Is the food back en par with the prices?

[Nemanoxer]

So, I am thinking about going on X one more time.

 

About a year ago, I did my so loved Equinox. Food was a straight grade C in terms of taste and quality most of the nights. When I started in 2012, she had A / A+ in my memory. When I did Edge´s maiden voyage back in the days, she also had an A from me.

 

So, how is overall food quality these days on the X ships now that prices promise magnicifence...? What are your latest impressions?

Edited April 17, 2023 by Nemanoxer

[DCPIV]

We were on Equinox back in September/October, and the food was very good.  It also was quite good while on Reflection in February.

[cruiserchuck]

We were on Solstice last week, and the food was outstanding.  It was our first Celebrity cruise since 2019.

 

We were in Aqua class, so we had most of our meals in Blu.  It was our tenth cruise in Aqua, and the food in Blu was the best of all ten cruises.  We also had four lunches in the main dining room, and the food was very good, and was better than on our prior cruises.  

Edited April 17, 2023 by cruiserchuck

[Azllama]

We are on the Eclipse now. Food is not up to Celebrity standards, compared to our last cruise with Celebrity. Maybe the supplies coming on board here in Australia aren’t the best quality? 

[tomcruiser1234]

Food in all restaurants are still good 

 

The Buffett area can be a little limited depending on the day. 

 

Pizza has always been a little hit and miss, that’s why we will go and ask for our own toppings and a greasy pizza. 

[Baynanno1]

3 hours ago, Azllama said:

We are on the Eclipse now. Food is not up to Celebrity standards, compared to our last cruise with Celebrity. Maybe the supplies coming on board here in Australia aren’t the best quality? 

 

We cruised on Eclipse during it's recent / current time around Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific Islands and found the food to be very good.

In fact, our December cruise was an almost identical itinerary to the one you are now on as you head back to Sydney.

[George C]

I found food in Luminae hit or miss , same in specialty restaurants.

[phoenix_dream]

I have sailed Celebrity more than 10 times since restart.  On only one ship (Summit, in Blu) did we experience less than normal food quality and that was quite awhile ago so may have improved by now.  That said, I do feel the quality has improved since they first restarted.  I do find the portions smaller, but as long as you can order extra (which I never need to do) I think that is a positive change.

[mahasamatman]

We had excellent food in Luminae on the Infinity right up until the final breakfast. We ordered from all three menus throughout the b2b and weren't disappointed until that that meal.

[mahasamatman]

1 hour ago, phoenix_dream said:

I do find the portions smaller, but as long as you can order extra (which I never need to do) I think that is a positive change.

 

I like the change as well. I've actually lost weight on three consecutive cruises now, but have never left the table hungry.

[poinsettiaplate]

Thank you to everyone who posted here.  After my experience on the Equinox in January, where the MDR food was atrocious, I was actually dreading my cruise on the Summit which leaves next week.  You have given me hope that I won't have to live on cheese and Pringles.

[neverlaysup]

I haven't seen the "all you can eat caviar bar" yet so I'm gonna say NO!

[JBare]

On 4/17/2023 at 7:47 PM, Azllama said:

We are on the Eclipse now. Food is not up to Celebrity standards, compared to our last cruise with Celebrity. Maybe the supplies coming on board here in Australia aren’t the best quality? 

Sadly I have to partially agree with this. On our March cruise on Eclipse Oceanview food was up to normal standards for breakfast and lunch. Not so much the quality of food in the MDR but the choices were really quite poor. Starters were mostly soups or green leaves, no crab cakes or spring rolls for example. Not much beef either, for example no beef wellington on final formal night, fortunately we like chicken. It was the only cruise where we felt a drop in standards, just because the choices were so limited.

[davekathy]

Looking forward to our October Eclipse cruise. It will be our third time on her. 

[TMaine]

We were on Equinox last week, food was not as great as it has been.  We considered canceling our Reflection cruise in August because of this. 

[clojacks]

4 hours ago, JBare said:

Sadly I have to partially agree with this. On our March cruise on Eclipse Oceanview food was up to normal standards for breakfast and lunch. Not so much the quality of food in the MDR but the choices were really quite poor. Starters were mostly soups or green leaves, no crab cakes or spring rolls for example. Not much beef either, for example no beef wellington on final formal night, fortunately we like chicken. It was the only cruise where we felt a drop in standards, just because the choices were so limited.

I would offer a similar sentiment. We were on the Apex in the end of January for 7 days. It was our return to sailing cruise after Panademic and prior to stoppage in Feb ‘20, probably our previous 10 cruises were enjoyed almost exclusively on Celebrity. This one opened our eyes in an u fortunate way. We were shocked at the  lack of variety, uniqueness, and service in the MDR’s on the Apex. In addition, the buffet was basically a 2 station circle of very meh offerings. Hardly anything special. No ethnic special evening. I almost felt like we were at Old Country Buffet! 
 

Ironically, the morning we disembarked in Fort Lauderdale, we Ubered down to Miami to catch a trans Panama Canal sailing on the Norwegian Joy, with low expectations following our previous NCL cruise of about 10 years ago. Surprisingly, to us, NCL blew Celebrity’s dining experiences out of the water. The variety of different venue’s was amazing. The variety of different special evenings in the Buffet was broad. We typically only eat evenings in the buffet if a return to the ship makes it the best option or if a show timing makes it convenient, but on the Joy, we actually started to check to see what they were serving in the Buffet almost daily. In fact, we purchased future cruise deposits for 3 more sailings on NCL, largely on the strength of their food and dining venues. We currently have 2 cruise booked on Celebrity, but if the dining experience is repeated on them, we have no problems switching lines from what was almost an exclusive attachment to Celebrity.

[ConnMom]

Our first experience with  Blu was on the Reflection in March.  While I found both the preparation and the service excellent, menu choices were disappointing and more limited than we have enjoyed in the past with Celebrity.  We will be eating in the main dining room on the Summit next week, and if the sneak peak on the app is even somewhat accurate, I think dinner will be much less special than it was on the Summit last summer.  

[Azllama]

We just got off the Eclipse after doing a back-to-back starting March 26 out of Sydney. Food was way bellow Celebrity standards. Doing New Zealand, you would think local. Fresh fish at least! Nope! When asked, the so-called Head Chef came to our table, explained it was a "permit" issue. What? 

The Hamburger at the mast grill was a gray colored "meat." It went on gray and when cooked it was still gray! It looked like it was full of filler.

Our New England clam chowder had nothing in it but was a thick brown sludge!

We were not the only ones who did not like the food. Hopefully it is only this ship, and we just got stuck with a bad Galley Depatment.

 

[Jim_Iain]

We are currently on Apex and have to say... at least at par or better than before cutbacks -

 

Here's some shots of the Buffet at 6PM one day.    Never eaten there but inspection tour.   Lunch was really good with the exception that some of the food was only lukewarm.  
 

You be the judge if back to normal.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 28, 2023 by Jim_Iain

[OysterD]

On 4/19/2023 at 5:07 PM, ConnMom said:

Our first experience with  Blu was on the Reflection in March.  While I found both the preparation and the service excellent, menu choices were disappointing and more limited than we have enjoyed in the past with Celebrity.  We will be eating in the main dining room on the Summit next week, and if the sneak peak on the app is even somewhat accurate, I think dinner will be much less special than it was on the Summit last summer.  

I was on Reflection in AQ last September and just took a look at the Blu menus for the current sailing - they look very similar with identical number of menu choices now as they had last year. Blu has always had fewer choices than the MDR but I wouldn't say those choices were disappointing or limited. 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

We are on the Reflection TA , just in a v-2 cabin, the food as been fine 

I would say it about the same as 2019 

 

 

[Nemanoxer]

Thank you all for your posts.

 

Seems to me booking Celebrity these days is a trial and error based endeavour when it comes to food. Booking Celebrity without bringing premium expectations with it, feels a bit odd. Maybe a good time to try their main competitors when it is try and error anyway. I never tried Princess, I might give them a shot.

[jelayne]

We are on the Summit and the food and service in the MDR have been very good.  

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, jelayne said:

We are on the Summit and the food and service in the MDR have been very good.  

Good to here -   Weren't you on Solstice with us?  Sorry my minds on overload trying to remember all our recent cruise.

 

As I recall the food was really good both in Luminae and since an intensive port cruise ate most of our lunches in Ocean View.    I can tell you --- Plenty of selection and I didn't loose any weight.   In fact I had to take off 5 before this one so I could put it back on.

 

The Apex Cruise for the TA is about 15 days and mostly sea days so already seeing repeats of the 5 day sequence of lunch menus.

[jelayne]

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Good to here -   Weren't you on Solstice with us?  Sorry my minds on overload trying to remember all our recent cruise.

 

As I recall the food was really good both in Luminae and since an intensive port cruise ate most of our lunches in Ocean View.    I can tell you --- Plenty of selection and I didn't loose any weight.   In fact I had to take off 5 before this one so I could put it back on.

 

The Apex Cruise for the TA is about 15 days and mostly sea days so already seeing repeats of the 5 day sequence of lunch menus.

Yes we were on the Solstice together in December. 
Currently doing a B2B  on the Summit in MDR first leg and now Luminae.  The food in MDR, Luminae and OV has been great only disappointment as Tuscan. We had the child’s filet last night, delicious.