Awful State of Ocean View Cafe for dinner

[Guest TopoChico]

16 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.

When you have itinerary stops, EAT LUNCH! We NEVER felt the need to eat lunch while off the ship. Why? Because there was a gorgeous dinner waiting for us to enjoy.  Celebrity said, Not this time, Chief. 

[Cap_D]

Reminder:  Even for suites Luminae is barely open for lunch, as it is closed on port days.  And, on E-Class, the Eden Cafe is open for lunch 1-2 times per sailing, each for an hour or so.  On some Apex Caribbean 7-day itineraries it's only open once for lunch.  

[59impala]

16 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

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

Peasants like moi also. 
Dang, and here I was thinking I was a Celebrity!    Looks like they sold me a lemon. 
Still, a dumb move to peeve off the masses. 

 

[Guest TopoChico]

20 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

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

That’s what the Patricians want you to think. But sometimes, they go slumming and walk amongst the serfs to grab a plate of gruel. 

Edited January 17, 2023 by TopoChico

[NutsAboutGolf]

12 minutes ago, Cap_D said:

Reminder:  Even for suites Luminae is barely open for lunch, as it is closed on port days.  And, on E-Class, the Eden Cafe is open for lunch 1-2 times per sailing, each for an hour or so.  On some Apex Caribbean 7-day itineraries it's only open once for lunch.  

 

MDR/Blu/Luminae are only open for 90mins for breakfast and lunch (Blu is always closed for lunch); on the day of embarkation, Luminae is open for lunch for a little bit longer

 

Was on the Edge in 2021, the crew Eden Cafe said they were only open on sea days

Edited January 17, 2023 by NutsAboutGolf

[bonagrad]

34 minutes ago, Cap_D said:

No one goes on vacation to eat this:

 

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

Duke, the new executive chef, wants to change your mind on that🤣

[weregoingcruising]

2 hours ago, bonagrad said:

Ah, but the key is, there are not other included dining options at night.  OVC and MDR are it.  Everything else is an additional cost, including room service.  Mast Grill and Spa Cafe are closed.  Compare that to other lines, almost everyone else has 2-3 casual options, or more, that are included at night.

Time to go on other lines.

[bonagrad]

2 minutes ago, weregoingcruising said:

Time to go on other lines.

Yep, already looking at others for 2024.

[kirtihk]

2 hours ago, bonagrad said:

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

And I don’t need anything else…

[weregoingcruising]

5 minutes ago, bonagrad said:

Yep, already looking at others for 2024.

We will miss your comments on this board. Or maybe you will still be here.

[bonagrad]

Just now, weregoingcruising said:

We will miss your comments on this board. Or maybe you will still be here.

I won't go anywhere!  I've enjoyed CC for 18 years!  And who knows, maybe things take a turn for the better.

[Cap_D]

11 minutes ago, bonagrad said:

Yep, already looking at others for 2024.

Please let us know what you find, and if you find a way to avoid falling into a similar situation of abject disregard for meeting reasonable expectations and decent food.  Considering Celebrity has very little else going for it to make it unique relative to other nice environments for vacations at about the same price (or with a supplement for inflation), we thought that the food would be sacrosanct.  Obviously not.  Very concerned for an April cruise, which we would have not committed to on January 1 had we known the food program would be flatlined.  

Edited January 17, 2023 by Cap_D

[C-Dragons]

4 hours ago, davekathy said:

4 hours ago, davekathy said:

 

But either way, hopefully the squeaky wheel gets the grease and not thrown out. 

Would that be lard or chicken fat? 😉

[bonagrad]

Just now, Cap_D said:

Please let us know what you find, and if you find a way to avoid falling into a similar situation of abject disregard for meeting reasonable expectations and decent food.  Considering Celebrity has very little else going for it to make it unique relative to other nice environments for vacations, we thought that the food would be sacrosanct.  Obviously not.  Very concerned for an April cruise, which we would have not committed to on January 1 had we known the food program would be flatlined.  

I've been taking a deep dive into VV and the more I see, the more I'm intrigued.  We've been wanting to make a return to HAL.  In fact we've had the same itinerary booked 3 times that we've ended up cancelling.  We've started doing side-by-sides, because it saves us on air and gives us a longer break from the cold and from work.

[mpdog42]

10 hours ago, southernbreezes said:

I looked at Oceania also, but no way. Just compare any of there ships to say the Edge. The Edge has so much more to offer...just the pool deck on the Oceania turns me off plus Edge has more dining options, bar options, the ships are just to small to offer what Celebrity offers in a ship. Food sorry but our food on all our Celebrity ships have been excellent as well as service in our Suites. Our April cruise is on Apex 15 nights and yes the Celebrity Suite we booked was expensive but life is short. Cut backs who really eats dinner in the Ocean View Cafe it is empty at dinner. Who needs a second lobster tail. Room service we stay in suites only order coffee in the morning its free but I would gladly pay a service charge to wake up to my fresh coffee. Our hotel in Venice 2 cups of coffee from room service was 35 euros I walked to the lobby and got ours.

And that's a word from out Sponsor....Celebrity Cruise Lines and their wonderful Marking Department

Lets give them a hand!!!!

[Cap_D]

1 minute ago, bonagrad said:

I've been taking a deep dive into VV and the more I see, the more I'm intrigued.  We've been wanting to make a return to HAL.  In fact we've had the same itinerary booked 3 times that we've ended up cancelling.  We've started doing side-by-sides, because it saves us on air and gives us a longer break from the cold and from work.

Having studied VV pre-January 1, this does seem to be the time to give them a try while it lasts.  When Virgin America started up in the U.S. it was fantastic.  Fun environment,  snacks that were more than peanuts and pretzels (this was before Biscoffs were everywhere), in-seat orders, live TV, etc.  They invested a lot in the experience.  Seeing a lot of parallels in how VV was rolled out.  The VV eateries, availability, and menu options are multiples of what Celebrity has (or was addressed by a bountiful OVC).  Hopefully its sustainable.

[bonagrad]

8 minutes ago, Cap_D said:

Having studied VV pre-January 1, this does seem to be the time to give them a try while it lasts.  When Virgin America started up in the U.S. it was fantastic.  Fun environment,  snacks that were more than peanuts and pretzels (this was before Biscoffs were everywhere), in-seat orders, live TV, etc.  They invested a lot in the experience.  Seeing a lot of parallels in how VV was rolled out.  The VV eateries, availability, and menu options are multiples of what Celebrity has (or was addressed by a bountiful OVC).  Hopefully its sustainable.

And from what I've heard, people rave about how good the food is, because it's all made to order.

Edited January 17, 2023 by bonagrad

[kitty9]

We were loyal Celebrity cruisers with 34 cruises.  We wanted to try different lines, being the foodies we are, and went to Princess, HAL, and Oceania.  We fell in love with O because we felt they had the best food at sea. But no more. We just came back from a 22 day B2B and discovered how the cutbacks have negatively affected their food.  Like someone upthread said, the buffet was worse that what you find at Golden Corral, and that’s what we see on Oceania.  It was so disappointing that we thought about going back to X, but after reading this thread, it appears that our two favorite lines have been chewed up by the bean counters.  And I’m afraid this is just the beginning. NCL announced increased gratuities and have cut  the twice a day cabin cleaning to once.  Bet this will happen on other lines. 

[mpdog42]

6 hours ago, TopoChico said:

Honestly, that’s just a classless perspective. A $24,000 cabin doesn’t come with class.  You have to bring it with you. 

Bamm......Mic Drop times 1000000000000000+

[Guest TopoChico]

5 minutes ago, bonagrad said:

And from what I've heard people rave about how good the food is, because it's all made to order.

If the goal is an easy vacation with good food and nice adventures, land vacations are an option. 

 

2 minutes ago, kitty9 said:

We were loyal Celebrity cruisers with 34 cruises.  We wanted to try different lines, being the foodies we are, and went to Princess, HAL, and Oceania.  We fell in love with O because we felt they had the best food at sea. But no more. We just came back from a 22 day B2B and discovered how the cutbacks have negatively affected their food.  Like someone upthread said, the buffet was worse that what you find at Golden Corral, and that’s what we see on Oceania.  It was so disappointing that we thought about going back to X, but after reading this thread, it appears that our two favorite lines have been chewed up by the bean counters.  And I’m afraid this is just the beginning. NCL announced increased gratuities and have cut  the twice a day cabin cleaning to once.  Bet this will happen on other lines. 

People asked us why we cruised. I always said how nice it was to visit an island and know that after coming back to the ship, we knew an awesome meal was prepared for us to enjoy.  
When the awesome food is removed, what’s the point? 

[bonagrad]

1 minute ago, TopoChico said:

If the goal is an easy vacation with good food and nice adventures, land vacations are an option. 

 

People asked us why we cruised. I always said how nice it was to visit an island and know that after coming back to the ship, we knew an awesome meal was prepared for us to enjoy.  
When the awesome food is removed, what’s the point? 

Honestly, we tried all-inclusives and didn't like them.  There is still something about getting onboard, unpacking, and then not having anything to worry about.  If you go to a random city, you have to navigate around the city, find places to eat, etc.  Honestly, it's simply more work when we really just want to veg out!

[Cruzinforpeace***]

2 hours 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’s like a death.  So sad to see cruising become like a ferry service.

[NMTraveller]

1 hour ago, C-Dragons said:

Would that be lard or chicken fat? 😉

Perhaps Tilapia.

[davekathy]

1 hour ago, C-Dragons said:

Would that be lard or chicken fat? 😉

My choice would be bacon grease. 🙂

[talljules1]

7 hours ago, TopoChico said:

I certainly hope someone with your high standing in ship society gets first crack at the nicer lifeboats! The aristocracy shouldn’t have to mingle with the rubes. 

Cashmere life jackets in the retreat, dontchknow?