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

SailingDeanna
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nanwel

nanwel

Posted
Posted

WJ is not my reason to cruise. I prefer the solarium or ParkCafe food for breakfast if I do not have room service, and avoid it for lunch. Stopped for a late night snack last cruise - was awful - back to the park cafe.

Hard to please all of us, but if I had to take my meals in the WJ all the time. I would not cruise RC.

I have grabbed a snack the odd time and take it outside - do not like eating in there - but realize lots of people do - but then again, there are lots of restraunts that are very poplular on land that would go out of business if they waited for me to use them.

But it would be a boring world if we all enjoyed the same stuff!! Each to their own - enjoy!

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Sanz

Sanz

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Posted (edited)
Really NCL and Carnival....... The worst food IMO

 

The taste of food is subjective and at times can vary from ship to to ship on one cruise line and has varied throughout the years on the same line. - In my opinion to each their own taste. However - one of your past comments states that you are a "seasoned RC cruiser". When was "your season" on Carnival and NCL? When did you taste the food offered on these lines/ships?

Edited by Sanz
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DrD

DrD

Posted
Posted
This statement makes little sense....the size of the ship (in this case you are referring to Jewel) has no bearing on what the kitchen has the capacity to cater. Every galley has the ability to effectively provide food services for the number of cruisers on board.

 

Maybe. If dish is expected to be eaten by say only 1% of patrons, (maybe it's something weird) they prob wouldn't make it on a ship with a few hundred passengers as then only 2-3 people would have any. But on a ship with thousands of passengers, now maybe dozens will have some and thus it's worthwhile to make it.

 

It's kinds of like netlix carrying movies that the local video store wouldn't, when your customer base is the whole country rather than 1 neighborhood it's more justifiable to stock a movie that will be ordered by only a small percentage.

 

Anyway that's just a theory.

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Giorgi-one

Giorgi-one

Posted
Posted

Just saw this post and I totally agree with the OP. One thing I really like about the Allure is that I don't have to eat in the WJ. Besides the food not being good, the WJ is always undersized particularly on the Oasis Class Ships. Eating goes something like this. You and your wife spend 10 minutes to find an empty table which has usually not been cleared. You let your wife go get her food. When she comes back you go get your food. Of course, by the time you get back your wife is almost finished so she watches you eat your food. I call it Shift Dining. I much prefer the Solarium Bistro for breakfast. For lunch we usually go to the Bistro or just grab a burger or hot dog. Go to the MDR on sea days. Of course the WJ is much less crowded on port days if you stay on the ship, but the food is still not very good. I always judge any restaurant by asking myself "Would I pay to come back to this restaurant at home?" If you answer yes to this for the WJ, you must live in a place with very bad restaurants! My daughter lives in such a place but I won't identify it to avoid a torrent of flames. Enough to say it is approximately 1000 miles west of Philadelphia.

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wassup4565

wassup4565

Posted
Posted

I'm very happy with the Windjammer for breakfast and lunch. It allows me to "sin" without really going overboard. I can have a small piece of bacon or two, maybe a small dab of eggs, and still make most of my breakfast fruit, grains and other healthy stuff. Same at lunch. I can have half a dozen fries, a teeny piece of chicken or fried fish, and mostly eat a giant salad with wonderful variety (I think the salad stuff at the WJ is outstanding). Best of both worlds, I say.

 

We always dine in the MDR at night. Love the companionship and company at dinner tables, even if people are really different from us. We learn so much about different parts of the US and also from people's stories about previous travels. The food in the MDR is pretty good too. Not always fabulous, but usually pretty darned good.

 

But I'm an eat to live person, not a live to eat person. Maybe that's significant.

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voyager70

voyager70

Posted
Posted
Just saw this post and I totally agree with the OP. One thing I really like about the Allure is that I don't have to eat in the WJ. Besides the food not being good, the WJ is always undersized particularly on the Oasis Class Ships. Eating goes something like this. You and your wife spend 10 minutes to find an empty table which has usually not been cleared. You let your wife go get her food. When she comes back you go get your food. Of course, by the time you get back your wife is almost finished so she watches you eat your food. I call it Shift Dining. I much prefer the Solarium Bistro for breakfast. For lunch we usually go to the Bistro or just grab a burger or hot dog. Go to the MDR on sea days. Of course the WJ is much less crowded on port days if you stay on the ship, but the food is still not very good. I always judge any restaurant by asking myself "Would I pay to come back to this restaurant at home?" If you answer yes to this for the WJ, you must live in a place with very bad restaurants! My daughter lives in such a place but I won't identify it to avoid a torrent of flames. Enough to say it is approximately 1000 miles west of Philadelphia.

 

Good for you:confused:

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mac_tlc "Live from...." Rare

mac_tlc

Posted
Posted

The opinions are certainly varied on this post ! We thought the Windjammer on the Oasis and Allure were the worst we have had. Usually we go for breakfast, but after a couple days of crouton-toast, we stopped.

 

We always do the MDR for dinner. 152 days at sea and we have missed 1 dinner in the MDR (our day in Egypt, got back too late from the tour). Even if the food is the same as the WJ, we enjoy someone else serving the food -- and not having to search for a seat.

 

Looking forward to the Brilliance of the Seas in about 6 weeks, will report back on the WJ, if this post hasn't burst into flames by then :)

 

mac_tlc

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alreadypacked

alreadypacked

Posted
Posted
Okay, seriously fellow cruisers. I am a huge RCCL fan. I am a middle class american who hardly eats at 4 or 5 stars restaurants. I am just an "average Joe". I have taken many RCCL cruises, and by far this is the worst Windjammer experience.

 

In the morning, pancakes, french toast, toast, etc were all cold! So bad there were a few times I couldn't even swallow it.

 

The meat is ridiculous. The infamous CC honey stung chicken is as dry as a bone. The hamburgers are something that would be served in a school cafeteria. No quality meat at all.

 

It takes the entire cruise to figure out what to avoid.

 

I do give credit to the salad bar, it was nice. But even the dressing was so cheap. I had Blue Cheese dressing that squirted out of a bottle with a very small tip. So it was runny, not creamy or chunky like it should be.

 

At what point are we going to all agree, the Windjammer is like eating at a local grocery store food cafeteria line. After you finish eating, you are full, but there is never anything you have to get seconds. It just wasn't good.

 

Go ahead and flame me. But I wish they would use flames in the Windjammer to at least keep the food warm.

 

I have to agree with you.

 

I hadn't sailed Royal since 2006 but just got off the Liberty earlier this week. The Windjammer breakfast was ok, but the lunch and dinner was just awful. Food had either no taste or tasted horrible. Oftentimes, food that was supposed to be hot was nothing of the sort.

 

I looked forward to the much-raved-about Honey Stung Chicken and was woefully disappointed. I know taste is subjective, so no dis to those who like it, but I simply did not care for it--too heavy breading and little to no flavor.

 

I put the below food on my plate in Windjammer one day and other than the fruit, it was simply inedible:

DSCN1023.jpg.0b561c1a57029c24ab303bb396252686.jpg

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alreadypacked

alreadypacked

Posted
Posted

I should add that we had a great cruise!

 

Entertainment was second to none--ice show, piano bar singer David Curtis, and all of the shows in the theatre were spectacular!

 

After the inedible lunch in Windjammer, we realized we still had time to go to lunch in the MDR. They had a nice salad bar set up where you indicate to the employee beyond the counter what items you would like and then they toss it up for you. Salad greens and the various ingredients looked fresh and delicious. Unfortunately the dressing didn't live up to the salad. I requested the blue cheese dressing, which might as well have been ranch. It didn't taste like blue cheese at all and I could not find a single chunk of blue cheese in it.

 

Royal does a lot of things right--entertainment, beautiful well maintained ships--but they need to get it together with the food.

 

Decreasing quality of food had recently caused me to jump ship from Carnival. So far Princess and Celebrity (a Royal Caribbean company) wins regarding food.

 

I don't really consider myself a foodie... BUT... I like food that is well prepared with quality and tasty ingredients. Liberty of the Seas' included food options just didn't fit the bill. I don't think I could do a 7 day cruise on Royal unless they improved the food. I told them as much in the guest survey they emailed me.

 

Other than the food, I love Royal!!

 

Salad at the MDR lunch (as well as prosciutto and brie which was good):

DSCN1025.jpg.6dab0c3cfe3486138ba5552f0b8dc11e.jpg

DSCN1026.jpg.555eb2db9c275a90c94f45618733b739.jpg

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Paulette3028

Paulette3028

Posted
Posted (edited)
I eat at Everything from extremely fine dining in 5 diamond hotels to holes in the wall around the world. I still think windjammer is great for what it is. Quick service food.

 

There is SOME validity to what you write, in that we need to view the WJ for what it is.....a way to have a less complicated, quicker meal service. Keeping that in mind, and realizing that 'judging food' is subjective.....so taste varies from person to person....food should still be hot (if it is supposed to be hot) and cold (if it is supposed to be cold).

 

Most of the foods I have ever eaten at WJ, and I have done that quite a bit, have been fine and enjoyable....some I would not try at all (but that is me).

 

Let's also remember that the food in WJ comes out of the same kitchens, as the prep for the MDR.

Edited by Paulette3028
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Ocean Boy

Ocean Boy

Posted
Posted
I've always found Windjammer to be...... eh..........

 

Not awful, but obviously not 5 star quality, or 4 star, or 3 st.... well, you get the picture.

 

:D

 

I'm not sure that the MDR, with its noise and commotion and food is 5 star quality, or 4 star, or 3 st.... well, you get the picture.

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UNV-IT!!!

UNV-IT!!!

Posted
Posted
There is SOME validity to what you write, in that we need to view the WJ for what it is.....a way to have a less complicated, quicker meal service. Keeping that in mind, and realizing that 'judging food' is subjective.....so taste varies from person to person....food should still be hot (if it is supposed to be hot) and cold (if it is supposed to be cold).

 

Most of the foods I have ever eaten at WJ, and I have done that quite a bit, have been fine and enjoyable....some I would not try at all (but that is me).

 

Let's also remember that the food in WJ comes out of the same kitchens, as the prep for the MDR.

 

I seem to have good luck with food temps. It also helps once you've figured out which items you enjoy.

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