Looking for someone currently on Edge (1/3/23) that can confirm/deny scaled back dinner buffet??

[Dreamer68]

3 hours ago, Lastdance said:

Actually, skipping a meal like dinner is not a bad option, but that is an individual choice.  Dinner in Luminae for me got very boring for 26 days, so I did eat very lightly in the OVC a few times.  One of those times it was slim pickens, but I did find something.  I learned quickly that there is a limit to the number of days that cruising is totally enjoyable for me.  Honestly, I never thought this would happen, but  got really tired of the food choices in Luminae, so just had a salad with chicken, salmon or by itself.  I only ate in Luminae for dinner, so eating there 3 times a day was something I have never done.  Overall , I was disappointed with the quality of food, but not enough to stop cruising Celebrity.  My next cruise is a TA/b2b, but 21 days and not 26.  Fewer choices and declining quality together are a concern for me, but I need to experience this myself.

I eat in the OVC for breakfast because there is variety and made to order eggs; I go very early for food quality and less people. OVC for lunch when it first opens is also a viable choice due to selection, but quality over quantity is my preference. Also, l have a dinner package and can eat in Blu, space available.  So, it is what it is and I will decide in April, unless I am unable to board due to Covid, or some other issue.  Vacations should be enjoyable, mostly stress free, making one feel better for the experience because of quality and variety of choices.  However, I feel many things are on the table to go by the wayside...just my two cents!  

Not related to scaled back dining but wow @Lastdance! Your lived experience cruising is what I dream of. What a blessing of multiple cruises in high up places for you. Someday, I hope to afford more than a 7-day cruise, and try other staterooms apart from Inside or Oceanviews...and therefore get access to places like Luminae. For now, I am simply thrilled to try out a relatively new and gorgeous ship like the Apex. I look forward to enjoying the OVC for various meals and intrigue to see the difference. 🙂 

[Lastdance]

43 minutes ago, Dreamer68 said:

Not related to scaled back dining but wow @Lastdance! Your lived experience cruising is what I dream of. What a blessing of multiple cruises in high up places for you. Someday, I hope to afford more than a 7-day cruise, and try other staterooms apart from Inside or Oceanviews...and therefore get access to places like Luminae. For now, I am simply thrilled to try out a relatively new and gorgeous ship like the Apex. I look forward to enjoying the OVC for various meals and intrigue to see the difference. 🙂 

My DH and I are both educators, but we have saved all our lives.  Many years ago we were in OV rooms, but today(blessing)we do have many options.  I have also been working since I retired because schools need help and I love the kids. The pay isn't that great, but it is not always about the money.  Still, some think that because you do this, or have that, you are lucky!  I was lucky to have exceptional individuals in my life, but it certainly wasn't all wine and roses by any means.  So, thank you for not holding what I write against me, dismissing that I am so lucky etc.  I still remember my first cruise and all the excitement.  I try to capture that excitement even today.  Actually, this was my first TA/b2b cruise) since Covid, and both of us caught it onboard.  My DH also got rebound Covid, ending up in the hospital with Covid Pneumonia.  I have written about all of this.  You will have the suite one day, if that is your choice.  I just booked an SV with absolutely nothing included, as I do not always use all the amenities that come with suites and I enjoy the OVC!  Thank you for your very kind words; Life is short and your glass half full!

[Dreamer68]

19 minutes ago, Lastdance said:

My DH and I are both educators, but we have saved all our lives.  Many years ago we were in OV rooms, but today(blessing)we do have many options.  I have also been working since I retired because schools need help and I love the kids. The pay isn't that great, but it is not always about the money.  Still, some think that because you do this, or have that, you are lucky!  I was lucky to have exceptional individuals in my life, but it certainly wasn't all wine and roses by any means.  So, thank you for not holding what I write against me, dismissing that I am so lucky etc.  I still remember my first cruise and all the excitement.  I try to capture that excitement even today.  Actually, this was my first TA/b2b cruise) since Covid, and both of us caught it onboard.  My DH also got rebound Covid, ending up in the hospital with Covid Pneumonia.  I have written about all of this.  You will have the suite one day, if that is your choice.  I just booked an SV with absolutely nothing included, as I do not always use all the amenities that come with suites and I enjoy the OVC!  Thank you for your very kind words; Life is short and your glass half full!

I am an educator as well @Lastdanceso I am THRILLED to read about your experiences. I often wonder, reading these forums  how with my paycheck, I will ever get to experience things like Aqua or Suites or actually, even Specialty Dining. I also teach for the love of investing in my future, my students are my future...they will be the next leaders of my country. ❤️ Too bad the paycheck does not reflect the work educators do. I hope i the near future to get opportunities (like you) to experience some of the things I mentioned. Indeed, life is short and we never know anyway, how much time we have left. Just finished booking my final dinner at one of the MDRs...and my last shore excursion. Now, if I can snag one of those hanging basket chairs at Eden a few afternoons/ mornings during the cruise to do some reading and journaling, I'd be happy. 🙂  PS - hope your DH is fully recovered!

Edited January 5, 2023 by Dreamer68

[AstoriaPreppy]

13 hours ago, LMaxwell said:

 This is nothing more than Celebrity purposely destroying something and then claiming there is no demand.  Not the other way around. 

 

Or... they know that the cruise is running at reduced capacity and a certain (possibly high) percentage of passengers already have assigned time dining? Not everything has to be a sky is falling moment. 

[LMaxwell]

38 minutes ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

 

Or... they know that the cruise is running at reduced capacity and a certain (possibly high) percentage of passengers already have assigned time dining? Not everything has to be a sky is falling moment. 

85-100% capacity has been typical last few months. 

 

Please stop making excuses for cutting out an amenity included in the cruise fare.  It's as absurd as cutting out pools or nighttime shows. It's all part of the package.  

 

If celebrity is intent on giving less, they will get less in return. 

[AstoriaPreppy]

3 minutes ago, LMaxwell said:

85-100% capacity has been typical last few months. 

 

Please stop making excuses for cutting out an amenity included in the cruise fare.  It's as absurd as cutting out pools or nighttime shows. It's all part of the package.  

 

Each cruise is different, and a decision by the officers on one ship doesn't mean it's a fleet-wide implementation. Per another guest on this sailing, only 50% of balcony and concierge cabins were booked a week ago, so there's a good chance the passenger load is low! I'm glad you mentioned nighttime shows: when we started cruising again post-restart, Celebrity would often do a single show each night... there just wasn't demand otherwise. 

 

To be clear, if a ship is sailing at 100% capacity and is only serving late night snacks during dinner in the Oceanview cafe, it's going to be an issue. However, at this point there's no indication this is the new normal, just a lot of hand-wringing without a full picture of why this is happening on this specific sailing.

[Homosassa]

The smaller number of stations open in the buffet and open seating sections can also be an indication of managing a  problem with crew numbers.

 

As has been reported, cruise lines (not only Celebrity) are having a problem with having a full staff on board.

 

Those dinner waiters in the dining room also pull duty in the buffet at breakfast and lunch. As a result, some of the MDRs are closed for lunch on days when they were previously open as staff is needed in the buffet.

 

Conversely, at dinner time, the staff assigned to the buffet may be needed as wait staff in the dining room.

 

Also, if one is cruising in January, one is cruising in an off season as far as  number of cruisers on a ship. It is the reason that January has  lower fares  than most of the rest of the year.  The number of passengers on board will be lower than the peak and shoulder seasons.

 

This will affect where crew will be deployed at different times of the day and what venues may be open.

 

Over our years of cruising, we have noticed that buffets at dinner have different peak hours for passengers.  The heaviest use is early in the time period when the buffet is first open.  Traffic greatly slows down after about an hour and a half to two hours after opening.

 

We usually do early dining in the MDR, but my husband often prefers to leave the MDR to browse the dessert selection in the dining room. This means we are up in the buffet around 7 - 7:30 PM and across the board on all lines (before and after covid). Many of the stations that had been open at the start of service are being closed and the food offerings consolidated to one side or section of the buffet.

 

The sky is not falling.

 

 

 

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

 

Or... they know that the cruise is running at reduced capacity and a certain (possibly high) percentage of passengers already have assigned time dining? Not everything has to be a sky is falling moment. 

The photos were from Edge where there is no assigned time dining.

[Illbcruzn4life]

On 1/3/2023 at 9:04 PM, OysterD said:

If those pictures are representative of other nights in the buffet then I absolutely understand their thinking. Its a ghost town. Nobody in there. Why spend tens of thousands filling the buffet at night if only a couple of people use it and 90% of the food goes to waste? They know how many people use it in the evenings versus eating in the main dining rooms and specialty reataurants, they know exactly how much food they prepare and put out and how much goes to waste. If this is a permanent thing moving forward rather than a one off due to extraneous circumstances, I'm sure they've done a lot of number crunching and had a lot of meetings about it first. 

 

Also, Edge class have 4 main dining rooms with different menus and anytime seating. Maybe that is encouraging people to eat in those/try them out each night and fewer people are using the buffets?

will they mind if I come to dinner in shorts?

[AstoriaPreppy]

1 minute ago, RichYak said:

The photos were from Edge where there is no assigned time dining.

 

Wait, they removed assigned time dining from Edge? When did that happen? When we sailed we absolutely had traditional late dining in Cosmopolitan with the same table/waiter each night. 

[RichYak]

Just now, AstoriaPreppy said:

 

Wait, they removed assigned time dining from Edge? When did that happen? When we sailed we absolutely had traditional late dining in Cosmopolitan with the same table/waiter each night. 

A couple months ago. All E-class ships are now anytime dining regardless of how you originally booked.

[AstoriaPreppy]

2 minutes ago, RichYak said:

A couple months ago. All E-class ships are now anytime dining regardless of how you originally booked.

 

Didn't realize that! Also fascinating, since that's how the ships/kitchens were originally designed... until the disastrous rollout of "dynamic dining" on Quantum of the Seas seemed to scare the company off from full implementation. 

[Cruzinforpeace***]

7 minutes ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

will they mind if I come to dinner in shorts?

I think they’ll have to be prepared for that happening nightly.  By eliminating the dinner buffet they will be cheapening the cruise experience.

[TeeRick]

34 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

The sky is not falling.

Ha Ha.  On Cruise Critic the sky is always falling and that goes along with the prices always rising!😀

[gizmodog]

If these service changes and charges are implemented, and there is really no acceptable excuse, they will never change, there will always be more. Sad really, all of the people making excuses for them I applaud their positivity but sadly, I don’t buy any of them. I know the CEO and other higher ups are making their bonuses and the staff and the guests are paying for it. I dont know the solution I will just, like most,have to sit back and see what actually happens.

[dlh015]

To quote a character from an old TV show:  "Nothing...I see nothing!"

[LB_NJ]

1 hour ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

will they mind if I come to dinner in shorts?

I know there may be some dress code written down somewhere however, have they ever enforced it.

 

I assume if you come in shorts and a T-shirt no one will stop you.  I assume they will insist on footwear (no bare feet) because that is a safety issue.

[KKB]

18 hours ago, Dreamer68 said:

I am getting on the Apex in 3 days' time. We booked our cruise late and just got on the Celebrity app to reserve our "Anytime Dining" reservations at one of the 4 MDRs. Well, only late reservations were available, i.e. 9 and 9:30 pm, for the entire week for all 4 restaurants! I'm feeling bad for anyone with  children who might need to eat earlier...IF the Oceanview is now limited in choices. I was actually hoping to catch a few dinners at the Oceanview, just for the more relaxed atmosphere...I had originally heard Oceanview was a great alternative choice to the MDRs.

PS - it looks like our cruise is full or almost full.

With the 4 MDRs, anytime dining is the norm. If you want to eat early (before 6) that is the least likely time to not have to wait. Seemed that after 6-6:30 waits were more likely.

If you like a set time (just stop & ask maitre de when you board), it will only be in one restaurant. Advantage is you will get the same wait staff. But each restaurant has a different ambiance & I recommend trying them all.

My mouth is watering thinking of the Sea Bass at the Greek one! 

(If you do choose to eat in 1 all week, you CAN order the specialty items from the other restaurants. Each restaurant has the daily MDR menu PLUS they each have an additional one specific to their theme--French, Italian, Greek & "Cosmopolitan")

Edited January 5, 2023 by KKB

[KKB]

3 hours ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

 

Didn't realize that! Also fascinating, since that's how the ships/kitchens were originally designed... until the disastrous rollout of "dynamic dining" on Quantum of the Seas seemed to scare the company off from full implementation. 

You CAN still have a set time each night--ask maitre de upon boarding. 

[KKB]

16 hours ago, Lastdance said:

My DH and I are both educators, 

16 hours ago, Dreamer68 said:

I am an educator as well 

 

LOL DH & I are retired school librarians! He retired May 2021 & me May 2022. 

I declared "retirement year" with the goal of a cruise/month (except June...another travel commitment.

And looks like I am going to make that goal! Got some fantastic deals, some friends & family wanted to cruise so that rounded things out. 

Now, not sustainable forever, and I'm not sure I'd want to do it forever. Maybe every other month😉

[LMaxwell]

4 hours ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

will they mind if I come to dinner in shorts?

They won't have any choice but to allow it. 

 

They already do for women, so no more sexist application of policies if they refuse to provide a reasonable alternative. The staff surely don't care one way or the other - if there's higher volume in MDR they should feel incentivized to allow everyone and try to turn tables faster - more people =  more potential cash tips during the voyage. 

[goofysmom99]

Will the pasta station be open anymore at night?  I can't quite tell from what's being/been reported.  TIA.

[mahdnc]

15 minutes ago, goofysmom99 said:

Will the pasta station be open anymore at night?  I can't quite tell from what's being/been reported.  TIA.

 

Excuse me?  There was a make-to-order pasta station at the OVC for dinner?

[BermudaBound2014]

24 minutes ago, goofysmom99 said:

Will the pasta station be open anymore at night?  I can't quite tell from what's being/been reported.  TIA.

 

It's a little early to say, but based on the limited reports we have right now, one night a pasta station was offered. Another night it was a stir fry option. Unfortunately, this limited selection OVcafe dinner change just went into effect and so far there are only reports of the limited evening buffets on 4 ships. I'm sure the other ships will start to chime in soon. 

 

 

8 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

Excuse me?  There was a make-to-order pasta station at the OVC for dinner?

 

There always was pre-covid and it was excellent. You pick type of noodles (3-4 choices). Type of sauce (3-4 choices) and choice of 7-8 ingredients to add to the sauce. It's made reheating the noodles in hot water and combining all the sauce ingredients in a sauce pan to combine flavors. My mouth is watering.

[prmssk]

12 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

Excuse me?  There was a make-to-order pasta station at the OVC for dinner?

Yes, and it usually has much longer hours than the buffet. I think it was open noon until 1am on the Constellation in November.