New menus 2023 ?

[zitsky]

If these menus are unacceptable, then what SHOULD the menus look like???  
 

Beluga caviar on toast?  Roasted quail?  Dom Perignon 1972?

[diesel1973]

8 hours ago, Cruise Junky said:

I’m assuming the Salmon is farmed? Has anyone had that confirmed? 

Read an article once that if it is wild caught it is probably farm raised. The light pink wild caught salmon at Costco says "coloring added ". What color was it before the coloring was added? The Alaskan salmon is a dark red and firm texture. Delicious !!!

[Cap_D]

My take and caution if anyone is considering Celebrity and finding themselves reading this topic -- With the exception of a speciality restaurant having a really good night and fulfilling a craving, they aren't that special to merit relying upon them exclusively.  Perhaps they can and must have to be a stop gap for a "last" Celebrity cruise that is taken during this period of mediocrity.  However, based on capacity alone, they are not a sustainable solution for poor food quality, lame menus, and declining service.  

[sptrout]

35 minutes ago, diesel1973 said:

Read an article once that if it is wild caught it is probably farm raised. The light pink wild caught salmon at Costco says "coloring added ". What color was it before the coloring was added? The Alaskan salmon is a dark red and firm texture. Delicious !!!

I agree, almost all salmon not labeled as "Alaskan Salmon" is farmed raised. Any fish that has "Alaska" or "Alaskan" on it has to be wild caught or the manufacturer will likely be meeting Alaska's AG in Court. Alaska takes this very seriously; like Walt Disney does with anyone they catch using their characters without authorization. Buying Sockeye is another way to make sure that it is wild caught since Sockeye cannot be farmed raised.

 

As for color, farm raised Salmon that has not had coloring added looks kind of grayish. IMO, it is almost certain that any Salmon served on a ship or any non-Alaskan restaurant will be farm raised. Good wild caught Salmon is very expensive, even at Costco where you can buy both frozen Alaskan Sockeye and farm raised Salmon. In Costco's unfrozen fish displays they do have wild caught Salmon, but that is rare at least here in Houston, most of the time it is farm raised. Usually, not labeled as farm raised so you have to look at the labeling closely where it will say "coloring added". Big red flag.

 

[hcat]

1 hour ago, zitsky said:

If these menus are unacceptable, then what SHOULD the menus look like???  
 

Beluga caviar on toast?  Roasted quail?  Dom Perignon 1972?

pls no quail..we have them roaming our back yard in Fla.. where they are known as Bobwhite  !

 

We had real Alaska salmon in Seattle.. it was truly amazing! 

 

but I still enjoy other "versions"

[zitsky]

7 minutes ago, hcat said:

pls no quail..we have them roaming our back yard in Fla.. where they are known as Bobwhite  !

 

We had real Alaska salmon in Seattle.. it was truly amazing! 

 

but I still enjoy other "versions"

My husband prefers farm raised salmon to sockeye.  I guess that’s why he likes sailing on Celebrity.

 

 

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Some of you might remember the reviews by The Pressmans, complete with menus.  Here's a link to menus from 2014 for comparison to current offerings.

 

Panama Canal menus (thepreismans.com)

 

[Nebr.cruiser]

On 10/6/2023 at 5:46 AM, Smmessineo said:

I am definitely riff raff class, we sail in inside staterooms. As someone who cruises on  Celebrity regularly, I expect to not lose options that have been there for years, while at the same time paying a lot more for a cruise. 

Yes, those menus look fine, but not fine compared to what they were mere  months ago. Somehow, Celebrity always managed to make those mass catered meals seem a little fancy pants , and that was great . I'm concerned that regular cruisers are reporting back now that not only are options gone, but quality is declining.

 

Exactly.  The new menus are such a downgrade from previous menus that it is very disappointing.  I don't see much that appeals.  We have one cruise on Celebrity booked; it may be our last if the menu doesn't improve.  I guess we'll see in May.

[Smmessineo]

14 minutes ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

Some of you might remember the reviews by The Pressmans, complete with menus.  Here's a link to menus from 2014 for comparison to current offerings.

 

Panama Canal menus (thepreismans.com)

 

Thanks for posting these! I remember referring to  them before every cruise , I'd always be so excited before a trip!

Most of the items in these menus were available and free in the MDR  right through December of 2022. The snarky responses on this thread ,that imply we are complaining over nothing  or asking for extravagant choices,  are unwarranted.  

 

[LouChamp]

3 hours ago, zitsky said:

If these menus are unacceptable, then what SHOULD the menus look like???  
 

Beluga caviar on toast?  Roasted quail?  Dom Perignon 1972?

Aloha. Perhaps. Roasted quail would be nice. More shellfish. Lobster Thermidor, Scallops, More frequent Prime Rib. One can dine with basic

chicken dishes and pork dishes at home. Salmon Wellington, Shrimp Fra Diavolo, Spanakopita, Doner, Roasted Duck more frequently,  Deviled Eggs, Bangers and Mash, Veal Saltimbocca, Veal Osso Buco, Shrimp Parmagiana…

[calicakes]

57 minutes ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

Some of you might remember the reviews by The Pressmans, complete with menus.  Here's a link to menus from 2014 for comparison to current offerings.

 

Panama Canal menus (thepreismans.com)

 

That is a jarring difference.

[Cruise till you drop]

On 10/6/2023 at 6:07 AM, Baggy178 said:

Perhaps it's just us down in Riff Raff Clas™ but those menus look perfectly fine to us.

Varied with lots of choice.

It's mass catering not fancy pants - what do you expect ?

Exactly same feeling from the Schlub class.  This is what we experienced back in March and we always found something good to eat each night.

 

There was another thread that likened the MDR experience to going to Bonefish Grille that I thought was a perfect comparison

[Cruise Junky]

3 hours ago, sptrout said:

I agree, almost all salmon not labeled as "Alaskan Salmon" is farmed raised. Any fish that has "Alaska" or "Alaskan" on it has to be wild caught or the manufacturer will likely be meeting Alaska's AG in Court. Alaska takes this very seriously; like Walt Disney does with anyone they catch using their characters without authorization. Buying Sockeye is another way to make sure that it is wild caught since Sockeye cannot be farmed raised.

 

As for color, farm raised Salmon that has not had coloring added looks kind of grayish. IMO, it is almost certain that any Salmon served on a ship or any non-Alaskan restaurant will be farm raised. Good wild caught Salmon is very expensive, even at Costco where you can buy both frozen Alaskan Sockeye and farm raised Salmon. In Costco's unfrozen fish displays they do have wild caught Salmon, but that is rare at least here in Houston, most of the time it is farm raised. Usually, not labeled as farm raised so you have to look at the labeling closely where it will say "coloring added". Big red flag.

 

I’m from the Westcoast. There are plenty of wild salmon that is not from Alaska.  Costco on the Westcoast sells fresh or previously frozen wild salmon. Usually Copper River or Sockeye. We do not eat farmed salmon.  Costco is actually pretty good for seafood on the Westcoast. Lots of fresh crab.  

[zitsky]

3 minutes ago, Cruise Junky said:

I’m from the Westcoast. There are plenty of wild salmon that is not from Alaska.  Costco on the Westcoast sells fresh or previously frozen wild salmon. Usually Copper River or Sockeye. We do not eat farmed salmon.  Costco is actually pretty good for seafood on the Westcoast. Lots of fresh crab.  

I’m waiting for the wild beef and chicken to be back on the menu.  Until then, I’ll sail on my private yacht.

[NMTraveller]

4 hours ago, zitsky said:

If these menus are unacceptable, then what SHOULD the menus look like???  
 

Beluga caviar on toast?  Roasted quail?  Dom Perignon 1972?

Well I think that most were happy with the old menus before they cheapened them.

[NMTraveller]

53 minutes ago, Cruise Junky said:

I’m from the Westcoast. There are plenty of wild salmon that is not from Alaska.  Costco on the Westcoast sells fresh or previously frozen wild salmon. Usually Copper River or Sockeye. We do not eat farmed salmon.  Costco is actually pretty good for seafood on the Westcoast. Lots of fresh crab.  

Same here.  We get Copper River or Sockeye.

 

We feel that the MDR menus are a step below what we normally eat at home on a weekly basis.  

[Captain-John]

Having never sailed Celebrity before, we are booked on Millenium in Japan next year. The menus posted earlier are not getting us too excited I have to say.

 

In 20+ cruises we have never had an evening meal in the buffet but if the menus don't change before next May we may need to start a new habit.

 

We have a 5 night speciality dining package albeit options are limited on Millenium. My go-to is a steak if the other options are not appealing in the MDR. I'll be eating a lot of steak I think as Tuscan I am sure will do a good one.

 

Luckily, for this cruise it's more about the destinations than the ship. I had always regarded Celebrity as as a step above our mainstay of NCL and hope to be proven correct yet.

 

[calicakes]

7 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

Same here.  We get Copper River or Sockeye.

 

We feel that the MDR menus are a step below what we normally eat at home on a weekly basis.  

That is exactly how I feel.  However, I know a lot of people don't eat like I do.  A lot of people are happy with Walmart factory farmed meat.  This is exactly why I don't cruise for the food.  If the service and other things are lacking, it makes me question why we are still cruising. 

[zitsky]

2 hours ago, calicakes said:

That is a jarring difference.

Could you please define “jarring”, because I’m just not seeing it.

[calicakes]

40 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Could you please define “jarring”, because I’m just not seeing it.

You are NOT seeing the difference from the Preisman's menus posted from 2014?  Huge difference.  

Edited October 7, 2023 by calicakes
spelling

[sptrout]

1 hour ago, Cruise Junky said:

I’m from the Westcoast. There are plenty of wild salmon that is not from Alaska.  Costco on the Westcoast sells fresh or previously frozen wild salmon. Usually Copper River or Sockeye. We do not eat farmed salmon.  Costco is actually pretty good for seafood on the Westcoast. Lots of fresh crab.  

I do not remember ever seeing Copper River, but I could easily have missed it if they had it. One thing that you mentioned that has always puzzled me and this is not a Costco thing, but every place that I know of that sells "previously frozen XX". Why thaw it out? Can these items be refrozen? The same goes for other seafood items such as shrimp; always previously frozen and we live near the Gulf Coast which has many fresh shrimp markets. 

 

About a year ago our local big super market had nice looking previously frozen sockeye salmon for a great price. The filets where too big for a meal so I asked the meat manager if previously frozen salmon could be refrozen? He totally dodge the question, but had a better answer, he when back to their freezer and sold us rock hard frozen filets for the same "on sale" price as the thawed-out fish in their display case. Seems dumb to me to thaw out good fish/shrimp/etc. when they can sell still frozen stuff from their freezer. 

[Cruise till you drop]

3 hours ago, calicakes said:

That is a jarring difference.

Jarring is a bit dramatic don’t you think 😂 

[ECCruise]

I think part of the disagreements here stem from the fact that some of us who have been sailing with Celebrity for a number of years (us, 30+ since 1998) have an established "mean" of what we have experienced in dining.

Those who have only sailed recently or never on Celebrity have a different "mean" of what they have experienced.

 

Neither is right nor wrong, but it is fairly obvious that the difference in experiences (and expectations) is pretty evident. 

[Islander500]

6 minutes ago, ECCruise said:

I think part of the disagreements here stem from the fact that some of us who have been sailing with Celebrity for a number of years (us, 30+ since 1998) have an established "mean" of what we have experienced in dining.

Those who have only sailed recently or never on Celebrity have a different "mean" of what they have experienced.

 

Neither is right nor wrong, but it is fairly obvious that the difference in experiences (and expectations) is pretty evident. 

True.  And some folks are just having fun just being deliberately obtuse. 

[C-Dragons]

45 minutes ago, calicakes said:

You are NOT seeing the difference from the Preisman's menus posted from 2014?  Huge difference.  

2014?

Well We sailed on X in 2014 and I don’t recall there being a Pandemic which caused cruising to stop while the cruise line continued to have debts to pay.

I guess that just might have something to do with the menus not being the same. This situation is only temporary. IMO.