GastroBar price increases (DOUBLED?) !

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

OK - I'm really looking forward to trying out the GastroBar on the Equinox in a couple of weeks. The only menu I could locate previously was from cruisingator2's thread in June of 2014:

 

 

 

On our roll call a (link to a) new menu was posted from The Preismans TA on the Equinox in Oct/Nov of 2015:

 

 

 

It appears that virtually all food/pub items have DOUBLED in price within a 16 month time frame. :eek: Certainly this must have come up as a topic previously... am I missing something here ??

 

I'm all for a business passing along price increases where indicated/needed - but this just seems like either they were mistaken initially as to what they'd need to charge to turn an appropriate profit, or else they're simply GOUGING now. :confused:

 

 

Tom

[loubetti]

This is what it is coming down to; shore side prices at sea. Obviously they also feel there is a demographic who will pay these prices. Thankfully you always have the option not to partake. :)

 

Upscale cruise line = upscale prices. However, food quality and service must match.

[Bo1953]

It is not gouging, it is what the market will or will not pay.... Gouging is really for consumables which are essential to living or during a 'true' emergency, which I doubt for many of us eating in the GP qualifies.

 

bon voyage

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

It is not gouging, it is what the market will or will not pay.... Gouging is really for consumables which are essential to living or during a 'true' emergency, which I doubt for many of us eating in the GP qualifies.

 

bon voyage

 

So it's not, by strict definition, "gouging". That doesn't make the doubling any more palatable!

 

I can assure (Celebrity) that we'll be spending less time in there, and sampling less than we otherwise would have.

 

Is ignorance (to the initial prices) bliss? The world will never know!

 

Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk 2

Edited February 21, 2016 by Tom-n-Cheryl

[MVPinBoynton]

I think the pricing is a main reason that I just take photos of the menus rather than eating there. :D

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

I think the pricing is a main reason that I just take photos of the menus rather than eating there. :D

 

Glad I gave you guys credit for the photo! :D

 

Tom

[MVPinBoynton]

Glad I gave you guys credit for the photo! :D

 

Tom

 

Me too! :) Glad the menus helped you to show what a jump in prices there have been. I guess the Gastrobar prices went up like Bistro on Five's did.

[Bo1953]

So it's not, by strict definition, "gouging". That doesn't make the doubling any more palatable!

 

I can assure (Celebrity) that we'll be spending less time in there, and sampling less than we otherwise would have.

 

Is ignorance (to the initial prices) bliss? The world will never know!

 

Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk 2

 

I can readily agree with 'less palatable' on the pricing. Not worried about bliss, only what I consider to be value for price paid.

 

If I do not see current/present value, regardless of past pricing, then I happily pass or not return.

 

If many others happen to agree either X will shut down the venue or revise pricing.

 

Thank you and bon voyage

[ghstudio]

My observation is that the gastro bar is not doing well on food so doubling the price may not matter. For those that don't care and have eaten there, I guess they will continue to eat there and pay whatever price is asked. Higher prices certainly don't attract me....they haven't attracted me to Bistro on 5, in fact our last embarkation lunch was at the aqua spa cafe/mast grill rather than pay the price for bistro on 5 which wasn't worth it to us.

[bogofman]

I've been on equinox twice during Mediterranean cruises and never saw anyone eating in the gastrobar and not many drinking either

 

Maybe its different on Caribbean cruises, but in Europe they need to liven it up to get people in.

 

 

The English style pubs on the royal Caribbean ships certainly do a good trade ( in Europe)

[Alsmez]

My observation is that the gastro bar is not doing well on food so doubling the price may not matter. For those that don't care and have eaten there, I guess they will continue to eat there and pay whatever price is asked. Higher prices certainly don't attract me....they haven't attracted me to Bistro on 5, in fact our last embarkation lunch was at the aqua spa cafe/mast grill rather than pay the price for bistro on 5 which wasn't worth it to us.

 

Celebrity seems to have lost its way with regard to specialty dining, particularly at the lunch/more casual/less expensive venues. The Porch has gone through a complete makeover since it was rolled out, the Bistro menu has been changed, breakfast eliminated, the price raised, and now it's going to be a sushi place (with a la carte pricing) - and now they're doubling prices at Gastrobar (which has only been put on two ships, presumably due to underperformance). I understand that they have to test these things and do trial runs to see what will work and what won't, but raising prices and making changes almost immediately after the rollout of the previous change just doesn't give people any time to become fans or repeat customers at a venue.

 

For cruisers who are really into food, part of the reason some of these venues haven't done well is because the food just doesn't measure up. We had decent but not great meals at Bistro and the Porch in the past, but didn't feel compelled to return even though the price of admission was fairly low. If doubling the price meant the quality of the food and service would double, we'd gladly pay it - but that doesn't seem to be the case. A la carte pricing is also a huge turnoff, especially when you're trying a new place for the first time and don't want to pay a lot for something that might be a disappointment.

 

For the average non-foodie cruiser, I'm guessing these extra pay venues don't hold much interest at all. Why go to a specialty restaurant with a very limited menu for lunch when the MDR and buffet have many more choices and are already included in the price?

[Mango Mike]

If the reason they doubled the prices is for profits only and their costs has remained unchanged, it's pretty simple math.

Celebrity can double the price of the food in the Gastrobar and loose half the sales and still break even. If they double the price of the food but only loose 25% of the people purchasing food because of the increase, Celebrity comes out ahead.

Obviously, if their costs have increased or other variables come into play, results would be different.

[scubacruiserx2]

After a week of persistently trying to have the British Pub Fayre lunch at the Passport Bar , we finally hit pay dirt . It was up and running ! And because we had our little menu with us , we knew what we wanted .

 

 

 

Fish and chips and the steak and Guinness and steak pie please ! Instead , what we got first was a New and improved menu .

 

 

 

Now that they had finally opened , the prices had changed ! The price for the same 2 items had increased by over 50 % . I know that it's only $ 7 , but really Celebrity ? A week late and a price increase ? :rolleyes:

 

We placed our order for her beer and my yardstick . Some countries measure using meters and some yards . But my yardstick is a Margarita ! I still haven't found a good Margarita on a cruise ship that measures up to El Moro's in Cozumel .

 

 

 

 

The food is cooked to order , so we don't mind waiting and we decided to switch to a proper English drink - a draft beer . However there is NO draft beer found here . But I had found a beer on this trip that I like - Stella Artois , and so our next round came with the food .

 

 

 

 

 

The food was worth the wait ! The steak pie was large enough for 2 and meaty and delicious with the Guinness gravy . Like the best beef pot pie that I've ever eaten . And the fish and chips were great also . Can I say - the chef nailed it . Much better than the free version which we also enjoy on the CB during their at sea , pub lunches in the Crowne Grill .

 

 

 

 

To compare the two : The Celebrity version is the clear winner in the taste department . But the draft beer and price is better on the Princess . So is it worth the $ 50 price difference ? Let the buyer decide now that you know . But the best Pub Experience is found in a good neighborhood pub in London .

 

 

 

Some of the prices at the gastropub doubled during our 16 day Transatlantic cruise last year . This was the account from our thread .

[wallie5446]

We sailed on the Equinox Nov 2014 and again in Nov 2015. Had the burger and flatbread both times and felt the quality in 2015 was better. And yes it is a totally different burger than at the wonderful Mast Grill, or the Oceanview. On par with burgers we spend $20-25.00 on here in Dallas.

 

The best bang for the buck was the food an beer paring at $20.00 pp. It sold out every time it was offered.

 

On the 10 day cruise over Thanksgiving it was hard to get a seat anywhere in the GastroBar. We ditched the Sunset this cruise.

EW

 

scubacruiserx2, they have 4 brews on tap on the Equinox. They also kept the red wine my wifester was drinking on hand for her too.

Edited February 22, 2016 by wallie5446

[xmarksx]

This was the account from our thread./QUOTE]

 

Scuba, the photobombing guy in the first photo made me laugh! Thank you for reposting. Anyone have any current information for embarkation day? I saw a post last spring that stated it was open on embarkation at 12:00. I would pay extra for lunch.

[scubacruiserx2]

We sailed on the Equinox Nov 2014 and again in Nov 2015. Had the burger and flatbread both times and felt the quality in 2015 was better. And yes it is a totally different burger than at the wonderful Mast Grill, or the Oceanview. On par with burgers we spend $20-25.00 on here in Dallas.

 

The best bang for the buck was the food an beer paring at $20.00 pp. It sold out every time it was offered.

 

On the 10 day cruise over Thanksgiving it was hard to get a seat anywhere in the GastroBar. We ditched the Sunset this cruise.

EW

 

scubacruiserx2, they have 4 brews on tap on the Equinox . They also kept the red wine my wifester was drinking on hand for her too.

 

 

Thanks that's great news . Perhaps they have it now on the Eclipse but we were the first cruise after a dry dock , so it's possible that they were still working on it .

 

 

This was the account from our thread./QUOTE]

 

Scuba, the photobombing guy in the first photo made me laugh! Thank you for reposting. Anyone have any current information for embarkation day? I saw a post last spring that stated it was open on embarkation at 12:00. I would pay extra for lunch.

 

 

Us too , maybe he wasn't thrilled about the price increase either . :) :D

[cindy1957]

Do you think enough people will pay? What have those of you out there noticed?

[hcat]

Celebrity seems to have lost its way with regard to specialty dining, particularly at the lunch/more casual/less expensive venues. The Porch has gone through a complete makeover since it was rolled out, the Bistro menu has been changed, breakfast eliminated, the price raised, and now it's going to be a sushi place (with a la carte pricing) - and now they're doubling prices at Gastrobar (which has only been put on two ships, presumably due to underperformance). I understand that they have to test these things and do trial runs to see what will work and what won't, but raising prices and making changes almost immediately after the rollout of the previous change just doesn't give people any time to become fans or repeat customers at a venue.

 

For cruisers who are really into food, part of the reason some of these venues haven't done well is because the food just doesn't measure up. We had decent but not great meals at Bistro and the Porch in the past, but didn't feel compelled to return even though the price of admission was fairly low. If doubling the price meant the quality of the food and service would double, we'd gladly pay it - but that doesn't seem to be the case. A la carte pricing is also a huge turnoff, especially when you're trying a new place for the first time and don't want to pay a lot for something that might be a disappointment.

 

For the average non-foodie cruiser, I'm guessing these extra pay venues don't hold much interest at all. Why go to a specialty restaurant with a very limited menu for lunch when the MDR and buffet have many more choices and are already included in the price?

 

Agree...we enjoyed Bistro on 5 for soups, paninis and the more recent daily specials...but that menu may be gone..... we would not pay for sushi if that is the entire menu...Silk Harvest on EQ has sushi of sorts and a full varied menu with great food & service...maybe they could put that in on ships without it...never went to Q sine...just not our style and seems too group oriented...

 

Porch was ok previously for breakfast/lunch but was in a very sunny location...seafood concept is too limited...some cannot eat it...allergies, etc..prices there too high, esp for the "tower" which looks more like a platter....?????

 

Gastro bar on EQ was a cozy spot for daytime reading...menu was uninspring and limited hrs for the food...

 

I credit X for trying but maybe back to basics would be better than some of their new concepts,,,

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

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I just took notice of this image. I do like the way that they opened up that area compared to before. Looking forward to getting a feel for this space, even though I don't see myself sampling as much as I might have. Having said that... knowing how I play in the casino, I'd save thousands if I just ate all my meals in here and skipped the casino all together. I suppose it's all relative!!

 

Edit... after taking even MORE notice of this image, I see that the opened up area which I thought was the GastroBar appears to be the Passport Bar, one deck down - as I see what appears to be Guest Relations on the opposite side of the ship. Those chairs don't look the most conducive to a GastroBar (eating) setting.

 

Tom

Edited February 23, 2016 by Tom-n-Cheryl

[dodger1964]

..

 

Edit... after taking even MORE notice of this image, I see that the opened up area which I thought was the GastroBar appears to be the Passport Bar, one deck down - as I see what appears to be Guest Relations on the opposite side of the ship. Those chairs don't look the most conducive to a GastroBar (eating) setting.

 

Tom

 

Is the picture of the actual Gastro Bar area?

 

I haven't been on a ship with one yet, and I had pictured in my mind a english pub...that picture is not what I expected it would be...

[dodger1964]

 

This is what I had in my mind

[wallie5446]

Is the picture of the actual Gastro Bar area?

 

I haven't been on a ship with one yet, and I had pictured in my mind a english pub...that picture is not what I expected it would be...

 

The only S-Class with a dedicated GastroBar is the Equinox. On the other 4 Cellar Masters remains and the craft beers were added to the Passport Bar along with the food choices, almost as an after thought.

 

We loved the area on the Equinox. Just across from the Martini Bar at the entrance to the Casino, it was always hard to get a seat when open.

[MVPinBoynton]

Here are some pics of the Equinox Gastrobar.

 

 

 

[dodger1964]

Here are some pics of the Equinox Gastrobar.

 

 

/quote]

 

 

That looks a lot better.

[ECCruise]

On par with burgers we spend $20-25.00 on here in Dallas.

 

.

 

I guess we will never have a burger in Dallas. Never have paid that much for a hamburger and that includes some of the most expensive cities in the world including London, Singapore, Sydney, New York and dozens of others. Have no idea what you would get for that kind of money since we can get a grass fed, hand ground and formed ground beef burger for about half that.

 

I think you are paying a wee bit more for a hamburger than it is worth.