Celebrity not the same Long review

[Fouremco]

15 hours ago, garardo said:

The sautéed broccoli with garlic was simply broccoli with browned garlic chips not broccoli sautéed with garlic.

Maybe you simply failed to understand the menu item. Just as "BBQ'd pork chops with apple sauce" does not mean "pork chops BBQ'd with apple sauce",  "sautéed broccoli with garlic" does not mean "broccoli sautéed with garlic".

[marycruz]

13 hours ago, garardo said:

My Bad. Wife is recovering and wanting to do things on her own. You know how that is. Just trying to make life as good as possible for her and stay within her desires. The disappointments that we had were caused by simple communication short falls that Celebrity needs to be aware of.  

 

Agree with the wait for wine at dinner.  We don't like waiting that long for a nice glass of wine either. 

 

May I ask how long ago your wife had knee surgery?   My husband is having total knee replacement a couple of months before our next cruise and we're hoping he can get around alright on the cruise.

 

Thanks.

[NMTraveller]

The part that I laughed about was that he was actually reviewing the OceanView.  LOL  IMHO it is not worth reviewing.

 

We simply view it as a feeding trough without a dining experience.  Mooooo.  Sure we get a bite to eat when we have an early excursion or when the MDR is closed.  But the OceanView is last on our list of choices.  Our expectations for it are very low so we aren't disappointed.

 

The best experience in the OceanView is at 10 or 11 at night when there are not many people there.  But if we ate that late we would all look like sumo wrestlers.

 

Smaller kitchens and smaller dining rooms produce better results.

 

Other lines such as HAL provide servers for the salad bar to provide a less germy environment.  That is something that I applaud and make it better than the OceanView.

Edited November 30, 2019 by NMTraveller

[Tipsy252]

14 hours ago, garardo said:

Should a beer be served warm?  

 

It should if it is an English beer or ale!

[NCHPcruiser]

To the OP-I hope you enjoy Oceania.  It is a premium line  NOT a Luxury line (Crystal, Seabourn, Regent) so you will likely experience some disappointment even with them (though I suspect you might be somewhat disappointed even on the luxury lines).    I would suggest spending a lot of time on the Oceania forum so you will know what and what not to expect.  We have a short Celebrity cruise booked in February and a much longer Crystal cruise booked in July.   We don't expect the same food, service, etc. on Celebrity as we do on Crystal but expect both will be great cruises!

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

1 hour ago, Bob & Sandy said:

We are on Eclipse right now. It is fine (for us?), but RCCL/Celebrity/Aramara could improve a few things. First, in this day and age, single serving plastic utensils (ice cream, condiment cups, etc.), should be reusable items! What is wrong with replacing these items with teaspoons - especially for stir sticks. Second, it was US thanksgiving and although they did have turkey & the rest in the buffet and MDR (carved, no less!), no pumpkin pie to be had?

I could see that on MSC or P&O, but this is a US company ...

Perhaps because not all Americans have pumpkin pie? Apple and pecan - and evening cakes - are replacing it as the favored desserts. Especially since it was revealed that much of the “pumpkin pie filling” is not even pumpkin but fillers.

 

If you really want to be “traditional” the meal would likely be venison, nuts and berries, corn, and possibly some root vegetables. Not a pie to be found.

[G.M.T.]

29 minutes ago, Tipsy252 said:

 

It should if it is an English beer or ale!

No, you're all in tzhe Brexit boat.🍻🚢😍

[NMTraveller]

16 minutes ago, G.M.T. said:

No, you're all in tzhe Brexit boat.🍻🚢😍

I was thinking that we should market a Brexit Beer to the Brits.  However someone already thought of that!  The idea was ingenious and would have made us enough money to have our own chefs and yachts. 😁

Edited November 30, 2019 by NMTraveller

[jrs101]

I’m really trying to be nice to people and just ignoring the bad and praising the good.  But you sound like a nightmare.  

[Grayce]

21 minutes ago, jrs101 said:

I’m really trying to be nice to people and just ignoring the bad and praising the good.  But you sound like a nightmare.  

 

I bet Celebrity is thrilled he is trying another line.😃

[DrKoob]

Start by saying we are long time X cruisers as well and I only want comment on the service in the MDR and some of the bars and lounges. We experienced the same thing on the Summit in the fall of 2018. 

 

We were on a 15 night New England and were in the Rendezvous almost every night. Pre-dinner you all know how it can get packed. On at least 10 nights there were only 2 bartenders and 2 servers working. For more than 300 people. We experienced the same service in the MDR as the OP. It would take 10-30 minutes to get a glass of wine and FORGET about getting a second glass. Orders for food were often wrong and/or cold or at best warm. 

 

All this was because of one thing no one on this thread has mentioned. Rapid expansion. Our cruise was just before Edge came online. We had conversations with our Sommelier and our MDR waiter on one night of the cruise when I looked like they were now covering even more tables. They told us that about 1/4 of the dining room staff had left the ship in Québec and sent to Edge. The server/pax ratio had been bad before but it got a lot worse. We were also told by our stateroom attendant (when WE asked) that he now had no assistant and had to clean about 50% more staterooms now than he did when he started with X. The biggest reason was that X cannot find enough staff for their ships. 

 

Which brings us to the fact that the entire cruise ship industry is rapidly expanding over the next four years (and counting the last 2) more than 100 ships on all cruise lines will come online. Where are the crews for these ships going to come from? Sure, you can hire unqualified people and train them but as the OP mentions, sommeliers don't grow on trees. It takes few years to train them and once they are trained, what's to stop them from taking a land-based job in a restaurant for much higher pay. This is the where the cruising industry is headed and it may take time for the big lines to adequately staff their ships in the future. 

[foodsvcmgr]

To the OP - as my avatar suggests I am also from the F&B industry presently Director in a large hotel.

 

I am somewhat confused that with your level of experience you would honestly expect this level of personalized service in a mass market environment.

 

Not sure that all your requirements would be met, but I think you would find Club or Grills level on Cunard offering a much more attentive level of individualized service. We sailed QM2 last year and found the dining to be noticeably enhanced versus Celebrity, HAL, and Princess, but we will gladly sail any of these lines based on itineraries or promotions.

 

I have also been cruising since 1978 and not sure even going back to the era of silver service if what you are demanding was ever the norm on a mainstream ship.

 

[NMTraveller]

The OP did seem to like Tuscan.  I was wondering why he did not dine there every night?

 

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

28 minutes ago, DrKoob said:

Start by saying we are long time X cruisers as well and I only want comment on the service in the MDR and some of the bars and lounges. We experienced the same thing on the Summit in the fall of 2018. 

 

We were on a 15 night New England and were in the Rendezvous almost every night. Pre-dinner you all know how it can get packed. On at least 10 nights there were only 2 bartenders and 2 servers working. For more than 300 people. We experienced the same service in the MDR as the OP. It would take 10-30 minutes to get a glass of wine and FORGET about getting a second glass. Orders for food were often wrong and/or cold or at best warm. 

 

All this was because of one thing no one on this thread has mentioned. Rapid expansion. Our cruise was just before Edge came online. We had conversations with our Sommelier and our MDR waiter on one night of the cruise when I looked like they were now covering even more tables. They told us that about 1/4 of the dining room staff had left the ship in Québec and sent to Edge. The server/pax ratio had been bad before but it got a lot worse. We were also told by our stateroom attendant (when WE asked) that he now had no assistant and had to clean about 50% more staterooms now than he did when he started with X. The biggest reason was that X cannot find enough staff for their ships. 

 

Which brings us to the fact that the entire cruise ship industry is rapidly expanding over the next four years (and counting the last 2) more than 100 ships on all cruise lines will come online. Where are the crews for these ships going to come from? Sure, you can hire unqualified people and train them but as the OP mentions, sommeliers don't grow on trees. It takes few years to train them and once they are trained, what's to stop them from taking a land-based job in a restaurant for much higher pay. This is the where the cruising industry is headed and it may take time for the big lines to adequately staff their ships in the future. 

Hmmm, I think we’ll pass on Celebrity after all.  Though we loved our Xpedition cruise in the Galapagos.  But that was a 90 passenger ship.  Life is way too short to wait even five minutes for wine 🙂

[KAE27]

16 hours ago, DogLover said:

This makes no sense. As a seasoned cruiser, I find it difficult to believe you put a bag with medication and jewelry out for pick up. If it were a "carry-on" then you would keep it with you AT ALL TIMES, especially with valuables and medicine!

 

Nevermind the jewelry and medications - the carry-on also contained his precious notes for his manifesto!

[chemmo]

15 minutes ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

Hmmm, I think we’ll pass on Celebrity after all.  Though we loved our Xpedition cruise in the Galapagos.  But that was a 90 passenger ship.  Life is way too short to wait even five minutes for wine 🙂

 

I suggest you read a wider range of reviews before making a decision....

 

[davekathy]

5 minutes ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

Hmmm, I think we’ll pass on Celebrity after all.  Though we loved our Xpedition cruise in the Galapagos.  But that was a 90 passenger ship.  Life is way too short to wait even five minutes for wine 🙂

Our most recent cruise was a 14 night cruise on the Summit September 2019. Post revolution. We had SD and the CBP. Our glasses were never empty in the MDR and on occasion had to tell the sommelier no more, thank you. Our service in the MDR was excellent (very attentive and personable) and our selections in the MDR were good to excellent. Including breakfast in the MDR. Perfect portions as we always choose an appetizer, soup, salad, entree and desert. Whether we were in the Sky Lounge during the CC HH or another lounge the service was always prompt. Our stateroom attendant was very attentive and personable. Kudos, Eddie. We would never book or not book a cruise, ship or itinerary based on another persons experiences, positive or negative. One persons ceiling is another person floor. We are doing a B2B cruise on the Summit March 2020 and the Eclipse September 2020. Looking forward to them like all our cruises. 

[grandgeezer]

50 minutes ago, DrKoob said:

Start by saying we are long time X cruisers as well and I only want comment on the service in the MDR and some of the bars and lounges. We experienced the same thing on the Summit in the fall of 2018. 

 

We were on a 15 night New England and were in the Rendezvous almost every night. Pre-dinner you all know how it can get packed. On at least 10 nights there were only 2 bartenders and 2 servers working. For more than 300 people. We experienced the same service in the MDR as the OP. It would take 10-30 minutes to get a glass of wine and FORGET about getting a second glass. Orders for food were often wrong and/or cold or at best warm. 

 

All this was because of one thing no one on this thread has mentioned. Rapid expansion. Our cruise was just before Edge came online. We had conversations with our Sommelier and our MDR waiter on one night of the cruise when I looked like they were now covering even more tables. They told us that about 1/4 of the dining room staff had left the ship in Québec and sent to Edge. The server/pax ratio had been bad before but it got a lot worse. We were also told by our stateroom attendant (when WE asked) that he now had no assistant and had to clean about 50% more staterooms now than he did when he started with X. The biggest reason was that X cannot find enough staff for their ships. 

 

Which brings us to the fact that the entire cruise ship industry is rapidly expanding over the next four years (and counting the last 2) more than 100 ships on all cruise lines will come online. Where are the crews for these ships going to come from? Sure, you can hire unqualified people and train them but as the OP mentions, sommeliers don't grow on trees. It takes few years to train them and once they are trained, what's to stop them from taking a land-based job in a restaurant for much higher pay. This is the where the cruising industry is headed and it may take time for the big lines to adequately staff their ships in the future. 

 

You are paying a obscene high price, you have every right to expect a product worthy of it. Excuses doesn’t make up for a K-mart product sold at a Sax Fifth Avenue price. If people are silly enough to pay it, they deserve what they get.

[fragilek]

only one comment re the review  - Never heard of 'breadaholics' before lol

 

2nd comment to the OP - I am in recovery after 7 months in hospital battling Leukemia- learn to love life and the stuff you do together even when its not gold plated.  I can assure you it could be a lot worse- As it's said- "Don't sweat the small stuff!"

 

 

[Ginnyfyr]

Is certified Sommelier code for certified pain in the ass? I stopped reading when the author, clearly a highly trained expert in wine, misspelled Riedel (aka Reidle); sounds like I missed some funny stuff! Kudos to those of you who stuck it out till the end!

[chemmo]

18 minutes ago, fragilek said:

only one comment re the review  - Never heard of 'breadaholics' before lol

 

2nd comment to the OP - I am in recovery after 7 months in hospital battling Leukemia- learn to love life and the stuff you do together even when its not gold plated.  I can assure you it could be a lot worse- As it's said- "Don't sweat the small stuff!"

 

 

 

Sincere best wishes for a speedy recovery...

[hcat]

We cruised on Infinity relatively  recently California Coastal and ABC Islands.

 

Although the  ship was dated, and we had some mildew and A/C  issues on the Ca trip  we found food and service were acceptable.  Also had some issues over pricing and  E+ discount in Tuscan on the Ca trip,  but food  was very good,

 

We were in AQ Class and dined in BLU....some hits, some misses but we  did not starve!

[KAE27]

23 minutes ago, Ginnyfyr said:

I stopped reading when the author, clearly a highly trained expert in wine, misspelled Riedel (aka Reidle); sounds like I missed some funny stuff! Kudos to those of you who stuck it out till the end!

 

I'll admit I skimmed. 😉

 

Note this dining expert also consistently spelled it "dinning."

Edited November 30, 2019 by KAE27

[Bob & Sandy]

2 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

Perhaps because not all Americans have pumpkin pie? Apple and pecan - and evening cakes - are replacing it as the favored desserts. Especially since it was revealed that much of the “pumpkin pie filling” is not even pumpkin but fillers.

 

If you really want to be “traditional” the meal would likely be venison, nuts and berries, corn, and possibly some root vegetables. Not a pie to be found.

Perhaps, but my comments merely echoed our six US table mates. Pumpkin pie has been the standard since the television age began. If this is supplanted in the future, so be it, but I heard this absence noted by all the Americans within earshot.

[cruising sister]

We were on the Eclipse for 30 days last March. We found the food in the MDR and service marginal at best. Some nights we were waiting and waiting for service. We found the Ocean View Cafe surprisingly good. We had tons of fun but can see where there is room for improvement. We will be on the Solstice for a month this coming March and have lots of OBC and will try some of the specialty restaurants. I have never felt the need to pay extra for a meal  before but after our Eclipse experience we will be trying it out for sure.  Everyone cruises for their unique experience and I feel people have been a bit harsh with their comments. We too have had many health challenges including cancer and look forward to what we like about cruising and still feel it is ok to speak up if we don’t like something.