I know I'm gonna get flamed, but Windjammer is AWFUL

[DreamingBig1]

I have been on three different ships on three different lines. One of which was the Freedom.

 

I wasn't impressed with any of the cafeterias. With that said of all the three, I thought the WJ was the best. Better than even one sister line to Royal that is known for their food.

 

I agree with the poster who said you should complain. It's your money. Unless you say something, its going to stay the same.

 

Cafeteria food is usually just ok, no matter where you go.

 

But the quality should never be noticeably cheap, and the food should not be cold or dry.

[ssb]

What do you eat at home??????

[dealer9296]

The cruise we just got back from we used the WJ more than we have in the last 15 years. One reason was the homemade pasta bar.

 

Its all made from scratch right in front of you, several choices of pasta, sauces and a ton of toppings. Its so hot you can hardly hold the plate.

 

Yes! Yes! Yes! I agree....... I can always eat their pasta if prepared properly, It is great. It is great on the Majesty and Enchantment however this was one of my biggest complaints on the Liberty....they had the stainless steel area next to the cheese but no other toppings (I love to top off my own) and the sauce...very questionable. I never did see the meat sauce.....they did have some sort sauce (??) with a whole lot of meatballs in it. They really didn't have a pasta bar. It looked like an after though on the salad bar. No Thank you! The Liberty departs from Ft. Lauderdale and it would be so easy for RCCL (Miami) to let a few of their office staff board the Liberty for lunch when in port and go back with a report. If you do please check the pasta and toppings.:) I also like Majesty's Taco bar.

[dealer9296]

Breakfast: 2 eggs and bacon at home: No bread

 

Balanced Meal for lunch: Today Pork, rice, yams, green beans, No bread

 

Tomorrow: Fish, Mac/cheese, Lima beans, Tomatoes

 

Late afternoon: Homemade juice: beet, green beans, carrots, cucumber, Brussel Sprots, asparagus (Never expect this on any cruise) 1/2 Bagel with cream cheese.

 

Night: Lg. Greek Yogurt with strawberries and blueberries. I put this together.

 

Yes the juice taste like it came off the WJ Buffet. :confused:

 

I'm really pretty easy. I live alone. I eat 3 meals on cruise.

Edited January 10, 2014 by dealer9296

[cmason]

Can't say I have experienced cold food in the Windjammer. Wait.

 

I take that back. I have had cold food in Windjammer...but, when I got the food, it was hot. It got cold as I wandered around, looking for something else to pile on my plate. If I would simply take something and return to my table, it would be nice and hot.

 

Of course, at breakfast, ordering an omelet or fresh eggs will guarantee you get a hot meal, because you wander around waiting on those eggs!

 

Agree with the burgers, and most of the pizza, but its like a Vegas buffet, with lots to feed.

Edited January 10, 2014 by cmason

[time4u2go]

What do you eat at home??????

 

Why do you ask?

Edited January 10, 2014 by time4u2go

[trev71]

Ive never noticed the food being that bad, I am too a middle class guy from Canada. Sure the food isn't 5 Star but its not too bad. Last cruise we ate at the Park Café for lunch a few times and Johnny Rockets. We did go to WJ for most days at breakfast. Bacon Eggs, sasusge,. one thing that I think they changed was the waffles they were not that great last time.

 

I did enjoy the honey strung chicken it wasn't the best I have to agree but it was good, its been said before, But everyone seems to like it and talk about it since its only served in the WJ on day one.

Edited January 10, 2014 by trev71

[At Sea 4Ever]

On our last cruise we did Park Cafe for breakfast almost everyday. I liked the food better and I felt it was healthier.

 

What's the breakfast menu in the park cafe like?

[Clarea]

What's the breakfast menu in the park cafe like?

Egg McMuffin type sandwiches, breakfast burritos, panini, bagels, oatmeal.

[LMaxwell]

I haven't been wowed by Windjammer breakfasts in either November or December of 2013. Plenty of choices and selection, but the overall quality and taste seemed more cheap than good. Lunches were very good. Had dinner 1 night each cruise in the Jammer and the food was okay, desserts great, atmosphere far more civilized than MDR, less noise and commotion.

 

I would not mind sacrificing some breakfast choice for a bit better quality.

[cruisinmom1]

On our Allure cruise we sat down at the WJ... looked around at the selection... and left. We went to Park Café... and we enjoy the dining room. I never have been a big WJ person... I would rather be served. That said... I didn't think the CL was great either... just not a comfortable place to eat Breakfast. But... I do like to go to the WJ for a snack in the late afternoon... I like the little sandwiches and the selection. I'm one that would be happy if they would go back to traditional breakfast, lunch and dinner in the dining room...

I also enjoy being served, especially breakfast, so I go to the MDR. It would be great if the MDR served a brunch item as they did in the past so we could sleep in a bit and then have a brunch. The WJ has never been a favorite of mine, but ok for a quick bite. It's hard to piece a meal together going from station to station anyway.

[squadron]

Windjammer Breakfast Like the omelet station where you can also get fried eggs but find French toast and pancakes much better in MDR. Also like to get smoked salmon benedict once during cruise in MDR. I get tried of tracking down things I need and a table when it is busy in the WJ. Travel solo so don't have someone to stack a claim on a table while one gets breakfast.

[AmyWrites]

First RCI cruise for me was the Radiance. The WJ food was wonderful! Second RCI cruise was the Adventure, WJ was horrible. Think it just depends on the ship.

[FLASHINGLIGHTS83]

I have noticed that the quality of the WJ has definately declined over the last few yrs. I don't think my last expierence was as bad as the OP's, but definately a decline in product....

[Bookish Angel]

When I still ate beef, I found that any beef on a cruise ship, regardless of venue, had a faint to sometimes strong liver taste - gack. Having experienced this on RCL, even at Chops, and Princess several times, I just never ate it on a ship again. I think the quality was low and the taste reflected that.

 

We are not big MDR fans, so if eating in the Windjammer, I now stick to what I eat often at home; white meat skinless chicken, green salads, steamed veggies, fresh fruit, nuts, oatmeal and the occasional well-cooked egg and sometimes, meatless pasta. Those foods, eaten more or less every day are sufficient for a week or two but the other food is just not very good and sometimes not even warm. Rather like the food at most wedding receptions, actually.

 

I always mention the declining food quality on surveys in hope of improved quality.

[critterchick]

This, exactly. Our best WJ experience was on Jewel - absolutely outstanding, the best ever, and we let those in charge know it. We gave a WOW card to the omelet guy! Fabulous!

 

OP, sorry you didn't enjoy it more.

 

We've enjoyed Jewel's WJ more than any other ship we've sailed on. In 2007 ruling a galley tour, the then-Executive Chef said that it was the one place where they could stray from the corporate menu, and he had some great options, which his successors have kept. In addition to the pasta station, they offer a stirfry and cooked to order steaks, chicken and fish. We have pretty much given up on the chaos of the MDR at dinner in favor of better food, even if we have to fetch it ourselves. I'd rather do that than have it brought to me by a server who is stretched over so many tables that he's sweating profusely while bringing the food.:eek: I don't blame the server but it's not exactly appetizing.

 

A reply to some of your comments. I also loved the park cafe and Johnny Rockets for breakfast on Oasis. But I just got off the Liberty today and those aren't offered. We did try the main dining room for breakfast but they have now changed it to a mini Windjammer experience. The buffet food is set up where the Captains table would have been. It is pretty much the same food from the Windjammer on the buffet. You could order off the menu but the waiters encouraged eating the buffet. We did go against his recommendation and ordered off the menu. We felt this was an improvement. But our friend had a cold omelet in there as well.

 

I do LOVE Royal. I will still sail them. I just wish there were other choices on the Liberty.

 

We tried ordering room service for breakfast. One morning it was great. The next morning they said they didn't get an order even though we placed it. So it never arrived. So off to the Windjammer due to time constraints.

 

I hate the MDR buffet setup. If I'm going to eat there, which I rarely do, it's because I want somebody else to do the fetching for me. At breakfast and lunch they aren't sweating so much. I will make an exception for the salad bar, since the ingredients are awesome.:)

 

OP, I'm sorry that your experience on Liberty wasn't acceptable. Try Jewel next time.:)

[cmich068]

I found the selection on Adventure to be absolutely terrible - food selection was mediocre and quality was lacking. They weren't even serving Hamburgers at lunch anymore (a misguided attempt to drive people to Johnny Rockets, i'm sure).

 

RCCL really needs to get their act together with the Windjammer.

[Doug S]

I agree with the OP (except for the never seen dressing bottles). We are not food snobs, but if the WJ was the only dining option on a cruise they'd lose us.

 

We go in mostly for breakfast, and are able to fill up on decent food, but there's a lot of picking and choosing. 90% of the foods are not our thing, but I guess there are lots of others looking for other foods. Like the OP, I do wish the pancakes, waffles, toast were hot or at least pretty warm, but they aren't in my experience, so I pass on them. The carving stations are usually a safe bet, and the oatmeal and grits are served hot. I have to admit I do usually pull off a chunk of the bacon strips (Its bacon). A good variety of cut fruit and a pastry and we are good till lunch.

 

Other than embarkation when there are few choices, we usually lunch elsewhere. Most of the food is just not that good, but we can normally fill a plate, and only leave a few things that didn't make the cut. I do not get the fascination with the honey stung chicken folks seem to like. What I've had has been cooked to death and was fairly tough. We prefer the MDR, Johnny Rockets, Dog House, or other venue for lunch.

 

I think I've had dinner in the WJ one time due to a schedule conflict. Just not the same experience or food as the MDR, and we'd miss a big part of what we enjoy about cruising by eating there every night.

 

It is what it is. Lots of food volume and quality tends to suffer. Hard to keep that many plates stacked 5" high with freshly prepared food right off the burner. WJ serves a purpose, and some like it, which is fine. But for us it is our standby plan to fill up if nothing else is available or we have limited time.

[gadaboutgal]

The cruise we just got back from we used the WJ more than we have in the last 15 years. One reason was the homemade pasta bar.

 

Its all made from scratch right in front of you, several choices of pasta, sauces and a ton of toppings. Its so hot you can hardly hold the plate. The second time we had this the ships chef and the WJ chef were both there quizzing the guest on their pasta asking follow up questions to make sure all was done to order. Perfect service and meal

 

Were you on the Legend? Sounds like our experience in December. Great, freshly prepared food every night. We had busy port days, so decided to dine very casual every night -and so glad we did. In fact, we looked forward to dinner. Some nights they did a Mongolian stir fry with choice of fresh ingredients that was so delicious. We spoke with the Windjammer Chef several times and complimented him on the excellent food. Hope things don't change as we are looking forward to going back in March and will plan to skip the MDR just to experience great dinners again.

[riclop]

Go to johnny rockets for a good hot free breakfast.

[lifeboatcaptain]

Please do a feedback in your guest questionnaire. It works I went on the same cruise a few times within 2 months and after I did an honest feedback, the food did improve over the next two cruises. In fact on my last cruise, windjammer was much better than the previous few. I guess when enough people gave proper feedback (I'm not talking about complaining about the slightest details), they will listen. After all, they have real humans reading everything. However, if you feel that they have improved after your feedback, please do commend them on the improvements. If there are any assistant waiters worthy of mention, please do as well. Their promotion is partly (greatly) based on guests' feedbacks. Happy cruising.

[dplusd]

I've enjoyed some good soups in the WJ. Their salad bar is nice. Hot foods..just so so.

 

What I can't tolerate in the WJ is the inadequate seating. No excuse for that in my opinion. Other cruise lines do their buffet much better than Royal.

[pspercy]

Some things in WJ don't look appealing, just like any buffet, but in general we've never had any real complaints and in the evenings it can be a nice quiet change.

 

One problem in both WJ and MDR (and in many shore establishments) is food temperature sometimes being not hot enough.

[Barb Nahoumi]

How's the WJ on the Explorer. Do they have a Park Cafe, and is it open for Embarkation Day Lunch?

[McCruiser33]

I won't flame either....the WJ on the Oasis could use improvement as well. It certainly isn't my first choice, luckily there are plenty of other options on this ship.

Edited January 10, 2014 by McCruiser33