Equinox Menu - Main Dining Upcharges Showing on App

[cw2go]

40 minutes ago, Keys Kathy said:

But NOT Cheesecake!

Or chocolate cake 😁

 

[kruzerci]

8 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Fluffy flavorless cake!

…And tilapia!

[mayleeman]

On 6/20/2023 at 12:00 AM, TowandaUK said:

You can no longer order MDR items on room service. 

 

Hold the presses! You have hit on something!!!

 

The MDR menu changes are being made to make the newly limited room service offerings more attractive! Get that $12 more often and pay off those billions in debt!

[C4HCG]

The original point made on this thread on the introduction of charges interested me and I would like to see how this situation progresses from those on board now who are witnessing it, and those that cruise in the future. That would be useful for us as we sail in September.

 

Sadly the thread has turned into yet another debate about the quality of food.  I would add we have no intention at all of cancelling our cruise because of the introduction of these charges or the negativity expressed generally here, we use our own experiences to make our own decisions.

[Oceangoer2]

18 hours ago, gerelmx said:

Can I say 'YUCK'!! 

[Silkroad]

27 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

The original point made on this thread on the introduction of charges interested me and I would like to see how this situation progresses from those on board now who are witnessing it, and those that cruise in the future. That would be useful for us as we sail in September.

 

Sadly the thread has turned into yet another debate about the quality of food.  I would add we have no intention at all of cancelling our cruise because of the introduction of these charges or the negativity expressed generally here, we use our own experiences to make our own decisions.

I agree with you, though I realize that some posts on this thread (including a couple of my own) are meant to be humorous rather than hyper critical. Information about changes is useful for us as well, as we sail in late July.

 

Though I find a couple of the recent menu changes annoying, we wouldn’t cancel our upcoming b2b or any of our five future cruises solely because of these changes. However, depending upon our experiences (food, beverages, and everything else) during our 21 nights aboard Apex this summer, we may decide not to take advantage of booking a future cruise onboard. 
 

 

[Mark_T]

1 minute ago, Silkroad said:

Though I find a couple of the recent menu changes annoying, we wouldn’t cancel our upcoming b2b or any of our five future cruises solely because of these changes.

Agreed, these specific changes alone wouldn't do it for us either.

 

As another step in a gradually accumulating series of service reductions, at some point it will push us too far...

[bandp407]

To us the downgrade in quality of food is our biggest concern. We do not eat meat so  removing the classics- namely the salmon will leave us with virtually no option. 
 

All that has been posted here is appearing on the menus for our upcoming July Equinox. 
 

I’ve contacted the Captain’s Club & upon asking for a high level email, I was given the following:

CEC@CELEBRITY.COM. In the subject line put ATTN CEO LAURA HODGES BERTHGE
I know another email was provided here , so I will send to both. 
 

To me this thread has provided enough dissatisfaction, that should be shared with Celebrity before they loose their loyal followers! Often we say food is subjective, but it  has become downright awful with their most recent  changes. Fine to remove the lobster & add upgraded items for $$ , but don’t downgrade the main offerings!! 
 

Thanks to all ! 

[Mark_T]

8 minutes ago, bandp407 said:

All that has been posted here is appearing on the menus for our upcoming July Equinox. 

Keep in mind that you are only seeing the menus for the current Equinox cruise in the app, not the actual menus for your cruise, so it is not surprising that you are seeing what is currently being reported...

[curtsfan]

On 6/19/2023 at 10:06 AM, thebutlerdidit said:

I see this on the main dining menu for Equinox via the app.

 

 

It seems like Celebrity is taking more away & charging more.  If I’m going to spend extra on Filet Mignon, I’ll book one of the speciality restaurants.  

[Silkroad]

14 minutes ago, Mark_T said:

Agreed, these specific changes alone wouldn't do it for us either.

 

As another step in a gradually accumulating series of service reductions, at some point it will push us too far...

Well said. That is exactly how we feel. I will say that given the complaints I see about every other line we would consider, I’m not sure where we would go. Though we also enjoy land trips, we both love being on the ocean or the sea.

[IWillGoAnywhere26]

On 6/19/2023 at 2:43 PM, kruzerci said:

I am shocked they haven’t come up with some form of meatloaf. Mystery meat. 

Meatloaf was on the Blu menu when we sailed in May.

[thebutlerdidit]

7 minutes ago, Mark_T said:

Keep in mind that you are only seeing the menus for the current Equinox cruise in the app, not the actual menus for your cruise, so it is not surprising that you are seeing what is currently being reported...

Question: Why is salmon, chocolate cake, and cheesecake still on the Room Service menu yet cut from the MDR?  🤔 

[C4HCG]

5 minutes ago, Silkroad said:

Well said. That is exactly how we feel. I will say that given the complaints I see about every other line we would consider, I’m not sure where we would go. Though we also enjoy land trips, we both love being on the ocean or the sea.

That’s the exact point - where is better that is comparable cost wise? Hence us reserving our judgement until we sail in September. We are not foodies but appreciate good food, but we judge value for money by the many different things that the cruise offers.  We have 2 more booked for next year and would be hugely surprised if we decide to cancel, but who knows what September might bring!

Edited June 21, 2023 by C4HCG

[Mark_T]

2 minutes ago, thebutlerdidit said:

Question: Why is salmon, chocolate cake, and cheesecake still on the Room Service menu yet cut from the MDR?  🤔 

They already implemented the up-charge for room service so we get to keep the salmon there 🙂

 

This isn't about availability, it is about budget cuts.

[Silkroad]

2 minutes ago, thebutlerdidit said:

Question: Why is salmon, chocolate cake, and cheesecake still on the Room Service menu yet cut from the MDR?  🤔 

Uh oh. My bad. I’ve worn the same four outfits to the dining rooms too often. They’re bribing my DH (chocolate cake) to keep me in our cabin😂

 

Seriously now, I’m guessing they haven’t gotten around to removing them from the menu.

[NutsAboutGolf]

8 minutes ago, thebutlerdidit said:

Question: Why is salmon, chocolate cake, and cheesecake still on the Room Service menu yet cut from the MDR?  🤔 

Deep down, we all know the answer, it’s because you have to pay a fee

[bandp407]

15 minutes ago, Mark_T said:

Keep in mind that you are only seeing the menus for the current Equinox cruise in the app, not the actual menus for your cruise, so it is not surprising that you are seeing what is currently being reported...

I sincerely hope you are right, however it appears a major change is being made. A thought I had is they are trying this on the Equinox to test the waters. Going to ask the question to someone on the current European cruises. 

[Keys Kathy]

13 minutes ago, thebutlerdidit said:

Question: Why is salmon, chocolate cake, and cheesecake still on the Room Service menu yet cut from the MDR?  🤔 

Because you are paying for it with the delivery fee.

[RichYak]

8 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

That’s the exact point - where is better that is comparable cost wise?

Actually, I think the point is - where is now comparable that is cheaper cost wise. That's a growing list as X joins the RCL, Carnival, NCL fray but still charges higher fares.

[Mark_T]

5 minutes ago, bandp407 said:

I sincerely hope you are right, however it appears a major change is being made. A thought I had is they are trying this on the Equinox to test the waters. Going to ask the question to someone on the current European cruises. 

I am right, but that doesn't mean it isn't going to happen to your cruise as well.

 

You just won't know for sure until you board unfortunately, as the experiment may continue...

[mjschutte]

8 minutes ago, Mark_T said:

You just won't know for sure until you board unfortunately, as the experiment may continue...

We may have some additional clarity at the end of this week,  when the next Equinox sailing starts,  since it  will be an 8 day cruise.  There has been suggestion that this upcharge change will apply to sailings less than 7 days.  It is my hope that the app menus update after this current sailing ends, and we can see what those menus say. (My July 8 sailing shows these same charges,  but also shows the MDR closed on days 8 and 9, which I believe is applicable to the current EQ sailing since its only 6 days).

[Octavias]

12 minutes ago, RichYak said:

Actually, I think the point is - where is now comparable that is cheaper cost wise. That's a growing list as X joins the RCL, Carnival, NCL fray but still charges higher fares.

This is the issue we have with this.  They seem to be eroding the quality, but not matching the price point of other cruise lines.  Tbh, we feel a little ripped off.  When I booked, I paid more for our Celebrity cruise, in a large part, for the better food.  This feels like a continuation of them taking that away.  I’m afraid it’s only a matter of time before the cuts and nickel and dimming find their way to the retreat as well. 

[C4HCG]

28 minutes ago, RichYak said:

Actually, I think the point is - where is now comparable that is cheaper cost wise. That's a growing list as X joins the RCL, Carnival, NCL fray but still charges higher fares.

And is there any line that’s cheaper and comparable?

[Mark_T]

9 minutes ago, Octavias said:

I’m afraid it’s only a matter of time before the cuts and nickel and dimming find their way to the retreat as well. 

I'm not sure that is true, as long as they can continue to raise prices and still get the suites sold there is little need to change anything there.

 

I'd guess they have managed to flush most of the FCC generated during Covid through the system now, so the test will be if the reservations stay solid once people are not bolstering their $$ with 'free' FCC...