Rant about Infinity MDR

[zanderblue]

Sorry folks but I feel I need to vent a little. We had a poor experience on Solstice a couple of months ago, but the Infinity was worse.

 

Just off the Infinity this morning in Lisbon. Food choices from the menu in MDR were very poor.

Most evenings for appetisers it was 3 soups and 2 salads or vice versa, with possibly one other item; eggplant caviar and salmon tartar spring to mind. The usual ever present onion soup, shrimp cocktail and escargots disappeared randomly through the trip.

The entrees fared worse I thought. The menus changed late in the day with the substitute items poorly thought out. One night we had braised shin of veal on the menu, to be told at table that it was not available and was replaced by steak Diane. Only problem there was we were then left with…..

Steak Diane which was grilled sirloin steak with mushroom sauce

Steak n chips which was grilled sirloin steak with fries

and

New York strip which was grilled sirloin steak with vegetables

 

Most entrees came with green beans, carrots and mashed potato. Although one night broccoli replaced the green beans.

 

No beef wellington to compete with the lobster tail and no prime rib on final night, although it had appeared on the menu, only to be replaced with braised short rib at the table.

 

I do appreciate that food can be subjective, but my gripe is less to do with food itself and more to do with the removal of dishes and the overall reduction of choices.

 

There is no way that these changes are an enhancement. The wait staff were mostly embarrassed by it all and were encouraging folks to mention it in the survey.

 

In addition to this we experienced issues being seated consistently in same section. We were allocated to 5 different sections during the 9 nights and had to wait more than 40 minutes on 2 separate evenings, this was despite having reservations made for the same time every day at time of booking. We were only a 4 top and were never difficult in trying to get seated. 
I did note that select dining was allocated the larger lower dining room instead of the usual mezzanine upper level and did wonder if the additional select numbers might have been the cause???

 

The ship is in reasonable condition overall, although there is some general wear and tear due to age.

 

We did enjoy the cruise in spite of the MDR issues, but probably won’t be back with Celebrity anytime soon, unless there is an improvement. So sad and disappointing!

 

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

Does indeed sound disappointing.  Not to take sides but I just wonder how much of the day of menu changes was due to the lack of availability of certain products at a given port.  

 

I've never sailed Infinity but was on Solstice back in March.  We had an overall very good dining experience.  At the time, Solstice embarked in the USA.  I know Celebrity has made intentional changes and cuts to the menu, but I really have to wonder how much the resupply port has to do with it as well.

 

As an aside, we started ordering a cheese plate as an appetizer to off set the limited choices.  I know that doesn't help you, but it might help others.

Edited October 11, 2023 by Georgia_Peaches

[ECCruise]

2 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Does indeed sound disappointing.  Not to take sides but I just wonder how much of the day of menu changes was due to the lack of availability of certain products at a given port.  

Only if the changes involved fresh fruits or vegetables.

All the proteins are sourced in the USA, not in individual ports. 

[Accessor]

10 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Does indeed sound disappointing.  Not to take sides but I just wonder how much of the day of menu changes was due to the lack of availability of certain products at a given port. 

 

That ship was provisioned when they boarded with the food for the menus. IF something didn't make the ship, the F&B dept had ample time to adjust the menus in advance. They don't provision the day of dining service.

[Rustyman]

Methinks someone high up in Celebrity is trying to kill off their reputation and screw the company. There is no way that the changes made can do anything but be ruinous and drive customers to other cruise lines or to land based holidays.

please someone at Celebrity listen to the constant criticism and act on it before it’s too late.

 

[Arizona Wildcat]

16 minutes ago, ECCruise said:

Only if the changes involved fresh fruits or vegetables.

All the proteins are sourced in the USA, not in individual ports. 

Really?  Hard to believe that ships can be outside the US for up to 9 months and all proteins are carried on board for so many months.

[ECCruise]

1 minute ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

Really?  Hard to believe that ships can be outside the US for up to 9 months and all proteins are carried on board for so many months.

They're not.  They are provisioned in Miami, e.g., and shipped on containers generally to embarkation ports, where they are laded on. Provisions are usually ordered months in advance to account for transport time.

 

There are some exceptions to this, however.  When the ship(s) are in Australia and NZ, more of the products are locally provisioned.   

 

This information comes from several conversations with HDs and Executive chefs. 

[Arizona Wildcat]

2 minutes ago, Rustyman said:

Methinks someone high up in Celebrity is trying to kill off their reputation and screw the company. There is no way that the changes made can do anything but be ruinous and drive customers to other cruise lines or to land based holidays.

please someone at Celebrity listen to the constant criticism and act on it before it’s too late.

 

Absolutely agree that food quality have gone down significantly.   X just like people everywhere is trying to control food expenses.

The good ol  days are gone.

As for criticism,  on our recent cruises there were a HUGE number of first time cruisers.  They were pretty happy.

Also I note after cruising with HAL and Princess recently.  Their food quality and selection has gone down as well.

Will a bunch of long time cruisers leave Celebrity?  Probably,  but the problems are the same in all mainstream cruiselines.  Thus maybe they will stop cruising.

Sorry

[Covepointcruiser]

Is this recent, proteins being provisioned from the U.S.?   On our pre COVID transatlantics from Southampton and from Barcelona, the fish and meat did not come from the U.S.    The beef loaded on Barcelona was bad.   The captain apologized and said he had sent back two shipments of beef and finally had to settle on the third shipment though it was not satisfactory.    

[zanderblue]

35 minutes ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

Absolutely agree that food quality have gone down significantly.   X just like people everywhere is trying to control food expenses.

The good ol  days are gone.

As for criticism,  on our recent cruises there were a HUGE number of first time cruisers.  They were pretty happy.

Also I note after cruising with HAL and Princess recently.  Their food quality and selection has gone down as well.

Will a bunch of long time cruisers leave Celebrity?  Probably,  but the problems are the same in all mainstream cruiselines.  Thus maybe they will stop cruising.

Sorry

I don’t disagree with you.
We have already cancelled a 10 day south Caribbean for February next year and will probably move upmarket for future cruises.

It makes me sad that Celebrity have gone down this road. Personally, I would have been prepared to have paid more for a quality product, but it seems as though they have joined others in the race to the bottom.

[ECCruise]

38 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Is this recent, proteins being provisioned from the U.S.?   On our pre COVID transatlantics from Southampton and from Barcelona, the fish and meat did not come from the U.S.    The beef loaded on Barcelona was bad.   The captain apologized and said he had sent back two shipments of beef and finally had to settle on the third shipment though it was not satisfactory.    

Has been going on for many years, long before COVID.

 

As with most things, nothing is 100%.  Although the majority of proteins are container based, there are supplemental supplies often added locally.

 

Not sure why a Captain would be checking the quality of the food.  That would be in the purview of the provisions manager, the Exec Chef and the HD.  How did you know that the initial meat and fish did not come from the US in containers and been rejected?  We've seen that happen several times which forced local provisioning, which is always a shot in the dark.

Edited October 11, 2023 by ECCruise

[Mark_K]

Culinary

Globally inspired menus and food made from scratch with locally sourced ingredients are overseen by our Michelin-starred chef, Cornelius Gallagher. Guests enjoy the finest culinary experience—and largest wine list—at sea while aboard Celebrity. Choose casual or upscale, sushi or Italian, dining room or al fresco under the stars. With up to a dozen restaurants and an array of bars, lounges, and clubs, every experience takes you on a journey.

[Cruise till you drop]

Please Please Please let the madness stop and cease these endless threads about food 😖 

[ECCruise]

8 minutes ago, Cruise till you drop said:

Please Please Please let the madness stop and cease these endless threads about food 😖 

Potential solution:  Improve the food to meet pax expectations and prior experience.

[2chiefs]

12 minutes ago, Cruise till you drop said:

Please Please Please let the madness stop and cease these endless threads about food 😖 

Are you trying to eliminate all the threads!??

[RichYak]

23 minutes ago, Cruise till you drop said:

Please Please Please let the madness stop and cease these endless threads about food 😖 

Please stop attempting to silence those who have legitimate complaints. Everyone needs to be heard.

[ECCruise]

Another solution is the simplest one:  if you see a thread with a topic like "MDR" or "Celebrity food" simply pass it by.  Problem solved.

[Covepointcruiser]

19 hours ago, HotelSnob1 said:

So sorry for our fellow cruisers’ dilemmas. Truly! We never, ever book our air thru a cruise line, we feel it simply gives up our autonomy with flight times, layovers, seat selection, etc.  Learned our lesson about 12 cruises ago when RSSC booked us through Toronto after AK cruise and it was not pleasant. And barely is there a price difference. Never, never again.

We were fortunate that we re-booked with United thru to IST via MUC fairly quickly after R’s email on Sunday.

See everyone on board.

 

54 minutes ago, ECCruise said:

Has been going on for many years, long before COVID.

 

As with most things, nothing is 100%.  Although the majority of proteins are container based, there are supplemental supplies often added locally.

 

Not sure why a Captain would be checking the quality of the food.  That would be in the purview of the provisions manager, the Exec Chef and the HD.  How did you know that the initial meat and fish did not come from the US in containers and been rejected?  We've seen that happen several times which forced local provisioning, which is always a shot in the dark.

The Captain apologized for the quality of the beef when he said he sent the first two shipments back he was taking responsibility.   We were even delayed leaving Barcelona so it was probably a joint decision with the Captain and Food and Service Manager.

[Cruise till you drop]

16 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

 

The Captain apologized for the quality of the beef when he said he sent the first two shipments back he was taking responsibility.   We were even delayed leaving Barcelona so it was probably a joint decision with the Captain and Food and Service Manager.

But that’s difficult when almost every thread is about the same topic being commented on by the same people with the same comments.

[Georgia_Peaches]

8 minutes ago, Cruise till you drop said:

But that’s difficult when almost every thread is about the same topic being commented on by the same people with the same comments.

For a large segment of the cruising population, food is a BIG deal.  When the food changes, it's a BIG deal.  Cruise Critic is a place where people can post and comment on all deals BIG and small.  With only 247 comments, @zanderblue hardly represents the same people making the same comments.  If nothing else, a good rant can be very cathartic....  

[jelayne]

Hopefully those who have experienced substandard meals are letting Celebrity know.

Letters to Miami may go further in getting some action taken to improve menus and food quality.  Our last cruise was in May and no complaints but we leave in about 3 weeks and if we find the food substandard I will complete the survey and write to Celebrity expressing our dissatisfaction.

[RichYak]

10 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

For a large segment of the cruising population, food is a BIG deal.  When the food changes, it's a BIG deal.  Cruise Critic is a place where people can post and comment on all deals BIG and small.  With only 247 comments, @zanderblue hardly represents the same people making the same comments.  If nothing else, a good rant can be very cathartic....  

Well said. Ironically, it always seems to be the "same people making the same comments" in an attempt to silence others on this board.

[Team Stag]

1 hour ago, ECCruise said:

Potential solution:  Improve the food to meet pax expectations and prior experience.

At this point, they could source everything from a private farm and have it the kitchens run by Gordan Ramsey, Chef Morimoto and Bobby Flay and people would still return claiming its the worse meals they have ever had.  😂😆

Once the pendulum has swung, the masses won't magically swing it back the other way. 

Edited October 11, 2023 by Team Stag

[jmfdr]

1 hour ago, Cruise till you drop said:

Please Please Please let the madness stop and cease these endless threads about food 😖 

Why, good food is one major reason to select a cruiseline.

[ECCruise]

31 minutes ago, Team Stag said:

At this point, they could source everything from a private farm and have it the kitchens run by Gordan Ramsey, Chef Morimoto and Bobby Flay and people would still return claiming its the worse meals they have ever had.  😂😆

Once the pendulum has swung, the masses won't magically swing it back the other way. 

Respectfully disagree.

 

If we find the food comparable to what we had on our previous 30+ =X= sailings, we would be more than satisfied.  And happy to crow about it in the current environment. 

 

The vast majority of food postings here are not "worst meal ever" but largely a clear "definitely didn't live up to what we expect (and are paying big $$ for) on Celebrity."