Be Careful RCL

[Jimnbigd]

I have always found something good, and sometimes excellent, to eat in the MDR. I also have ordered items that were downright bad. OK -- I don't have to eat those items. I remember on my Carnival Elation cruise all of the beef was very tough. OK -- I didn't eat beef that week. Big deal. The chicken and fish was really good.

 

I also find MDR really can vary from ship to ship. On my two Splendour OTS cruises, both times the lobster bisque was not good. But on the Rhapsody OTS and Voyager OTS it was very good. This surprises me a little, because I would think all ships follow the same recipes. Any good chef should be able to follow a recipe. Oh well, other items on the Splendour OTS made up for the bad lobster bisque -- really good prime rib and lamb and lobster tail. It did not ruin my cruise.

 

Bottom line: If you order something and it tastes bad, order something else. Heck, if you order something and it is really good, order seconds!

[Paul65]

Think someone was looking for this thread . . .

[jdh]

Food is very personal and if one person dislikes the food it doesn't mean others will or should. We cruise for the experience and we love everything about RCCL. If you want the crystal, silver, etc., you should move to one of the more luxurious cruiselines where you will absolutely pay top-notch money for it. If you pay a few hundred dollars pp on RCCL then you will have to be satisfied with the glassware and stainless. Personally, we have done both and far prefer the relaxed, fun experience that RCCL gives us. Come on folks...there is somehting for everyone so if you aren't happy with RCCL, quit complaining and move on. Leave those of us who love RCCL to enjoy our choice. Do people really believe there is a conspiracy in everything RCCL does....paranoia runs rampant on this forum. Anytime something changes, it's a conspiracy to gouge the custmer. PLEASE PEOPLE...get a life.

[Alexis]

Food is very personal and if one person dislikes the food it doesn't mean others will or should. We cruise for the experience and we love everything about RCCL. If you want the crystal, silver, etc., you should move to one of the more luxurious cruiselines where you will absolutely pay top-notch money for it. If you pay a few hundred dollars pp on RCCL then you will have to be satisfied with the glassware and stainless. Personally, we have done both and far prefer the relaxed, fun experience that RCCL gives us. Come on folks...there is somehting for everyone so if you aren't happy with RCCL, quit complaining and move on. Leave those of us who love RCCL to enjoy our choice. Do people really believe there is a conspiracy in everything RCCL does....paranoia runs rampant on this forum. Anytime something changes, it's a conspiracy to gouge the custmer. PLEASE PEOPLE...get a life.

 

I say "Bravo" to you for posting that. That is the truth on how many of us feel. ;)

[marci22]

Do people really believe there is a conspiracy in everything RCCL does....paranoia runs rampant on this forum. Anytime something changes, it's a conspiracy to gouge the custmer. PLEASE PEOPLE...get a life.

 

It's not a conspiracy, and they are not gouging, but in many interviews Fain and Goldstein talk about non-fuel cost controls and guess what that is? Yeah, food. It's not paranoid to notice the decline in food quantity and quality and then mention it on a cruise forum.

[onespots]

Unfortunately youve hit the nail on the head ,people are willing to pay extra for the speciality restaurants to get a decent meal ,,,,,does this not reflect that the meals that are being served in the MDR are not classed as special ? We have not long been back from a Med cruise on the Navigator , we found that the meals in the MDR were good and had no need to eat in the speciality restaurants , i personaly feel that if you have to pay extra to get a decent meal then you are being ripped off , our Med cruise was not cheap and could be likened to the cost of a good 5 star all inclusive holiday ,this being so i would expect decent meals and not have the need to pay extra to get '' better '' food , i know that on a cruise you get the benefit of good entertainment and lots of different places to visit as well , but that is all reflected in the price you pay .If the standard of food keeps dropping surely people will just choose different cruise lines , i certainly wouldnt pay extra to eat in the speciality restaurants just to get decent food , i would expect to get decent food in the MDR .

 

I wonder if the quality of food seems to be on the decline in MDR on some cruise lines, could any of these factors help contribute ?

 

 

Anytime dining/ open seating ( afterall you have no repore with your servers )

A chef change for the sailing you were on

Cutting back on quality to serve the masses. An account's cost cutting dream

Poorly trained kitchen crew

 

I agree with you, for costs of these 8 night and longer cruises, the passengers have an expectation of food quality. While people will rant about poor service & quality of choices, it seems these complaints are way to consistant on RCL & Princess.

 

Personally I have enjoyed all my cruises, if we had a poor meal in the MDR, the company & wine more than made up for this single experience. Yes I love to eat & think it is one of the highlights of travelling on a cruise ship. But because these ships are getting larger & 10,000 meals a day to prepare & serve, How can the quality improve ? After a long day in port, we look foward to nice dinner & some entertainment choices. Luckly we have had mostly positive experiences. John

[suep]

FWIW (as someone who has recently been on both lines), I, too, am disappointed in RC food when compared to Princess.

 

Again, just someone's opinion. Our last cruise on Princess -- we felt the food was mediocre. My husband, who's happy with just about anything (as long as it's not burnt) said after that cruise that not one meal on that ship left a lasting impression. We are scheduled to go on another RCCL cruise this December (our sons chose it, after being on RCCL, Carnival & Princess). Granted it's been a while since we've been on a RCCL cruise, but we're looking forward to it nontheless and will have an awesome time.

A bad day at sea is better than a good day in the office working!!

[katiel53]

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!! :)

 

***

 

Sorry, but I think as long as cruisers feel as you do, the food will continue to go downhill. I can see the quality of food is lower than it was when we started on Royal Caribbean in 1995. I'm not saying that everything tastes bad or is bad, but it's not the same quality any longer. Steak used to be excellent and now unless I pay extra for it, it's not good quality.

 

I have also noticed that things are changing in Portofino. Some of the really great items have been removed from the menu. I am talking about the salad with Gorgonzola and nuts, the eggplant appetizer, and now the pasta is no longer a separate course, but is now an entrée. If we want the pasta along with the steak it is an extra $10.

 

As far as someone's saying they gain weight every cruise, I believe it is because of the amount of salt put into the food. I don't cook with a lot of salt and by the second day of a cruise, my hands and feet are swollen and I have gained weight. When I get home and stop with all the salt, the weight is gone within a couple of days and my hands and feet are back to the normal size.

 

I feel as long as we all accept what is offered and do not make comments on the comment cards, the cruise line will continue to dumb down the food.

[FreshOffTheBoat]

All I can say is I thought the food was very good every night in MDR on my last cruise. I did also eat at Portofinos and Chops (which were both awesome as well). I have no complaints.

[elron]

As someone who cruises often, I have personally found my satisfaction of food in the MRD declining on both RC and X. I don't like having to pay extra to get better food and I don't think it is too much to expect that you will recieve the best the ship has to offer in the MDR.

So, I'll pose the question. If you think the food quality in the MDRs is declining, do you think it is so more people will pay to go to the specialty restaurants? Or is it a cost cutting measure? Or something else?

 

I think that most of the main stream cruiselines have cutback to a degree. I hear it by past Carnival, Celebrity, Princess, and RCCL cruisers besides some staff members alluding to this.