Millie 3/10: How many P's in Disappointed?

[Mr and Mrs Sea]

We have just returned home after spending a week on Millenium (13 Mar 05 sailing) followed by a second week in Florida. We are new to cruising and have done 2 previous cruises with Disney which we enjoyed immensely. We work hard and find that cruising is a great way to get instant relaxation. Despite being on vacation we unfortunately do need to be in touch with our respective workplaces whilst we are away. This time we thought we would try something different to see what other cruise lines were like. We did all our research and Celebrity seemed a good choice for us. We paid extra for concierge class and had the good fortune of getting cabin 9201 which had an enormous aft verandah. We loved the ship. It really is gorgeous, and the cabin and all the staff were fantastic. Everything had the makings for a great cruise but was let down for us by two things: the food and the internet connection. These two things were enough to make it unlikely that we’ll sail on Celebrity again and that is a pity because it would be easy enough for both of these to be put right.

 

 

 

The food was the big thing for us. Don’t get too upset because this might not apply to you as I know we are probably in the minority. Let me explain. My wife and I are not fussy eaters but we do watch what we eat healthwise and I guess that over the years we have also become aware of other food related issues. We are not vegetarian but there are various foods that we have stopped eating. We had read so much about the cuisine on Millenium that we dined in the main dining room on the first night full of anticipation. I had fish which tasted as though it had been sitting around on a hot plate for a long while; my wife had the pasta as none of the other choices appealed to her. We checked the lunch and dinner menus each day and continued to be disappointed that there was nothing innovative or exciting. It is hard to believe that Michel Roux had anything to do with the menus. Cooking changes and evolves but these menus seemed old fashioned to me. They reminded me of the choices on offer when my parents took me out as a boy. Twenty years ago I used to eat veal, snails, and frogs legs all of which appeared on the Millenium menus and none of which I would eat today. After that first meal we decided to try the Ocean Grill casual dining the following evening.

 

 

 

The Ocean Grill was a refreshing experience. Everything was cooked to order and the wait staff exemplary. Some of the appetizers and desserts would be the ones on offer in the main dining room. The only limitation to the casual dining is that the menu is small with just a few changes during the week. This means it is great for two meals in the week but beyond that it could potentially be repetitious. Despite this we ended up eating there for four meals (all of which were excellent) because there was nothing to look forward to on the main dining menu. We brought formal clothes with us, but never wore them. The formal dining menu was not worth getting dressed up for. We did return to the main dining room on the fifth night of the cruise and our wait staff was very concerned at our absence. They were also concerned that this might reflect badly on them in that it might be viewed that their service was poor and had kept us away. Northing could have been further from the truth. We explained that we thought they were terrific and it was simply the menus that had kept us away. We didn’t feel it was right for them to suffer for this and we gave them the recommended amount for their tip even though we only dined with them for two meals.

 

 

 

We ate breakfast mainly at the casual dining buffet. Things were once again okay. There was little that was great. The muesli was soggy as it was pre-mixed with milk. It was also heavy on the sweeteners as was some of the other fruit. Breakfast was probably great if you like the high fat traditional option but when I tried the Egg Beaters one morning they were swimming in grease which did seem a little ironic.

 

 

 

The lunch menu was also uninspiring so once again we ate casual and had some very good sandwiches. The only food high point for me during the whole cruise was the sushi that is served in the evenings. It was excellent.

 

 

 

I had always held Michel Roux in high esteem. The food on the Millenium is uninspiring and shows little originality. It is old fashioned and Michel Roux’s reputation can only be harmed by having it associated with such poor fare.

 

 

 

Now to the main complaint about the food, in one word, salt. Everything was over salted. We have pretty much cut salt from our diet back home and I thought I was being over sensitive but when my wife’s ankles began to swell I realised it was not just us. Glancing at other passengers, I realized it wasn’t just my wife who was experiencing this either.

 

 

 

We may have done better dining at the AquaSpa Café but the atmosphere was not particularly appealing for dining.

 

 

 

On a positive note, we loved the Cova Café and found ourselves regulars there more than once a day. Great coffees, great service, great pastries.

 

 

 

The internet connection was annoying and expensive. We knew we would need to be able to receive and send the odd email while away and thought that 10 minutes a day should take care of this and we opted for the 100-minute package. The ship is now WiFi enabled. The WiFi does not penetrate through the cabin doors but because Deck 10 is fully WiFi enabled and our Deck 9 verandah extended out beyond Deck 10, we were lucky to be able to pick it up at the edge of our verandah.

 

 

 

There is limited bandwidth so internet access is very slow. This is not Celebrity’s fault but rather a limitation of the satellite connection they’re forced to use at sea. The slow access speed would have been acceptable if Celebrity was charging for it on a daily (or weekly) basis rather than on a time basis. Our 100 minute package would have been sufficient if sixty or more minutes were not wasted in waiting for responses. On the upside, the IT staff were very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful.

 

 

 

One very pleasant surprise to the week was the Acupuncture at Sea. We attended the initial lecture at the beginning of the week and decided to give it a try. My wife has some hereditary knee problems and after a course of treatment she found tremendous relief which she is still enjoying. We found the acupuncturists to be very professional and the atmosphere very relaxing.

 

I don’t like to write negative things and end on a negative note but because of the above our cruise was a bit of a let down. When I am asked how we enjoyed it, I reply ‘It was alright but nothing special.’ Perhaps Celebrity will take note because they have a beautiful ship and excellent staff and with a few changes it could be a superb experience.

[cruising with marti]

Hey wait a minuet, Veal, snails and frog legs are old fashion? so is, I guess, steak ,salmon, chicken, pork and lamb

 

Gee Whiz, what is a throughly modern man to do??? I have got it, sushie and watercress.

 

phil

[DeRon]

What other ships have you been on that you like better?

[dakrewser]

I've never sailed on X myself, but I do question how much research you could have done. Certainly I looked at numerous on-line menus and food reviews of the M-class ships before booking on the Infinity for next fall. An hour or two was all it took to discover what you evidently overlooked before actually getting on the boat.

 

If the food is that important to you, then a ship with much more variety in food venues might be a better choice - the largest Princess or NCL boats, for example.

 

But no mass market cruise line will ever present you with "innovative" menus in the dining room anymore than mass market chain restaurants will.

[cruising with marti]

I've never sailed on X myself, but I do question how much research you could have done. Certainly I looked at numerous on-line menus and food reviews of the M-class ships before booking on the Infinity for next fall. An hour or two was all it took to discover what you evidently overlooked before actually getting on the boat.

 

If the food is that important to you, then a ship with much more variety in food venues might be a better choice - the largest Princess or NCL boats, for example.

 

But no mass market cruise line will ever present you with "innovative" menus in the dining room anymore than mass market chain restaurants will.

 

 

Right on the money, Dave

 

Phil

[brigittetom]

We personally enjoyed the menus very much but I do agree about the high sodium content in the soups and sauces as we have also cut down at home.

 

After day four I simply didn't order anything with a sauce and skipped the soups and had no problem with swelling. My hands will instantly tell me if I've overdone it with sodium. If you look at the heart healthy menu you will notice that the only thing considered is fat content, not cholesterol or sodium.

[waltd]

Don't feel bad, I feel the same way about Princess. I guess I have been sailing with them way toooooo long. But the menu is tired and old. With that being said I still go with Princess because i still feel they have a good product and I can always find something to eat. I love food but it's not the whole vacation. When you have to cook for 2000 guests the food sometimes comes out run of the mill. NOT BAD but not always what you expected.

[greygypsy]

Interesting take on food--it really is so subjective. I was on a Disney ship last year (my company leased the entire ship) and I thought the food was inedible.

[DeRon]

greygypsy...I feel the exact same about Disney. We couldn't eat the food. The only edible thing we found was french fries!! And we hate french fries. My kids didn't even like the food. And I have 4 boys that will eat almost anything.

[cruiseyguy]

I do think the food is high quality insofar as the ingredients are concerned by I agree that it is "old fashioned" and I believe Michel Roux is old fashioned. But a lot of folks love this style of food and M. Roux has had his contract extended for another two years by Celebrity. This is obviously a vote of confidence by the company. I prefer modern American cuisine--Charlie Palmer, who is the consulting chef for Seabourn, is a good example of that style.

[Ma Bell]

I don't know if you were aware, but there are vegetarian menus for both lunch and dinner. You just need to ask for them.

[Bollinge]

Well, here I am complaining again! But it is the Cruise CRITIC site.

 

I agree partly about the food on Celebrity. It has absolutely nothing in common with Michel Roux's Michelin Guide 3* (the maximum awarded stars) cuisine. Check out his menu, and the prices, at his restaurant near Heathrow, London. 1 UKL = 1.9 USD: http://www.waterside-inn.co.uk

 

The casual dining is very nice, but they only have two menus that alternate daily, and the main restaurant menu seems to have stayed the same for about three years, complete with the same spelling mistakes I mentioned to X three years ago. If you go on two or three cruises a year they can get a bit repetitive. There are sometimes some nice unusual light dishes served at lunchtime at the indoor pool on M-class vessels. That might have suited you, but its a bit tucked away. Did you find it?

 

The lunch menus are boring, and obviously done with the food budget very much in mind. How much is it on Celebrity? The Maitre d's always look very coy when I ask them. I think on the Cunard Countess years ago it was something like $8 p.p.p.d., and that included plenty of fillet steak and lobster.

 

Yes, the internet connection is rubbish and overpriced. It's no excuse for to them to say "its a ship at sea". We travelled on Sunbird (nee Song of America) and MSC Lirica and they both had broadband-ish speed connections at reasonable prices.

[babylene]

I think a lot depends on the current staff. On the Galaxy, in Oct., the pasta -maker at the buffet lunch was a sourpuss and a lousy cook! This time, on the Mercury, the pasta was fabulous.(and the chefs had better dispositions!)

 

Usually, salmon, in the main dining room,is a safe bet. This past cruise, it was awful.(as were all the fish dishes...frozen, tasteless)

 

Another factor is luck. One night I ordered a delicious filet mignon. My neighbour asked me how it was....hers was like shoe leather.

 

A tablemate had a wonderful rack of lamb...mine was wonderful, except that half of it was FAT. I told the waiter and the maitre d' that meat like that shouldn't leave the kitchen.

 

Because of these and other variables, I wouldn't flame posters who criticize. Each experience is unique. The same could be said for entertainment, service, etc.

 

Bottom line....as long as you don't starve (I don't think ANYONE does..lol...) and you have a good time....these issues are unimportant (look at them as topics of conversation...on these boards, at least!!!!)

[thomasale]

Yikes I think I cruised with this couple...I think the Museli is excellent but prefer the sausage and waffle combo when I am on a cruise

[JNLROSE]

That is too bad that the original poster did not enjoy the food. We have always "mostly" enjoyed the main dining room for dinner, but on the M class ships, we REALLY enjoy the food in the Aqua Spa much more. We love the salads, pasta bars & sushi too.

 

As we are also health concious and have eliminated sodium from our regular diets along with a lot of fat, you have to "work" the menus to get what you want and on Celebrity, we have found that all you have to do is ask, they will grant almost any wish!

I had eggwhite omlette's almost every morning in the buffet on this last Mercury cruise & they were not swimming in fat, he used no oil at all! We also ate in the alternative dining room a couple of times & the salmon was to die for & they happily agreed to cook it without any salt or oil for us.

Next time, please try Celebrity again & just ask for what you'd like--I'll bet you'll get it! :D

[cinderellen]

My husband and I sailed on the Mill 2/7 for our first cruise. I understand completely what you are saying about the food although we were quite pleased with it. We only ate in the Ocean Grill once for lunch, frankly we were too busy to eat most days. We also had a cc suite and had breakfast in our room each day. Dinners were at the main dining room each night except for the night we ate at the Olympic. Too bad you didn't eat at the Aqua Spa. I did and it was excellent.

[dmarch@islc.net]

It's hard to believe you and I were on the same cruise. LOL I thought the food was great! If you never put on your formal were I guess that means you missed lobster night too. Did you try the aqua spa for lunch? My experience in the Cova was just the opposite of yours. We went twice and after about ten min. without service, I would have to go put the order in myself.

[02143]

Well, I will say this--cruise "menus" can be uniquely difficult to search on the web because the word also serves as a generic HTML term! I consider myself pretty good at web searching, but I've had a difficult time finding cruise menus on line for this reason. With some diligent searching, I found a few Celebrity menus, but it is not easy going.

[WeBeCruisin']

My wife and I are not fussy eaters .

 

You gotta love someone with such a highly-developed sense of humor. What? He was serious? Never mind.

 

Allen

[WeBeCruisin']

There are sometimes some nice unusual light dishes served at lunchtime at the indoor pool on M-class vessels. That might have suited you, but its a bit tucked away. Did you find it?

.

 

It seems like they did find the Aqua Spa Cafe, but they refused to eat there because the ambiance wasn't appealing enough.

 

As picky as he and his wife appear to be, if the ship catered to their tastes, the food would be so bland and unappealing as to make the rest of us actually lose weight on our cruises. It really sounds as if nothing would have satisfied this gentleman. He needs to accept the fact that with all the myriad of limitations and stipulations he associates with what's "edible" food, he either needs to bring his own food with him, or be prepared to nibble lettuce and celery in an unattractive ambiance. As John Stossel would say, "Give me a break.".

[WeBeCruisin']

It's hard to believe you and I were on the same cruise. LOL I thought the food was great! If you never put on your formal were I guess that means you missed lobster night too.

 

I'm sure he doesn't like lobster, either. It's just too "out of date" and with all that spicy seasoning and melted butter and the fact that it tastes sort of like fish.... ick! ick! ick!

[nhoj]

Well I don't undestand your comments on food...we were on the Millennium 02/13 and the only thing better than the food was the service in the main dinning room, well maybe the waffle bar!!

 

I don't think going a cruise is for people that are "watching their diet".

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

I too am chained to my computer. My note book goes everywhere with me. I bought the 500 minute package and the in room dial up for an additonal $10.00 per day. The dial up was too slow but I found the speed in the Internet Cafe perfectly useable (when they had a good satellite connection). I only had to resort to the dial-up when I needed functions that were not internet enabled. I ended up only using 430 minutes.

 

Glad to hear they are wireless now. Had they had that in Feb I would have picked up my notebook and headed for Deck 10...why did you stay in your cabin if the signal sucked?? CC is great and I'd love to sit on the veranda working but didn't you discover the "back deck" on 10??

 

My advice to anyone that has to stay in touch or work on a cruise is make sure all your applications are "Web enabled" and use the Internet Cafe.

 

I hope Summit is WiFi beacuse we are on the 03/26/06 cruise to Hawaii.

 

JE

[JNLROSE]

 

I don't think going a cruise is for people that are "watching their diet".

 

 

Oh I totally disagree with that one!!! :D We always "watch our diet" and we can always find lots of good food to eat on every cruise! You just need to be a little more flexible and ask the right people the right questions! I have eaten my "face off" on cruises & still never gained more than a pound or two, it CAN be done! :D

[DeRon]

We have pretty much cut salt from our diet back home and I thought I was being over sensitive but when my wife’s ankles began to swell I realised it was not just us. Glancing at other passengers, I realized it wasn’t just my wife who was experiencing this either.

I know what you mean! It seems like on every cruise we take, my stomach swells! ;)

[geoherb]

We enjoyed the food on the Century. Here's a website with the menus. I understand the OP's observations about the standard fare. It's possible, though, to talk with your assistant maitre d' if you have dietary concerns. They really do whatever they can to satisfy passengers. One of our tablemates liked to have a nice salad every night. I ate shrimp cocktail every night, and toward the end of our cruise was ordering two to be served in place of a salad. Our waiter also brought us platters of steamed and sauteed vegetables--English peas, asparagus, and spinach--because one of our tablemates told him that we weren't getting enough vegetables. The assistant maitre d' also arranged for our table to get creme brulee one night when it wasn't on the menu. Things could be better if Celebrity would get Princess' recipe for the chocolate hazelnut souffle.

 

I had a great lunch in the dining room one day. It was a seafood and melon salad. I also ate breakfast in the dining room most mornings. My breakfast was usually the same--fresh melon, smoked salmon and a bagel, orange juice, and Darjeeling tea.