June 2023 Please post pics of new menus w/ changes

[cluso]

Have been reading a lot of negative comments about the new menus, cutbacks, and upcharges.  Have several X cruises scheduled (one on Equinox) but have been to all the ports already.  Thinking about cancelling them if the onboard experience is really going downhill.  Last cruise on X was in March, it was OK, not great.  We are Elite+, but that extra bag of laundry is not enough to keep us with X.

 

Booked an Oceania cruise earlier this week.  😎

[kruzerci]

You can view them in the app. Tilapia, potatoes, couscous, cheeseburger as entrees. No thanks 

[horseymike]

no franks and beans ?

[Jim_Iain]

As others have said the App is your go to place.   Select a ship and choose the current sailing and then choose your dining room.  The menus are listed by day and meal.

 

I have only traveled in Suites but can tell you the Suites Menus are mostly unchanged from pre-Covid and I was definitely not disappointed with the OVC. 

 

Instead of cancelling a cruise based on a few that are verbal and tear down everything, I would take your cruise and compare for yourself.   I have a feeling you will find more things the same than different.

[phoenix_dream]

11 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

As others have said the App is your go to place.   Select a ship and choose the current sailing and then choose your dining room.  The menus are listed by day and meal.

 

I have only traveled in Suites but can tell you the Suites Menus are mostly unchanged from pre-Covid and I was definitely not disappointed with the OVC. 

 

Instead of cancelling a cruise based on a few that are verbal and tear down everything, I would take your cruise and compare for yourself.   I have a feeling you will find more things the same than different.

I agree with you about more things the same than different.  But I also think that these menu changes are not the kind of thing you need to wait and see - they are real and they are happening to MDR diners.  For some that may be a game changer.  I usually sail in Aqua, and suites back when I could afford them, and so far the changes don't impact Blu too much, except for the fact that I often relied on the MDR classics or menu items when I didn't like what Blu was offering.  For example, I have been on cruises where I order shrimp cocktail most every day.   Now I can't.  I am not cancelling any cruises for sure - there is still so much to enjoy and Celebrity staff is outstanding - but for many of us, myself included, the dining experience was one of my top reasons for choosing Celebrity.  If they keep chipping away at it I may very well consider other lines, especially considering the very high prices right now.

[kruzerci]

19 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

As others have said the App is your go to place.   Select a ship and choose the current sailing and then choose your dining room.  The menus are listed by day and meal.

 

I have only traveled in Suites but can tell you the Suites Menus are mostly unchanged from pre-Covid and I was definitely not disappointed with the OVC. 

 

Instead of cancelling a cruise based on a few that are verbal and tear down everything, I would take your cruise and compare for yourself.   I have a feeling you will find more things the same than different.

It goes deeper than just this. It’s not just one change. It’s turning into death by a thousand cuts. 

[FlyingAnchor]

6 minutes ago, kruzerci said:

It goes deeper than just this. It’s not just one change. It’s turning into death by a thousand cuts. 

Its this for us. We've been researching day and night to replace both of our upcoming X cruises. Why do we keep paying more to chase a nicer experience on X when they keep cheapening it? We'll see if we find another line to become our go-to or not. The truth is, we don't sail Royal for a reason. Not thrilled to see X watered down over and over again. 

[Bo1953]

50 minutes ago, kruzerci said:

It goes deeper than just this. It’s not just one change. It’s turning into death by a thousand cuts. 

Or... it could be a way to save on bariatric surgery for those so inclined or upset by the changes... LOL

 

bon appetit and bon voyage

[Bo1953]

45 minutes ago, FlyingAnchor said:

Its this for us. We've been researching day and night to replace both of our upcoming X cruises. Why do we keep paying more to chase a nicer experience on X when they keep cheapening it? We'll see if we find another line to become our go-to or not. The truth is, we don't sail Royal for a reason. Not thrilled to see X watered down over and over again. 

I fully understand... yet what is your TA input on something comparable to what you have had in the past as a go to now?

 

Plus, I presume you want the same price point as well, correct???

 

bon voyage

Edited June 21, 2023 by Bo1953

[mahasamatman]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

As others have said the App is your go to place.

 

Only if you don't care about accuracy.

[Mark_T]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

Instead of cancelling a cruise based on a few that are verbal and tear down everything, I would take your cruise and compare for yourself.   I have a feeling you will find more things the same than different.

You are right of course, the ship experience outside of the MDR is still solid and largely unchanged, and if in a suite pretty much nothing has changed except the price, so certainly no reason to just cancel.

 

I don't think anyone is trying to 'tear down everything' but if there had not been a major outcry over the OVC changes do you think Celebrity would have significantly walked them back?

 

Similarly if nobody makes some noise about the series of cuts to the MDR menus both in terms of options and quality then it will result in a considerable reduction of the experience for those not in the Retreat.

 

This is more about trying to defend the experience for those not in suites so they don't have to look elsewhere, than trying to tear it down to make them look elsewhere...

[kruzerci]

23 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

Or... it could be a way to save on bariatric surgery for those so inclined or upset by the changes... LOL

 

bon appetit and bon voyage

I know most cruisers are, but I am not overweight just FYI. I enjoy quality food in moderation. 

[Bo1953]

Just now, kruzerci said:

I know most cruisers are, but I am not overweight just FYI. I enjoy quality food in moderation. 

My comment was in general and not directed to you specifically... sorry if it came across as personal.

 

bon appetit and bon voyage

[horseymike]

1 hour ago, phoenix_dream said:

I agree with you about more things the same than different.  But I also think that these menu changes are not the kind of thing you need to wait and see - they are real and they are happening to MDR diners.  For some that may be a game changer.  I usually sail in Aqua, and suites back when I could afford them, and so far the changes don't impact Blu too much, except for the fact that I often relied on the MDR classics or menu items when I didn't like what Blu was offering.  For example, I have been on cruises where I order shrimp cocktail most every day.   Now I can't.  I am not cancelling any cruises for sure - there is still so much to enjoy and Celebrity staff is outstanding - but for many of us, myself included, the dining experience was one of my top reasons for choosing Celebrity.  If they keep chipping away at it I may very well consider other lines, especially considering the very high prices right now.

Sometimes companies forget the reasons why they became successful.

IMHO the major demographic on Celebrity are at the stage in life where good food is a very important part of a vacation. I know COVID clobbered the cruise industry, however from personal experience and research, I think these ships are sailing at capacity for the most part , the passengers seem to be enjoying their cocktails, casinos ect…… so hopefully management can actually achieve a solution to paying down debt without ruining a product that so many people truly enjoy.

[FlyingAnchor]

34 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

yet what is your TA input

I think we're going to start looking at smaller ships. We never sailed Azamara when it was part of RCI but we've found an acceptable itinerary on them and several other small ship operators. Just weighing the pros and cons of each and also looking at the ports involved! One thing we've struggled with X over the years is the repetitiveness of itineraries so it'll be nice to find some new ports along the way if we do sail with someone else. 

[Bo1953]

20 minutes ago, FlyingAnchor said:

I think we're going to start looking at smaller ships. We never sailed Azamara when it was part of RCI but we've found an acceptable itinerary on them and several other small ship operators. Just weighing the pros and cons of each and also looking at the ports involved! One thing we've struggled with X over the years is the repetitiveness of itineraries so it'll be nice to find some new ports along the way if we do sail with someone else. 

Also, solicit info from the Aza forum here on CC...

 

Some may have great info for you to consider, as well...

 

bon voyage

[Jjohnb]

1 hour ago, kruzerci said:

It goes deeper than just this. It’s not just one change. It’s turning into death by a thousand cuts. 

 

Jason Liberty and team have been cost cutting feverishly over at Royal, they're now starting at Celebrity.  Looks like you've just been "Liberty'd"!

 

We're Diamond+ with Royal and have been sailing with them since the early 80's.  The dining experience is one of our favorite aspects of cruising.  The food quality on Royal has nosedived over the last year which drove us to book our first cruise on X as we've always heard great things about the food.  We now fear that by the time we sail with X their food quality will significantly decrease as well.  Hopefully, the decrease in food quality is more related to the post covid re-staffing / re-training versus cost cutting but only time will tell.

[FlyingAnchor]

33 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

Some may have great info for you to consider, as well...

Thank you! We've never sailed on a smaller ship before so we do want to try it at least once! 🤣 

[kruzerci]

16 minutes ago, Jjohnb said:

 

Jason Liberty and team have been cost cutting feverishly over at Royal, they're now starting at Celebrity.  Looks like you've just been "Liberty'd"!

 

We're Diamond+ with Royal and have been sailing with them since the early 80's.  The dining experience is one of our favorite aspects of cruising.  The food quality on Royal has nosedived over the last year which drove us to book our first cruise on X as we've always heard great things about the food.  We now fear that by the time we sail with X their food quality will significantly decrease as well.  Hopefully, the decrease in food quality is more related to the post covid re-staffing / re-training versus cost cutting but only time will tell.

Same. Been sailing with Royal 35 years and came here for a more similar experience. Now it’s nosediving also. Ugh!

[Bo1953]

15 minutes ago, kruzerci said:

Same. Been sailing with Royal 35 years and came here for a more similar experience. Now it’s nosediving also. Ugh!

You actually believe it is nosediving???

 

bon voyage

[RichYak]

9 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

You actually believe it is nosediving???

 

bon voyage

I do, but only for non-vegans.

[lexmiller]

1 hour ago, mahasamatman said:

 

Only if you don't care about accuracy.

EXACTLY!  The app (especially for menus and dates) is notoriously inaccurate!  People have used the posted menus on the app for the various dining rooms to pick dates for specialty dining and have been woefully disappointed.  We just spent two months on the Eclipse in Aqua Class thus in Blu - Australia, NZ, Polynesia, Hawaii, Vancouver.  We got very friendly with the maitre'd which of course happens after 2 months.  One evening, a couple was at her desk ahead of us, very angry about the menus that were on the app since they were inaccurate with what the REAL MENUS actually were in the flesh, how they had based a specialty dining reservation around it.  I wanted to jump in and intervene and tell them, in a fellow passenger sort of way, "oh, bad move guys, never trust the app when it comes to menus and dates, trust me on this", but my husband held me back.  The maitre'd was very nice to the couple, apologizing, saying things like "I will see what I can do, so sorry" etc.  When it was our turn at her desk for our table, we chatted about how I wanted to jump in and tell this couple they should not trust the app, and she said to me that she so wishes I had told them, since as a passenger, I can say whatever I want, but that her job, and she was so funny with us, is to tow the party line, to apologize, grovel, eat dirt, etc - she told us frankly that the menus are rarely updated and the dates hardly ever match, that the app updating is not a co-ordinated process.  I have also had the activities team on various of the ships in the fleet, tell me and other passengers to always go by the printed daily in the room the night before (except in cases where there is a weather event, moving something inside from the outside, but even then the app is not usually updated despite what "X" maintains).  So yes, full agreement on your comment to check the app, sure, go ahead - unless you actually care about accuracy.

[Bo1953]

6 minutes ago, RichYak said:

I do, but only for non-vegans.

LOL, then there are at least two (2) other viable options:

 

1) become vegan and barring that;

2) Azamara or Oceania...

 

bon appetit and bon voyage

 

[RichYak]

2 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

LOL, then there are at least two (2) other viable options:

 

1) become vegan and barring that;

2) Azamara or Oceania...

 

bon appetit and bon voyage

 

LOL, actually I'm equally as unqualified as you to be commenting in these threads as my only experience on Celebrity post pandemic has been in Retreat (though I did order of the MDR menu once on my last cruise and it turned out to be a bad idea). But we add our 2 cents anyway.

[Bo1953]

15 minutes ago, RichYak said:

LOL, actually I'm equally as unqualified as you to be commenting in these threads as my only experience on Celebrity post pandemic has been in Retreat (though I did order of the MDR menu once on my last cruise and it turned out to be a bad idea). But we add our 2 cents anyway.

Actually, I travel with quite a few carnivores, confirmed and unabashedly so, as such hear from the first bite to the last how the meal was...

 

Especially over the last two (2) years and the resounding consensus was that the food was not that bad in the MDR yet better in the Specialties... 

 

I did poll them, to refresh memory, over the last two (2) weeks...

 

edited to add: one just reminded me that they were unhappy on one of our sailings on one night that the OVC did not have quite the extensive carving station that they remembered pre-pandemic.

 

bon appetit and bon voyage

Edited June 21, 2023 by Bo1953