Opinions - Specialty Restaurants vs. MDR

[Lois R]

Excellent point Lois. And as usual, right on and put in a less confrontational approach then mine.

 

We may all think that since anyone posting is stating a subjective opinion and that doesn't need to be said, I think it does, especially in such subjective areas such as dining. It might help a great deal if we all added phrases such a "in my opinion" and "my view is". This helps take the edge off negative posts, and might help the poster also realize they aren't "The Source".

 

Den

 

Thanks Denny:)....I didn't think you were being confrontational to

to the OP.

I do agree with you about "in my opinion" though.....many times there

are topics with replies that are opinions and not facts. But when reading some

replies, one might think they are interchangeable but they definitely

are not.......

Food for example....in my opinion;) is just one of those things that

is different for everyone. Whatever the dish might be, how it is

cooked, what it tastes like, presentation,......we are all different

human beings and probably see many things differently.....

What is delicious to me? You might think is awful......and vice versa.

Not right or wrong....that is why they are opinions.

[boogs]

We dine in the MDR most nights, but also go to all the specialty restaurants at least once. We consider dining at the specialty restaurants to be part of the joy of experiencing new and different things, which is the main reason we go on these cruises in the first place. We could save a few dollars by only dining in the MDR and we'd be satisfied as far as the food is concerned, but we would be losing the experience of enjoying the unique ambiance offered at each specialty dining venue. That experience is important to us.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We go to the MDR most of the time .

[youngcruiser93]

We found Silhouette's MDR food to be awesome for a complimentary venue. In fact, of the 9 nights we dined there, no one in our party of four found their meal to be at least average.

 

We did try Qsine and Murano. Qsine was an amazing and fun experience and we found the food to be tasty.

 

Murano was on the other hand a huge deception. We found the food to be uninspired and bland. The service was good, but seemed corny given the quality of food. The whole thing was pretty awkward. We are love great food and we often go to high-end restaurant on land and Murano cannot be compared to those. In reality, we found MDR food to be better than Murano's.

[cocobakerchica]

Over and over again, I have to remind people that it is MUCH more difficult to cook a dinner for thousands of passengers with an extensive choice than cooking in a land based venue forthe same ampunt of people. banquet events in upscale hotelsmusuallynhave almost no menu choices, special requests are normally not possible unless notified well upfront. so not even that comparison is correct.

 

For the constraints and limitations that Any ship galley has and the number of mouths to feed, the MDR on Celebrity ismsimply outstanding most of the time.

People who claim otherwise simply are out of touch with culinary reality and have no clue about the challenges.

 

Even the a la carte restaurants have their difficulties, like working with frozen food ( something never done in good landside restaurants that have a Michelin star or more).

 

Thank you for pointing this out, Despegue! The galleys prep and cook several thousand meals a day, and quite frankly, they hit a lot more than they miss when it comes to quality. I've worked in the culinary industry for over a decade now(I'm a professionally trained pastry chef/baker),and it boggles my mind the huge daily volume the chefs, cooks, and bakers prep and cook per day(and I've worked in high volume production!) and since cruise ships often(at least the larger and mass market ships)usually take on food supplies once for each cruise(at least the 7 day ones), and offer multiple meal choices daily(at least 4-5 each of appetizers and main courses in the MDR alone), it's unfair to compare MDR food to land based banquet fare when it comes to quality(banquet hall kitchens don't move around on water. Turning out a successful souffle on land can be hit or miss sometimes; imagine it in a galley kitchen!).

 

To the OP, I have to concur with Denny01 and advise to try the MDR first and get an idea of what it has to offer. I've enjoyed quite a few meals in the MDR(and I've enjoyed the nice ambiance and wonderful waiters at late seating) and the specialty restaurants are wonderful as well. If you hold out, you may just get a good deal for the specialty restaurants if you book on board(2-for-1 prices, etc.).

[Cruising89143]

For me it's not as much about the food as it is atmosphere. I much prefer the smaller more intimate dining venues. Much more quiet and usually better non rushed service. This is why we steer clear of the MDR on most cruises.

[cirpi]

My opinion on Celebrity food after cruising on them 20 times is that the food in the MDR ranges from good to very good to occasionally excellent. .

 

I concur with Phoenix Dream that food in the main dining room usually ranges from good to occasionally excellent. A specialty restaurant is no sure bet that you will have a five-star meal, though most times it will be a notch or two better than the MDR. I recall a horrid interpretation of ossobuco served to us on a specialty restaurant on the Azamara Journey. The chef stripped all the meat from the veal bone, discarded the marrow, then formed a cute little cylinder with the stripped meat, all as dry and tasteless as feathers. A night or two later, ossobuco was served in the main dining room and it was just fine.

[BrusselsGirl07]

We enjoy the MDR, especially if we have a great group of table mates! Laughter and good conversation seem to make meals more enjoyable! On our last 2 cruises on Century, we tried Murano for the first time, and we loved it! We found the meals to be very good, and the staff to be exceptional.

 

We also had a couple at our table who commented one night that they loved Indian food. The Maitre'd said that anyone could request something special with 24 hours notice. So they requested their Indian meal, and it arrived the next night - it looked delicious!