Food quality sucks!

[Cruise till you drop]

On 5/26/2023 at 6:44 PM, lv2cruisgrl said:

The best thing to do IMO is when cruising, return food that does not meet your expectation. 

No thanks.  I don’t like the idea of my new dish to have been spit on 😂 

[Cruise Junky]

On 5/27/2023 at 2:12 PM, rickdent said:

Question: did the house near the beach include food, cooking, maid service, laundry, bar waitstaff, liquor, or transportation to various islands?
 

Oh but for $19.99 that 1.75litre of French Vodka from Costco sure makes a lot of good martinis 🍸🍸. All of our vacations since Covid have been land trips. No one makes my bed but the food is certainly better 🤗🤗

Edited May 29, 2023 by Cruise Junky

[65Mommy]

There is so much demand right now, all the quality has gone down because they do not need to attract more business or loyalists.  We will wait until next year when there are incentives to sail again.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

On 5/25/2023 at 11:26 AM, lv2cruisgrl said:

We mostly sail Celebrity and love it.  We just got off Wonder of the seas and noticed the food wasn't that great.  Less choices, cold (unless is a specialty restaurant), poor taste, etc. We sail Beyond in November and are worried it will be less choices and quality than we are use to.  If so we may have to rethink cruising.  

We were on the April 30 sailing of Wonder, had the Unlimited Dining Pkg and experience not so great food at Giovanni's Italian Kitchen (x2) and Wonderland. We even spoke with the Chef in Giovanni's the 1st time (cold, bland food) and 2nd time when Lasanga was served in a very shallow dish with one (1) Lasagna noodle. Contrast that experience with the one we had on Odyssey of the Seas in October where all dining was very good. 

 

[suzyluvs2cruise]

21 hours ago, sonnycruises said:

We just got off 31 days on Eclipse specifically South Pacific and Sydney to Honolulu. We ate in Luminea, Murano and Tuscan Grill. Murano as always was outstanding and Luminea was the best experience we've had aboard a ship after 25 cruises all but 3 being on Celebrity. In fact the filet mignon in Luminea was the best we've had at sea.

How was Tuscan Grill? 

[lv2cruisgrl]

17 minutes ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

We were on the April 30 sailing of Wonder, had the Unlimited Dining Pkg and experience not so great food at Giovanni's Italian Kitchen (x2) and Wonderland. We even spoke with the Chef in Giovanni's the 1st time (cold, bland food) and 2nd time when Lasanga was served in a very shallow dish with one (1) Lasagna noodle. Contrast that experience with the one we had on Odyssey of the Seas in October where all dining was very good. 

 

Sad and you paid extra for it.  

[sonnycruises]

15 minutes ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

How was Tuscan Grill? 

Meh. Canceled our 2nd reservation. We were very disappointed as it would have been a great view leaving Sidney Harbor.

 

 

[suzyluvs2cruise]

33 minutes ago, sonnycruises said:

Meh. Canceled our 2nd reservation. We were very disappointed as it would have been a great view leaving Sidney Harbor.

 

 

Sorry to hear that.....we've booked a 3 nt dining pkg and thought about eating there 2x as we've done La Petit Chef on 2 different ships. 

[JL87]

20 hours ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

Does your palette reflect the colorful, seasoned flavors of a victual connoisseur? Or is your pallet laden with the cumbersome weight of a gluttonous gourmand? Could be that your palate is just not sophisticated enough to let you know the difference. Oh well! 

Well done! I don't mean cooked well done either.

[phoenix_dream]

19 hours ago, Cruise till you drop said:

No thanks.  I don’t like the idea of my new dish to have been spit on 😂 

In a restaurant on land an honest concern.  On the ship I would consider this highly unlikely.  Not sure if your comment was in gest or a real concern.  

[Cruise till you drop]

56 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

In a restaurant on land an honest concern.  On the ship I would consider this highly unlikely.  Not sure if your comment was in gest or a real concern.  

I think the 😂 speaks for itself 

[NMTraveller]

On 5/28/2023 at 8:21 AM, OysterD said:

Actually the complete opposite.

 

I've priced up vacations in the US that I've taken in the past, including stays at the Wynn in Vegas and various hotels in Florida. In each case the per night room only price for the same 10 days we will spend on Beyond this September is more than we are paying. 

 

And as for complaints about a $50 upcharge for specialty dining...has anyone seen the prices of equivalent restaurants on land these days? 50 is a bargain. At the SW steakhouse at the Wynn a soup, 8oz filet with carrots and fries will cost you $140 before tax and tip. A bowl of pea soup is $24. If you want a second bowl of pea soup that will be another $24. If you want 2 bowls of soup and a salad and two main courses in a specialty restaurant on a Celebrity ship it's all included in your $50. 

They are different types of vacations.  On a cruise you spend a few short hours in port.  Especially if you have a long bus ride to get to the sites and back.  It is more of a sampler of places that you would like to spend more time in.  A good example would be the Amalfi coast.  I would much rather spend a week there than have a quick excursion there.

[NMTraveller]

On 5/27/2023 at 8:43 PM, 4-2-N-8 said:

Not critical, just a counterpoint to the sometimes exhausting critiques.

 

True, my experience with Celebrity is brief compared to everyone else. But, what I saw didn't match so much of the downright negative in here.

 

 

If you have not dined for a week at a time in the OVC or MDR how can you make this statement?

 

The post was about the OVC and MDR.

 

You get post after post saying how great Luminae is,  Blu is, and specialty dining.  Yet how is any of this relevant to the OP who is dining in OVC and MDR?

 

Kind of like saying my Lambo is faster and better than your Prius.  Which it is,  but why state the obvious?  And why compare two dissimilar things?

Edited May 30, 2023 by NMTraveller

[TeachAloha]

On 5/28/2023 at 1:43 PM, sonnycruises said:

We just got off 31 days on Eclipse specifically South Pacific and Sydney to Honolulu. We ate in Luminea, Murano and Tuscan Grill. Murano as always was outstanding and Luminea was the best experience we've had aboard a ship after 25 cruises all but 3 being on Celebrity. In fact the filet mignon in Luminea was the best we've had at sea.

Same! We just got off a 7-day in the Eclipse & (as someone who was in the hospitality industry), was happily surprised by the food quality in every venue we visited.I honestly can not relate to the OP's opinion on the food. But then again, we went in with the perspective that the travel industry has had to change post-covid and knew things would be different for many reasons from staffing to supply chain issues.  What was very interesting was that we saw a few people losing their darn minds when something that "used to be there" had changed, and you could see that taint the whole rest of the trip. From iced tea brands to lobster not on the night they expected. One woman near us at dinner had a sour face for the whole trip because she didn't get her french onion soup and every night reminded everyone about it. It reminded me of that old joke "the food is terrible,,,,, and such small portions!"  

Edited May 30, 2023 by TeachAloha

[Tenderpaw]

We were on the Eclipse on the cruise previous to the OP's cruise which was Sydney to Honolulu.  The food wasn't the greatest.  The eggs in the buffet were literally in liquid and the omelet station had long lines.  There were premade cheese omelets that were tasty.

 

Prime rib was excellent.  Burgers in the mast grill were very good (big surprise).   Had a great meal at Tuscan.  Spaghetti bolanese was great. And there were other great meals too.  But the menu was uninspiring some nights and we went to the buffet.  One meal entre in the MDR was pork and beans! Seriously?

 

We enjoyed the cruise, but the food was lacking especially for a "premium" cruise line.  We were on the Allure and Odyssey last year and the food in the MDR was better than the Eclipse, but this was pre menu downgrade in January.   Buffet on Eclipse was probably a bit better than on the Royal ships.

 

At the risk of being propagative, the cruise lines LOVE when folks say "oh, food is subjective" or "they're feeding thousands so that's why it sucks".  Well, they fed 1000s years ago and it was way better and it was subjective then too and there were fewer complaint.  They are just cutting costs.

[RichYak]

22 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

If you have not dined for a week at a time in the OVC or MDR how can you make this statement?

 

The post was about the OVC and MDR.

 

You get post after post saying how great Luminae is,  Blu is, and specialty dining.  Yet how is any of this relevant to the OP who is dining in OVC and MDR?

 

Kind of like saying my Lambo is faster and better than your Prius.  Which it is,  but why state the obvious?  And why compare two dissimilar things?

Haven’t you heard? Fortunate is just a state of mind, or some BS like that. 

[OriginalBoat]

48 minutes ago, TeachAloha said:

One woman near us at dinner had a sour face for the whole trip because she didn't get her french onion soup and every night reminded everyone about it.

 

Wait, are you saying they took the french onion soup off the classic menu too?

[TeachAloha]

14 minutes ago, OriginalBoat said:

 

Wait, are you saying they took the french onion soup off the classic menu too?

Oh it was there just not at the time she wanted it or some nonsense, and she never got over it. 

[drakes2]

37 minutes ago, OriginalBoat said:

 

Wait, are you saying they took the french onion soup off the classic menu too?

The French onion soup was actually very good on the Apex so much so I ordered it 4 times during my 15 night TA.  Much improved over their watered down tasteless version of years ago. Still not as good as what I make at home but pretty close.  I add a couple tablespoons of cognac to mine. 😆 

[Guest 4-2-N-8]

1 hour ago, NMTraveller said:

If you have not dined for a week at a time in the OVC or MDR how can you make this statement?

 

The post was about the OVC and MDR.

 

You get post after post saying how great Luminae is,  Blu is, and specialty dining.  Yet how is any of this relevant to the OP who is dining in OVC and MDR?

 

Kind of like saying my Lambo is faster and better than your Prius.  Which it is,  but why state the obvious?  And why compare two dissimilar things?

I do not own a Lamborghini, so I wouldn't know. Now my McLaren, that's another subject, but beside the point.

 

I'm just offering an offramp for some who, perhaps reading from others' good firsthand experience with the Retreat, continues validation of the Retreat.

 

Just another option that is validated, and as you note, by many others, as well.

 

In contrast to commisserating with the negative, I'm offering a positive. That's why I note it.

 

Why gripe? If you (the collective "you") don't like something, strive for something better. I'm not sure how this can be taken in any way but a positive.

 

Peace to all, especially the staff and crew, who are undoubtedly far from home.

[Guest 4-2-N-8]

1 hour ago, RichYak said:

Haven’t you heard? Fortunate is just a state of mind, or some BS like that. 

I respect alternate perspectives. I shared a belief of mine that has served me well and thought it might be helpful to others, especially if lost in the negative.

 

Sorry you see it otherwise.

Edited May 30, 2023 by 4-2-N-8

[NMTraveller]

11 minutes ago, 4-2-N-8 said:

I do not own a Lamborghini, so I wouldn't know. Now my McLaren, that's another subject, but beside the point.

 

I'm just offering an offramp for some who, perhaps reading from others' good firsthand experience with the Retreat, continues validation of the Retreat.

 

Just another option that is validated, and as you note, by many others, as well.

 

In contrast to commisserating with the negative, I'm offering a positive. That's why I note it.

 

Why gripe? If you (the collective "you") don't like something, strive for something better. I'm not sure how this can be taken in any way but a positive.

 

Peace to all, especially the staff and crew, who are undoubtedly far from home.

And yet you ducked the question,  but mentioned the Retreat.  I suppose that everyone should just book the retreat so no complaints are heard...

[Guest 4-2-N-8]

1 minute ago, NMTraveller said:

And yet you ducked the question,  but mentioned the Retreat.  I suppose that everyone should just book the retreat so no complaints are heard...

Nailed it!

 

Since the status of non-Retreat is atrocious, change cruise lines or buy the Retreat.

 

Then, we can finally get back to chair hogs and pier runners!

 

C'mon already!

 

🦖

Edited May 30, 2023 by 4-2-N-8

[phoenix_dream]

On 5/28/2023 at 10:21 AM, OysterD said:

Actually the complete opposite.

 

I've priced up vacations in the US that I've taken in the past, including stays at the Wynn in Vegas and various hotels in Florida. In each case the per night room only price for the same 10 days we will spend on Beyond this September is more than we are paying. 

 

And as for complaints about a $50 upcharge for specialty dining...has anyone seen the prices of equivalent restaurants on land these days? 50 is a bargain. At the SW steakhouse at the Wynn a soup, 8oz filet with carrots and fries will cost you $140 before tax and tip. A bowl of pea soup is $24. If you want a second bowl of pea soup that will be another $24. If you want 2 bowls of soup and a salad and two main courses in a specialty restaurant on a Celebrity ship it's all included in your $50. 

I don't think comparing Wynn prices is really a fair comparison.  Celebrity, despite what it's advertisements try to make you believe, is still a mid-level rather than luxury cruise line.  Wynn is definitely one of the luxury hotels in Vegas.  I agree land prices are quite high now as well.  I've done the vacation to vacation comparison as well and when one compares apples to apples a cruise is still more expensive, although granted not all that much.  And on a cruise, you are already paying for a nice dinner.  Need to remember that when comparing additional prices of specialty restaurants to land restaurants.

[C 2 C]

12 hours ago, drakes2 said:

The French onion soup was actually very good on the Apex so much so I ordered it 4 times during my 15 night TA.  Much improved over their watered down tasteless version of years ago. Still not as good as what I make at home but pretty close.  I add a couple tablespoons of cognac to mine. 😆 

You are only 3 hrs away.  When is your next batch?