Awful State of Ocean View Cafe for dinner

[bonagrad]

26 minutes ago, AnnaNicole said:

I would argue there are some very astute cruisers who are quite likely decision-makers in their professional job.    So, who is to say Joe-from-Schenectady is not Joe-CFO-Fortune500?   

 

Not all management teams are good and/or effective.  There are corporate turn around specialists for a reason.

 

 

Not a CFO, but I myself make global buying decisions  for the biggest player in my industry, so I'm well aware of the pressures to cut cost.  However I also have to balance the needs of our teams and make a case for why we may need to spend more in certain cases.

Edited January 19, 2023 by bonagrad

[AnnaNicole]

18 minutes ago, bonagrad said:

Not a CFO, but I myself make global buying decisions a for the biggest player in my industry, so I'm well aware of the pressures to cut cost.  However I also have to balance the needs of our teams and make a case for why we may need to spend more in certain cases.

Exactly.   

 

Roger Smith and GM is a good read for anyone interested in the perils of drastic cost cutting.  

Edited January 19, 2023 by AnnaNicole

[Alex618]

On 1/15/2023 at 5:09 PM, Arubamoose said:

This needs to be upfront and out there in a heading of it's own.  I grabbed it from another posting where it was buried.

 

Below is a link to video posted on YouTube from Apex with a detailed walk through of the Oceanview Cafe dinner cutbacks from the Traveling Gamblers who were on a B2B (December and January 2023, and know their OVC offerings):

 

 

 

Very, very sad.  I know that they are trying to save their $$$ but this is just pathetic.

 

I hope that the bean counters at corporate are aware of this bad publicity.  

 

 

WOW not good! And 

[bonagrad]

5 minutes ago, AnnaNicole said:

Yes,  I do.  

 

You may be very surprised at some of your fellow poster's day jobs.

Multi tasking!  I'm doing about 10 things at any one time.  Sometimes you need a few minutes away to stay sane!

[Debbra1024]

I have watched this topic closely. Initially I was very concerned, enough to email and speak with Celebrity. Yes they gave a company line including how many changes were suggestions from customers. When I stopped literally laughing, I made suggestions about transparency that may or may not have fallen on deaf ears. On the positive side, she was responsive and polite. 
I pondered longer and watched these threads become more negative and attack those with differing opinions. Not cool. Let me add a few of my insights and some from others more learned:

I was fortunate to take a Viking river cruise (yes, it is a smaller ship, yes it is on smaller bodies of water, yes smaller capacity, yes still relevant).  There was not an evening buffet. No one went hungry. There was not a ton of grumbling. After long port days would it have been nice to have a relaxed, shorts option, sure, but not a deal breaker. Speaking with a TA who only does Royal and Celebrity cruise’s herself, she was excited by the changes. Not what I expected. Her rationale:

1. Told a story of cruisers taking bags to the buffet and clearing out all the boxes of cereal and fruit. Their reasoning, they paid for a cruise that included food so they were entitled to take it all home

2. Shared watching people overload 4+ plates at the buffet and end up throwing away tons of food. 
3. As an insider, has seen the massive waste at the end of the night due to lower turn out at the buffet than expected. 
Food costs are high; socially responsible thinking regarding food waste is on the increase, thankfully; Covid caused changes in the way the world operates. 
Should Celebrity have been more transparent, of course. Should food quality be important, yes. Maybe by cutting waste they can focus on quality. Will Celebrity do some course corrections over time, we can hope. 
Overall, hoping for the best on my February 3rd cruise. I’m choosing to focus on the positives while being aware of the changes. Reality is perception, find a way to accept what you can’t change, make changes in future decisions if unhappy, find the positives in what you have. 
have a wonderful day 

[ALLIN333]

Can anyone who’s been on/is on a cruise in the new year comment on if there’s been any changes to the buffet for breakfast/lunch? Any changes to Cafe el Baccio? Are they still keeping pizza or anything else open late in the buffet? Thanks!

[Pinboy]

3 minutes ago, AnnaNicole said:

Yes,  I do.  

 

You may be very surprised at some of your fellow posters day jobs.

" Surprised " ??? About what ?? Why would I be surprised at what a poster on CC's job is? I don't know anyone personally.

I respect everyone, no matter what their job is.

LOL--- When I'm hungry, being "friends" with the man making my hot smoked meat sandwich ( etc ) is more important to me than the CEO of XYZ  Company sitting at the table beside me.

But , I don't believe for one minute that a CEO, CFO or any other top 500 Fortune Company or any high level Executive in any Company has time for posting on CC during working hours about Gratuities, Buffets, Lounge Hogs, or Who the hell the Captain is on our cruise in 2025.

 

 

 

[Accessor]

4 minutes ago, Debbra1024 said:

Food costs are high; socially responsible thinking regarding food waste is on the increase, thankfully; Covid caused changes in the way the world operates. 
 

Great, then turn the OVC into a cook to order food court at night. The waste is greatly reduced. Virgin doesn't have a buffet and it's awesome. Some grab and go products like bento boxes, cheese and humus can save room service labor too. Virgin packages these in reusable plastic boxes that are not single use. Celebrity needs to go on a Virgin cruise to see how to manage food waste...and the food quality is vastly superior too! 

[shopping is fun]

Has anyone attempted to cancel beyond final payment and have Celebrity waive the penalties? Seems like we purchased a product that is no longer offered. These OVC changes, coupled with no longer being able to get the basic soda package, are quite disturbing for those of us who prefer casual food and drink options!  

[Spif Barwunkel]

I am going to go the other way with this topic. Rather than looking forward from the gangway in I am going to look backward from the loading dock out. Looking in we see the video, hear the audio and give special thanks to Traveling Gamblers for putting the latest OV atrocities – via the OP - right there in front of our eyes. No doubt, easy to see but far less easy to understand, or is it. I do not consider the Gamblers or the OP to be an important or credible source when determining whether or not Celebrity should get my current or future cruise dollars. Many of you do, and after reading your posts, I understand why.

 

Now, let’s look at the situation from the loading dock out. Understand these are not uncovered secrets or made-up circumstances. They are serious events and threats that have occurred for years on a global scale. Conflict/civil unrest, economic shocks, climate extremes, soaring operating costs, unreliable transportation equals FOOD CRISIS. You are aware of this, right? Even the most prosperous countries are feeling the threat on a larger scale. Point is, Celebrity does not necessarily know what the quantity or quality of each new delivery will be for each of its ships. Is that not something that should figure into your cruise planning and whether or not we are willing to adapt and adjust? Sounds to me like the answer is no, it is much easier to blame X rather than consider any other circumstances.

 

In the total scheme of things, I really can’t care about your ribeye turning to pork & beans, your dismay with half a dinner buffet, having to pay for a second lobster and whether or not your first time X cruiser friends are happy with Celebrity. I very well may have the same experiences on my upcoming X cruises. I understand the circumstances and my money is still well-spent. I do care more about the millions of tons of wasted and un-cultivated food and the millions (maybe billions) of people who wish they had a tablespoon of beans a day to eat.

 

Celebrity does not owe anyone an explanation about what is going on. We should be able to figure it out for ourselves. After all, it’s all right there in that video…right.     

Edited January 19, 2023 by Spif Barwunkel

[mac_tlc]

1 hour ago, bonagrad said:

Note what I just received from Royal regarding Icon of the Seas.  Over a dozen complimentary options!  Meanwhile their "Premium" brand offers 1 1/3 complimentary options!

 

And their prices are very,very high. A Grand Suite for $12+K for 2 for 7 days, with no gratuities/OBC/drinks. And almost 7000 of your closest friends.

 

mac_tlc

[AnnaNicole]

12 minutes ago, Pinboy said:

" Surprised " ??? About what ?? Why would I be surprised at what a poster on CC's job is? I don't know anyone personally.

I respect everyone, no matter what their job is.

LOL--- When I'm hungry, being "friends" with the man making my hot smoked meat sandwich ( etc ) is more important to me than the CEO of XYZ  Company sitting at the table beside me.

But , I don't believe for one minute that a CEO, CFO or any other top 500 Fortune Company or any high level Executive in any Company has time for posting on CC during working hours about Gratuities, Buffets, Lounge Hogs, or Who the hell the Captain is on our cruise in 2025.

 

 

 

You would be wrong.   

 

The issue wasn't about respect of a position.   The issue is that it was stated a lowly CC poster's opinions would be of no value to Celebrity because they are merely "Joe-from-Schenectady."  I beg to differ.  

 

My post was never about respect for a person due to their position.   Funny, you tried to make yours about it.

[mac_tlc]

1 hour ago, bonagrad said:

That sounds like a caller on sport talk radio!  Joe from Schenectady you're on!  Hey there, first time caller, long time listener!

...first time, long time ...... 

[bonagrad]

21 minutes ago, Accessor said:

Great, then turn the OVC into a cook to order food court at night. The waste is greatly reduced. Virgin doesn't have a buffet and it's awesome. Some grab and go products like bento boxes, cheese and humus can save room service labor too. Virgin packages these in reusable plastic boxes that are not single use. Celebrity needs to go on a Virgin cruise to see how to manage food waste...and the food quality is vastly superior too! 

100% this!

[mnocket]

On 1/17/2023 at 4:46 PM, kitty9 said:

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.

This is certainly disappointing to hear.  I've been looking at O and from reading their forum I had the impression that while there were some cutbacks, they were not close to the extent of those at X.  I'd been hoping this was true.

[SJ1_]

On 1/15/2023 at 5:09 PM, Arubamoose said:

This needs to be upfront and out there in a heading of it's own.  I grabbed it from another posting where it was buried.

 

Below is a link to video posted on YouTube from Apex with a detailed walk through of the Oceanview Cafe dinner cutbacks from the Traveling Gamblers who were on a B2B (December and January 2023, and know their OVC offerings):

 

 

 

Very, very sad.  I know that they are trying to save their $$$ but this is just pathetic.

 

I hope that the bean counters at corporate are aware of this bad publicity.  

 

 

sad

[bonagrad]

13 minutes ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

I am going to go the other way with this topic. Rather than looking forward from the gangway in I am going to look backward from the loading dock out. Looking in we see the video, hear the audio and give special thanks to Traveling Gamblers for putting the latest OV atrocities – via the OP - right there in front of our eyes. No doubt, easy to see but far less easy to understand, or is it. I do not consider the Gamblers or the OP to be an important or credible source when determining whether or not Celebrity should get my current or future cruise dollars. Many of you do, and after reading your posts, I understand why.

 

Now, let’s look at the situation from the loading dock out. Understand these are not uncovered secrets or made-up circumstances. They are serious events and threats that have occurred for years on a global scale. Conflict/civil unrest, economic shocks, climate extremes, soaring operating costs, unreliable transportation equals FOOD CRISIS. You are aware of this, right? Even the most prosperous countries are feeling the threat on a larger scale. Point is, Celebrity does not necessarily know what the quantity or quality of each new delivery will be for each of its ships. Is that not something that should figure into your cruise planning and whether or not we are willing to adapt and adjust? Sounds to me like the answer is no, it is much easier to blame X rather than consider any other circumstances.

 

In the total scheme of things, I really can’t care about your ribeye turning to pork & beans, your dismay with half a dinner buffet, having to pay for a second lobster and whether or not your first time X cruiser friends are happy with Celebrity. I very well may have the same experiences on my upcoming X cruises. I understand the circumstances and my money is still well-spent. I do care more about the millions of tons of wasted and un-cultivated food and the millions (maybe billions) of people who wish they had a tablespoon of beans a day to eat.

 

Celebrity does not owe anyone an explanation about what is going on. We should be able to figure it out for ourselves. After all, it’s all right there in that video…right.     

This isn't a parent telling a child that they can't take the car on Friday night.  The parent doesn't have to justify that decision.  But, I'm a paying consumer.  Celebrity has my money, in full, three months before I get anything for that money.  I gave them that money under the understanding that I would have a similar experience to the one I had in April.  As it stands, that money that they have is not for the same experience.  They sure as heck owe us an explanation.  I'm the consumer, who paid them, not the other way around.

 

Yes, there are a lot of possible reasons for the cutbacks, but these were extreme and as many of us have stated, there is a happy medium.  There are ways to reduce waste without sacrificing variety or quality.

[bonagrad]

20 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

And their prices are very,very high. A Grand Suite for $12+K for 2 for 7 days, with no gratuities/OBC/drinks. And almost 7000 of your closest friends.

 

mac_tlc

Fair points.  No shocker on the pricing.  They love charging a ridiculous amount when they launch ships.  Of course people pay it, so they'll keep doing it. It'll settle down eventually and they still have a dozen options at no additional cost.

[RichYak]

17 minutes ago, bonagrad said:

There are ways to reduce waste without sacrificing variety or quality.

It's. Not. About. Waste.

[bonagrad]

5 minutes ago, RichYak said:

It's. Not. About. Waste.

It is and it isn't.  Reduced waste equals reduced cost, which achieves the same result.

Edited January 19, 2023 by bonagrad

[SJ1_]

On 1/15/2023 at 6:36 PM, bonagrad said:

We as consumers need to keep the pressure on Celebrity to come up with a happy medium.  Becoming the worst buffet for dinner, overnight, is a really bad look.  

write Lisas office  She has a staff that reads every email

[Ocdublin]

Please update us on Cafe el Baccio and Oceanview cafe for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea if there are any changes.  Several of us would like to know if we can still get our americano, pastries and scones.  This might be the deal breaker!

[AnnaNicole]

6 minutes ago, Ocdublin said:

Please update us on Cafe el Baccio and Oceanview cafe for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea if there are any changes.  Several of us would like to know if we can still get our americano, pastries and scones.  This might be the deal breaker!

They have scones?  😁

[SJ1_]

3 hours ago, Whinenowine said:

 

A much more watered down version of this happened to us on the Edge last April. We were in the Retreat but despite loving Luminae we had some breakfasts on our balcony and splurged on dinners at Fine Cut and Raw on 5.  When the M'd of Luminae saw us while walking around on the ship he said he'd missed us at the restaurant and asked if everything was ok.  Though a bit awkward I took it for genuine caring (and it might truly have been!), but in retrospect I have to wonder if there were ulterior motives.

they never chased us down but on our 12/22 cruise they kept calling till they finally reached me and seemed really relieved that we had no complaints but preferred the Oceanview cafe

[RichYak]

16 minutes ago, bonagrad said:

It is and it isn't.  Reduced waste equals reduced cost, which achieves the same result.

Sorry, they can't have it both ways. They can't say they're reducing waste while closing the made-to-order grill station--the one station that isn't wasteful.