Your Xperience - Food on Celebrity

[Susa]

OK, what's the real deal? Just read the thread about the food being like chain restaurant after hearing that X had the best food in the the industry in its class.

Not that I feel we won't get enough but I'm looking forward to excellent food.

See, here's the deal...we live on the border and there isn't a whole lot of variety/choices...looking forward to someone else serving me AND some real poppin' taste! :D

 

Meci Beaucoup

Mil Gracis

Mili Gratzi

Mahalo nui loa

kaam-sah-ham-ni-dah (sp?)

[wolfjinxangel]

The food on Celebrity is excellent. Very fresh and fantastic. On my ship (Mercury), there was a sushi bar! I couldn't believe it. Anyway, hopefully you will enjoy the food on Celebrity as much as I did.

[hajekfam]

We have always been satisfied with the food on Celebrity. Of course there may be a dish that is not quite up to standards - that is a chance that you take any time or any place even when cooking at home.

Just trying to remember my favorites makes me start drooling - and drat it! I have to wait three months to order them again.

You may have read about the food quality going down - but I think it has gone down on all lines as cruise prices plummeted. With Celebrity it was cutting out the extras - the scallion ties on the green beans, the potato baskets filled with little potato balls, etc. Hopefully with prices rising, the extras will be making their appearance again.

[elron]

We thought the sushi was pretty good also. Everyone has their own tastes and their own opinions of food. After being on a few different cruiselines(not disappointed with any cruiseline food) like many CC members, we thought Celebrity was the most consistent so far. I thought their Roast Duck at the lunch buffet was excellant. Someone else's opinion could be quite the opposite for many reasons. Indeed, their was some dinners that were just okay(for us, the lobster) for us but for the most part they were quite good. I had a prime rib one night that was too done for my likng so I ordered another that came perfectly the way I like. Perhaps, if I was shy or unaware to order another one, my opinion could be quite different for that particular meal. I wouldn't be to worried aout not finding anything to enjoy on any cruiseline, especially, Celebrity. Just enjoy your cruise and eat up!

[Shari2]

Hi Susa...

 

I've been on Celebrity three times, and the food has always been wonderful. I don't think that you will be disappointed. Hope you have a great cruise!

[wanda1213]

Hi, I thought the food was really good on the Infinity. Remember they are cooking for over 1,000 people at a time. Our waiter would tell us his favorite and not so favorite. My husband likes to try new things and he loved everything. If you order something and don't like it, they will bring you another meal. It was the best cruise we have ever been on. We have only been on five, but enough to say that it is in a class by itself!!! Enjoy

[whitehme]

After three cruises with Celebrity my inputs are:

 

1) Dinner - never had a bad one. Desserts are awesome.

2) Lunch Buffett - Not bad but nothing I would praise either. Food can be a little on the bland side for me. Desserts always good.

3) Breakfast - Most cruise lines are about the same for breakfast.

 

The one I thing my wife and I will miss on our Carnival cruise next week is that Celebrity makes all of their desserts and pastries from scratch and they do a mighty fine job.

 

Mike

[patnjohn]

If you'll be on M class ship, try specialty restaurant for the best food. Chateubriand, goat cheese souffle, chocolate souffle to name a few of the highlights. All over food was great. Fresh made waffles & omlettes at buffet for breakfast were great. Eggs benedict in the diningroom were good. I liked all the beef dishes that I ordered. Pizza & pasta & hamburgers & hot dogs were good too. You won't be disappointed. There is something for everyone.;)

[Bethwte]

I've found X's food to be top notch (for the type of cruiseline/price range). It tastes, looks, and sounds (menu descriptions) better than any other cruiseline food I've had. (However, I'm sure on the very pricey luxury ships it is much better...) The other nice thing was that I ALWAYS had trouble picking out what to eat off the menu. On other cruises, I had no such problem, there was really only one or two things thta even sounded passable to me. Celebrity had my mouth watering, and my mind working overtime trying to decide what great dish to choose.

[nolacruiser]

On the Millienium, the food for me fell below expections but the food in the Dining Room exceeded expectations most nights. The staff on the Millienium was very friendly and offered extremely fast service. Most meals at dinner were nicely presented and delicious. The service was, at times, rushed. I ate in the dining room most all nights except the night I ate at the Olympic.

 

The food was outstanding in the Olympic. The guys serve dinner and a show with their culinary skills. The upcharge is definitely worth it.

 

I was forwarned about the buffet and the criticism hit the mark. I was told by an acquantance that, "the food was not fit to put a cigarette out in." I heartily agree with his commentary. The international buffets served were best labled imposters. Salad was a safe bet! Hamburgers by the pool were brown hockey pucks.

 

I loved the ship, I just wish that time could be spent on revamping the food on a line that calls itself premium.

[debkaysmith]

I'll be honest, I thought that the food on the Mercury Celebrity was just about the best I have ever had. Their afternoon tea buffet is nice, the regular buffet was fabulous, the midnight buffet was out of this world, and dinner....wow! I can't say enough good things about the food on this ship. Needless to say, I walked about 3 miles each day around the deck. Don't let the naysayers get to you...enjoy!

 

Debbie

 

 

OK, what's the real deal? Just read the thread about the food being like chain restaurant after hearing that X had the best food in the the industry in its class.

Not that I feel we won't get enough but I'm looking forward to excellent food.

See, here's the deal...we live on the border and there isn't a whole lot of variety/choices...looking forward to someone else serving me AND some real poppin' taste! :D

 

Meci Beaucoup

Mil Gracis

Mili Gratzi

Mahalo nui loa

kaam-sah-ham-ni-dah (sp?)

[bsm]

I just took a Celebrity cruise aboard the Millenium (same as Infinity) chartered by Atlantis cruise events. And I would rate the food a 4/5.

 

All the best meals were in the main dining room. The buffet was always decent if you are hungry, but not great, and the sushi on it was from frozen fish (no flavour) and small compared to Seattle or NYC standards (but it was there, so good effort). The best thing on the buffet was the make your own pizza, which you picked the toppings and they cooked for you. But, our buffet was open 24hr because of all night parties, so maybe quality went down a bit. The best meals were served in the dining room, which I will give specifics...

 

The first 2 days the food was no better than typical golf and country club wedding food. Example meals: trio of fish with a butter sauce, roast herbed chicken.

 

After that it really picked up. Some of the highlights are fillet mignon topped with foie gras patte, scallops in a safron sauce, skewered prawns over wild rice.

 

I paid for the Olympic restaurant and would not recommend it. I found the food in the dining room to be as good as the Olympic, but without all the frilly service. I found the service at the Olympic to be really frenzied. The staff was always running all over the place, so although I was never rushed, the place had an anxiety about it.

 

The soups everywhere on the ship were excellent. I loved the cold soups, the crab bisque and clam chodwer were very nice.

 

If you have the luxury of a buttler, ask them to bring you eggs benedict into your room for breakfast. That was very nice and is also available in the main dining room.

 

Finally, the room service was always really good. Liked the NY strip steak and the fruit platters. I would order it from the night club using a courtesy phone and ask them to leave it in the room. It was always there when I got there and sure beat the buffet!

 

Hope that helps - Brian.

[Lady Librarian]

Their afternoon tea buffet is nice, the regular buffet was fabulous, the midnight buffet was out of this world, and dinner....wow!

 

Debbie

 

Do you know if they do an afternoon tea on a five day cruise? And how often would they do the midnight buffet? Everynight or just once?

 

Hungry minds want to know....:p

[hajekfam]

I can only answer for a seven day cruise.

Celebrity only has 2 midnight buffets on a 7 day cruise - the grand buffet on the last formal night and an islands fruit and sherbert buffet held poolside. A five day cruise may have only one. All other nights have gourmet bites - trays of bite size food and desserts passed around by waiters in the public areas of the ship.

There is afternoon tea everyday in the buffet area around 4 or 5 with finger sandwiches and desserts.

[See Norway]

Hi,

 

We spent a week on the Infinity last year in Alaska. To be honest, we were very worried about the food quality, having been to a few all inclusive resorts in Mexico that terrified us! We are not finnicky eaters at all, but do expect high quality fresh food and are most particular about meat. I am happy to report that Celebrity went beyond our expectations. The food quality was outstanding.

 

One thing no one has mentioned yet are the fresh berries. I have never seen so many beautiful and plentiful berries in my life. I marveled at how they kept them so fresh for the entire week. Breakfast was such a treat with unlimited berries and those fantastic pastries.

 

Also, I became addicted to the passion fruit sorbet. The mango sorbet was wonderful as well. We often skipped the buffet for lunch and instead ate in the Aqua Spa Cafe, where the food was fresh and light and there were no crowds.

 

I am sure you will enjoy it.

[luczai]

Oh, my! I can NOT wait to try all that wonderful food for myself. Thank you to everyone who has answered this thread. This will be our first Celebrity cruise and we are really looking forward to it. How are the Champagne and Wine bars? We will be on the Galaxy Christmas Panama Canal cruise.

 

Denise

 

(Of course, maybe I should switch to "Lose before you cruise" threads if I really want to be ready!!)

[c001232]

I couldnt agree more about the fresh berries - Sailed on the Millennium two years ago and every morning for breakfast I would have a bowl of the freshest yummiest blueberries and strawberries.

[MickeyMcF]

After three cruises with Celebrity my inputs are:

 

1) Dinner - never had a bad one. Desserts are awesome.

2) Lunch Buffett - Not bad but nothing I would praise either. Food can be a little on the bland side for me. Desserts always good.

3) Breakfast - Most cruise lines are about the same for breakfast.

 

The one I thing my wife and I will miss on our Carnival cruise next week is that Celebrity makes all of their desserts and pastries from scratch and they do a mighty fine job.

 

Mike

Breakfast; ON ZENTH AND MILLENIUM was much better ( especially the eggs benedict and the croissants) than on the R C MARINER OF THE SEAS. LUNCH BUFFETT AGREE ABOUT THE SAME DINNER No comparison CELEBRITY BY FAR FOR ALL ENTRIES.

[crusinpeg]

Have cruised on Royal Caribbean, Princess, and Norweigien, and without a doubt the best food is Celebrity!!!

[Skeewe]

Celebrity uses famous Michel Roux cullinary style. And that something like Mercedes in car industry. :)

Meaning: that food is G R E A T :)

[CAPinBoynton]

If you would like to see menus for the main dining room, go to www.thepreismans.com We just returned from the Infinity, and I posted the menus at the end of our review. Be forewarned though, after reading them you may drool all over your keyboard.

 

As you will see on the website, we have been on most all of the major cruise lines. Celebrity may have slipped a tiny bit since the first time we sailed with them in 1998, but they are still the best. One of the main differences I noticed this time as compared to other lines, was the vegetables. Celebrity did a great job in both quality and in the varied ways they prepared the veggies. All of the beef dishes were outstanding. On your salad, try the Goombay Dressing. I figured that with a name like that, it had to be good --- and it was. In the specialty restaurant, the Cheese Soufflé was to die for; and the Steak Dianne was sensational.

 

Like I said, take a peek at the menus and the pictures. Yummy.

[nitnyleo]

I was on a 2 week cruise on Zenith in Jan05 and I thought the food at dinner was uninspired. They may have used the best and freshest ingredients, but they didn't use them in a very imaginative way. The preparation was fine, but it wasn't "special".

 

On the positive side....they did have a variety of fish available; and they were prepared excellently.

 

The Grill on the Zenith had the best darn french fries I've ever had....

 

They had a Mexican buffet one afternoon and I thought it was very good. (I can't remember if I liked it so much because it was different or whether it was the best Mexican I ever had)....whatever, I made a pig of myself and skipped dinner.

 

Overall, I'd rate the food as good quality but BORING!

 

PS: Another plus...the coffee was fresh between 4 and 5 AM, when I got up

[becca23]

The food on Celebrity is excellent. Very fresh and fantastic. On my ship (Mercury), there was a sushi bar! I couldn't believe it. Anyway, hopefully you will enjoy the food on Celebrity as much as I did.

We're sailing 10/31/05 on the Mercury, late seating more sushi info??????????

[m steve]

I think that Celebrity had the best food of any line I cruised on. Was on the Mercury last fall and the beef and lamb were just as we like -rare to med rare. My one complaint was that the tomatoes served were white to pale pink and that was especially annoying since at home we were getting ripe tomatoes from Mexico where we were cruising. I liked the sandwich bar open all day on Carnival. It was great to pick up a couple of smoked salmon or meat sandwiches about 5 pm to have as hors' d w/ drinks in the room. That held us until late seating and we don't hang around for midnight buffet. We did Concierge class on both cruises and X provided small plates of canapes around 5 each afternoon.

[pdxmichelle]

becca23 - Do the late seating, if you want to have the sushi. They serve it during the early dinner seating times (I think around 6:00 pm) in the buffet area, so you miss out on it if you get the early dinner seating. It was fantastic. Lots of good choices. That was probably one of the highlights.