Problems on the Summit

[oldsilverfox]

We have just returned from the Thanksgiving cruise thru the Panama Canal. Halfway thru the trip I ordered a Samuel Adams beer with my lunch. When it came, I noticed that the "best by" date was end October 2005 so I sent it back, complained and asked for a refund on my Seapass card. This eventually was done after an initial mistake (another debit instead of a credit) and a couple of visits to Guest Relations. I bumped into the Beverage manager next night and mentioned this incident and after trying to tell me that it I had made a mistake as it really was the made-by date (sic), she bought me a complementary beer and assured me "that she was on to this". Later on in the week they were still trying to shift the same beer with the same date at the same premium prices.

Three days before the end of the cruise my partner opened her carton of breakfast youghort and found it to be mouldy. I called the restaurant manager over and he apologised saying that it was an isolated incident and that "he was on to this straightaway". Next day at breakfast, another youghort and guess what ??? This time I had the assistant food and Beverage Manager paged and he assured me that this was a (second????) isolated incident with our youghort and would dump the remainder of the batch. The best by date on both batches was december 5th 2005.

If this is two random occurences, statistically, my partner is in line to win the lottery. At dinner that evening one of our dinner partners said that she had nearly drunk a glass of milk which was off.

By breakfast on the last morning there was no youghort whatsoever and only a tiny amount of fresh milk in the Waterfall. This had completely run out after 7.00a.m. The only alternative for those customers who wanted milk for their beverages or cereals (bearing in mind that this is a premium cruise line) were those tiny cartons of UHT milk. You don't have to be a world class environmental health inspector to suspect that there were problems in the Dairy Chill room.

Bottom line. Did it competely ruin our cruise ?? Of course not. Do I want compensation / money / champagne / whatever ?? No.

What I really want is to be able to enjoy the food on my cruise without having to look at the best by date, and not to be fobbed off with patronising lies by we-know-best Celebrity staff when I make a valid complaint.

[Luv4dacruise]

The best by date on both batches was december 5th 2005.

 

I can understand your grief, i feel the same way and should not have to check the date on food before i consume it on a cruise. When did you return from your cruise?.....If the date on the yogurt was December 5th, then it is not neccesarily the lines fault. Sure there could have been some fauly handling of the product to make it pass it's "Sell By" date early, but how does one prove that?.....As far as the beer, its not gonna make you sick, a "Sell By" date is simply a date that is put on the packaging by the manufacturer relatring to product quality meaning thatr it might not taste its best, but its not gonna make you sick.

[oldsilverfox]

Thank you for your reply. Our cruise finished on December 4th. I totally agree with your comments about the beer, I just feel that given the cost of a bottle of beer on the boat, there shouldn't be concerns whether it is fresh or not.

[Luv4dacruise]

Believe me, i agree with you 100%. I am not a beer drinker really but more of a Foo-Foo drink person. For the pirce i pay for them onboard they should be in a bucket with a straw :p

[tbelian]

Hooo boy.

[nmtraveler]

Hooo boy.

For once, Tbelian and I agree on something!

[tbelian]

For once, Tbelian and I agree on something!

 

LOL.... :D

[flashdog_1]

Thanks for the heads up. I was not aware of this, nor have I had any spoiled yogurt offered, but who knows if I drank an outdated coke. Will check in the future.

[Nancynurse]

LOL flashdog...

[cdbaum]

I, for one, simply will not tolerate beer which has exceeded it's arbitrarily assigned pull date designed specifically to make me buy more "fresh" beer.

 

If I don't have a frothy beverage in front of me heads are going to roll.

 

I will sample every beer on the Millie next week for the greater good.

[Leela]

If someone is *truly* concerned about beer freshness, then they will *only* drink draught beer. This is because draught beer is always kept cool, it's not supposed to be transported or sit in storage at room temperature. Unless that room temperature is a cold cellar like English beer is often kept in.

 

Thank you for volunteering to sample the beer for us, cdbaum. It's a tough job but someone needs to do it. ;)

[AFT_LOVER]

as it was melting as he was serving, as the refrigeration was going? On the other side of the buffet the ice cream was hard & good. So we went to him from then on.

[Karynanne]

I, for one, simply will not tolerate beer which has exceeded it's arbitrarily assigned pull date designed specifically to make me buy more "fresh" beer.

 

If I don't have a frothy beverage in front of me heads are going to roll.

 

I will sample every beer on the Millie next week for the greater good.

 

Now that's what I like to see....someone with a "mission". Charge On!

 

Karyn

[Karynanne]

as it was melting as he was serving, as the refrigeration was going? On the other side of the buffet the ice cream was hard & good. So we went to him from then on.

 

 

Where was the "refrigeration" GOING?

[cruising with marti]

Where was the "refrigeration" GOING?

 

 

What, you don't know? well the answer is, they go where all refrigeration goes.

 

Aren't you glad that you now have the answer?;)

 

 

Phil

[joramrose]

Asimpler answer, Phil.

The refrigerator was going about is business, and apparently raising a sweat as it did so.

 

love

joan

[Bambi2]

We cruised to the Western Carribean two years ago and the food was great. I always check dates on yougurt and milk containers. Don't remember any problems...The wine was great...not much of a beer drinker though. Heading to ALaska this spring.

[hermang]

Yoghurt is in effect spoiled or sour milk anyhow - but mouldy is another story.

The only time I have seen a negative on post dated stuff is canned soda.

Our lodge thought we got a great deal on Diet Pepsi from one of the closeout places and when we started using it - it tasted HORRIBLE and was flat - turns out it was a year past optimal date. So we threw out the entire two cases and a case of flat beer.

 

I have also seen curdled half and half in the pantry at the office -

That the food and beveridge manager would try to foist it off as good is inexcusable

[House_Atreides]

This is for anyone who has done a Panama Canal cruise, or a long one. Our next one is a 17 day from Miami to San Fran.

 

Is it typical do you think, to find "old" food and beverages onboard during these cruises? The reason I ask is because the cruise is so long. Do they bring aboard the "outdated" stuff just to use it up?

 

Thanks!

Mary :)

[Lsimon]

A simpler answer, Phil.

The refrigerator was going about is business, and apparently raising a sweat as it did so.

 

love

joan

 

I heard the refrigerator was running!

[C 2 C]

Same guy who held on to the old beer short ordered the lemonade, prunes, spinach, snacks for the lounges, trivia prizes etc.

 

I was on Summit for 28 days and I think conditions deteriorated with time... X or its staff were not up to their usual standard of excellence.

 

If you take care of the small stuff the big picture will look much brighter.. I would rank the TG cruise pretty low in comparison to our other X cruises.

[TechKnowBabble]

Believe me, i agree with you 100%. I am not a beer drinker really but more of a Foo-Foo drink person. For the pirce i pay for them onboard they should be in a bucket with a straw :p

 

LOL...agreed. I would like a bucket of pina colada please YUMMMMM :D

[superjerryw]

This is for anyone who has done a Panama Canal cruise, or a long one. Our next one is a 17 day from Miami to San Fran.

 

Is it typical do you think, to find "old" food and beverages onboard during these cruises? The reason I ask is because the cruise is so long. Do they bring aboard the "outdated" stuff just to use it up?

 

I don't think they bring outdated stuff on board just to use it up. If it's outdated and potentially spoiled it would seem that bringing it on a long cruise would only make things worse. A shorter cruise would seem a more likely place to get rid of it if that was their plan. In any case I think it is just that it is very difficult to provision a ship for a long trip, particularly when you are talking about perishable foods. They always seem to run out of fruit on longer trips as fruit just won't hold up for a few weeks. You can always tell when the bananas have come from the fridge.

[smilyus]

The ice cream is still a little melty I noticed.

 

I'm on the summitt right now..or at least at port in an internet cafe. I haven't noticed any other food problems besides the quick melting cones.

[House_Atreides]

Guess if I have to will live without fruit for a few days ;)

Mary