Are specialty restaurants getting too costly? Poll.

[SPacificbound]

I don't have any objection to paying extra for a specialty restaurant if, and it's a big IF, there was a specialty restaurant that was vegetarian/vegan friendly. Just having a pasta dish or two doesn't cut it.

[SantaFeFan]

Not all specialty restaurants are created equal. Some are excellent, and some are not. Celebrity's specialties are some of the best in the cruise business. NCL's are without a doubt the worst. If I had only experienced NCL's, I would be in the "not worth it" camp, and would not be caught dead in one. But since I have experienced some fine meals in a variety of specialties, especially on Celebrity, I consider them well worth it - depending on cruise lines, of course.

Edited November 27, 2014 by SantaFeFan

[sail7seas]

We live in one of the best food cities in America and usually avoid surcharge restaurants.

 

For $100 we can have a spectacular meal in Portland, including wine, with some of the freshest, most local food imaginable.

 

For $90-$100 at a surcharge restaurant, we get a decent steak and a humongous dessert that we can't finish. But remember I've already paid something tonight for the food I'm not eating - so the real cost of the meal is more like $150 or more.

 

The food isn't good enough in our view to spend at the high surcharge restaurants. That said, we might spend $5-$10 once in a while at lunch just for a change.

 

In 3 cruises we've done a surcharge restaurant once. On our upcoming 14 day cruise we have no specialty restaurant meals planned.

 

 

Funny you wrote this. I was thinking that we have such great food and so many choices in Boston, I'm not really looking for 5* Dining on a cruise ship. The specialty restaurants can provide better than most Main Dining Rooms because they are feeding far fewer people. MDR has to be good banquet food, at best. They crank out such huge quantities of food it can't be as good as our fine restaurants or even those not in the first grouping.

 

[HappyCruisers66]

Funny you wrote this. I was thinking that we have such great food and so many choices in Boston, I'm not really looking for 5* Dining on a cruise ship. The specialty restaurants can provide better than most Main Dining Rooms because they are feeding far fewer people. MDR has to be good banquet food, at best. They crank out such huge quantities of food it can't be as good as our fine restaurants or even those not in the first grouping.

 

 

Funny thing is 15 or 20 years the food in the MDR was like the the specialty dining with much better quality........so it can be done.....I feel it's like they took it out of the MDR and now have specialty restaurants that we pay more for.....

[HappyCruisers66]

I do believe that the specialty restaurants(at least on Royal Caribbean) are good but I do not like the fact that they now have a surcharge on top for aged beef and Lobster......if you are already paying a surcharge then the whole menu should be included! In March at Chops Grill I ordered a porterhouse now they have removed it from the reg menu and have it as aged porterhouse and charge an additional $19 on top of the $35 surcharge as for the Lobster they charge and addition $21 I just feel that is right.

[GUT2407]

The price has doubled in the last 10 years, and now they want extra for what used to be included in 2004 I want to the steak house and at the end of the meal, they said how was it said [joking] Gee it was a bit small [it was actuallu huge] they asked if I wanted a second.

 

2 years later same place I had the steak and lobster, now they want about $100 extra by the time I have the primo steak and the Lobster, come on folks.

[fortinweb]

Funny thing is 15 or 20 years ago the food in the MDR was like the the specialty dining with much better quality........so it can be done.....I feel it's like they took it out of the MDR and now have specialty restaurants that we pay more for.....

 

Funny thing is 15 or 20 years ago the cost of a cruise was two times what it is today with inflation factored in. When people insist on cheap cruise fares, they can't expect caviar on a tuna budget. People who want cheap cruises are getting what they asked for.

 

If you want better food, better service, etc., then practice what you preach by booking your cruises on luxury lines and you will get it, but at the high prices they demand. Isn't the experience you "it was better in the old days" people miss the same as what those luxury lines now provide? Instead of complaining, do something about it and book those expensive cruises. Then you will have everything that you complain is now missing.

Edited November 27, 2014 by fortinweb

[LMaxwell]

I voted the prices are too high already, but the one that bothers me is fees for certain items above the flat fee. Remember, as part of my cruise fare the line has allocated X dollars to feeding me at dinner. I am forgoing that, adding a fee on top (with additional gratuity; I have already paid a daily gratuity for the food service I am not using in MDR) and then being told if I want some sort of signature dish it costs even MORE? It just rubs me the wrong way I guess.

 

Prices for food and beverage on cruises used to be quite favorable compared to land based and much more was included in your fare. The value scale is starting to tilt the wrong way. I can appreciate the choices and think it is fine if anyone wants to select one. I have sampled a few, I will undoubtedly sample more in the future, but I eat in MDR 70-80% of the time. Probably will be closer to 90% MDR in future. BTDT with the restaurants and now they are pricing me out. I'll throw down $50 - $60 for a nice meal with the wife for a bit quieter, less chaotic service and really nicely done food I can't get in MDR. But $100-$200...no thanks.

[LMaxwell]

The price has doubled in the last 10 years, and now they want extra for what used to be included in 2004 I want to the steak house and at the end of the meal, they said how was it said [joking] Gee it was a bit small [it was actuallu huge] they asked if I wanted a second.

 

2 years later same place I had the steak and lobster, now they want about $100 extra by the time I have the primo steak and the Lobster, come on folks.

 

This guy gets it!

[BruceMuzz]

The first extra charge specialty restaurant on a ship was on the SS Bremen in 1906.

Not much is known about it.

 

The second one was far better know - for a short time.

It was the Ritz Restaurant, in the First Class Section of RMS Titanic in 1912.

Dinner was A la Carte.

The average dinner - without alcohol - was US$100 per person.

In 1912 the average American grossed $300 per year.

 

In those days if you wanted quality, you had to pay dearly for it.

Many of today's cruisers seem to think that buying a cheapie cruise entitles them to something special.

Edited November 27, 2014 by BruceMuzz

[mcd1966]

I hear alot of complaining. My wife and I always dine at the specialty restaurants. Do we have to ? No. But we choose to. They are there as a choice. Just like shore excursions are a choice. If you don't want to pay the extra for a nicer meal don't. We're Diamond with RCI and we love cruising. In fact if I was on commission I'd have retired by now lol. As has been mentioned before, if you don't like it don't do it. We're blessed to live in the countries we do. Enjoy life and every moment of it.

[Cashew14]

We pay 15.000 Dollars + for a 2 week cruise incl. flights.

 

30 Dollars each for a lovely evening out in the Pinnacle Grill is not a deal breaker for us. :cool:

[Krazy Kruizers]

We don't mind paying the extra fees for the specialty restaurants.

On our last several cruises we ate all our meals either in the Pinnacle Grill or the Tamarind restaurants on HAL ships.

We have found the quality of the main dining room on HAL ships has gone down hill the last couple of years.

[CruiseMstr]

Personally I don't utilize the specialty restaurants. If I am paying for a cruise where the food is already included, it is unnecessary. I find the cuisine in the MDR very adequate.

[ducklite]

Among the many reasons we like Oceania, the specialty restaurants, which are exceptional, are free. The quality of the service and the port-intensive itineraries are higher on the list, but the no charge for the specialty restaurants is an item on the overall list.

 

 

Same with Windstar. :)

[navybankerteacher]

We have no problem with the prices charged for the $pecialty Restaurants.

They are worth it to us for the atmosphere as well as the food. :)

LuLu

 

Of course there is a reason why they are worth it: to get the quality of food and the atmosphere which used to be standard in the MDR's before things were dumbed down to hold prices down to attract the crowds needed to fill the ever-larger ships, the lines have to come up with the revenue to support it.

 

You might not always get what you pay for, but you surely will never get more than you pay for.

[Aquahound]

People tend to compare today's specialty restaurants with how the MDR used to be. I disagree, because I don't ever remember the MDR being Brazilian Steakhouses, sushi restaurants, etc. And maybe it's because I've only been cruising since the late 80s, but I also don't remember prime cuts of meat or small venues that only seat 100 people either.

 

But in some cases, yes, they are getting a little pricey. Most are fine, but I think Celebrity's $45 venues are a little high.

[SantaFeFan]

People tend to compare today's specialty restaurants with how the MDR used to be. I disagree, because I don't ever remember the MDR being Brazilian Steakhouses, sushi restaurants, etc. And maybe it's because I've only been cruising since the late 80s, but I also don't remember prime cuts of meat or small venues that only seat 100 people either.

 

Or cooked to order meals, either. Serving hundreds at a set dining time has always required preparing most of the menu items in advance. This is how it has been done since the first "love boat" made it's inaugural cruise. How people can equate banquet meals with hundreds of people to the specialty restaurants is beyond me. :rolleyes:

 

I would argue that the decline in MCR food - if there actually has been any at all - is due to the insistence of a certain, very vocal group that insists on dining in the MDR in the most casual clothes they can get away with. As these people have demanded less formal attire, the perceived quality of the meals has gone down alongside the more casual attire. Who can blame the chefs for moving away from elegant meals when the people eating them can't be bothered to be elegant themselves!

Edited November 27, 2014 by SantaFeFan

[sail7seas]

Or cooked to order meals, either. Serving hundreds at a set dining time has always required preparing most of the menu items in advance. This is how it has been done since the first "love boat" made it's inaugural cruise. How people can equate banquet meals with hundreds of people to the specialty restaurants is beyond me. :rolleyes:

 

I would argue that the decline in MCR food - if there actually has been any at all - is due to the insistence of a certain, very vocal group that insists on dining in the MDR in the most casual clothes they can get away with. As these people have demanded less formal attire, the perceived quality of the meals has gone down alongside the more casual attire. Who can blame the chefs for moving away from elegant meals when the people eating them can't be bothered to be elegant themselves!

 

 

 

I also think the take out and fast food mentality of many has also changed the way Chefs plan mass market cruise menus. So many today, for whatever reasons, don't usually/often have sit down meals prepared fully homemade and dine rather than 'grab a quick bite'. I am not criticizing that mentality or reality just observing it.

 

 

 

[navybankerteacher]

I would argue that the decline in MCR food - if there actually has been any at all - is due to the insistence of a certain, very vocal group that insists on dining in the MDR in the most casual clothes they can get away with. As these people have demanded less formal attire, the perceived quality of the meals has gone down alongside the more casual attire. Who can blame the chefs for moving away from elegant meals when the people eating them can't be bothered to be elegant themselves!

 

I think it is undeniable that there has been a decline in basic food quality in recent years. On HAL the cuts of steak, while certainly not prime, were good quality choice - now they are thin, tough and with much gristle. The ice creams have definitely declined in quality. The fresh orange juice in the mornings which used to be visibly squeezed in automatic machines are now brought in in pitchers - and is most certainly watered down.

 

The preparation remains very good, but the level of service clearly reflects the staff cuts which overburden the stewards.

 

Of course, HAL is in large part simply responding to their market - which wants to be fed (inexpensively) rather than to dine.

[CowPrincess]

>SNIP<

 

I would argue that the decline in MCR food - if there actually has been any at all - is due to the insistence of a certain, very vocal group that insists on dining in the MDR in the most casual clothes they can get away with. As these people have demanded less formal attire, the perceived quality of the meals has gone down alongside the more casual attire. Who can blame the chefs for moving away from elegant meals when the people eating them can't be bothered to be elegant themselves!

 

bolding mine

 

Believe me, there has been a decline in the food in the MDR. When I first started cruising, one formal night on a 7 day cruise offered an appetizer of 3 kinds of caviar. Real caviar. Even in 2001 there was caviar on the menu on one formal night. For me, dinner in the MDR was always about having to decide which of the several fabulous offerings I was going to order. Now, too frequently, it is a struggle to cobble together a meal from the few things that appeal.

 

As for the rest of your statement, I don't think it has anything to do with whether the pax are "elegant" (however you define that). I think the food budget has been cut severely, so the chefs are tasked with developing mass-appeal foods with limited resources.

 

We don't think the HAL up-charge Pinnacle Grill is particularly good (we eat better food at home), but with the introduction of caviar as an added-charge item on their Pinnacle Grill menu, we will be eating in the PG on our next cruise, simply so I can get my "caviar fix" :D

[fortinweb]

bolding mine

 

Believe me, there has been a decline in the food in the MDR. When I first started cruising, one formal night on a 7 day cruise offered an appetizer of 3 kinds of caviar. Real caviar. Even in 2001 there was caviar on the menu on one formal night. For me, dinner in the MDR was always about having to decide which of the several fabulous offerings I was going to order. Now, too frequently, it is a struggle to cobble together a meal from the few things that appeal.

 

As for the rest of your statement, I don't think it has anything to do with whether the pax are "elegant" (however you define that). I think the food budget has been cut severely, so the chefs are tasked with developing mass-appeal foods with limited resources.

 

We don't think the HAL up-charge Pinnacle Grill is particularly good (we eat better food at home), but with the introduction of caviar as an added-charge item on their Pinnacle Grill menu, we will be eating in the PG on our next cruise, simply so I can get my "caviar fix" :D

 

And you still ignore that prices today are significantly less than the period you are referring to. As has been said before in this thread, if you can't handle the conditions of cruising today on the mass market lines, book cruises on the luxury lines which are more like the product available in the past. You will have all the things you complain you are missing, and pay prices to get them - just like you did 20 years ago.

 

You can't take advantage of bargain prices and still demand a 5-star product. :rolleyes:

Edited November 27, 2014 by fortinweb

[hubofhockey]

I am more concerned with the quality in specialty restaurants and not the prices. On Princess, Sabatinis has had a steady decline. Some steakhouses are better than others. With an increasing number of specialty restaurants, you need to do your homework on them.

[LMaxwell]

 

I would argue that the decline in MCR food - if there actually has been any at all - is due to the insistence of a certain, very vocal group that insists on dining in the MDR in the most casual clothes they can get away with. As these people have demanded less formal attire, the perceived quality of the meals has gone down alongside the more casual attire. Who can blame the chefs for moving away from elegant meals when the people eating them can't be bothered to be elegant themselves!

 

I think it is absurd to blame the guest for the reduction in quality of MDR food in general. I think it is actually the opposite. When white glove service disappeared, when waitstaff were able to be attentive to a table disappeared, when the quality of food and cost of preparation went down, when intermezzo disappeared, when salads prepared table side and deserts paraded around disappeared, when midnight buffets disappeared....these were all done by the cruise line, not the guest! If the cruise line doesn't wish to provide a fine experience like they used to what is the point in playing dress up anymore? The food it average, the ambiance is usually like an assisted living home with the noise of a food court at the mall! The audacity to blame the guest for this boggles the mind. The cruise lines removed the special touches and downgraded quality to force people to pay for specialty restaurants. YES, the quality and service really did used to be better in the MDR. If the cruise lines respected the guests in the MDR maybe the guests would play dress up more :rolleyes:

[Cap-n Andy]

I'm a latecomer to the cruising world, so I missed the times where (apparently, according to memories) every dining experience was 5* every night, all included in the fare.

 

I have been cruising since 1965. The food was 5* every night and included in the fare. Adjusted for inflation, the fare was much more expensive. There was no choice in dining. It was either the main dining room three times a day or a simple room service menu. Entertainment was almost non-existent. Activities were dull. Cabins were small, poorly lit, and utilitarian.

 

Cruising is much better today. People have a dining choice. Those who are satisfied with simple food can opt for that and get a vacation that's a bargain. Those who want 5* dining can pay a little more and still get a vacation that's a bargain.