Pushing Specialty Restaurants?

[LMHSRN]

I would think that after all the posts and menu changes, we as cruisers would finally get the message that they are trying to get us to go the extra mile (money wise) and book Special Restaurants.  I am sure the quality there is what most of us expected from the Main Dining Rooms in the past.  That quality and variety has now moved to extra charge items and restaurants.

Win, win for them.  Extra costs for us.  In the majority of posts I have read, folks are saying enough is enough of the MDR, going to do specialty restaurants from now on. 

Yep, the cruise line wins again!

[NMTraveller]

This strategy only works short term.  When you add up the additional cost of specialty dining every night and charges for room service,  it is a better deal to book a cruise line (Oceania, Azamara, etc.)  that has better food in the first place without all of the extra charges.

Edited August 20, 2023 by NMTraveller

[QuestionEverything]

1 minute ago, NMTraveller said:

This strategy only works short term.  When you add up the additional cost of specialty dining every night and charges for room service,  it is a better deal to book a cruise line that has better food in the first place without all of the extra charges.

Correct.

Your math works.

It is just that $ are only a part of the equation - different lines offer different amenities which appeal more to some cruisers.

It is really a financial and non finamcial decision.

Celebrity lost me in 2018 with their continuous downgrading, now I do Oceania. Better food and service indeed.

But O would not appeal to everyone.

[Lena11033]

I mean that works great on E class ships that have a ton of extra restaurants but not so much on the other classes that don't have a lot of specialty restaurants to pick from

 

 

[Luvcrusn]

26 minutes ago, LMHSRN said:

I would think that after all the posts and menu changes, we as cruisers would finally get the message that they are trying to get us to go the extra mile (money wise) and book Special Restaurants.  I am sure the quality there is what most of us expected from the Main Dining Rooms in the past.  That quality and variety has now moved to extra charge items and restaurants.

Win, win for them.  Extra costs for us.  In the majority of posts I have read, folks are saying enough is enough of the MDR, going to do specialty restaurants from now on. 

Yep, the cruise line wins again!

This!

[mahasamatman]

With the possible exception of Eden, I view Celebrity's specialty restaurants as a step down from the MDR. In general, they would have to pay me to eat in one.

[highway180]

1 hour ago, mahasamatman said:

With the possible exception of Eden, I view Celebrity's specialty restaurants as a step down from the MDR. In general, they would have to pay me to eat in one.

You obviously don’t cruise celebrity that often.  

I gladly paid the up charge for Murano

 

Murano speciality lunch, Tuscan, Tuscan speciality lunch all on a recent Trip on the Solstice in Alaska.  Have to say ALL venues were over the top in service, food quality, and quantity.  I include the MDR as well in that statement. We were a family of 5.  We usually only sail Aq. We had sunset veranda’s.  Awesome trip all around.  

 

Quit whining 

 

life is short 

 

enjoy or don’t sail Celebrity

  
 

ships are sailing full for a reason 

 

cheers

. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[phoenix_dream]

5 minutes ago, highway180 said:

You obviously don’t cruise celebrity that often.  

I gladly paid the up charge for Murano

 

Murano speciality lunch, Tuscan, Tuscan speciality lunch all on a recent Trip on the Solstice in Alaska.  Have to say ALL venues were over the top in service, food quality, and quantity.  I include the MDR as well in that statement. We were a family of 5.  We usually only sail Aq. We had sunset veranda’s.  Awesome trip all around.  

 

Quit whining 

 

life is short 

 

enjoy or don’t sail Celebrity

  
 

ships are sailing full for a reason 

 

cheers

. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I do sail Celebrity often.  I have 7 or 8 more cruises ahead of me starting in October.  I will make my food judgments then but I don't like some of what I have been hearing about cut backs on the menus.  Not sure when you sailed, but many of these changes are very, very recent and are rolling out in different ways across the line - your cruise may not yet have been affected.

But I have to say I do object to your statement about "quit whining".  First of all, it's rude.  Second,  if I were to find the food no longer to my liking on my next cruise I can't afford to take the hit of cancelling 7 cruises and losing all that deposit, not to mention what I might have to pay to try another line at this later date.  Not saying I would do so necessarily as there are of course other parts of cruising to enjoy, although a nice dining experience is literally one of my top reasons for cruising Celebrity.  So not sailing Celebrity anymore is not a realistic option, at least in the short term.  People have a right to be unhappy when they booked with certain expectations based on advertising as well as recent experiences and suddenly, with no notice, no communication, and no way to cancel without penalty the cruise line is downgrading things.  That is one of the main reasons for the "whining".  And since there is no communication from the cruise line about these things, it is only by "whining' here on Cruise Critic that we even find out about these things prior to cruising.

[highway180]

July 28th 2023

is that recent enough?

 

My point is if you don’t like the product,

move on, quit complaining 

 

there is an extremely high demand currently  many of the so called deals are gone.  
I was actually called by Celebrity and asked if I would take a complimentary downgrade in my cabin?????

 

crazy

i almost cancelled this cruise due to the negative reviews and I am so glad I did not pay attention to them. 
 

just my opinion 

which means nothing here

 

 

cheers 

 

 

 

[helen haywood]

I wouldn’t mind, per se, paying extra to go to a specialty restaurant.  But I’ve had some dismal meal experiences in Murano and Tuscan.  Murano we had a condescending waiter who told me there was no Sauvignon Blanc in my Classic Package and there would be an upcharge.  I replied then I would simply go out to the Ensemble Bar and get a glass myself.  Conferred with another waiter and reversed himself.  Had cold calamari at Tuscan and 45 minute waits between courses…which then were wrong.  Was presented with someone else’s bill…I don’t want to pay extra for a less than enjoyable experience.  

 

I’m interested in hearing someone’s experience ordering an upcharge item in the MDR.  Again, I wouldn’t mind paying extra for a filet if it is actually a filet and cooked as I ordered.

[phoenix_dream]

2 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

I wouldn’t mind, per se, paying extra to go to a specialty restaurant.  But I’ve had some dismal meal experiences in Murano and Tuscan.  Murano we had a condescending waiter who told me there was no Sauvignon Blanc in my Classic Package and there would be an upcharge.  I replied then I would simply go out to the Ensemble Bar and get a glass myself.  Conferred with another waiter and reversed himself.  Had cold calamari at Tuscan and 45 minute waits between courses…which then were wrong.  Was presented with someone else’s bill…I don’t want to pay extra for a less than enjoyable experience.  

 

I’m interested in hearing someone’s experience ordering an upcharge item in the MDR.  Again, I wouldn’t mind paying extra for a filet if it is actually a filet and cooked as I ordered.

I've eaten at both Murano and Tuscan many, many times over the past years, pre and post Covid.  I can remember only one less than stellar experience in Tuscan, and when we discussed it with the maître d they comped us another dinner which great.  My most recent sailings were earlier this year, in the winter and my experiences were very good.  I'm hoping that has not changed in recent months like other food quality.  You have a right of course to your own opinions of your own experiences.  Just wanted to share mine.

[highway180]

I have no experience with so called up charges in the MDR. We are the 3 nights and honestly I can’t remember any up charges at all.  They went above and beyond., earning the extra tip we gave them. 
 

sorry I didn’t have better information 

[highway180]

2 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

I've eaten at both Murano and Tuscan many, many times over the past years, pre and post Covid.  I can remember only one less than stellar experience in Tuscan, and when we discussed it with the maître d they comped us another dinner which great.  My most recent sailings were earlier this year, in the winter and my experiences were very good.  I'm hoping that has not changed in recent months like other food quality.  You have a right of course to your own opinions of your own experiences.  Just wanted to share mine.

I’ve heard others say the same. We dine there every cruise and I guess we are lucky. 
never been disappointed.  Of course there may be one or two items that weren’t stellar but enjoyable non the less. 
 

To add clarity, we never sail E class and have no intention to. We love the S class ships

 

 

Cheers

 

 

 

 

[phoenix_dream]

24 minutes ago, highway180 said:

July 28th 2023

is that recent enough?

 

My point is if you don’t like the product,

move on, quit complaining 

 

there is an extremely high demand currently  many of the so called deals are gone.  
I was actually called by Celebrity and asked if I would take a complimentary downgrade in my cabin?????

 

crazy

i almost cancelled this cruise due to the negative reviews and I am so glad I did not pay attention to them. 
 

just my opinion 

which means nothing here

 

 

cheers 

 

 

 

Everyone's opinion means something.  I just don't like people telling me (or anyone else) I can or can't complain, and reporting bad experiences or bad directions doesn't constitute whining.  And as I stated in my post, "moving on" is not always financially feasible, at least in the short term.  You can tell the general tone and topic of a post by reading the title.  If you don't want to hear people complaining about all the negative changes, you have the option to just pass those posts by without opening.  Obviously many, many people are upset about a number of the changes and want to share that information with others.  If not for Cruise Critic, these things would be a huge (and unwelcome) surprise when onboard. I'd rather know the situation before I board.  Once I am onboard I will make it my mission to enjoy the cruise regardless of the changes.  But I definitely want to get information ahead of time and it is not coming from Celebrity.

[highway180]

And many more are tired of the complaining 

 

concentrate on the positive, this board has turned so negative that I rarely post. 
it used to be a great place for newbies to learn the ins and outs, answers to their questions and alerts on new deals or online sales. Unfortunately it has turned into a bastion of negativity.  
 

enjoy your dismay with Celebrity 

I will focus on the positive and comment no longer on this thread. 
 

I will take your advise and skip 99% of the threads here. 
 

cheers

 

[gizmodog]

It’s negative because celebrity has made it hard to be positive.

[evandbob]

We've had 4 or 5 casino comped cruises where we've purchased a specialty meal package and thoroughly enjoyed the better quality of food and service across Edge and Equinox type ships.  The additional cost was offset by the comped fares.

 

Now that we have exhausted our "Freebie casino fares", we don't see the need for the expensive addons - been there, done that and enjoyed it, so we just move on.

[1Virgo]

4 hours ago, highway180 said:

July 28th 2023

is that recent enough?

 

My point is if you don’t like the product,

move on, quit complaining 

 

there is an extremely high demand currently  many of the so called deals are gone.  
I was actually called by Celebrity and asked if I would take a complimentary downgrade in my cabin?????

 

crazy

i almost cancelled this cruise due to the negative reviews and I am so glad I did not pay attention to them. 
 

just my opinion 

which means nothing here

 

 

cheers 

 

 

 

Is there any reason why you have to reply and add a slam at someone?  “ whining?   quit complaining”.     Everyone is entitled to their opinion.     If you can’t respond nicely, don’t 

[neverlaysup]

They can push all they want but my next sailing is on an M class ship and there are only two restaurants covered under the dining package (Sushi on 5 is ala carte). For us Tuscan grill is too heavy and not worth the cost and Le Petite is too gimmicky and the food is not worth the cost. Looks like I will be saving some money on this cruise.

[Cruising89143]

We avoid the MDR at all costs and have on ALL cruise lines for about the last fifteen years. We enjoy the smaller specialty dining venues where we’re not rushed. It’s all about choice. If a person enjoys the MDR then go and dine there. Same with the Oceanview buffet. If we don’t have Luminae available then we book specialty dining. If you have an issue with a particular venue then voice your opinion and with your wallet.

[wineoclock]

I don’t see it as complaining just stating things as people perceive them to be.

 

I’d rather know what to expect before I board.  

 

I can then adjust my expectations accordingly and not be disappointed when I get on board.

 

I can concentrate on finding the positives as i’ll already know the negatives and therefore won’t be upset or annoyed by them. 

[chemmo]

9 hours ago, highway180 said:

And many more are tired of the complaining 

 

concentrate on the positive, this board has turned so negative that I rarely post. 
it used to be a great place for newbies to learn the ins and outs, answers to their questions and alerts on new deals or online sales. Unfortunately it has turned into a bastion of negativity.  
 

enjoy your dismay with Celebrity 

I will focus on the positive and comment no longer on this thread. 
 

I will take your advise and skip 99% of the threads here. 
 

cheers

 

As a very regular poster and reader on this board my biggest concern is the number of frequent cruisers who are expressing concerns about their recent experiences, recent reviews and changes.
 

These are usually happy posters!

These are posters who book multiple cruises a year because they hold the cruise line in high regard!

These are well travelled posters who are knowledgeable about food and drink!

These are posters whose opinions I hold in high regard!

 

Cruise Critic is such a good site because it does allow us to voice both positives and negatives. With my next cruise a bit in the future I will keep reading all reviews. Some I may find ‘petty’…others I may find ‘over the top’. The multitude of responses on CC enable us to ‘read’ what is important to us. Issues that do or do not enhance our experience on board…

 

As you have said in a previous post the site does have a function of offering factual information to new cruisers. Totally agree. Another concern is many of us with lots of Celebrity cruise experience don’t actually feel confident answering some questions at present because things are changing fast and without good communication. If a new cruisers asks about MDR menu choices there presently isn’t a correct ‘answer’! No one yet can advise about the change to Sky Suite butler/team service because past experience is no longer relevant….

 

After winging about your winging at others winging I will add that I do understand your viewpoint too! Along with the factual side of Cruise Critic there also comes camaraderie, the sharing of great experiences, the sharing of special events. I love following and writing live reviews…Sharing a vicarious cruise when stuck at home on a grey day! I must confess I could do with a bit of lightheartedness on CC at present too! Unfortunately life is as it is…at present there is a focus on changes, C’est la vie!

 

 

[hcat]

The topic is " Pushing Specialty Restaurants"  Not sure if that is an active push or because the mdr dining experience has become poor on some of the ships.

 

Our experience has been  that there's always been  a push with a discounted rate for the 1st night to relieve crowds in regular mdr.  There's also some push to buy a dining package..but no real pressure as there is with drink packages.

 

We will be in BLU on Ascent and have booked EDEN, FINE CUT and ROOFTOP GRILL..Hoping for a nice variety of good experiences.

 

Cracks me up when newbies tell others to move on.. Cruise Critic neg comments from those with Experience have improved things for everyone more than once!  

 

Enjoy!

[hcat]

2 minutes ago, hcat said:

The topic is " Pushing Specialty Restaurants"  Not sure if that is an active push or because the mdr dining experience has become poor on some of the ships.

 

Our experience has been  that there's always been  a push with a discounted rate for the 1st night to relieve crowds in regular mdr.  There's also some push to buy a dining package..but no real pressure as there is with drink packages.

 

We will be in BLU on Ascent and have booked EDEN, FINE CUT and ROOFTOP GRILL..Hoping for a nice variety of good experiences.

 

Cracks me up when newbies tell others to move on.. Cruise Critic neg comments from those with Experience have improved things for everyone more than once!  

 

Enjoy!

PS 

We will NEVER pay extra for anything in the  MDR (a Royalized concept we find offensive) On Royal they also hawked  non food items (like a cookbook and wine aerator) in  Specialty Venues while we had dessert....Very gauche!

[mayleeman]

13 hours ago, highway180 said:

You obviously don’t cruise celebrity that often.

 

You obviously don't have the feature turned on that might show you how wrong you are about cruises taken and planned by @mahasamatman. He knows whereof he speaks.