Goodbye to Free Burgers and Mast Grill ???

[hillbilly73]

Just got off the reflection today. The hamburgers at the mast grill were not edible. Hardly saw anybody up there. No loss if that goes away.

 

Was on Reflection in February and that certainly was not the case then long lines all day long especially on sea days. Same thing on the Summit the previous November.

[PoppyandNana]

Rant alert - sorry, but this one's been building for a while.

 

 

 

Gee. Been sailing X almost 25 years and have only felt my cruise experience diminish. Must have missed all those upgrades. Can you point them out to me?

 

Suite Class is an upgrade, however only 7% of passengers (but seemingly 50% of cc posters) sail in suites. And that came at a cost to the other 93% of us who lost access to Michaels Club and saw MDR elbow room shrink to an uncomfortably intimate level. CC was initially an upgrade, but X gradually eliminated most of the percs so you can't really call it one anymore. If you like Blu (some do, some don't) I'll give you AQ. Conversion of specialties on M class to Murano certainly wasn't an upgrade, nor nor was Sushi on 5. Really miss free sushi at the buffet. Cuts to entertainment staff have virtually eliminated arts and crafts. Is 86 daily sessions of trivia an upgrade?Taking show production in-house has left us with some very strange shows with unrecognizable music. Cutbacks in housekeeping mean my room might not be made up until late afternoon. Even my Elite laundry perc was cut back from 30 items to 20. And now comes the burger debacle ......

 

Despite all this I've never had a bad X cruise. Just seems each one is a little less special than the one before. Have two more X cruises booked then maybe time to try something new. Hopefully LLP hasn't messed with Galapagos.

 

Speaking of laundry I can never figure out why X gives (Elite etc) the same number of coupons for a 14 day cruise as you get for 7 days.

[PoppyandNana]

Inedible because they were tough, or dry, or underdone, or rancid? Or all of the above?

 

Must be my wrapped sense of taste but I find the burgers at the Mast Grill delicious. I don't know what kind of meat they use or maybe it's the atmosphere but I really like their burgers.

[grandgeezer]

Speaking of laundry I can never figure out why X gives (Elite etc) the same number of coupons for a 14 day cruise as you get for 7 days.

 

It's per cruise, makes no difference if it's four days or fifteen days.

[jagoffee]

Not being funny or nasty. What changes has X made that you find better for you and not worse? Over the past couple of years X has tried different changes that never lasted long such as Bistro on 5 to Sushi on 5, Pub food on deck 3 where the small bar is, Wine Master changed to Beer parlor. Reduced size of MDR and allowed only 1 entry on deck 3. A big Shop on deck 5 next to the World Bar selling watches only and never seem to be busy. I could add more that I don't think X really planned these out well.

 

We like the change to Chic nights instead of formal nights. Always wear a sport jacket, but not a tux.

We like the creation of the Elite Plus category.

We really like the change of BO5 to the Sushi on 5.

We like the change from the Molecular Bar to the World Class Bar.

We like the overnights in some ports. One a cruise is good for us, but would not want more.

We like the wide range of drink options in the Premium Drink package and the ability to pay the difference for options that are more expensive.

We like the overall trend toward an all inclusive package like the Best option.

We like the design of the Solstice Class ships.

We like the occasional extra charge lunch at the Lawn Grill on the Silhouette and Reflection. Great burger enjoyed outside in a sit down restaurant.

We like the improvement of the Internet on the ships.

We really like the significant improvement in the suite benefits especially the Michael's Club, the Luminae, and the Best package (four of the perks) with a suite booking.

We like the change expanding the beer options on some of the ships.

 

I do understand that everyone does not like all these changes and there are,a group of people that do not like each of the changes.

 

We still find cruising a good overall value.

 

I'm glad you find Celebrity changes to your liking. If you don't mind my asking, what cabin category do you usually book?

 

We usually book Sky Suites, but we have stayed in regular balconies, Aqua Class, and Conceirge Class.

[bigbenboys]

We like the change to Chic nights instead of formal nights. Always wear a sport jacket, but not a tux.

We like the creation of the Elite Plus category.

We really like the change of BO5 to the Sushi on 5.

We like the change from the Molecular Bar to the World Class Bar.

We like the overnights in some ports. One a cruise is good for us, but would not want more.

We like the wide range of drink options in the Premium Drink package and the ability to pay the difference for options that are more expensive.

We like the overall trend toward an all inclusive package like the Best option.

We like the design of the Solstice Class ships.

We like the occasional extra charge lunch at the Lawn Grill on the Silhouette and Reflection. Great burger enjoyed outside in a sit down restaurant.

We like the improvement of the Internet on the ships.

We really like the significant improvement in the suite benefits especially the Michael's Club, the Luminae, and the Best package (four of the perks) with a suite booking.

We like the change expanding the beer options on some of the ships.

 

I do understand that everyone does not like all these changes and there are,a group of people that do not like each of the changes.

 

We still find cruising a good overall value.

 

We usually book Sky Suites, but we have stayed in regular balconies, Aqua Class, and Conceirge Class.

 

I like your list and the changes Celebrity has been making. We love the Suite Life.

[Summerlin]

My wife and I have been sailing with X for a while now, with our kids growing up on X ships along side of us. We have tried Azamara without kids, and then did some DCL and RCL a few years back.

 

I agree with many on this thread that X is not the same (I remember Century during a Scandinavian cruise--the cruise director played a mean piano in Michael's Club on most nights--we had a blast!), and the old specialty restaurants were our favorite restaurants on the seven seas.

 

I appreciate the comments regarding Oceania and MSC cruises.

 

I haven't seen any advice regarding "moving up" to better cruise lines when traveling with kids. Can anyone comment on taking kids on premium or even luxury ships? Our kids are 12 and 13 years old. We will be on equinox in a suite in July, and we were all on Millennium in Alaska last summer.

 

DCL was great for the experience, but the prices are just ridiculous on the "front end" when you travel during the summer or any school vacations, and there is nothing included except the free soda and soft serve ice cream. The drink packages have made the X cruises affordable "up front." And if you think the X Specialty restaurant prices are high, just check out Remi on the Dream or Fantasy!!

 

We are considering the smaller ships such as Windstar or some of the smaller ships in Alaska, where you can do activities right off the stern of the ship.

 

The MSC Yacht club certainly sounds interesting. When I think of Europe based cruise lines, all I can picture is people smoking everywhere. Is this the case? Or is this just my vivid imagination.

 

By the way, anyone actually try a Top Deck burger yet on the Constellation?

[ChucktownSteve]

My wife and I have been sailing with X for a while now, with our kids growing up on X ships along side of us. We have tried Azamara without kids, and then did some DCL and RCL a few years back.

 

I appreciate the comments regarding Oceania and MSC cruises.

 

I haven't seen any advice regarding "moving up" to better cruise lines when traveling with kids. Can anyone comment on taking kids on premium or even luxury ships? Our kids are 12 and 13 years old. We will be on equinox in a suite in July, and we were all on Millennium in Alaska last summer.

?

 

You might try posting your question on the Oceania or MSC boards. I thought I read somewhere that there were some cruises during the summer months that Oceania was targeting toward children. But someone there will have more information.

[shipshape sam]

“Whine” was the wrong word choice; “complain” works better and is less offensive. But the point I was trying to make is if someone isn’t happy with the product, move on to something else.

We definitely felt that way about RCCL after a 2014 cruise and decided the line wasn’t our cup of tea any longer.But I didn’t spend time on the CC RCCL pages bashing them about it.

My other point is that I am very satisfied as a Celebrity customer and see the value of what I am buying now compared to what I purchased way back in 2001 – way more bang for the buck, particularly when factoring in inflation. For some reason, being happy about what this line offers passengers is annoying to a handful of people.

 

Sometimes it makes sense to let the company know of your dissatisfaction vs just walking away. I have always appreciated a customer telling me what they did not like or where we could improve. Not always able to work it out, but I thanked them and meant it to every customer and also let them know what we could or could not do and I think they also appreciated it. My staff was always aware of considering the customer especially when we were telling them 'NO' and to think about how they themselves would take hearing 'NO'. We sold a high end 'want' product and related service and knew they were choosing us vs a competitor.

 

Celebrity via staff do read many of the threads on CC, so maybe they might consider changes to the Mast Bar even before implementing the first one. For me it would be nice to have an improved burger that is included in your cruise fare that is a few steps above a frozen hockey puck from a cruise line that touts itself as a luxury type cruise line.

 

What I think they are doing is competing with the luxury lines with their suite offerings and the down stream competition with the rest of the cabins on an ala carte basis.

 

As to your satisfaction with Celebrity, that is great. I do feel also that Celebrity is closer to what we like, but that can change too over time as it did with you and Royal. My alternative is to not sail as much nor recommend as much. I have no plans to ever sail Carnival again. Sailed Carnival twice. HAL and Princess are 2 cruise lines I have no problem with, based on past personal experience, of sailing again with.

[villauk]

My wife and I have been sailing with X for a while now, with our kids growing up on X ships along side of us. We have tried Azamara without kids, and then did some DCL and RCL a few years back.

 

I agree with many on this thread that X is not the same (I remember Century during a Scandinavian cruise--the cruise director played a mean piano in Michael's Club on most nights--we had a blast!), and the old specialty restaurants were our favorite restaurants on the seven seas.

 

I appreciate the comments regarding Oceania and MSC cruises.

 

I haven't seen any advice regarding "moving up" to better cruise lines when traveling with kids. Can anyone comment on taking kids on premium or even luxury ships? Our kids are 12 and 13 years old. We will be on equinox in a suite in July, and we were all on Millennium in Alaska last summer.

 

DCL was great for the experience, but the prices are just ridiculous on the "front end" when you travel during the summer or any school vacations, and there is nothing included except the free soda and soft serve ice cream. The drink packages have made the X cruises affordable "up front." And if you think the X Specialty restaurant prices are high, just check out Remi on the Dream or Fantasy!!

 

We are considering the smaller ships such as Windstar or some of the smaller ships in Alaska, where you can do activities right off the stern of the ship.

 

The MSC Yacht club certainly sounds interesting. When I think of Europe based cruise lines, all I can picture is people smoking everywhere. Is this the case? Or is this just my vivid imagination.

 

By the way, anyone actually try a Top Deck burger yet on the Constellation?

 

We don't sail without our kids and so are in slightly the same boat as yourselves. We'd like to try Viking and Azamara, but not until the kids are at Uni. We still enjoy X, however, there has been a noticeable difference in the last couple of years. MSC appear to be having some good recommendations for the YC on the boards, but unsure if we'd like it in Europe. Princess, we felt, were quite bland - sorry to all that love the brand - saying that, they may be worth another shot as it could have been that one voyage - perhaps worth considering again? It's a totally different ball game when you are travelling with a family.

 

We won't be trying the Mast Grill, even though we are on Connie in December :D.

 

 

Shipshape Sam,

 

You may have hit the nail on the head with your comment regarding the suite life improving while the rest are bringing up the rear. My DH thinks X are going the same way as Royal and that's why initiallly we moved to X - no shocks I suppose, especially as the CEOs are now shuffling between both.

[npb]

Who has cruised X long enough to remember the green beans and carrot sticks wrapped in little bundles and the potato balls and other little touches that made dining special? Cherries Jubilee tableside?

 

I don't need these and understand why they were cut, but they did add to the luxury.

[deliver42]

To Summerlin, MSC in the U.S. does not allow any indoor smoking, except the cigar lounge. None in the casino either. There are well marked areas outside for smokers, and avoiding them is easy. Only about 1% of the ship.

[CruisingChick]

Who has cruised X long enough to remember the green beans and carrot sticks wrapped in little bundles and the potato balls and other little touches that made dining special? Cherries Jubilee tableside?

 

I don't need these and understand why they were cut, but they did add to the luxury.

 

Yes, DH & I remember. I also don't need my green beans wrapped but I would like them to be of good quality and properly cooked when I receive my dinner. The food in the MDR has steadily declined over the past 15 years. Not to mention when we first started cruising some of the lunches in the MDR were better than the dinners. Now the MDR is barely open for lunch and when it is the menus are quite unappealing.

[Brad1185]

Yes, DH & I remember. I also don't need my green beans wrapped but I would like them to be of good quality and properly cooked when I receive my dinner. The food in the MDR has steadily declined over the past 15 years. Not to mention when we first started cruising some of the lunches in the MDR were better than the dinners. Now the MDR is barely open for lunch and when it is the menus are quite unappealing.

 

The mdr used to be open for lunch everyday except the first. The lunches were almost better than dinner. Wow has the quality declined over the years.

 

I am excited to try 2 upcoming Viking cruises. From what I see looks like what it used to be like without the cutbacks and extra charges.

[Brad1185]

Who has cruised X long enough to remember the green beans and carrot sticks wrapped in little bundles and the potato balls and other little touches that made dining special? Cherries Jubilee tableside?

 

I don't need these and understand why they were cut, but they did add to the luxury.

 

I remember and the veggies used to be miniature sizes.

[Luvcrusn]

Who has cruised X long enough to remember the green beans and carrot sticks wrapped in little bundles and the potato balls and other little touches that made dining special? Cherries Jubilee tableside?

 

I don't need these and understand why they were cut, but they did add to the luxury.

Thanks for the memory! I had forgotten about those.:) I also miss the flaming baked Alaska (but understand the fire hazard is the reason for it going away). I also miss the chilled soups. There are few of them now.

[bEwAbG]

"Modern Luxury" is a made-up marketing term. Most luxury experiences ARE nickel and dime based. We still joke about a 5-star hotel in a major US city that had "free breakfast" with the room type we were in, but you had to pay them $10 if you wanted eggs to go with the cereal or pastries. No happy hour prices in the bar despite a lack of patrons. And our wake-up call came 45 minutes late. Another just recently didn't offer free wi-fi and the valet parking was $45--and valet was the only option with no other parking facilities in the area. A la carte is the name of the game in most luxury establishments these days unless you're already paying for it in the total price. I'm ok with that to an extent but Celebrity is not really offering a true luxury product...hence "modern luxury."

[dkjretired]

Must be my wrapped sense of taste but I find the burgers at the Mast Grill delicious. I don't know what kind of meat they use or maybe it's the atmosphere but I really like their burgers.

 

Most on this board do, perhaps why this thread is so long

[ChucktownSteve]

{scratching my head} It's a food service, frozen hockey puck, meat patty cooked well done (sometimes overdone). If you're lucky, you got one fresh off the grill.

If you think this is a delicious burger, have you ever eaten a bad burger? If so, what made it bad? Is this Pool Grill meat the best burger you've ever eaten?

I'm trying to figure out what makes that hamburger so delicious to you. :confused: I wonder if it has to do with the higher fat content?

Edited May 31, 2017 by ChucktownSteve

[chamima]

We don't eat meat so I can't speak to the regular burger but the veggie burgers have been really good, maybe because they have to be cooked to order.

However, they're certainly NOT $10 good.

[celebritydave]

I have been eating the Celebrity burgers at the mast grill since 1995. I have always thought they were pretty good, better than most fast food restaurants. Are they frozen? sure, a lot of the meat is frozen and still tastes pretty good.

 

I would be very disappointed if they stopped serving free burgers and hot dogs at the mast grill.

 

Dave

[shipshape sam]

I have been eating the Celebrity burgers at the mast grill since 1995. I have always thought they were pretty good, better than most fast food restaurants. Are they frozen? sure, a lot of the meat is frozen and still tastes pretty good.

 

I would be very disappointed if they stopped serving free burgers and hot dogs at the mast grill.

 

Dave

 

Get ready to be disappointed if the pr is correct. You will have to now go to the buffet to get the hockey puck.

[ChucktownSteve]

I have been eating the Celebrity burgers at the mast grill since 1995. I have always thought they were pretty good, better than most fast food restaurants. Are they frozen? sure, a lot of the meat is frozen and still tastes pretty good. Dave

 

Dave, I understand. McD and BK have large followings. But isn't judging the Celebrity burger against a fast rood restaurant a pretty low bar? rofl

 

At least the $10 "gourmet" burger will be cheaper at the pool than the $12 Gastrobar burger.

[gowilk]

Oh well...since Lutoff thinks everyplace needs to be monetized, we'll fix her ...in October rather pay her outrageous 10 dollars for food we already paid for we'll just drink a couple more drinks everyday since they agree we prepaid for liquor...sounds dumb to me and more likely to make my mood worse rather than better but what do I know.

[NLH Arizona]

Oh well...since Lutoff thinks everyplace needs to be monetized, we'll fix her ...in October rather pay her outrageous 10 dollars for food we already paid for we'll just drink a couple more drinks everyday since they agree we prepaid for liquor...sounds dumb to me and more likely to make my mood worse rather than better but what do I know.

That'll show her!:rolleyes: