Celebrity not the same Long review

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

1 hour ago, chemmo said:

 

I suggest you read a wider range of reviews before making a decision....

 

That decision was made a long time ago....  Everything I’ve read here convinces me it was correct, for us.

Edited November 30, 2019 by Ragnar Danneskjold

[garardo]

27 minutes ago, Ginnyfyr said:

Is certified Sommelier code for certified pain in the ass? I stopped reading when the author, clearly a highly trained expert in wine, misspelled Riedel (aka Reidle); sounds like I missed some funny stuff! Kudos to those of you who stuck it out till the end!

Thanks for the post.  My humble apologizes for the misspelling. My German is not 100%  I was relying on Word to much.

I am a Certified Sommelier but not a Master of wine or a Master Sommelier. Those are the true highly trained people.

 

[STIguy]

Since when is Pizza Hut a chain of fine Italian restaurants?

Edited November 30, 2019 by STIguy

[garardo]

9 hours ago, BigAl94 said:

I fear your expectations far outweigh reality. You will never get that level of service or standard of food on a mass level cruise ship.

I must kindly disagree with you. On our last cruise, or any others we had, we did not experience any of the issues we did on this one. It is normal for us to dine at the specialty venues frequently but on our last cruise, the MDR was exceptional. 

Thanks for your opinion 

[varoo]

 

When I started reading this,  I thought that it was satire -- written tongue-in-cheek.

 

It is hard to believe that anyone would actually book a cruise on a mass market cruise line with such ridiculously unrealistic expectations.

 

 

 

[garardo]

8 minutes ago, STIguy said:

Since when is Pizza Hut a chain of fine Italian restaurants?

What is the significance of this post? 

[wpgcycler]

Surely I've fallen down the rabbit hole?

[garardo]

5 hours ago, misterkevin said:

I'm surprised that you did have so many things to appreciate about your experience on Celebrity: 

• excellent cabin attendants who fix virtually anything from your shirt button to your daily Riedel stemware to the beds, head, and telephone.
• accommodating managers who meet with you to address your concerns as you discover them
• a nearly universal desire to please across the spectrum of service

What also surprised me was how specific your requests around dining were given that you were just in a standard veranda 2C. While I don't have 20 years of experience with Celebrity to see how these requests may have been more completely met in the past, my experience cruising in Aqua class and suites tells me that your needs would be much better addressed by paying more in the current Celebrity environment. You sound reasonable, but also demanding. Unfortunately, the platform in a standard veranda cabin isn't designed to meet your needs .

 

9 hours ago, billslowsky said:

The bloat of the OP's manifesto will likely cause it to be delegated downward... and downward... and downward.

 

Management has no time to sift through this overwritten rant and - if they don't simply laugh it off - might someday read a summary written by an office intern.

 

Get to the point.  

Perhaps you missed the parts of absolute praise I expressed for many of the wonderful crew members who made our cruise more bearable. Is being positive being a rant? 

 

Thanks for your opinion.

 

[Baron Barracuda]

Never saw so many staff quoted by name.  Seems only ships officers op didn't demand an audience with were captain and chief engineer.  Lucky for them Infinity enjoyed smooth sailing or they would have been called to account as well.  

[garardo]

1 hour ago, KAE27 said:

 

I'll admit I skimmed. 😉

 

Note this dining expert also consistently spelled it "dinning."

Hey, I never said I got an "A" in spelling. I find it very refreshing that you are so kind to point out all of my small short comings. 

 

Thanks. I will try harder.

[garardo]

15 minutes ago, Baron Barracuda said:

Never saw so many staff quoted by name.  Seems only ships officers op didn't demand an audience with were captain and chief engineer.  Lucky for them Infinity enjoyed smooth sailing or they would have been called to account as well.  

 Is asking to talk with an officer "demanding" ?

[garardo]

43 minutes ago, varoo said:

 

When I started reading this,  I thought that it was satire -- written tongue-in-cheek.

 

It is hard to believe that anyone would actually book a cruise on a mass market cruise line with such ridiculously unrealistic expectations.

 

 

 

My expectations were  based on past experiences.  Can you give me a better way?

[dolittle]

So on the first day you went to the Maitre d to tell him you want your hot food HOT and your cold food COLD . You forgot to tell him to keep the water wet .

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

1 hour ago, Bob & Sandy said:

Perhaps, but my comments merely echoed our six US table mates. Pumpkin pie has been the standard since the television age began. If this is supplanted in the future, so be it, but I heard this absence noted by all the Americans within earshot.

Perhaps.

 

But if I am specific about a holiday meal having certain set things, I would never choose to vacation over that holiday. Even if they have “the same” thing, it will undoubtedly be different than what is “right”.

 

I realize I am weird in this - I also don’t get why people who get seasick choose to cruise or why people who “must” watch certain sporting events choose to cruise over that time. Just me I guess - especially based on the number of posts about “I get super seasick, but...” or “Please tell me they will be able to air Game X because we never miss it” on these and other forums.

[fragilek]

3 minutes ago, garardo said:

My expectations were  based on past experiences.  Can you give me a better way?

why  if past experiences were so good did you feel the need to speak with the maitre d to request hot food hot and the cold food cold before any meal on this cruise?

[garardo]

Just now, fragilek said:

why  if past experiences were so good did you feel the need to speak with the maitre d to request hot food hot and the cold food cold before any meal on this cruise?

I have made the same request on all cruises and gotten an " absolutely" from the Maitre d' each time.  

[hcat]

8 hours ago, dabear said:

I would never put my carry on luggage with medications outside my cabin for pick up. Keep it yourself if it's important.

Yes, experienced cruisers know that...OP made a serious rookie mistake!

[meechee341]

6 minutes ago, dolittle said:

So on the first day you went to the Maitre d to tell him you want your hot food HOT and your cold food COLD . You forgot to tell him to keep the water wet .

LOL!  I think this dude would be better off swimming to his next destination instead of taking a cruise ship.  I'm seriously surprised this guy got off that ship without shoe marks from the crew all over his backside!

[fragilek]

all I can think about reading through this review is the Goldie Hawn Overboad movie lol

[garardo]

18 hours ago, freddie said:

I enthusiastically agree with your first statement quoted above.   The sort of thing with which I cannot agree (other than with a gun placed to my temple) is that a waiter should be expected to know which Hungarian dessert wine you might prefer with your French apple pie.   That is simply pretentious.  

Although I haven't sailed on Oceania, I have cruised extensively on its "big sister" line, Regent.   I predict that you will not find a lot of members of management on Oceania (many of whom come from Regent) who are eager to be "educated" by someone of your esteemed background in food service.   

Perhaps I was not clear in my review. "the Sommelier could offer a glass of late harvest Tokay and describe the flavor profile of the wine. That would be an up sell." It is a simple task to have the Sommeliers know a few basics on wine/food pairing. I am not looking to educate. Am looking to enjoy my experience and learn.

[helen haywood]

11 minutes ago, garardo said:

I have made the same request on all cruises and gotten an " absolutely" from the Maitre d' each time.  

Were the Maitre d’s able to keep a straight face when responding to your request?

[Caribbean Chris]

57 minutes ago, garardo said:

I must kindly disagree with you. On our last cruise, or any others we had, we did not experience any of the issues we did on this one. It is normal for us to dine at the specialty venues frequently but on our last cruise, the MDR was exceptional. 

Thanks for your opinion 

 

Well, not exactly exceptional. When anyone reads the review of your Solstice Hawaii cruise last year, they learn of the wedges (instead of slices) of lemon with seeds served in your bottled water...the sparking wine served at the wrong temperature (you said you were fuming), the lack of pancetta on your pork loin, the dirty glasses, the crema issue with your espresso, and the small snails. And that was just the main dining room section of the lengthy review.

 

It was also fascinating to learn that you once reported a mildew smell in your Constellation cabin, and that the chief of housekeeping had bathroom tile, carpeting, and ceiling tile all replaced during your absence on a four-hour excursion! AND that before the cruise was over, an officer presented you with two $1,000 certificates to sail again! Wow!

[helen haywood]

This just gets better and better!

[garardo]

1 hour ago, cruising sister said:

We were on the Eclipse for 30 days last March. We found the food in the MDR and service marginal at best. Some nights we were waiting and waiting for service. We found the Ocean View Cafe surprisingly good. We had tons of fun but can see where there is room for improvement. We will be on the Solstice for a month this coming March and have lots of OBC and will try some of the specialty restaurants. I have never felt the need to pay extra for a meal  before but after our Eclipse experience we will be trying it out for sure.  Everyone cruises for their unique experience and I feel people have been a bit harsh with their comments. We too have had many health challenges including cancer and look forward to what we like about cruising and still feel it is ok to speak up if we don’t like something. 

Thanks for the kind post. Quality on  food and service on Celebrity is following their market trends. Guests today do not understand what Foie Gras or a Bearnaise sauce is. The days of white glove service are gone. Even in the specialty venues things have changed.  Many of today's guests  are younger and generally do not have the  appreciation of  fine food.  

 

 

[sft429]

1 minute ago, Caribbean Chris said:

 

<snip>..... AND that before the cruise was over, an officer presented you with two $1,000 certificates to sail again! Wow!

 

Certificates were probably for a different ship...