Explorer food reviews, not very positive

[gnocchi_mommy]

I have been reading through reviews on the main part of this website and a lot of them mention very disappointing food experience on the Explorer. I'm starting to wonder if I chose poorly. For those that have sailed recently, like say the past year- have you any stand out memories of the food being particularly poor?

[red devil]

Have been on the Explorer three times in the last year and have not had any food problems.

Good selection, cooked the way we ask, taste good.

[Ken at the beach]

Food reviews are always subjective. Unfortunately more people that did not like it will post than those that did like it. Just don't expect 5 star but you definitely will not go hungry.

[luvscruising2007]

I don't put much stock in food reviews unless they state specifically what is wrong. i.e. the steak was tough, the chicken was dry, the desserts were too sweet.

Many of the reviewers just say the food was not good. Without knowing their likes and dislikes you can't compare their view with your own.

Go on your cruise and enjoy what is offered. Personally, I always can find something I like. Some selections are better than others but all of it is edible and I have never gone hungry.

[Jenn31708]

As a disclaimer... I'm not a foodie by any means. We were on the Explore in March. I found the food to be pretty good. Not 5 star like someone mentioned, but definitely NOT horrible. I ended up getting the steak several nights in the dining room, and it was always cooked perfectly.

 

We always ordered one of the main pasta dishes as an appetizer, and then 3 or 4 of us would split it. After the first night of doing this, the waiter just brought out several smaller portions for us.

 

For the appetizers, there was always Caesar salad which I loved. Several of the soups were great too. What I like is that I get to try things I would normally never order. One night I tried the chilled strawberry soup, and it was pretty amazing.

 

The cheeseburger sliders were great too, a big hit with the kids and adults. Those were also on the menu every night.

 

 

What people have to remember is that Royal Caribbean isn't a luxury cruise liner. It is a mass market cruise line that treats their passengers very well and feeds them very well for what I think is a reasonable price. No its not a to of the line gourmet experience.... but that's not what we're paying for.

 

I was always happy with my meals. And the wait staff was great too, so that made it so much better.

[gnocchi_mommy]

Awesome! Thanks for the reviews. As you can see, we have mostly cruised Carnival- so we do NOT need 5 stars! Just temperature-accurate, tasty stuff and it sounds like it will be fine.

[Able Seaman H]

As has been said already for the money you can't go wrong. Unlike a shoreside restaurant there is no hassle at all in exchanging dishes which don't meet your expectations for what ever reason.

 

I actually think the speciality eateries, particularly Chops Grille genuinely fall into the excellent category and there are some gems tucked away in the Windjammer.

 

In the main dining room I am constantly amazed by the quality given sheer number of guests and budget.

 

Food is incredibly personal and many people have specific needs or requirements. If you form the 50th percentile you will have not go hungry.

 

Henry :)

[Dharma517]

Trust me...you will be just fine. I just got off ExOS on 10/20 and the food was quite good. I live in Philadelphia and we have a ton of great eating here. I was not disappointed. AND...I will agree with another poster. There ARE some gems to be found in the WJ! Especially the Indian Cuisine. I was pleasantly surprised!

 

Awesome! Thanks for the reviews. As you can see, we have mostly cruised Carnival- so we do NOT need 5 stars! Just temperature-accurate, tasty stuff and it sounds like it will be fine.

[nyer]

We were on the Explorer this past July. My son-in-law is a bit of a foodie and he found the food to be good. I am picky about what I eat and always found something on the menu that I could eat and enjoy very much.

You will always find someone who is going to complain about something and you can't please those people. I have sailed on the Explorer 3 times and am going back again next summer. She is one of my favorite ships and that includes the food.

Enjoy your cruise.

[BonTexasNY]

Glad to read the positive feedback about EX food. I'll be trying the new menu in March. I never went away from the MDR table hungry on any cruise. I didn't have to shop, prepare, clean up after my meals and more importantly they were tasty and satisfying. That's good enough for me.

 

On another thread, someone once called MDR food DOG FOOD :eek:

[ryano]

I have been reading through reviews on the main part of this website

 

I avoid those "reviews" like the plague. I dont find them helpful at all. Like pointed out above, too many people wont hesitate to report when they believe something isnt good. Very few report when something is great.

 

I wouldnt worry about it. You WILL find many things on board to your satisfaction I believe when it comes to food :)

[maxs mom]

We were just on the Explorer as well and were pleasantly surprised at how good the food was.

[WeatherFx]

We were on the Explorer in September. All our food was very good with the exception of the scallop appetizer, which was a temperature issue - was just warm. I was being optimistic that the only reason was we were the furthest table from the kitchen galley, i.e. the first table as you come in the MDR doorway.

 

.

[Realtor at Sea]

We were on the Explorer in September and always found something tasty in the MDR. As others have stated, if you do not like a particular item, the waiters are more than happy to bring you a replacement.

[Zigggypup]

Just sailed on the Explorer and had no issues with the food. I thought everything was prepared well and tasted great.

 

Granted, food is very subjective and you can't please everyone.

 

I don't even bother reading reviews anymore. I just rather base my own opinions upon my own observations.

 

I've read bad reviews from sailing that I have been on in the past. After reading some of them I wonder if we were actually on the same ship........lol.

 

Enjoy

 

Adam

Ziggypup@aol.com

[nyc12345]

I was on the Explorer in March and was very pleased with the food. It was actually one of the best food I had...with the exception of some food I had on Princess ships. I would prefer not to sail on the same ship twice, but I would not hesitate to sail the Explorer again due to the great food experience.

[Amy from Delaware]

I'm going on Explorer in January. Does anyone have pictures of the menus? I've been searching but can't seem to find any that are current. Thanks.

[golfer1966]

I have been reading through reviews on the main part of this website and a lot of them mention very disappointing food experience on the Explorer. I'm starting to wonder if I chose poorly. For those that have sailed recently, like say the past year- have you any stand out memories of the food being particularly poor?

 

You didnt choose wrong in my opinion.

I was just on Explorer in Oct and we didnt have bad food at all. Sure, some people complain about the food, but you have to remember they cook for thousands of people, so they cant make is every way they want. The sushi was actually very good. if I had to pick one thing that was bad... the rolls for the hamburgers and hot dogs are a little dry.

[SantanaTto]

We were on the Explorer last week... The food in the Windjammer was the best we have had on any of our cruises! Food there was excellent and the selection the best by far... The dining room food was OK...same as on any of the ships we have been on. If it wasn't for the great tablemates we had for dinner, we would have eaten at the buffet every night!

[leaveitallbehind]

I will echo the other comments about subjectivity when it comes to food. But we were on Explorer in July '12 and again in December '12 and had no issues with the food. In our experience it was very good with the Windjammer also being very good and Portofino's quite good as you would expect. You did not make a bad choice at all. Great ship with an equally great crew.

[Highlander1]

After just cruising Princess, we noticed quite a difference in the quality of food served as well as the preparation, particularly in the MDR. For instance, on EOS, they served a cut of beef last year on 4 different nights, they named it Filet, Prime Rib, Roast Beef, and some other kind of steak, trust me, it was more like Pot Roast and I know it was the same meat. Fish dishes have been awful, bland and tasteless, they can't cook Italian food which should be the easy one.

 

On the otherhandm, they do offer the Mongolian Barbeque in WJ as well as some other good dishes. Overall, I give RC a C for food, Princess gets a A and NCL gets a B. Just another opinion.

[funNsun4me]

I'm a picky eater and trust me when I say I never went hungry. I always thought the food was fine. If I didn't care for any of the entrees I would order a few different apps. I was also know to ask my waitress for a Ceasar salad & shrimp cocktail on steriods in place of dinner and she would come back with a dinner size salad and a double shrimp cocktail.

[rsail203]

The food in the main dining room was very good. The prime rib on the first night in the mdr was the best I ever had. There were several meals that were just okay, but most were good. My dw and I shared the lasagna as a second entre one night and loved it! There will be plenty of good choices for you.

[DonnaK]

I am always perplexed by the negative comments regarding food on cruise ships. If you go into it with reasonable expectations, you won't be disappointed. We've always enjoyed the food, and thought it was very good to excellent, on all of our RCI cruises. We eat in the MDR every night, and take almost every breakfast and lunch in the Windjammer. (We refuse to buy into specialty dining, when there is so much satisfying included food). We've also sailed Princess and Celebrity, and thought that all three lines have comparable quality food!

 

As someone else stated, you can order several appetizers instead of an entrée if you do not like the selection on a given night. I've been known to order the surf and turf with a double portion of surf and no turf on the plate. If something arrives and it's not what I thought it would be, I just order something else. They are generally very accommodating with switching it up.

 

We've recently been on Explorer several times, and thought that the food was very satisfying.

[Arzeena]

I have been reading through reviews on the main part of this website and a lot of them mention very disappointing food experience on the Explorer. I'm starting to wonder if I chose poorly. For those that have sailed recently, like say the past year- have you any stand out memories of the food being particularly poor?

 

The ship is great! We love the Explorer. But the MDR food was just super awful on our last cruise in August. Food and taste is very subjective. And it has not been that bad on our prior Explorer cruises. Having said that, the Windjammer had excellent food.