Still not convinced about Specialty Restaurants...

[DonnaK]

"kids" 21 and 18 and still need to be paid for , as far as dinner is concerned? smh

 

On a family vacation, we pay for our "kids". They are college students still living under our roof; they are not yet self-supporting. If we didn't pay, they wouldn't come, and the reason for the vacation is so we can spend precious stress-free time together, so this is what we choose to do. We want to dine together.

[leaveitallbehind]

On a family vacation, we pay for our "kids". They are college students still living under our roof; they are not yet self-supporting. If we didn't pay, they wouldn't come, and the reason for the vacation is so we can spend precious stress-free time together, so this is what we choose to do. We want to dine together.

 

I agree with you. All of our kids are adults now (with two still at home short term) and when we plan a family vacation - Grandeur in July to be more specific - and invite them to join us, it's our treat.

 

Take it one step further. Our oldest is married and with a young child. Our choice and they too are coming at our invitation and at our expense. They will have plenty of opportunity for their own vacations out of their own pocket. But this one is ours.

 

And while they will pick up a lot of their own on board expenses, etc., when we do the specialty restaurants, its on us.

[londongal796]

Izumi's would be the closest to this. It is billed as Japanese cuisine with sushi rolls, sashimi, ishy-yaki (hot rock plates), etc. Actually a very good venue. It has a $15 dinner cover and then everything is a la carte,

 

Actually I think they don't have a cover any more (at least most ships) and instead you just pay a la carte. The sushi is actually really good, IMHO, and I can't wait to cruise on a ship that has an Izumi's again -- it's THAT good!

[leaveitallbehind]

Actually I think they don't have a cover any more (at least most ships) and instead you just pay a la carte. The sushi is actually really good, IMHO, and I can't wait to cruise on a ship that has an Izumi's again -- it's THAT good!

 

That would be nice and would look forward to that on Grandeur in July!

[CntPAcruiser]

Thanks for the great responses so far.

 

Maybe we'll try one of the specialty restaurants with the kids one day.

Maybe if they come out with a truly "Special" restaurant; thinking that since we're already out at sea, why not a Specialty Seafood or Sushi restaurant?

 

Reason we haven't tried Chops steakhouse so far, is that there's lots of great steakhouses in the metro Houston TX area, & we love the steakhouses in Chicago & NYC when we travel.

Trying to justify the $55 upgrade per person (x4 for us) for dry-aged steak may not be worth it, but maybe for the special ambiance...

 

My guess is if you're used to US steakhouses in TX/Chicago/NYC, you would probably be disappointed in Chops. Giovanni's Table, on ships that have it, would be fun with a family--that's what it's designed for, and in our experience most of the food was good to very good. The quality of the entrees and the service has left something to be desired, sadly.

[Rala]

My guess is if you're used to US steakhouses in TX/Chicago/NYC, you would probably be disappointed in Chops. Giovanni's Table, on ships that have it, would be fun with a family--that's what it's designed for, and in our experience most of the food was good to very good. The quality of the entrees and the service has left something to be desired, sadly.

 

I would have to mostly agree with the above post. We are from the Boston area and have some excellent steakhouse and Italian restaurants in our area. We do go to Chops, Portofino, Giovanni's and have enjoyed the experience and the food, but if money IS an object, then I would say that while the food and experience at these specialty restaurants is good to very good, it is not the out-of-this- world experience that some go on and on about. As another poster said, it is a very personal and subjective thing. If you do go, enjoy!:)

[bigque]

When we do the specialty restaurants one or two nights of the cruise, we do not do them because we think they are going to be some top tier restaurant experience nor or we looking for that. As a mater of fact we enjoy eating in the MDR, we just like to break it up during the cruise and do something different for dinner a couple of nights! If we were on a 7 day land bases vacation we wouldn't eat in the same restaurant every night, free or paying! :cool:

[novalab]

Our family have 2 upcoming cruises for the summer, one on RCCL & other on Carnival.

Our 2 kids (now 21 & 18) have cruised with us for most of their lives.

So far, We've been very happy with the food & service in the assigned Main Dining Room.

We've dined in a specialty restaurant once on Princess, without the kids. Great experience.

 

Now that the kids are older, we've always wondered how/why would we want to pay $35 upcharge per person ($140 for family of 4) for bypassing one dinner evening in the MDR for a Specialty restaurant experience.

So let's use Chops Grill, for example.

Wondering if the better ambiance, service, & higher quality of beef justifies the upcharge. Further upgrade to dry aged beef or lobster is another $20.

 

Could see we maybe go if just us 2. But want to spend quality time with kids also, so still wondering if upgraded Specialty restaurants worth it for our family?

 

We tried several of the specialty restaurants while on our recent Allure cruise. Below is what we felt about each of them(taking into consideration the cost for what we personally received):

 

Chops...OK but not as good as we have experienced in the past. We still had the old menu.

 

Izumi...Really liked this one & felt it was worth the extra charge & then some.

 

Samba Grill...OK but wouldn't book it again. After a while, most of the meat we tried tasted the same (I'm probably not being fair to Samba's. DD & I are not big meat eaters & passed on many of the offerings. It just wasn't worth the expense for us.) The sides were good:rolleyes:

 

Giovanni's...this was our favorite of the four we tried! We had a lunch & a dinner in Giovanni's & experienced the best service & food both times. DD tried their petite fillet at dinner & said it was better than the Chops fillet. Their espresso's are fantastic! Also try their tiramisu, best we have ever had!!

 

I would definitely recommend Giovanni's for a fun family dinner if your ship has one.

 

Enjoy your cruise!!

Edited June 4, 2014 by novalab

[vwhitaker]

Imagine this being the only cruise you take with your adult children for YEARS! Kids go to college, get married, have their own babies, go into military and move thousands of miles away. If that was a consideration, would it change your view? If not, maybe the MDR is perfectly fine for the whole cruise.

 

Have fun deciding!

 

This is so true - when I was 18 and my sister 20 we went on our third cruise with our parents. The next one? 24 years later.....(last year) for me to go with my parents, and my sister still hasn't been able to.

 

Enjoy it while you can!

 

Oh, back on topic - to me, personally, I don't think it is worth it to pay $140 for a specialty restaurant.

[George C]

One thing that disappointed me on RCCL specialty restaurants was the ambiance, most specialty restaurants on other lines had better wine glasses and white table cloths, but again I thought food was well worth the price

[constantcruiser]

What not ask the kids how they'd like to spend $140 for a special family experience while on the cruise? They may come up with some "out of the box" ideas that you haven't considered. Maybe something entirely different--and perhaps more memorable--than dinner at a steakhouse.

[marci22]

"kids" 21 and 18 and still need to be paid for , as far as dinner is concerned? smh

 

Are you kidding? Why would I make my kids pay at that age (they are poor) when I have the money to spend?

 

I pay for their gas too. And their car insurance.

[cpj]

Are you kidding? Why would I make my kids pay at that age (they are poor) when I have the money to spend?

 

I pay for their gas too. And their car insurance.

 

I feel the same way. I rather spend it on them. One day when they get situated I'm sure they will take care of me.

[FloGaleRNTX]

Here's another point of view. On our recent cruise (May 25) we had my time dinner and only went once - on Lobster night!! We ate in the windjammer most meals and had fabulous salads every day!! Now, I understand this is not everyone's cup of tea (or plate of food), but we simply wanted to relax and not worry about "offending" anyone with our choice of clothing!!

 

Barb

[critterchick]

I really enjoy the ambiance in the specialty restaurants - they are quieter than the MDR, the service is more personalized and not harried, and we can linger over a nice meal and bottle of good wine for as long as we want without feeling as if we're holding a table that needs to be turned for another seating.

 

I find the food to be much better than in the MDR. It's all cooked to order instead of being prepared banquet style, which makes a huge difference to me. I factor the additional cost into the price of my vacation, just as I factor in the petsitter, airfare and pre-cruise hotel. These days Izumi and Giovanni's Table are my faves - I can get red meat at GT that is equal to anything that Chops has, especially the new menu.

 

But only you can decide whether $35 or $55pp is worth it (I wouldn't pay the additional $20 for the "upgraded" cuts).

[NavyCruiser]

"But only you can decide whether $35 or $55pp is worth it (I wouldn't pay the additional $20 for the "upgraded" cuts)."

 

That's the quandary for us: Whether the included MDR piece of steak, vs upgraded $35 steak, vs $55 steak (x4) makes a difference. We as a family of 4 like to order one or two main courses each, then everyone share family style, so the kids (& us also) are exposed to many more varieties of cuisines around the world...

[dln929]

"But only you can decide whether $35 or $55pp is worth it (I wouldn't pay the additional $20 for the "upgraded" cuts)."

 

That's the quandary for us: Whether the included MDR piece of steak, vs upgraded $35 steak, vs $55 steak (x4) makes a difference. We as a family of 4 like to order one or two main courses each, then everyone share family style, so the kids (& us also) are exposed to many more varieties of cuisines around the world...

 

Since all the answers given you in this post haven't brought you any closer to making up your mind about whether to dine in a specialty restaurant or not, why don't you simply wait until you board? Go to the restaurant(s) you're considering and see if you like the look of them. And ask if there are any specials. If they're slow with the bookings you may be able to get a reduction on the price. No guarantees of course but there's no harm in asking. There's nothing to say that you need to make up your mind about where you want to dine before you sail--do it during the cruise. We've been on lots of cruises where we've enjoyed the MDR so much we never bothered to go elsewhere to dine. The same thing might happen to you and your family.

[Arizona Laura]

On our last B2B in May on the Jewel we did not eat at a specialty restaurant. First time ever not doing so.

We got hooked on the carved meats in the WJ most nights and they most always had 2 great veggies..the mixed fruit salad was awesome too along with a cheese roll and I was in heaven. Not overeating but could have what I wanted-when I wanted. They also had personalized pizzas one night that were good.

I am not saying we will not go to a specialty restaurant again for I am sure we will go to Chops again but we did not miss it on the Jewel. Ok... I did miss the Red Velvet Cake!!!

When we go with DD and son-in-law on the Freedom with 4 grandkids next June will let the 2 adults go to Chops for a special night and we will take the grandkids to WJ most likely.

 

Laura

Edited June 5, 2014 by Arizona Laura

[LMaxwell]

"But only you can decide whether $35 or $55pp is worth it (I wouldn't pay the additional $20 for the "upgraded" cuts)."

 

That's the quandary for us: Whether the included MDR piece of steak, vs upgraded $35 steak, vs $55 steak (x4) makes a difference. We as a family of 4 like to order one or two main courses each, then everyone share family style, so the kids (& us also) are exposed to many more varieties of cuisines around the world...

 

Let me refine my earlier statement and put it this way. While the upcharge specialty places were good, I also thought the MDR was very good. I did not feel I was missing out by eating at MDR instead of going to a specialty place. The MDR offers a lot of variety and chances are you will have more hits than misses. You don't need to pre-book specialty, and sometimes onboard if it isn't selling well they will offer discounts or deals on specialty dining.

 

Now, if I found the upcharge food to be phenomenal and the service an absolute spectacle to enjoy, that's a different story. But I don't. It's like others have said, a notch or two better all around, and a much quieter atmosphere. When we don't go we don't cry over it.

 

The windjammer was mentioned above; you could always pocket that $150+ and kick back in a t-shirt and some shorts in the Jammer with a window view and a variety of good food. You'd be surprised how nice it can be to have dinner up there. I am not joking or saying that tongue in cheek.

 

All of that is to say, if you're just looking to have a good time with your family you can do it at any of the dining venues with a variety of good food and you're not going to feel like you missed out on something.

[OCruisers]

Our family have 2 upcoming cruises for the summer, one on RCCL & other on Carnival.

Our 2 kids (now 21 & 18) have cruised with us for most of their lives.

So far, We've been very happy with the food & service in the assigned Main Dining Room.

We've dined in a specialty restaurant once on Princess, without the kids. Great experience.

 

Now that the kids are older, we've always wondered how/why would we want to pay $35 upcharge per person ($140 for family of 4) for bypassing one dinner evening in the MDR for a Specialty restaurant experience.

So let's use Chops Grill, for example.

Wondering if the better ambiance, service, & higher quality of beef justifies the upcharge. Further upgrade to dry aged beef or lobster is another $20.

 

Could see we maybe go if just us 2. But want to spend quality time with kids also, so still wondering if upgraded Specialty restaurants worth it for our family?

 

Maybe you'd consider taking them one night.

LuLu

[NavyCruiser]

Since all the answers given you in this post haven't brought you any closer to making up your mind about whether to dine in a specialty restaurant or not, why don't you simply wait until you board? Go to the restaurant(s) you're considering and see if you like the look of them. And ask if there are any specials. If they're slow with the bookings you may be able to get a reduction on the price. No guarantees of course but there's no harm in asking. There's nothing to say that you need to make up your mind about where you want to dine before you sail--do it during the cruise. We've been on lots of cruises where we've enjoyed the MDR so much we never bothered to go elsewhere to dine. The same thing might happen to you and your family.

 

Great sugg.

 

Guess we'll go check out Izumi when we get onboard, since our daughter loves sushi & we love sashimi... & see if it's worth it...

[akcruz]

Just another perspective for you, DH and I usually would take 1 night on our cruises and have a "date night" in the specialty restaurant while the kids were in the clubs. Now that my kids are older, they too were interested in trying out one of the specialties. We have now included them and find that it is a nice change from the MDR. We would not do it for a majority of the nights, but 1 night on a week long cruise works nicely for us.

 

As others have said, look around as there are discounts. Some ships will give a discount for booking the first night, or if you booked through a TA sometimes they will give you a dinner for 2.

 

Why not try one night and make up your own mind whether it is worth it to you.

[marci22]

We as a family of 4 like to order one or two main courses each, then everyone share family style, so the kids (& us also) are exposed to many more varieties of cuisines around the world...

 

If you order extra entrees in Chops or Portofino you will be charged $10 per extra entree. Not sure how the others work.

[FloGaleRNTX]

Let me refine my earlier statement and put it this way. While the upcharge specialty places were good, I also thought the MDR was very good. I did not feel I was missing out by eating at MDR instead of going to a specialty place. The MDR offers a lot of variety and chances are you will have more hits than misses. You don't need to pre-book specialty, and sometimes onboard if it isn't selling well they will offer discounts or deals on specialty dining.

 

Now, if I found the upcharge food to be phenomenal and the service an absolute spectacle to enjoy, that's a different story. But I don't. It's like others have said, a notch or two better all around, and a much quieter atmosphere. When we don't go we don't cry over it.

 

The windjammer was mentioned above; you could always pocket that $150+ and kick back in a t-shirt and some shorts in the Jammer with a window view and a variety of good food. You'd be surprised how nice it can be to have dinner up there. I am not joking or saying that tongue in cheek.

 

All of that is to say, if you're just looking to have a good time with your family you can do it at any of the dining venues with a variety of good food and you're not going to feel like you missed out on something.

 

So true!!! It is very different at night.....not crazy like during the day.

 

Barb

[bouhunter]

I really enjoy the ambiance in the specialty restaurants - they are quieter than the MDR, the service is more personalized and not harried, and we can linger over a nice meal and bottle of good wine for as long as we want without feeling as if we're holding a table that needs to be turned for another seating.

 

I find the food to be much better than in the MDR. It's all cooked to order instead of being prepared banquet style, which makes a huge difference to me. I factor the additional cost into the price of my vacation, just as I factor in the petsitter, airfare and pre-cruise hotel.

 

Wow, our thoughts pretty much exactly:)

 

Our first several cruises we dined almost exclusively at MDR. Now we're completely burned out on it and may never go back. The entree selections aren't that great, too much pork chicken and pasta - we cook that at home. Same waiter, same salads, same bread, loud bright atmosphere, we just can't do it anymore. We'd rather go to specialty dining and get steak and good seafood, cooked to order as noted above, with a better atmosphere and service. But to each their own!:) Now on a 7 night cruise we do 4 nights specialty and 3 nights Windjammer. Windjammer atmosphere is low key, quiet, and preferable to the chaotic MDR to us.