Why do you eat dinner in the Oceanview Cafe?

[jean87510]

I like OV cafe for dinner for the quiet, the various options, talking occasionally with officers, ice cream cones, msking my own giant salad with what I want in it, lots of room, ability to eat wearing comfortable t shirts, yoga pants and sneakers without pearl clutchers staring at you, getting in and out within 20 to 30 minutes, and looking at the pictures we took that day on our excursions without getting dirty looks for being on our phones. I don't like the MDR for dinner for the dress code, the long waits to get in, the long waits between courses, the waits for drinks, the conversations of people 4 inches from you who are doused with perfume, plus the bathroom always being needed because dinner takes 1.5-2 hrs and the bathroom is always too far or can't be found and you are wearing heels on sunburned feet.

[jean87510]

2 hours ago, travelloverontario said:

If fhey have the build your pasta station, the build your stir fry station, and some other random foods and salads, that will suffice for me. The build your own stations and a great caesar salad works for me!!

I can always go to MDR for a good dessert or to the Cafe Bachio (sp?)

 

I may go to MDR 2 or 3 times for the experience, but really do not want to spend 2 hours on dinner each night. I would rather a quicker meal, then time in the Solarium or out under the stars!!

That will work for me as well!

[Sigyn]

Not on Celebrity, but on other cruise lines, I've had dinner in the buffet before after a long day of sightseeing/excursions and I'm too tired to deal with a sit-down dinner and waiting to be served off of a menu. It's ideal for that, when you just want to eat and go back to your room and crash. 

[SororitySue]

I just finished a trip on Silhouette, our first time on X. We (especially my husband) were underwhelmed with the MDR dinners. The service was find but the  food, especially the side dishes like rice, just wasn't that good. We had dinner our last night in Qsine and it was far and away better than the MDR.

 

On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised by the OVC. Aside from one MDR breakfast we ate all our breakfasts and lunches there. The food was fresh and tasty and if they didn't have it,  you didn't need it. So I can see why some people prefer dinner in the OVC, especially if they just want to eat and get on with their evening. 

[Kelownadon]

We eat at the OVC most nights on a cruise because we really enjoy sitting outside at the rear of the ship rather than inside. That being said, we have never had a problem finding enough delicious food items to fill a plate. Especially, the Indian choices. 

[DCPIV]

14 minutes ago, Kelownadon said:

Especially, the Indian choices.

 

That's what really makes the OV for me when I want to grab dinner in the OV.

[westcoastsue]

On 2/13/2022 at 10:20 AM, TeaBag said:

Way back, they used to have table service in the Oceanview at dinner.  A corner of the area by the back windows was set aside with tablecloths on the tables and you were served by waiters.  I believe they were waiters in training and the fee to eat there was $2/per person.  Anyone remember this?  I don't think it lasted very long.  I remember sailing from Victoria to Vancouver and we had a table in the corner surrounded by windows.  It was delightful.

I remember this. My husband and I would go several times per cruise. Best of both worlds!

[DaKahuna]

 We have only occasionally eaten in the OVC, other than to grab some late night pizza, fresh fruit, or dessert.  We liked it a lot more when you were served by crew members than we do now with the self serve being brought back.  Although I have to say that, based on our observations, Celebrity passengers seem to be a lot more health conscious than those on the sisiter cruise line Royal, when using the buffet.  You do not often see Celebrity passengers using their hands to serve themselves - Thank goodness. 

 

[Kelownadon]

36 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 We have only occasionally eaten in the OVC, other than to grab some late night pizza, fresh fruit, or dessert.  We liked it a lot more when you were served by crew members than we do now with the self serve being brought back.  Although I have to say that, based on our observations, Celebrity passengers seem to be a lot more health conscious than those on the sisiter cruise line Royal, when using the buffet.  You do not often see Celebrity passengers using their hands to serve themselves - Thank goodness. 

 

I can’t say I have ever been concerned with that issue but I have witnessed a little old lady taking virtually all the seafood from a paella. I stood there staring at her. Her only response was a sweet smile as she walked away. I still regret not accidentally knocking her plate so that all the seafood ended up on the floor.

[SusieAV8R]

4 hours ago, DCPIV said:

 

That's what really makes the OV for me when I want to grab dinner in the OV.

DH and I love the curry dishes in OV!!

4 hours ago, DCPIV said:

 

That's what really makes the OV for me when I want to grab dinner in the OV.

 

23 minutes ago, Kelownadon said:

I can’t say I have ever been concerned with that issue but I have witnessed a little old lady taking virtually all the seafood from a paella. I stood there staring at her. Her only response was a sweet smile as she walked away. I still regret not accidentally knocking her plate so that all the seafood ended up on the floor.

 

[goodoldan]

I just responded to Celebrity on Twitter, suggesting that a number of their customers don't seem to agree with their rationale regarding the OVC...   https://twitter.com/messages/26728031-388926026 

Edited February 15, 2023 by goodoldan

[DaKahuna]

1 hour ago, SusieAV8R said:

DH and I love the curry dishes in OV!!

 

 I find them rather mild for me.  I love a good vindaloo and to be good in my mind it needs to be spicy. 

I would choose lamb vindaloo over butter chicken any time.

 

[xamsx]

Like many others have said, the OV cafe is great when you don’t want a long meal in a dining room. Quiet and very pleasant.

 

Sometimes, when my husband wasn’t thrilled with the dessert choices in the dining room or aqua we would head up there for a dessert or ice cream. Well, he’d have a dessert, I would have a glass of wine.

 

[Fly and Sail]

On 2/17/2022 at 11:16 PM, Kristal Blade said:

Nobody has mentioned that it can be a great escape from unwelcome partners at a shared table! We have told people at a large table that we are not going to have dessert with them because we want to see what is on offer at OV. That only happened once, when we had freedom dining and had no control of who we were sharing with.

 

Other times we eat in OV with new friends we have made on board because you can sit together at your table for as long as you like, chatting, having a round of cheeses post dinner, scooping up on a fresh presentation of a specific item you love.

 

Enjoying this thread, it’s fun to hear all these great reasons and realise that we aren’t the only eat, bathe, drink passengers on board.

 

 

 

I don't do shared tables. Never have and never will, especially since Covid.

[Fly and Sail]

13 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

Thanks for sharing.  Ah, Celebrity - masters of the spin.  I used to like "Two Princes" back in the day.

 

They should hire Baghdad Bob as their PR Person.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

4 hours ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

I don't do shared tables. Never have and never will, especially since Covid.

We have meet some great people doing share tables ,

and we miss do it now as usually there is is a group of at least 5 to 10 doing dinner together now 

[Kristal Blade]

26 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

We have meet some great people doing share tables ,

and we miss do it now as usually there is is a group of at least 5 to 10 doing dinner together now 

Same here. We have made some friends for life at shared tables.

 

Now that Covid is calming down we have been happy to share tables on our recent cruises but have found other passengers are more reluctant. I know Covid is still around, but it’s not as serious for most people. We are fully jabbed, have had and recovered from Covid and hope to be sharing tables and eating at the Ocean View, or equivalent on our next cruises.

[Gracie115]

10 hours ago, Kelownadon said:

I can’t say I have ever been concerned with that issue but I have witnessed a little old lady taking virtually all the seafood from a paella. I stood there staring at her. Her only response was a sweet smile as she walked away. I still regret not accidentally knocking her plate so that all the seafood ended up on the floor.

 

Was that on the Apex TA last fall?  I saw the exact same thing..........😆

Edited February 15, 2023 by Gracie115

[jean87510]

1 hour ago, Gracie115 said:

 

Was that on the Apex TA last fall?  I saw the exact same thing..........😆

 

12 hours ago, Kelownadon said:

I can’t say I have ever been concerned with that issue but I have witnessed a little old lady taking virtually all the seafood from a paella. I stood there staring at her. Her only response was a sweet smile as she walked away. I still regret not accidentally knocking her plate so that all the seafood ended up on the floor.

I actually witnessed a family this past December take the bowl of paella back to their table on the RCCL Voyager out of San Juan.  My husband was about to take some and they beat him to it.  And yes, the staff did notice and retrieve then replace the bowl and monitored.  We should have filmed it in hindsight.

[Nextcruise42]

DH and I never had a problem dressing for dinner and going to MDR. We enjoyed it, however now as a solo cruiser I find it much easier to go to OVC as I did on a recent cruise most nights.  I also didn't mind packing all casual clothes.

[DCPIV]

11 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 I find them rather mild for me.  I love a good vindaloo and to be good in my mind it needs to be spicy. 

I would choose lamb vindaloo over butter chicken any time.

 

 

They are most certainly mild, but that's cruising for you.  Everything gets toned down, and some things get toned down a lot.

 

8 hours ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

I don't do shared tables. Never have and never will, especially since Covid.

 

We used to love shared tables.  Like others, we have made many good friends that way, some of whome have been friends for more than 15 years.  We've cruised with some of them, too.

[GerScot]

On 2/13/2022 at 6:09 PM, hrhdhd said:

I like being able to get a customized plate of food. Sometimes (usually?) in the MDR, I like the protein on one dish, the vegetable on another, and the sauce on a third. While I have occasionally made off-menu requests (e.g., can you bring me a baked potato instead), I'd rather just get what I want in the OV. And the selection is huge.

 

I also prefer eating there as a solo cruiser. 

 

One part I don't like is it's not easy to get a drink there, but that's a minor quibble.

Best way to get drinks in OVC is to sit on the side with the bar, waiters are always coming and going and if all else fails you can go to the bar yourself. I agree getting drinks when sitting on opposite side is a nightmare!

[D C]

5 hours ago, GerScot said:

Best way to get drinks in OVC is to sit on the side with the bar, waiters are always coming and going and if all else fails you can go to the bar yourself. I agree getting drinks when sitting on opposite side is a nightmare!

Or dine at the Sunset Bar.  Quiet time back there at dinner, and the bartenders are right there. 

[Kristal Blade]

6 hours ago, jean87510 said:

 

I actually witnessed a family this past December take the bowl of paella back to their table on the RCCL Voyager out of San Juan.  My husband was about to take some and they beat him to it.  And yes, the staff did notice and retrieve then replace the bowl and monitored.  We should have filmed it in hindsight.

In august this year we sailed HAL to Alaska with our family. Our grandkids adored the buffet there. One morning at breakfast my granddaughter (8 years old) offered to get me some more fruit. She returned with a full size bowl of chopped fruit! Instead of taking just a small glass cup portion she grabbed one of the bowls the staff were serving from! 
We nearly had hysterics, she thought she had done nothing wrong! The staff who spotted her with the bowl thought it was really funny. We returned it to them. 
But I think the paella pinchers were intent on keeping it to themselves!

[DaKahuna]

2 hours ago, Kristal Blade said:

But I think the paella pinchers were intent on keeping it to themselves!

 

Isn't that called family style dining?