tigervixxxen

I never ordered a lot of beef from the MDR in the past because I know it’s prepared catering style in the galley, there is always going to be a range of food quality. What bothers me about the change is the removal of options, almost no appetizers, no difference in sides and I like mashed potatoes but come on, just no exploration in flavor. I’m seriously considering bringing my own seasonings and sauces, which would be ridiculous but how many nights can you have the same thing just it’s a different protein. 

1 hour ago, AlyssaJames said:

Re: "Food is so subjective", this is a bit of a cop-out.

If you don't like a particular seasoning or ingredient, or you only like your steak cooked one way, sure, that's a subjective preference.

Grading of beef is not subjective.

Quality and ripeness of produce is not subjective. 

Bulk store chocolate vs. culinary-grade chocolate like Callebaut or Valrhona is not subjective. (well, unless you'd rather taste sugar than chocolate, I guess.)

Just some examples. That phrase is a pet peeve of mine. 

What is subjective is how much the difference matters to people. 
 

To me what is not subjective is the fact that there has been a pretty noticeable change in the MDR menu and the disbelief at times that it has occurred is what I really don’t understand. 

We had an excursion in Porto but I do believe there was a shuttle provided that you could take. It is a little bit of a drive into the city so it probably wasn’t free. 
 

In general I find this type of info is basically a secret, I guess to get people to buy an excursion. But this is a very big blind spot for all the content creators and info aggregators is that port information when it comes to cruising is severely lacking.

We spent 11 nights in Blu on Equinox over the holidays. We didn’t find the food any better than the MDR in general, sure a couple dishes were (a couple of the salads with chicken or salmon were standouts for me and the lobster they serve in the cream sauce) but it was nice to choose between their menu plus the MDR menu. We had no issue doing this btw, waiters were happy to do it but they also waited for us to inquire about it. I believe the difference is in the E class ships the kitchens are not close together but on Solstice this should also be no problem. 
 

Our overall thoughts on Aqua was having more amenities was nice but nothing was actually “better” per se. I didn’t book any specialty restaurants because I thought I wouldn’t want to miss Blu, I was dead wrong about that. We even ate in the buffet one night instead. A lot of folks love Blu and it is a beautiful restaurant but is it better food, not in my opinion. Also the puréed veggies they served every night with the bread was strange. Not that it was a problem or anything but it gets pretty funny after 10 nights of having puréed carrots or beets on the table. 

I can confirm the Equinox has the extra shower heads that are at body height position, which I think are the special ones. As far as service, I thought it was fine in Blu. Nothing noteworthy either way other than they brought the wrong dish once or twice but it was efficient enough. 

I’ll be on the Solstice soon, hide a duck for me 😉

5 hours ago, ColoradoMom!! said:

Can I hide a "beat a dead horse" question in here - if someone would clarify a poorly worded FAQ straight off the Celebrity web site :

 

 

Are gratuities included in the Celebrity Cruises Drink Package cost?

No, a 20% service charge will be added to all drink page prices at checkout. Package prices may reflect an additional tax for certain ports or itineraries.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SO....

I read this two ways. I have the classic package.  If I ask for a glass of wine that is $9, yes, I need to pay a gratuity which is 20% of $9.00 - basically $1.80 because per the FAQ, gratuities are not included in the package cost.  OR is it no - your resulting charge is $0 since the glass of wine is fully covered under my package, and 20% of $0 charge is $0 gratuity ????

Obviously this is my first cruise with Celebrity coming up.  TIA

If you have the classic package and drink only items included you will never pay an extra cent because gratuity is already included with the package ($9 glass of wine is no charge). As pointed out if you go over the package you pay the difference plus gratuity on the difference ($17 martini, you pay $7 plus $1.40 = $8.40). It also means if you buy a drink package outside of All Included you will pay the 20% gratuity on top of the rate you pay for the package ($60 or whatever they charge for it plus $12 gratuity per day = $72 per day). 

21 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

On our September cruise last year it was also at hurricane time.  They re-ordered our ports.  We had to skip two ports due to hurricane damage, and we added overnights in Quebec City and Portland.  Surprisingly (to me) the seas were some of the calmest I've ever experienced in 20+ years of cruising.

That’s my experience too. On a cruise to Bermuda when there was a hurricane in the Bahamas the seas were the calmest I’ve ever seen, it’s like the storm sucks all the energy in the ocean and everything else is incredibly calm. 

The latest changes were mid August if you want a true reflection of the current offerings. 

Weather plays a big part no doubt but in general open waters are not rough seas, it’s getting close to the shoreline that makes for rocky waters. The first sea day leaving a large land mass and last sea day approaching one have been the roughest non weather related seas I have experienced. 

14 hours ago, dazey said:

We usually take the cab from port to Ft. Lauderdale airport.  Quick, inexpensive.  Have used shuttle a few times - fine if you have lots to time to get your flight.

 

We have a return flight from port in December and leaving from Miami.  Thinking of using ship's shuttle as flight does not leave until 1:30.  Assuming taxi would be more expensive.  Anyone have an idea which is better?

On our last cruise we sailed from Ft. Lauderdale but had a flight out of Miami to go home. We took the Celebrity shuttle for a 12:30 flight and was fine. We had to wait on the bus about 45 minutes for it to get full as there was only one bus departing to the Miami airport. We left about 9:45 and got to the airport before 10:30 and was perfect timing for our flight. 

4 hours ago, micruiser2002 said:

It is not just Silhouette.  Celebrity updated their menus in mid August and most options seem to be downgrades.  I am on Millie next month and the menu shows mashed potatoes every night with at least half of the entrees.  Not sure if the app menu used to show other side options but I see nothing as far as individual sides.

 

Individual sides is only something Silhouette does, they (still) have a slightly expanded MDR menu. 
 

it’s true that everyone’s experience and interpretation of those experiences will be different. But it’s a fact that the menu has recently changed and not everyone is fully aware to the extent of it. 

Ok I see there it’s on the invoice then it’s their issue. Still I would not believe anything about reimbursing drinks after the fact. 

On 9/13/2023 at 8:05 AM, like2cruise said:

I love, love, love the Spicy Mangotini.  Thanks for all the food and drink pictures except for the MDR ones. They made me sad that some of the food options have dropped to that level.  I get cutbacks, but the MDR appears to have been slashed!!

Even sadder that the Fish n Chips is an extra option only on the Silhouette 

41 minutes ago, patty1955 said:

A year ago, the AI was included in the price of a cruise. I had it on the first booking and was told it was included in the price of this one. I should not have to pay for something that was supposed to be included with the price of the cruise. 

But did you actually pay for it is the question and the root of the issue. 

They are not going to reimburse after the cruise, that’s nonsense. Don’t believe that for a second. Once you sail on that cruise their transaction with you is done, they are just a third party broker, there is no reason for them to continue servicing the booking. Even for those who have a direct issue with Celebrity once you walk off that ship the likelihood of seeing any sort of price adjustment or refund drops dramatically. 
 

So the problem is you thought you had all included but they also didn’t charge you for it? And can’t add it back to the booking now, or that you don’t want to pay the extra for it? You can’t threaten cancellation because it’s sold out, right? It’s going to be difficult imo because you didn’t actually pay for AI so they can’t just give that to you free. I agree with the OBC angle for your trouble and that’s something they should be able to manage. 

3 hours ago, miched said:

The problem I found with shore excursions is that they are written to make you think you are getting more than what it consists of.   If you read between the lines and especially after you went on the tour it is basically what they described.  If that makes any sense.  
 

Read the description very carefully and don’t read more than what is in it.   EX.  You will see the only church on the island.   It is what it reads.   You will see it as you drive past. You won’t go into it.    After getting burned on a few you get to know all of their deceptive tricks.   
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

That and Panoramic definitely means bus ride. 
 

However on one of my excursions I was literally promised a STROLL and it ended up being a 300 ft. Elevation climb hike. DH still enjoyed it but that was very misleading. 

Imo the Celebrity phone reps aren’t really there to help with details, they just aren’t trained to give that level of information. The excursions are set up through a third party even through the ship. I wish there was a lot more detail in them but that’s why CC is valuable to other people to explain their experience is the only way to get that kind of detail. 

34 minutes ago, AMediator said:

Someone posted menus from the Eclipse last week. They were all $17

If the cruise is far enough out the updated menus and prices don’t get loaded in is my theory on the discrepancy there. 

2 hours ago, lettrich said:

Question about Classic package - Does this also include all non-alcoholic drinks - sodas, bottled water, etc?  If not, I will definitely upgrade to Premium.  

Generally yes but there’s some exceptions. Red Bull, Vitamin Water, Evian. For basic items in each category yes it is included. 

Agree with what has been stated, often you will have a meeting point on the ship. If you are asked to meet on the pier I’d budget for about a half hour for a non-tendered debark, an hour for a tendered debark (I believe in this case you will most likely meet on the ship though). There will be people standing on the pier holding signs with the name of your excursion (sometimes name is slightly different so check in and confirm with sign holder) and you’ll usually line up behind them until everyone has arrived and then you’ll be escorted to the bus together. 
 

If the excursion is early and close to your arrival time you will more likely meet in theater, if it’s a bit later in the day they tend to just ask to meet on the pier.

I have booked a night pre cruise at the Ala Moana hotel as I don’t need to pay to stay for 12 hours on Waikiki and it’s closer to the cruise port and airport than Waikiki. Also, proximity to the mall is good for last minute items and quick meals. 

7 hours ago, Lastdance said:

Would you be so kind to include some specific details in your comparison of both lines like cabin/suite/itineraries/favorites on each ship?  Thanks!

Sure…I’ll preface by saying my last Carnival cruise was in 2019 and I have not been on their newest ships. However, I have not been on any line’s latest and greatest nor any of Celebrity’s E class so the ship itself really isn’t my primary impression of either line. 
 

Itinerary is a big draw for me as we take on average one cruise per year so I’m no longer in the market for the 7 day Caribbean or Cozumel turn around which also keep me away from the bigger/newer ships. I don’t repeat itineraries, I’ve pretty much taken a completely different cruise for most of my ~20 sailings. Celebrity’s world itineraries are definitely of greater interest to me but as they are cutting back and Carnival adds more the difference isn’t as large.  
 

Carnival’s older cabins definitely have a brighter outdated color scheme, I believe this is better on the newer ships. We tend to book typical balcony cabins so there really isn’t much difference between the lines. We have tried Aqua once as a novelty and the extra perks were fun but ultimately we didn’t find it worth it. Next time sailing on Carnival I’d like to try a corner aft balcony or other special type of room since we are used to paying Celebrity prices can afford it lol. 
 

I find the length and itinerary is the primary driver of party crowd. I sailed 14 night RT to Hawaii with Carnival and it was less of a party than the 11 night southern Caribbean holiday sailing on Celebrity which had a very loud group of teenager running around the ship all week. Carnival does have more light/silly activities but they are easy to ignore as we don’t sit out by the pool anyway. They probably have more activities in general and Celebrity has more a relaxing vibe. We don’t care much for production shows in general so not much comparison there but Carnival has more comedians, which we enjoy. 
 

Food is a big deal to me and what I like about Carnival is more creative and flavor offerings. Things like a taco bar and sandwich station on the lido deck are a godsend as I am not a huge fan of buffets in general. They also have more make to order stations like stir fry. I’m always wary of MDR food from the galley as it is and don’t expect everything to be fantastic as it is. The extremely limited new Celebrity MDR menu is a big concern to me and DH is not a huge fan of the MDR on a good day I’m not sure how that’s going to go over, though we have liked Celebrity’s food in general. That said we felt like Carnival’s MDR was better than Royal and Princess (DH in particular thought Princess was bland). 
 

Carnival’s specialty steakhouse was a standout, I thought Murano was good but not great (I’ll give it a try again) and Tuscan Grill is very good. Carnival also has a sea day brunch which is good. I prefer Celebrity’s pizza, I’m very particular about pizza though. 
 

We switched to Celebrity to cruise with DH’s sister and he likes the all inclusive offering so we continued booking with them as the slightly older but not old (we are early 40s) more upscale and relaxed vibe fits us. But considering we could probably package wifi and drinks for cheaper on Carnival at this point it’s probably just perception that’s driving it mostly. 
 

I will say with Celebrity we notice a lack of lines and crowds, never have to wait for much, always get seated at dinner, (maybe we just got lucky idk), the 5 minute embarkation feels like a miracle every time we go through it and just have a more relaxed experience in general and a bit more service oriented. We’ve never had a terrible experience on Carnival in this department though but there are noticeably more people around and to serve. Celebrity’s app is better pre cruise and the premium internet is fabulous, I haven’t been onboard Carnival recent enough to know if they’ve caught up in that dept. 

If I think back to it my two worst experiences have been on Princess and it wasn’t a great fit for us in general, I’d hesitate sailing with them long before Carnival which if the right itinerary came by (or friends family wanted a short cruise) I wouldn’t mind booking with them again. DH won’t take Norwegian or MSC, the nickel and dimining gets to him and he’s not a fan of some of the stories. There’s a bit of it on Carnival which is another reason why he likes Celebrity but if that vibe is there on our next sailing with the new policies he is not going to be thrilled, we’ll see. Not sure about HAL, their itineraries might force us to try. I also wouldn’t mind trying Virgin. We are not retired or wealthy enough for the luxury lines, maybe someday. 
 

Hope that answers it? 

I will test this out myself in a few weeks but in addition to what Wineaux said I’ve been told you can go the martini bar and tell them you are classic and see if they will make you a smaller martini or with cheaper liquor to keep you under your limit or to order something not one of their specialties such as a simple Cosmo or Lemon Drop. Or they may not and just pay the extra $8.40 for the special martini. It may change by the day and depending who you are asking if they’ll help out which is why there’s no easy answer the the drinks package dilemmas. At minimum you should get the $10 discount tho. 

10 hours ago, Malibustacey79 said:

We are due to sail next month and neither of us is a fan of mashed potato, which seems to feature extremely heavily at the moment. From the last menu posted (thank you StockJock!) I’m thinking my husband could, for example, order the prime rib of beef and the masala potatoes to go with it rather than the accompaniments it is offered with. 

My questions, to those who have done similar previously are a) will this be brought out as two separate plates or combined and b) will it just be too much food? Understand this is subjective but just looking for experiences. 

 

I don’t like the idea of wasting food, but I also don’t like the idea of nightly mash!! I plan on ordering a starter salad to go with my entrees where appropriate but husband is not a huge salad fan either. He loves any and all other potatoes & carbs, he’s not a fuss pot, honest!
 

We are really looking forward to the cruise, but haven’t sailed with Celebrity since 2019. I understand and accept that the menus (and other things) have changed since then but the nightly mash dread is strong…

 

My plan is to ask for the Masala potatoes as an appetizer, hopefully they will portion it smaller. I plan to do this for several veggie and pasta entrees to give myself a proper appetizer. 

The difference between Carnival and Celebrity isn’t that vast. We have sailed with Celebrity post covid mostly because my husband liked the all included non-nickel and dime experience. And well that seems to be vanishing so there isn’t going to be a whole lot that differentiates the two.