Oceanview Cafe dinner service being eliminated?

[LGW59]

2 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

Full disclosure - I have not read every post in this thread and at this point, I do not intend to do so. 

 

However, from what I understand from what I have read of this thread and the companion thread about OVC on Edge, the reduction in what is being offered in the OV has/is happening on Edge.  I have not seen confirmation that it is happening on any other ship.  

 

My intention is to see what actually is happening when we sail on Millennium unless between now and then there are multiple reports from cruisers on multiple ships that this is in fact happening across Celebrity M, S, and E class ships. 

 

Once i have my own personal observations as to what is/is not being eliminated, what changes actually have/have not been made in comparison with my previous experiences, etc., then and only then will I made any decisions regarding future sailing, including one scheduled for November, with Celebrity. 

 

 

and note post #442

[DaKahuna]

Just now, LGW59 said:

and note post #442

 

 That's along the lines of my point but would have been more effective if it said which ship. 

 

[LGW59]

Just now, DaKahuna said:

 

 That's along the lines of my point but would have been more effective if it said which ship. 

 

someone has asked her, she will chime in, she's a good egg

[cruisemom42]

13 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

However, from what I understand from what I have read of this thread and the companion thread about OVC on Edge, the reduction in what is being offered in the OV has/is happening on Edge.  I have not seen confirmation that it is happening on any other ship.  

 

As of now there have also been first-hand reports of the same reductions on Silhouette and Equinox, just FYI.

[mnocket]

23 minutes ago, LMaxwell said:

If you consider dinner to be pizza, salad, hot dogs, then yes.  

I think perhaps you are just promoting another baseless rumor -  unless it's actually true that the dinner buffet now consists of just pizza, salad, and hot dogs.  I may be wrong, but I suspect this is just hyperbole and misinformation to bolster the seemingly popular rumor that dinner service is being eliminated.   It's amazing how these things take on a life of their own.

Edited January 6, 2023 by mnocket

[Charles4515]

14 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

someone has asked her, she will chime in, she's a good egg

Pretty easy to figure out. She is on Reflection. December 31 sailing.

[cruisemom42]

18 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

Pretty easy to figure out. She is on Reflection. December 31 sailing.

 

If that is the case, the current sailing may not have rolled out what has been said to be a January 1 change.  At least that's the way changes have often been rolled out in the past.

Edited January 6, 2023 by cruisemom42

[LMaxwell]

39 minutes ago, mnocket said:

  I may be wrong

 

You are wrong. 

[Cruising89143]

Someone currently on the Connie and Solstice confirmed it as well. 

[prmssk]

19 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

If that is the case, the current sailing may not have rolled out what has been said to be a January 1 change.  At least that's the way changes have often been rolled out in the past.

Or the waiter who said it was going fleet wide didn't have the full story.  Crew often aren't kept in the loop very well about policy changes.  One report from one waiter and some incomplete observations from a select few ships does not mean we have the full story.

 

Someone on another site is reporting no change in the buffet on the Summit which they are currently on.

[RichYak]

9 minutes ago, prmssk said:

Someone on another site is reporting no change in the buffet on the Summit which they are currently on.

Did they specify this is the case during dinner hours?

[mnocket]

18 minutes ago, LMaxwell said:

 

You are wrong. 

lol  Well that certainly settles it then.  Only pizza, salad, hot dogs on the dinner buffet - no hyperbole, no misinformation.  Got it, my mistake.

[LMaxwell]

6 minutes ago, mnocket said:

lol  Well that certainly settles it then.  Only pizza, salad, hot dogs on the dinner buffet - no hyperbole, no misinformation.  Got it, my mistake.

Here to help 

[jagoffee]

5 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Frank Del Rio also lead Renaissance cruises into bankruptcy. 911 was just the straw that broke the camels back. 

 

5 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

They tried to cut out travel agents was part of it. That might have worked these days but back then online booking was a new thing.

 

Oceania started with all R ships so it  was sort of the succesor line. When a line goes bankrupt someone buys the ships without the obligations. Sort of a reorganization. 

We really enjoyed our cruise on Renaissance Cruises.

 

 It is true they started with a model that only did direct bookings, but modified that later.
 
They were also very ahead of the trend with no smoking.  Also adults only.  They had charter flights to the French Polynesia, which was one of my all time favorite cruises.  The ships were also very nice at the time, perfect size.  Azamara and Oceania were a direct results of Renaissance cruise line.
 

IMO they were innovative.  Perhaps you are right that they would have gone bankrupt anyway, but I believe it was 911.  

 

Hated that they went bankrupt when I had an open booking.  

[chamima]

9 minutes ago, jagoffee said:

 

We really enjoyed our cruise on Renaissance Cruises.

 

 It is true they started with a model that only did direct bookings, but modified that later.
 
They were also very ahead of the trend with no smoking.  Also adults only.  They had charter flights to the French Polynesia, which was one of my all time favorite cruises.  The ships were also very nice at the time, perfect size.  Azamara and Oceania were a direct results of Renaissance cruise line.
 

IMO they were innovative.  Perhaps you are right that they would have gone bankrupt anyway, but I believe it was 911.  

 

Hated that they went bankrupt when I had an open booking.  

 

 

We sailed in French Polynesia (and other places like small Caribbean Islands) on those ships with Princess after they bought them.

Definitely our favorite ships and cruises!!!!

[prmssk]

34 minutes ago, RichYak said:

Did they specify this is the case during dinner hours?

Going back to the original post on that other site, it isn't super clear.  I'll post, if I get more clarification.

Edited January 6, 2023 by prmssk

[Crazy planning mom]

I emailed Lisa Lutoff- Perlo this morning about this.  Someone from Celebrity just called me about it.  She said no definite decision regarding the evening buffet was made and they would make an official announcement after it is decided.  She said they are looking to improve things for guests.  Of course, not sure how that is an improvement.  I certainly advocated for keeping the buffet stations.

Edited January 6, 2023 by Crazy planning mom

[Honolulu Blue]

1 hour ago, prmssk said:

Someone on another site is reporting no change in the buffet on the Summit which they are currently on.

This is the best news I've seen so far in this thread, IMHO. My next cruise is on the Summit in about 7 weeks. It's a charter, and I imagine the OVC there would be busier than your average cruise.

[Honolulu Blue]

3 minutes ago, Crazy planning mom said:

I emailed Lisa Lutoff- Perlo this morning about this.  Someone from Celebrity just called me about it.  She said no definite decision regarding the evening buffet was made and they would make an official announcement after it is decided.  She said they are looking to improve things for guests.

Thank you for reaching out and sharing this. I struggle to see how shutting down most of the buffet improves things for guests, but I have faith the folks at the top will figure it out in short order.

[dlh015]

10 minutes ago, Crazy planning mom said:

I emailed Lisa Lutoff- Perlo this morning about this.  Someone from Celebrity just called me about it.  She said no definite decision regarding the evening buffet was made and they would make an official announcement after it is decided.  She said they are looking to improve things for guests.

Thanks so much for sharing this.

 

It says to me (somewhat between the lines) that they are thinking about this and perhaps are doing trial runs on select ships to gauge the response.

 

So it becomes even more important to provide feedback of your personal experiences...which I will certainly do after I return on the 21st (Jan) from the EQ...

[Ocdublin]

Well I reached out by email and here is what I received.

 

Please be advised that the Oceanview Café will not be closed for dinner. The operating hours for dinner will remain the same, approximately, 6:00 – 9:30 pm. However, we will now have limited offerings. We will have one food station, which will host a 7-day rotational international-themed menu, a limited salad station, and pizza station. I am including a sample menu below with our Italian Theme Menu as an example. This menu is just a sample and subject to change.

•    Small Salad Station:
White Bean Salad
Tuscan Panzanella with tomatoes and spicy focaccia croutons
Chicken and pasta salad
•    Mains:
Pollo alla Cacciatore
Beef lasagna
Eggplant Parmigiano
Mix vegetable medley
•    Pizza Station:
Pomodoro
Pepperoni
Mushroom and vegetable

I hope this information is of assistance to you.  We look forward to welcoming you aboard your next sailing!
 

[DaKahuna]

1 minute ago, Ocdublin said:

Well I reached out by email and here is what I received.

 

Please be advised that the Oceanview Café will not be closed for dinner. The operating hours for dinner will remain the same, approximately, 6:00 – 9:30 pm. However, we will now have limited offerings. We will have one food station, which will host a 7-day rotational international-themed menu, a limited salad station, and pizza station.
 

 

 I strongly encourage those that object to this reduction in offerings in the OVC during dinner hours start writing Lisa Lutoff- Perlo right now to try and show that guest are displeased. 

 

 I also encourage those of you that are in agreement with this change to also write and show your support. 

 

 

[dlh015]

1 minute ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 I strongly encourage those that object to this reduction in offerings in the OVC during dinner hours start writing Lisa Lutoff- Perlo right now to try and show that guest are displeased. 

 

 I also encourage those of you that are in agreement with this change to also write and show your support. 

 

 

THIS!!!

[BermudaBound2014]

Thank you @Ocdublin. Much appreciated

 

If this holds true for my sailing, we will be eating in the main dining room every single night.  Normally on a 10 night girlfriends trip we would choose the buffet 5-7 times. Those of you who enjoy select dining may want to get ready for longer wait times because I suspect we won't be alone. 

 

If that is truly the entire menu on Italian night (no pasta station); Celebrity should be ashamed of themselves. I thought there was at least a salad bar where we could make a nice garden salad for dinner (albeit protein free). 

 

I'm leaving next week and will do a live from with nightly video/photos of every single offering on the buffet. I'm hoping this list is incomplete.

 

Two questions:

 

1) Can we still order off the MDR menu for room service? I'll pay the $10 delivery (plus gratuity) to avoid the hassle of the MDR every night. And for some of us, we really do find the MDR a bit too much and like things more relaxed.

 

2) What are the best emails to write our concerns? I see this, but I also read that replies are few and far between. lLutoff-Perlo@celebritycruises.com

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 6, 2023 by BermudaBound2014

[Charles4515]

38 minutes ago, Crazy planning mom said:

I emailed Lisa Lutoff- Perlo this morning about this.  Someone from Celebrity just called me about it.  She said no definite decision regarding the evening buffet was made and they would make an official announcement after it is decided.  She said they are looking to improve things for guests.  Of course, not sure how that is an improvement.  I certainly advocated for keeping the buffet stations.

Over the years I noticed they often claimed cutbacks were an improvement for guests.