Food service issues on the Empress

[2Shoes2Go]

What have we booked?:eek:

[ZoeyVictoria]

We had a great day in Grand Cayman yesterday. We were concerned about how the tendering process would go, so we made sure we were ready early and on the first tender. That worked perfectly and we haven't heard any complaints from others on later tenders.

 

We spent some time talking to one of the crew members while we waited for the tender. She said she is exhausted from working 14 hours a day and then trying to sleep in a cabin with no A/C. She is very stressed and frustrated because she cannot please the passengers because of broken or malfunctioning equipment. Her supervisor will not allow her to tell the truth about why requested items are not available. She stated that the problems on the ship were electrical; there is a new washing machine and ice machine and the ship's electrical system can't handle them. She said that "the freezer" is broken; last night at dinner there was no ice cream available, so that might be related. She also said the ice machine was broken yesterday morning, but there seems to be plenty of ice.

 

We were also told that 50% of the crew members are from Pullmantur.

 

The dealers in the casino are so pleasant and fun. At least three of them are not familiar with the rules of the games they are dealing and are being taught/helped by the players. It is HOT in the casino. The theater was also very hot on night 2 but fine last night, at least for the few minutes we were in there. It was late when we got there and SRO so we didn't stay.

 

Dinner service went faster last night. The one-page menu was "Latin" and almost all items were new to us. The only salad on the menu was watermelon salad, the only soup jalapeño potato soup. Caribbean cake (muffin-sized and containing dried fruit) would have been good if the ice cream accompanying it had been available. There was also coconut rice pudding. I will take a larger purse to dinner tonight so I can take my iPhone and take a picture of the menu.

 

This morning there were three men working on the frozen yogurt machine and one of them was reading the instruction manual. I will abstain from the obvious joke, but just maybe there will be frozen yogurt today.

 

On Sunday at least two of the hot tubs weren't hot. I don't really care for high temperatures, so I was very happy in the lukewarm one. The controls didn't work, but the bubbler was set for approximately 10-15 minutes on, 5 minutes off. Just before I left on Sunday, very hot water suddenly started pouring in. This morning all hot tubs were actually hot, so I guess that problem was solved.

[ZoeyVictoria]

The Captain just announced that some type of metal in the water has been spotted and the Coast Guard notified. We will go back and circle it until the Coast Guard arrives. Two other passengers said that it looks like the end of an airplane wing or part of a boat.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

So other than the food issues and the hot/cold issues, Empress seems like a decent ship. I imagine that these problems will be resolved soon (at least I hope). On the bright side, the ship looks beautiful.

 

Thanks for the updates. Hopefully the metal in the water is nothing serious.

Edited May 31, 2016 by OfTheSeasCruiser

[Paulette3028]

We had a great day in Grand Cayman yesterday. We were concerned about how the tendering process would go, so we made sure we were ready early and on the first tender. That worked perfectly and we haven't heard any complaints from others on later tenders.

 

We spent some time talking to one of the crew members while we waited for the tender. She said she is exhausted from working 14 hours a day and then trying to sleep in a cabin with no A/C. She is very stressed and frustrated because she cannot please the passengers because of broken or malfunctioning equipment. Her supervisor will not allow her to tell the truth about why requested items are not available. She stated that the problems on the ship were electrical; there is a new washing machine and ice machine and the ship's electrical system can't handle them. She said that "the freezer" is broken; last night at dinner there was no ice cream available, so that might be related. She also said the ice machine was broken yesterday morning, but there seems to be plenty of ice.

 

We were also told that 50% of the crew members are from Pullmantur.

 

The dealers in the casino are so pleasant and fun. At least three of them are not familiar with the rules of the games they are dealing and are being taught/helped by the players. It is HOT in the casino. The theater was also very hot on night 2 but fine last night, at least for the few minutes we were in there. It was late when we got there and SRO so we didn't stay.

 

Dinner service went faster last night. The one-page menu was "Latin" and almost all items were new to us. The only salad on the menu was watermelon salad, the only soup jalapeño potato soup. Caribbean cake (muffin-sized and containing dried fruit) would have been good if the ice cream accompanying it had been available. There was also coconut rice pudding. I will take a larger purse to dinner tonight so I can take my iPhone and take a picture of the menu.

 

This morning there were three men working on the frozen yogurt machine and one of them was reading the instruction manual. I will abstain from the obvious joke, but just maybe there will be frozen yogurt today.

 

On Sunday at least two of the hot tubs weren't hot. I don't really care for high temperatures, so I was very happy in the lukewarm one. The controls didn't work, but the bubbler was set for approximately 10-15 minutes on, 5 minutes off. Just before I left on Sunday, very hot water suddenly started pouring in. This morning all hot tubs were actually hot, so I guess that problem was solved.

 

Something is just not quite right here.....why would the cruise line employee go against her supervisor's instructions and tell you things she is not supposed to tell you.....does she want to get fired, if someone overhears her talking to you about things she should not be saying.

 

Sure, you can say, her conscience made her do the right thing, if what she is saying is 'accurate' either. Maybe she ways way too tired and inappropriate things were said.....I can't be sure of that either.

 

The reports of what has not gone well 100% is concerning for sure.

[ZoeyVictoria]

Something is just not quite right here.....why would the cruise line employee go against her supervisor's instructions and tell you things she is not supposed to tell you.....does she want to get fired, if someone overhears her talking to you about things she should not be saying.

 

Sure, you can say, her conscience made her do the right thing, if what she is saying is 'accurate' either. Maybe she ways way too tired and inappropriate things were said.....I can't be sure of that either.

 

The reports of what has not gone well 100% is concerning for sure.

 

The area she works in was not open that early and we were sitting way off to one side. She was gathering stray items to dispose of them and there was nobody else close. Her point was that if she was allowed to simply state why something was not available or not in the proper condition, passengers would understand and not be as frustrated as with a fib or half-answer. This is hard to explain without revealing identifying info, sorry.

 

Edited to add that her personal opinion is that the ship was not ready to go, needs three more weeks of drydock or one week with more workers, and she hopes that the next sailings are cancelled to complete the job. Scary!

Edited May 31, 2016 by ZoeyVictoria

[ZoeyVictoria]

The ship stopped and did not return to "the wreckage", so I couldn't see the item. The Captain just announced that we had stopped but would be proceeding slowly towards our destination once the Coast Guard released us. No sight of CG boats/helicopters. Somebody on the ship will have further info or rumors later.

[Merion_Mom]

We had a great day in Grand Cayman yesterday. We were concerned about how the tendering process would go, so we made sure we were ready early and on the first tender. That worked perfectly and we haven't heard any complaints from others on later tenders.

 

We spent some time talking to one of the crew members while we waited for the tender. She said she is exhausted from working 14 hours a day and then trying to sleep in a cabin with no A/C. She is very stressed and frustrated because she cannot please the passengers because of broken or malfunctioning equipment. Her supervisor will not allow her to tell the truth about why requested items are not available. She stated that the problems on the ship were electrical; there is a new washing machine and ice machine and the ship's electrical system can't handle them. She said that "the freezer" is broken; last night at dinner there was no ice cream available, so that might be related. She also said the ice machine was broken yesterday morning, but there seems to be plenty of ice.

 

We were also told that 50% of the crew members are from Pullmantur.

 

The dealers in the casino are so pleasant and fun. At least three of them are not familiar with the rules of the games they are dealing and are being taught/helped by the players. It is HOT in the casino. The theater was also very hot on night 2 but fine last night, at least for the few minutes we were in there. It was late when we got there and SRO so we didn't stay.

 

Dinner service went faster last night. The one-page menu was "Latin" and almost all items were new to us. The only salad on the menu was watermelon salad, the only soup jalapeño potato soup. Caribbean cake (muffin-sized and containing dried fruit) would have been good if the ice cream accompanying it had been available. There was also coconut rice pudding. I will take a larger purse to dinner tonight so I can take my iPhone and take a picture of the menu.

 

This morning there were three men working on the frozen yogurt machine and one of them was reading the instruction manual. I will abstain from the obvious joke, but just maybe there will be frozen yogurt today.

 

On Sunday at least two of the hot tubs weren't hot. I don't really care for high temperatures, so I was very happy in the lukewarm one. The controls didn't work, but the bubbler was set for approximately 10-15 minutes on, 5 minutes off. Just before I left on Sunday, very hot water suddenly started pouring in. This morning all hot tubs were actually hot, so I guess that problem was solved.

 

That certainly sounds like Empress has its own menus! :eek:

[ZoeyVictoria]

I overheard an explanation to an upset passenger at dinner that there is not enough room in the Empress galley to prepare additional foods (people are bumping into each other and food is being dropped). I believe that there will be many things, including menus, that are exclusive to the Empress. In the case of the menus, I think that is a good thing! I think it is better to have totally new dishes instead of cheapened versions of old ones, such as the fake crabcake with with the same menu description as the old version. My hope is that this will not appear on other ships.

 

I was really looking forward to the appetizers at the Top Tier party so I could take or leave dinner, but nothing was served other than drinks.

[coaster]

Something is not right. I have been on NCL, Celebrity and Holland America ships half and very close to the size of Empress. Full menu was offered even on these smaller ships. Sounds more like extreme cost cutting than anything else.

 

 

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Edited May 31, 2016 by coaster

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

Something is not right. I have been on NCL, Celebrity and Holland America ships half and very close to the size of Empress. Full menu was offered even on these smaller ships. Sounds more like extreme cost cutting more than anything else.

 

Could it be the galleys are still not ready, but they refused to cancel more cruises? The small galley comment seems like a lame excuse, as that wasn't a problem when Empress was sailing with RCI previously.

[Citymom92]

Yes this seems very odd to me also. Can anyone comment on how the food tastes at least, even with the limited selections? I know for all the experienced cruisers this may seem silly, but I am seriously bummed out about the food situation. I'm honestly not a picky eater at all (and if I don't have to cook will eat almost anything!) but it sounds like there's not much to choose from and what's there doesn't sound all that appetizing. (Only a watermelon salad? Jalepeno soup?) I will be very upset to be going on a vacation and not able to find plentiful choices. Really wishing I had booked a different ship right now.

 

 

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[OfTheSeasCruiser]

Yes this seems very odd to me also. Can anyone comment on how the food tastes at least, even with the limited selections? I know for all the experienced cruisers this may seem silly, but I am seriously bummed out about the food situation. I'm honestly not a picky eater at all (and if I don't have to cook will eat almost anything!) but it sounds like there's not much to choose from and what's there doesn't sound all that appetizing. (Only a watermelon salad? Jalepeno soup?) I will be very upset to be going on a vacation and not able to find plentiful choices. Really wishing I had booked a different ship right now.

 

 

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Also curious about quality/taste.

 

Wish someone would post a menu sooner or later...

[BILL-WI]

This is a text I received this morning from a very good friend that is on Empress right now...

 

"Let me say last night in chops was the worst I have ever had. A table walked out after a half hour of no one coming to greet and take their drink order. We had the same server as we did on Saturday. She was terrible last night. Extra glasses never cleared from the table. She finally provided bread with the entree. We were done with the first course (salad and soup) and the dishes just sat there for about twenty minutes. The couple we were with have never been in chops and sadly they will never go back. He asked for a beer and 45 minutes later it was delivered. Not opened, just placed on the table with no glass. I am canceling tonight. I can't deal with that again."

 

Bill

[Merion_Mom]

this is a text i received this morning from a very good friend that is on empress right now...

 

"let me say last night in chops was the worst i have ever had. A table walked out after a half hour of no one coming to greet and take their drink order. We had the same server as we did on saturday. She was terrible last night. Extra glasses never cleared from the table. She finally provided bread with the entree. We were done with the first course (salad and soup) and the dishes just sat there for about twenty minutes. The couple we were with have never been in chops and sadly they will never go back. He asked for a beer and 45 minutes later it was delivered. Not opened, just placed on the table with no glass. I am canceling tonight. I can't deal with that again."

 

bill

 

ouch. :(

[Cindy]

This is a text I received this morning from a very good friend that is on Empress right now...

 

"Let me say last night in chops was the worst I have ever had. A table walked out after a half hour of no one coming to greet and take their drink order. We had the same server as we did on Saturday. She was terrible last night. Extra glasses never cleared from the table. She finally provided bread with the entree. We were done with the first course (salad and soup) and the dishes just sat there for about twenty minutes. The couple we were with have never been in chops and sadly they will never go back. He asked for a beer and 45 minutes later it was delivered. Not opened, just placed on the table with no glass. I am canceling tonight. I can't deal with that again."

 

Bill

 

This sounds like something you'd expect from a start-up low budget cruiseline, not RCI.:( The problems with provisioning and service shouldn't be happening under any circumstances.

[LMaxwell]

Could it be the galleys are still not ready, but they refused to cancel more cruises?

 

That sounds likely to me. Some equipment may not have been delivered, or may not be functioning properly. New staff also takes time to get their system down.

 

I have high hopes that many of the service issues will be resolved shortly.

 

I do have some doubts as to management choices regarding limited menus, no food 9-11pm, skimpy RS menus, late night offerings, etc. They need to at least be matching the competition and Carnival and NCL short party cruises don't skimp out in these areas.

[Paulette3028]

The people who have sailed on Empress need to bring their first hand stories regarding the food service issues to the attention of the VP of Food and Beverage Division for RCI, his name is Chef John Suley. He oversees the Food and Beverage services for ALL of the lines -- Royal, Celebrity, Azamara etc. If you send an email to rcldining@rccl.com and put in the subject line -- Attention John Suley -- it will get to him.

Edited May 31, 2016 by Paulette3028

[Ourusualbeach]

The people who have sailed on Empress need to bring their first hand stories regarding the food service issues to the attention of the VP of Food and Beverage Division for RCI, his name is Chef John Suley. He oversees the Food and Beverage services for ALL of the lines -- Royal, Celebrity, Azamara etc. If you send an email to rcldining@rccl.com and put in the subject line -- Attention John Suley -- it will get to him.

 

Or just try jsuley@rccl.com as that is how most e mail addresses for Royal staff seem to be set up.

[Citymom92]

Or just try jsuley@rccl.com as that is how most e mail addresses for Royal staff seem to be set up.

 

I've sent an email to each of the addresses provided above requesting the Empress menus and asking if the limited menus are a feature of the Empress or a provisions issue that will be worked out the next time they are stocking up in Miami.

 

Will let you know if I hear back, but I'm not terribly hopeful.

[ZoeyVictoria]

Here is tonight's menu. It is the "French" menu and is the best we have had this week.

 

 

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[ZoeyVictoria]

I ordered the French onion soup, with crouton. Sure enough, there was a crouton but no cheese.

 

 

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[Giosmom]

 

Tonight's menus

 

 

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[Merion_Mom]

That is a reduced-size menu! :eek:

[ZoeyVictoria]

Two of the desserts sounded good (baked Alaska and cherries jubilee) but there is no ice cream on the ship. We all ordered "olive oil crumex" and it was as bad as it sounds; three of us left 90% on our plates. Really, how many desserts are there with "olive oil" in the description?