rockbock

OP here again. I sent some comments to JH this morning and I figured I'd post them here as well. These are my observations of the good and bad aspects of the new dining. I have some more food photos to post, but it won't be until later today or tomorrow.

Good morning, John. I promised you some very detailed feedback on the pilot cruise for the new dining program. I'm going to try to be as objective as I can, commenting on both the good and the bad. I'm sorry to say that, overall, I was very disappointed...so disappointed, in fact, that I may never eat in a Carnival MDR again. I understand you've been receiving feedback from the Glory staff that the feedback from guests on this cruise has been very positive. I can honestly say that I only encountered one person on this cruise (my father) who was happy with the changes. I talked to many people about the dining changes and virtually all of them were disappointed. IMO, the two most important aspects of a dining experience are CHOICES and TASTE. If either of those is lacking, the meal is a failure. Unfortunately, the CHOICES on the new dining menus are severely limited and this problem alone completely ruined the entire experience for me.

I will preface this review by saying that I gave up on dining in the MDR after the 3rd night of this cruise; however, I received feedback from family members and other guests on board regarding the last four nights in the MDR.

First, I'll comment on what I saw as improvements to the MDR experience:

(1) I liked the new table settings. I know most people are critical of the lack of tablecloths, but I'm indifferent to this change. The tables looked nice IMO.

(2) The champagne toast on elegant night was a nice touch. I really liked the presentation of the champagne too (mixer was already in bottom of glass when we were seated and the waiter poured the champagne over it).

(3) The presentation of the dishes was definitely stepped up a notch. The presentation was more like what you would expect from a 5-star restaurant. Most plates had some "fancy touches."

(4) The quality/taste of the food was exceptional. I enjoyed Carnival's MDR dishes before, but they have definitely stepped it up a notch on quality and flavor. The only menu item that seemed to be ill-received by everyone I spoke with was the new bread pudding dish. Everybody seemed to comment that it was mushy and looked/tasted very unappetizing...such a disappointment, since Bitter & Blanc was always a Carnival favorite for so many guests.

(5) I like the option of being able to order appetizers family style. I know that food-sharing isn't for everyone, but that's why it's presented as an OPTION. For my family, it's a good option.

(6) The breads were AMAZING! I didn't hear a single complaint from anyone on this ship about the new bread baskets.

Now for the bad. Unfortunately, the list of bads far outweighs any of the improvements I wrote about above. In fact, I can honestly say that I may never eat in a Carnival MDR again if these problems aren't addressed.

(1) The menu options are severely limited. I am NOT a picky eater, but I don't like any seafood, nor do I like or any appetizers/main courses with a creamy sauce. My options were few and far between. In fact, on elegant night there wasn't even a single appetizer on the menu that I could eat. I asked the waiter to bring me a salad and he obliged, but I REALLY missed being able to enjoy a "real" appetizer. Many guests complained that the menus lack any healthy and/or "plain" options. Dessert options were as good as nonexistent. WHAT A HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT!!! I understand that a fruit plate or a scoop of ice cream are always available upon request, but I don't really consider these "desserts"...they are alternatives for people who don't want a "real" dessert. And the menus don't even state that these items are available upon request, so anybody who isn't "in-the-know" won't even realize that the options exist. On elegant night, there was exactly ONE DESSERT on the menu and every guest was automatically served this same dessert. I have to admit, it was the single best dessert I've ever had on a Carnival ship, but the problem is that there was no option for anything else. Anybody who doesn't like chocolate was completely out of luck (unless, of course, they knew that they could order a plate of fruit or scoop of ice cream by request). I understand if Carnival felt the old menus offered too many options and it made cooking/serving the meals difficult, but now there are so few options that virtually every guest on the ship had complaints. They may not have voiced their complaints to the crew, but they certainly made their dissatisfaction clear when chatting with other guests.

(2) The elegant night serving style was confusing, wasteful, and ill-received by most guests. People who are "foodies" might be attracted to the new elegant night dining, but everyone I spoke to except for my father really hated it. Four appetizers, none of which were "plain," were automatically served to every guest...one bite of each item. My sister ONLY liked the stuffed mushroom. She would have liked an entire serving of these...not just the one mushroom. The other three items would have been wasted if my "foodie" father wasn't at the table to eat them. My mother ONLY liked the creamy pork pastry and would have liked a full serving. Her other three items would have been wasted, except that my dad took them. I liked NONE of the four options. Complete waste, if my dining companions didn't split up my plate amongst themselves. Very few guests want a single-bite of every item. Most would prefer a full serving of their item(s) of choice. I know guests can still request a full serving, but most won't know that this option exists. Guests are now automatically served a pasta course. Unfortunately, I couldn't eat this either, since it was creamy. Dessert was a fiasco...THE SAME dessert item delivered to every guest? Who was the brainchild of that idea?

(3) I understand that Carnival wants to make money in the MDR, but the marketing is a bit over-the-top when we are offered more drink choices than meals/desserts. I did NOT like the idea of automatically placing a bottle of wine on the table each night. I'm sure it resulted in additional sales for Carnival, but I thought it was tacky. I didn't care to see all of the cocktail choices on the dinner menu. And the wine menu offered more choices than the dinner menu! And then there were the roaming cordial / shot servers. Too much of a push on alcohol IMO.

(4) Service in the MDR has always been too slow for my liking, which is why I frequently chose to eat on Lido. On this cruise, the service was even slower than normal. I'll cut a little slack here and give the crew the benefit of the doubt, since they were adjusting to some major changes.

(5) On the first night of the cruise, my family was in the MDR from 5:45pm until about 7:45pm. There was no entertainment other than one card trick at the table. On the second night of the cruise (elegant night), we dined at approximately the same time. There was no entertainment and I did not notice the "Dessert Parade" that you spoke of in your blog. On the third night, we dined slightly later (but still early in the evening). There was no entertainment while we were there. Perhaps the entertainment started later in the week, but I gave up on the MDR after three nights.

(6) I expected to receive a feedback survey on the last night of the cruise regarding the dining changes, but none was received. How is Carnival to know the guests' reactions to the changes if they aren't each asked for their impressions? I spoke with some of the crew on the first night and offered some feedback. Most of it was positive, but it was offered before reviewing the limited menu and before experiencing an elegant night. My opinions changed for the worse and I would have liked to have been asked for my feedback.

I'm sure I'm forgetting some important comments here, but at least this is a start. I really wanted to like the MDR changes, but I just couldn't. I think that people who are seafood-lovers and enjoy "Chef's Table" food choices will enjoy the new menus. However, for those of us who prefer foods we can recognize, the new menus are a total failure. PLEASE consider adding more choices to the menus...especially appetizers and desserts!

No, not that I'm aware. I think maybe we'll get a different post-cruise survey than the normal one.

I offered feedback on the first night and it was greatly appreciated. I was even given a free bottle of wine for offering feedback. Unfortunately, my opinion of the dining went downhill after the first night. After three nights, I gave up on it and ate on Lido for the rest of the trip. I am not a picky eater, but I'm obviously too picky for the new dining.

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Hey everyone - this is the OP. We are almost back in port and I just wanted to let all of you know my final opinions on the new dining. I tried very, very hard to keep an open mind about these changes, but I'm just not happy with them. I really like the looks of the dining room, on both casual and formal nights. I believe the food presentation is more upscale than before. The quality and taste of the food is top notch.

BUT...the menu options are severely limited, especially for dessert. The elegant night menu and presentation are both a complete disaster. If you are a "foodie," you might like the new elegant night. However, most people that I spoke to on the ship had VERY strong negative feelings about it.

I promise to write a thorough review on the new dining, but it probably won't be for another day or two.

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Retry of menu photo

Signing off now before I hit "Cellular at Sea" rates :)

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Fig/Date Cake - Very good. Nice presentation. Even the ice cream tastes a bit like a spice cake.

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Nutella Tiramisu - Amazing! We all agree.

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Dessert menu - very limited and I'm still not sure what the Dessert Parade is. Maybe it will come later...

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Did you notice if they still have the everyday menu? And the fruit soups?

No everyday menu was presented. No fruit soups today. Onion soup was just as good as always

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BBQ Braised Brisket - dad says it is very good

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Coconut Fried Shrimp with Curry Sauce. Sister says it is very good. She does care for curry, but I love curry so I tasted the sauce. It was very good

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Herbed Chicken with Lemon. My sister and I don't care for the spice on it. It is very vinegary. My mom loved it though and dad like it

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1/2 order of Fried Calamari for table. Dad says they are good and the white sauce is excellent. My sister says they are "extraordinarily good and the white sauce is so good that she wants to dip her bread in it."

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I can try to get one after dinner and I'll post it if I still have cell service

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some sort of yummy fruity bread!

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I'm on the Glory and I love the way that the tables look! No tablecloths? NO PROBLEM!

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My husband has redeemed quite a few referrals, but that promotion ended. I don't believe you can still make new referrals. The website still works if you need to check the status of a referral that you made a couple of months ago.

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It sounds to me like you were on a typical Carnival cruise, which is why I LIKE Carnival. It's casual and it's fun...and it's an amazing value.

I don't see why you would stop cruising entirely...it just sounds like you belong on Cunard, rather than Carnival. Different strokes for different folks.

I'll be in the Glory next week (7 nights) and it is 100% free, including taxes and even tips. Not part of a casino deal or a customer complaint. :)

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I tried on the Liberty last year and is was told that they could only put them on the burger and they couldn't give me more than two of them.

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I was on the Freedom last month. I'm not hard to please, so I had a great time. However, the ship desperately needs this dry dock. I didn't notice it being dirty or run down, but it's just plan drab and ugly compared to the other Carnival ships I've been on. The service was also the worst I've experienced. Throughout the ship, the service ranged from good to poor. Nobody stood out to me as providing exceptional service.

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Unlimited shampoo, body wash, and bar soap are the only guarantees.

You'll also get some random one-time goodies. The goody basket seems to always have toothpaste and snore strips. Usually it has hand cream and a razor. The other items seem to change every time.

Most of the popular sing-along piano bar songs are fine with me. However, the two things that make me leave the Piano Bar are when the piano guy sings the songs too fast (trying to get through songs more quickly) or when he sings the songs with his own tune. It makes it very hard to get a good sing along going when the piano man is trying to change things up and be the star of the show.

 

My hubby wants to stick with the Miami home port so that would keep us on the Conquest with Cozumel, Belize, Isla Roatan and Costa Maya Mexico. Does anyone have an opinion on Costa Maya?

Costa Maya is a beach stop. There's a swimming pool free lounge chairs at the port. It's just a relaxing day. The other three days could be high adventure for you though. I love the Western Caribbean ports.

$500, at $2.99/minute is 167 minutes of tlaking on the phone. That's quite a lot for a port day...and mind you that means that they spent nearly three hours while they were in port on the phone right next to / in the ship.

My guess is that this person never turned off cellular data for the entire cruise, so the phone was constantly fetching emails, push notifications, etc. via 4g Cellular At Sea rates.

You never know what you're going to get or when you will get it, but I believe that sometimes they do actually look at where they are putting you.

I booked 5 cabins for a group of 12 friends who are cruising together on the Sensation (leaving today). The five cabins were all linked together for dining purposes.

Four of the cabins were booked on the Empress deck...two balconies next door to each other, and two insides directly across the hall from them.

The 5th cabin was booked as an OV guarantee. The passenger in that cabin knew she would probably end up in a different part of the ship from the rest of her group, but she was paying double to travel as a single and she wanted to keep the cost down as much as possible.

The passenger in the GTY cabin ended up being placed on the Empress deck in the closest possible cabin to where the rest of her group is staying.

I truly don't believe this was just coincidence.