Decline in food quality on RCI fleet

[CruizQueen]

I've sailed on RCI ships since 1994 and have tasted a steady decline in the food quality over the years. We were last on Liberty OTS last May and didn't even care for the speciality restaurants. Food quality was so disappointing to us that we hesitate to sail on them again (and I'm 1 pt. away from Diamond Plus!) Do others share our experience? We love the ships but when we're on a 2 week cruise, mediocre food is a real downer.

Any recommendations for future cruises/cruise lines??:confused:

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

I've sailed on RCI ships since 1994 and have tasted a steady decline in the food quality over the years. We were last on Liberty OTS last May and didn't even care for the speciality restaurants. Food quality was so disappointing to us that we hesitate to sail on them again (and I'm 1 pt. away from Diamond Plus!) Do others share our experience? We love the ships but when we're on a 2 week cruise, mediocre food is a real downer.

Any recommendations for future cruises/cruise lines??:confused:

 

We do for sure, it's been going on for quite awhile. We actually tried NCL (Dawn) this past October b/c we were getting so fed-up with Royal and their food and service (service being most important to us) declining so severely. We are Diamond-Plus. We thought NCL's food was better, but not *that* much better, but many more options and choices. I'd still chose RCI over NCL though, for overall experience. Also, NCL is much more organized than RCI, from what we experienced. Good luck!

[coordinator23]

I have seen other posts about this, and I agree. I think it is because they are trying to keep cruise prices down. We almost went to Chops on our last cruise (Serenade in Dec). I asked if it were possible to get the halibut and a small filet - kind of a customized surf and turf and was told no - unless I paid an extra $20. My belief, from day one cruising (on voyager), was that it was a gratuity you were paying, not a charge for the food.

Recommendations - NOT NCL. On our Hawaiian cruise, I couldn't wait to get off the ship to get a decent meal (and from what other family members reported the specialty rest. weren't much better). The service was also slow. Same menu pretty much every day. Even the hamburger was lousy (and how hard do you have to try to do that!). Princess - YES. Their MDR food is light years better than NCL and superior to RCL. High tea is served daily - butler serviced, with scones, desserts, finger sandwiches, fruits, etc. (not cookies, small desserts and beverage served in the windjammer). Only drawback, it's hard to eat an early diner afterwards. So many things tasted so good! They also have the MDR open when you board the ship. It beats trying to get a place to eat at the buffet (with the crowds). Don't get me wrong, they also have a very nice buffet. Their Wheelhouse Pub also was open for lunch on sea days and served great fish and chips along with other pub grub, so you had three main choices as to where to eat.

In general, Princess is very much like RCL used to be. Amenity wise we had toiletries (not a glued on soap/shampoo? dispenser in the shower) and turn down service with chocolates. In addition, they have Movies under the Stars with warm chocolate chip cookies and milk (cushioned lounge chairs and a throw blanket), sinfully wicked! There also seems to be more entertainment, in general, on board. It's worth paying a little bit more. Good experiences on the Diamond and Ruby Princess. check them out. I will continue to sail with Royal, but thanks to their Why Not campaign, I decided to try other lines (after all why not) and was very pleased with Princess.

[Jtd724]

Only twice out of 77 dinners. 1990 I was only 10 so the memory of food from SOS is non existent. From 99 and on though I have consistently had good food in the MDR except for 1 steak in 2006. Specialty restaurants, Portofino in 2006 also let me down once and I can't remember the entree, something in a heavy red barbecue type sauce, horrible. Sh*t happens no matter where ya eat. 2 out of 77 dinners on RCCLwere bad, 75 good. Not bad IMO. RCCL has evolved into a totally different animal from the 80's and early 90's and on so I dont doubt at all they are buying cheaper food because IMO RCCL has cheapened their brand with the why not and get out there ads. Royal is no longer Royal if you get my drift. Its a family fun cruise line, nothing royal about it, but I love it.

[Rockfordcruiser]

All subjective. :rolleyes:

[orville99]

We've been sailing since the early 80's, and the quality of food has changed over the years. DW is a chef, so our evaluations are a bit subjective - IMO, no one cooks better than her. However, we find the fare on RCI typical of what you'd find in a moderate-to-slightly upscale land-based chain dining establishment - somewhere in the range of an Outback, Maggiano's, or a Carabba's, but nowhere near a Ruth's Cris. We've found that we get the best meals when we stay on the medium rare side of their choices, and stay away from dishes that require complex seasonings or overly delicate preparation.

[Isaboo]

I cruised on the Monarch in 1994 and I remember thinking the food was really amazing! There were no "specialty" restaurants back then though. They had these little strawberry tarts in the Windjammer for breakfast, and those were my favorite things. Didn't cruise on them again until 10 years later when we went to Alaska on the Radiance and I couldn't believe the difference! Food quality had definately gone downhill...no sign of the little strawberry tarts :( and every seafood dish I tasted was horrid! We're all set to go on the Freedom this June and I'm wondering what to expect.

[bus man]

I've not been cruising long enough to remember the good old days. But when I cruised last May on the Grandeur, I thought the food was outstanding. Then, I cruised on the Radiance in October, and the food was . . . pretty good. Not great. Acceptable.

 

Honestly, that's how I felt about the service between the two vessels as well. One was superb, the other was good, but not great. Perhaps some of the perceived decline in food quality is dependent on what ship you happen to be on.

[cb at sea]

Nowadays, you don't sail RCI for food...I started cruising in the early 90's, and not only was the food quality better, but there were more selections, courses, and the presentation, both of the food and table were excellent. It now is more like mid-range chain restaurant.

You certainly won't starve on a cruise, but you don't get that overall "being catered to" feeling that you used to get!

[Davidoff22]

I've only been cruising with Royal since 2004, but in that time I think things have mostly stayed the same in food quality.. While I consider myself a food snob (for a lack of a more PC term), I understand that for the price paid the overall value that Royal offers is hard to beat..

 

I think people tend to overlook the fact that Royals prices have remained relatively flat (minus the temp fuel surcharge), all the while oil and commodities surged... I've noticed that when we travel on land the lodging, food and transport all have increased at a much higher clip than Royal has.

 

For the price Royal delivers good enough dinning to keep me coming back. If you expect more, look at the price you're paying per person then decide if you want to spend a whole lot more to book with a true ultra luxury cruise line. For me I'm happy with the trade off of flying first class and staying in a large suite with concierge services and eating in the MDR or specialty restaurants on Royal than paying a bit more than the Royal price for just small balcony room, better food, lower passenger count, and flying to port in economy on the high end lines.. The value per dollar is much higher on Royal than anywhere else..

[orville99]

If you want to pay more, and you also want bland-to-tasteless food, you can always book a more "kid-friendly" line:rolleyes:

[metgame24]

The food thing is so subjective, it's hard to debate who is better at it. Will be sailing with Royal Caribbean for the first time on Explorer next month. Have heard good things about the MDR food. Previously have sailed on NCL and Princess. We found the food in the MDR on NCL better than Princess, although Princess did have better desserts. We will be traveling with "seasoned" Royal Caribbean cruisers, so it will be interesting to see what they say about the food in the MDR compared to their last sailing on Royal which was in 2008.

[CruizQueen]

Thanks for the thoughtful reply and recommendations - wish I were on PRincess now - that warm choc. chip cookie, etc. sure sounds good!

[Cruising89143]

I haven't cruised on Carnival since 2004 so I won't comment on their food but within the last few years, I cruised NCL twice and HAL once. Found the food on HAL a slight step up over RCI but not what I expected since HAL is listed as a premium line. Their lido dining was the best that I have experienced of any ship or line.

 

On NCL the food in the MDR was not even close to RCI in quality. Their specialty dining restaurants are good but IMHO no better than what I have experienced on RCI. Their buffets were the worst of any cruise line that I have tried.

 

In the end, cruise lines have made a decision to keep prices down to fill ships and for those wanting a more premium experience when it comes to dining, you will have to pay for it in the specialty restaurants or book more of the deluxe lines.

[SpeedGeek]

I've only cruised three times over the past two years, but I'm perfectly content with the offerings that I've had on the Monarch. I've paid at most 100$/day per person to essentially have hotel, transportation to and from a foreign country, entertainment, and unlimited food. You can't beat that, and with the MDR being at least a mid-range dining establishment, you really get value for the money you spend.

 

I wish I could care more about the food, but really for the price I think it's just fine.

[xcomet]

Nowadays, you don't sail RCI for food...I started cruising in the early 90's, and not only was the food quality better, but there were more selections, courses, and the presentation, both of the food and table were excellent. It now is more like mid-range chain restaurant.

You certainly won't starve on a cruise, but you don't get that overall "being catered to" feeling that you used to get!

 

I totally agree with my fellow Virginian, been cruising RCL a very long time and the food has def declined as well as service,selection,etc We were surprised on the Oasis, that they pass off skirt steak as a great cut,. Filet mignon has been gone for a long time.,but really skirt steak? Although I must say the food on the european cruise on the Navigator , was surprisingly better than the previous RCL ships we have been on.

[Whitnee1]

I have seen other posts about this, and I agree. I think it is because they are trying to keep cruise prices down. We almost went to Chops on our last cruise (Serenade in Dec). I asked if it were possible to get the halibut and a small filet - kind of a customized surf and turf and was told no - unless I paid an extra $20. My belief, from day one cruising (on voyager), was that it was a gratuity you were paying, not a charge for the food.

Recommendations - NOT NCL. On our Hawaiian cruise, I couldn't wait to get off the ship to get a decent meal (and from what other family members reported the specialty rest. weren't much better). The service was also slow. Same menu pretty much every day. Even the hamburger was lousy (and how hard do you have to try to do that!). Princess - YES. Their MDR food is light years better than NCL and superior to RCL. High tea is served daily - butler serviced, with scones, desserts, finger sandwiches, fruits, etc. (not cookies, small desserts and beverage served in the windjammer). Only drawback, it's hard to eat an early diner afterwards. So many things tasted so good! They also have the MDR open when you board the ship. It beats trying to get a place to eat at the buffet (with the crowds). Don't get me wrong, they also have a very nice buffet. Their Wheelhouse Pub also was open for lunch on sea days and served great fish and chips along with other pub grub, so you had three main choices as to where to eat.

In general, Princess is very much like RCL used to be. Amenity wise we had toiletries (not a glued on soap/shampoo? dispenser in the shower) and turn down service with chocolates. In addition, they have Movies under the Stars with warm chocolate chip cookies and milk (cushioned lounge chairs and a throw blanket), sinfully wicked! There also seems to be more entertainment, in general, on board. It's worth paying a little bit more. Good experiences on the Diamond and Ruby Princess. check them out. I will continue to sail with Royal, but thanks to their Why Not campaign, I decided to try other lines (after all why not) and was very pleased with Princess.

 

We are taking our first cruise on RC in April and are Diamond members with Princess. I agree with all you have said in your post about Princess. An additional example is in their specialty steak restaurant we were encouraged by the waiter to order anything we wanted off of the menu. He even suggested that many get the lobster and a steak as surf and turf. There were no limitations and all you paid was the cover charge. I hope our family will not find the food on RC too much of a drop from Princess. And before you ask the only reason we took the RC cruise is the price could not be beat and the departure is within driving distance which takes away the extra cost of the flight.

[bajathree]

All subjective. :rolleyes:

 

That is not true.... I was recently at a Royal seminar and the Royal rep told us that their biggest cost cutting measure has been food.

[skandls]

I think the food cost cutting has stopped. But the cutbacks in service have had a negative impact on how the food is served. On our last cruise on the Mariner Dec 2101 we were seated at a table next to the Captains table. The servers were excellent. The food came out hot and as requested. I was pleasantly surprised. We even cancelled our Portofino reservation. I thought the food was much better than my previous cruises on the Liberty (Oct 2010) and Mariner (Jul 2010). On those cruises we were on one of the upper floors. The waitstaff was overworked with too many passengers to serve. The food came out cold on many evenings. It did not matter if beef was ordered rare or well everyone at the table got the same - one night it was well and on an other all the meat was medium rare.

 

I believe that the dining room staff has been cut back to minimum levels. And unless you are lucky enough to get a table where the waiter is not overworked the food will often be cold or not as ordered. Also many passengers are not as 'prompt' as in the 'good old days'. In those times we waited until the table was 'complete' for the evening. Now with the specialty restaurants and open buffet the waiters often end up taking food orders at different times for the same table since they do not know who to expect for dinner that night.

[EV2008]

That is why I deceided to take a break from cruising and take land vacations.

[FOXTROT]

Give me a break. Let me come to any of your homes for dinner. The food on RCL is still better than what I get at home & most restaurants. The food is no better on Princess. If it is soooo bad stay home & go to McDonalds.

[time4u2go]

Give me a break. Let me come to any of your homes for dinner. The food on RCL is still better than what I get at home & most restaurants. The food is no better on Princess. If it is soooo bad stay home & go to McDonalds.

The point is not that it is bad...the point is that it has gotten progressively worse than it used to be.

[Scotty G]

I've sailed on RCI ships since 1994 and have tasted a steady decline in the food quality over the years. We were last on Liberty OTS last May and didn't even care for the speciality restaurants. Food quality was so disappointing to us that we hesitate to sail on them again (and I'm 1 pt. away from Diamond Plus!) Do others share our experience? We love the ships but when we're on a 2 week cruise, mediocre food is a real downer.

Any recommendations for future cruises/cruise lines??:confused:

We respectfully disagree with the OP based on our experiences. We have had some bad entrees over the years but they have been appropriately taken care of by the wait staff and the chef. Recently we find that food is good to excellent.

[jewopaho]

The point is not that it is bad...the point is that it has gotten progressively worse than it used to be.

Our experience on the Independence transatlantic (11/09) was about the worst ... but we pretty much wrote it off, due to many (and presumably better) kitchen personnel being transferred to the Oasis for its inaugural Caribbean season. We recently sailed the Voyager, and found the food to be a bit improved, but hardly elevated to the "gourmet dining" as advertised. We've come to the conclusion that it is what it is, and isn't likely to get much better. We have another cruise booked, and certainly won't starve ... but we're also paying considerably less than when we first begain cruising, so something's gotta give.

[mek]

That is why I decided to take a break from cruising and take land vacations.

 

We're taking a cruise in three weeks and after that, a land based vacation in October. Not sure if we will cruise anymore this year or do another land based. The menus are the same, the production shows never change - unless we switch over to luxury cruises, we pretty much have done it all and is starting to get old, (never thought I would say that! LOL.)