2 Negative Food Posts

[joramrose]

Rosie, I do agree about the lobster. Altho seafood is my favorite, I skip the lobster. It is a delicacy requiring tender loving care that is not available in a kitchen prepring more than 1,000 meals at the same time.

 

Terri, I do agree about the hake. Have not had bad hake on a cruise ship yet.

 

And I love the Celebrity dressing. And the chilled soups, only somtimes they come out not quite chilled enough.

 

I had very good food on HAL Amsterdam -- except for desserts. All sugar and not much flavor. The hake and lamb were wonderful, and I skipped the lobster. Had some wonderful Chilean sea bass. We were cruising around Chile's labyrinthine waterways at the time -- you suppose it was fresh?

 

love

joan

[WeBeCruisin']

We just came back from our fifth RCCL trip, and have cruised on Celebrity's Summit, Horizon, and Constellation and found the food on both lines to be excellent.

 

You have to realize that many of the complaints about food aren't really valid, because the complainers are actually upset that their own subjective tastes weren't catered to exclusively.

 

I've heard people say they hated the food because so many of the items were things they'd never tasted before, and they weren't about to try something that might be icky. Others complained because they couldn't order meatloaf every night. Others said the food was too spicy, while someone at the same table said it was too bland. Some people complain that the food is too fancy, with too many sauces, and too many "French-sounding" items, while others fuss because there's no seared foie gras and caviar.

 

And some people are just ridiculously picky eaters and don't like anything except macaroni and cheese. French fries and chicken.

 

It's all relative, but the cruise lines do a great job of trying to cater to so many different tastes and expectations.

 

Allen

[dileep]

Everything in the Specialty Restaurant is excellent, but we especially liked the Filet Mignon with Trufle Sauce which was an off menu item they served for us with 24 hour notice.

 

The Goat Cheese Souffle is a great appetizer as is the Lobster Veloute.

[Osnab]

With so many positive comments about Celebrity food, why would you be concerned with two that were not happy? Food is subjective and never will all be happy with the seasoning, level of salt, fancyness, etc.

 

Good point, but I think the main thing is not that the food is average, but the food is average compared to other cruise lines. I can only compare the food between Celebrity, HAL & Princess, and out of the 3, I found Celebrity to be the least favorite in taste (but still had a good presentation!)

 

The foods I found outstanding were:

Beef

Dressings for salads

Vegetable turrine (app)

Creme brulee

Snow peas (crispy!!)

Mushroom bisque

Escargot

Seafood in a puff (app)

Chocolate cookie thing (choc filling in a large cookie)

 

The foods I found fair were:

Almost all side dishes: potatoes, asparagus, beans, squash

Fish and the sauces that went on them

Mushroom turrine (app)

Fruit salad (app) - fresh fruit but the "sauce" was not flavorful

French onion soup (no cheese - odd, hu? Good flavor of broth, tho)

 

 

The foods I found almost bad (but still edible) were:

Rolls (dry & not very unusual) ~~> as opposed to HAL & Princess

Cold soups (like honey & pear) - the reason was hardly any flavor

Bloody Mary & Seabreeze - very little liquor (I suggest wine)

Turkey

Corn & peas mixture (hello! Canned all the way w/o any seasonings)

Chocolate cake (although, it IS chocolate, right?!)

Salmon (not deboned. Spent 1/2 the time picking bones out of my mouth!)

 

 

I did not have the crab legs on the night they were served, but almost everyone else did. They all commented on how they were dry and sure enough, you could see how they were almost non-existent. BUT in the crab legs' defense, it could have been the time of year they are just bad. Can't help that. It just happens.

 

There were a lot more foods that I ate than I mentioned above. I just wanted to pick out the ones I found most especially delicious and those I found fair, meaning they were not what I expect from a cruise line.

 

I agree it's subjective, and I am only comparing to the cruise lines I've eaten on before.

 

Felicia

[moai]

What surprised me was one of the posters thought the food on RCCL superior to that of Michel Roux. Must be that Royal Ranch Steak.

 

First, I never said that the food on RCCL was superior to that of Michel Roux.

Secondly, Michel Roux might be an exceptional chef but he is not supervising everything that comes out of the kitchen. If I am not mistaken there are over 100 cooks/chefs in that kitchen. :)

[Lois R]

May I have your Honey Pear soup?:D ;) I thought it was outstanding and have ordered it on every cruise! It tasted like a fresh pureed pear (to me).

I love all the chilled soups:)

[hdawson]

My experience and taste. Four cruises on Royal CAribbean. Food in the DR has consistantly been "good". No better, no worse.

Five cruises on Celebrit the food in the DR has always been excellent. Absolutely no comparison. Love the bread sticks. The fresh made croissants in the AM are outstanding. Celebrity prides themselves in all the breads being baked onboard daily, same for the salad dressings and ice creams.

Even the burgers grilled on pool deck seem to be fresh ground sirloin and not those terrible frozen paddies on other lines.

[Osnab]

 

On the other hand, all salad dressings left something to be desired.

 

QUOTE]

 

IT's so funny how different people's tastes are. I LOVE the Celebrity and Calypso salad dressings onboard Celebrity ships!

Terri

 

LOL, this is so funny. I had just posted that the salad dressings were excellent. They had a different one each night and they were unique. The Thai Lemon was my favorite!

Felicia

[jasm8449]

If I've got a good waiter, he/she can be a great guide as to what should, or better yet, what should not be ordered.

 

I find the Celebrity food very good overall....with most of the "misses" being at the lunchtime buffet.

 

They've never been able to do veal to my satisfaction.

 

Desserts can be iffy....the cream often tastes like the fake stuff....is it?

 

But how nice that you are never stuck...you can ask for something else, fresh berries for dessert, etc. etc.

 

And truly, we enjoy giving ourselves a "break" by enjoying lunch at the Aqua Spa Cafe. Nice, clean flavours, and a rest for our digestive systems between those room-service or dining room breakfasts and multi-course dinners.

[libramitch]

I definitely have not quams with the food on X. I am still trying to lose the extra 10 pounds from the last cruise. I will split that soup with you Lois. I enjoy the chilled soups. Nice, refreshing way to gentle ease into a fabulous meal.

[reggierail]

To my taste, the food on any Royal Caribbean ship hasn't come close to my trips on Celebrity.

 

I agree, with the exception of the Voyager cruise in October of 2000. The food, presentation and service was very good, in fact by far the best I've ever experienced on RCCL.

Post 9/11, the food on RCCL dropped precipitously(sp). It has made a comeback

but doesn't match my earlier RCCL cruises or come close to the dining on "X"

 

Reggie:D

[Jeanne S]

First, I never said that the food on RCCL was superior to that of Michel Roux.

Secondly, Michel Roux might be an exceptional chef but he is not supervising everything that comes out of the kitchen. If I am not mistaken there are over 100 cooks/chefs in that kitchen. :)

 

I was not referring to you specifically - I apologize if that was the impression. I believe the post was that there were two negative posts and I was referring to the one that found the food on RCCL better. It is understood Michel is cooking these meals nor is he the chef supervising the galley on that cruise, rather it is his food - his receipes that are being executed. It all starts at the top and it is the cuisine of Michel Roux whether or not he actually executes each meal.

[Jeanne S]

Jeanne S. To my taste, the food on any Royal Caribbean ship hasn't come close to my trips on Celebrity.

 

We sure are not expecting all that much for our November VOS cruise. I found the food on Celebrity to be on par (if not better in some aspects) than Radisson and QE2 and heads and tails better than QM2 (more like RCCL).

 

 

The cruise line that did surprise me was Carnival - went on 2 cruises and thought the food quite good, but RCCL was such a disappointment especially as we were told it was a much better line than Carnival, so our expectations were that the food would be as good. My expectations of Celebrity were that the food would not be as good as QE2/Radisson Navigator (cause I spend so much on these cruises), but we were so amazed night after night with the dinners as well as the Lido (alternative) restaurant.

 

 

Usually I avoid buffets, however those waffles and that pasta bar, egg station - just loved it all. The only thing Cunard does much better than Celebrity and Radisson is Afternoon Tea. Did not care for the Elegant Tea much but that is probably because I prefer an English Afternoon Type with scones made a certain way that only they and some hotels do and am particular about the pastries (cannoli’s did not seem appropriate) and what is in the sandwiches. However, as a buffet, the tea was splendid and certainly was pleasing to the eye.

 

I never liked Rum Raisin Ice Cream but was told it was a must try on Celebrity. I could not get enough of it.

 

 

 

Jeanne

[hdawson]

Jeanne S. We think alot alike. Although my budget doesn't allow cruises on Radisson or either of the queens I do enjoy quality. I agree that Carnival's dining room food these days is better than Royal Caribbean. Love that West Indian Pumpkin Soup. I think RC relies on the popularity and uniqueness of their Voyager class and Radiance class (the prettiest of my 18 cruises) to keep the ships full, and at a premium price, rather than concentrating on the DR food. With full ships they just don't have to excel in the DR. As I've said, it's good, but not as special as their ships. But, neither Carnival or Royal Caribbean has matched the imagination or presentation of the dishes on Celebrity.

[lysolqn]

Considering Celebrity probably feeds 10,000+ guests fleetwide each week, a couple of negative comments on this board shouldn't be cause for alarm. Take into consideration the varying tastes, expectations and culinary experiences of all those guests and you're bound to get some negative press. The cruiseline has a reputation for excellent food and service and for the most part (nothing is perfect), lives up to that reputation consistently.

[Ships R Great]

Always had good food on X. I am not a red meat eater but I almost always order the beef when on Celeb. Hardly ever really disappointed.

 

I have been gently steered away from some dishes by my waiter (a bonus!) at times.

 

Now, I must run to the kitchen to try my hand at the Goat Cheese Souffle recipe from a recent CC magazine. I had forgotten about it 'til I read this thread. Wish me luck!

 

BTW, the absolutely worst food I have had was on NCL. One meal I could not eat at all! I just pushed my food around till everyone else was done. Nothing else on the menu sounded good so I couldn't ask for something else. Oh, well, it was on the Norway and she was a beautiful ship.

[cechase]

I reluctantly jump in here - because some might think that I am a cheer leader for Celebrity. I have eaten at some of the finest restaurants all over America before retiring. Nedra and I love to eat at the Steak House at Harrahs in Reno, which year after year gets the award for being the only five star restaurant in the Reno area, because of the great food and wonderful service.

 

On our three cruises on Celebrity we have enjoyed the same high quality of service as we enjoy on our favorite shoreside restaurant, as well as the restaurants which I have enjoyed before retiring. It is been equivalent or superior to say Commander's Palace in New Orleans, or the great restaurants in New York City, and certainly on a par with Spago's in Palo Alto. We have also very much enjoyed the offered selection as well as the quality and presentation of the various courses and in some respects found it to be superior to our favorite shoreside restaurants.

 

That said, we avoid the buffet on C-class ships even though we believe that they try hard. Of course, when embarking and before your cabin or suite is available, it is hard to avoid the buffet - and that is the only time we utilize that eating facility. As to lobster, yes we have it, but if you want great lobster, go to Boston and go to Legal Seafood! :D The meals that we have had in our suite, served course by course by our butler has been absolutely sensational - we just scratched our head wondering how the eggs benedict or steak or veal could be served to us that way and be pipping hot. Frankly, on this subject our hats are off to the very talented crew and staff of Celebrity.

[Osnab]

May I have your Honey Pear soup?:D ;) I thought it was outstanding and have ordered it on every cruise! It tasted like a fresh pureed pear (to me).

I love all the chilled soups:)

 

Lois:

I did find having a cold soup in the 'fruit family' a bit unusual, and I'm all for the unusual foods!

Felicia

[Lois R]

Hi Felicia:) did you try any of the others? I can't think of them right now but I always look forward to those soups!

 

And the one famous soup that is always served cold I don't enjoy~ That would be Gazpacho. I love veggie soup and I really LOVE tomatoe soup as well...but

not cold;) :rolleyes:

[cechase]

Hi Felicia:) did you try any of the others? I can't think of them right now but I always look forward to those soups!

 

And the one famous soup that is always served cold I don't enjoy~ That would be Gazpacho. I love veggie soup and I really LOVE tomatoe soup as well...but not cold;) :rolleyes:

 

Awwww! Lois - I really love the Gaspacho soup served on both Mercury and Century :D

[i-m-ed]

Having been on 1 X cruise, Summit, Mar. 05, 2 RCCL cruises, and 1 Carnival cruise I personally found the RCCL offerings to be the most appealing.

 

My father in law made me realize that I was not alone, he very regularly eats at 5 star resturants, when he too ordered off of the kids menu a couple of nights. It got to the point where I would go down and look at the menu before getting dressed so I could figure out whether I was going to eat at the resturant, the sushi bar or the aqua spa cafe. on our 12 day cruise I think I ate dinner at the sushi bar the most, but then again I didn't find the aquaspa cafe until about day 8 and I must say their offerings were quite good.

 

Of course as you say all of our tastes differ but in talking with other guests on Summit that have also sailed RCCL most seemed to prefer RCCL, including my in-laws, my mom and ourselves. I personally like to experiment a with what I eat but it felt like X was trying too hard with thier offerings.

 

We just came back from our fifth RCCL trip' date=' and have cruised on Celebrity's Summit, Horizon, and Constellation and found the food on both lines to be excellent.

 

You have to realize that many of the complaints about food aren't really valid, because the complainers are actually upset that their own subjective tastes weren't catered to exclusively.

 

I've heard people say they hated the food because so many of the items were things they'd never tasted before, and they weren't about to try something that might be icky. Others complained because they couldn't order meatloaf every night. Others said the food was too spicy, while someone at the same table said it was too bland. Some people complain that the food is too fancy, with too many sauces, and too many "French-sounding" items, while others fuss because there's no seared foie gras and caviar.

 

And some people are just ridiculously picky eaters and don't like anything except macaroni and cheese. French fries and chicken.

 

It's all relative, but the cruise lines do a great job of trying to cater to so many different tastes and expectations.

 

Allen[/quote']

[Tatka]

Jeanne S. We think alot alike. Although my budget doesn't allow cruises on Radisson or either of the queens I do enjoy quality. I agree that Carnival's dining room food these days is better than Royal Caribbean. Love that West Indian Pumpkin Soup. I think RC relies on the popularity and uniqueness of their Voyager class and Radiance class (the prettiest of my 18 cruises) to keep the ships full, and at a premium price, rather than concentrating on the DR food. With full ships they just don't have to excel in the DR. As I've said, it's good, but not as special as their ships. But, neither Carnival or Royal Caribbean has matched the imagination or presentation of the dishes on Celebrity.

 

I like this! We are trying Carnival this year and while I expect it to be worse in food regard than X I would be a happy camper if it's better than RCCL.

 

Food on RCCL (Splendor ots) was bland and uninteresting, except for a couple of dishes on fomal night. If Carnival food is better I guess we'll be able to survive!!! :)

 

Loved HAL food , but when you wait and wait, and wait for the next course it gets on your nerves!

[Tatka]

My father in law made me realize that I was not alone, he very regularly eats at 5 star resturants, when he too ordered off of the kids menu a couple of nights. .

 

This shows that your father in law likes more american type of food, rather than more sofisticated french dishes by Michell Roux (sp?)...

[i-m-ed]

This shows that your father in law likes more american type of food, rather than more sofisticated french dishes by Michell Roux (sp?)...

 

I'm not sure I'd agree with that, I do know that Charlie Trotter's is his favorite resturant and that he is a french wine fanatic. He's the only person I know that will bring a $150 bottle of wine to a hamburger cookout :confused:

[Jeanne S]

Jeanne S. We think alot alike. Although my budget doesn't allow cruises on Radisson or either of the queens I do enjoy quality. I agree that Carnival's dining room food these days is better than Royal Caribbean. Love that West Indian Pumpkin Soup. I think RC relies on the popularity and uniqueness of their Voyager class and Radiance class (the prettiest of my 18 cruises) to keep the ships full, and at a premium price, rather than concentrating on the DR food. With full ships they just don't have to excel in the DR. As I've said, it's good, but not as special as their ships. But, neither Carnival or Royal Caribbean has matched the imagination or presentation of the dishes on Celebrity.

 

 

Agree. Can only afford to travel on Radisson when they have the 2 ofr 1 deals which I got for a cruise to Bermuda next Wed, otherwise would be out of my price range.

 

We were on a 4 day RCCL cruise to Canada and no lobster was served, yet on a 2 day Carnival Cruise to nowhere, lobster was the main course with a jumbo shrimp appetizer. The waiter brought my friend two tails as I had ordered two even though this was not requested by him - "just in case you desire more sir."

 

Jeanne