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Awful State of Ocean View Cafe for dinner

Arubamoose

By Arubamoose,
in Celebrity Cruises

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Arizona Wildcat

Arizona Wildcat

Posted
Posted
9 hours ago, redransom said:

Never heard of Tilapia in Australia, so a quick google doesn't inspire any confidence!

Screenshot_20230120_171551_Google.jpg

Lots of things are obnoxious in Australia.  Pun intended.  Same elsewhere as Giant King Crab us considered noxious in Norway as it is not native and is wiping out the cod.

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Bo1953

Bo1953

Posted
Posted
23 minutes ago, Pinboy said:

LOL---What--- Who--- Since when ---11 CFL teams ??

There are only 9 football teams in the CFL, unless you are including the Vancouver Canucks and the Montreal Canadiens ( It's killin me ) hockey teams as football teams---- the two worst Canadian hockey teams in the NHL---

Both will soon have time to play golf and spend time cruising--- probably no interest posting on CC ( players are tooo young and wouldn't know one Captain from another---- like me ).

My bad, I thought there were 11, for good measure add in the NHL teams...

 

It matters not if they post here, as I Am sure someone would do it for them with photos!!!

 

bon appetit and bon voyage 

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PTC DAWG Holiday Sharing Rare

PTC DAWG

Posted
Posted

I haven't said much on this thread, other than being disappointed if they have gotten rid of the pasta station at night...

 

That said, Celebrity knows how much food was or was not being wasted in the Buffet.  I don't think they make decisions willy nilly...

 

IF you are on a cruise soon, and don't like what you see in the Buffet...let them know..not the servers, find someone in charge.  

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PTC DAWG Holiday Sharing Rare

PTC DAWG

Posted
Posted
Just now, Bo1953 said:

My bad, I thought there were 11, for good measure add in the NHL teams...

 

It matters not if they post here, as I Am sure someone would do it for them with photos!!!

 

bon appetit and bon voyage 

One High School team could wipe them out...

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Arizona Wildcat

Arizona Wildcat

Posted
Posted

Just took a look at Regent.  People are complaining about planes being rescheduled, luggage tags, decline in food, higher prices etc. Etc.

 

The big difference is they are a bit more polite.  The changes are the same no matter where you go.  Those that choose to pay lots of $ to cruise Regent or Oceania complain as the increases in cost make it harder to pay their cook.  LOL.

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chamima

chamima

Posted
Posted
15 minutes ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

Just took a look at Regent.  People are complaining about planes being rescheduled, luggage tags, decline in food, higher prices etc. Etc.

 

The big difference is they are a bit more polite.  The changes are the same no matter where you go.  Those that choose to pay lots of $ to cruise Regent or Oceania complain as the increases in cost make it harder to pay their cook.  LOL.

 

 

I also think that the more you pay, the higher your expectations.

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terrydtx Great Review Rare

terrydtx

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, NMTraveller said:

I noticed similar price points on X and O for at least the cruises that I priced.  X prices have skyrocketed especially when you add in all of the nickel and dime fees.

I have seen the same when I compare a Sky Suite with a Concierge Class Verandah on O. We book the Retreat to have access to the more premium amenities, like the Luminae and the Retreat Lounge and a bigger cabin, the Butler is very nice but not a big deal. On Oceania in a Concierge level verandah, we get a cabin a few sq feet smaller than a Sky Suite.  However, the whole O ship is Premium, and we get access to the Concierge lounge and full access to all specialty restaurants known for superior cuisine.   The concierge lounge on the 3 larger O ships provides everything we get in the Retreat lounge except for alcohol. We booked the O Marina in 2025 for South America 18-day cruise in a Concierge Veranda. The similar Equinox 14-day cruise in a Sky Suite is about same price as the 18 days on the Marina, for us this was a no brainer.

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terrydtx Great Review Rare

terrydtx

Posted
Posted
57 minutes ago, bonagrad said:

Right?  People judge the number by a stroll through.  One of the reasons people enjoy the OVC is because it doesn't take 2+ hours.  You get in and out in say 30 minutes.  So you have people coming and going the whole time it's open, you're just not spending 2 hours there.

We have at times taken a plate from the buffet to our cabin to enjoy on our balcony. This is usually when we have returned late from a long exhausting shore excursion and just do not want to clean up for the MDR. With the new room service charge there could be more of this now.

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jules27556

jules27556

Posted
Posted

I do not eat fish with gills (only shell fish).....well, I did have Dover Sole years ago and thought it was

quite  good, probably because it had the consistency of beef.

( Midwesterner and grain fed beef lover here!)

 

I am familiar with Tilapia, .  At my school, we had a vegetable garden that the boys were responsible for.  There was an irrigation system that was a large tank holding water with Tilapia.

The garden benefited from the water that contained fish waste.  The fish were fed and on cold Florida nights/days protected by a tank covering.  If the fish got too big they were removed.  Never eaten,  buried in the garden.

 

I had no idea, until reading CC, that Tilapia could become a menu offering.😲🐟

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Jobeth66

Jobeth66

Posted
Posted
6 hours ago, lexmiller said:

 

 4 and 5 star hotels charge for room service.

 

 I for one found the original video illustrating the Ocean View Cafe dinner reduction to be good news, a bit of fresh air, the look of reason and common sense - not awful or that we as passengers are somehow being ripped off or betrayed, ha, quite the opposite in fact.  There were ample choices in several category for those VERY FEW who eat dinner in the OVC.

 

 I have often walked through the OVC at dinner time and it’s basically dead up there, so to cut back on the offerings and focus on a few dishes makes sense.  Cruise lines, as part of their absolute need to save money in order to pay their crippling debt,  are analyzing where the people are at different times of day - lunch buffet still is huge as most people on sea days eat lunch in the buffet with small percentages eating in the Aqua Spa Cafe and the Eden Cafe (on Edge Class ships).  MDR at lunch - deadsville.  OVC at dinner - deadsville.  Resources are being shifted. All cruise lines are working hard to stay in business without spoiling their brand - and a fee for room service and a reduced dinner buffet does not spoil “X”’s brand.  Cruising on any line, still remains an incredible overall value.  At the end of the day, Celebrity still provides the best all around product in it’s category - food, entertainment, casino, staff, ambiance - deciding to cruise on a different line lower in this category will surely make one come running back to Celebrity as cuts are pervasive everywhere, and far deeper and more evident on lesser lines.  Move up to Oceania (though I’d choose Regent) - very different product and price point. And though I don’t know, I’d wager that people who regularly cruise Oceania and Regent are also complaining!  That’s my .02 cents.

 

The MDR is dead at lunch, but I don't see  you advocating for closing it at lunch and forcing people to pay venues or the OVC for that time, why is that?  In fact, all specialty restaurants including Blu and Luminae should be closed except for dinner, since so few people eat there except at dinner, and there should be no room service available - everyone should have to have breakfast and lunch in the OVC or at Mast Grill.  And maybe on port days, the OVC should be closed for lunch as well, since so few people are on the ship.  Just leave the grill and pizza open, with a salad bar maybe.  Plenty of options.

 

I'm not loyal to any one line, so no, if X cuts too much, I'll just move to a different line, and if that doesn't work, I'll move to a different line.  And if none of that works, I'll find another way to spend my vacation dollars.

 

But for you to look at what was available in that video and say 'looks good to me' while not being the target audience since you don't partake of that venue, is a little disingenuous.  We do, for various reasons.  Especially on port days.  So maybe X should do away with dress code as well, so that people who have been told 'Ewww, shorts - OVC ONLY!!' will not be turned away when the MDR is the only place to eat.

 

And it's not about waste - because a lot of what is available is likely going to waste.  It's about cheapening a product - and especially degrading it after some of us have already passed our final payment dates.  Our money is already spent on a product that isn't what was sold to us.

 

I'm sure you'd be ok if you ordered a $150k Mercedes from your dealership and when they called you and told you that your car was in, it was instead a $60k model.  It still drives, it's still a Mercedes, it's still comfortable, it gets you from place to place, and for a lot of people it would be more than adequate.  Who cares if you already spent $150k, they just changed the terms but what you got is still good enough, so you would accept it and be happy, right?

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C4HCG

C4HCG

Posted
Posted
18 minutes ago, Jobeth66 said:

 

The MDR is dead at lunch, but I don't see  you advocating for closing it at lunch and forcing people to pay venues or the OVC for that time, why is that?  In fact, all specialty restaurants including Blu and Luminae should be closed except for dinner, since so few people eat there except at dinner, and there should be no room service available - everyone should have to have breakfast and lunch in the OVC or at Mast Grill.  And maybe on port days, the OVC should be closed for lunch as well, since so few people are on the ship.  Just leave the grill and pizza open, with a salad bar maybe.  Plenty of options.

 

I'm not loyal to any one line, so no, if X cuts too much, I'll just move to a different line, and if that doesn't work, I'll move to a different line.  And if none of that works, I'll find another way to spend my vacation dollars.

 

But for you to look at what was available in that video and say 'looks good to me' while not being the target audience since you don't partake of that venue, is a little disingenuous.  We do, for various reasons.  Especially on port days.  So maybe X should do away with dress code as well, so that people who have been told 'Ewww, shorts - OVC ONLY!!' will not be turned away when the MDR is the only place to eat.

 

And it's not about waste - because a lot of what is available is likely going to waste.  It's about cheapening a product - and especially degrading it after some of us have already passed our final payment dates.  Our money is already spent on a product that isn't what was sold to us.

 

I'm sure you'd be ok if you ordered a $150k Mercedes from your dealership and when they called you and told you that your car was in, it was instead a $60k model.  It still drives, it's still a Mercedes, it's still comfortable, it gets you from place to place, and for a lot of people it would be more than adequate.  Who cares if you already spent $150k, they just changed the terms but what you got is still good enough, so you would accept it and be happy, right?

Your analogy is not the best, OVC isn’t the whole package. Maybe if Mercedes changed the wheel trims would be a better one.

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NMTraveller Holiday Sharing Rare

NMTraveller

Posted
Posted
10 minutes ago, randomcruise said:

Anyone who doesn't want to read the complaints here can easily just skip over this thread.  Or they can troll it if they wish, as many are currently doing.

Oh they want to read the complaints so that they can complain about the complaints 🙂 

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LGW59

LGW59

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, randomcruise said:

Anyone who doesn't want to read the complaints here can easily just skip over this thread.  Or they can troll it if they wish, as many are currently doing.

stop complaining

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jean87510 Great Review Rare

jean87510

Posted
Posted
12 hours ago, Jobeth66 said:

 

The MDR is dead at lunch, but I don't see  you advocating for closing it at lunch and forcing people to pay venues or the OVC for that time, why is that?  In fact, all specialty restaurants including Blu and Luminae should be closed except for dinner, since so few people eat there except at dinner, and there should be no room service available - everyone should have to have breakfast and lunch in the OVC or at Mast Grill.  And maybe on port days, the OVC should be closed for lunch as well, since so few people are on the ship.  Just leave the grill and pizza open, with a salad bar maybe.  Plenty of options.

 

I'm not loyal to any one line, so no, if X cuts too much, I'll just move to a different line, and if that doesn't work, I'll move to a different line.  And if none of that works, I'll find another way to spend my vacation dollars.

 

But for you to look at what was available in that video and say 'looks good to me' while not being the target audience since you don't partake of that venue, is a little disingenuous.  We do, for various reasons.  Especially on port days.  So maybe X should do away with dress code as well, so that people who have been told 'Ewww, shorts - OVC ONLY!!' will not be turned away when the MDR is the only place to eat.

 

And it's not about waste - because a lot of what is available is likely going to waste.  It's about cheapening a product - and especially degrading it after some of us have already passed our final payment dates.  Our money is already spent on a product that isn't what was sold to us.

 

I'm sure you'd be ok if you ordered a $150k Mercedes from your dealership and when they called you and told you that your car was in, it was instead a $60k model.  It still drives, it's still a Mercedes, it's still comfortable, it gets you from place to place, and for a lot of people it would be more than adequate.  Who cares if you already spent $150k, they just changed the terms but what you got is still good enough, so you would accept it and be happy, right?

100% agree.  And I am enjoying reading the comments from people who don't even go in OVC for dinner.

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