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Upcharge in MDR

ep1987

By ep1987,
in Celebrity Cruises

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shipshape sam Great Review Rare

shipshape sam

Posted
Posted (edited)
Yes

 

It's detailed on the menu section on the Celebrity site, you pay extra now for USDA grade meat.

 

Sad. :(

 

I guess greed knows no bounds till passengers say 'no mas!'

 

I hope too, it is a stupid test and it fails, I guess. Alternatively, they can just dumb down speciality restaurants too to squeeze more profits out of that space. :(

Edited by shipshape sam
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Sandtrap328

Sandtrap328

Posted
Posted

Yep, I looked at the Tuscan Grill menu on the X site. It definitely does have upcharges for two steaks. They are USDA Prime - which is what you would get at places like Ruth's Chris Steak House.

 

This leads me to believe every other steak would be USDA Choice - which is supermarket grade. It is what you would cook for yourself at home.

 

If prepared properly, a skirt steak can be delicious- or it can be horribly tough. I would not be adverse to ordering it and to be prepared to send it back for a filet mignon.

 

On my last cruise on the Zuiderdam, the filet mignon on the surf and turf was only about 1/4 inch thick. The maitre'd was puzzled when I asked him what cut of meat that was supposed to be. Holland America has the worst food!!

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keithm

keithm

Posted
Posted
Yep, I looked at the Tuscan Grill menu on the X site. It definitely does have upcharges for two steaks. They are USDA Prime - which is what you would get at places like Ruth's Chris Steak House.

 

This leads me to believe every other steak would be USDA Choice - which is supermarket grade. It is what you would cook for yourself at home.

 

If prepared properly, a skirt steak can be delicious- or it can be horribly tough. I would not be adverse to ordering it and to be prepared to send it back for a filet mignon.

 

On my last cruise on the Zuiderdam, the filet mignon on the surf and turf was only about 1/4 inch thick. The maitre'd was puzzled when I asked him what cut of meat that was supposed to be. Holland America has the worst food!!

Most steak bought at a local market is "select". You NEED to look very carefully for the type of grade. You can find "prime" at Costco.

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Gonzo70

Gonzo70

Posted
Posted
Yes

 

It's detailed on the menu section on the Celebrity site, you pay extra now for USDA grade meat.

 

Tuscan Grille used to offer only USDA choice beef. This is still available at no extra cost. Now you have option of purchasing prime dry aged for an upcharge. As prime costs more than choice and the dry aging process costs money, paying no extra is reasonable - in fact the couldn't offer this motion n that many enjoy being available otherwise.

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Gonzo70

Gonzo70

Posted
Posted (edited)
Tuscan Grille used to offer only USDA choice beef. This is still available at no extra cost. Now you have option of purchasing prime dry aged for an upcharge. As prime costs more than choice and the dry aging process costs money, paying no extra is reasonable - in fact the couldn't offer this motion n that many enjoy being available otherwise.

 

Yikes, should have proofread before posting. What I mean to say in the last sentence was that paying more for prime dry aged is reasonable and it would not be possible for Celebrity to offer something like this without an upcharge.

Edited by Gonzo70
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weregoingcruising

weregoingcruising

Posted
Posted
Yep, I looked at the Tuscan Grill menu on the X site. It definitely does have upcharges for two steaks. They are USDA Prime - which is what you would get at places like Ruth's Chris Steak House.

 

This leads me to believe every other steak would be USDA Choice - which is supermarket grade. It is what you would cook for yourself at home.

 

If prepared properly, a skirt steak can be delicious- or it can be horribly tough. I would not be adverse to ordering it and to be prepared to send it back for a filet mignon.

 

On my last cruise on the Zuiderdam, the filet mignon on the surf and turf was only about 1/4 inch thick. The maitre'd was puzzled when I asked him what cut of meat that was supposed to be. Holland America has the worst food!!

There are 2 skirt steaks an inner and outer. The inner is tough and best marinated to tenderize. The outer can be cooked with out tenderizing. Both have a lot on mablized fat in them.

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Redtravel

Redtravel

Posted
Posted

On Royal Caribbean the MDR has had extra charges for some items. When I first saw it, I knew that it was just a matter of time before Celebrity changed their menus. I have seen many changes since I started cruising on Celebrity. With each new CEO, there have been creative ways to cut items and raise prices. It's a smart move in business. It makes money. Unfortunately, there comes a point when people decide not to go along. When Celebrity raised fares, it pushed many people away. With all the competition in the cruising business, raising prices and cutting services can drive loyal guests away. When I look at higher fares, I look at alternative vacation choices. Do I just go along and pay more? No!!! I explore what I am getting from Celebrity and other cruise lines. While I still like the Celebrity product, I am open to taking cruises on other lines. I am elite plus and usually have several Celebrity cruises booked. Not anymore. I am taking a cruise in January on Eclipse which I booked 2 years ago. I have no future bookings on Celebrity. I am booked on 2 cruises this spring on a different line. When I looked at other lines, I realized that there were some great deals to be had on other lines. I also have friends who have made future bookings on other lines.

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davekathy

davekathy

Posted
Posted (edited)
I think this is tacky and low class from Celebrity. I hope people will complain. I booked a trip where all the food in the MDR is included - hope it will stay that way.

 

If and when (as it appears to be sporadic) the upcharge steak is listed on the menu in the MDR it's only listed as optional selection. You still can select a steak that is of no extra charge. It's all about choices and when the optional choice is offered we elect not to select that steak. We believe the food in the MDR is good.

Edited by davekathy
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pd7277

pd7277

Posted
Posted

We were also on the Infinity 10/27/16 sailing that included the optional upgrade menu. The couple we cruised with went to the Galley Tour and the question about the MDR menu came up. The answer was "it is a trial run on Infinity to see how it is received."

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keithm

keithm

Posted
Posted
Tuscan Grille used to offer only USDA choice beef. This is still available at no extra cost. Now you have option of purchasing prime dry aged for an upcharge. As prime costs more than choice and the dry aging process costs money, paying no extra is reasonable - in fact the couldn't offer this motion n that many enjoy being available otherwise.

We dry age our own meats. I have NO problem paying extra for top quality. I can also tell if the cruise line is trying to "pass" off lower quality at a higher price, too.

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GottaKnowWhen

GottaKnowWhen

Posted
Posted
That is sickening to have any extra charge items in the Mdr. I don't ever want to see a price on the menu.

 

 

That was my first reaction when this thread started. But then I saw the special items on the menu posted. I like the idea! I could upgrade my entree occasionally right there in the MDR, no need to do the whole speciality dining thing.

 

 

 

 

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ceba

ceba

Posted
Posted

We've sailed many different lines and are taking our first Celebrity cruise in Feb. But frankly I'm getting a little concerned. I've read of constant door slamming, piped music blaring and now an upcharge in the MDR. I understand a charge for speciality restaurants. We will often enjoy the speciality menues. But having an upcharge in the main dining room feels like Celebrity is telling me "we have mediocre food here. If you want something better you'll pay more". I'm sure we'll have a great cruise because we're grateful to be able to travel as often as we do. But to me this MDR charge sends a bad message to those who who only use the main dining room. Just my opinion

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Lastdance

Lastdance

Posted
Posted
We've sailed many different lines and are taking our first Celebrity cruise in Feb. But frankly I'm getting a little concerned. I've read of constant door slamming, piped music blaring and now an upcharge in the MDR. I understand a charge for speciality restaurants. We will often enjoy the speciality menues. But having an upcharge in the main dining room feels like Celebrity is telling me "we have mediocre food here. If you want something better you'll pay more". I'm sure we'll have a great cruise because we're grateful to be able to travel as often as we do. But to me this MDR charge sends a bad message to those who who only use the main dining room. Just my opinion

 

 

I totally agree; If you can find another cruise line that meets your expectations, I say go for it. That is what life is all about...choices! Every choice has a consequence and if it meets yours...yay[emoji844]

 

 

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jasm8449

jasm8449

Posted
Posted

I think this is a nice option as long as the MDR food remains as enjoyable as it was on our Reflection and Silhouette TA's, and the variety of no-charge menu options remain the same. The upcharge items are for dishes that are new to the MDR and/or not available anywhere on the ship, such as the Nova Scotia lobster. If size and preparation are on point, we would like the opportunity to enjoy an Atlantic cold water lobster for that price. IMHO it's better than Tuscan, for example, where you already pay a pretty penny for a steak, and then are offered a "better" steak for even more $$.

 

 

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