Silhouette January 29, 2012 Sailing - Review

[Oxo]

TO OXO, Your math is off...

 

The $ 12 is per person PER DAY (not per meal).

 

I would "guesstimate" that the division of that $ 12 is probably something like this...

 

$ 2.00 = Breakfast

$ 3.00 = Lunch

$ 1.00 = Snacks

$ 5.00 = Dinner

$ 1.00 = Misc (Special Events, Over-runs, Spoilage, etc)

 

Of course these numbers are so low, because a cruise ship making 15,000 to 18,000 meals per day (or 80,000 meals per week) purchase all their ingredients in bulk, and the Chefs, Kitchen Managers, and Crew are very diligent in how things are used so as to maximize their value (not to mention that very little is bought pre-made... most things are made from scratch, such as all the breads aboard the ship... this keeps the need for storage down, but also means that it is cheaper to use raw ingredients than buy prepared items... there was even a Meat-Cutting Exhibit one day on the ship... Celebrity buys whole animals and has an onboard Butcher prepare the cuts vs buying pre-cut prepackaged)

 

--- --- ---

 

So your $ 40 Specialty Restaurant Meal that you've estimated, would come in closer to $ 45 per person in reality (but only part of that original $ 40 Service Charge goes to food... another portion goes to the Gratuity / Tip as those that work in those Venues are not part of either the "General // Specialized Tip Pools" (so not like a Bartender // or a Room Steward or MDR Waiter)

 

Now, I don't know what things are like where you live... but a fancy 3+ course Dinner such as they serve in Murano's (which I equate to dining in a 5-Star Hotel with a 4 or 5 Star Restaurant) is going to cost me a lot more than $ 45 per person, so I do see it as good value.

 

As for the rest of my meals in the MDR, I cannnot say I am disappointed. It may be prepared and served to a certain extent "banquet style"... but tastes nothing like the "rubber chicken" I've been served at a variety of Weddings & Business Functions where folks have paid $ 25 to $ 50 per head.

 

So, ya no complaints from me.

 

One just has to put this all into proper perspective IMO.

 

Cheers!

 

Thanks for your correction and clarification. I guess us in the USA do not realize how good we have it. To be very honest and candid, I would not pay $45 to eat out unless it was a very special meal. Yes, the Specialty Restaurants (SRs) are very good, but I believe that $40 is too much for a meal on a ship. I did pay on the Solstice, but that was only $25.00 and then we got 20% off. Apparently, X knows that $40 is too high and that is why they have discounts (20%) daily on the ship.

 

I would suggest to anyone booking on X, 'DO NOT book your SRs in advance as you can always get a discount (20%) onboard. The SRs are not always filled.

 

I am a person who believe that you should charge a nominal fee and that should apply to all. Not to the ones who find the discount while bilking the others who did not. Once you bought the SR online, I have not heard of you getting a refund -20% after your onboard.

 

What portion of the $40 do you estimate goes to that staff? I have always given a tip to that staff upon completion of my meal/service. So, now I will tell and leave a note to that staff that their tip was included in my $40 that I paid for the meal. Attached will be your posting that I am in the process of printing out now, too. LOL Joking.

 

Again, personally, I believe that $40 is too much. Increase the price of the cruise by $100 for a 7 day cruise and provide a better meal in the MDR. The way things are going now, it won't be long before they charge you to eat in the MDR, too. NCL has ~7 SRs on some of their ships. X has 3, RCI has 2, Princess has 2. Make the MDRs into SRs and then.......

 

If people would not pay for all the new charges such as SR, Cabanas on the ships, etc., the cruise lines would stop trying to charge for so many different things. I remember when Princess first started charging for Ice Cream on the Sun Princess, 1988. That was a first. Then HAL had the SR that was free that you could attend 1 time per cruise. They changed that to the Pinnacle Grill and started charging.

 

Again, JMHO. Different strokes for different folks. Thanks for your help in clarifying the cost of the meals per day.

[Oxo]

Nice that we all have a right to our own Opinion and the right to try other lines now and then to compare for ourselves. Go for it!

 

Never been on a bad Cruise, not even the NCL that we did not care as much for. It was still a good Cruise.

 

Key sentence in my post was the last one:My Two Cents, Like it or leave it:-)

 

 

Sail on!

You better keep that Two Cents. LOL As you know - that doesn't buy much today.

[dennbr9]

You better keep that Two Cents. LOL As you know - that doesn't buy much today.

 

 

That's for darn sure;) Not sure $12 does either from the sound of it:D

 

Actually, the 20% number just came out of the blue but seemed to trigger some relevant discussion. Something beyond the one's "own humble opinion" ya know.

 

After thinking on it, $12 a day for someone in an I/S Cabin for a week( $600-$700 often), would be in the 12-14% increase in price range.

 

Would bet there would be just as many complaints still. Some take the Critic part in Cruise Critic too much to heart. IMHO:cool:

[juliawinston]

thanks for posting your review. You are one of the few reviews that I've read that really liked the entertainment, so I especially appreciate you posting that.

[excitedofharpenden]

 

The problem is that while Celebrity has some of the lowest cruise fares of any mass market cruise line, they have the most expensive specialty restaurants, which are not any better than the specialty restaurants on other mass market cruise lines. Ten years ago I liked Celebrity a lot better than Royal Caribbean and NCL, but now I prefer NCL and Royal Caribbean to Celebrity.

 

Hi Bridge Maven. I am not sure how you can make a comment like that when the last time you cruised on Celebrity some five years ago there weren't the number of Specialty Restaurants there are now. No Silk Harvest. No QSine. No Tuscan Grill. No Blu. I know you prefer other lines and most of your posts on this board have an undercurrent of anti-Celebrity, but if you are going to post here at least make sure your opinion is based upon recent experience so as to be of benefit to the readers.

 

As for prices, well I am obviously going on the wrong cruises. LOL

 

Phil

[uktog]

As for prices, well I am obviously going on the wrong cruises. LOL

 

Phil

 

Me too!

 

The trouble is we are all wanting more for less these days. We have actually noticed a marked diminution of quality in many good landbased restaurants, and having a relative in the hotel trade I know the issue they have is the cost vs volume vs profitablity debate.

 

I have not found such a marked drop in quality as some are feeling they have experienced, yes some things are less elaborate, some menus slightly more curtailed, but over a 7 night cruise or longer, I find I can balance between these very marginally less positive nights on Celebrity with trips to the specialities which I am happy to pay for as they still represent excellent value.

 

Maybe its me but I am so happy someone is doing the shopping, the cooking, the clearing up etc so I am not consciously looking to find fault with what is offered or comparing it with a 5* shore based restaurant - I compare the MDR to function food at our local 5* hotel and Celebrity still come out very faviourably to that food. The MDR does not compare favourably to that hotels restaurant food where the focus is more individual - but the speciality restaurants do. In fact when I factor in price on board beat it hands down - in our money I am looking at £35 for two in Murano (yes plus the cost of my ordinary dinner lets say we add another £20). A meal without wine in the 5* restaurants on an equivalent on shore will cost without wine £70-£80 and is no better than Murano

 

When things are less good to the point of spoiling my night, I call the waiter back and things are immediately replaced, I think over 20 cruises I have done that 3 times and it has always been handled very well.

 

We are also booking Aquaclass instead of suites for a couple of upcoming cruises, as we really enjoy the food there and it also leaves some extra pounds in our pockets

[excitedofharpenden]

 

I have not found such a marked drop in quality as some are feeling they have experienced, yes some things are less elaborate, some menus slightly more curtailed, but over a 7 night cruise or longer, I find I can balance between these very marginally less positive nights on Celebrity with trips to the specialities which I am happy to pay for as they still represent excellent value.

 

Me too. I haven't gone hungry on a Celebrity cruise yet and still enjoy the experience, probably more and a wider gap in the Speciality Restaurants compared to the MDR these days. Thing for me now is by day 8 or 10 I need a break from all of the food and am happy with an evening in the buffet with a pizza or some pasta:o

 

Phil

[Chloe9]

I also agree with you 100%! Celebrity, I hope you're reading these reviews!!!

 

Definite decline in food. Alot of spicy overdone tasteless stuff. Lobster? Was that really lobster? I think more like seasludge. It's sad to go cruising and have to pay extra for good dining!

 

I'm in my mid 60s, have sailed with Celebrity before and felt like I was visiting a nursing home. Late dining too late, but early dining congested and crowded.

 

Yes, there were interesting lectures, but how about $16 to be creative in the art studio which closed out anyway after 10 people signed up for a session. How many people are on this ship? I think way more than 10. Cabanas on 15 for $149 on sea days.

 

Then there was the norovirus which 6 of us contracted. That was the topper to our fun, I think not!

 

All in all I was not thrilled with this cruise and would not take a Solstice class ship again!

[dennbr9]

OK, more room for me:-)

 

Can bet that lower investment by Cruise Lines in Food and Service People is due to much higher costs in Fuel in the last few years. NO ONE wanted to pay the surcharges though, so something had to give.

 

The Costa Ship had 500,000 gallons of Fuel on Board a ship of what 2500 passengers? That's 200 gallons per paying passenger at what $3.50 a gallon, comes to $700 per person in Fuel Costs if they used it all.

 

Hey, it's a business that needs to make a profit. You can bet they have done marketing on what would happen to the bottom line if they raised the base price by 10-15%.

 

As has been mentioned, you have choices as do the rest of us.

 

Myself, I have three Celebirty Soltice Class Cruises booked in the next year.

 

Time to move on I think, getting a bit old here.

 

Adios

[LMKohler]

Chloe9 - sorry you didn't have a good cruise. As for the cabanas-simple, don't use them. We won't.

 

I wouldn't pay to be in an art studio on a ship in any event. These are your choices, plain and simple. No one is telling you how to spend your money.

 

You can't blame Celebrity for the norovirus outbreak either in my opinion.

 

Lucy

[Giorgi-one]

Going to a Specialty Restaurant should be a treat - maybe to celebrate a special occasion or enjoy a slower paced meal. Some are alluding that we need to pay $40 extra if we really want the same food quality they used to serve 5 or 10 years ago. Celebrity really made their reputation based on better food quality on the entire ship. Once they lose that, they are just another mass market cruise line. Still a good deal but nothing really special to offer. As far as those who say that as long as they do not have to buy and prepare the food, anything they get is OK, that is music to the ears of Cruise Line executives. As more and more people cruise, they will be led to believe that the food being served now is the norm since they have nothing to compare.

 

One more example of bad food on my cruise. I ordered duck the last night since I could not really find anything I wanted on the menu. It was served rare. My waiter said that I had not indicated a preference. At that point, I should have kept the extra tip envelope in my pocket, but I did not. Has anyone out there ever been served rare poultry or fowl?

[excitedofharpenden]

Going to a Specialty Restaurant should be a treat - maybe to celebrate a special occasion or enjoy a slower paced meal. Some are alluding that we need to pay $40 extra if we really want the same food quality they used to serve 5 or 10 years ago.

My own personal experience on a number of cruises (started cruising Celebrity 10 years ago) is that the food quality in the MDR has dropped a little, but not by as much as many on this board would have you believe. Looking at things in a nostalgic way maybe. As far as the Specialty Restaurant go I don't think the main dining room food was ever near the quality of say Murano. Food is a subjective topic, but I feel it is sometimes used as a stick to beat the "cutbacks" drum. JMHO.

 

Phil

[CruisingChick]

My own personal experience on a number of cruises (started cruising Celebrity 10 years ago) is that the food quality in the MDR has dropped a little, but not by as much as many on this board would have you believe. Looking at things in a nostalgic way maybe. As far as the Specialty Restaurant go I don't think the main dining room food was ever near the quality of say Murano. Food is a subjective topic, but I feel it is sometimes used as a stick to beat the "cutbacks" drum. JMHO.

 

Phil

 

I don't know Phil. Maybe it's just me, but I can clearly remember my very first Celebrity cruise on Millennium in August 2002. The first night in the dining room we had Prime Rib. The meat was fantastic and tasted out of this world and you could cut it with your fork. Fast forward to October 2011, the Prime Rib on Summit was NO WHERE near as good. Not even close and it hasn't been for a while and there are also other meals that are not as good and some evenings my DH and find it hard to find an entree we want to order. I do know one evening we were looking at the menu and thought we'd better go to the Specialty Restaurant because nothing was appealing at all.

 

For the first time ever my DH sent back three different entrees on 3 separate evenings. I don't think he's ever done that before.

[Bridge Maven]

Just a thought - There was a time when I felt that I had to go to the city (Manhattan) to dine at a very upscale restaurant but now there are many restaurants near our home in Connecticut that are just as good. Until a few years ago, I never expected to have the type of gourmet dining experiences in other parts of the country, with the exception of San Francisco and Chicago, that exist in Manhattan. However, now we find excellent restaurants almost everywhere we go.

 

With this in mind, I think that the abundance of upscale restaurants today in almost every part of the United States has made the typical American cruiser more sophisticated gastronomically than when they took their first few cruises. Consequently, their standard for what to expect at sea is much higher.

[Oxo]

I am not complaining and I know that I can have many choices in the MDR. However, we are talking about the MDR food and how it has declined over the years. Some say that is not true, others say that is because the price of food, fuel, etc., has gone up. Others say, if you want better food go into the Specialty Restaurants. That is not the point or the answer.

 

I have been cruising on X since September 1994. I am Elite. I am just saying that the food in the MDR has declined over those past 18 years. Really don't care why, won't try to justify why or .....

 

It is really discouraging when the waiter tells you to order the steak from the menu and then it is like leather, dry and tasteless. The first steak was to be ordered Medium Rare and it will be so tender. Sorry, it was not. There were 6 out of 7 of us at 3 different tables that order the steak based on his recommendation and we all said the same thing. VERY TOUGH! Yes, we got something else.

 

Next night we had steak on the menu it was recommended because it was marinated for 2 days and it was Argentina beef. Again, we all were very clear and stated that we hoped he was correct in his suggestion and we reminded him of the previous steak night. Sorry to say, this was was even worse.

 

My point is that if the steak is not what it should be, don't offer it on the menu. Don't have the waiters tell you that it is good and then it is not. Six people out of 7, 3 different tables, people from different countries were not ganging up against the chief. It was a very poor steak, both times.

 

Lobster on formal night was very small and many on this board have posted the same complaint. I don't expect to have a Maine Lobster on a cruise. But, we have cruised enough to know that it should be and has been better than what they are serving now.

 

Bottom line is that if it isn't the quality that we have been accustomed to from X, don't serve it and try to pass it off as what it was.

 

I know that food is very subjective. This is my opinion and I will take that to the bank. LOL

[sea-cruise]

I've nothing to add to the discussion regarding food, but I thought it would be fun to post a very old photo of a lobster pyramid onboard the Homeric cruiseship.

It wasn't an =X= ship, but Celebrity's old Meridian featured the same seafood buffets in the 80's.

Please click the thumbnail to enlarge. :)

[Bridge Maven]

Just a thought - There was a time when I felt that I had to go to the city (Manhattan) to dine at a very upscale restaurant but now there are many restaurants near our home in Connecticut that are just as good. Until a few years ago, I never expected to have the type of gourmet dining experiences in other parts of the country, with the exception of San Francisco and Chicago, that exist in Manhattan. However, now we find excellent restaurants almost everywhere we go.

 

With this in mind, I think that the abundance of upscale restaurants today in almost every part of the United States has made the typical American cruiser more sophisticated gastronomically than when they took their first few cruises. Consequently, their standard for what to expect at sea is much higher.

 

Regarding my previous post quoted above - I am not saying that there hasn't been any decline in Celebrity's food, but think that it may appear to be greater than it actually is for reasons stated in that post.

[paulbds]

We enjoyed the cruise but to be fair we were in Aqua Class - Cabin 155x

 

Loved Blu, got a great 1st night deal in Tuscan as we knew the m'aitre'd from last trip. I agree with a previous poster, you should get a package for Baccio coffees

 

Didn't catch the Norovirus but did anyone notice - no extra precautions in the Casino - money rules eh?

I felt the entertainment, as usual was better than Cunard Line

Still not selling iPads or iPhones on these ships yet - did you notice how many peoile had ipads on baord?

We will probably try another cruise line next time for comparison.

A little weary after the jet-lag getting home to UK

 

 

Well, excuse me while I go and pull a few more teeth to pay for my next trip!

[paulbds]

I must add the following

We booked with celebrity direct and must compliment the hotel thay booked for us, Renaissance Hotel in Elizabeth, NJ

Stayed there night before we sailed and to be fair, they arranged a room for us after the cruise - much better than hanging around the airport. I know Elizabeth isn't one of the "best "areas - we went to the shopping mall for a couple of hours - just impressed with the post cruise facilities

Also, our price included tips up front and a generous on board spend. i was almost tempted to put down a $100 to secure my next trip but will see what happens to prices the next few months

 

BTW, we didn't purchase any trips - my b-in-law is an excellent tour guide!

In face at Antigua we booked on of the pods on the lawn on the tops deck for $39 for 4 hours - it was great value and we effectively had a private butler for the session

 

happy cruising

[Chloe9]

Chloe9 - sorry you didn't have a good cruise. As for the cabanas-simple, don't use them. We won't.

 

I wouldn't pay to be in an art studio on a ship in any event. These are your choices, plain and simple. No one is telling you how to spend your money.

 

You can't blame Celebrity for the norovirus outbreak either in my opinion.

 

Lucy

My husband and I tried the MDR for breakfast on several occasions- 20 minutes for him each time to get his Orange Juice, 45 minutes to get some scrambled eggs. A diner would do better in my opinion. This time I can say there were just too many people on the ship and not enough staff to accomodate them. When the virus hit staff had to double up (kudos to them) and that slowed things down even more.

 

One more thing that I found interesting.... When my husband and I and another couple went down to Customer Relations to report that we were in our staterooms ill for a few days, the gal at the desk refused to take our information! She quickly told us that at the end of the cruise all cabins would get a form to fill out. This did not happen.

 

My question: "Was Celebrity trying to hide the number of actual passengers who fell ill?" It certainly doesn't make for good Press!

[Giorgi-one]

I am not complaining and I know that I can have many choices in the MDR. However, we are talking about the MDR food and how it has declined over the years. Some say that is not true, others say that is because the price of food, fuel, etc., has gone up. Others say, if you want better food go into the Specialty Restaurants. That is not the point or the answer.

 

I have been cruising on X since September 1994. I am Elite. I am just saying that the food in the MDR has declined over those past 18 years. Really don't care why, won't try to justify why or .....

 

It is really discouraging when the waiter tells you to order the steak from the menu and then it is like leather, dry and tasteless. The first steak was to be ordered Medium Rare and it will be so tender. Sorry, it was not. There were 6 out of 7 of us at 3 different tables that order the steak based on his recommendation and we all said the same thing. VERY TOUGH! Yes, we got something else.

 

Next night we had steak on the menu it was recommended because it was marinated for 2 days and it was Argentina beef. Again, we all were very clear and stated that we hoped he was correct in his suggestion and we reminded him of the previous steak night. Sorry to say, this was was even worse.

 

My point is that if the steak is not what it should be, don't offer it on the menu. Don't have the waiters tell you that it is good and then it is not. Six people out of 7, 3 different tables, people from different countries were not ganging up against the chief. It was a very poor steak, both times.

 

Lobster on formal night was very small and many on this board have posted the same complaint. I don't expect to have a Maine Lobster on a cruise. But, we have cruised enough to know that it should be and has been better than what they are serving now.

 

Bottom line is that if it isn't the quality that we have been accustomed to from X, don't serve it and try to pass it off as what it was.

 

I know that food is very subjective. This is my opinion and I will take that to the bank. LOL

 

Absolutely agree with everything you said especially when you say if quality is not good, then don't serve it. Only problem there is that would take away most of the food in the MDR amd Oceanview Cafe. Actually, my waiter told me not to order the marinated steak because it was tough. I had already complained about the 1/2 inch thick chewy rib steak. And you are correct about the Prime Rib - basically no taste. I definitely get better food in my local diner and almost any local restaurant. I am not talking 5* restaurants. I am talking about restaurants in shopping centers.