A couple of Celebrity Rants

[jagoffee]

We did not dine in the Tuscan (on the most recent cruise), which I did mention in a prior post. But DW recalls that they did have spaghetti and meatballs on the menu...which is kind of crazy given the cost of dining in Tuscan plus the daily availability of that pasta in the Lido :). All the shows on our 14 day cruise were at 7 and 9...with the 9pm show the most crowded. We dine late so always attended the 7pm shows (before dinner) which always had decent seat availability.

 

Regarding menus, many folks regard the Tuscan as the steakhouse (although they do have many other options). Given the add ons and cost of the Tuscan we would suggest that folks would do better to dine in Murano and enjoy their excellent Chateaubriand (for 2) which does not involve any add-ons.

 

I think we would be on firm ground saying the Tuscan was the least popular of the main alternative restaurants (Tuscan, Murano and Qsine). Since we were assigned to Blu (when not dining in one of the alternatives) we did glance in Tuscan every night as we went to dinner (normally around 8pm). On most nights the Tuscan was not very crowded...while both Murano and Qsine seemed to do a decent business.

 

Hank

P.S. Since the issue of our cruise experience has been raised (by others) we would point out that we have been Elite Plus for a few years and have cruised far more then 1,000 days on 14 cruise lines. Celebrity still remains among our 3 favorite mass market lines (Princess and HAL are the other two).

 

Thank you for the information on the shows.

The new Pasta dishes are really nothing like what is served in the Oceanview. I do not know about the Eclipse, but on the Reflection the Pasta was made on board. You could order it has a side dish or main. I really liked the Calamari and salad as well. I did not have a steak because we enjoyed the steak at the Lawn Grill. Perhaps since the Eclipse does not have that option it still has a focus on steaks.

I agree that Murano is much better. I do not really enjoy the Qsine.

 

Thanks, again.

[4cats4me]

To the person who wants lettuce just ask. I have always found a large range of hot and cold meat selections for lunch and more salad choices that I could ever want. The rants I think are just that. Someone crying for attention

 

 

 

Nope. He doesn't post for attention. He likes to keep cruisers apprised of what's happening onboard

 

 

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[4cats4me]

Btw...I have never seen a prime rib cut an inch thick.

 

 

 

t.

 

 

 

Then you have never been to The House of Prime Rib in San Francisco and gotten their English cut of prime rib.

[emoji33]

 

 

 

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Edited December 17, 2016 by 4cats4me

[ChucktownSteve]

Why would anyone complain about the things that are upcharged. Don't like it, don't buy it. Want it to be all inclusive, spring for a higher priced line. Compared to what the avearge person has and experiences in life, this is modern luxury. If you don't get that, then you have been very sheltered, privileged, and spoiled.

 

Many of those better items used to be available at no charge in the MDR before they came up with Specialty restaurant concept. Talk about sheltered, do you remember when the MDR quality used to be the quality they now reserve for the specialties? The MDR is beginning to border on upscale cafeteria food which the buffet has now become.

[florisdekort]

I agree 100%! I look to Hank for good advice and have never viewed him as a complainer for the sake of complaining or someone who is seeking attention.

 

 

Hmmm. On the "live from Equinox" thread someone posted a photo of the lettuce on the buffet just yesterday. 4 different kinds. To then post a rant (as this thread is called) about no lettuce is perhaps a little bit of a first world 'problem'? [emoji849]

 

 

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[ChucktownSteve]

Hmmm. On the "live from Equinox" thread someone posted a photo of the lettuce on the buffet just yesterday. 4 different kinds. To then post a rant (as this thread is called) about no lettuce is perhaps a little bit of a first world 'problem'? [emoji849]

 

Well to be fair, I didn't post the other salad station which only had three types of lettuce on the Equinox not the Eclipse. :D My picture was a moment in time at that particular location. I believe Hank did experience the things he wrote about.

 

Think about it. Haven't you been on one ship that had better run departments or different items than the last ship you sailed? I have an example. My DW likes chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies. She got them on the Summit. Couldn't be had on the Constellation in Cafe al Bacio.

Edited December 17, 2016 by ChucktownSteve

[florisdekort]

Well to be fair, I didn't post the other salad station which only had three types of lettuce on the Equinox not the Eclipse. :D My picture was a moment in time at that particular location. I believe Hank did experience the things he wrote about.

 

Think about it. Haven't you been on one ship that had better run departments or different items than the last ship you sailed? I have an example. My DW likes chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies. She got them on the Summit. Couldn't be had on the Constellation in Cafe al Bacio.

 

 

I totally agree there are occasional differences, sure. I do not buy however that there are not at least 2 if not more choices of lettuce on the buffet at any moment in time, and to then complain another type is missing is in my opinion a first world problem.

 

 

 

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[richsea]

Ghstudio, you are having a bad cruise based on your posts.

 

If you are facing AFT the stir fry has always been on the starboard side in the back of the Oceanview.

If it is no better than a $7.95 buffet at home then it has gone down hill very fast as this has never been the case for us. I will find out next month, but I will be on a different S Class ship. This was certainly not the case on the Reflection last month.

 

Were you able to get your Americano mixe drink with your Classic package? I know you were asking a few months ago.

 

Might be time for you to stay away from Celebrity for awhile.

 

By the way I really enjoyed the new Pastas on the Tuscan menu.

 

I hope you can enjoy some of your cruise experience.

 

I had the same thought.

Edited December 17, 2016 by richsea

[Gracie115]

Think about it. Haven't you been on one ship that had better run departments or different items than the last ship you sailed? I have an example. My DW likes chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies. She got them on the Summit. Couldn't be had on the Constellation in Cafe al Bacio.

 

Absolutely agree.....on Reflection this year food in general was outstanding.....on Equinox, service still outstanding, but SAME items on the menu just nowhere near as good a preparation.....

 

Hoping our next X cruise on Eclipse is closer to our Reflection experience.....:)

[DYKWIA]

Then you have never been to The House of Prime Rib in San Francisco and gotten their English cut of prime rib.

[emoji33]

 

 

 

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Or the Diamond Jim Brady cut at Lawry's Prime Rib!

[Hlitner]

My response indicated that I wasn't sure about the upcharging being still in effect. My comment is the same. If you don't like the charge, don't buy it. Very simple. Discounts on board are just like everywhere else, driven by demand. The first nights are often empty so steep discounts are offered. Same with port days. This is also true of the spa. This is why stores have sales. :rolleyes:

 

Why would anyone complain about the things that are upcharged. Don't like it, don't buy it. Want it to be all inclusive, spring for a higher priced line. Compared to what the avearge person has and experiences in life, this is modern luxury. If you don't get that, then you have been very sheltered, privileged, and spoiled.

 

Not sure where you get your "information" but the upcharges (in Tuscan) were certainly in effect last week...on the Eclipse. If you have a more recent source, please share :)

 

Hank

[carolslc]

I agree with you on the noise around the pool. I always went to the Solarium because I couldn't stand the loud activities at the pool. It didn't seem that most people were paying any attention to what they were doing. However, our friends loved it and always looked for a bed right in front of the stage. :eek: I guess they do what they can to appeal to diverse groups of people. Thankfully the Summit buffet was great and no issues with lettuce. I had a salad every day.

Edited December 17, 2016 by carolslc

[81Zoomie]

Just back from 14 days on the Eclipse (been on this vessel 6 or 7 times) which was, overall, a great cruise. But we do have a few rants (not new issues).

 

1. The sandwich bar/lunch meats in the Lido buffet. To be kind, the meat selection is near rubbish! If you except roast beef, decent corned beef. pastrami, good turkey, decent salami, Italian meats, etc.. you will be disappointed in a big way. What you get is often "mystery" meats which even baffle the servers (if you ask them what it is). Perhaps it is "Olive Loaf," or some other cheap cut....but most of these meats would be shameful on a real budget line!

 

2. Salad bars without lettuce or Romaine? It happened on numerous days...not to mention empty salad dressing bottles. And the quality of ice cream in the Lido has really gone downhill in the past couple of years.

 

3. My final rant has to do with constant annoying loud noise on the pool deck during most afternoons. There is simply no need for the cruise director's staff to do loud play by play for a pool game attended by 4 passengers...while several hundred others are trying to relax, chat, listen to their own music, etc.

 

4. We have probably done our last cruise in Blu (Aqua Class). We love the venue and the staff. But the dinner menus leave much to be desired and one can quickly grow tired of repetitive stuff such as osso bucco, short ribs (as both a main and a starter), ravioli with short rib filling, lamb shank (that was just like the short ribs and osso bucco), etc. They did serve prime rib one night, which was less then an inch thick and covered with a brown gravy (yuck). We are certainly not new to Blu, but its now history as we think even the MDR has a better menu.

 

Otherwise it was a great cruise. To end on a positive note we thought Murano was beyond excellent (had 2 dinners and lunch) and Qsine was marvelous as always.

 

Our advice would be to avoid Aqua Class, book a better located balcony (many Aqua cabins are in a lousy location just under the pool deck with a balcony in a giant shadow). The money you save by not booking Aqua can then be put to better use by enjoying some of the alternative dining venue.

 

Hank

P.S. The most expensive dining venue is now the mediocre Tuscan Grill...if one partakes of the "add-on" steak options. Think of it. First you pay for your cruise....which includes food. Then you pay extra (up to $50 per person) for better food (which is often about the same quality we saw in MDRs many years ago). And now, they want you to pay additional ala carte add-ons! We expect that Celebrity will soon have a sur charge for metal cutlary (with plastic being the default).

 

Hank

 

I would recommend you give Azamara a try.

[tnfcruise]

Then you have never been to The House of Prime Rib in San Francisco and gotten their English cut of prime rib.

[emoji33]

 

 

 

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Hand cut, in front of you, from the stainless-steel "meat cart"! Love The House of Prime Rib. [emoji7]

 

 

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[jagoffee]

Not sure where you get your "information" but the upcharges (in Tuscan) were certainly in effect last week...on the Eclipse. If you have a more recent source, please share :)

 

Hank

 

I think the upcharge is still there for a few items even on the new menu. The implied assumption that the couple items like the dry aged steak with the upcharge is the same as what was previously include with no upcharge is suspect.

 

I am going to make sure I order one of the no upcharge Tuscan steaks next month while on the Eclipse to see if it is has disappointing as some people are saying. (With a side of my now favorite ship made Pasta)

[hcat]

The pasta dishes and the meatballs and no upcharge beef, and just about everything else at Tuscan on Infinity were really quite good...way above anything at the buffet.

 

We had 20% discount on the dinner and then booked the lunch with a discount..also quite good.

 

 

Service was attentive...wish we coukd have eaten there every night instead of BLU..where we felt almost invisible

Edited December 17, 2016 by hcat

[Fish Lover]

My apologies. I was confused about the up charges in Tuscan and those that were being tested in the MDR. I did say I wasn't sure, but everyone seems to have ignored the caveat. Sorry for any confusion I may have caused.

 

Twenty lashes with a wet noodle!

[davekathy]

My apologies. I was confused about the up charges in Tuscan and those that were being tested in the MDR. I did say I wasn't sure, but everyone seems to have ignored the caveat. Sorry for any confusion I may have caused.

 

Twenty lashes with a wet noodle!

 

There will be a charge for the wet noodle.

[WonderMan3]

People keep mentioning a new menu at Tuscan. Can someone provide a link to it? I did a search here on the forum and could only find older menus.

[chamima]

People keep mentioning a new menu at Tuscan. Can someone provide a link to it? I did a search here on the forum and could only find older menus.

 

These are all of the current menus.

Scroll down until you get to the Tuscan Grill

 

http://thepreismans.com/silhouette_ta_16_menus.htm#ensemble

[jagoffee]

These are all of the current menus.

Scroll down until you get to the Tuscan Grill

 

http://thepreismans.com/silhouette_ta_16_menus.htm#ensemble

 

Yep, that is it. The only extra charge items were the special dry aged steaks. Which in most places costs at least twice as much as any other prime steak.

 

You can scroll up and pick the menu you want.

Edited December 17, 2016 by jagoffee

[Hlitner]

Yep, that is it. The only extra charge items were the special dry aged steaks. Which in most places costs at least twice as much as any other prime steak.

 

You can scroll up and pick the menu you want.

 

To put in in proper perspective, if you paid full price for the Tuscan you would be paying $45 + $18 or $63 per person (if you ordered the upcharged steak). In addition, most do leave some kind of extra tip. And consider that you would be paying that on top of the cruise price which already includes the cost of meals. While this is still less costly then a decent land-based steak house, we do not consider the Tuscan to even be close to quality found in a top land-based steakhouse.

 

It is also interesting that if you look at the small sample menu on Celebrity's web site it does show the upcharged items..so at least they are giving full disclosure.

 

Hank

Edited December 17, 2016 by Hlitner

[WonderMan3]

These are all of the current menus.

Scroll down until you get to the Tuscan Grill

 

http://thepreismans.com/silhouette_ta_16_menus.htm#ensemble

 

Thanks!

[bigbenboys]

Thank you for your thoughts. We are sailing on the Eclipse, in Aqua next month. In BLU were you able to order off the MDR, just curious? We have dined in BLU on the Summit and were not offered a MDR menu.

 

 

 

Marie

 

In Blu you have the Blu menu. You also have the items from the MDR every night items. (ie: NY steak, salmon, chicken) You can also get the escargot, French onion soup and shrimp cocktail. They are not listed but available in Blu.

 

If your server get you something else off the MDR menu. You should really give them a extra tip.

 

If you book a suite you dine in Luminae. In Luminae they have their own menu and they will hand you the MDR menu. You can also dine in Blu if space is available.

[Lois R]

Hi Hank, thanks for your post. I will be sailing Reflection in February

and will see how the food is on that cruise......I didn't sail with X in

2016 (first time in many years I didn't)....and I appreciate your insight.

I am booked in a regular balcony so will not be going to Blu or Lumine

but I am planning to dine Specialty a few times.

 

Will see how things go but I am still looking forward to the cruise:)