2 Negative Food Posts

[Susa]

There have been 2 posts about the food being not-so-great in the past week or so. I asked for more input on the "Foodies" board but so ffar only one response.

We'll be on the Century in Dec 05 and I'm too excited, but...

I booked on X because everyone said the food was the best. On this bord there are raves about appetizers and side dishes but are the main dishes really very average? I got the "great rack of lamb" but what else is great?

Should I not get my hopes up? :(

[JNLROSE]

I think all their beef dishes are great along with the lamb and the veal has been pretty good most of the time too! It's more the seafood that I find fault with!:(

[Druke I]

Opinions of food are very subjective.

 

We had heard raving of good food on Celebrity before we cruised with them - found food good, but in my opinion no better than Princess or Holland America, and certainly not as good (my opinion) as Crystal.

[Ma Bell]

Susa,

 

The food is very good, especially compared to some other large ship cruiselines. Just remember they are serving a lot of people at the same time so don't expect it to be like a gourmet restaurant. Most of their dishes are very good, but if you get something you don't like they will be happy to bring something else. Just ask as soon as possible.:)

[hdawson]

With so many positive comments about Celebrity food, why would you be concerned with two that were not happy? Food is subjective and never will all be happy with the seasoning, level of salt, fancyness, etc.

[joramrose]

Hey, Rosie, I thought the seafood was great!

 

I am not much of a beef eater, but on my May cruise I had very good, very tender prime rib, medium rare, just as I like it.

 

My only complaint about the food -- after several days I get a little tired of so many sauces. I prefer plain cookig most of the time.

 

Desserts are always tempting, darn it.

 

love

joan

[JNLROSE]

Hi JoAn!

 

I thought the shrimp & salmon were VERY good too, but the lobster has always been a big disappointment for me! Prime rib has been VERY good too! Some of the other choices of fish have left me asking for a steak! ;)

[reggierail]

Some of the best food I've had on a cruise was on the RCCL Voyager.

They were serving about 1800 people at each seating.

The food on both my Celebrity cruises was as good or better than

on the Voyager. The food quality, presentation and service left nothing to be desired. The staff was constantly enquiring as to our enjoyment of the meal

and were quick to resolve any problems anyone ever had.

 

Personally, I had no food issues and never sent a dish back for any reason.

My biggest problem was I would have trouble deciding which of many choices

I would choose.

 

I might suggest that, especially if on second seating, take the waiters recomendations. They have the experience of hearing the comments of the main seating passengers to pass on.

 

Reggie:D

[excitedofharpenden]

I may have had one bad main course on all the cruises I've been on. The beef dishes have always been good, especially the tournedos. Starters, soups and desserts have always been great and I have always been able to find something I like. I don't usually bother with the rabbit food, sorry salad:D

 

Remember that when you are on the ship, if there is something you don't like either from the menu or once you have started eating it, speak to your waiter. He'll do his best to help you.

 

Phil

[hajekfam]

I don't usually bother with the rabbit food, sorry salad:D

 

Phil

 

You must be related to my husband. He doesn't do rabbit food either as he claims his ears will grow and his nose will start to twitch.

[Jeanne S]

With so many positive comments about Celebrity food, why would you be concerned with two that were not happy? Food is subjective and never will all be happy with the seasoning, level of salt, fancyness, etc.

 

 

What surprised me was one of the posters thought the food on RCCL superior to that of Michel Roux. Must be that Royal Ranch Steak.

[teedee]

I've cruised on Carnival, NCL and Celebrity and find Celebrity's food definitely superior to the other two. I agree that the lobster isn't the best, but I very much enjoy the other seafood choices onboard. The hake has been wonderful every cruise, I always order it. It's a very light, flaky fish. Goodness, my mouth is watering just thinking about it! I think that considering how many people they have to feed every night they do an excellent job.

 

Terri

[hdawson]

Jeanne S. To my taste, the food on any Royal Caribbean ship hasn't come close to my trips on Celebrity.

[Tatka]

I found food very comparable to Holland America, but service in DR and buffet MUCH better... It's really changed whole dining experience for us.

 

Each line has own better dishes..for example Lamb was better on HAL, soups on Celebrity. Sweets on Celebrity. Lunch Buffets much better on HAL. Breakfast omelets to order much better on Celebrity. Better variety of fresh juices and salads on HAL.

 

I like more exotic food so I loved frog legs and escargots 2 times during the week on X. Also I loved that they had escargots and lobster on two different nights.

 

I also loved sushi bar on X, but didn't like the hours... we had dinner at 6:30, and sushi buffet is from 6 to 10PM, would prefer sushi during the lunch.

 

All in all I don't see any problems with the food on X... may be just quantity should be greatly reduced.;)

[chelseafc]

As ALF once said, "Salad? That's not food, that's what food eats!"

[mskaufman]

We called the fish at dinner the "random white fish of the night". The fish names were nothing we ever heard of. However, they were all excellent.

 

On the other hand, all salad dressings left something to be desired.

 

The beef eaters at the table thought that the dinners should include larger portions of potatoes.

 

In the end, if you don't like something just get something else.

[uktog]

Never had a bad meal in 5 cruises with X. But then, I am easily pleased - have you tasted my cooking??????:mad: so my stomach loves its holiday. Food always tastes better when the shopping, preparing and washing up is done by someone else :)

[Karynanne]

I think all their beef dishes are great along with the lamb and the veal has been pretty good most of the time too! It's more the seafood that I find fault with!:(

 

Rosie, I am in complete agreement with you on the beef and lamb dishes, but when we were on the Mercury in May, we were pleasantly surprised that the fish dishes were wonderful. Quite a change from previous cruises. All the side dishes were extremely good and the desserts....well...be still my heart!

 

All in all, we found the food and the presentation to be excellent.

 

Karyn

[JNLROSE]

Hi Karyn!

 

I guess we must have just selected seafood dishes that we didn't have a taste for. ;) I love seafood & we eat a lot of it on a regular basis, but we DO prefer the larger, firmer, grilled fillets topped with more of a fruit salsa-type of sauce, as opposed to lighter, flakier fish poached or baked in a sauce!

Again, food is SO subjective, but I agree, Celebrity DOES have great food ! :D

[LovetheSea]

A friend of ours took several family members on an Alaska cruise last month on the Mercury. This was his first time cruising on Celebrity. He has been on several other cruises before on different lines. RCCL and Holland America I know about. He said he had a good time, but didn't like the food at all! He wasn't impressed with the ship either. But loved the staff and had fun. Said he had good service. I can only think that French food and sauces are not his thing. He said he hated the desserts and pastries. I was very shocked! I have been on several other lines and ships and always thought Celebrity has the best food. I guess we are all entitled to our own tastes. We cruise on the Mercury next month. I will be curious to see if the menu has been changed. I would know since this is my 8th time on the Mercury.

[tarheelmjfan]

We also booked X, because we wanted the best food available in Mass Market cruising. The food wasn't up to par with some of the land based restaurants that we've eaten at, but neither was the price. It met & exceeded our expectations for mass produced food. The food in SS United States was great!!! My only complaint was with the pasta. I tried several different dishes, but didn't find any to my liking. That was disappointing, as I could eat pasta every day. I didn't send anything back to request a substitute though. With so many courses, I could easily skip one occasionally. :o

[teedee]

 

On the other hand, all salad dressings left something to be desired.

 

QUOTE]

 

IT's so funny how different people's tastes are. I LOVE the Celebrity and Calypso salad dressings onboard Celebrity ships!

Terri

[mskaufman]

You're right it is personal taste. My son and my wife were asking for the oil and vinegar every night. I think their complain was that there was too much mayo in the dressings. For example, the red wine vinagrette did not look/taste like a vinagrette, but something creamier.

[Petert]

Two things come to mind whenever we get in a conversation about cruise cuisine. Most of us are sailing on larger ships that may be serving as many as a thousand people at a seating. This, of course, can limit the possible menu options, and make the quality control and timing a significant challenge. I can recall many hotel style banquets that I have attended, and as a whole I would rate the average RCI/Celebrity dining experience a couple of levels above most of the banquets I have experienced. The service is far better and more attentive on a cruise ship, and the choice of courses is far greater than the "chicken or steak" at most shoreside banquets.

 

The second thing that comes to mind are the expectations most of us have when contemplating a cruise. Lobster, Beef Wellington, shrimp cocktail, escargot, Cherries Jubilee and all the other wonderful items make me drueling (sp) as I write the check. I always enjoy the chilled soups, which are so seldom included in menus at our local restaurants, and being able to order that second appetizer or dessert that sounds so interesting. Interesting conversation and sharing experiences, maybe a bottle of a nice wine, and attentive caring service makes our meals something to look forward to.

 

I will always keep in mind the limitations of the large seatings, which makes our cruising affordable, the reality of my expectations and keep a positive attitude. This way I am sure I will have enjoyable dining experiences.

 

Petert

[Andy]

There have been 2 posts about the food being not-so-great in the past week or so. I asked for more input on the "Foodies" board but so ffar only one response.

We'll be on the Century in Dec 05 and I'm too excited, but...

I booked on X because everyone said the food was the best. On this bord there are raves about appetizers and side dishes but are the main dishes really very average? I got the "great rack of lamb" but what else is great?

Should I not get my hopes up? :(

 

Hi Susa !

 

I have been on Many Celebrity sailings. Overall, I feel the Celebrity's food is excellent. I was on Summit a few months ago, and Century about a year ago, and the food was as good as ever.

 

As most of the posts regarding food have been extremely positive..... please remember, that you cannot please everyone all the time. There is bound to be a few negative posts from time to time. As long as the vast majority seems to be very happy, that should leave you very confident that the food will be excellent !

 

Please, try not to worry about it. I am sailing in about 3 months on Century, and I am not worried about the food at all.

 

Enjoy your Cruise !