Awful State of Ocean View Cafe for dinner

[LGW59]

1 minute ago, bonagrad said:

Not my jam at all!  I don't like seafood at all!

Can I have your free imitation lobster tail

[bonagrad]

1 minute ago, LGW59 said:

Can I have your free imitation lobster tail

You'll have to fight my DW for that!

[LGW59]

1 minute ago, bonagrad said:

You'll have to fight my DW for that!

I don't like to fight, I'll take your DW to the buffet and treat her to a bologna sandwich

[stringbean10]

1 hour ago, 59impala said:

The shareholders may not care about their customers vacation, but they may care when they have NO customers at all. No customers mean bankruptcy. 

 

The customer decides where their hard earned dollars are spent and there are many vacation choices out there. It is very hard to win back a loyal customer once they have left. 
Yes, inflation is high and food prices are "up there," but surely Celebrities pricing has reflected these increased costs?

I actually think the OVC should be revamped, maybe with cooked to order proteins to avoid wastage but leave plenty of salads. 
The main thing I learned in business is never piss off your customers. You will suffer. 

it seems even those in Suites are noticing cut backs! Talk about Celebrity biting  the hand that feeds them!

I agree with your ideas regarding revamping the OVC. 

 

No, I do not think their current pricing reflects 30 BILLION in debt at 11%.  

 

[cruising sister]

Wow is all I can say. There is so much defensiveness protecting Celebrities poor OVC. I sailed on the Infinity in June and the Edge in December and they were both not good. The Edge was particularly bad. My favorite memory from my 30 days on the Eclipse in 2019 was the great OVC where the head chef was present and was checking on the quality.  For the first time in my 30 years of cruising I ate breakfast in the MDR, burgers or hot dogs for lunch and ate in specialty restaurants for dinner. Luckily the Edge was only half full and we could get reservations.  
 

It is ok to say quality has changed and we are not happy. People are acting like it is one of their children we are complaining about. There is room for improvement and without feedback it will not happen. 

[weregoingcruising]

17 hours ago, Cap_D said:

At this rate, how much longer until Celebrity is serving leftovers from the crew mess?  They really have an awful PR department and are doing all the TAs that have been promoting Celebrity on YouTube no favors. There will be videos of dancing Captains, and happy faces on TA live chats, a possible deletion of negative comments by some, and other attempts to put lip stick on the pig, but these cuts are drastic and as stated  worse than the Golden Corral.  That applies to the MSRs, and maybe Blu and Luminae too. 

 

What's left after these cuts to make a compelling case for Celebrity?  Monin syrups at the bars, lemon squares, a friendly crew, cleanliness, a free bag of laundry for repeat customers?  Surely it's not OBC offers, which is seemingly a dodge to make passengers responsible and at fault when they choose poorly for dinner ("darn, has I just gone to xyz"), a way to spur DIY entertainment ( e.g., can always sit in the casino if they cut the one guitar player and sell off the headphones for silent disco, and use up the OBC), or buy used luggage.

 

The charade of Celebrity's design and service based experience is up.  A few bartenders and a captain making martinis and dancing on the bar like they are at Coyote Ugly or in Cocktail doesn't make a vacation or make up for fish sticks, pork belly or bologna bars. 

 

At the least, Royal must have master purchase agreements with suppliers, and so on, like major restaurant chains. And, most of what is being reported is well beyond anything like a slight cutback and, the cost savings can't make much of a difference so bad as to necessitate bologna. 

 

People don't suddenly want crap now anymore than they would have when the new ships, kitchens, menus, staffing, etc were designed in 2017 and 2018.  Even on Margaritaville Cruises with reports of mold and many issues, they get marks for a burger, as does CCL.  Even Royal has its  chicken shack on Coco Cay, and onboard options, which while not immune leave more room for their downward spiral or to spread out costs). 

 

What will Celebrity be  known for in the coming weeks and months?  

 

Meanwhile, the ships and model were designed poorly if they can't support the slightest changes in food costs, available labor or dining preferences.  It's as if Celebrity has just given up despite having low staffing costs, the potential for modern kitchens (seems like they messed up here, and built spaces and prep methods that are only able to handle banquet dining) and other factors in their favor.  

 

Sadly, it doesn't even seem one can buy into a quality meal at the specialty dining options.  Post cutbacks it appears the quality and options doesn't even approximate anything from a comparable themed restaurant on land.  All the cash or (fake) OBC in the world may not be able to get one a meal as good as a land steakhouse, BBQ restaurant, Italian (red sauce or otherwise), or Asian restaurant with sushi.

 

Imagine paying 25k+ for an upper suite for 7 nights in the Caribbean on an E class ship and being told the option tonight is pork belly, an oddly cut fake NY strip, or top sirloin?   Is there at least a secret stash of prime cut meat in cryovac and someone that knows how to prepare it without a sauce intended to mask the quality of the food served to anyone else?  And, it doesn't seem like the Fine Cut place comes close. 

Good reason not to book a suite.

[bonagrad]

13 minutes ago, stringbean10 said:

I agree with your ideas regarding revamping the OVC. 

 

No, I do not think their current pricing reflects 30 BILLION in debt at 11%.  

 

Where are you coming up with $30B in debt?  This article is less than a month old and states RCG as a whole is $19B in debt and that's not preventing them from ordering new ships.  The talk track doesn't line up!  https://thepointsguy.com/news/royal-caribbean-cruise-ship-order-plans-liberty/

[59impala]

7 minutes ago, stringbean10 said:

I agree with your ideas regarding revamping the OVC. 

 

No, I do not think their current pricing reflects 30 BILLION in debt at 11%.  

 

I don't think Celebrity is going to "save" it's way back to profitability by reducing the cruise experience. Reducing the cruise experience opens them up to a catastrophic failure in my opinion. 
Like most businesses post covid, they need to come up with ways to increase offerings to drive more income. Cruising is a discrecency expense for all of us and in times of high inflation, discretionary expenses are the first to go. For those that can afford to cruise, let it be Celebrity they choose. Celebrity cannot afford to make the cruise experience anything other than awesome for its customers, they want to still be there after others have failed, surely?

 

Im afraid, the shareholders may have to put their "investment certificates" away in the bottom drawer and forget about them for quite a few years. We all have those types of shares? Especially post covid. There is no quick fix unfortunately.

[stringbean10]

2 minutes ago, 59impala said:

I don't think Celebrity is going to "save" it's way back to profitability by reducing the cruise experience. Reducing the cruise experience opens them up to a catastrophic failure in my opinion. 
Like most businesses post covid, they need to come up with ways to increase offerings to drive more income. Cruising is a discrecency expense for all of us and in times of high inflation, discretionary expenses are the first to go. For those that can afford to cruise, let it be Celebrity they choose. Celebrity cannot afford to make the cruise experience anything other than awesome for its customers, they want to still be there after others have failed, surely?

 

Im afraid, the shareholders may have to put their "investment certificates" away in the bottom drawer and forget about them for quite a few years. We all have those types of shares? Especially post covid. There is no quick fix unfortunately.

Cool.

[C4HCG]

17 minutes ago, cruising sister said:

Wow is all I can say. There is so much defensiveness protecting Celebrities poor OVC. I sailed on the Infinity in June and the Edge in December and they were both not good. The Edge was particularly bad. My favorite memory from my 30 days on the Eclipse in 2019 was the great OVC where the head chef was present and was checking on the quality.  For the first time in my 30 years of cruising I ate breakfast in the MDR, burgers or hot dogs for lunch and ate in specialty restaurants for dinner. Luckily the Edge was only half full and we could get reservations.  
 

It is ok to say quality has changed and we are not happy. People are acting like it is one of their children we are complaining about. There is room for improvement and without feedback it will not happen. 

Wow is all I can say too, “people are acting like it is one of their children…….”. 🤣no they’re not, they’re offering an opinion. I take all the reviews good and bad with a pinch of salt, I will judge the OVC in September when we are on the Nox but will continue to read these threads to see what people are reporting.  

[LGW59]

22 minutes ago, cruising sister said:

Wow is all I can say. There is so much defensiveness protecting Celebrities poor OVC. I sailed on the Infinity in June and the Edge in December and they were both not good. The Edge was particularly bad. My favorite memory from my 30 days on the Eclipse in 2019 was the great OVC where the head chef was present and was checking on the quality.  For the first time in my 30 years of cruising I ate breakfast in the MDR, burgers or hot dogs for lunch and ate in specialty restaurants for dinner. Luckily the Edge was only half full and we could get reservations.  
 

It is ok to say quality has changed and we are not happy. People are acting like it is one of their children we are complaining about. There is room for improvement and without feedback it will not happen. 

Interesting, most (not all) but most of the posts I've been reading here are from folks who like you, are not pleased.  There have of course been several offering their opinions while on or having just returned from a cruise.  Seems there is room for both sides to discuss, whether one likes or agrees with a post.

[Whinenowine]

14 minutes ago, bonagrad said:

Where are you coming up with $30B in debt?  This article is less than a month old and states RCG as a whole is $19B in debt and that's not preventing them from ordering new ships.  The talk track doesn't line up!  https://thepointsguy.com/news/royal-caribbean-cruise-ship-order-plans-liberty/

According to Bloomberg (based on RCL's Q3 10Q filing) RCL had $30bn in total liabilities at 9/30/22, of which total debt was roughly $24bn (20bn long term and 4bn short term). Hope that helps clarify a little.

[Guest TopoChico]

1 hour ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

The buffet will hopefully change back partway.  It is not a crisis as there is plenty of food elsewhere.

As for losing weight?  Maybe give up lunch entirely.  Get the continental room service breakfast.  And no desert in the MDR at dinner.

I’m curious. Have you been on the Summit? Or Millennium?  There is not plenty of food elsewhere.  
 

On our second evening, after a long hot day on the beach, we decided to skip the dining room and relax on our balcony with some champagne and watch the sunset. We decided earlier in the day that we’ll go to the buffet that evening. We based this decision on the 7 previous X cruises we’d been on.
Many times on our previous cruises on the Summit, we would bring a lovely dinner from the cafe out to the Sunset Bar, with a wonderful bottle of wine, listening to whatever acoustic musicians they had playing that evening. and dine under a million stars and moonlight.  I have so many beautiful memories of doing this. So do our now-grown sons. This is what we most talked about when we gathered excitedly to plan our last big trip together for awhile.
I literally cannot recall one evening as memorable spent in the dining rooms or pretend restaurants. 

 

We went to Cellar Masters and got two fine bottles of wine.  
 

When we got to the buffet, wine bottles ready, there was nothing open.  It was 80% shut down. There were galumpki’s and some slop in a tray that appeared to be gravy on chicken. There were several Indian options. We do not enjoy Indian food.  There was a salad bar with no lettuce and no proteins to go on top, great for making yourself a side salad of tomatoes. There were no entrées to accompany it. There was plenty of Mortadella (bologna) and slimy wet cheese that had been sitting out, all day.  Some cold pizza. And a Turkey was carved- with no sides. 
 

Four of us walked, around and came back with nothing. There was literally nowhere else to get food - It was 8:00 and we were all in shorts and flip flops. 

Luckily, we had that freakishly huge balcony with a table for four and four loungers, so we ordered room service! We played Monopoly. We listed to music and we drank all that wine. Three hours later, still no food.
We were asleep when it finally came at 11:45. 

As I know I have said before on here, our sailing was a test for this new policy. Many on our sailing were talking about it, and all very confused. 

 

 Unbeknownst to us, that was the day we learned we were not going to be sailing on Celebrity again. It’s not just the closing of the buffet for dinner to some of us. It’s a nice experience we won’t get to enjoy again. 
 

[LGW59]

3 minutes ago, Whinenowine said:

According to Bloomberg (based on RCL's Q3 10Q filing) RCL had $30bn in total liabilities at 9/30/22, of which total debt was roughly $24bn (20bn long term and 4bn short term). Hope that helps clarify a little.

I hate to quibble but just for a tad more clarity, I see it as $22.9bn as of 9/30/22

[bonagrad]

2 minutes ago, Whinenowine said:

According to Bloomberg (based on RCL's Q3 10Q filing) RCL had $30bn in total liabilities at 9/30/22, of which total debt was roughly $24bn (20bn long term and 4bn short term). Hope that helps clarify a little.

So the debt picture is not as bad.  They turned a profit the end of that quarter same quarter and are continuing to invest billions in new ship across both lines.

[Shep_Proudfoot]

I often do dinner at the buffet on formal night since I hate dressing up. I don’t appreciate X forcing people to dress up just to get a dinner that isn’t the pathetic steerage chow in the video. Not that MDR food is special lately.

 

This new reality looks like a choice between garbage buffet food befitting a two star ship, getting gouged at specialty dining or room service, or dressing up to go to the MDR for food that is not even worth a change of clothes to me. 
 

In contrast, I can go to a well-regarded and included specialty restaurant on VV for similar money and there is no dress code. Looking forward to seeing if it’s all it’s cracked up to be because that is much more to my liking.

 

[Whinenowine]

10 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

I hate to quibble but just for a tad more clarity, I see it as $22.9bn as of 9/30/22

Hmmm...interesting...getting a bit geeky I went directly to the Q myself...I see Bloomberg classified LT lease liabilities of $542mm at debt (I'm not an accountant, but that sounds reasonable to me). But ignorning that would still only get me down to $23.4bn.   Any way you slice it, though, it's a boatload more than the $11.5-12bn at FYE19 (pun intended).  😇

[bonagrad]

7 minutes ago, Whinenowine said:

Hmmm...interesting...getting a bit geeky I went directly to the Q myself...I see Bloomberg classified LT lease liabilities of $542mm at debt (I'm not an accountant, but that sounds reasonable to me). But ignorning that would still only get me down to $23.4bn.   Any way you slice it, though, it's a boatload more than the $11.5-12bn at FYE19 (pun intended).  😇

But still better than $30B.

[Cruisin4beaches]

3 hours ago, ldubs said:

If I stockpile food from lunch buffet and the Mast Grill, I wonder if someone would heat it for me later that evening?  

That's what the hair dryer is for. Don't laugh I've warmed up lots of food with it. Pizza comes out pretty good just heat the cheese side(the fat in the cheese gets it hot enough to warm the crust).

[Cap_D]

Must read for anyone coming to the thread late (emphasis mine):

32 minutes ago, TopoChico said:

I’m curious. Have you been on the Summit? Or Millennium?  There is not plenty of food elsewhere.  
 

On our second evening, after a long hot day on the beach, we decided to skip the dining room and relax on our balcony with some champagne and watch the sunset. We decided earlier in the day that we’ll go to the buffet that evening. We based this decision on the 7 previous X cruises we’d been on.
Many times on our previous cruises on the Summit, we would bring a lovely dinner from the cafe out to the Sunset Bar, with a wonderful bottle of wine, listening to whatever acoustic musicians they had playing that evening. and dine under a million stars and moonlight.  I have so many beautiful memories of doing this. So do our now-grown sons. This is what we most talked about when we gathered excitedly to plan our last big trip together for awhile.
I literally cannot recall one evening as memorable spent in the dining rooms or pretend restaurants. 

 

We went to Cellar Masters and got two fine bottles of wine.  
 

When we got to the buffet, wine bottles ready, there was nothing open.  It was 80% shut down. There were galumpki’s and some slop in a tray that appeared to be gravy on chicken. There were several Indian options. We do not enjoy Indian food.  There was a salad bar with no lettuce and no proteins to go on top, great for making yourself a side salad of tomatoes. There were no entrées to accompany it. There was plenty of Mortadella (bologna) and slimy wet cheese that had been sitting out, all day.  Some cold pizza. And a Turkey was carved- with no sides. 
 

Four of us walked, around and came back with nothing. There was literally nowhere else to get food - It was 8:00 and we were all in shorts and flip flops. 

Luckily, we had that freakishly huge balcony with a table for four and four loungers, so we ordered room service! We played Monopoly. We listed to music and we drank all that wine. Three hours later, still no food.
We were asleep when it finally came at 11:45. 

As I know I have said before on here, our sailing was a test for this new policy. Many on our sailing were talking about it, and all very confused. 

 

 Unbeknownst to us, that was the day we learned we were not going to be sailing on Celebrity again. It’s not just the closing of the buffet for dinner to some of us. It’s a nice experience we won’t get to enjoy again. 
 

 

 

 

[59impala]

30 minutes ago, TopoChico said:

I’m curious. Have you been on the Summit? Or Millennium?  There is not plenty of food elsewhere.  
 

On our second evening, after a long hot day on the beach, we decided to skip the dining room and relax on our balcony with some champagne and watch the sunset. We decided earlier in the day that we’ll go to the buffet that evening. We based this decision on the 7 previous X cruises we’d been on.
Many times on our previous cruises on the Summit, we would bring a lovely dinner from the cafe out to the Sunset Bar, with a wonderful bottle of wine, listening to whatever acoustic musicians they had playing that evening. and dine under a million stars and moonlight.  I have so many beautiful memories of doing this. So do our now-grown sons. This is what we most talked about when we gathered excitedly to plan our last big trip together for awhile.
I literally cannot recall one evening as memorable spent in the dining rooms or pretend restaurants. 

 

We went to Cellar Masters and got two fine bottles of wine.  
 

When we got to the buffet, wine bottles ready, there was nothing open.  It was 80% shut down. There were galumpki’s and some slop in a tray that appeared to be gravy on chicken. There were several Indian options. We do not enjoy Indian food.  There was a salad bar with no lettuce and no proteins to go on top, great for making yourself a side salad of tomatoes. There were no entrées to accompany it. There was plenty of Mortadella (bologna) and slimy wet cheese that had been sitting out, all day.  Some cold pizza. And a Turkey was carved- with no sides. 
 

Four of us walked, around and came back with nothing. There was literally nowhere else to get food - It was 8:00 and we were all in shorts and flip flops. 

Luckily, we had that freakishly huge balcony with a table for four and four loungers, so we ordered room service! We played Monopoly. We listed to music and we drank all that wine. Three hours later, still no food.
We were asleep when it finally came at 11:45. 

As I know I have said before on here, our sailing was a test for this new policy. Many on our sailing were talking about it, and all very confused. 

 

 Unbeknownst to us, that was the day we learned we were not going to be sailing on Celebrity again. It’s not just the closing of the buffet for dinner to some of us. It’s a nice experience we won’t get to enjoy again. 
 

It is unbelievable that Celebrity can be happy about losing customers for the sake of good food. This should be a time of investing in their brand, making it shine, be the brand customers rave about, sail with full ships and make your money that way.

Not cut the heart out of it so everyone talks about how lousy it was. Soon they will be sailing with empty ships and NO income at all.

[Cruisin4beaches]

You guys are making me scared. I have Reflection this Sunday. Was on Equinox and Milly in November and December 2021 O.V. was awesome. Think I'll stash some food from the lunch buffet for late nite snacks. Hope I get a good fridge.

[Cap_D]

No one goes on vacation to eat this:

 

https://gfsstore.com/?ps=beans&dept=Pantry

[Guest TopoChico]

6 minutes ago, Cruisin4beaches said:

You guys are making me scared. I have Reflection this Sunday. Was on Equinox and Milly in November and December 2021 O.V. was awesome. Think I'll stash some food from the lunch buffet for late nite snacks. Hope I get a good fridge.

THAT is exactly what I did 😂 Unfortunately, our fridge was a breeding ground for bacteria as it is only to keep beverages mildly cool. We went back EARLY one day, on an island stop we don’t care for - looking at you St Lucia - to hit the lunch buffet.  It too was a mere shadow of its former self. All I wanted was a Caesar salad with grilled chicken.  No. Grilled. Chicken.  When I asked for it, they told me I could order it from the room service menu as yogurt chicken skewers. 

Edited January 17, 2023 by TopoChico

[NutsAboutGolf]

14 minutes ago, 59impala said:

It is unbelievable that Celebrity can be happy about losing customers for the sake of good food. This should be a time of investing in their brand, making it shine, be the brand customers rave about, sail with full ships and make your money that way.

Not cut the heart out of it so everyone talks about how lousy it was. Soon they will be sailing with empty ships and NO income at all.

 

The main issue is this doesn't affect people who stay in suites and are often fully booked; it would seem X wants to cut back products and services for the non-suite peasants like me