Recent Cruisers - Please tell me about the food!

[Mary Ellen1]

First I've heard of root beer floats. Yum! Where do you get them? Are they on the main MDR menu? Every night? I'm on the Glory in 13 days, and may have to adjust my calorie plan! :D

[kdinkus1]

Just returned from the Pride and the food was ok... We found that the longer the cruise, the less flavor the food had. Of course, I didn't feel well for most of the trip but even my hubby wasn't impressed this time around. However, I will say this: When you are hungry, everything tastes good! But I have found that the older we get, the less we enjoy our food. Maybe that is a good thing! PS. food is always good when you don't have to fix it yourself... esp on a cruise. PSS... the frog legs were oily but the warm choc melting cake is still to die for! Yummy!!

[dane225]

The majority of comments are positive. It is so refreshing after so many negative food comments lately. But as we always agree food is subjective. I'll be happy with 3 out of 5 really good meals. But I'm pretty sure I'll be sitting in the MDR every night!!!

 

I'd love to try the spagetti Carbonara, but I didn't see it on the five day menu. Anyone on a 5 day have the chance to try it?

We are just off the Triumph 5 day and they did not have the spagetti carbonara on the menu!

[crusinpsychRN]

Hello Geckog! I ordered an appetizer of this and it was not even lukewarm although it had a lot of potential, had it been.

 

I always enjoyed great food on all cruises, until this latest one. The chèvre pizza was fabulous straight out of the oven and so were the capriciosa and the margherita. Sorry to say that for the first time ever I didn't eat every single dinner in the dining room as I got extremely turned off with the meal the very first night of the cruise and sent back my steak twice. The escargots were also lukewarm and tasteless as opposed to the previous times I had them. I did not eat in the dining room again after that night.

 

I don't know how they pass health inspections with food served tepid to cold. I got cold french toast, tepid eggs benedict, warm salad.

[Fighterone]

I don't know how they pass health inspections with food served tepid to cold. I got cold french toast, tepid eggs benedict, warm salad.

 

I had seen your post and can certainly compare notes with you as far as the french toast and the salad.

 

Never thought of those inspections! I used to see chefs walk around the buffet with thermometers checking the "vats" of food or whatever you call those big containers. Forget which line it was. In the dining room, the food might be hot when it is placed on the tray but I bet ours sat around for a good while before it was delivered.

 

I took one nasty picture of the steak that was raw. Wonder if I can post it here later (work is calling me). It just churns my stomach to remember this.

[Specially_K]

Are the menus posted somewhere in advance? :confused: We are sailing on the Ecstasy (5 day cruise) next week, and I would love to take a peek.

[Mary Ellen1]

Are the menus posted somewhere in advance? :confused: We are sailing on the Ecstasy (5 day cruise) next week, and I would love to take a peek.

 

https://www.goccl.com/irman/bookccl/sections/shipboard/DiningMenus.html

 

:D

[wendymac]

I loved the first nights Comfort Food - Beef Brisket. It was soooooo tender! Yum! Also love the simple things like first night's app chicken tenders with yummy honey mustard. The only thing I didn't care for was the meatloaf. Very bland and institutional.

 

And I'm in the minority, but I despise WCMC. Sorry folks!

 

Well Becca I'm with you on that...cannot stand the WCMC - I have tried it twice and disliked it both times.

[zqvol]

Hey all.. I'm not asking about the new menus. Just about the quality of anything you tried in the MDR. I want to know what made you go HMMM.. What was great? What was good? What could you have skipped.

 

I am someone who looks forward to the "dining experience" on my cruise. I love good food. If I make a mistake and don't like what I've ordered, it won't "ruin my cruise", but a great meal will add to my happiness!

 

Sailing in 7 days on the Destiny and would love to hear about the good stuff!

 

 

Sailed the last week of July. Food was acceptable, but that was about it, most of it was not very good and nothing at all stood out. Some things that were bad and should be avoided was the lobster, really horrid.

[meatloafsfan]

Where did you get ny strip? Have not seen it on menu for 2 years. Flatiron only and it is flavorless.:(

 

It's on the 8 night or long cruises (I had it on my 8 night Miracle cruise - it was a great steak).

[Specially_K]

https://www.goccl.com/irman/bookccl/sections/shipboard/DiningMenus.html

 

:D

 

Thank you Mary Ellen1!:)

[samsgram1026]

It's on the 8 night or long cruises (I had it on my 8 night Miracle cruise - it was a great steak).

TY good news-we do btb on the Miracle starting 11/26.:D

[chef5674]

we just got off the Liberty and overall the new menu was mediocre at best. There were a few highlights - I did like the brisket on the first night. The bacon mac n cheese was decent - but I think it would have been better as a side with something that complimented it than pairing it with the sad, small piece of chicken that seemed thrown on as an after thought. Several nights though absolutely nothing appealed to me at all - and that has never happened to me on any of my past cruises.

 

I've been skipping the lobster because it's often overcooked and rubbery, but it actually was cooked perfectly this time (I ordered it out of desperation because nothing else appealed to me that night).

 

I did have some awesome tacos from the new burrito bar (pork was my favorite). And the burgers were awesome as well - and so were the fries. I am also a big fan of the de Chevre pizza and I love that it's now a personal sized that truly is cooked to order because it's always hot and bubbly.

 

I liked the alligator fritters, but the frog legs were tasteless and rubbery.

 

My trick for eggs benedict is to order the hollandaise on the side - they tend to come out hottest that way. the smoked salmon is always my go to breakfast - but the breakfast burrito on the lido deck also was great. The key is to have them put in more of everything, because otherwise there is not enough filling and too much tortilla.

 

The lamb was the saddest thing I ever saw. I know not to order it unless we are in the steakhouse because it's the only way to ever get it cooked properly - but on this last cruise every piece I saw the night it was served in the mdr it was overcooked to death!

[swimmom32]

We sail on the Liberty Next Saturday and spoke to a few people Just off of the ship and said they loved the food that they ordered and yes people do actually enjoy it again it goes back to personal Taste..When we were on the Destiny Last December we did not have 1 bad meal and that included Breakfast every morning in the MDR..Always got had the Hollandase Sauce on the Side..and always had the Smoked Salmon which was our favorite...We enjoy it regardless and are looking forward to our Cruise....and since I cook now 6 days a week if I dont have to cook, then Im very happy

[louanne93]

Just returned from Carnival Spirit 9 day cruise. Thought the food was the BEST of any cruise so far! My favorites were the prime rib, n.y. strip, flat iron steak & even the roast beef. All were fall off the bone...tender!! DW loved the leg of lamb and short ribs!! Alligator fritters were just fair. Escargots were good...need a lot less butter on 'em! Tilapia and grouper...perfect. Frog legs and new england crab cake .......delicious! Also enjoyed the beef & barley and minestrone soups. Favorite desserts were strawberry cheesecake, baked alaska & creme brulee! Of course..the quality of the food can vary greatly between ships. So..hopefully...you'll get to experience some wonderful food on your next cruise!!

 

Good to know as we will be on the Spirit at the end of the month:)

[Luvsnorkeling]

Cruised the Legend 2 months ago. New menus had been out about 3 weeks. They are not as good as the old ones, in our opinion. None of the steaks were fit to eat. The roast beef was good and the short ribs were good. But what they called "filet minion" on one night did not even resemble filet minion. It tasted like leftover roast beef. The lobster was great. Lamb was pretty good. But it seems they now have all the good choices grouped on one or two nights. There were a couple of nights when absolutely nothing appealed to us except for appetizers. So we tried to make a meal on those. Fish is mostly tilapia (and that is usually farm raised in Thailand...gross...don't even want to think of what is in those ponds). So we passed on most of the fish. The basa one night was the exception and was pretty good. The second formal night we thought the menu was gross. But, that being said, we could always find something to eat and overall it was OK. Just not as good as it was before.

[Specially_K]

Any other thoughts from recent cruisers? We board the Ecstasy in three days! :D

[halos]

Hey all.. I'm not asking about the new menus. Just about the quality of anything you tried in the MDR. I want to know what made you go HMMM.. What was great? What was good? What could you have skipped.

 

I am someone who looks forward to the "dining experience" on my cruise. I love good food. If I make a mistake and don't like what I've ordered, it won't "ruin my cruise", but a great meal will add to my happiness!

 

Sailing in 7 days on the Destiny and would love to hear about the good stuff!

 

I liked the spanikopita..very good :)

 

Things with a tomato sauce were unfortunately very salty...When I make Italian food at home, I load it with garlic...on the ship there isn't much going on other than salt as far as spices go...

 

Meats were very good. I personally had some beef (NOT the flat Iron steak), but Chataeubriand and prime rib..they were cooked exactly as ordered for everyone at the table.

Lamb was very good.

My DH and friend got the pork one night (HUGE pork chop) and they said it was delicious.

Fish was hit and miss.

All the soups were magnificent. I Highly recommend one (I forget what it was called) but it was a chicken based soup with coconut flavor...it had chicken and mushrooms in it...it was to die for. Every soup was superb (my favorite part of every meal)

The salads were all good...nice crisp veggies

All the appetizers I had were also pretty delicious. I believe that the starters/soups and salads were excellent...main entrees were good to very good depending on what was ordered. (imo...others I sailed with would say acceptable to good)

 

Frog leg enthusiasts were not overly thrilled with CCL's version of the dish.

None of us ordered meatloaf :rolleyes:

 

I tasted the mac and cheese that my dh ordered. He enjoyed it...I didn't like the smokey taste from the bacon and I agree with the poster that said they should make it a small side dish...the piece of chicken they threw on there was dry (lame is a good description)

My lobster (as well as all the other lobsters at the table) were very good...no problem. I was surprised at how nicely they were cooked.

 

Dinner at the steak house was fabulous as usual.

 

(I was on the Freedom)