Be Careful RCL

[Jimnbigd]

In the US right now, dairy prices are way down, and fruits and veggies seem high. I wonder if this affects what ships serve and the quality.

[campingman]

Without a doubt RCCL FOOD and dining room presentation HAS DECLINED.

 

No more cups and saucers in the dining room at breakfast(isnt that why we go to the dining room for at least SOME, Ocean Liner Tradition?).

 

No more daily always available, poached eggs or eggs benedict.

 

The Windjammer SELECTION IS POOR AND QUALITY IS POOR.

 

 

Dining Room always available salmon has gone to a flavourless white meat fish.

 

The ships,some are maybe rated as 5 star along with the hard working crew but the food is not.Im a Diamond cruiser and was on my way to Diamond + however im now turned right off OUR last few RCCL voyages because of Quality,Selection,and Presentation.

[Paul65]

Maybe not being a fan of eating poached eggs, eggs benedict, salmon or cups and saucers is why I haven't noticed the big decline. :D

[Mack2]

Maybe not being a fan of eating poached eggs, eggs benedict, salmon or cups and saucers is why I haven't noticed the big decline. :D

 

That shouldn't be a compromise though.

 

I'm sure we'd all still enjoy a cruise vacation if the food in the MDR was served in a plastic basket with wax paper... but is that the cruise experience?

Are we going to tell the mass market cruise lines that it's okay to lessen the total experience because climbing the rock wall is more important?

 

Imagine the MDR served these every night.

 

 

Sure, that looks great! I didn't have to cook... I can have as many as I like... The busboy even brought me extra pickles! It's not Johnny Rockets, but I don't cruise for the fancy food.

 

It's not part of that "cruise" experience... Doesn't anyone want that anymore?

[cgrout78]

That shouldn't be a compromise though.

 

I'm sure we'd all still enjoy a cruise vacation if the food in the MDR was served in a plastic basket with wax paper... but is that the cruise experience?

Are we going to tell the mass market cruise lines that it's okay to lessen the total experience because climbing the rock wall is more important?

 

Imagine the MDR served these every night.

 

 

Sure, that looks great! I didn't have to cook... I can have as many as I like... The busboy even brought me extra pickles! It's not Johnny Rockets, but I don't cruise for the fancy food.

 

It's not part of that "cruise" experience... Doesn't anyone want that anymore?

 

 

I'm so hungry...and that burger looks REALLY good right now....

 

sorry...not your point I know.

 

I think the major point for me is that I like to try new things on my cruise...since it's already included I don't feel bad trying something I might not like. My main worry is...say that I order the lamb and it's terrible. Then I could never want to try lamb again. It could be the chef that night or something, but I don't know that. *sighs*

 

Not that I know what the right answer is though, so please don't flame me, I'm just stating my opinion...and you know what they say about opinions...

[catlady27]

Maybe not being a fan of eating poached eggs, eggs benedict, salmon or cups and saucers is why I haven't noticed the big decline. :D

 

My DH loved the burgers in the Windjammer. We are not big foodies and for us the cruise experience is the Flowrider, pools, excursions, rock climbing wall, ports of call and basically, it's just being ON A BOAT :D

[Mack2]

I'm so hungry...and that burger looks REALLY good right now....

 

sorry...not your point I know.

 

I think the major point for me is that I like to try new things on my cruise...since it's already included I don't feel bad trying something I might not like. My main worry is...say that I order the lamb and it's terrible. Then I could never want to try lamb again. It could be the chef that night or something, but I don't know that. *sighs*

 

Not that I know what the right answer is though, so please don't flame me, I'm just stating my opinion...and you know what they say about opinions...

 

I know... I took that picture from Google Images from some company that sells those plastic baskets... and it's dinnertime right now...

hungry. :o

 

 

But yeah... I totally want to try new things on a cruise.. as well as eat popular familiar foods... but there was a time when the waiters would walk around with fresh hollandaise sauce for the Filet Mignon night (beef tenderloin)... What was this rich, buttery, wonderful stuff we were pouring on our tenderloin? Who cared about my cholesterol level skyrocketting and my blood flowing like cold bacon grease after dinner?

That stuff is GOOD!!!!

 

Now... some might look at you like you've got two heads... Sauce for your tenderloin? A-1, right?

 

 

If they are going to put new things on the menu, it MUST be good... it's SHOULD be prepared the best way possible... that part of cruising was magical. If we're afraid of the food because it may be prepared badly... then we've all lost something special.

[Tranquil Waters]

What's your obsession with proving that any good food I have on a cruise today can only be because of an unusually good chef, and any food 10 or more years ago that wasn't particularly memorable means I had poor head chefs? You're weird.

 

Somehow I am thinking if we count the number of posts where I express my opinion about there being a significant decline in the quality of MDR - and then count the number of posts where you try to say that the quality of food has not declined - well, I am thinking that the obsession winner would be you. :D

 

As to you calling me weird, I guess I will give that as much credence as I do your opinion on food..... :p In any case, I will not return the insult. :)

[Tranquil Waters]

Without a doubt RCCL FOOD and dining room presentation HAS DECLINED.

 

No more cups and saucers in the dining room at breakfast(isnt that why we go to the dining room for at least SOME, Ocean Liner Tradition?).

 

No more daily always available, poached eggs or eggs benedict.

 

The Windjammer SELECTION IS POOR AND QUALITY IS POOR.

 

 

Dining Room always available salmon has gone to a flavourless white meat fish.

 

The ships,some are maybe rated as 5 star along with the hard working crew but the food is not.Im a Diamond cruiser and was on my way to Diamond + however im now turned right off OUR last few RCCL voyages because of Quality,Selection,and Presentation.

 

So agree.

[marci22]

The fact is Royal spends money on their ships and insists on excellent customer service from their employees which is supposed to offset their strict cost controls on things like food.

[Paul65]

As to you calling me weird, I guess I will give that as much credence as I do your opinion on food..... :p In any case, I will not return the insult. :)

 

I wouldn't mind. I already knew that I was weird.

[Cruzface]

Wow, everyone needs to chill out and understand that if you want great food on a cruise now you will have to pay extra, if you want very good food you can get it for free in the MDR (so long as you are not wearing shorts), and if you want good food you can get it for free in the Windjammer. Sounds like a good deal to me. I have never left a cruise hungry or disappointed. Have I had meals I was not thrilled with, yes. Have I let it ruin my cruise when there are so many other things to be concerned about, never.

[romnan]

My DW and I are working on going on our 10th cruise this January and I can honestly say I hav had very few issues.:)

 

I am not saying that some of the items I have selected I wished I hadn't but that is part of the dining experience.In that situation I order something else,but I do try to maintain wasting food to a minimum. To me it's rude and not very thoughtful:(

[Mack2]

Wow, everyone needs to chill out and understand that if you want great food on a cruise now you will have to pay extra, if you want very good food you can get it for free in the MDR (so long as you are not wearing shorts), and if you want good food you can get it for free in the Windjammer. Sounds like a good deal to me. I have never left a cruise hungry or disappointed. Have I had meals I was not thrilled with, yes. Have I let it ruin my cruise when there are so many other things to be concerned about, never.

 

The point I think some people are making is that the quality of the food has declined.

 

Sure, there's a lot of food, you won't go hungry, there's always the buffet upstairs... but there was a time when RCI provided the TOTAL cruising experience... and that included "excellent" good food selections in the MDR.

 

At first, I thought it was because there's 4,999 other passengers on board with me... but when I hear the food quality has declined on smaller ships like the Brilliance... I worry.

[linkerbink]

I've been on 9 RCI cruises since 1996 and I will agree that the food quality in the MDR has diminished somewhat. However, I still have no complaints because I can get interesting dishes and foods that I would not ordinarily have or prepare for myself. I have discoverd several new foods that I now really enjoy because they were on the MDR menu and I decided to give them a try. Also, since I live alone and am not usually inspired to cook nice meals (cereal for dinner is not uncommon!), it's always a treat to eat "fancy" dishes on a cruise. So unless the menus start to look like a chain restaurant's, I'll have no complaints about the MDR.

[twoputt.plusone]

Theres always something for everyone.

 

 

Heres how I look at it.

• I don't have to plan the meals.
  
• I don't have to shop for it.
  
• I don't have to lug it to the car (in 110 heat)
  
• I don't have to lug it into the house.
  
• I don't have to put it away.
  
• I don't have to cook it.
  
• I don't have to clean it up.
  

It works for me!! :)

 

***

 

This kind of post turns up on nearly every discussion regarding the quality of food and I have a hard time understanding this mentality. Sure you don't have to cook it, clean it up, etc. But you're paying for it!!! I refuse to pay big bucks for mediocrity. :rolleyes:

[Paul65]

This kind of post turns up on nearly every discussion regarding the quality of food and I have a hard time understanding this mentality. Sure you don't have to cook it, clean it up, etc. But you're paying for it!!! I refuse to pay big bucks for mediocity. :rolleyes:

 

I don't really find the food mediocre, but even if I agreed with that part, I don't feel like I pay "big bucks" to dine on Royal Caribbean. In fact, it's rather cheap. Yes, one can pay big bucks, if they want the nicest cabin on the most popular ships and busiest times of the year. In those cases, though, you're not paying extra for the food, but rather for the accommodations/timing.

 

You can find many, many RCI cruises for under $100pp/day, including a place to stay, entertainment, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, transportation to different locations and access to numerous facilities onboard. That is not big bucks in my book. I don't want to pay big bucks for mediocrity, either, and I would love to get 5-star cuisine for the low prices that RCI offers. But it is not 5-star cuisine. Go to a true 5-star restaurant, and you often have to pay over $100pp (sometimes well over)just for one meal.

[twoputt.plusone]

I don't really find the food mediocre, but even if I agreed with that part, I don't feel like I pay "big bucks" to dine on Royal Caribbean. In fact, it's rather cheap. Yes, one can pay big bucks, if they want the nicest cabin on the most popular ships and busiest times of the year. In those cases, though, you're not paying extra for the food, but rather for the accommodations/timing.

 

You can find many, many RCI cruises for under $100pp/day, including a place to stay, entertainment, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, transportation to different locations and access to numerous facilities onboard. That is not big bucks in my book. I don't want to pay big bucks for mediocrity, either, and I would love to get 5-star cuisine for the low prices that RCI offers. But it is not 5-star cuisine. Go to a true 5-star restaurant, and you often have to pay over $100pp (sometimes well over)just for one meal.

 

You're missing my point completely. Just because I don't have to cook it doesn't mean that I'll accept whatever they chose to serve me. The fact remains that you pay good money for a vacation and for me that comes with certain expectations. I'm not going to weigh into the discussion of whether the food is or isn't up to my standards. If I feel it isn't, I'll simply stop cruising on RCI.

[chef_christoph]

I don't really find the food mediocre, but even if I agreed with that part, I don't feel like I pay "big bucks" to dine on Royal Caribbean. In fact, it's rather cheap. Yes, one can pay big bucks, if they want the nicest cabin on the most popular ships and busiest times of the year. In those cases, though, you're not paying extra for the food, but rather for the accommodations/timing.

 

You can find many, many RCI cruises for under $100pp/day, including a place to stay, entertainment, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, transportation to different locations and access to numerous facilities onboard. That is not big bucks in my book. I don't want to pay big bucks for mediocrity, either, and I would love to get 5-star cuisine for the low prices that RCI offers. But it is not 5-star cuisine. Go to a true 5-star restaurant, and you often have to pay over $100pp (sometimes well over)just for one meal.

 

I agree totally. I am ont one to look for gourmet food while cruising and I have been happy with the overall product RCI has given me for the price paid.

 

If food were a deal breaker for me, I'd be looking at Regent or Silverseas...

[Paul65]

You're missing my point completely. Just because I don't have to cook it doesn't mean that I'll accept whatever they chose to serve me. The fact remains that you pay good money for a vacation and for me that comes with certain expectations. I'm not going to weigh into the discussion of whether the food is or isn't up to my standards. If I feel it isn't, I'll simply stop cruising on RCI.

 

I didn't miss your point at all, and I actually agree with that. But if that's all you intended, then you clouded it up with the part about paying big bucks.

 

I agree, though, that it seems silly to say that any food is acceptable, as long as you don't have to cook it and clean up after yourself. That's an awfully low standard. :D On the other hand, those attributes are part of what's nice about cruising; you get a whole week of other people taking care of that stuff for you, so I somewhat understand what people are saying. I don't think those who say that would really be happy if they were served gruel every day for their meals.

[cgrout78]

I don't really find the food mediocre, but even if I agreed with that part, I don't feel like I pay "big bucks" to dine on Royal Caribbean. In fact, it's rather cheap. Yes, one can pay big bucks, if they want the nicest cabin on the most popular ships and busiest times of the year. In those cases, though, you're not paying extra for the food, but rather for the accommodations/timing.

 

You can find many, many RCI cruises for under $100pp/day, including a place to stay, entertainment, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, transportation to different locations and access to numerous facilities onboard. That is not big bucks in my book. I don't want to pay big bucks for mediocrity, either, and I would love to get 5-star cuisine for the low prices that RCI offers. But it is not 5-star cuisine. Go to a true 5-star restaurant, and you often have to pay over $100pp (sometimes well over)just for one meal.

 

 

I agree that's it not "big bucks" for a meal. I figure it's an average of 10-15 bucks per person per meal...which is what you pay at like Perkins or Applebees and you don't get that many courses. So actually it's fairly cheap eating. So when you consider what you are actually paying the food it is pretty darn good. Whether or not it's declined over the years is another matter entirely.

[Mack2]

You can find many, many RCI cruises for under $100pp/day, including a place to stay, entertainment, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, transportation to different locations and access to numerous facilities onboard. That is not big bucks in my book. I don't want to pay big bucks for mediocrity, either, and I would love to get 5-star cuisine for the low prices that RCI offers. But it is not 5-star cuisine. Go to a true 5-star restaurant, and you often have to pay over $100pp (sometimes well over)just for one meal.

 

Actually, most of the newer cruise ships RCI has (Liberty, Indy, Freedom, Oasis) a majority of the rooms are balconies... so you're actually talking about a larger number of passengers that aren't paying $789/pp in an interior stateroom on deck 2... but $1200-$1600/pp for a balcony overlooking Central Park.

 

That's almost an average of $200 a day (excluding tips)

 

For $200 a day, I could expect a large room at a 3-star hotel in a major market city.

I could expect a stay at Club Med... big room, big pool, ocean maybe, non-motor powered water sports, liquor and food included, etc

I could expect one dinner for two at a 5-star restaurant without liquor

 

For a couple, that's $400 a day.

What do you expect for $400 a day?

[Paul65]

That's exactly what I was talking about, Mack, when I said that you'll pay more if you want the newest ships and nicer accommodations. In those cases, you're paying for the ship and the accommodations and not for upgraded dining.

 

Edit: I thought I'd call your bluff a little and see what it would cost, if I decided to go on the Liberty next month to celebrate my wife's birthday. It would be as low as $699pp for a balcony cabin or $479 for an interior. I'm sure Oasis, being the brand new ship, would be higher, though.

[cgrout78]

Actually, most of the newer cruise ships RCI has (Liberty, Indy, Freedom, Oasis) a majority of the rooms are balconies... so you're actually talking about a larger number of passengers that aren't paying $789/pp in an interior stateroom on deck 2... but $1200-$1600/pp for a balcony overlooking Central Park.

 

That's almost an average of $200 a day (excluding tips)

 

For $200 a day, I could expect a large room at a 3-star hotel in a major market city.

I could expect a stay at Club Med... big room, big pool, ocean maybe, non-motor powered water sports, liquor and food included, etc

I could expect one dinner for two at a 5-star restaurant without liquor

 

For a couple, that's $400 a day.

What do you expect for $400 a day?

 

 

At some point though, it just has to come down to personal choice. It's up to YOU or to ME what we want to spend 400 a day on. If I know that I want more room and fancier meals, then I know NOT to pick a cruise. If I care more about traveling to different ports and seeing new places I know TO pick a cruise, and even as far as cabin selection that's also up for me to decide what my priorities are. If my priorities are food, then I know to get a cheap inside cabin to save more money for specialty restaurants, if my cabin is more important, then I know that's where I want my money to go.

 

That's the beauty of personal freedom and choices to vacation and spend our hard-earned money however we want.

[Mack2]

At some point though, it just has to come down to personal choice. It's up to YOU or to ME what we want to spend 400 a day on. If I know that I want more room and fancier meals, then I know NOT to pick a cruise. If I care more about traveling to different ports and seeing new places I know TO pick a cruise, and even as far as cabin selection that's also up for me to decide what my priorities are. If my priorities are food, then I know to get a cheap inside cabin to save more money for specialty restaurants, if my cabin is more important, then I know that's where I want my money to go.

 

That's the beauty of personal freedom and choices to vacation and spend our hard-earned money however we want.

 

Just trying to say that there was a time when you got the "whole package". The first time I cruised the Explorer when it was brand new... we got the "whole package"... I remember being able to order a "Black Velvet" at the irish pub - purported to be Bono's (from U2) favorite drink.

 

Last time, while we're getting a good value... it's no longer the "whole package"

 

That's all.