We worried for nothing…

[Barwick Cruiser]

8 hours ago, mahdnc said:

Nice review, Cathy. I'm glad your cruise went so well. Thanks for taking the time to post your experience. 

 

Any comments about the post Revolution aspects of the ship?

 

David

Hi David, I can’t speak to the Retreat area but in other areas it seems they updated the soft furnishings. Our cabin (bump out veranda on deck 8)we had new carpeting, bedding and pillows and the robes weren’t the waffle type of old but a softer cotton one that was actually quite nice. The towels were also nicer, softer and thicker than the thin ones I remember. Throughout the ship the furnishings were comfortable and we didn’t notice any wear on fabrics. 

[mrgabriel]

19 hours ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

We stayed at a local Dania beach hotel one night precruise and used SAS transport to get from the hotel to the port the morning of embarkation and again when we disembarked in Miami to return to FLL for our return to Canada. Both of our SAS drivers were good and we were happy with their service. 

 

Thanks for this recommendation! We're staying in Dania Beach pre-cruise and are sailing out of Miami & I wondered about a transfer. 

[Barwick Cruiser]

24 minutes ago, Cruzinforpeace*** said:

No opposing questions are allowed on this thread apparently.  My questions keep getting removed and I’m puzzled as to why.  It’s not negativity.  It’s simply a request for information.  We all want a good value for our hard earned money.  For some people that value means something different.

I’m not sure why your questions are being removed but I’m happy to answer any relating to my recent cruise if I can. I totally agree that we all want value when planning a holiday and while we didn’t invest as much in this cruise as someone in the Retreat area for example we did expect an experience on par with previous cruises with X and after reading of the extensive cutbacks we were definitely concerned. So glad our experience was again so positive. Did we notice any cutbacks? Of course but other aspects more than made up for it, particularly the wonderful staff and many of the delicious meals we enjoyed. 

[Barwick Cruiser]

1 minute ago, mrgabriel said:

 

Thanks for this recommendation! We're staying in Dania Beach pre-cruise and are sailing out of Miami & I wondered about a transfer. 

SAS were great to deal with just keep in mind they only pick up from select hotels in Ft. Lauderdale/Dania Beach. Check their website to make sure your hotel is among their list. Enjoy your cruise! 

[RichYak]

19 hours ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

all the talk on these boards that everything is horrible and you won’t find anything to eat

To be fair, is this really what you think you've been reading on these boards? Yes, there are many negative posts but is it really necessary to overdramatize them this way? Even the most negative posters have not made such widespread claims.

 

It behooves all of us to keep reviews honest, unemotional, and factual. Both the negative and positive ones have value. Lets not delegitimize either. Thank you for yours.

[all2me]

Breath of fresh air! I quit reading the negative as it was affecting the joy of my long time planned family trip! My sis in law and husband absolutely loved their Apex cruise last week! They only cruise X. Not stopping either! 

[bookitdanno]

29 minutes ago, RichYak said:

To be fair, is this really what you think you've been reading on these boards? Yes, there are many negative posts but is it really necessary to overdramatize them this way? Even the most negative posters have not made such widespread claims.

 

It behooves all of us to keep reviews honest, unemotional, and factual. Both the negative and positive ones have value. Lets not delegitimize either. Thank you for yours.

Sorry to disagree, @RichYak, but if you have been reading the negative posts, which go on interminably, you will see that Celebrity food has been compared to spam, cat food and dumpster diving, that entertainment is poor and lacking, that ships are in miserable condition, that there is barely enough at night in the OVC to scrape together a meal. Balderdash!

If you want to write the way you did, and somebody should, please start with the hatchet men and haters on those threads. I don't see anyone calling THEM out for being way over the top. How about "went to the OVC and there was only pizza and pasta": that's a fair and balanced post, for sure, real close to saying there is nothing to eat. It goes on, and on, and yes, it is piling on.

And when people who have actually been on a cruise come here and report otherwise, they are mocked and there veracity is impugned.

Add me to the list of those who are sick of them and their negativity, and think there is no problem in responding to them in kind, with facts, not what the app says you will find in 3 months.

The good news is.... Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, which includes Celebrity, is breaking all records for bookings and at high prices, too. So somebody doesn't believe all the doom and gloom.

Leaving on Beyond in a few weeks, and looking forward to it.

I'll probably get dinged for this, but I think its high time the mods shut down some of these obviously over the top negative threads, very surprised they haven't before this. UPDATE: one of those threads finally got locked, after 498 posts.

Edited February 27, 2023 by bookitdanno
update

[RichYak]

3 minutes ago, bookitdanno said:

there is no problem in responding to them in kind, with facts

That was the point of my comment.

[steveso]

What selection of food was there in the Buffet for dinner as opposed to lunch - that was the major issue that I was aware of and put me off booking a summer celebrity cruise? (The buffet being my main go to option on any cruise for lunch and dinner due to vegetarian, dietry and timing issues)

[RichYak]

7 minutes ago, steveso said:

What selection of food was there in the Buffet for dinner as opposed to lunch

OP addressed that...

 

22 hours ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

...We had intentions prior to the cruise to check out the dinner buffet options but between predinner drinks at either passport bar or ensemble, dinner in the MDR and then catching the entertainment in the theatre there was no time to run up to the buffet to check…sorry! 

 

[mnocket]

Three things can be true at once....

 

1. Celebrity has made some significant cutbacks.
2. Celebrity continues to offer a cruising experience that is enjoyable to many experience cruisers.
3. Celebrity's cutbacks have caused many loyalists to start looking elsewhere.

 

There is no right or wrong here - just different people, with different tastes, making different choices.

[drowelf]

1 hour ago, mnocket said:

Three things can be true at once....

 

1. Celebrity has made some significant cutbacks.
2. Celebrity continues to offer a cruising experience that is enjoyable to many experience cruisers.
3. Celebrity's cutbacks have caused many loyalists to start looking elsewhere.

 

There is no right or wrong here - just different people, with different tastes, making different choices.

So True! The entire cruising experience is subjective to an individuals expectations. From rooms, entertainment, itinerary and food all goes into the evaluation and decision as to where I'll spend my $$$. For years we stayed with a single line (Holland America), simply because all my expectations were met by that line. We did not feel the need to branch out pre-covid. Now post-covid we are testing the waters that other lines sail. This is mainly because HAL has disposed of their smallest ship (Prinsendam) and the other smaller ones are in the process of leaving the fleet too. We like the smaller ships as they can get into more ports that increases the attractiveness of the itineraries. 

 

We have 1 Princess and 1 Celebrity cruise since the restart, entertainment fell short of our expectations on Princess, mainly due to the small size of the theater and the need to get there 45-60 minutes prior to the show to get any seat. On our Celebrity our expectations were not met in two areas, food and itinerary. Now the itinerary is mostly my fault, as I did not do enough research on it. Oh well thats on me. The MDR Food selection and the cut-backs at the Cafe for dinner really did not meet our expectations. Rooms on both fully met our expectations, with excellent room stewards. 

 

We want things like Prime Rib, Beef Wellington, Lobster, Sea Bass and other better quality selections in the MDR. We are not prepared to eat in the specialty restaurants every night, as we already paid quite a bit PP/Day for room and board, as we book Balconies and above, as we like our comforts and the DW can't do insides. 

 

We realize the the Celebrity changes in food are new to 2023, so we do have a spring 2024 cruise booked on Celebrity. This cruise is 80% due to the itinerary, which I've researched much better this time. Our hope is that the pendulum will swing back a little more toward the middle regarding the food situation over the next year. Both our and several long time Celebrity Cruisers we met on the ship thought they scaled back the MDR and OVC food too much.

 

Time will tell and we will continue to explore other lines and hopefully find another that has satisfied as much as HAL did for the first 20+ years of cruising. 

 

Note: We have not been back on HAL since the restart, but have heard from several cruising friends that things are not rosy there either. We will have to find the right itinerary in the next year or so and find out for ourselves. 

Edited February 27, 2023 by drowelf

[TeeRick]

2 hours ago, steveso said:

What selection of food was there in the Buffet for dinner as opposed to lunch - that was the major issue that I was aware of and put me off booking a summer celebrity cruise? (The buffet being my main go to option on any cruise for lunch and dinner due to vegetarian, dietry and timing issues)

On my last cruise (EQ) in January, I found it to be the same as others reported.  The OVC at breakfast and lunch had good selections and service.  Same as I remember from past cruises.  The OVC at dinner was very much reduced in selections.  On our cruise, pizza, salad bar, pasta bar.  Others more recently on other ships have reported this expanded a bit to a few other selections.  

[marieps]

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

On my last cruise (EQ) in January, I found it to be the same as others reported.  The OVC at breakfast and lunch had good selections and service.  Same as I remember from past cruises.  The OVC at dinner was very much reduced in selections.  On our cruise, pizza, salad bar, pasta bar.  Others more recently on other ships have reported this expanded a bit to a few other selections.  

So happy to hear this review after many negative comments lately aimed at Sillie.  We're on her TA in October and expect an excellent cruise.

 

FWIW, we just got off Oceania Riviera and ran into many couples with O and =X= experience who voiced preferences for =X= in terms of value and especially service.  

[Cruzinforpeace***]

What were the beef options in the MDR?  What were the fish options (what type

of fish)?

[Barwick Cruiser]

5 hours ago, Cruzinforpeace*** said:

What were the beef options in the MDR?  What were the fish options (what type

of fish)?

Best way to check the options is to go into the app and under Dining you’ll see a link for Menu and it shows all the various choices for dinner as well as the lunches that are offered on sea days. We found that the app was just about spot on with what the actual menu offered. 
On that note, we did find that a few times the times of activities in the app varied slightly from the times listed in the Daily. We, along with a few other app users, showed up a few minutes late for a Digital Scavenger hunt but the activities member adjusted our times so we could complete the hunt in the same amount of time the others had been given. Was a lot of fun!

[JDPCruisers]

Agree with much of what has been shared on here, fortunately we've had nothing but enjoyable food, service, and experiences on X. Booked on three more this year, can't wait and will share our thoughts. 

[Cruzinforpeace***]

1 hour ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

Best way to check the options is to go into the app and under Dining you’ll see a link for Menu and it shows all the various choices for dinner as well as the lunches that are offered on sea days. We found that the app was just about spot on with what the actual menu offered. 
On that note, we did find that a few times the times of activities in the app varied slightly from the times listed in the Daily. We, along with a few other app users, showed up a few minutes late for a Digital Scavenger hunt but the activities member adjusted our times so we could complete the hunt in the same amount of time the others had been given. Was a lot of fun!

Did you try any of the beef and fish options and if so, which ones did you try?

[retird]

1 hour ago, Cruzinforpeace*** said:

Did you try any of the beef and fish options and if so, which ones did you try?

Over the 10 days, i tried the crab crusted flounder, steak dianne,  beef bourguignon, NY steak. All were exceptional

[Barwick Cruiser]

21 hours ago, Cruzinforpeace*** said:

Did you try any of the beef and fish options and if so, which ones did you try?

I did, yes, the flounder that @retird tried, as well as the salmon both on the everyday menu and as it was specially prepared another day, there was a haddock or halibut and anytime there was beef that sounded appealing at least one in our party had it. I also had the duck a l’orange and a duck breast. I’m not a lamb lover, well at least not on my plate, but that was also a big hit with those in my party who chose that. Honestly, there’s so much to choose from and you can ask to make changes to the sides that we didn’t feel disappointed at all. That said, a slice of prime rib wouldn’t have been turned down! 

[tartana]

Great review! We had a similar experience on Millennium in November and have a booking on Summit in April.  We've always had positive reports and hope to continue to do so :). I'm glad to know about switching the sides around with the MDR menu items... that would be helpful some evenings - thanks again!

[mauimary]

We also have two upcoming cruises.  I just pass by the negative comments. We are not worried as we know there will be plenty of things to eat. Never have considered canceling for lack of food!   We know we will have plenty.  Maybe a little less will actually be good for us!!  Gone are the days of asking for an extra plate for the table to share as you get older!!   

[Barwick Cruiser]

2 hours ago, mauimary said:

We also have two upcoming cruises.  I just pass by the negative comments. We are not worried as we know there will be plenty of things to eat. Never have considered canceling for lack of food!   We know we will have plenty.  Maybe a little less will actually be good for us!!  Gone are the days of asking for an extra plate for the table to share as you get older!!   

There was def not a lack of food…we all came home a few pounds heavier 😅 

[jpsykes]

On 2/27/2023 at 9:39 AM, Barwick Cruiser said:

Same situation here! We took the elevator twice in the ten days otherwise stairs every. single. time…can’t imagine how much we’d have gained if not but apparently eight flights of stairs won’t burn off a Mai Tai 😬🤣. And I have to place a big chunk of the blame on the wonderful staff at Al Bacio…ask for a cookie or tart and suddenly there’s two in the bag, of each! 🤷‍♀️I’m not one to waste food 😇 😉

Truth.

[TeeRick]

20 hours ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

I did, yes, the flounder that @retird tried, as well as the salmon both on the everyday menu and as it was specially prepared another day, there was a haddock or halibut and anytime there was beef that sounded appealing at least one in our party had it. I also had the duck a l’orange and a duck breast. I’m not a lamb lover, well at least not on my plate, but that was also a big hit with those in my party who chose that. Honestly, there’s so much to choose from and you can ask to make changes to the sides that we didn’t feel disappointed at all. That said, a slice of prime rib wouldn’t have been turned down! 

Thanks for reviewing and being specific on the selections offered.  It all sounds very good to me!  I do like flounder, haddock and halibut!