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Is Portofino worth the extra bucks?

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eagle8846r

eagle8846r

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Hi all! Just booked my first RC cruise. Going to Bermuda. Yay. I am just curious if any of you have eaten in Portofino and whether or not you thought it was worth the extra money. We are from NJ so we have a lot of experience with excellent Italian food.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

 

A few of us went to eat at Portofino to us it was not worth it at all food was soso service was not great. My other half had the Tuna it was over cooked when he said something to the waiter The waiter told him no it is not and enjoy it. That is just our view of Portofino we like Chops alot better

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dreamer976

dreamer976

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Had plenty of cruises on ships with Portofino's, but just never got around to going until 2 months ago on the Freedom OTS. There had been a mix-up with our reservation, so we received a few "so sorry but thanks so much for coming" additions to our meal, but even without them we (my Sister and I) both thought that the options and the meal were terrific.

 

If you're on the fence, I'd go for it, especially since Portofino is going away eventually on all RCI ships, turning them over into Giovanni's Table, which is very good also! Even though they're both Italian restaurants, they each have a completely different atmosphere and menu. Portofino is more refined, upscale and Giovanni's Table more of a rustic, countryside type of feel and menu.

 

Whatever you decide to do, enjoy your cruise!:)

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NorbertsNiece "Live from...." Rare

NorbertsNiece

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I love it. The fish skewer, the lamb, the tiramisu..... wonderful food, brilliant service and I've dined on various ships. Hasn't always been plain sailing but they've always resolved any issues..... no waiter (or head waiter for that matter) is telling me that something I've said is not right isn't.....

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metgame24

metgame24

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We have been to Portofino 3 times and plan on going back again. Everything has not always been perfect, an issue or two with some of the dishes we've tried, but still a nice experience. Remember, the only other options on Explorer if you want a change from main dining room, are Johnny Rockets or the buffet. I think the price is now $25 pp, but we think it's worth it because the food is a bit better than the dining room (remember...food is so subjective!)

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Langley Cruisers

Langley Cruisers

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Thank you for your responses.... Mr. Payroll' date=' I was just looking for others opinions. Sheesh.[/quote']

 

No sheesh, he is right. :) If you ask, a hundred people, you are likely to get a hundred differing opinions on this as food itself is very subjective. *shrug* Personally, we will not be going to Portofino or Chops again, liked and did not like several things about each restaurant. Does that help you? Probably not. :D;) LOL

.

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Big_G

Big_G

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A few of us went to eat at Portofino to us it was not worth it at all food was soso service was not great. My other half had the Tuna it was over cooked when he said something to the waiter The waiter told him no it is not and enjoy it. That is just our view of Portofino we like Chops alot better

 

The problem is that experiences vary from ship to ship. We've always enjoyed Portofino over Chops but we've never dined at either on Explorer. Was that where you had your experience?

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dodgeball24

dodgeball24

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Portofino and Johnny rocket only options on explorer and I usually go the first formal night but Giovanni is better and after explorer gets it's facelift u will have more options. I have eaten at portofino's even twice on the same cruise and had 1 good and 1 bad experience so if u want to go, go because it seems that at Portofino it depends on who u get and what u order

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mrpayroll

mrpayroll

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No sheesh, he is right. :) If you ask, a hundred people, you are likely to get a hundred differing opinions on this as food itself is very subjective. *shrug* Personally, we will not be going to Portofino or Chops again, liked and did not like several things about each restaurant. Does that help you? Probably not. :D;) LOL

.

 

Thanks for the support. :):)

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goodycruising

goodycruising

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We did Portofino on Voyager a year ago. The service was special and the décor made the place feel like you were going out for something of a treat. We loved the food, and we thought it was made with a with more flair and care, and the desserts were really well presented and delicious.

 

My complaint? I ate too much! Seriously, though, I was a sceptic of the upsell dinner locations, but after trying Giovanni's Izumi and Chops, we have had some good and bad experiences, but overall I would recommend it if you are interested.

 

I would also recommend trying the Windjammer for dinner. The officers eat there later in the sitting. It really is not the scummy place that people make out. Many of the dishes were similar to what we had in the MDR, with some variations, but overall we found it great. Then they cooked fresh waffles! There was a line up for those! Yes, the Windjammer also has some good and bad things, but why not try it all! We have a friend that says he hates the Windjammer for dinner and will not go there. He has NEVER eaten there for dinner, only first day lunch. There is no comparison between lunch and dinner.

 

So it is up to you, but why not I say!

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BekkaW

BekkaW

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Posted (edited)

We ate at Portofino twice on our recent Voyager cruise. I really enjoyed the seafood skewer and also tried the risotto which was equally good. The tiramisu was delicious! Our table mates ordered the steak and found it under done for their taste.

Edited by BekkaW
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Paula H

Paula H

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First of all - welcome first time cruiser! If you have a sense of adventure, you will enjoy all of the cruise experiences, including the eating!!

 

On my first cruise (over 20 years ago), I was with 2 friends and seated in the Main Dining Room at a large table with fantastic people, it was like going to a party every evening and simply the highlight of our trip! (There were no specialty restaurants back then and we were all on a budget, so the MDR was the only option anyway - ha!)

 

Now I go with my husband and the specialty restaurants are more romantic, intimate and the food is much better IMHO. We prefer Italian to Chops since we are not big meat eaters, but both restaurants are very good.

If you are on a 7-day or longer cruise, you will enjoy the change in atmosphere one evening. Go for it!!

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donovan52

donovan52

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For our first number of cruises we didn't go to the specialty restaurants - we couldn't figure out why you would pay extra when we found the food that was included to be perfectly good. Two trips ago we decided to try Portofino and we were very happy that we did - we found it to be well worth it!

 

We have enjoyed the caesar salad, risotto, and carpaccio for appetizers and enjoyed all of them. I have never ordered anything other than the filet, but family members have tried the pasta and the tbone. They enjoyed both, but they agree that the filet was better. The tiramisu is excellent as is the dessert sampler. We haven't tried anything else because we don't want to miss out on our favourites!

 

We have always had very good service as well. We have only been to Portofino on the Adventure of the Seas. Oh - Keep your eyes open for the celebration dining deal. I'm not sure if it is still offered, but when we booked Portofino online before our trip we were able to get 30$ worth of drinks for our table.

 

Hope this helps!

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marci22

marci22

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I think your success depends on your server and who is cooking that night. We have had excellent service and food sometimes, and just average other times. We usually do Portofino once per cruise.

 

I travel with 5 people so maybe I am more critical (it's more money). If it was me and my husband and we were using a BOGO for dinner, (which is a common situation on these boards) I might be more forgiving.

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