What are the off-menu possibilities on Celebrity?

[ECCruise]

We cruise once, sometimes twice a year. On each cruise we always dine in specialty restaurants numerous times. Once they know your going to be in and out all week they have asked us if we had a favorite dish that was not on the menu. The next night or the night of our choice we are treated to our requested menu items. :)

 

And that is the perfect solution. You are dealing with a much smaller galley where special prep is fairly normal. And you are paying for it.

Completely different from the MDR.

[Chicago Boy]

In other threads I've noticed that some folks have mentioned they have sometimes been able to order things that are not on the menu; Steak Dianne in Murano is one I've seen mentioned. Sometimes this apparently involves ordering in advance.

 

I'd be interested to hear of anyone's experience getting access to the "secret menu," if it really exists. Is this rare or common? Does it vary with the restaurant (MDR, Blu, specialty restaurants), the ship, the voyage, the time of year? What sorts of dishes you been able to order this way? What can be done if you order in advance? Can you talk to the chef and come up with something?

 

I did something like this on Regent once. We were a group of six; the head chef was Indonesian and he did up a fabulous Indonesian dinner for us, but I hadn't really heard about it happening on X.

 

We have seen people order off menu in the MDR and in the specialty restaurants. We always find the selections in all restaurant venues to be more the sufficient so we do not fee the need to do it. :)

[eurotraveller1]

I have one question? What is a PITA? I think I understand the meaning, but what does it stand for?

 

 

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[CathyCruises]

I have one question? What is a PITA? I think I understand the meaning, but what does it stand for?

 

 

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Pain In The A**!!!

[Topaz_M]

not a valid comparison. nearly everything on the reg menu can be made BF, DF, or whatever free to accommodate allergies. furthermore it is not that hard to order a plain poached chicken breast and steamed veggies every night either( had a Table mate on Disney get that) using whatever is in the galley without having to go to an entirely different galley.

 

Sorry, but I would not expect my daughter who is Coeliac to have to live on steamed chicken and vegetables for an entire cruise!

It is also NOT as simple as "removing something from the plate" as others have implied.

Wait for the day one of you have an allergy and see what happens if everything is not prepared and cooked in a non-contaminated environment.

 

What appals me is the ignorance some people show to those who need to order with allergies in mind.

 

The Celebrity staff have always been most accommodating for my daughter and will even suggest items to make the food less boring. And yes she does order the night before even though it is hard for her to decide what she would fancy to eat the next day!! :rolleyes:

[Adidas4fun]

Sorry, but I would not expect my daughter who is Coeliac to have to live on steamed chicken and vegetables for an entire cruise!

It is also NOT as simple as "removing something from the plate" as others have implied.

Wait for the day one of you have an allergy and see what happens if everything is not prepared and cooked in a non-contaminated environment.

 

What appals me is the ignorance some people show to those who need to order with allergies in mind.

 

The Celebrity staff have always been most accommodating for my daughter and will even suggest items to make the food less boring. And yes she does order the night before even though it is hard for her to decide what she would fancy to eat the next day!! :rolleyes:

I have been intermittently reading but avoiding commenting in this thread. I see food allergy orders as quite separate to "ordering off menu". And yep, if I was being offered steamed chicken and veges as a simple dish day in and day out I would not be cruising. The last cruise I did port day menus for those with food allergies was very limited so I informed the restaurant supervisor who was looking after me that I would be eating ashore - suddenly a range of additional options were available. You'd think they'd be happy not to have to fuss over my needs from many of the comments in this thread, but on the contrary they cared about my satisfaction.

[emcee207]

I have one question? What is a PITA? I think I understand the meaning, but what does it stand for?

 

 

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LOL, PITA is a flat bread that originated in the Middle East. It is used as a vehicle for 'pocket sandwiches" and also fried into chips for dipping.

 

LOL;);):rolleyes::rolleyes:

Edited September 7, 2014 by emcee207

[emcee207]

BTW, some of these threads just make me shake my head. Yup, just head down to the crew's dining room/kitchen and bring me back some Curry. C'Mon Man, give me a break.:rolleyes:

 

LOL, and then people wonder why they get flamed!!!

Edited September 7, 2014 by emcee207

[Oxo]

LOL, PITA is a flat bread that originated in the Middle East. It is used as a vehicle for 'pocket sandwiches" and also fried into chips for dipping.

 

LOL;);):rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

PITA=Put It Together Anyway and eat it. LOL

[Chunky2219]

Sorry, but I would not expect my daughter who is Coeliac to have to live on steamed chicken and vegetables for an entire cruise!................:rolleyes:

Nor would anyone else. You declare food issues prior to the cruise and the line will accomodate you very well. It's like asking for vegan or kosher food - no biggie to deal with.

 

What's beyond the pale is folks who book a run of the mill cabin on a mass market line and then expect to get treated like they are in a Michelin starred restaurant to the detriment (as others have already pointed out) of fellow passengers, the wait staff and the people turning out meals in their hundreds.

 

.

[eurotraveller1]

LOL, PITA is a flat bread that originated in the Middle East. It is used as a vehicle for 'pocket sandwiches" and also fried into chips for dipping.

 

LOL;);):rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

 

Lol, I know what pita bread is, I just wanted to know what was the meaning they gave the word here.

 

 

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[Lois R]

Lol, I know what pita bread is, I just wanted to know what was the meaning they gave the word here.

 

 

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LOL;)....Pain the the --------........tush, butt, the other word that

you shouldn't post on here starts with an "A"

[eurotraveller1]

LOL;)....Pain the the --------........tush, butt, the other word that

you shouldn't post on here starts with an "A"

 

 

Thank you Lois, I sure do know some of those from past sailings.

 

 

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[ReneeFLL]

I don't see it that way. On a cruise ship, typically everything is prepared according to canned instructions from Miami -- the recipe cards are literally posted on the wall and must be followed exactly. No serious chef, or even line cook, is particularly fond of working exclusively that way. Cooking is a creative pursuit. No question in my mind that any them would be eager and delighted to get an opportunity to show what he/she can do. And if the customer shows interest in the cook's native cuisine, big bonus points.

 

No inconvenience at all.

 

Wow, just wow! :eek::eek::eek: Sad to see that you think it's not a big inconvenience. Sure they try to please everyone as much as possible because they want to be nice and have repeat customers. Should they be run ragged because you want something that is not on the regular menu or even in the kitchen that is serving that area (MDR)? Is it a dietary requirement? If not, then asking them to get food from the crew room is just rude! I say if you want it then get it yourself. Out of the entire ship can you even imagine if only 100 passengers asked for something from another location what would be involved? How much time would be wasted from workers running to other locations to get the special food let alone the time spent making it. This also screws things up for others by having things not run as smoothly as possible.

 

Why don't you just ask if you can eat in the crew room with them? They are human beings and should not be treated like our personal slaves. You should find an employee that is off during your dinner time and PAY them to get the food you want.

[oregon50]

WOW! Just wow. Did you understand anything written in the post to which you responded?

[emcee207]

Lol, I know what pita bread is, I just wanted to know what was the meaning they gave the word here.

 

 

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Do you know what a joke is??

[eurotraveller1]

Do you know what a joke is??

 

 

Yes, i understood it was a joke two seconds after I replied.

 

 

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[ReneeFLL]

WOW! Just wow. Did you understand anything written in the post to which you responded?

Did you understand that I was replying to her second comment? If someone wants to put such a burden on employees then they should go to a cruise line that will have the time to cater to them. There will be more people who see this thread and they will want to do it to. They have way to many other people to take care of instead of dealing with this kind of behavior. :rolleyes:

[timbom]

Took a cruise recently where like the above never saw waitress because she was busy taking care of a table that was Indian. Later found out some were vegetarian and all they would eat is Indian. All of their meals were special cooked for them (this was an RCL ship).

 

She asked if we would like to try some of their dish's. I was concerned this would delay service and asked her if she would mind. She said of course not as it was already delayed because of all of the special requests.

 

She brought us many of these dish's over several days family share. It was a really special treat as all of the chiefs were Indian (several came out and asked how we liked the food) and seemed to really enjoy cooking fresh dish's of their native food.

 

I asked her if any of it came off the crews table and she said all was special cooked for us. It was a great break for us on the 18 day trans Atlantic.

 

If you like Indian food ask for it I think you will be surprised how willing they are to prepare it for you.

[caladezi]

I can't wait until our next cruise in November. I'm going to order alligator on the first night, then Fried caterpillars for my appetizer for the second night. I love sauteed flamingo, so that will be the second night and the braised Lion heart on the next. Still thinking about the rest.

[ghstudio]

I can't wait until our next cruise in November. I'm going to order alligator on the first night, then Fried caterpillars for my appetizer for the second night. I love sauteed flamingo, so that will be the second night and the braised Lion heart on the next. Still thinking about the rest.

 

I think you are stretching....if you place an advanced order at embarkation, you might be able to get pigeon. If you are on an s-class ship, you might ask for grubs or earthworms. Beyond that, you are subject to whatever is in the freezer.

[cynbar]

After reading through this thread, I want to add one comment. We see reports from other posts where crew are reluctant to upset or antagonize any guests ---- they might get a complaint or a negative comment card, and that can be a major problem for a crew member. Just because someone acts happy to do something, doesn't mean it is not an inconvenience. Please consider the heavy work load the staff already has before adding to their burden.

[ozzycruzer]

I entered this thread because I was trying to find a Forum topic that covered Celebrity Dining more thoroughly. I realise this thread started as a more narrow topic of 'special orders'. However, I would value opinions:

 

I have cruised with 5 other lines, and find Celebrity food equal to the best (equal with Costa). The service was mostly fabulous, but they did sometimes forget or delay sending the wine waiter.

 

The prime rib in MDR was excellent. The lobster was not - it was overcooked, probably boiled in the morning and then grilled at night. We asked for seconds and instructed them to just boil it quickly - they did and it was excellent.

 

My biggest disappointment was Tuscan Grill - admittedly we ate seafood rather than steak, but friends invited us so we went to Tuscan. The pasta starter was excellent however. The real problem was the staff. Similar to Cellar Masters, I think the 'higher up' staff get too self-opinionated compared with the lovely people that are cabin stewards or ordinary wait staff. Thus our waiter insisted on talking about the menu rather than listening to us - then he got the delivery wrong. But the WORST experience was when the Maitre D came over, interrupted our conversation, and THEN TOOK A CALL ON HIS CELL PHONE right by our table. He told ME 'not to be rude' when I firmly asked him to move away! Had I not loved my whole cruise so much I would surely have reported this individual.

I wont be paying the cost for specialty dining again - although we quite enjoyed Qsine.

Other factor I disliked was the 'hard sell' through the cruise of the specialty restaurants.

 

Comments?

:)

[Beanb41]

If one doesn't ask one has no chance of getting. If something is not available or possible then the appropriate person will advise the questioner. If something is available then any issue goes away.

[eurotraveller1]

But why inconvenience the crew and delay service?

 

 

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