Why do you eat dinner in the Oceanview Cafe?

[sls28]

Loved reading all your posts!  Hadn’t considered the OV as a dinner choice but certainly it now sounds like a wonderful option. Thank you all!

[Manchester is blue]

I think we have at least 50% of our evening meals at the OV cafe. I’m a really big eater, I make full use of the on board gym, and this often leaves me quite hungry.   I find the portion sizes in the MDR and the wait times to be served just don’t meet with what I need.  We also prefer that there is no fuss and we can just get whatever we want,  mixing, and matching dishes from the huge variety on offer. 

 

 

 

 

[ritraveler]

Love this! We are doing a 12 night on Equinox in April and I think I will definitely be trying OVC for dinner at least a few times .. we love Blu but I’m a picky eater and not very adventurous so I end up eating the grilled chicken many times in Blu. I would love to just make my own plate in the buffet without anyone making a fuss over trying to find something I can eat on the menu.. plus the idea of sitting outside enjoying dinner and the sunset sounds fantastic 

[Oceansaway17]

On 2/13/2022 at 12:57 PM, ymncruise said:

Sometimes I’d rather do something else than spend 2 hours in the dining room and the food is pretty good. We like to watch the sunset and eating at OV makes it more convenient. 

 

 

yes, I agree getting a view of the water and having quieter room.  I also like to look at my food and the includes the variety of bread and those desserts. in the MDR, sometimes the descriptions do not translate into something that I enjoyed.   And 2 hours for dinner every night is a long time.

Plus, the MDR are heavily air conditioned and that is not so enjoyable.  I know they want to keep the waiters from being sweaty, but if I have one 2 layers and still cold, well not so enjoyable for me

 

toodles

[Cato610]

On 2/16/2022 at 6:53 AM, gold1953 said:

Farr better than any fish in the MDR where it is mass cooked and set out on assembly line plates. There is usually a fish night at OVC and I would not miss it!!

Is it fish grilled per your spec every night at OVC or just one night?

[travelloverontario]

I think I may go to the main dining room just for the escargot and creme brule and skip the apps and main. Then head to OVC for the remainder of my meal.

I need those escargots!!!!

 

 

[Redtravel]

When we get back to the ship after a full day excursion, it’s nice to just go to the buffet.  MDR may have a wait. Buffet never has a wait.  On some cruises, the evening buffet is often better than the dining room. Oceania buffet serves the same menu as the dining room. Buffet has more choices including sushi, grilled meat( steak, chicken, lamp chops) and cooked to order fish.  Lobster tails are served every night. No limit, no surcharge. 

[D C]

Wow.  What an unexpected blast from the past with this thread popping back up given the current status of the buffet.

[NMTraveller]

I can't say that I will dine in the OVC with the current state of it in the evenings.

[gkbiiii]

I went on Celebrity Century, December 2009, the buffet remains the best I have had, since this third cruise.  The standards were amazing, even an inside cabin was deluxe.  The buffet had sushi, crab, grill to order steaks, etc.  It was so classy, beat's both Disney & Royal.  So sad, how far the Line has slipped in 12+ years!   

[gkbiiii]

3 hours ago, D C said:

Wow.  What an unexpected blast from the past with this thread popping back up given the current status of the buffet.

Christmas 22' on Apex, the Buffet at Dinner was horrible; yet I hear there are even worse cuts that are now here.  People, there is NOTHING for you for dinner, sorry by this is the 2023 reality! 

[C4HCG]

2 hours ago, gkbiiii said:

Christmas 22' on Apex, the Buffet at Dinner was horrible; yet I hear there are even worse cuts that are now here.  People, there is NOTHING for you for dinner, sorry by this is the 2023 reality! 

Yet others on here who have sailed in 2023 have had better experiences. For those of us yet to cruise it’s impossible to judge but we will know for sure when we do. September for us.

[gkbiiii]

2 hours ago, gkbiiii said:

I went on Celebrity Century, December 2009, the buffet remains the best I have had, since this third cruise.  The standards were amazing, even an inside cabin was deluxe.  The buffet had sushi, crab, grill to order steaks, etc.  It was so classy, beat's both Disney & Royal.  So sad, how far the Line has slipped in 12+ years!   

 

2 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

Yet others on here who have sailed in 2023 have had better experiences. For those of us yet to cruise it’s impossible to judge but we will know for sure when we do. September for us.

This was the true Golden Era (90's were absolute best) top above, yet you will soon enough, get to experience what I am saying. 

[ldubs]

On 2/17/2022 at 9:14 AM, Manchester is blue said:

I think we have at least 50% of our evening meals at the OV cafe. I’m a really big eater, I make full use of the on board gym, and this often leaves me quite hungry.   I find the portion sizes in the MDR and the wait times to be served just don’t meet with what I need.  We also prefer that there is no fuss and we can just get whatever we want,  mixing, and matching dishes from the huge variety on offer. 

 

 

Similar for us.  Casual atmosphere.  Mixing/matching type variety.  Take as much or as little time as we want.  Go when we want (as long as it is open).  

[BPCW]

FYI - Just got off Millennium this weekend and someone in our group tried dinner in OV twice and said that only about 1 out of every 3 stations was open and that the food selection was very poor. 
 

That said, we had 2.5-2.75 hour dinners (not by choice) in the MDR so I can see why people don’t want to spend that much time at dinner. But if OV selection isn’t good and specialty restaurants were full as they were on our ship, it’s a weird situation onboard some ships. 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

15 minutes ago, BPCW said:

FYI - Just got off Millennium this weekend and someone in our group tried dinner in OV twice and said that only about 1 out of every 3 stations was open and that the food selection was very poor. 
 

That said, we had 2.5-2.75 hour dinners (not by choice) in the MDR so I can see why people don’t want to spend that much time at dinner. But if OV selection isn’t good and specialty restaurants were full as they were on our ship, it’s a weird situation onboard some ships. 

How full was the ship ? 
I can see them closing stations if the ship is not full

But all they need is a grill , stir fry, pasta and salad bar station open, and there would be minimum waste 

[goodoldan]

After I called out Celebrity on Twitter about the fleetwide changes to the OCV this year... this is the response I got today...

 

ME:

   

@CelebrityCruises What's up with the way you're gutting the Ocean View Cafe on ships throughout the fleet this year? Poor staffing and fewer selections during the day, and practically shut down for dinner. We love you guys otherwise... don't start cheapening your product now. ·

 

Sun 11:04 PM

CELEBRITY:

Hi. We have adjusted our Oceanview Café offerings during the evening hours only to meet the current guest demand and reduce unnecessary food waste. The revised dinnertime menu will include a daily rotating selection of three entrees inspired by the regions of the world, a variety of handmade pizzas, composed fresh salads and a selection of desserts including cakes, sweets and ice creams. We remain committed to providing a varied and quality culinary experience throughout your time onboard with us. We thank you for your feedback, your input will be shared with the proper teams.

[Oceangoer2]

On 2/13/2022 at 2:09 PM, maggie.1008 said:

I also remember the tables with waiters serving. Yes, it was for training staff. Very enjoyable. Would be nice if they brought it back to OVC.

I forget....did they put out table cloths and dim the lights?  eg:  training for specialty restaurants.

[Honolulu Blue]

53 minutes ago, goodoldan said:

After I called out Celebrity on Twitter about the fleetwide changes to the OCV this year... this is the response I got today...

 

ME:

   

@CelebrityCruises What's up with the way you're gutting the Ocean View Cafe on ships throughout the fleet this year? Poor staffing and fewer selections during the day, and practically shut down for dinner. We love you guys otherwise... don't start cheapening your product now. ·

 

Sun 11:04 PM

CELEBRITY:

Hi. We have adjusted our Oceanview Café offerings during the evening hours only to meet the current guest demand and reduce unnecessary food waste. The revised dinnertime menu will include a daily rotating selection of three entrees inspired by the regions of the world, a variety of handmade pizzas, composed fresh salads and a selection of desserts including cakes, sweets and ice creams. We remain committed to providing a varied and quality culinary experience throughout your time onboard with us. We thank you for your feedback, your input will be shared with the proper teams.

Thanks for sharing.  Ah, Celebrity - masters of the spin.  I used to like "Two Princes" back in the day.

[Jjg34219]

Celebrity is also cutting MDR menu items, so lets be clear, strictly cost saving!

[travelloverontario]

If fhey have the build your pasta station, the build your stir fry station, and some other random foods and salads, that will suffice for me. The build your own stations and a great caesar salad works for me!!

I can always go to MDR for a good dessert or to the Cafe Bachio (sp?)

 

I may go to MDR 2 or 3 times for the experience, but really do not want to spend 2 hours on dinner each night. I would rather a quicker meal, then time in the Solarium or out under the stars!!

[psuboater]

The stir-fry station, and then the made to order grill station, along with dining out on the Sunset Bar, is a big draw for us. Pre-pandemic the grill station was truly made to order, but last year it didn't seem to be an option. Now I hear the MTO Stir Fry is gone. When my mom and I travel, we would eat 80% of our meals at the OVC. The choices and the freshness of the meals, along with the QUIET you get dining at the OVC at dinner was a big draw.

 

Our final payment for the Summit in June is next month, but at $2500pp for a balcony for a week to Bermuda, we're seriously considering moving over to the NCL Joy for the same itinerary at half the cost. We're actually going on the Joy this weekend on the west coast and will make our choice when we return.  X used to be worth the extra cost, but if they continue to devalue the experience, they're simply a more expensive entry level line. 

[randomcruise]

After returning last week from the Beyond, the strategy to eat dinner in the OVC to avoid a long dinner rings very true since we never came close to making the early (7:30 pm) theater show despite having a 5:45 seating and being on time or early every night in the MDR's.  Going to the OVC for dinner would have allowed us to make the early theater show every night and then catch another show/entertainment at other venues like Eden, the Club, etc.  

 

Of course, one now will pay for that strategy by having significantly reduced offerings for dinner in the OVC.  For me, I will sit through the long dinner in the MDR's for the better food and then attend the late theater show and sacrifice seeing a second show that night  in Eden, the Club or other venues. 

[CeleryCruiser]

We have eaten dinner in OVC maily because sometimes it is nice to dine outside. Also I remember our first cruise (2016) which stopped in Jamaica. The chef of OVC was a Jamaican and there were lot of Jamaican specialties served in OVC at the dinner.  Last time in Med cruise (2022)- No local specialties even the Med is filled with genuine cuisines.

[dodger1964]

7 hours ago, BPCW said:

 

That said, we had 2.5-2.75 hour dinners (not by choice) in the MDR so I can see why people don’t want to spend that much time at dinner. 

Using that timing as an example of all in time for a complete course by course meal, does anyone know (or can have an educated guess!), what kind of time it would take if we went to MDR and ONLY ordered a "main course"...I assume it wouldn't take over 2 hours???