Attention Repeat Celebrity Passengers--What's Your Opinion?

[OdysseyE]

For me the answer is #2. And beyond that I am always happiest when on a ship--I am not highly critical of much other than passengers who complain all the time.:D

[BBsails]

Hey, wait! DH's absolute =X= fave is Momma's porkchop. :p

[oatmeal]

#3 for me

[BruinsFan75]

Food quality in Celebrity MDR was about equal to Applebees, but you have to dress up for it. Carnival and NCL was much better. Table staff act like used car salespeople if you don't pick the "nightly special".

[cocobakerchica]

Celebrity has long had the reputation of having better food than the other Premium Lines. Whether that is true or not, I have a different question for those who have cruised on Celebrity three or more times, with their first Celebrity cruise being prior 1/1/10.

 

Thinking of all your past cruises on Celebrity, which statement most closely matches your opinion about the quality and variety of food in the Main Dining Room (MDR).

1. The quality and variety of food in the MDR is excellent and has been consistently so over the last 5 years
   
2. The quality and variety of food in the MDR was excellent but has not been as good on recent cruises, but is still very good or acceptable
   
3. The quality/variety of food in the MDR was very good to excellent but has declined over time; Celebrity needs to refocus on MDR and improve food quality/preparation which I find to now be only poor to average.
   
4. MDR food quality and variety has and remains above average compared to the competition, but I still believe there is room to make improvements
   
5. The quality and variety of food in the MDR has constantly improved over the years and the food in the MDR on my most recent cruises is actually better than earlier experiences.
   
6. My experience of MDR food quality has varied over the years, varying by ship but in general I find it to be good to excellent although there were cruises where I was disappointed.
   
7. I have had good meals in the MDR, but in recent years I prefer to dine in alternative venues as much as possible as food quality and variety in the alternative venues is generally better than what is served in the MDR.
   
8. None of the above answers come close to reflecting my opinion about food quality trends in the MDR. I would like to give my own answer.
   

 

I could have given more answer choices but it becomes confusing. So feel free to choose an answer which comes closest to your point of view but then go ahead and qualify your chosen answer anyway you like. Just remember you are only comparing food on various Celebrity cruises and not making comparisons to food service on other cruise lines.

 

 

IMHO, it's a combination of 1 and 4. The food in the MDR over the last 5 years has been consistently good, but the decline is there. I've sailed with X since the mid-late 90's(I skipped my culinary school graduation for the Zenith to Bermuda in 1996--my very first cruise--and I've never regretted it:D), and I was inspired and excited by the food and desserts as a newly minted baker/pastry chef(the bread/pastry areas of the Midnight Grand Buffet was a larger scale version of my final exams<lol>). Don(djkretired) said it best when he spoke of a decline happening the last 20 years, but with the past 5 being quite good. The quality that is seen by diners in the specialty restaurants is exactly how is was in the MDR in years gone by

[OneNewTexan]

Conbination of #2 and #3. Food in the MDR was best on our first Celebrity cruise back in 2007. It went on a steady decline since then and has leveled off at "Good." But still nowhere close to the excellent quality we had on the Century in 2007.

[slp123]

The numbers in red after each alternative answer represent the tallies so far. Where someone chose two numbers and their explanation made sense, I counted each of their two choices. Some people gave no number but quoted or paraphrased one of the multiple choice answers and so I counted them accordingly. The choice of 8 (none of the above) was assigned both to people stating none of the above or who simply gave an opinion which did not match or come close to matching one of the first 7 choices.

 

Thinking of all your past cruises on Celebrity, which statement most closely matches your opinion about the quality and variety of food in the Main Dining Room (MDR).

1. The quality and variety of food in the MDR is excellent and has been consistently so over the last 5 years 3
   
2. The quality and variety of food in the MDR was excellent but has not been as good on recent cruises, but is still very good or acceptable 4
   
3. The quality/variety of food in the MDR was very good to excellent but has declined over time; Celebrity needs to refocus on MDR and improve food quality/preparation which I find to now be only poor to average. 11
   
4. MDR food quality and variety has and remains above average compared to the competition, but I still believe there is room to make improvements 5
   
5. The quality and variety of food in the MDR has constantly improved over the years and the food in the MDR on my most recent cruises is actually better than earlier experiences. 2
   
6. My experience of MDR food quality has varied over the years, varying by ship but in general I find it to be good to excellent although there were cruises where I was disappointed. 16
   
7. I have had good meals in the MDR, but in recent years I prefer to dine in alternative venues as much as possible as food quality and variety in the alternative venues is generally better than what is served in the MDR. 5
   
8. None of the above answers come close to reflecting my opinion about food quality trends in the MDR. I would like to give my own answer. 3
   

 

I really do love that opinions were all over the place....it shows how much this is a matter of personal tastes and preferences. But if you had to find a trend, so far I would say that many feel that the MDR has declined over time and that decline is significant enough to warrant management focusing on making improvements and while a lot of you stated that you have also had good experiences recently, you also emphasized that it has not been consistent, varying widely from ship to ship or from one cruise to the next.

 

I will continue to update from time to time, based on the number of new responses.

[Tony UK]

If we were just talking desserts, then I think there has been a decline. Now I usually just have fruit and occasionally a creme brulee. Even in the specilaity dining, I love tiramisu in the Tuscan, but other than that there isnt anything spectacular nowadays. Now when they used to bring the tray round we seemed spoilt for choice........

[Can'tstopcruising]

Although I have cruised often (I have lost count, but it is more than 40), I have never been on Celebrity, although I have booked a cruise on Reflection for March. Since I have no experience with the line, I just wondered what people who have cruised on the line over a number of years thought of the food in the MDR both recently and as compared with cruises they took 3-5 years ago. I have my opinion on this topic regarding HAL, Cunard, Azamara, Regent and to a lesser extent on some of the other lines. So given Celebrity's reputation for very good food, I was wondering if that was a reputation earned historically and still true today or not. No other agenda.

 

We just returned from two weeks on the Eclipse. In the main dining room, some nights there were excellent dishes, some nights nothing great. The fish, for the most part, was not to my liking. I ordered meat and I am not much of a meat eater! If you speak to your assistant Maitre d' ahead of time, he will prepare something special for you that is to your liking. Don't be shy to ask. He's there to make sure you are a happy camper.

 

The lunch buffet is always the same. That was not a problem for me because I like to make my own salad from the salad bar and I have no trouble eating that every day!

 

We had the Elite mini breakfast in the Tuscan Grill, so I can't comment about breakfasts.

 

We did Select dining and were very happy.

 

I did not have one piece of melon, mango or papaya that was ripened. Hard as a rock! I took a pear one time. Another rock!

 

You won't starve! But it would be interesting if after your cruise, you report your comparisons with the other lines on which you have sailed.

[Can'tstopcruising]

Since I am the culinary equivalent of Father Flanagan, they all look good to me.

 

Who is Father Flanagan?

[slp123]

We just returned from two weeks on the Eclipse. In the main dining room' date=' some nights there were excellent dishes, some nights nothing great. The fish, for the most part, was not to my liking. I ordered meat and I am not much of a meat eater! If you speak to your assistant Maitre d' ahead of time, he will prepare something special for you that is to your liking. Don't be shy to ask. He's there to make sure you are a happy camper.

 

The lunch buffet is always the same. That was not a problem for me because I like to make my own salad from the salad bar and I have no trouble eating that every day!

 

We had the Elite mini breakfast in the Tuscan Grill, so I can't comment about breakfasts.

 

We did Select dining and were very happy.

 

I did not have one piece of melon, mango or papaya that was ripened. Hard as a rock! I took a pear one time. Another rock!

 

You won't starve! But it would be interesting if after your cruise, you report your comparisons with the other lines on which you have sailed.[/quote']

 

I will report back.

[cal516]

I guess I vote #1. I've found -X- MDR food to be quite good given they are cooking for thousands. I think it has been consistently so for the last 5 years. Earlier than that it was better ... more like Blu now ... but competition in the industry has driven costs.

 

There are always variations based on current staffing. That's just life. Ships have personalities. This is probably seen more in service than food prep but it does impact both. I find the senior staff - Hotel Director, Executive Cheff, Food Service Manager, etc. are the prime movers.

 

... Cal

[Dylandude]

I'm voting number 3

 

Celebrity's food was once comparable to a Mercedes Benz, it's now a Volkswagen, steady safe and reliable - not cutting edge

[cal516]

Who is Father Flanagan?

 

He was the founder of what is arguably the most famous orphanage—Boys Town.

 

A 1938 film starring Spencer Tracy, Boys Town, was based on the life of Father Flanagan, and Tracy won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance. Mickey Rooney also starred as one of the residents. Spencer Tracy spent his entire Oscar acceptance speech talking about Father Flanagan.

 

In 1986, the United States Postal Service issued a 4¢ Great Americans series postage stamp honoring him.

 

Now, if you ask about the tie in to -X- food (or anybody's food for that matte), well that has me stumped. :-)

 

... Cal

[Gardyloo2]

I'm not going on a cruise to eat "Momma's Pork Chop" (which was on the classic side of the MDR menu last March).

 

I actually said something very similar when I saw it on the menu last year on a 14 day New England Leaf Peeper cruise. Momma's Pork Chop sounds like one step above Dinty's Canned Stew.

 

But our excellent waiter had been steering us through the menu for over a week of fabulous meals at that point, and he recommended it. He was right; it was incredibly delicious, and not like any pork chop I'd ever had before.

 

That dish suffers from a truly unfortunate name, and would really benefit by changing it to something more in line with it's wonderfulness.

[MrNobdy]

We think both #3 & #7. The food quality, portion size and choice has gone down significantly over the years, however, it is starting to improve, finally. We've been X fans since the early 90s, and love it. We had our share of complaints too. Last cruise (12/12, silho) I complained to Miami about a specialty restaurant, they too can have their troubles. So it is truly variable between ships and cruises. Lastly, don't forget, the price of the cruise hasn't changed much in 20 years, but the costs have certainly gone way up. Looking forward to the 'new' Summit in July.

[Ma Bell]

He was the founder of what is arguably the most famous orphanage—Boys Town.

 

A 1938 film starring Spencer Tracy, Boys Town, was based on the life of Father Flanagan, and Tracy won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance. Mickey Rooney also starred as one of the residents. Spencer Tracy spent his entire Oscar acceptance speech talking about Father Flanagan.

 

In 1986, the United States Postal Service issued a 4¢ Great Americans series postage stamp honoring him.

 

Now, if you ask about the tie in to -X- food (or anybody's food for that matte), well that has me stumped. :-)

 

... Cal

 

I'm sure he meant that Father Flanagan was probably not serving gourmet meals at the orphanage.

[caripoo]

It's a number 4 for me....After 30 plus cruises, food is declining on most...I also think the more speciality venues they have, the less emphasis they put in the MDR.:D

[Lois R]

Food quality in Celebrity MDR was about equal to Applebees, but you have to dress up for it. Carnival and NCL was much better. Table staff act like used car salespeople if you don't pick the "nightly special".

 

Sorry you felt that way. Been cruising with Celebrity for 10 years

and the wait staff have never acted like that to me. I choose what

I like to eat. Never felt like my waiter was acting like a used car

salesperson:eek:

And sorry you did not enjoy your meals.

[Chirpbird]

Thinking of all your past cruises on Celebrity, which statement most closely matches your opinion about the quality and variety of food in the Main Dining Room (MDR).

...

 

I could have given more answer choices but it becomes confusing.

 

At this point, I want to say "It already is confusing." Or, not confusing but wordy. But, I'm not a foodie. I enjoy what I eat. If I don't, I push it aside and eat something else. In order for food to destroy my cruise, it would literally have to get up and walk off my plate.

 

The only problem I had with the MDR was when we selected Anytime Dining (Or, Select Dining. Or Our Food, Your Tummy. Whatever it's called.) We didn't make a connection with the serving staff because we didn't have the same staff. To us, chatting with the servers, assistants, whoevers, is part of the dining experience. So, we've switched back to a set dining time.

[slp123]

At this point, I want to say "It already is confusing." Or, not confusing but wordy. But, I'm not a foodie. I enjoy what I eat. If I don't, I push it aside and eat something else. In order for food to destroy my cruise, it would literally have to get up and walk off my plate.

 

The only problem I had with the MDR was when we selected Anytime Dining (Or, Select Dining. Or Our Food, Your Tummy. Whatever it's called.) We didn't make a connection with the serving staff because we didn't have the same staff. To us, chatting with the servers, assistants, whoevers, is part of the dining experience. So, we've switched back to a set dining time.

 

Sorry, but are you saying you can't figure out which answer most closely matches your current opinion? Or are you saying you don't have earlier experiences? The point of this thread is to compare earlier MDR dining experiences with more current ones.

[Chirpbird]

I'm saying I find more than 5 choices to be too many, and I stopped reading them. I also included my opinion of the MDR based on my cruising experience.

 

Sent by Sam1 and her S3

[slp123]

I have updated the results below. The numbers in red after each alternative answer represent the tallies so far. Where someone chose two numbers and their explanation made sense, I counted each of their two choices. Some people gave no number but quoted or paraphrased one of the multiple choice answers and so I counted them accordingly. The choice of 8 (none of the above) was assigned both to people stating none of the above or who simply gave an opinion which did not match or come close to matching one of the first 7 choices.

 

Thinking of all your past cruises on Celebrity, which statement most closely matches your opinion about the quality and variety of food in the Main Dining Room (MDR).

1. The quality and variety of food in the MDR is excellent and has been consistently so over the last 5 years 4
   
2. The quality and variety of food in the MDR was excellent but has not been as good on recent cruises, but is still very good or acceptable 4
   
3. The quality/variety of food in the MDR was very good to excellent but has declined over time; Celebrity needs to refocus on MDR and improve food quality/preparation which I find to now be only poor to average. 13
   
4. MDR food quality and variety has and remains above average compared to the competition, but I still believe there is room to make improvements 6
   
5. The quality and variety of food in the MDR has constantly improved over the years and the food in the MDR on my most recent cruises is actually better than earlier experiences. 2
   
6. My experience of MDR food quality has varied over the years, varying by ship but in general I find it to be good to excellent although there were cruises where I was disappointed. 16
   
7. I have had good meals in the MDR, but in recent years I prefer to dine in alternative venues as much as possible as food quality and variety in the alternative venues is generally better than what is served in the MDR. 6
   
8. None of the above answers come close to reflecting my opinion about food quality trends in the MDR. I would like to give my own answer. 7
   

 

I will continue to update from time to time, based on the number of new responses.

[Redtravel]

I am elite. I took 2 X cruises in 2012 and will be sailing again in April. Food in the past year has improved. MDR is excellent. On our last cruise we thought that the MDR was better than eating at some of the specialty restaurants. The buffet on the Solstice class ships is just too big. It reminds me of the big food courts at the malls.....no trays, not easy to find empty tables, wait at each station for food, etc. M class is smaller and more organized. However, even in the buffet, the food is good. Coffee is awful everywhere except in the Cafe where you pay extra.

[dorisis]

Just off the Equinox and I would go with #3, The service has also declined and we found it exceedingly slow.

 

~Doris~