Awful State of Ocean View Cafe for dinner

[Spif Barwunkel]

54 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

Five sentences to state you decline…lol…Give us something, food, entertainment, pricing, etc?

I have to be thorough with you because you are so damn demanding. Now that you have eased up a bit, got nothin' for ya.

[Guest TopoChico]

10 minutes ago, Cap_D said:

  The other specialty restaurants with perhaps the exception of a prime style piece of beef at the steakhouse don't seem that special in comparison to real life either.  

 

There's also nothing Gen X or modern about 4 MDR banquet style dining rooms.  As has been discussed, the menus and quality has been reduced, and there's only a small number of themed items per menu.  E.g., no Italian restaurant for a mass audience has as few Italian dishes as the faux Tuscany on Edge class. 

 

The dinner options, including the so-called leftover buffet, presentation, and so on don't compete with options that exist in everyday life, other travel experiences; and they're definitely not aspirational. 

 

 

 

You hit absolutely every nail on the head.  People do see past the tablecloth when they’re being served sub-par quality. I had a steak that was seared in breakfast sausage grease.  I thought, I must be crazy! so we all tasted it and agreed -  breakfast sausage grease. We call it The Jimmy Dean steak. 
 

My husband remarked several times in the dining room after receiving his tiny portion of improperly cooked salmon or steak -  “I put pants on for this?” We all laughed, because it was so true. The white table cloth was a prop.  The food was the punchline of the joke. 

[jean87510]

1 hour ago, stringbean10 said:

I mean....I guess. hahahaha - I just wouldn't choose to eat at a buffet when I could eat at a restaurant by a 3* Michelin chef.   

 

It just seems silly to me to to complain about reduced offerings on a dinner buffet when there are so many other great options available.  If they noticed the food waste was excessive and less than 100 people were using the buffet. It makes sense to cut costs here/reduce offerings.  These 100 people out of 3000+ are probably not the 'big spenders.'  They are never going to make everyone happy - they did the math.  

 

If they cut entertainment in some way, as some are suggesting, the folks who enjoy the shows would be up in arms.  I bet entertainment is a much more fixed cost and easier for the line to calculate vs. food cost right now. 

 

The folks complaining about it and claiming "never again". - just like they did when they took away turn down service, chocolates on the pillow, room service or added 'speciality restaurants' - won't leave.  And if they do, celebrity won't miss them.  

 

What is their other choice?  Have fun on your carnival 3 day out of Galveston with the free buffet with more options?  They are not the same product, they are not targeting the same audience.    

 

If you cancel and take your business else where, I am very curious as to where you are going to go.  Celebrity has stated they are targeting Gen X with the new edge ships.  I could just be you are aging out of celebrity's target market and may be much happier on HAL or Princess.  Just like a family may be aging into Celebrity - the only constant in this life is change. 

This was made 1 month ago on the Equinox.  Compare it to the view made recently.

 

I have 2 upcoming cruises booked.  We go on cruises for the ports.  We just recently sailed in a suite for the 1st time on RCCL.  We usually have balconies and insides.  We never go to the pool.  We don't like the shows.  We don't do trivia.  We go to the gym, sit in the shade with headphones, nap when a sea day.  We go to bed early as we are exhausted from the ports.  We only ask our room steward for extra pillows at the beginning of the cruise.  We like the buffet as we hate MDR experience.  When I watched the prior video and saw what was going on on the Apex, I was surprised and thought it looked like my hospital cafeteria rather than a cruise I had just paid $5000 plus dollars for. and another I have spent $9000 plus dollars for.   It is just shocking to see that display.  My husband commented his work cafeteria has better selections then that and they pay for it and probably a lot less than we do with a 9 day and an 11 day cruise.  So I will probably head back to Royal and land vacations because it is cheaper. I can go to less expensive venues or cook if I stay at an air BNB and I can wear my shorts and t shirt when I eat my dinner and not have to worry about my Chic dress code while eating cafeteria food.  The other issue I have is we pack lightly especially in the Caribbean as we have one checked suitcase for the husband's free diving fins plus all our other snorkeling needs.  We do not want to have to pack MDR clothes as we like to wear our gym clothing day and night as we are on vacation.

[Georgia_Peaches]

3 hours ago, chamima said:

 

That thread didn't disappear - it was just locked to new posts.

I think CC has some kind of limit to what it can support in number of posts on each thread. I follow a long time thread on here that they had to ask us to open a new thread because ours had too many posts.

I'm not so sure about the thread limit.  Just take a look at the "How are things in your area" threads (still pinned at the top after all this time) or "tell me a joke" thread that was started during the pandemic...

[Guest TopoChico]

16 minutes ago, stringbean10 said:

I bet Celebrity's legal team disagrees  - I bet the current offerings are vastly different then when I first sailed Celebrity in the 90s.  Should I be up in arms and demanding OBC because it is different now?  Things change - some for the better some for the worse.  Would you rather sail on Celebrity's oldest ship with a December 15th buffet or a brand new ship with a reduced buffet?  There isn't infinite money - they have to make choices.  The nice thing is - you get to make those choices too! 

 

I believe most will choose neither and go elsewhere.

 

 Part of the cruise experience for us peasants is having fun, fresh varied food choices on a buffet when we don’t feel like spending two hours in one of the pretend restaurants. 

It should be elegant, properly prepared fare in a dining room, and exemplary items worth their surcharge in a dining venue calling itself “specialty.” 

[Georgia_Peaches]

52 minutes ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

Thank you! I had been looking forward to sharing my experiences on my birthday cruise to Bermuda in July, but I'm afraid to now because if I actually have a great experience (as I'm expecting to - yes, I'm an optimist, but that's who I've always been) I'm afraid it will be discarded as being a "groupie". Can you even be a "groupie" if it's only your second cruise with a line?

I hope you'll do a live review!  Bermuda is on my bucket list.

[stringbean10]

8 minutes ago, jean87510 said:

This was made 1 month ago on the Equinox.  Compare it to the view made recently.

 

I have 2 upcoming cruises booked.  We go on cruises for the ports.  We just recently sailed in a suite for the 1st time on RCCL.  We usually have balconies and insides.  We never go to the pool.  We don't like the shows.  We don't do trivia.  We go to the gym, sit in the shade with headphones, nap when a sea day.  We go to bed early as we are exhausted from the ports.  We only ask our room steward for extra pillows at the beginning of the cruise.  We like the buffet as we hate MDR experience.  When I watched the prior video and saw what was going on on the Apex, I was surprised and thought it looked like my hospital cafeteria rather than a cruise I had just paid $5000 plus dollars for. and another I have spent $9000 plus dollars for.   It is just shocking to see that display.  My husband commented his work cafeteria has better selections then that and they pay for it and probably a lot less than we do with a 9 day and an 11 day cruise.  So I will probably head back to Royal and land vacations because it is cheaper. I can go to less expensive venues or cook if I stay at an air BNB and I can wear my shorts and t shirt when I eat my dinner and not have to worry about my Chic dress code while eating cafeteria food.  The other issue I have is we pack lightly especially in the Caribbean as we have one checked suitcase for the husband's free diving fins plus all our other snorkeling needs.  We do not want to have to pack MDR clothes as we like to wear our gym clothing day and night as we are on vacation.

Yes, it sounds like you would be happier with a dive intensive land vacation.   You would get more time diving and spend more time in the area. 

[NutsAboutGolf]

31 minutes ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

I have to be thorough with you because you are so damn demanding. Now that you have eased up a bit, got nothin' for ya.

 

Damn demanding?  I've been called far worse...What's the point of sharing you provided negative feedback but won't share what it is...

[Guest TopoChico]

17 minutes ago, jean87510 said:

This was made 1 month ago on the Equinox.  Compare it to the view made recently.

 

I have 2 upcoming cruises booked.  We go on cruises for the ports.  We just recently sailed in a suite for the 1st time on RCCL.  We usually have balconies and insides.  We never go to the pool.  We don't like the shows.  We don't do trivia.  We go to the gym, sit in the shade with headphones, nap when a sea day.  We go to bed early as we are exhausted from the ports.  We only ask our room steward for extra pillows at the beginning of the cruise.  We like the buffet as we hate MDR experience.  When I watched the prior video and saw what was going on on the Apex, I was surprised and thought it looked like my hospital cafeteria rather than a cruise I had just paid $5000 plus dollars for. and another I have spent $9000 plus dollars for.   It is just shocking to see that display.  My husband commented his work cafeteria has better selections then that and they pay for it and probably a lot less than we do with a 9 day and an 11 day cruise.  So I will probably head back to Royal and land vacations because it is cheaper. I can go to less expensive venues or cook if I stay at an air BNB and I can wear my shorts and t shirt when I eat my dinner and not have to worry about my Chic dress code while eating cafeteria food.  The other issue I have is we pack lightly especially in the Caribbean as we have one checked suitcase for the husband's free diving fins plus all our other snorkeling needs.  We do not want to have to pack MDR clothes as we like to wear our gym clothing day and night as we are on vacation.

That video was extremely sad. That’s what we and many others looked forward to.  We also don’t do the shows or the trivia or any of the activities. We go for the ports and the food. 
I believe this is a giant misstep that they will be quickly correcting.  We were on Royal in April and it was almost as bad.
 

 

[MarkWiltonM]

20 hours ago, 81Zoomie said:

The food options look less appetizing and less healthy than a college cafeteria.  

 

The food choices really do look appalling in the Oceanview. They should at least add back items that hold up well in a steam table, like the curries and stews. Those "dinner entrees" looked so dry I'd be afraid I'd choke on them. And how about a sandwich so we don't have to pay $11 for a couple of club sandwiches delivered to our room? We have 3 Oceania cruises and 3 Celebrity cruises scheduled currently. Oceania has fantastic 24-hour room service at no charge to any class of guest and you can even order from the main dining room menu during lunch/dinner hours. Guest which cruises we'll be canceling? 

Edited January 16, 2023 by MarkWiltonM

[stringbean10]

2 minutes ago, TopoChico said:

That video was extremely sad. That’s what we and many others looked forward to.  We also don’t do the shows or the trivia or any of the activities. We go for the ports and the food. 
I believe this is a giant misstep that they will be quickly correcting.  We were on Royal in April and it was almost as bad.
 

 

 

[stringbean10]

“The food is terrible—and such small portions!”

 

The buffet looks the same to me except for quantity. 

[Guest TopoChico]

14 minutes ago, stringbean10 said:

Yes, it sounds like you would be happier with a dive intensive land vacation.   You would get more time diving and spend more time in the area. 

Jean, you just got kicked off the ship 😂

[MarkWiltonM]

The Oceanview Cafe looks so bad it would be hard to imagine Celebrity isn't on the verge of bankruptcy. Nice look, Celebrity!

[Honolulu Blue]

1 hour ago, stringbean10 said:

What constitutes the definition of a "full dinner buffet"?  

 

50 minutes ago, Honolulu Blue said:

My definition is one of the buffets that virtually all Celebrity ships had before January 1, 2023.

 

40 minutes ago, stringbean10 said:

I bet Celebrity's legal team disagrees  - I bet the current offerings are vastly different then when I first sailed Celebrity in the 90s.  Should I be up in arms and demanding OBC because it is different now?  Things change - some for the better some for the worse.  Would you rather sail on Celebrity's oldest ship with a December 15th buffet or a brand new ship with a reduced buffet?  There isn't infinite money - they have to make choices.  The nice thing is - you get to make those choices too! 

Perhaps I should have narrowed the range to between 2017 (my first Celebrity cruise) and 2022.

 

I'm fully aware that things change over time.  One of the frustrating things about this change (to me) is that it changed SO much, SO quickly, with SO LITTLE official notice.  But of course I'm not demanding OBC over this.  It does affect (somewhat) the choices I make about what cruise lines I sail on.  If I were looking for cruises to sail on, I would be looking a little less hard at Celebrity, and a little harder at... everyone else.  This is my choice, which may or may not be suitable for everyone else.

 

P.S.  Funny thing about the oldest ship... my last cruise with Celebrity was on their oldest current ship (the Millennium) in November.  I liked the buffet then and said so.  I also liked the rest of the ship and its crew.  I haven't had a chance to sail on any of Celebrity newer ships - and with their current pricing and current state of their buffet, probably never will.  Unless it's one that one of my charters chooses.

[Guest TopoChico]

7 minutes ago, stringbean10 said:

“The food is terrible—and such small portions!”

 

The buffet looks the same to me except for quantity. 

In your first post on this thread, you proclaimed 

Buffets in general are disgusting

I wouldn’t expect you would see a difference. Nor do I understand why you really care to comment about them any further at this point. 

[NutsAboutGolf]

10 minutes ago, MarkWiltonM said:

The Oceanview Cafe looks so bad it would be hard to imagine Celebrity isn't on the verge of bankruptcy. Nice look, Celebrity!

 

In X's defense, the food in the MDR or even Blu doesn't look much better...lol

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, stringbean10 said:

What constitutes the definition of a "full dinner buffet"?  

At the very least, it would include a carving station with some form of roasted meat. It would also include a made-to-order grill with burgers, steaks, fish, chicken, etc.

[stringbean10]

11 minutes ago, TopoChico said:

In your first post on this thread, you proclaimed 

Buffets in general are disgusting

I wouldn’t expect you would see a difference. Nor do I understand why you really care to comment about them any further at this point. 

Yes I did.  "Buffets in general are disgusting" I proclaimed for all the land to hear! 🤣.

 

And you are right, I think I'll leave all the handwringing over a lack of hotdogs alone.  Y'all have fun!

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

2 minutes ago, RichYak said:

At the very least, it would include a carving station with some form of roasted meat. It would also include a made-to-order grill with burgers, steaks, fish, chicken, etc.

Completely agree!  I would also expect a soup and salad station, and something ethnic...maybe change it from night to night.  Having said that, I have often wondered about the amount of food waste generated by buffets...it's got to be difficult to gauge how much to prepare for each dinner service.  Food waste hurts the bottom line.  Somehow, Celebrity may need to cut the fat up top and hire someone to figure out a formula that works...because the current buffet situation isn't going to work...

[MamaFej]

2 hours ago, terrydtx said:

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

On that platform we can't name, of which I am a member there are over 40,000 members and many many upset Celebrity customers expressing similar concerns as here. There is also a Retreat only group and they are not happy with the Luminae menu changes like beef tenderloin being changed to broiled sirloin and no lobster surf and turf, it is now scallops and pork belly. Blu is also getting a lot of attention over the decline in menu offerings and quality.

 

I agree. I was responding to your earlier post where you said: "I think the bean counters at Celebrity were hoping to make these changes under the radar. If not for CC they would have succeeded".  I can't seem to get the multi quote function to work. 

 

The choices that Celebrity is making are being discussed far and wide, not just on here. I was merely trying to add that to the discussion. 

 

It seems that you have seen the discussions, too. That did not seem clear to me from the post I originally quoted. I wasn't trying to call you out.

[stringbean10]

12 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Completely agree!  I would also expect a soup and salad station, and something ethnic...maybe change it from night to night.  Having said that, I have often wondered about the amount of food waste generated by buffets...it's got to be difficult to gauge how much to prepare for each dinner service.  Food waste hurts the bottom line.  Somehow, Celebrity may need to cut the fat up top and hire someone to figure out a formula that works...because the current buffet situation isn't going to work...

Maybe I'm missing it - but the 'reduced' buffet did have 2 soups.  A turkey carving station - something 'ethnic' - the chop suey, a salad bar and a dessert station. 

[Cap_D]

10 minutes ago, RichYak said:

At the very least, it would include a carving station with some form of roasted meat. It would also include a made-to-order grill with burgers, steaks, fish, chicken, etc.

Agree, plus some consistency would be helpful.  However, Celebrity has likely determined that a grill to order setup exposes the lack of quality and freshness in the MDRs or even the so called specialities.   That's also what Rooftop Grill kind of was when it was open and before its menu shrank.   

 

Can one order dinner room service to the OVC or another location, and are the options of decent quality and cooked to order?  What kitchen and refrigerator drawer is used for those items?

 

Bottom line:  a cruise vacation shouldn't require this much gamesmanship or tradeoffs before or during a trip. 

[flviking]

5 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Hmmm.  Entertainment...

 

If you want world class entertainment, go to Las Vegas.

 

Cruise ship entertainment is B grade entertainment.  Still entertaining but lacks the WOW factor.

 

I would rather that X cuts the entertainment budget than the food budget.

 

I would pay extra for a headliner for entertainment if X brought one in.

Agree.  A real buffet can be found at Bellagio. And $100+ tickets to see Cirque.  Awesomeness.  But for us the flights, hotels, meals and shows can easily be double the price of a balcony.  Get less, pay less.  But those strip hotel rates have gone through the roof as well.

[Harrylinden]

Can't be any worse than having bologna and cheap lunchmeat in the OVC for lunch instead of the good lunchmeat they used to have like turkey!! Who put's bologna on a buffet (Everyday)! I thought Celebrity was a Luxury cruise line? They sure do advertise as a luxary cruiseline. For a minute I thought I was on a budget cruiseline. In my opinion the food quality has gone way down since we cruised last December 2022! We pay high prices for our cabins and get low budget food quality for a luxury cruise line! JMO

Edited January 16, 2023 by Harrylinden