SOLSTICE FOOD QUALITY & DINING reviews

[Gustavas]

I am reading reviews on the boards giving ratings of 3s and even 2s for dining. One reviewer even compared the food to Carnival. I am in shock. I can not tell you how it really breaks my heart to read more than just a few poor (very recent) reviews regarding the food quality and dining room service onboard Celebrity Solstice. I've read more poor dining and food reviews for Solstice today than I had ever expected to see or hoped to read concerning a Celebrity ship......most written by seasoned Celebrity veterans like myself who know Celebrity's original quality and service.

 

This was always my greatest fear when Michele Roux left. When Celebrity/RCCL decided to enter the mega ship arena, (a mistake in my view) they faded into history the excellence and stellar food and service reputation that was once what made Celebrity superior; very superior. Just for insurance, I've pre-booked almost 4 nights of specialty restaurant dining. A Captain's Club Elite, we were long ago booked on this new Celebrity ship for April 09. I am hoping that things turn around but I am also a realist. She's too big with too many passengers and food is the easiest budget cut. It is always the case. The larger the ship, the less flair the food.

 

Let's face it; without the many little special touches, Cova Cafe chocolates, flambee's, table side preps, tasty and tempting fine dining offerings and stylish attentive service, what do you really have left to justifiably set you apart from all the other mass market "pack-em-in" ships out there ? Price point ?

 

As all veteran Celebrity cruisers know, when it came to the food in the dining room, Celebrity was King. Bigger is not better. Personally, the Millennium, Summit and Constellation for example, were all certainly large enough. Their specialty restaurants were outstanding and memorable. Those ships were also outwardly more appealing to look at. What is this new obsession with bigger, bigger, bigger ??? It's maddness.

 

Alas, corporate board rooms rule bottom lines and need to "pack-em-in."

No one loves the Celebrity brand more than I do, but that brand is apparently different now. The food service and quality seems to have changed since Michele Roux left.

 

Compared to 1991 when I first cruised with Celebrity on the Horizon, the line is worlds away from its origins. It would be a shame to only sail with Crystal or Oceania or pehaps even higher levels with Silversea to get what Celebrity used to offer as a matter of course.

[FinelyCruising]

I have looked at as many menus I can find for the MDR, and to me they still look good. Despite that, in the past, even before the Roux change, we have enjoyed the option of the Specialty Restaurants and do in fact find them special and usually dine at least once every time we cruise.

 

I am not convinced that a ship like Solstice is a gone wrong approach, I am not convinced that it is going to be lesser of a cruise than any one we have taken so far, and I too have read all the feedback.

 

At one point in time, it was discouraging, and I did cancel of Solstice cruise for March. And then the rates dropped to a point where I decided to re-book. Frankly, I thought the booking price for Solstice when opened were high, and even though I did get the benefit of all reductions I found over time, I remained concerned about the cost versus the impressions that were being conveyed.

 

In the end I found that the the consensus was: the staff is still top notch, the ship was clean and in good order, the alternate dining venues favorable.

 

I am going and I don't regret my desire or my decision. I have had enough with the griping and I am not so closed minded as to not be open to something new and exciting, and I think overall what has occurred its many people had an issue with the cost and were angry that the days of the very inexpensive cruise was now gone, that Horizon and Zenith and that very affordable price point was gone, and I think that the real reason they were disappointed was telegraphed as complaints about food just to find an outlet for their own purpose since it could no longer be denied the Solstice has changed this line forever and that they would be cruising a whole lot less.

 

And not because of Solstice, but because of Horizon and Zenith.

[gwrod]

I have to agree with the reviews...out of the 7 nights I really enjoyed 3-4 nights dinners in the MDR. The other nights were just so-so. I also didn't like the fact that they combine the soup and salad choice....I'm sure if I wanted I could have ordered soup and salad, but i missed the 5 course dinner.

[Linda-E]

We enjoyed our recent cruise on Solstice. However, I also agree that there have been significant cutbacks on food in the MDR. The portions are smaller and the quality of the meats not as good as we in the past. Salads came pre-dressed from the kitchen. The worst choice I made was the prime rib the last night, which was inedible. Even desserts were disappointing some nights.

 

However, the Oceanview Cafe is wonderful for breakfast and lunch. The selection is vastly expanded and the quality improved. We liked Muranos and loved the Tuscan Grille.

 

I hope Celebrity reads the comment cards and revamps the MDR food before November.

[martodd]

Salads came pre-dressed from the kitchen. .

 

Do you mean they do not bring the salad and then go around with the assortment of dressings to choose from? That always made it so nice.

[pris993]

We are booked on the Equinox for Oct 09. So naturally I have read with interest what folks have had to say about the new ship.

 

To be honest, I have not been impressed with the food and service in the MDR on the Celebrity ships we have been on over the past 10 years. The Equinox will be cruise #10 on Celebrity for us. Thankfully we don't go for the food alone. We primarily eat fish and this seems to be a hit and miss item often.

 

Don't care for the alternative dining options either because they all have a set menu. If we are going to pay extra we would like to have the option of special ordering menu items the way we want them prepared.

 

But Celebrity seems to be similar to Princess and HAL in this area. So we go for the ports. We generally have a good breakfast and lunch and don't worry much about dinner. Some nights we skip dinner entirely.

[hcat]

We are veteran X cruisers--who had trepidation after reading the reviews on this board & looking at some of the odd menu items posted

 

But! Our meals on the 1/25 cruise could not have been better , food quality was excellent, portions filling, altho' a bit skimpy with veggies which I love. Presentation was lovely & service also excellent. dressing choices were brought to us.. but not the desserts..

 

The MDR menu is in several parts There are the chef's recommendations, the Classics & the new menu--much of which also contains classics..we are not adventurous & enjoyed it all & were never without something to choose... very good soups & salad 7 desserts--still have celebrity dressing I imagine when they assess what is popular & what is not they will make an adjustment... we were relieved & pleased!!!

 

Some of the table areas are very cramped--that'll have to be worked out--we had a great spot on the upper rail but could see other areas we would not have enjoyed...

[chief joe]

I can agree 100% with hcat. We were on Christmas Cruise on Solstice and food was excellent. I am not a "foodie" if it is warm and taste good I am happy, so I was happy all week.I had all the lobster I wanted and my prime rib you could cut it with a fork and tasted great. I learned early reading some of the posts that there is a bunch of whiners and I cannot understand why If everything is that terrible why they keep on cruising maybe they need to stay home.

[JPEvans]

One reviewer even compared the food to Carnival. I am in shock.

 

People who put down Carnival like that, probably have never cruised Carnival. I've been on just about all the major cruise lines at some point, except Holland America. And the food on the Carnival ships have always been great.

[mek]

quote=JPEvans People who put down Carnival like that, probably have never cruised Carnival. I've been on just about all the major cruise lines at some point, except Holland America. And the food on the Carnival ships have always been great.

 

I couldn't agree more. I've always had good to very good and ocasionally excellent meals on Carnival. While they don't fall into the sophisticated category, I always have fun. Since I cruise frequently, I enjoy sailing on multiple lines. For me, the same thing gets boring after several cruises on the same line/ship. As much as I love Princess, I needed a break from the same menus and entertainment, so I am booked on HAL next month and Celebrity in September.

[hylasgirl]

I am reading reviews on the boards giving ratings of 3s and even 2s for dining. One reviewer even compared the food to Carnival. I am in shock. I can not tell you how it really breaks my heart to read more than just a few poor (very recent) reviews regarding the food quality and dining room service onboard Celebrity Solstice. I've read more poor dining and food reviews for Solstice today than I had ever expected to see or hoped to read concerning a Celebrity ship......most written by seasoned Celebrity veterans like myself who know Celebrity's original quality and service.

 

This was always my greatest fear when Michele Roux left. When Celebrity/RCCL decided to enter the mega ship arena, (a mistake in my view) they faded into history the excellence and stellar food and service reputation that was once what made Celebrity superior; very superior. Just for insurance, I've pre-booked almost 4 nights of specialty restaurant dining. A Captain's Club Elite, we were long ago booked on this new Celebrity ship for April 09. I am hoping that things turn around but I am also a realist. She's too big with too many passengers and food is the easiest budget cut. It is always the case. The larger the ship, the less flair the food.

 

Let's face it; without the many little special touches, Cova Cafe chocolates, flambee's, table side preps, tasty and tempting fine dining offerings and stylish attentive service, what do you really have left to justifiably set you apart from all the other mass market "pack-em-in" ships out there ? Price point ?

 

As all veteran Celebrity cruisers know, when it came to the food in the dining room, Celebrity was King. Bigger is not better. Personally, the Millennium, Summit and Constellation for example, were all certainly large enough. Their specialty restaurants were outstanding and memorable. Those ships were also outwardly more appealing to look at. What is this new obsession with bigger, bigger, bigger ??? It's maddness.

 

Alas, corporate board rooms rule bottom lines and need to "pack-em-in."

No one loves the Celebrity brand more than I do, but that brand is apparently different now. The food service and quality seems to have changed since Michele Roux left.

 

Compared to 1991 when I first cruised with Celebrity on the Horizon, the line is worlds away from its origins. It would be a shame to only sail with Crystal or Oceania or pehaps even higher levels with Silversea to get what Celebrity used to offer as a matter of course.

 

Well, while I think some of this is true... in addition to the bigger bigger bigger philosophy, I think the same thing can be said about people's expectations.

[woody14h]

Do you mean they do not bring the salad and then go around with the assortment of dressings to choose from? That always made it so nice.

 

Not only do they not bring the dressing tray but the salads are lightly dressed and you have to ask for more without a choice. Bummer. Also missed the dessert tray presentation. Overall nothing else detracted from this elegant ship.

[Lois R]

Not only do they not bring the dressing tray but the salads are lightly dressed and you have to ask for more without a choice. Bummer. Also missed the dessert tray presentation. Overall nothing else detracted from this elegant ship.

 

Hi, I was on Galaxy last month. Our Assistant Waiter brought

the dressings around to us every night and our Waiter brought

the dessert tray each night as well. He even started the Presentation

with a very cute "Ladies and Gentlemen":)

 

I guess that same routine is not happening on Solstice?

[willysgrandma]

I have to agree with those who talk about Carnival's food - Carnival is rated as one of the top four cruisel ines for food - the others are Celebrity, Regent and I think Oceania or Windstar - one of the higher priced cruise lines.

 

Has anyone starved on a cruise? I can always find something I like. Perhaps some of the cutbacks are due to the fact that there is so much wasted food on a ship. I like the smaller portions because I couldn't eat my entire meals a few years ago when they had huge meals in the MDR.

[chucknmarilyn]

I also like the smaller portions. I like to try several different things and don't like to feel very wasteful. I don't think I have EVER left a dinner table hungry.

 

We felt that the food on Solstice was very good. Some nights I didn't think anything really appealed to me that much but when my order arrived it was always delicious. I did have veal that was quite tough but my husband's was fork tender so it was just a fluke - one way or the other. You can ask for your dressing on the side on most of the salads but they aren't bringing the dressing around to the tables now. I suspect it is a time saving thing because of the size of the ship. It would also be a cost savings as they probably had to dispose of all the "left over" dressing after each meal.

[CruisinNewb]

Food is oh so subjective. What is one person's great is another person's inedible. I've only been on one Celebrity cruise so far and overall I found the meals good. Portion size was small but between appetizer, salad, soup, bread, main course and dessert and drinks I never leeft the table hungry and I have a large appetitie. If you were not pleased, the staff made sure they brought you something you enjoyed.

 

What the food was like 5 or 10 or 15 years ago doesn't really matter. Things change like food costs, availability, logistics, and the bottom line at the end of the day is that Celebrity is a publically owned company that has to increase profits every year like every other company out there. They have to balance the cost to service equation. Not every one will be happy with their decisions. I for one could care less if they never served escargot again while others would be devastated.

 

At the end of the day, everyone else's opinions are just that, and may be very different from your own.

 

Ron

[caliber35]

I have to agree with those who talk about Carnival's food - Carnival is rated as one of the top four cruisel ines for food - the others are Celebrity, Regent and I think Oceania or Windstar - one of the higher priced cruise lines.

 

Sorry to say, but Carnival does not even place in the top seventy of about 200 ships rated in the surveys on this site. Most of the mainstream lines offer similar dining, with many people rating X and HAL above the others. The real differences become apparent on the luxury lines like Crystal, Silverseas and Regent where meals are cooked to order, often using fresh ingedients. All the rest are simply good banquet food, prepared in mass from frozen or bulk ingredients. Like the last catered wedding you might have attended...

[Sky Sweet]

People who put down Carnival like that, probably have never cruised Carnival. I've been on just about all the major cruise lines at some point, except Holland America. And the food on the Carnival ships have always been great.

 

Hi JP Evans - I agree with you :)

 

Sixteen of us took a family reunion cruise from NYC to Canada on a Carnival ship last summer and were very pleased with the quality of their food.

 

Carnival's menu is less "gourmet" than Celebrity, but they use quality ingredients that are well prepared. I personally thought the steak I had on Carnival was better than any steak I had on a cruise within the past few years. Their soups and desserts were also amazingly good.

[firefly333]

I am reading reviews on the boards giving ratings of 3s and even 2s for dining. One reviewer even compared the food to Carnival. I am in shock. .

 

I actually put Carnival food above RCL food, so saying it compares to Carnival food isnt that bad to me. I didnt like a lot of food on RCL, too many gravies and heavy sauces for my taste.

 

I am hoping Celebrity is a notch above, booked, but havent taken the cruise yet.

[Mysticks1]

I actually put Carnival food above RCL food, so saying it compares to Carnival food isnt that bad to me. I didnt like a lot of food on RCL, too many gravies and heavy sauces for my taste.

 

I am hoping Celebrity is a notch above, booked, but havent taken the cruise yet.

 

I also agree that the meals that we had in the main dining room an Carnival were better than the meals we had on Mariner of the Seas. I also don't care for the sauces. If I don't like what I had in the dining room I can always find something else to eat later.

[RealDeal]

JUST off Solstice & my take is that X's food is not what it used to be. I sailed on Millie a year ago & thought the food was considerably better than what was on Solstice. It wasn't horrible, but I would say it was "fine" (although some things I sampled were not). Just sailed on Sapphire Princess in November & I thought for the most part the food was better on Sapphire. I just really feel that X is making cutbacks in the food area, which I think is a mistake. Just my 2 cents.

[whitelilly]

I was on the 1/25 Soltice cruise and I was very disappointed in the MDR food. I have only sailed on RCL in the past and I think their food is better in the MDR. I dined at all three specialty restaurants Murano was fabulous and so was the Silk Harvest the Tuscan Grill had good food but we did not have good service. We had bereakfast only one morning in the MDR we were first ignored and then received undercooked cold eggs which I did not eat and was not asked why. We have always used the MDR for breakfast several times on past cruises but never went back after this bad experience.

[bacm]

We are just off of Solstice and our dining experience had a lot to be desired. I will say that the food on celebrity was a bit better than the other lines I have been on, however, it was not the luxury experience that I had anticipated after reading the Celebrity boards. Some nights the food was just so-so. The menu choices are extremely limited. The service was worse than on most cruises I have been on. The waiter was very pleasant but was overwhelmed since the only help he received was from a "first day on the job" asst waiter. The service really took away any chance of a pleasant experience. Our food usually came out at different times...! never experienced that before....our water glasses were sometimes empty.....and if the coffee and tea service was so poor that our group resorted to bringing tea bags with us from the buffet so we could have our tea in the dining room ( that was if we could get the hot water :eek: ). We didn't let this ruin our time, but there was a lot to "overlook". The waiter kept telling us he was "sorry" that he was training a new asst waiter, but I don't understand why Celebrity thinks that it is acceptable for them to expect us to be patient with this sort of service so that they can train new help. We tried Tuscan Grill which I would rate as OK, Bistro on 5 was OK, but I would rate Murano as EXECLLENT! We didn't try Silk Harvest.

[CruisinMaterial]

The only redeeming quality of the 1 Carnival cruise I took was the food... otherwise the Carnival product is not fun at all IMHO.

 

As for the food on mega ships I believe that the quality will go down because you are mass producing meals and cannot give the extra touch that makes it appear so special when presented. A lot of cruise lines have thrown presentation out the window and have cut down on portion sizes.

 

Celebrity had memorable food on the Millie when I sailed on her. It's disheartening the reviews for the Solstice are not that great when it comes to MDR food. Usually you get specialty restaurant quality in the Celebrity MDR - it seems now that has changed. It's a shame but we'll see. 4 weeks to sail from yesterday! :)

[N&B]

We were on the Soltice at Christmas and had reservations in the Blu restaurant each evening. The food and service could not have been better. If something we wanted was not on the menu, they had it for us the next evening. The filet we had the first evening would melt in your mouth.

I found the buffet to be the best ever, with many stations, no long lines. The food was well presented and very good. Enjoyed the large coffee mugs.

The only time we were in the main dining room was for a Christmas Bruch - served buffet stylle and very good.