Celebrity Solstice Buffet Rating Down

[Checkmate1955]

I have not yet cruised on Celebrity and have been considering the Solstice.... One thing I have noticed here on C.C. is that most posters do not seem to like the buffet on the Solstice... It seems to be a downplayed part of that ship as if trying to get the passengers to eat somewhere else on the ship...

 

We have cruised with Princess and NCL and always found the buffets areas on the newer ships to be great areas to eat, hang out and meet friends... We have found many great food items at all times of the day in those buffets..and have even eaten our evening meal there on occassion.. It seems to be a confort zone on Princess and NCL but is treated as a necessary evil on Celebrity Solstice..

 

Am I getting a wrong impression or is the buffet just not that important to the passengers of Celebrity and the Solstice?

[If only]

I do not think you will have a problem, everyone is just in awe of the new ship. We have sailed on 30 Celebrity cruises & loved everyone of them.

We are going on the Solstice in March and probably they have everything the other ships have & more. There is the buffet line plus pasta bar plus the deli where they make sandwiches & wraps. I'm sure the Solstice has them all. Why eat dinner at the buffet if you can enjoy a lovely dinner in the main dining or the other ones?

Have a great time.

 

Shirley

[Karynanne]

We were on Solstice last month, and the food in Buffet was just fine. The salads were fresh and plentiful...choices of meat selections...great ice cream and desserts, and a choices of different ethnic foods as well.

 

Don't let a few posters discourage you from sailing on Solstice. It's a beautiful ship.

[Peteymil]

We enjoyed the Solstice buffet very much, and liked the idea of food stations, rather than one long line. The salads and fresh sandwiches were delicious. We enjoyed the pizza, pasta, and the grilled foods. My kids loved the taco area. Breakfasts were also delicious.

[Milo's Dad]

We were on Solstice last month, and the food in Buffet was just fine. The salads were fresh and plentiful...choices of meat selections...great ice cream and desserts, and a choices of different ethnic foods as well.

 

Don't let a few posters discourage you from sailing on Solstice. It's a beautiful ship.

I agree completely. We had most breakfasts and lunches there. The food was very good. The variety was also very good.

 

I don't know about dinners there, we never tried it.

[Brad1185]

I have to disagree with you on this one. Not sure how you came to this conculsion.

 

I have read about every comment here and on other sites regarding the Solstice. One common point most have made seems to be how great the buffet area is.

 

My brother and family are on the current cruise this week. He called me Sunday and I asked him about the ship and his initial impressions. They all thought the buffet was great. They actually raved about it. He has only been on RCI and said he thought Celebrity was way better. I know it was only one days impressions. We are meeting up with him when they get off Sunday. Hopefully they will still have the same impressions.

 

I'm going this Sunday and will let you know.

[Schplinky]

Don't let the negatice people get you down. If you believed all the negative comments that seem to be more and more posted on this board, it would make you wonder why anyone would go on a cruise.

[Longboysfan]

I have not yet cruised on Celebrity and have been considering the Solstice.... One thing I have noticed here on C.C. is that most posters do not seem to like the buffet on the Solstice... It seems to be a downplayed part of that ship as if trying to get the passengers to eat somewhere else on the ship...

 

We have cruised with Princess and NCL and always found the buffets areas on the newer ships to be great areas to eat, hang out and meet friends... We have found many great food items at all times of the day in those buffets..and have even eaten our evening meal there on occassion.. It seems to be a confort zone on Princess and NCL but is treated as a necessary evil on Celebrity Solstice..

 

Am I getting a wrong impression or is the buffet just not that important to the passengers of Celebrity and the Solstice?

 

The complainers come to this forum. For a more even view go to the review section.

I thought the buffet area was a great change from the long lines in the other ships cafe area. There is plenty of seatins and just too many choices there.

Maybe some people are cranky as they took away their trays.

[ellbon]

I went three times in two weeks. I took my food and leeft. I had no problem with the food and getting it I jsut wanted the quiet of my cabin.

[hcat]

Today we see positive posts--but there have many others mentioning congestion, adjustment to no trays,, not liking the offerings or hours etc. In the end it's your own opinion that counts-- Can't wait to try it all when we sail on Sunday!

 

(PS when I saw the title I thought it meant a CDC sanitary rating went down!)

[Cirtan1]

DW and I really like the "station" concept on Princess Ship's Horizon Courts, so are looking forward to the same on Solstice. We sailed on the Eurodam this past November (our first HAL cruise) and did not like the long lines in the buffet. I always felt like I was cutting in line if I went back for an item or two.

[Andy]

Hi Everyone !

 

We thought the buffet on Solstice was excellent, and a major upgrade from past Celebrity sailings. Not only was the food wonderful, but the variety was greatly improved, and traffic flowed fairly well, as they have multiple food stations, instead of straight lines.

 

As I read most every post on this board, I'd say the Buffet reviews have been far more positive than negative.

 

To the OP: Please, don't worry about it. I am sure you will find plenty of excellent food at the Buffet. Enjoy your Cruise !

[Mysticks1]

Can someone give me a little more details on the sandwich area? I loved the deli area on the Carnival Conquest a you had a large selection of made to order varieties but if they had the ingredients they would make anything for you. Is this the same type setup? A selection like Tuna, Reuben, Chicken Salad, etc.? I haven't noticed this mentioned before. Also are there items in the buffet in the late afternoons to snack on when returning from excursions?

[willysgrandma]

A buffet is a buffet. I have never heard of anyone starving on a cruise. Just like any other buffet, there are some things you won't like and some things I won't like, but no matter what, you'll never starve. Food is very subjective.

 

The best buffet I ever had was on a Princess ship, but I was on two other Princess cruises and the buffets were not as good as the first ship - IMO. I also found the same thing within two different Celebrity ships. But I sure never starved - I always found something I liked. And God only knows how much weight I would have gained if the buffets had fantastic food.

 

I find myself going to the dining room for lunch more on every cruise I go to. I think the food is much better and I am not tempted to eat as much as I do at the buffet.

 

Try the Solstice - you won't starve.

[Longboysfan]

A buffet is a buffet. I have never heard of anyone starving on a cruise. Just like any other buffet, there are some things you won't like and some things I won't like, but no matter what, you'll never starve. Food is very subjective.

 

I find myself going to the dining room for lunch more on every cruise I go to. I think the food is much better and I am not tempted to eats much as I do at the buffet.

 

Try the Solstice - you won't starve.

 

Yes. Same here I make it a point to get to the dining room for breakfast and lunch at least two times a cruise.

[jeffreytg]

Part of my challange in dealing with postings on a cruise line Ive never been on is that many comments seem to be something like XXX is not what it used to be". For a seasoned Celebrity traveler that is probobly useful, for me it is less so. Did it use to be a 10 and now it is a 9? Or did it use to be a 8 and now it is a 4? Also, people pick certain crusie lines for their own reasons, for some people food is a major priority, for others it is not. There are people who consider a Lonstar steak house to be a 10. There are others who would consider that to be a 5 and a Ruth's Chris to be a 10.

 

In other words, food rateings to me are not very helpful in helping me pick a line or ship, they are at best "directional" in nature. I'm sure others find them to be quite helpful though.

[jjgoo]

We enjoyed the Solstice buffet very much, and liked the idea of food stations, rather than one long line. The salads and fresh sandwiches were delicious. We enjoyed the pizza, pasta, and the grilled foods. My kids loved the taco area. Breakfasts were also delicious.

 

yes I also like the food stations.

[Checkmate1955]

Hi Everyone !

 

We thought the buffet on Solstice was excellent, and a major upgrade from past Celebrity sailings. Not only was the food wonderful, but the variety was greatly improved, and traffic flowed fairly well, as they have multiple food stations, instead of straight lines.

 

As I read most every post on this board, I'd say the Buffet reviews have been far more positive than negative.

 

To the OP: Please, don't worry about it. I am sure you will find plenty of excellent food at the Buffet. Enjoy your Cruise !

 

To all who replied.... thanks.... It was nice to read that casual dining in the buffet is enjoyed my many.... Food stations are the only way to go... to enjoy the buffet I need a great selection of food, nice available seating and no lines to break into....

[chronic-cruiser]

The problem with the Celebrity Solstice buffet was not the food or food stations, which were fine. It was having to lug those heavy plates across that vast area. And those separate beverage stations made the walk even longer.

 

In other cruises, we had a cast member take a tray from us at the end of the line. This time, I had to wind up using my napkin as a platter.

 

The lunch service in the main dining room was not much better. The smiling, bowing waiter led us past the beautiful two-story room and into a dingy little corner.

 

Dinner service was wonderful, I might add. But for breakfast and lunch...the whole ship seemed to be run for the crew's convenience.

[fairfax7401]

I just returned from a Solstice cruise. My wife and I found the food in the Oceanview venue to be sub-standard when compare to similar dining on other ships. While the main dining room (Epernay) has received some negative reviews, we found the food excellent. The steak and the short ribs were particularly good. We also stumbled upon a brunch in this room and were amazed at the quality despite the fact that there was not much notice on the particular offering. The food in the Murano was outstanding. However, our meal in the Tuscan Steakhouse was not particularly good--a appetizer was billed as having lump crab but it was as smooth as can be--I don't know why the chef would use lump crab for such a dish if lump crab was in fact used. The steak at this Italian restaurant was really disappointing--thin and tough. Nevertheless, overall we were satisfied with our food on the Solstice once we figured out the best place to dine.

[Infi]

Can someone give me a little more details on the sandwich area? I loved the deli area on the Carnival Conquest a you had a large selection of made to order varieties but if they had the ingredients they would make anything for you. Is this the same type setup? A selection like Tuna, Reuben, Chicken Salad, etc.? I haven't noticed this mentioned before. Also are there items in the buffet in the late afternoons to snack on when returning from excursions?

 

The sandwiches are made to order, with a variety of breads (white, wheat, rolls, croissants), meats (turkey, ham, even prosciutto), cheeses, toppings. There are also pre-made salads, like egg, tuna, etc. I loved the sandwich bar, it was excellent and much better than the soggy pre-made sandwiches in Princess' Horizon Court.

 

Have to agree with all the other posters - the buffet is excellent, the best on Celebrity or any line. The stations concept allows for greater variety and better traffic flow. The only time I eat at the buffet is on embarkation day, and I have to say, the buffet on Solstice was so excellent and I would eat there other times as well. Enjoy!

[Mysticks1]

The sandwiches are made to order, with a variety of breads (white, wheat, rolls, croissants), meats (turkey, ham, even prosciutto), cheeses, toppings. There are also pre-made salads, like egg, tuna, etc. I loved the sandwich bar, it was excellent and much better than the soggy pre-made sandwiches in Princess' Horizon Court.

 

 

Thanks so much for the information. I loved being able to pick up a sandwich for a light lunch but like you don't like the pre-made "soggy" type.

[neilrr]

Dear Friends:

 

We have been travellers on several of the cruise lines with Celebrity always being our favorite in the past. We have been contemplating making reservations for April, but I must say the overall reviews have been average on food and service at best on this new ship. I am also looking at the Crown Princess (new) and Holland Westerdam and Eurodam (new) and the reviews appear to be far superior.

 

For many -- cruising is all about the quality of the food, the service and the acivities. If you look at the reviews for the other ships they appear to be not just the"negative" reviews as we have seen on Solstice. I have written to Celebrity (at their website) to find out what the story is with food and service on Solstice -- I have yet to hear back from there 48 hour response area. I sent the e-mail about a week ago. I know that all of the cruise lines are looking to cut costs in our current economy - but don't kill the golden goose.

 

It appears that Celebrity has made service cuts as well. As for the tray issue (lack thereof) -- we decided that after dealing with this on a Princess cruise - we will bring our own tray (and little paper liners) not to have to deal with carrying hot plates or drinks (which by the way, I heard has stained the carpeting in the buffet on Solstice (wait until the kids get on there).

 

We hope that Celebrity does look at those reviews with a clear eye and fixes those problems that have been showing up in most reviews. We have written several reviews and have always been great proponents of Celebrity and would hate to see the status they have achieved over the years disappear through shortsightedness on RCCL's part.

 

Neil

[Checkmate1955]

Can someone give me a little more details on the sandwich area? I loved the deli area on the Carnival Conquest a you had a large selection of made to order varieties but if they had the ingredients they would make anything for you. Is this the same type setup? A selection like Tuna, Reuben, Chicken Salad, etc.? I haven't noticed this mentioned before. Also are there items in the buffet in the late afternoons to snack on when returning from excursions?

 

I rememer the sandwich area on the Conquest... was the best arrangement for sandwiches that I have seen on most cruise ships... The Star Princess was also excellent in the buffet area with plenty of seats available...

 

It seems to me that most of the postings here on C.C. Celebrity concerning food deal more with the main dining room and how good the service is in the dining room... While I believe that everyone on a cruise enjoys the main dining room for formal dining it is hard to beat the casual dining at all meals that Princess, Carnival and NCL provide...in their buffets...

 

Many times after eating dinner in the main dining room we have walked around the ship and would end up in the buffet area where we noticed a lot of the same food being served there that we had just enjoyed in the MDR.. We have even got some more dessert and coffee and enjoyed eating again in the nice relaxed location of the buffet...

 

I guess I am saying that there is more to a cruise that formal dining all of the time.. for some... just my opinion...:)

[neilrr]

Checkmate1955 - I agree it is wonderful to have a great buffet like that of the M-Class ships but it is those little niceties -- such as taking your trays or refilling your drinks in the buffet that have always made the difference on Celebrity.

 

You are correct most of the problems appear to be in the Main Dining Room (MDR); it looks like cut-backs in service and quality of food is a BIG problem.

 

People also need to dress appropriately for meals in the MDR. After our one and only one cruise on Norwegian the food was deplorable and the people looked like they dressed for Beach Blanket Bingo on Formal night -- we showed up in Tuxes and were shocked to see how they let people in to the dining room.

 

Again, if you are trying to attract an upscale crowd and are charging top dollar than you must give the food, service and amenities paid for.

Neil :)