So Are things Looking up?

[C-Dragons]

42 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

I can agree with your comments, Celebrity mishandled how they rolled out the changes with no communication prior to January 1. 

As the old saying goes,
 

“You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time”.”

 

IMO, no matter when, or how X communicated the changes, the reaction, and the responses, would have been the same. 😉

Edited February 5, 2023 by C-Dragons

[terrydtx]

16 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

IMO, no matter when, or how X communicated the changes, the reaction, and the responses, would have been the same.

True, but there were a lot of people on B2B cruises that started pre-Jan 1 and the second post Jan 1 who got blind-sided by the changes. None of the changes will have much effect on our Celebrity future cruises. We are booked in Sky Suites and have never had a diner in the OVC on any Celebrity cruise. We also are exempt from the RS charges, but I can still understand why so many do not like what is going on. We liked Celebrity because you didn't get nickel and dimmed as bad as NCL, and RCL.  IMO Celebrity has now passed HAL on the nickel & diming. I am more concerned about how much Celebrity is jacking up prices for suites in the future cruises. We are getting priced out of the Retreat product and have booked our first Oceania cruise in 2025 and looking at several more. 

Edited February 5, 2023 by terrydtx

[NutsAboutGolf]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

That same meeting the rep said the charge for room service was also to cut down waste and the needless use of understaffed crew to deliver the RS.  Too many abused RS and order things they never eat and would leave the full plates outside their cabins. Just walk down the hallways early in the morning to see what is left outside the cabins from the night before.

 

I do not see how "RS abuse" was a thing.  You would have to imagine that a RS delivery, from "cradle to grave" requires less crew effort than if the passenger had ate in the MDR.  It would be a win-win for X and pax if X OVER staffed RS and better advertised RS as an option to keep people out of the MDR

[NutsAboutGolf]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I agree with you regarding start up but in this case, Celebrity isn’t ramping up in their food offerings, they’re scaling back…on purpose. In fact, I’m gathering that the food offerings before Jan. 1 2023 were pretty much precovid normal. This is a calculated cost cutting measure brought about by Covid indeed, but not a result of ramping up slowly. Just my take on things. 

 

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Wow. Good to have some inside intel!  I have many times mused about the obvious food waste on cruise ships. I’ve seen countless abandoned plates of food left on tables waiting to be bussed and I wondered why someone would take all that food if they weren’t going to eat it. I think Celebrity are right to make efforts to counter food waste. I’m glad, even. But I hope they reassess their strategy. Cook to order stations like the stir fry are no brainer ways to reduce waste while keeping passengers happy. Another option is to serve hot meals at dinner that people actually want to eat. 

 

Plates left with half eaten food is a sign of unappealing food.  I'm sure just about everyone on a ship has ordered something from a menu or tried something from the buffet where we had a bite or two and didn't like it.  Same premise with reducing the buffet selection, "no one likes our terrible dinner food so let's just eliminate it" is the far lazier option than being creative and improving recipes.  I've even suggest several times, they could have some MDR dinner items at the dinner buffet

[terrydtx]

13 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

I do not see how "RS abuse" was a thing.  You would have to imagine that a RS delivery, from "cradle to grave" requires less crew effort than if the passenger had ate in the MDR.  It would be a win-win for X and pax if X OVER staffed RS and better advertised RS as an option to keep people out of the MDR

We booked last week a 7 day cruise on the HAL Koingsdam to use up the FCC that we got from HAL for their mishandling our Covid experience last year on the Oosterdam. We booked an aft facing veranda cabin for nothing out of pocket using the FCC. I am looking in the Navigator app for their RS and they still charge nothing and during the MDR hours we can order from the MDR menu. The app lists the Lido Buffett menu and it has not changed and is still a complete service including most of the MDR entrees and starters available. Celebrity could improve their dinner OVC by doing the same as HAL. We have on past HAL cruises used the LIDO for diner because we can get the MDR menu items, which is why we have not done the same in the OVC.

Edited February 5, 2023 by terrydtx

[C-Dragons]

15 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

I do not see how "RS abuse" was a thing.  You would have to imagine that a RS delivery, from "cradle to grave" requires less crew effort than if the passenger had ate in the MDR.  It would be a win-win for X and pax if X OVER staffed RS and better advertised RS as an option to keep people out of the MDR

Apparently that is not true.
And why on earth would X want to keep pax out of the MDR? They have hired staff whose jobs are to take care of guests who probably do NOT want to eat in their staterooms. YMMV.

 

[NutsAboutGolf]

7 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

Apparently that is not true.
And why on earth would X want to keep pax out of the MDR? They have hired staff whose jobs are to take care of guests who probably do NOT want to eat in their staterooms. YMMV.

 

 

I'll simplify it...

RS staffing efforts = Order taker, picker/deliverer and bussers

MDR staffing efforts = M'D and Assts watching everything goes smoothly, host, escort to the table, bread deliverer, water pourer, Sommelier, head water, asst waiter and bussers; note that many will visit the same table multiple times

Edited February 5, 2023 by NutsAboutGolf

[RichYak]

5 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

guests who probably do NOT want to eat in their staterooms

Every time the changes are discussed, judgmental comments like these crop up. I eat wherever I want to eat, not where anyone else thinks I want to eat. There are people that prefer to eat in their staterooms, there are people who prefer to have dinner in the OVC, and there are people who simply can't get this into their heads.

[Nashna]

Just came back on Friday from a 7-Day Apex, followed by an 11-day Edge sailing.  The meal quality and selections in the MDR for dinner were the same on both ships...dismal.  The NY Strip steak was so thin, the chefs had a difficult time cooking it as ordered.  Filet mignon or Prime Rib was not offered in the MDR.  My Prime Rib in First Cut was not a prime or choice piece of meat.  It was tough.  When the Maitre de said he would talk to the chef, I advised him that the meat was cooked perfectly, the fault was in the cut of meat he was given to cook.  I have never heard so many people complain about meal selection and quality.  It was a shame as other than the food; the cruise was outstanding in every way.  We sailed on Apex last January and were so pleased with our voyage that we immediately booked again.  We had intended to book a Beyond sailing for next year.  Now, I am inclined to wait to hear of meal quality and selection improvements before I book another Celebrity sailing.

[D. B.]

2 hours ago, terrydtx said:

Interesting conversation with my TA who books mostly cruises with Celebrity on Friday. I have been telling her for weeks about CC and the number of loyal Celebrity customers who are very upset over the cutbacks and changes instigated last month. She had a meeting with her Celebrity rep this week and brought up my comments and the CC complaints. The rep told her that Celebrity management does monitor CC and is aware of the complaints on CC.  He told her the cutback in the OVC for diner was to reduce the nightly food wastes that are over 50% on most cruises. He also told her the whole OVC changes are going to be a reassessed on a regular basis. The new charge for a second lobster tail in MDR was again to cut down in waste, too many people would order multiple lobsters and not eat all of them.

Why does she book mostly X cruises on Friday?🙄

[terrydtx]

31 minutes ago, D. B. said:

Why does she book mostly X cruises on Friday?🙄

No my conversation was with her on Friday. I should have stated it better more like: 

"On Friday, I had an interesting conversation with my TA who mostly books cruises on Celebrity."

[horseymike]

Maybe they will bring back a the prime rib …….
Always enjoyed it. Less labor intensive than many dishes to prepare .

[C-Dragons]

52 minutes ago, RichYak said:

Every time the changes are discussed, judgmental comments like these crop up. I eat wherever I want to eat, not where anyone else thinks I want to eat. There are people that prefer to eat in their staterooms, there are people who prefer to have dinner in the OVC, and there are people who simply can't get this into their heads.

Judgmental…? Who said you can’t eat where you want to?

SMH

[RichYak]

5 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

Judgmental…? Who said you can’t eat where you want to?

SMH

That's how I read your comment. My apologies for misinterpreting.

[davekathy]

Can't wait to get on the Apex in March. So far nothing I've read on the CC Celebrity forum has discouraged us or influenced our expectations. Same as always prior to stepping foot on the ship. Glasses always full while wearing our rose colored glasses. 🍷😍

[TeeRick]

1 minute ago, davekathy said:

Can't wait to get on the Apex in March. So far nothing I've read on the CC Celebrity forum has discouraged us or influenced our expectations. Same as always prior to stepping foot on the ship. Glasses always full while wearing our rose colored glasses. 🍷😍

Just pack your George Foreman Grill, a couple of Prime Ribs, and maybe some Maine Lobster on ice in your carryon.  Then you will not be disappointed! 😁

[terrydtx]

7 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Just pack your George Foreman Grill, a couple of Prime Ribs, and maybe some Maine Lobster on ice in your carryon.  Then you will not be disappointed! 😁

nooooooo, that George Foreman Grill will blow out the whole power grid on the ship!! 

[C-Dragons]

2 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Just pack your George Foreman Grill, a couple of Prime Ribs, and maybe some Maine Lobster on ice in your carryon.  Then you will not be disappointed! 😁

😁 That would make even Lena crack a smile. 😉

[davekathy]

20 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Just pack your George Foreman Grill, a couple of Prime Ribs, and maybe some Maine Lobster on ice in your carryon.  Then you will not be disappointed! 😁

Thanks. We always have a back plan. Yours beats any we would thought of. 😁

[C-Dragons]

2 hours ago, davekathy said:

Can't wait to get on the Apex in March. So far nothing I've read on the CC Celebrity forum has discouraged us or influenced our expectations. Same as always prior to stepping foot on the ship. Glasses always full while wearing our rose colored glasses. 🍷😍

  Cheers! 🍷

We will be sailing in April and will board with an open mind too.

[D. B.]

2 hours ago, terrydtx said:

nooooooo, that George Foreman Grill will blow out the whole power grid on the ship!! 

As you leave a ship there is always a table with Items confiscated from Guest that they can reclaim while leaving. Always some Interesting Things on that Table!

 I have not seen a George Foreman Grill but on Asian Cruises plenty of Rice Cookers. No slight intended as my Wife (From Hong Kong) is the one who points that out to me.

[D. B.]

2 hours ago, terrydtx said:

No my conversation was with her on Friday. I should have stated it better more like: 

"On Friday, I had an interesting conversation with my TA who mostly books cruises on Celebrity."

I apologize for being snarky.....😔

[markeb]

3 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

I'll simplify it...

RS staffing efforts = Order taker, picker/deliverer and bussers

MDR staffing efforts = M'D and Assts watching everything goes smoothly, host, escort to the table, bread deliverer, water pourer, Sommelier, head water, asst waiter and bussers; note that many will visit the same table multiple times

 

Hate to make an iceberg reference on a cruise board, but, that's the tip of the iceberg. That's only the customer facing side of the process.

 

MDR: Multiple orders come in for the same dish at roughly the same time and can easily and invisibly be batched for preparation. 10-15 plates of the same item can be plated for different waiters to deliver to different tables using one basic set of chefs and assistants for consistency and efficiency. Repeat for another 10-15 plates of a different menu item. Etc. One set of dining room staff delivers and overseas table service in a relatively small operational area. I don't know their kitchen staffing levels, but its not insignificant.

 

RS: From previous posts on this subject, it's a different galley. A totally different, and duplicate, set of kitchen staff. Looking at the app, a largely totally different menu. Some common items, like salads, are probably prepped separately for the MDR and RS galleys and for the every day items in Blue and Luminae. Otherwise, individual orders from random quadrants of the ship and random decks. A dedicated order taker (more than one, clearly). A fair number of cook to order items that can only be batched to a limited extent (maybe they hold burger orders for 15 minutes to batch multiple burgers). Deliveries to multiple locations. (I've never done evening room service so I don't know if they batch deliveries; I assume they do to some extent). The kitchen staff likely has to be proportionately larger than the MDR to offset the timing uncertainty and the difficulty batching orders. Clean up and bussing is notoriously inefficient, as noted by the trays in the hallway. Food waste, other than the "order one of everything" crowd, is in the kitchen and invisible. The high staffing required for largely made to order should minimize waste and there's very little on the menu that could be reworked.

 

It's not just what you see in the dining room. And those same moving parts are being repeated to some extent in the buffet. Which I'll argue is why you don't see as many cook to order items on the OVC currently. You need cooks to cook to order, and they're cooking in the dining rooms, specialty restaurants, and room service.

[NutsAboutGolf]

11 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

Hate to make an iceberg reference on a cruise board, but, that's the tip of the iceberg. That's only the customer facing side of the process.

 

MDR: Multiple orders come in for the same dish at roughly the same time and can easily and invisibly be batched for preparation. 10-15 plates of the same item can be plated for different waiters to deliver to different tables using one basic set of chefs and assistants for consistency and efficiency. Repeat for another 10-15 plates of a different menu item. Etc. One set of dining room staff delivers and overseas table service in a relatively small operational area. I don't know their kitchen staffing levels, but its not insignificant.

 

RS: From previous posts on this subject, it's a different galley. A totally different, and duplicate, set of kitchen staff. Looking at the app, a largely totally different menu. Some common items, like salads, are probably prepped separately for the MDR and RS galleys and for the every day items in Blue and Luminae. Otherwise, individual orders from random quadrants of the ship and random decks. A dedicated order taker (more than one, clearly). A fair number of cook to order items that can only be batched to a limited extent (maybe they hold burger orders for 15 minutes to batch multiple burgers). Deliveries to multiple locations. (I've never done evening room service so I don't know if they batch deliveries; I assume they do to some extent). The kitchen staff likely has to be proportionately larger than the MDR to offset the timing uncertainty and the difficulty batching orders. Clean up and bussing is notoriously inefficient, as noted by the trays in the hallway. Food waste, other than the "order one of everything" crowd, is in the kitchen and invisible. The high staffing required for largely made to order should minimize waste and there's very little on the menu that could be reworked.

 

It's not just what you see in the dining room. And those same moving parts are being repeated to some extent in the buffet. Which I'll argue is why you don't see as many cook to order items on the OVC currently. You need cooks to cook to order, and they're cooking in the dining rooms, specialty restaurants, and room service.

Agreed and that’s why I said I’ll simplify it.  FYI, you could (possibly still can) call room service during MDR dinner hours and order off the MDR menu

[NMTraveller]

The lobster showed up on my menu.  I guess that no lobster for Asian cruises was short lived.