Is Alternative Dining Worth It? What do you get?

[Max Circus]

In my experience on three different RCI ships, the wine list was most definitely different in Chops and Portofinos. WHile I also bring several bottles aboard, I found their list to be far superior to that in the main dining room.

 

These restaurants are well worth the price in my opinion. SUperior service, wonderful food and elegant surroundings, child free, all contribute to a lovely experience.

 

My experience was the same on Navigator in 11/03. Had many more upscale wines and champagnes in Chops compared to the regular dining room.

[thewolffs]

How do you make reservations at these restaurants? How many days in advance can you make a reservation? Thanks!

[Schplinky]

You can make your reservation once onboard for anyday of the week. You should reserve early.

[digital_curator]

How do you make reservations at these restaurants? How many days in advance can you make a reservation? Thanks!

 

How do you make reservations at these restaurants? How many days in advance can you make a reservation? Thanks!

 

When you get onboard, there will be a maitre d' at the specialty restaurants. They will have the week's menus witht them so you can choose if there is a night where the DR menu does not appeal.

 

You can also make reservations in your room by phone. Or if you are in a suite, the concierge can make them for you:D

 

Portofino and Chops were also represented at the "Expo" on the first day, with pasta samples from Portofino- yum.

 

Cheers,

[spammie]

Save your money if you are looking for a quiet, romantic dinner. My hubby and I sailed on our first cruise together August 2003 on Voyager of The Seas. I love Italian food and was very excited to try Portofinos. We had a nice quiet table for two which lasted about 1 hour. A group of 6 adults and about 6-8 children arrived after our first hour. The kids all below the age of 13 were running around the table chasing each other, laughing, being loud, generally doing what kids do. This is fine if they were home and weren't in a restaurant, let alone a restaurant that is supposed to be for people over the age of 13. My hubby and I were really looking forward to a nice quiet dinner for two since we were already seated in the main dining room with a family with two kids and we were by ourselves. We quickly ate and left. I wish I would have complained to someone other than my husband. I will save my money and eat in the main dining room until RCCL starts enforcing their policies.

[bluehorizonlover123]

We started traveling with my twins when they were 9. They are 15 now. And they were always able to sit quietly for the 2 and a half dinner and they enjoyed themselves in the process too. Now adays I see people bringing dvd movies of kids movies to keep their young children occupied during all the courses.

[Milhouse]

Adults shouldn't go into the teen's pool area and vice versa because there is a high probability that one age group's idea of fun won't be the same as the other's so there'd be a culture clash and everyone would be unhappy.

 

When having dinner in high end restaurant the generally expected conduct is the same for everyone regardless of age so there really should be less issues.

 

I think the answer is somewhere to be found in the reasoning that if we all say to this person that 12 is fine, that some person who thinks they're 10 year-old is preternaturally mature for their age will bring them. And on it goes. There was another thread on this board where a man said his 9 year-old is much better behaved than most adults they know and that she enjoys formal dinners. Well, it's not a maturity limit, it's an age limit, in my opinion. Besides that, I find it strange that a nine year-old would want to sit with their parents for 2.5 hours for dinner.

 

Yes, and that's why I respect your opinion. Sometimes it's just easier to draw the line somewhere. I just disagree from the sense that I think there should be some flexibility sometimes. But, I'm also not discounting parents responsibility to really assess whether their kids have the ability to or would want to sit through a long dinner session (under 13 or over 13).

 

True, and that lesson will be well ingrained by the time that child is 14 and considering sex or 17 and considering drinking.

 

Exactly... as per my previous message that decisions are based assessing the situation, weighing potential positives and negatives versus a "choose as I please attitude". I think kids are just told to "do and not do" but not enough to really think about why.

 

We can engage in one up'ing each other in examples but let's not.

 

Sorry for hijacking the thread... I'll zip it now.

[Schplinky]

One last point I would like to make is that some folks who are childless do not love children and may be seeking alternative dining as an escape from some badly behaved child in the Main DR. It would be disappointing to find a child at the next table in the Alternate room. I concede that a 12 year old is virtually indistinguishable from a 13 year old, though.

[Travelgrrl]

OK, even though I'm not a dictator about age requirements for others, and I like children and sometimes bring mine along (though we respect age limits for things), I have got to draw the line with: "Nowadays I see people bringing dvd movies of kids movies to keep their young children occupied during all the courses" Oh my gosh - that is the epitome of tastelessness, IMO, to allow or encourage a child to be watching children's movies in a fine restaurant.

 

Either they are old enough to enjoy the intelligent discourse that is part of fine dining, or they are not, and there are ample opportunities for other dining aboard ship. I would be vehemently opposed to hearing "Herbie Fully Loaded" from the next table while I was trying to have a nice dinner (and if the kid had earphones on I would still have an internal conniption fit ;) ).

 

The MOST I would have allowed my child in such a situation was a good book, and even then only in extreme circumstance allow them to pull it out. (Say, if the adults were discussing taxes, the national debt, or foreign policy! :) )

[caviargal]

Ncamy, it shouldn't be an issue with your DD eating with you in Chops or Portofino. If you search on some historical threads, the age limit sound flexible as many diners have indicated that they did not encounter any problems taking their sub 13yo kids with them. The main thing is to make sure the kids can make it though the long dinner (there no point in making other diners endure a whining child and there's no point in putting the child into that situation that they'll find boring & have to suffer though). If your DD will enjoy herself, the more the merrier.

 

The priority here, IMHO, is not that the daughter enjoy herself, but that the ships age limits are respected. There is a reason for the age limits and, as an adult who prefers to dine with only other adults, I dine often in the specialty restaurants and pay a fee for that privilege. It is inapproriate that that others would even attempt to have the rules bent to accomodate their own desires.

[TonyRic]

I would be vehemently opposed to hearing "Herbie Fully Loaded" from the next table while I was trying to have a nice dinner (and if the kid had earphones on I would still have an internal conniption fit ;) ).

 

 

 

OMG I haven't heard "Conniption fit" in a long time lol brings back memories. Not all of them good. lol Like the one with my Mother yelling "Wait until your father gets home"

 

I do have to say (keeping on topic) that my wife and I ate at Chops on the Navigator last year and the equivilent restaraunt on the Carnival Legend the year before and believe the atmosphere and food quality is NOT up to "Morton's" or any other fine dining experience it does come close and is DEFINATELY worth the money.

[FrogCruiser]

Is there a limit to the number of times you can book these reservations per cruise? I might just book all 11 nights - y'all make it sound soooo good !!!

[herecomesthesun]

Frog Cruiser: I don't know if you were being serious or not, but that would be quite expensive - $440 for just two people, and that doesn't include soda or alcoholic beverages. And remember that you pay for the dining room food in your cruise fee. The alternative restaurants sound great, but I would feel like I was wasting money if I went more than once or twice per cruise.

[Merion_Mom]

Frog: nope, no limit, but there aren't that many different entrees on the menu! ;)

 

Carol

[seasounds]

My DH and I just returned from the Enchantment 8/21 cruise. We had one dinner in Chops and we both felt that the food and service were OK, but not exceptional. These are our thoughts:

1. Shrimp cocktail was large and very good, however, I'm not really impressed with shrimp cocktail as an apetitizer. I feel it is a rather uninspired culinary creation. The menu is limited.
   
2. The tomatoes in the tomato/mozarella salad were not ripe (and this is August when tomatoes are in season and plentiful!)
   
3. I was offered the following sauces for my lamb chops (which I think were comparable to those in Outback Steakhouse): peppercorn, au jus and a mustard sauce. Finally mint jelly was offered. Basically, the waiter offered the sauces appropriate for the strip steak my DH ordered.
   
4. We dined with another couple and between the four of us, three had ordered asparagus. We were served an equal portion of asparagus as the single orders of mushrooms and various potaoes. We had to request additional asparagus. Also, the plates for these "family style" veggies were extremely hot and basically dangerous to pass around the table as designed.
   
5. Mississippi Mud cake was delicious, but not worth $20. This was the best part of the meal and the only true standout. My DH enjoyed the apple pie, but again it was more because the pie was so bad in the dining room that this seemed a good choice.
   
6. Needed to flag down our waiter to request tea and coffee (and this was after we had finished dessert).
   

The reason in my opinoin to dine in Chops was the quiet and more relaxed atmosphere, which was definately provided. We did not observe any children in the restaurant, and it was at the most 1/3 full. As far as dress code, a foursome wearing jeans were seated, so "smart casual" is not enforced.

[frankie&shirley]

ON CHOPS...............

 

Is it all you can eat???

[gwen_cpk]

ON CHOPS...............

 

Is it all you can eat???

 

Yes, it was all you can eat when I went. Our waiter offered us another filet and we were like, "hell no"- we were sooooo full! And the apple pie is very good!! I recommend it- I think I will ask for a 'take to my cabin' piece for later when I go on the Mariner...

[Schplinky]

Yes, it was all you can eat when I went. Our waiter offered us another filet and we were like, "hell no"- we were sooooo full! And the apple pie is very good!! I recommend it- I think I will ask for a 'take to my cabin' piece for later when I go on the Mariner...

 

We found the portions in Chops to be generous. It was the only night of the cruise I was uncomfortably full.

[Bean2]

We ate at Portofino on Empress last October, and at Chops on Enchantment in August.

 

The food in Portofinos was good, not great, but the ambiance was very nice, which might be worth $20 pp if you aren't thrilled with your regular DR table. What we found jarringly unpleasant about Portofinos was the "international cheese plate" -- we requested that with Port Wine for dessert, and were served with a plate of a slice each of American, Cheddar, and Parmesan cheese. It may have been that they had run out of the good cheeses, but we thought that the selection of "International cheeses" was, pardon the expression, pretty cheesy.

 

Chops was more than worth it in every way. The meat was some of the best I have had, and I have eaten in a lot of great steakhouses in NYC and elsewhere. Also, the ambiance was great. The chocolate cake was unbelievable, too.

 

As for wine -- The wine list looked like the same list from dining room, but since my DH and Dad, both wine snobs, were poring over it, so I didn't get a chance to see it in detail. We were on the wine package so we didn't select from that list, but they have a nice selection.

 

Dress in the alternative restaurants is always "smart casual."

 

Enjoy!

[Max Circus]

Portofinos and Chops are exactly like chain restaurants on land. You may love Chain X that is down the street but dislike one that you visit somewhere else. Like any restaurant, the quality can vary from place to place (or ship-to-ship in this case) based on many factors including who is the "Chef Ramsey". :D My point is that you should take that into consideration when looking at the posts.

 

What is the appropriate acronym? YMMV?

[jaxon41]

I second seasounds post. I ate at Chops last week -- not very impressed. Portions are larger -- who needs that? -- and beautifully presented, but that's about it. Our service was as good in the main dining room. Steak is lousy in the main dining room, but my steak in Chops tasted overly tenderized. To be fair, the ship was a bit rocky that night, and my stomach a bit queazy, so maybe my taste buds reflected that. We did have a violinist which made the evening special. I am glad I tried it, but it didn't come up to the raves I had read. I was satisified in the main dining room except for one night when the salmon was "fishy" and there was no acceptable alternative -- but I appreciated our waiter's willingness to bring us anything we wanted to replace it.

[logan1_2000]

Can you find out the menu's for the week in the dining room so you would know more of what night to make reservations? I know you can check them daily. Or maybe someone has the menu's for the week for Adventure Aruba route.

mx55mom@yahoo.com

 

Excellent question--we made our Palo reservation on Disney Cruise Line based upon having had the menus in advance, and in our case, personal experience with those same menus, so we chose the dinner we could miss most easily to be our night in DCL's specialty restaurant.

 

Okay, Radiance menus for the Western Carib., anyone?