Rant about Infinity MDR

[calicakes]

On 10/13/2023 at 9:49 AM, Team Stag said:

As someone who ventured out to a different cruise line, I quickly discovered that there is a lot more about the cruise experience than just food. 

Well, you should have been on our cruise last month on Oceania( their tag line is " Finest cuisine at sea" or something like that). I live blogged and posted about the food and of course I was told I was wrong and don't cruise again.  I thought " Hey, there is more to cruising than the food".  Not on this cruise.  The entertainment was a movie that I could have watched on the airplane( the same movie) and not much else.  We missed one port ( it was a 2 port Bermuda cruise) so we spent 3 days in Hamilton with not much to do since all stores were closed on a Sunday.    We had a very different experience on this O cruise than our first in Feb 2022.  I cancelled our next booked O cruise while we were on that cruise.  We have 2 more X cruises booked( Oct 28th on Eclipse) and Feb 2024 on Edge from Sydney.  I'm going to cancel the other X cruise we have booked for next Sept and I replaced it with a 4 day Virgin cruise since everyone says great things about their food.  

[doghog]

10 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

For those wanting to hear something positive...No...More...Mashed...Potatoes!

Night 6 on our recent Eclipse cruise. Prime rib (perfectly cooked and a nice size cut) severed with mashed potatoes. My wife liked them, I ordered Mac n Cheese. 

Edited October 18, 2023 by doghog

[cruiseallways]

Last time I cruised Celebrity they where one of the top cruise lines now it seems their at he bottom

[doghog]

22 minutes ago, doghog said:

Night 6 on our recent Eclipse cruise. Prime rib (perfectly cooked and a nice size cut) severed with mashed potatoes. My wife liked them, I ordered Mac n Cheese. 

...served! 🙄

Edited October 18, 2023 by doghog

[Cat4158]

11 hours ago, Stupot74 said:

What I think is amusing, is that it seems to be only this particular forum that's so critical of Celebrity.

 

Just about everywhere else, the reports are glowing.

 

Cruise Critic indeed!

Good to know there’s something positive out there. Could you provide a link so that I can read them? 
 

[Cat4158]

8 minutes ago, Cat4158 said:

Good to know there’s something positive out there. Could you provide a link so that I can read them? 
 

It’s ok - I’ve just backtracked through recent posts and can see what you’re referring to. 

[budmeister]

On 10/14/2023 at 3:04 PM, Cat4158 said:

Even if that is the case it’s not good news for those of us who have paid our hard earned money in full expectation an advertised standard. Whether that’s reduced due to corporate decisions or reduced due to new crew coming on it’s still our looked forward to holiday that is being compromised. I’m reading on cruise critic that menus might be changing for the better at the end of the month - but I cruise on Infinity next week! And I’ve paid just as much as someone who will be cruising at the end of the month. 
I’m hoping I won’t be disappointed and I will report back. Good, bad or indifferent I’ll be very honest. 

I would purchase at least a couple of specialty restaurant meals b4 you go. While we enjoyed the  buffet at dinner last month, I wish we had. MTD was unsatisfactory.

[di T]

17 hours ago, scouseronline said:

We were recently on a b2b in Greece on the Infinity, 1st week we were Aqua, but no availability in Aqua for the 2nd week. 

1st week - Food in Blu was very good, enjoyed every meal we ordered and the staff were amazing

2nd week - MDR - We sailed the Infinity less than a year earlier and we noticed major changes in the quality of the MDR food, it was so bad that we ended up (along with many other passengers) going to the buffet to eat on quite a few nights, which is something we hardly ever did on past sailings.  I noticed that they had really improved the dinner buffet food , this makes me wonder if they were intentionally trying to steer guests away from the service in the MDR to a self serve option ? (Reminds me of supermarkets and the trend toward self serve checkouts)   

This is exactly my thoughts too. Our b2b on Reflection a ship we have sailed a lot and 4 times since the startup! Spent most nights in the buffet as MDR menu was lacking, Never have we ate in the buffet in the evening before and must say the offerings there were mostly good.The buffet was really busy so I assume we were not the only ones disappointed with food in the main dinning room.

 

 

 

[hankandteri]

12 hours ago, calicakes said:

Well, you should have been on our cruise last month on Oceania( their tag line is " Finest cuisine at sea" or something like that). I live blogged and posted about the food and of course I was told I was wrong and don't cruise again.  I thought " Hey, there is more to cruising than the food".  Not on this cruise.  The entertainment was a movie that I could have watched on the airplane( the same movie) and not much else.  We missed one port ( it was a 2 port Bermuda cruise) so we spent 3 days in Hamilton with not much to do since all stores were closed on a Sunday.    We had a very different experience on this O cruise than our first in Feb 2022.  I cancelled our next booked O cruise while we were on that cruise.  We have 2 more X cruises booked( Oct 28th on Eclipse) and Feb 2024 on Edge from Sydney.  I'm going to cancel the other X cruise we have booked for next Sept and I replaced it with a 4 day Virgin cruise since everyone says great things about their food.  

We missed three ports on our early summer cruise on Oceania. Like you, we were repeaters on O (prior sailing was prepandemic). Long story, but there was no real reason for two of those three misses (Lisbon and Porto). I’ve noticed that NCL-owned ships seem to skip a lot more ports than other lines. 
 

I thought the food on O was good to great, but I won’t be going back because of the port skipping shenanigans. 
 

I’m not that picky, but I expect to be taken where you promised to take me, and I expect to be fed reasonably well along the way. Why is that so difficult?

[RichYak]

22 hours ago, Stupot74 said:

What I think is amusing, is that it seems to be only this particular forum that's so critical of Celebrity.

 

Just about everywhere else, the reports are glowing.

 

Cruise Critic indeed!

If your premise is that the problem is the message board and not the product, I don't buy into that. Read reviews on various Celebrity groups on Facebook. They are far more brutal than the ones here on CruiseCritic. 

 

I skimmed the thread titles on the first 3 pages of the subreddit you posted, which covered the last month's worth of activity. I didn't notice any that looked like reviews, mostly just questions. Maybe I scrolled to quickly?

[C 2 C]

On 10/11/2023 at 3:30 PM, Cruise till you drop said:

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

They are only endless if you read them.

Other topics seem to be less repetitive.

[C 2 C]

Just a sample on HAL last week.

IMG_2366.HEIC

[goofysmom99]

I've been following the daily MDR menu's on current Connie cruises for several weeks.  Wow, they certainly haven't gotten to the part about better menus yet.  Tonight's (Thursday) entree offerings are:  Sauteed Tilapia Filet; Oven-Roasted Turkey; Butternut Farrotto (farrotto is a type of wheat); Gnocchi; Pasta Pomodoro; Grilled Chicken Breast; and Grilled NY Sirloin.  Other than the regular chicken and sirloin (no salmon tonight), the only actual gluten-free menu option is tilapia??  Boy, do I ever hope the Connie gets all their swell tilapia, wheat, and pasta, pasta, pasta (thinking hamburger, hamburger, hamburger) reserves used up by November.  Mmmm....  Earlier, someone suggested that perhaps X is trying to drive people to OVC for dinner. Significantly lower prep and staffing expense = another hidden service cut.  I think there is probably some truth to that.

[Stupot74]

7 hours ago, RichYak said:

If your premise is that the problem is the message board and not the product,

I don't have a premise and I don't think there's a problem.

 

It's just 2 observations: (1) that, going by reviews alone, people on this board enjoy Celebrity Cruises less than many people elsewhere on the internet, and (2) people on this board seem to be more polarised in their opinion of Celebrity Cruises than many people elsewhere on the internet.

[RichYak]

14 minutes ago, Stupot74 said:

I don't have a premise and I don't think there's a problem.

 

It's just 2 observations: (1) that, going by reviews alone, people on this board enjoy Celebrity Cruises less than many people elsewhere on the internet, and (2) people on this board seem to be more polarised in their opinion of Celebrity Cruises than many people elsewhere on the internet.

Each social media site serves its own particular purpose. Pick your poison:

 

Reddit: I’ve never cruised. What food is free on Celebrity?

Tiktok: Here’s how to find the best food on a Celebrity cruise. 

Instagram: Look at these pictures of food on Celebrity

Youtube: Watch my divisive video about food on Celebrity. Then like and subscribe. 

Facebook: I will disagree with whatever your opinion is about food on Celebrity

CruiseCritic: I only sail in upper level suites. The food isn’t what it used to be on Celebrity 

[zanderblue]

3 hours ago, goofysmom99 said:

I've been following the daily MDR menu's on current Connie cruises for several weeks.  Wow, they certainly haven't gotten to the part about better menus yet.  Tonight's (Thursday) entree offerings are:  Sauteed Tilapia Filet; Oven-Roasted Turkey; Butternut Farrotto (farrotto is a type of wheat); Gnocchi; Pasta Pomodoro; Grilled Chicken Breast; and Grilled NY Sirloin.  Other than the regular chicken and sirloin (no salmon tonight), the only actual gluten-free menu option is tilapia??  Boy, do I ever hope the Connie gets all their swell tilapia, wheat, and pasta, pasta, pasta (thinking hamburger, hamburger, hamburger) reserves used up by November.  Mmmm....  Earlier, someone suggested that perhaps X is trying to drive people to OVC for dinner. Significantly lower prep and staffing expense = another hidden service cut.  I think there is probably some truth to that.

Or drive folks to paying for the premium items listed on the same page of the menu!

I didn’t see this happening around us last week on the Infinity, but I did see it happen several times on the Solstice in August.

[calicakes]

12 hours ago, goofysmom99 said:

Sauteed Tilapia Filet

One of the most, if not the most inexpensive fish you could buy.  Also, farmed in Vietnam and or China. No Thanks.  I'd rather eat dal from the buffet. 

[Cat4158]

Just got back from our cruise on Infinity and, as promised, I’m happy to report back. We arrived with trepidation having read many negative comments but we left happy enough to book another cruise whilst on board. Our main anxieties about a tired and jaded ship with disappointing food choices and reduced services were wrong. 
Embarkation was quick and easy. We were onboard by 11.45 and we were greeted with champagne. I didn’t expect that! 
We found the general condition of Infinity to be pretty good considering the age. Our cabin (deluxe veranda) was in great condition, apart from the balcony door which required a secondary lock to secure it. However we only needed to use that lock one night when it was particularly rough and windy. Cabin service was twice daily with a turndown service and chocolates on the pillow. We had sufficient towels, bathrobes were changed midweek and the shower curtain was changed half way through. Our cabin attendant, Grace, was amazing.

We had been concerned about the food quality and variety after reading numerous negative reports. We had traditional late dining. The first two nights had limited menu items but there was also a ‘chef’s choice’ that included an additional starter and main. These changed daily. By day 3 the additional choices became a regular feature of the menu. I only had mashed potato twice and it was delicious! I’m a picky eater and apart from one night I always found something that I enjoyed. Possibly the most disappointing feature of main dining was the desserts - but we’ve always found that with Celebrity so nothing new there. Our waiter, his assistant and the wine waiter were outstanding. 

We ate in the Oceanview for breakfast and a couple of lunches. We found it no better or worse than previous cruises. The layout on Infinity requires a bit of searching around but I just considered that a great way to improve my step count. There was always someone around for bar service or coffee. 
We tried Tuscan one night and weren’t impressed leaving some food uneaten. However the manager came to find us in the MDR the next day to invite us for lunch on a sea day. The quality of the food and service was much better second time around. 
The staff on the ship were mostly amazing and clearly wanted everyone to have a good time. There was no shortage of bar servers. We had upgraded our drink package to premium and, apart from one white wine we found everything else that we asked for to be available. 
We heard a few people coughing and sneezing - and we know that some of the crew were ill - but we were careful with our own hygiene, used the sanitisers that are placed around the dining areas and we didn’t get ill. 
All in all it was a positive experience and I’m looking forward to my next Celebrity cruise. 
 

Edited October 31, 2023 by Cat4158

[SusieAV8R]

On 10/11/2023 at 1:35 PM, zanderblue said:

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!

 

I am left wondering how much is this wanting caviar at spam prices?  I see great choices at the 5 star hotels but an individual not does get out of there without paying $100+ for dinner (and this is without alcohol).  and don't forget inflation which is negatively impacting most of our home grocery bills.   Staff has no choice but to make the customer feel better.  Maybe the customer needs to leave staff out of the equation, (unless service is unacceptable), and use surveys to vent the disappointment or try another cruise line or another form of vacation.  The alternate to MDR is OV which DH and I have always enjoyed in the evening, despite 28 cruises in only CS+ suites.  (We have met ships officers and senior staff there and had wonderful conversations.)

 

 

[zanderblue]

Thanks for your thoughts @SusieAV8R, you mention “wanting caviar at spam prices”. Wonder no more; I can assure you that this is absolutely not the case. If you’d read post #10 in this thread, you’d have seem my comment about being prepared to pay more for a quality product.

I agree with your comment about leaving staff out of it. I never mentioned getting staff involved in my posting. 
Whilst I appreciate some folks like eating in OV it is not for us at dinner. Different folks, different strokes, I guess.