Macfanmr

Yea, but we don't dress up to fly anymore either... I definitely don't expect that level of service unless I'm going on an ultra premium cruise line that advertises as such. When I worked on the QE2 and family visited, I was able to get us lunch in the Princess restaurant which was the most formal restaurant I've ever been to, with the waiter standing just off to the side should we need anything, and during course changes, they turned the knives to face a specific direction, it was something. And that wasn't even the top restaurant there.

On the flip side, I don't expect cruise lines advertised as party ships to be as nice as what I saw on Holland America. I know some lines are more formal, and I'm willing to dress up for a few nights out, but I'm not looking to spend my whole cruise in a suit either. So I realize there is a balance, and it's quite possible I just need to know how the lines stack up in terms of food and I can select accordingly. There are many features of a cruise, for the most part they go to the same ports on a given journey, so need to distinguish themselves in other ways. Personally, I don't have kids so I'm not looking for rock walls and waterslides. I want good food and relaxation.

Is this a trend across the industry, or limited to certain cruise lines? I don't see a problem having premium offerings, but I think the base offerings should be at least what one would expect to get in a sit-down restaurant on shore, but preferably a cut above. Cruise ships got the reputation of having great food available at all hours... of eating way too much. But it wasn't really worth it on my cruise.

I cruised on Holland America's Oosterdam 13 years ago as part of a photography themed cruise.

When we sailed, there was a bit of fanfare to it, a party was thrown in the main area.

We ate as a group in the MDR every night. Service was spot on, the food was great. I've attached a photo of one of the desserts below. Fancy plate, nice cake with drizzle and garnish.

Toward the end of the cruise, there was a dessert party where the chefs showed off their skills. There were multiple ice sculptures, and fancy desserts with sugar art like I've only ever seen on the Food Network.

The last night at dinner, there was a presentation by the MDR staff and a special dessert of Baked Alaska with sparklers.

I went into my NCL cruise last month expecting the same type of thing, but was instead served food that I wouldn't pay for in a restaurant. The MDR had menus that sounded good, but the food was often unseasoned or overcooked. At the pub restaurant, the food was edible, but also lacking any sort of seasoning. We only ate at the buffet for breakfast and late night snack, both were pretty disappointing. My college cafeteria had better food. Even in MDR, I was served apple pie that was mostly gel, grocery stores that bake pre-made pies in-store have better quality than that.

Someone we cruised with said that NCL used to be good 10 years ago. So my question is, is this a decline of the whole industry, or just certain lines? Because I was really disappointed and want to cruise again, but want reliably good food. I read recent reviews of Oosterdam and it didn't sound good.