Decline in food quality on RCI fleet

[Cincy-David]

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.

 

 

I agree Scotty G. I have sailed on RCI 5 times since 2005 (Mariner, Sovereign, Radiance, Liberty and Oasis) and have found the food in the MDR to be above grade of anything we would get on land and on the few instances where something was wrong, the wait staff quickly and courteously took care of it.

 

Perhaps I missed the Hey Day of the MDR, but I have always been very satisfied with the the food in the dining room. Ironically, several of my bad experiences came in the specialty rooms, especially Portofinos on the Liberty.

[insulationbabe]

We've done 5 cruises since November and found a real improvement in the food on the Radiance, especially -- everything was hot or cold whatever we ordered and very tasty - there were a lot of complaints on cruise critic regarding the food being cold, when its supposed to hot - so I'm assuming that somethings been done cause it sure has changed recently. Thanks Royal:)

[galavant3]

We've only been cruising since 2002 and we've never thought the food was great. There are a few things that I really enjoy but the rest, to me, is mediocre. As long as we don't go hungry, I am fine. However, the price point is so low that I can't complain. We rarely pay more than $100 per person per day, even for a balcony cabin. For the price, I don't see how they could possibly provide anything more than basic banquet food. We definitely don't cruise RCI because of the food. We like the ships, the service and the price point.

 

We've only been on Princess once but I didn't think the food was any better or worse.

 

This August we are trying Regent for the first time. I expect (and will be very disappointed if it is not the case) that the food will be remarkably better.

[Cruzaholic41]

I must have really different taste buds because I still think the food is pretty good. In fact, some of my favorite cruise dishes, like the scallop risotto appetizer or those tender strips of peppered filet of beef, are on RCI. There are dishes I love and some I don't like so much on every line I sail.

[rhioghnach]

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.

I hope our experience is great fun! We're sailing on Enchantment OTS for the same reasons--We can drive to the port and it's a brief escape to help put winter behind us. It's our first cruise, so we won't have any cruise experience to compare it against. I look forward to your observations on your return.

[dfishner]

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

 

How do you define worse?? worse then what? how about some examples of how progressively worse it has become?. And if the food is that bad and bothers you that much why not change cruise lines?

 

I have been cruising on RCL since 2006 and people were complaining on these boards about the quality of food back then saying the same things as you are saying..to the point I almost did not book our first RCL cruise....I was surprised then that the food was fine, we just cruised in DEC and found the same thing the food was fine. We do not go on RCL for the food it is for the overall experience and that is good enough for me.

[DGF]

We recently completed a back to back cruise on board the Brilliance of the Seas- refer to thread http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1354319

 

"General comment- The Brilliance of the Seas (Passenger Capacity: 2,114 double occupancy; 2,502 maximum) has been a pleasant surprise. The company has positioned themselves in the bottom tier (from a price point) of the “Premium Ships” (for the 21 day cruise, we paid $188/ per person per day, pricing which we have not seen for years) with add-on charges for almost everything- i.e. freshly squeezed orange juice, specialty coffees, soft drinks, bottled water, inflated wine prices/ excursions and prohibition on bringing on board any wine or alcohol; but have maintained very good food quality (although not the higher level of the Silversea, Crystal, Cunard Grill, or Oceania), reasonable caliber of entertainment in comfortable two level theatre with good sight lines, ship is attractively finished with very good social centres and very good service from staff. The décor in the Schooner Bar and Colony Room (with reasonable sized dance floor, band) is equal to a five star cruise ship. The multi deck Atrium/ Centrum (7 stories) was impressive, with the sound of the band and singers resonating upward from Deck 4- a memorable experience."

Specific comments on dining:

"Dining Experiences- Main Dining Room- Consisted of two floors, deck 4 being fixed dining and deck 5 open dining. There also is a separate dining area off the main dining room on Deck 4 called Zephyr which does not have the ambience of the main dining area. Nice comfortable furnishings and very good décor including a waterfall. We were in the centre of deck 4 and had no noise problems. We chose fixed dining since we like to have the same wait staff and get to know our fellow dining guests on the first leg which was mostly sea days. Our dining room waiter on the first leg (Paola Saa from Chile) was top quality and our table mates, two single ladies- Jane and Annie- were great therefore we always looked forward to dinner and conversation. We were fortunate again with our tablemates on the second leg, but due to scheduling did not join them for much of the cruise (We found the fixed dinner reservations at 6:00 PM not workable on the second leg. First seating was originally 6:30 PM when we booked many, many months ago but unfortunately was changed to 6:00 PM which just did not work for longer private land excursions).

 

- Windjammer café- Bright open dining room with sea views on deck 11. We were pleasantly surprised by the options and quality of the buffet offerings for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. At times was crowded but with a little work we could always find a table. Being able to sit outside (covered and uncovered), when the weather permitted, was a plus

 

- Seaview café- on deck 12. A pleasant retreat for snack foods, pizza, etc. where you could sit outside or inside; often used by the ships staff

 

- Latitudes- on deck 5. A specialty coffee house (Seattle’s Best) with extra charge for the specialty coffees; but pastries, which were very good, were free. Comfortable furnishings, nice décor. We often frequented.

 

- Alternative dining- For a fee, ship has two- Chops Grille (features steak and salmon)- $25.00/ person and Portofino (Italian)- $20.00/ person (?). We tried out Chops where the service was great but the food did not justify the additional price (steaks in a specialty restaurant should be properly aged and require little assistance from a knife to eat) and cancelled our future reservations for both. Dean tried their steak that could also be ordered in the main dining room for an additional charge but same result.

 

- Ship lacked the “High Tea” found on other ships"

 

Overall conclusion

 

"Brilliance of the Seas- Extremely good value, but their alcohol policy will be the killer for us since we like to sample local wines and bring them on board (not applicable to this cruise since no local wines to sample)."

We got a very good bang for our buck. We cannot recall much difference from our previous RCI Cruise on board the Soveriegn of the Seas'

DEAN

[travelberlin]

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.

 

Oh I just hope that food is not worst in Transatlantic Cruises! We are sailing this spring with the Navigator of the seas and we are very much looking forward to it. In so many days at sea, it is also not possible to look for other options at ports of call...

[klingoncruiser]

I can't agree at all. First off..... FOOD IS SUBJECTIVE! I don't like Princess food and never have. For me....it is NOT better than RCI. NCL is good, but as good as RCI? Nope, not for me. Has quality gone down? Not really, if anything, it went up on some of the meat cuts once Celebrity joined RCI.

 

Sorry guys, but times are tough. If you don't like cruise food, then find a better vacation. If you put 10 people in a room, each would like a different cruise line and even different ships in one line. Cruising had changed and is changing. The old days are gone. I am not sure I like some of the new things, but some are actually WAY better.

 

O.K. back to the grumble session. It does have merit, but don't think things are going to go back to the "good old days".

[bajathree]

I can tell you just getting off Solstice last month that the food in the MDR and even in the buffet on X blew away any of Royal's no cost venues. I would say that the MDR on X was equal to the specialties on Royal. I love Royal but no longer dine in the MDR...I book all specialties and just consider it part of the cruise fare of sailing with them.

[ryano]

If the food is in such "decline" then how was it in the "good ol days"? Gourmet? :confused: Im glad Im a newbie and dont remember those days.

 

Personally, I dont care one bit for gourmet food. I find the food in the MDR so far has been very good to excellent and the best thing about it is, if you dont like something, your waiter will be more than glad to swap it out for you. Try that in a fancy gourmet place and let me know how it works out for you :)

 

Both RC cruises so far I have found the food to be hot and cooked to order to my preference. The prime rib on Radiance was some of the best I have ever tried and cooked perfectly. A baked potato was piping hot and I enjoyed most everything I ordered to be delicious.

 

I tried Chops this cruise and while the food was delicious and the service incredible, I dont believe I will be doing another specialty venue again. I am more than pleased with the "free" food and cant see spending the money on specialty dining.

 

Royal Caribbean cannot serve free filet and Maine lobster on such a small food budget. I would rather have the less expensive cruise fare myself but YMMV.

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

I must have really different taste buds because I still think the food is pretty good. In fact, some of my favorite cruise dishes, like the scallop risotto appetizer or those tender strips of peppered filet of beef, are on RCI. There are dishes I love and some I don't like so much on every line I sail.

 

I think the food IS "pretty good" but I think the OP's point is that the quality, etc. has declined, and that is really a fact. I started cruising in 1997/98 and it was much better back then. But....it's a cruise, I don't go for the food specifically.

[greg_atlanta]

Not all passengers want "good food". Most are perfectly happy with ordinary middlebrow American food.

 

Try Celebrity, it's a premium product for a reason.

[East Bay Skiers]

............and found a real improvement in the food on the Radiance, especially -- everything was hot or cold whatever we ordered and very tasty .......

 

Thanks for the info!:) W'll be on the Radiance in less than two months and hope we have the same experience.

 

We were in the Allure last week, had MTD, and only ate in the DR twice, both times the food was excellent. The service was fantastic, so we requested the same servers for the second time, and again the food was good and the service wonderful.

 

I think the quality of the food, varies by ship, and depends on the chefs, and what we choose from the menu. In my experience, sometimes the food has been good, other times not so good.

 

I wish they would improve the quality of the desserts though! Many times desserts don't taste as good as they look.

[nosmothj]

All subjective. :rolleyes:

 

We last cruised November 2010 on Serenade and really have to say the food was very god. One thing I did note was selection was not as great however that made deciding a lot easier.

[jewopaho]

Oh I just hope that food is not worst in Transatlantic Cruises! We are sailing this spring with the Navigator of the seas and we are very much looking forward to it. In so many days at sea, it is also not possible to look for other options at ports of call...

It has nothing to do with the cruise itself. Our experience was directly related to the reassigning of kitchen personnel (including some chefs) to the new Oasis ... everything had to be just right on that monster. The point being made here is simple. Yes, there has been a decline ... but no, not to the point of the food being inedible. Those of us who have cruised for years can perceive the difference ... but we also realize that we're paying about half of what we were, so things can't remain the same. You'll be fine ... have a terrifric cruise.

[Cruzface]

Is the food gourmet? No. Is it plentiful? Yes. I have always found something good to eat at every meal. Best part is, someone else cooked it, brought it to me and cleaned up after me. That's the important part.

[DebJ14]

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

 

We still cruise, but also do land vacations. We have found the food at some of the all inclusives to be amazing - especially at the Valentin Riviera Maya and at the El Dorado resorts in Mexico.

[time4u2go]

How do you define worse?? worse then what? how about some examples of how progressively worse it has become?. And if the food is that bad and bothers you that much why not change cruise lines?

 

I have been cruising on RCL since 2006 and people were complaining on these boards about the quality of food back then saying the same things as you are saying..to the point I almost did not book our first RCL cruise....I was surprised then that the food was fine, we just cruised in DEC and found the same thing the food was fine. We do not go on RCL for the food it is for the overall experience and that is good enough for me.

 

I define "worse" as "worse than it used to be". I'm not sure how to explain it any more clearly than that. Worse this year than it was last year...does that help? As far as examples, if you read this entire thread, there's no shortage of examples!

 

And if you had bothered to think about what I posted, you would have noticed that I didn't say that I personally thought the food was bad or had gotten worse...I was merely stating what I thought the original intent of this thread was.

[Maine_girl]

I just cruised on Freedom and thought the food was good to excellent for some items and the service was wonderful. The only thing I noticed that was different from our last cruise in 2002 was they now group all appetizers, salads, and soups into one category instead of listing them as different courses. However, we were still able to order multiple apps, so the only real difference was in how the menu is printed. The lobster tail was pretty sad on this cruise. I think my tiger shrimp from a previous night might have been bigger.

 

We had a fantastic time at Chops. The Mud Pie was amazing. If I had known it was that good, I would have saved more room.

 

All in all, I was very pleased with the food and service.

[gerif]

While I've certainly never gone hungry on a cruise, I have noted that over the years as the menus change, they are offering selections made with cheaper ingredients (e.g., many more vegetable and pasta based items), lumping appetizers/soups/salads in a "starters" category in hopes that people will select only one as opposed to when they were set out separately encouraging diners to select from each category. I can remember having a choice of at least 3 different salads, now there is usually only one.

 

Having said that, I totally understand that they have to cut some things in order to keep offering the cheaper initial fares. If people want better food, they can go to one of the pay restaurants (although I've noticed of late they are cutting back in those venues as well). We have plenty of high end restaurants in our area, so don't feel the need for a real gourmet experience on a cruise but, yes, there is a difference now.

[Scotty G]

We still cruise, but also do land vacations. We have found the food at some of the all inclusives to be amazing - especially at the Valentin Riviera Maya and at the El Dorado resorts in Mexico.

We have some friends who did land and cruise vacations recently. They told us that the land vacations cost 2-3 times more than a cruise. They prefer cruising but have places in the US they like to visit as well. We have looked at the all inclusive and ruled them out for us since they do not appeal to what we like to do. The cost per person per day on the all inclusive cruise ship vacation just cannot be beat in our estimation. And, the food is NOT bad in the RCL fleet it is actually pretty good for the price!

[Aquahound]

We had a fantastic time at Chops. The Mud Pie was amazing. If I had known it was that good, I would have saved more room.

 

When I go to Chops, I get the smaller filet just for that reason. That mud pie is awesome!

[Baseballkurt]

The food has gone down but so has the cost. 10 years ago our 5 day crusie was about 5k with air. Lots of free drink partys. Midnight buffets and deserts. Less food is offered but now a 7 day cruise on the largets ship costs less then our first one. We also get a balcony too. We love the MDR for the socilization and good food.

[Maine_girl]

When I go to Chops, I get the smaller filet just for that reason. That mud pie is awesome!

 

I did get the smaller filet :D. It was the bread that did me in, always the bread. :p