American Table & American Feast Menu

[saltcreekmom1]

This is the email I received today about our upcoming cruise on the Liberty. I'm to excited at all. We are taking our kids on their first cruise and I've been telling them all about the fancy dining experience (I have 3 girls… they love the dress up part), all the food choices and how yummy all the deserts are. Looking at the sample menus, I think they might actually need to order off the kids menu; and they NEVER like the kids menu food when we go out:( Huge bummer. I sure hope by the time we get there on the 25th the waiters are used to the new system and it moves quickly.

 

From Carnival:::

We know you must be looking forward to your cruise aboard the beautiful Carnival Liberty. So, we’d like to provide you some exciting news about two new dining concepts we’ll be piloting in the next couple of months designed to create a contemporary and memorable dining experience. Lucky for you, you’ll be one of the first to experience the American Table and American Feast in the main dining room when you travel with us. Designed with an emphasis on exceptional American cuisine, American Table will feature familiar regional, fresh and contemporary dishes, with a wide array of appetizer, entrée and dessert selections which will change each evening. But don’t you worry, we’ll be keeping many of the Carnival favorites, which you know and love. Let’s just say there’s still some Warm Chocolate Melting Cake in your future. Additionally, American Table will feature modern table décor and place settings with new menu designs to complement the experience. On the two Cruise Elegant evenings, you’ll be treated to our American Feast, a dining experience designed to create the feeling of an elaborate celebration. Our American Feast menu will feature tantalizing appetizers, a delicious selection of succulently prepared meats, seafood, and vegetarian choices, topped off with one of our spectacular desserts. We don’t want to spoil all the surprises by giving away all the details, but suffice it to say we know you’ll be delighted! As we introduce these new concepts, we have sought to create a delicious, welcoming, and highly satisfying main dining room experience. So, in addition to our customary post cruise survey, we’ll be sending a separate survey for feedback solely on our new dining concepts. We look forward to hearing from you as it will help us to ensure we are hitting the mark before the concepts are more broadly rolled out throughout 2014. We’re very excited to have you be among the first to experience American Table and American Feast. More importantly, we’re looking forward to welcoming you on board! We value your business.

[GottaLuvCruising]

This is the email I received today about our upcoming cruise on the Liberty. I'm to excited at all. We are taking our kids on their first cruise and I've been telling them all about the fancy dining experience (I have 3 girls… they love the dress up part), all the food choices and how yummy all the deserts are. Looking at the sample menus, I think they might actually need to order off the kids menu; and they NEVER like the kids menu food when we go out:( Huge bummer. I sure hope by the time we get there on the 25th the waiters are used to the new system and it moves quickly.

 

From Carnival:::

We know you must be looking forward to your cruise aboard the beautiful Carnival Liberty. So, we’d like to provide you some exciting news about two new dining concepts we’ll be piloting in the next couple of months designed to create a contemporary and memorable dining experience. Lucky for you, you’ll be one of the first to experience the American Table and American Feast in the main dining room when you travel with us. Designed with an emphasis on exceptional American cuisine, American Table will feature familiar regional, fresh and contemporary dishes, with a wide array of appetizer, entrée and dessert selections which will change each evening. But don’t you worry, we’ll be keeping many of the Carnival favorites, which you know and love. Let’s just say there’s still some Warm Chocolate Melting Cake in your future. Additionally, American Table will feature modern table décor and place settings with new menu designs to complement the experience. On the two Cruise Elegant evenings, you’ll be treated to our American Feast, a dining experience designed to create the feeling of an elaborate celebration. Our American Feast menu will feature tantalizing appetizers, a delicious selection of succulently prepared meats, seafood, and vegetarian choices, topped off with one of our spectacular desserts. We don’t want to spoil all the surprises by giving away all the details, but suffice it to say we know you’ll be delighted! As we introduce these new concepts, we have sought to create a delicious, welcoming, and highly satisfying main dining room experience. So, in addition to our customary post cruise survey, we’ll be sending a separate survey for feedback solely on our new dining concepts. We look forward to hearing from you as it will help us to ensure we are hitting the mark before the concepts are more broadly rolled out throughout 2014. We’re very excited to have you be among the first to experience American Table and American Feast. More importantly, we’re looking forward to welcoming you on board! We value your business.

 

I certainly understand your reservations with being one of their guinea pigs and I'd have the same hesitance. Be sure to give them your honest feedback and let us know how it was.

[kgriff]

I think they might actually need to order off the kids menu; and they NEVER like the kids menu food when we go out

 

My daughter-in-law said the corn dog was excellent. :D Seriously.

[craftykitty]

We are on the Glory Jan 5th sailing and I will report back. A concern of mine is having to share a bowl of potatoes or salad or whatever. How do I know if the person that served themselves before me, washed their hands? Do I need to ask? I don't think so!

 

I would hope they don't put their hands in the potatoes!

[quickrate]

I would hope they don't put their hands in the potatoes!

I'm one of those that don't understand the hurry at dinner. When we go out locally, we always take around 2 hours-wine, appetizer, wine, salad, wine, dinner-you get the picture!!

Pat

[craftykitty]

I'm one of those that don't understand the hurry at dinner. When we go out locally, we always take around 2 hours-wine, appetizer, wine, salad, wine, dinner-you get the picture!!

Pat

 

I'm with you, dining is part of my cruise experience. I do understand the concept when with children (that's part of the reason I choose late dining -- less children) but other than that, I'm in no hurry, I have no place to be in a rush.

[jakeT]

On our last cruise. With old menu. There was a major problem with getting food to the table. The staff was cut. Didn't have that many head servers. I guest carnival want to cut more staff. Like not plating diners. The old way, to make them look good. And let the short staff servers get more food th the table. Cutting the menu means less cooks. Lest foods to cook. Carnival cut are really showing now

[Crunchyfrog]

A day-by-day comparison of 2013 7-day menus

with the new Glory (American Table) 7-day menus,

and a list of the high points of Glory December new menu reviews:

 

- As mentioned, tablecloths only on formal nights

 

- Initial filling of water glass, then you fill it yourself

 

- No individual bread offering, basket in middle and you fight for it (several people say they were never brought a breadbasket)(but they might have been 'anytime' diners).

 

- If several order the same side, they place a large bowl on table so you can share germs by using the same serving utensil :p

 

- Soups: Reduced from a total of 21 soups to 6 soups, with ALL of the unusual soups gone. (no more pumpkin soup!)(no soup at all on lobster night) Only one soup offered per night, and they are ALL mundane recipes like onion soup, black bean, chicken, etc.

 

- Soups removed from menus: sun ripened tomato, beef and barley, gazpacho andalouse, pumpkin soup, strawberry bisque, chilled cucumber, yukon gold potato, tom kai gai, chilled peach cream, corn chowder, bing cherry, mushroom cream, asparagus vichyssoise, navy bean, sweet potato, and mango cream. :(

 

- Shrimp cocktail: No longer available on all nights, only on three nights.:eek:

 

- Deserts: Reduced from 6 or 7 offerings per night to 4. (And only 1 on lobster night) :(

 

- Deserts removed from menus: Fruit plate, cheese plate, black forest gateau, cherries jubilee, strawberry cheesecake, biter and blanc, baked alaska, ameretto cake, grand marnier soufflé, and cappuccino pie. :mad:

 

- The most frequent comment by reviewers seems to be along the line of: 'We normally (on past cruises) ate every night in the MDR, but the new menu is so limited, and the food quality so much less, and the service so much slower... that we ate most nights at the Lido buffet or steakhouse'

 

- Late night diners frequently mention that service with the new menu is so much slower that they had to skip dessert if they wanted to see any shows.

 

Summation and my Personal Opinion:

 

Carnival has downgraded the MDR to a 'Dennys'.

 

This is being introduced as a 'test' menu so passengers will accept the downgrade with less indignation. But this is not a test... it's a permanent budget reduction.

 

The intent is to decrease food costs, decrease MDR labor costs, reduce passenger usage of the MDR, and motivate passengers to more frequently use the Lido buffet or (mostly empty) premium steakhouses for dinner.

 

Long Term: If Carnival can decrease MDR usage by 50%, they can reduce the MDR space accordingly (such as removing the forward dining rooms on the Glory and Liberty) and renovate those areas into revenue generating space (more shops and cabins).

 

Very Long Term: Carnival has apparently decided to shift it's marketing to a 'Walmart' strategy, which will lose older frequent cruisers, but attract younger 'blue collar' cruisers who are more likely to spend money on beer and alcohol.

 

Most likely: Carnival will start marketing 'Duck Commander' merchandise in it's Fun Shops.

[Mulege]

While food is subjective to individual tastes, I can't see that this is an upgrade. IMO this puts Carnival's food and presentation at the bottom of main stream cruise lines. Now they have dumbed down both entertainment and food.

 

Abraham Lincoln famously said, you can fool some of the people some of the time but you can not fool all of the people all of the time. Touché Carnival!

[golfadj]

We will see this for ourselves in a few weeks and form our own opinion.

 

Cruised last month and we were kind of bored with old menu so change is good.

[bamboozel]

We will be sailing on the Glory on Jan.26th.. can't wait! I will post after about the new menu!

[gemsm]

Finally got my parents to try Carnival so if they liked it maybe we could cruise together more since they are the most affordable cruise option. Now I see why. I can figure with this new menu on the Liberty this will be the first and last time my parents will cruise Carnival.

[tmkm5501]

OMG, my little daughter whines less than some Carnival guests! :confused:

[Mulege]

OMG, my little daughter whines less than some Carnival guests! :confused:

 

Wait until she has to pay for the cruise and see if she sings a different tune. LOL!

[gemsm]

Well I have read reviews here, on Carnival's website, and 3 other sites for the Glory for Dec since the new menus and have read 2 positives and about 30 negatives on the new menus. I asked John Heald about it on Facebook and he says the results from the ship are mostly positive so I guess the new menus are staying but it makes me wonder what Carnival considers positive feedback

[golfadj]

Well I have read reviews here, on Carnival's website, and 3 other sites for the Glory for Dec since the new menus and have read 2 positives and about 30 negatives on the new menus. I asked John Heald about it on Facebook and he says the results from the ship are mostly positive so I guess the new menus are staying but it makes me wonder what Carnival considers positive feedback

 

Well somebody liked it so that is positive.

 

If they do add additional ships to this we will know they think it is poisitive.

 

When I mentioned to JH that we had heard quite a few people disliked playlist productions he told me that was true but also said many people liked it.

 

In other words would love to know what management really is thinking about this

[Crunchyfrog]

Well somebody liked it so that is positive.

 

If they do add additional ships to this we will know they think it is poisitive.

 

When I mentioned to JH that we had heard quite a few people disliked playlist productions he told me that was true but also said many people liked it.

 

In other words would love to know what management really is thinking about this

"Does it increase profits?"

[kece4]

omg, my little daughter whines less than some carnival guests! :confused:

 

amen!!!

[awhcruiser]

This...I can always find something to eat. And how are germs spread from using the same serving utensil unless someone eats from it? :rolleyes:

OMG, my little daughter whines less than some Carnival guests! :confused:

[awhcruiser]

If you stay home you will always have food you like and know who is sharing the utensils.

 

- If several order the same side, they place a large bowl on table so you can share germs by using the same serving utensil :p

Edited January 16, 2014 by awhcruiser

[wantocruisemore]

This...I can always find something to eat. And how are germs spread from using the same serving utensil unless someone eats from it? :rolleyes:

 

People have germs on their hands, touch the serving utensils and then transferred when the next person touches the utensils.

[awhcruiser]

Hubby and I always get a 2 top...So we will be ok...

People have germs on their hands, touch the serving utensils and then transferred when the next person touches the utensils.

[Ontario_Cruiser]

People have germs on their hands, touch the serving utensils and then transferred when the next person touches the utensils.

 

So I guess the lesson is to never eat in a buffet, such as the Lido?

 

Not sure what the big deal is about this shared thing - if you want a separately plated appetizer just ask for it!

[Harrier1961]

I cannot imagine anything more cheesy or disgusting as a table of strangers passing around and sharing a platter of mediocre food. Instead of looking for ways to enhance a cruise experience, Carnival is relentless to find the bottom of the barrel and will try anything to devalue your vacation.

 

If people would pay attention to what was announced instead of whinning, it was stated that you can order individual servings OR(if everyone at the table knew each other - family/friends), you can also REQUEST family style IF YOU WISHED.

 

Andy

:cool:

[Crunchyfrog]

Brass tacks:

 

(7 day menus)

 

Old menu - 78 appetizers (11 every night +1)

New menu - 48 appetizers (8 normal nights, 4 on formal nights)

= 39% reduction in appetizer choices

 

Old menu - 84 entrees (12 every night)

New menu - 60 entrees (10 on normal nights, 5 on formal nights)

= 29% reduction of entrée choices

 

Old menu - 49 deserts (7 every night)

New menu - 23 deserts (4 on normal nights, 1 on first formal, 2 on 2nd formal)

= 53% reduction of desert choices

 

Old menu - 21 soups (3 different per night)

New menu - 6 soups (1 choice per night, no soup on first formal)

= 62% reduction of soup choices

Edited January 16, 2014 by Crunchyfrog