Dining on the Jade

[hawk1972]

My wife and I are taking the Holy Land cruise on the Jade in November.

 

Is there much difference between the two main dining rooms: the Alizar and the Grand Pacific? If you've been on the Jade, did you have a preference? Is the menu the same in both?

 

Our only other experience was on the Star Princess that had 3 main dining rooms that all had the same menu, I believe.

 

I understand the buffet and what it offers and the Blue Lagoon that offers 24-hour selections. I don't think we'll be going to the specialty restaurants that charge extra (except maybe the pizza one).

 

Thanks.

[SteveH2508]

We have just got off the Jade. We disliked the Alizar dining room for two main reasons - the bench seats are too low for the tables and the general ambience is 'cafe-like'. The Grand Pacific is much nicer and has chairs the correct height for the tables. Absolutely no contest in our opinion. (The menus are the same).

 

You really should do Le Bistro one night - it is well worth the upcharge (as is Cagney's IMHO).

[Dayenu]

We went to Grand Pacific for dinners after having our first dinner at Alizar. Didn't like Alizar being dark, didn't care for their service. The menu is the same in both. The service in GP was superb.

 

I think there is made-to-order pizza station in the buffet, but I don't remember when it's opened.

[RJake1]

On the Jade now. Have to say that food has been a big disappointment.

Most meat and fish have been overdone. My wife had a ribeye steak that looked (and tasted) like it should have been served in a Ponderosa Steakhouse. My advice - eat while in port.

[cowtowngals]

We are just off the Jade and enjoyed both the Alizar and Grand Pacific. Alizar is a more contemporary style of dining room, while Grand Pacific is more formal. We ate breakfast in GP every day and if we were on board for lunch it was there too, so often by dinner we were looking for some different scenery and would go to Alizar. Take note that Alizar is open later than GP, so depending on when you wish to eat that may play a role. Both places have the same menu each night and we had fabulous service in both. It`s all a matter of your tastes, try both and see which you prefer.

[tiyana4]

We enjoyed both dining rooms as well. I give a slight edge to the GP and felt a desire to dress up more when going there. Alizar was a darker, more intimate setting and great for visting after the early shows. Much of the reason we switched between the two was because our server changed dining areas.

[RJake1]

On the Jade now. Have to say that food has been a big disappointment.

Most meat and fish have been overdone. My wife had a ribeye steak that looked (and tasted) like it should have been served in a Ponderosa Steakhouse. My advice - eat while in port.

 

 

My earlier message reads a bit more harshly than I intended. Some of our meals have been fine, including a blackened snapper over gumbo that was very good. We ate at Paniolas last night and some of it was very good (other parts disappointing). For example, the tortilla soup was excellent. But the swordfish on the skewers was waaay overcooked.

 

My advice would be to eat at GP or ALZ on the ship, and save those extra dining dollars for meals while in port.

[hawk1972]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm sure we'll try both main dining rooms as well as the buffet and figure out our own favorites. We can't wait!

[SteveH2508]

I had a steak in GP for dinner which was superb. We had one each for lunch which was not. The Cagney's filet mignon was fabulous.

 

Fish was generally overdone in the MDRs (as was chicken and duck) but then we both like our food undercooked if anything. I guess catering for 1000+ means that meals are not always cooked to order and some are kept under lights.