at home a criteria for appreciating and enjoying a meal someone else prepares and serves you?[/QUOTE]

Sorry. I thought my comment clearly stated my viewpoint: when I eat out, I want the chef to show his skills; I want to eat what I don't eat at home. Either different food or familiar food prepared in a different manner. The best item I had in Blu last month were the sweetbreads, which my wife wouldn't touch if I fixed them at home. But in a restaurant I am free to try the more exotic items if they are available or at least chicken prepared in a way I've never tasted. Frankly, I'm a pretty fair cook, and prime rib is ordered only in desperation, when the rest of the menu stinks.

[wpgcycler]

[quote name='MisterBill99']Did they do it properly medium rare? [/QUOTE]

PROPER - the only reason I would make the comment. I was delighted they got it right the first time - I was shocked when it happened twice. I've had many disappointments in some pretty pricy places.

[lexdisic]

I made a huge mistake in Olympic the first night we went there. I ordered the duck and the waiter asked if I would like it "pink". After our experiences in Blu, I asked for it to be medium rare - expecting it to be pink when it arrived - wrong !!. It arrived exactly as I ordered and it was rare, fatty and not the pleasant meal that I was expecting. I ate it anyway and future visits I ordered how I wanted items and they were done to perfection. One of the best restaurants I have had pleasure dining in and certainly the best at sea.

[Mack704]

[quote name='lexdisic']No problem at all :)

On numerous occasions - cant give a definitive answer as I wasnt counting - BUT - as we were sitting close to the entrance to the kitchens, we could see meals being taken from diners to the kitchen and returned with the staff making apologies on behalf of the chef maybe 3-5 times while we were there. This was happening most nights on the first leg. We experienced incorrect cooking ourselves - in particular the beef dishes which were "well done" when asked for a medium rare. This was a common complaint we experienced or heard about. A neighbouring 2 top table both sent their chateaubriand 2 times and in the end gave up and didnt eat their meal. We did inform the Maitre'D and it was him that told us of the change of chef. My stomach cant take a rare steak as it used to and so I tend to have it medium these days, but we had to order it medium rare in the hope it came back medium otherwise it would have been well done. I did not send my meal back as my partners meal would have been interrupted, so I just ate it with the hope it was a one off - unfortunately it was not - hence I spoke to the Maitre'D. As I previously mentioned, the second leg was not as bad, but we still had to order how we thought it would arrive instead of how we would like it. We had numerous conversations (wasnt counting :p) with other diners and we were asking how it compared to other X ships and ALL said there was no comparison to their previous experience of Blu. There were also issues of missing ingredients e.g. no avocado on the avocado and arugula salad, to me again this showed that the kitchen was under great stress for whatever reason - which I could only conclude would be understaffing in the kitchen. That was sent back and was returned complete so it could not have been due to the shortages that were happening (bananas and berries missing for nearly a week which then became a standing joke with the waitstaff as the deserts were still listed but didnt have the ingredients for them e.g. banoffee pie with no bananas :))

I have to say that thanks to the wait staff in there, that things stayed in control - if anything we were embarassed for them as they were trying their best to please everyone - so kudos to them for a fine job done. None of the problems were unsolvable, but were enough to put us off Blu on Millie, and would try it on an S class ship as it was recommended by others on Millie.

Hope that helps :)[/QUOTE]

It does, in fact, help. Thank you! Your explanation is plausible. I'm sorry you had such experiences and observations in Blu. I've been on several Celebrity cruises, although never having eaten in Blu, but have found the MDR very good to excellent on most dishes ordered.

My curiosity stemmed more from dress code threads than from Blu or MDR quality of food threads. Some of our fellow Cruise Critics are wildly adamant in one direction or another about dress on formal night, etc.

I've seen on these boards people estimating the number of tuxes, suits, casual cloths, etc. on formal nights and wonder how their surveys are being conducted. Some gave actual percentages of what diners are wearing.

DW and I never seem to notice what anyone's wearing, or if the Maitre' d is preventing entrance or giving out jackets to men not wearing any. We barely notice what anyone is wearing in the immediate area of our table.

Except this one formal night, the 2 top next to ours in select dining had an adorable young (early 20s) couple wearing barely casual cloths. We had a lovely time conversing with them in spite of there ignoring of the dress code. But apparently the Maitre'd let them in and did not give him a jacket to wear.

I'm rambling now. Sorry. Again, thanks for satisfying my curiosity. And again, sorry for your poor experience. Dining is definitely a large part of my cruise enjoyment. I've really never had a poor experience in any of X's MDRs. I may even try Blu next time. I'll let you know.

Harvey

[baldercash]

We did Aqu Class on Millie last fall Hawaii to Singapore so 2 legs 35 days back to back.
We found the service and food very enjoyable on the 1st leg but noticed a change after Sydney. Service slipped as many of the waite staff changed. Food was still good on the 2nd leg but we did notice the new staff rushed more and made mistakes, orders mixed up or forgotten by the new staff members.

We cruised with another couple they had never sailed AC before and loved the experience. They have just returned from the Millie Tokyo to Vancouver cruise in AC and they laid out in detail the problems they and friends they traveled with experienced in Blu.
The complaints ranged from seating to fatty cuts of meats and poor waite staff who lacked even knowledge of the menu. Things like our Maitre'D knowing their cabin numbers and names after the 1st dinning on the 1st trip and the current one not knowing after 15 days.

They were not sure if our cruise was a one off with Blu but they stated if something was not done the complaints would be loud and angry from her current cruises as there were many upset patrons on the Millie crossing cruise.