New menus 2023 ?

[Baggy178]

4 minutes ago, Baggy178 said:

 

A strip steak is exactly the same as a sirloin steak.

It's the same piece of meat from the short loin area of the cow - in the USA you call it strip steak, everywhere else calls it sirloin.

Again, exactly which high-end steaks do you regard to be missing from this mass catering menu ?

 

 

 

 

 

In Ireland they can't make their minds up so they call it a striploin.😅

It also goes by the name of porterhouse.

 

 

[Baggy178]

13 minutes ago, ECCruise said:

They are absolutely not the same.  Strip steak vs. Sirloin

. 

And the last time I checked, =X= is a USA cruise line, so their description would be that of the USA. 

 

I already said what many feel is missing.  What was there for 20+ years.  Nothing new.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strip_steak

 

 

[ECCruise]

1 minute ago, Baggy178 said:

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strip_steak

 

 

From what you cited: The strip steak (sirloin in Britain, Australia, and South Africa)

 

Celebrity is a USA company.  Their menus are USA based.  Strip steak and sirloin are NOT the same to anyone in the USA, including and most importantly, those who develop the menus.

 

And I am out.  Enjoy.

[Baggy178]

2 minutes ago, ECCruise said:

From what you cited: The strip steak (sirloin in Britain, Australia, and South Africa)

 

Celebrity is a USA company.  Their menus are USA based.  Strip steak and sirloin are NOT the same to anyone in the USA, including and most importantly, those who develop the menus.

 

And I am out.  Enjoy.

 

 

I enjoy sirloin, rump, rib-eye, t-bone steaks however they come.

I also enjoy posters harrumphing about 'Fings ain't wot they used to be.

To this untrained eye who eats out three times a week the menus look perfectly fine.

 

[Cruise till you drop]

30 minutes ago, Baggy178 said:

 

 

I enjoy sirloin, rump, rib-eye, t-bone steaks however they come.

I also enjoy posters harrumphing about 'Fings ain't wot they used to be.

To this untrained eye who eats out three times a week the menus look perfectly fine.

 

Well said.  To me, the least of what sets steak apart is Sirloin and Strip Steak.  Couldn’t tell them apart and couldn’t care less what they served as long as it’s prepared Medium.

[Smmessineo]

@Baggy178 would you respond this way to any cuts  on a cruise?

We're not servicing staterooms anymore. Towel cart in hall if you need any.  "that's fine. There's a bed to sleep in "

Available beverages now only tap water ( cold and hot). "That's fine, flavoured beverages are for sissies".

Live entertainment no longer available. " that's fine, I have my headphones and iTunes, and maybe someone can bring a kazoo ".

😋😆😁

I'm really enjoying your responses here.😀

 

 

 

[calicakes]

39 minutes ago, Smmessineo said:

@Baggy178 would you respond this way to any cuts  on a cruise?

We're not servicing staterooms anymore. Towel cart in hall if you need any.  "that's fine. There's a bed to sleep in "

Available beverages now only tap water ( cold and hot). "That's fine, flavoured beverages are for sissies".

Live entertainment no longer available. " that's fine, I have my headphones and iTunes, and maybe someone can bring a kazoo ".

😋😆😁

I'm really enjoying your responses here.😀

 

 

 

That you for providing my first laugh of the day : )

[mayleeman]

2 hours ago, calicakes said:

That you for providing my first laugh of the day : )

 

My first laughs were the repeated posts claiming to see no difference between Aug/Sept 2023 menus and the 2014 menus. 

[calicakes]

32 minutes ago, mayleeman said:

 

My first laughs were the repeated posts claiming to see no difference between Aug/Sept 2023 menus and the 2014 menus. 

I know. A cc member was asking me to prove the jarring difference.

[Baggy178]

3 hours ago, Smmessineo said:

@Baggy178 would you respond this way to any cuts  on a cruise?

We're not servicing staterooms anymore. Towel cart in hall if you need any.  "that's fine. There's a bed to sleep in "

Available beverages now only tap water ( cold and hot). "That's fine, flavoured beverages are for sissies".

Live entertainment no longer available. " that's fine, I have my headphones and iTunes, and maybe someone can bring a kazoo ".

😋😆😁

I'm really enjoying your responses here.😀

 

 

 

😅

Glad you enjoy my attempts to lighten the mood.

And here goes with an explanation of what I think are the cultural difference between the US and UK which explain our differing views on levels of service. It includes generalisations and stereotyping but a kernel of truth in there too.

Brits by their nature that has evolved over the past century or so are easy-going about service. We tend to be self-deprecating and suspicious of those with hifalutin' notions. Call it a stiff upper lip or stoicism in the face of adversity but we're reluctant to cause a fuss. If someone announced they planned on " fine dining " that evening Brits would probably chuckle inwardly and raise an eyebrow.

The reverse side of the coin is our differing views on gratuities. We happen to think they're for good service not just someone doing their job although we acknowledge that in the service industries in the States gratuities are intended to form part of a person's salary. But paying gartuities in advance for service which might be crap seems barmy.

Americans on the other - and this is my subjective view - want instant gratification and will pay heavily for it and will sometimes pay for things which we might think are quite mad. Like a better table in a restaurant; a specially-designated VIP area in a club which is basically a red velvet rope that cordons you off from the riff-raff that comes at a heavy price. Not unlike an exclusive area on a ship to avoid the riff raff. Why spend 11 days with no escape from them on a ship if you want to be alone ?

But this feeds into the Kardashianization of culture - everyone wants Crystal champagne for their Insta photo but as a prosecco price. Every meal has to be Michelin-starred even when a thousand other passengers are being fed at the same time.

So no, it doesn't really bother me if I get rump instead of sirloin steak. Or that the menus aren't the same as 10 years ago. Who cares ? All I want to know is what I'm getting on my cruise and the menus I see seem perfectly fine. No turndown service or chocolate on the pillow ? No bother. Or that the cabin attendant forgets to empty the trash ? really ? In the grand scheme of things they're frivolous things.

The idea that as ships become ever more massive and carrying thousands more pasengers the same standards can apply as before is fanciful.

We're paying $950pp for our TA cruise in a couple of weeks. For a balcony cabin. All the food we can eat. Free entertainment. Three port visits. At that price it would be churlish to crib about minor things like mashed potatoes.😇

Edited October 8, 2023 by Baggy178

[DaKahuna]

23 hours ago, zitsky said:

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

 

 Where sandals are perfectly acceptable for all occasions. 

 

[goofysmom99]

I've actually tried to eat the sirloin (or whatever anyone wishes to name it) I ordered medium rare, but it was too tough to cut/chew so waiter took it back.  Reordered it rare to give it a fighting chance of being cut.  Nope.  BTW, the MDR just cannot do any degree of rare; whatever doneness I order comes out medium.  Chicken is equally tough, dry, and stringy.  That leaves the farm-raised salmon, since spaghetti, rigatoni, couscous cake, gnocchi, and pasta pomodoro are not gluten-free alternatives (three of those pastas are on tonight's menu - yum).  I was diagnosed with celiac 16 years ago in and have had zero difficulty with X menus that entire time.  No longer.  Pasta is cheap, and so are the now-standard protein selections.  Three pasta entrees for dinner is just not acceptable.  Unfortunately, I'm stuck with the pitiful new menus for 16 nights next month, and for the first time ever, I'm dreading a cruise.

[NMTraveller]

1 hour ago, Baggy178 said:

😅

Glad you enjoy my attempts to lighten the mood.

And here goes with an explanation of what I think are the cultural difference between the US and UK which explain our differing views on levels of service. It includes generalisations and stereotyping but a kernel of truth in there too.

Brits by their nature that has evolved over the past century or so are easy-going about service. We tend to be self-deprecating and suspicious of those with hifalutin' notions. Call it a stiff upper lip or stoicism in the face of adversity but we're reluctant to cause a fuss. If someone announced they planned on " fine dining " that evening Brits would probably chuckle inwardly and raise an eyebrow.

The reverse side of the coin is our differing views on gratuities. We happen to think they're for good service not just someone doing their job although we acknowledge that in the service industries in the States gratuities are intended to form part of a person's salary. But paying gartuities in advance for service which might be crap seems barmy.

Americans on the other - and this is my subjective view - want instant gratification and will pay heavily for it and will sometimes pay for things which we might think are quite mad. Like a better table in a restaurant; a specially-designated VIP area in a club which is basically a red velvet rope that cordons you off from the riff-raff that comes at a heavy price. Not unlike an exclusive area on a ship to avoid the riff raff. Why spend 11 days with no escape from them on a ship if you want to be alone ?

But this feeds into the Kardashianization of culture - everyone wants Crystal champagne for their Insta photo but as a prosecco price. Every meal has to be Michelin-starred even when a thousand other passengers are being fed at the same time.

So no, it doesn't really bother me if I get rump instead of sirloin steak. Or that the menus aren't the same as 10 years ago. Who cares ? All I want to know is what I'm getting on my cruise and the menus I see seem perfectly fine. No turndown service or chocolate on the pillow ? No bother. Or that the cabin attendant forgets to empty the trash ? really ? In the grand scheme of things they're frivolous things.

The idea that as ships become ever more massive and carrying thousands more pasengers the same standards can apply as before is fanciful.

We're paying $950pp for our TA cruise in a couple of weeks. For a balcony cabin. All the food we can eat. Free entertainment. Three port visits. At that price it would be churlish to crib about minor things like mashed potatoes.😇

So if I vacation in London I am going to starve?  🤣

 

 

[zitsky]

48 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 Where sandals are perfectly acceptable for all occasions. 

 

Sandals?  We only wear flip flops on the yacht.  We’re not snobs.

[NMTraveller]

48 minutes ago, goofysmom99 said:

I've actually tried to eat the sirloin (or whatever anyone wishes to name it) I ordered medium rare, but it was too tough to cut/chew so waiter took it back.  Reordered it rare to give it a fighting chance of being cut.  Nope.  BTW, the MDR just cannot do any degree of rare; whatever doneness I order comes out medium.  Chicken is equally tough, dry, and stringy.  That leaves the farm-raised salmon, since spaghetti, rigatoni, couscous cake, gnocchi, and pasta pomodoro are not gluten-free alternatives (three of those pastas are on tonight's menu - yum).  I was diagnosed with celiac 16 years ago in and have had zero difficulty with X menus that entire time.  No longer.  Pasta is cheap, and so are the now-standard protein selections.  Three pasta entrees for dinner is just not acceptable.  Unfortunately, I'm stuck with the pitiful new menus for 16 nights next month, and for the first time ever, I'm dreading a cruise.

This has been my experience with sirloin.  I have given up on it.

[Cruise till you drop]

1 hour ago, Baggy178 said:

😅

Glad you enjoy my attempts to lighten the mood.

And here goes with an explanation of what I think are the cultural difference between the US and UK which explain our differing views on levels of service. It includes generalisations and stereotyping but a kernel of truth in there too.

Brits by their nature that has evolved over the past century or so are easy-going about service. We tend to be self-deprecating and suspicious of those with hifalutin' notions. Call it a stiff upper lip or stoicism in the face of adversity but we're reluctant to cause a fuss. If someone announced they planned on " fine dining " that evening Brits would probably chuckle inwardly and raise an eyebrow.

The reverse side of the coin is our differing views on gratuities. We happen to think they're for good service not just someone doing their job although we acknowledge that in the service industries in the States gratuities are intended to form part of a person's salary. But paying gartuities in advance for service which might be crap seems barmy.

Americans on the other - and this is my subjective view - want instant gratification and will pay heavily for it and will sometimes pay for things which we might think are quite mad. Like a better table in a restaurant; a specially-designated VIP area in a club which is basically a red velvet rope that cordons you off from the riff-raff that comes at a heavy price. Not unlike an exclusive area on a ship to avoid the riff raff. Why spend 11 days with no escape from them on a ship if you want to be alone ?

But this feeds into the Kardashianization of culture - everyone wants Crystal champagne for their Insta photo but as a prosecco price. Every meal has to be Michelin-starred even when a thousand other passengers are being fed at the same time.

So no, it doesn't really bother me if I get rump instead of sirloin steak. Or that the menus aren't the same as 10 years ago. Who cares ? All I want to know is what I'm getting on my cruise and the menus I see seem perfectly fine. No turndown service or chocolate on the pillow ? No bother. Or that the cabin attendant forgets to empty the trash ? really ? In the grand scheme of things they're frivolous things.

The idea that as ships become ever more massive and carrying thousands more pasengers the same standards can apply as before is fanciful.

We're paying $950pp for our TA cruise in a couple of weeks. For a balcony cabin. All the food we can eat. Free entertainment. Three port visits. At that price it would be churlish to crib about minor things like mashed potatoes.😇

You Brits are smart.  I literally had to look up some of the words in a dictionary like hifalutin”, stoicism, barmy, Kardashianization, and churlish 😂 

[zitsky]

7 minutes ago, Cruise till you drop said:

You Brits are smart.  I literally had to look up some of the words in a dictionary like hifalutin”, stoicism, barmy, Kardashianization, and churlish 😂 

Don’t they still have a King and House of Lords in England?  And they’re the ones who are down to earth?

[ECCruise]

1 hour ago, Baggy178 said:

😅

 

We're paying $950pp for our TA cruise in a couple of weeks. For a balcony cabin. All the food we can eat. Free entertainment. Three port visits. At that price it would be churlish to crib about minor things like mashed potatoes.😇

That is a good price and rare because it is a crossing, but your assessment is fair.

 

But would you feel the same way if your tariff was 4, 5 or 6 times that price?  Which in today's =X= environment, is not out of the ordinary by any means. 

[hcat]

1 hour ago, Baggy178 said:

😅

Glad you enjoy my attempts to lighten the mood.

And here goes with an explanation of what I think are the cultural difference between the US and UK which explain our differing views on levels of service. It includes generalisations and stereotyping but a kernel of truth in there too.

Brits by their nature that has evolved over the past century or so are easy-going about service. We tend to be self-deprecating and suspicious of those with hifalutin' notions. Call it a stiff upper lip or stoicism in the face of adversity but we're reluctant to cause a fuss. If someone announced they planned on " fine dining " that evening Brits would probably chuckle inwardly and raise an eyebrow.

The reverse side of the coin is our differing views on gratuities. We happen to think they're for good service not just someone doing their job although we acknowledge that in the service industries in the States gratuities are intended to form part of a person's salary. But paying gartuities in advance for service which might be crap seems barmy.

Americans on the other - and this is my subjective view - want instant gratification and will pay heavily for it and will sometimes pay for things which we might think are quite mad. Like a better table in a restaurant; a specially-designated VIP area in a club which is basically a red velvet rope that cordons you off from the riff-raff that comes at a heavy price. Not unlike an exclusive area on a ship to avoid the riff raff. Why spend 11 days with no escape from them on a ship if you want to be alone ?

But this feeds into the Kardashianization of culture - everyone wants Crystal champagne for their Insta photo but as a prosecco price. Every meal has to be Michelin-starred even when a thousand other passengers are being fed at the same time.

So no, it doesn't really bother me if I get rump instead of sirloin steak. Or that the menus aren't the same as 10 years ago. Who cares ? All I want to know is what I'm getting on my cruise and the menus I see seem perfectly fine. No turndown service or chocolate on the pillow ? No bother. Or that the cabin attendant forgets to empty the trash ? really ? In the grand scheme of things they're frivolous things.

The idea that as ships become ever more massive and carrying thousands more pasengers the same standards can apply as before is fanciful.

We're paying $950pp for our TA cruise in a couple of weeks. For a balcony cabin. All the food we can eat. Free entertainment. Three port visits. At that price it would be churlish to crib about minor things like mashed potatoes.😇

Certainly a  biased "caricature" of Americans you present here,  apparently formed from TV ?   We are not the Kardashians.

 

 Cruises with good amenities cost more than $950 pp..and folks have the right to expect something more than tough meat and mashies esp on what used to be a line with many Culinary Awards!

[Cruise till you drop]

18 minutes ago, hcat said:

Certainly a  biased "caricature" of Americans you present here,  apparently formed from TV ?   We are not the Kardashians.

 

 Cruises with good amenities cost more than $950 pp..and folks have the right to expect something more than tough meat and mashies esp on what used to be a line with many Culinary Awards!

Oh don’t be so churlish 😂 

[Baggy178]

31 minutes ago, hcat said:

apparently formed from TV

 

Owned a place in Florida for 20 years.

Lived and worked in LA for a while.

Visited most years for half a century.

Don't get me wrong. I like Americans a lot. A great country. But you are keen on the bling ...😉

[hcat]

and keen on good food!

[Baggy178]

14 minutes ago, hcat said:

and keen on good food!

 

And big portions.

From about the mid-80s onwards I learned never to order an appetizer as well as an entree. Once I started travelling there with a family I never ordered any food in a restaurant for me - I just finished off what they couldn't eat. Saved me thousands. It was my apprenticeship in the Ninja Travelling Club™

😀

Edited October 8, 2023 by Baggy178

[goofysmom99]

14 minutes ago, Baggy178 said:

I just finished off what they couldn't eat. 

 

That explains a lot.

[mayleeman]

I thought the Brits invented and exported snobbery throughout the world for centuries. Fascinating to read a theory that Brits see themselves as a society of egalitarians!

 

More seriously, it is amazing to me how many luxury cars and watches are advertised on TV here in the US with voice-overs by Brits. We still associate Britishness with "high class".

Edited October 8, 2023 by mayleeman