ECCruise

Respectfully disagree. If we find the food comparable to what we had on our previous 30+ =X= sailings, we would be more than satisfied. And happy to crow about it in the current environment. The vast majority of food postings here are not "worst meal ever" but largely a clear "definitely didn't live up to what we expect (and are paying big $$ for) on Celebrity."

Another solution is the simplest one: if you see a thread with a topic like "MDR" or "Celebrity food" simply pass it by. Problem solved.

Potential solution: Improve the food to meet pax expectations and prior experience.

Has been going on for many years, long before COVID. As with most things, nothing is 100%. Although the majority of proteins are container based, there are supplemental supplies often added locally. Not sure why a Captain would be checking the quality of the food. That would be in the purview of the provisions manager, the Exec Chef and the HD. How did you know that the initial meat and fish did not come from the US in containers and been rejected? We've seen that happen several times which forced local provisioning, which is always a shot in the dark.

They're not. They are provisioned in Miami, e.g., and shipped on containers generally to embarkation ports, where they are laded on. Provisions are usually ordered months in advance to account for transport time. There are some exceptions to this, however. When the ship(s) are in Australia and NZ, more of the products are locally provisioned. This information comes from several conversations with HDs and Executive chefs.

Only if the changes involved fresh fruits or vegetables. All the proteins are sourced in the USA, not in individual ports.

Yes finding the a good one is the whole game!

Will never understand the allure of booking direct with the cruise line. 50+ cruises with my current TA who responds generally within minutes but at most early the next day (like 7AM) if I contact her late at night. We literally have taken cruises fully paid by the cumulative savings a good TA has saved us over cruise line prices.

OP: Through the casino I was able to get a 21 day comped cruise from Seattle to Ft. Lauderdale through the Panama Canal.

Don't think that is going to happen without paying the fine for breaking the PVSA. [t]he penalty imposed for the unlawful transportation of passengers between coastwise points is $300.00 for each passenger landed on or before November 2, 2015 and $778.00 for each passenger so transported and landed after November 2, 2015 (46 U.S.C. 55103,

Except that the depths of the cuts are not universal. They vary. A lot. Speaking of lots of days since restart on other lines also, Azamara, Princess and Holland America.

Not sure why you got that. We are on the same sailing, got the same notification and there is nothing about being able to change to a different itinerary. Our TA got the same notification as us. Not a word about ability to change. Maybe because you were rerouted to UK CS where rules may be different?

Thanks for relating your experience, @Cruising Princess Does not give warm and fuzzies by any stretch.

That is a good price and rare because it is a crossing, but your assessment is fair. But would you feel the same way if your tariff was 4, 5 or 6 times that price? Which in today's =X= environment, is not out of the ordinary by any means.

It was in Alexandria where they were scheduled to port and the shootings were fatal.

No hard and fast rule. OBC could range from $0 to a much higher amount. This turned out to be a completely different sailing from what was booked, but none of that was Celebrity's fault so it remains to be seen. I doubt whether or not the original pricing was higher would be a factor.

From what you cited: The strip steak (sirloin in Britain, Australia, and South Africa) Celebrity is a USA company. Their menus are USA based. Strip steak and sirloin are NOT the same to anyone in the USA, including and most importantly, those who develop the menus. And I am out. Enjoy.

They are absolutely not the same. Strip steak vs. Sirloin . And the last time I checked, =X= is a USA cruise line, so their description would be that of the USA. I already said what many feel is missing. What was there for 20+ years. Nothing new.

No, what many are asking (not demanding) is where is the decent New York strip steak that was on the menu for over 20 years? And yes, sirloin is definitely a cheaper cut than strip steak.

Celebrity is not the only cruise line that needs to stay in business. And yes, virtually all of the lines have had some sort of cost cutting measures in place. But, IMHO, they are the deepest cuts on =X= with absolutely the highest price appreciation of all the lines that we've sailed/considered. And that is spoken with 20 sailings deposited and booked (4 with =X=) in the next 22 months.

I agree. Which is why I wouldn't even consider booking at current pricing.

We aren't going in with any misconceptions. Specialty prices are nuts. We've dined in them probably 50 times since all 4 Ocean Liners on the M Class. Have never paid full price and never will. Either discounted with flash sale or discount onboard. We'll do Ocean View if we are in a salad mood, e.g. We will make do since we got good pricing on unique itineraries and that's why we sail.

True. We will make do on the 4 that we have scheduled because they were booked long ago at decent prices (there is zero chance that we would book at the prices today with the depreciated dining experience). Maybe more Specialties, maybe more Oceanview. From that point we will make decisions going forward whether to add new bookings or quietly stick with the other lines that we enjoy.

I think part of the disagreements here stem from the fact that some of us who have been sailing with Celebrity for a number of years (us, 30+ since 1998) have an established "mean" of what we have experienced in dining. Those who have only sailed recently or never on Celebrity have a different "mean" of what they have experienced. Neither is right nor wrong, but it is fairly obvious that the difference in experiences (and expectations) is pretty evident.

Ramasside Tours We were pleased with the experience from beginning to end.