Is the American Table food THAT bad?

[sabrinaswack]

If I don't have to shop for it, unload from car and put away, prepare it, serve it, clean up after it, IT'S A GOOD MEAL to me :)

Little over 30 more days to go!

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

I know food is subjective, but the majority of posters on a recent JH post dislike the new menu. My question for those that have tried the American Table is: Is it that bad? Looking at them (will get to try on the Magic soon), the menus look really good to me.

 

Before I tried it for myself on the Imagination this past January, I expected it to be awful and was not looking forward to a fleetwide rollout.

 

However, after trying it, I was actually impressed. It is not a hundred percent great but there are some aspects of it that I like, such as new menu additions and more flexibility in picking things such as side dishes.

 

I do not like how the tables are presented, minus the tablecloth and the bottle of wine in the middle of the table takes up way too much space but overall, American Table is OK assuming they have a uniform product all across the fleet. I will miss the old dining setup and some of the things that were included in it, but honestly it was getting kind of stale and needed updating.

 

They still have set dining times if you so choose which is a great thing and hopefully they never go the route of NCL and take that away. Something about having the same waiters every night makes it more special and a better experience.

 

Personally, I say go in with an open mind and you will probably like it as I did when I actually got a chance to try it.

[Martini Mom]

It is not a hundred percent great but there are some aspects of it that I like, such as new menu additions and more flexibility in picking things such as side dishes.

I like choosing them too.

 

I do not like how the tables are presented, minus the tablecloth and the bottle of wine in the middle of the table takes up way too much space but overall, American Table is OK assuming they have a uniform product all across the fleet. I will miss the old dining setup and some of the things that were included in it, but honestly it was getting kind of stale and needed updating.

This is especially a problem on our tiny table for 2.

 

.

A tight squeeze

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

A tight squeeze

 

Yeah, the wine in the middle of the table is just a dumb idea. Will anyone actually buy it? I know I wouldn't, I thought it was just there for decoration and I am being serious. I did a review of the cruise I tried the new menus out on and I remember saying to my buddy who went on the cruise with me when we sat down for dinner the first night what that was and is there even anything in it? LOL.

 

The self service water is a good thing though and that frees the wait staff up to bring you other stuff because they don't have to keep coming around refilling your water glass.

 

But I agree about the tight squeeze they have with the tables for two. We had a table just for ourselves when we experienced it and I would assume the larger party tables had the same issue and since I like to get multiple entrees and sometimes multiple appetizers and desserts, I was quickly running out of room on the table for everything.

 

But other than that, it is an OK program that I understand was tweaked multiple times after rollout to fine tune its quality and presentation based on what the passengers were saying about it early on. It could surely be tweaked a little more but they are on the right track with it.

[disneylover89]

Do all the ships have the new menu? Going on the Victory for 5 days next month :D

[Martini Mom]

Yeah, the wine in the middle of the table is just a dumb idea. Will anyone actually buy it? I know I wouldn't, I thought it was just there for decoration and I am being serious. I did a review of the cruise I tried the new menus out on and I remember saying to my buddy who went on the cruise with me when we sat down for dinner the first night what that was and is there even anything in it? LOL.

 

 

The bottle says "American Table" on it and no mention is made of purchasing it, so who knows if it's a decoration or a drink. ;)

 

I DO like the water carafe. I DON'T like the lack of tablecloths and the 99 cent store looking brown and white bread plates.

[Shipcats6]

We have had the new menus about 5 times during the roll out and the best thing I can say about them is we finally come home weighing less than when we boarded ship. We end up eating a lot of salad.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

The bottle says "American Table" on it and no mention is made of purchasing it, so who knows if it's a decoration or a drink. ;)

 

I DO like the water carafe. I DON'T like the lack of tablecloths and the 99 cent store looking brown and white bread plates.

 

I find it hard to believe that it would be offered for sale but who knows? The lack of tablecloths does take away some of the atmosphere of the MDR, I agree and some people have said that when the ship starts to rock and roll that stuff can slide right off the table due to the condensation from the beverage glasses and that is a safety risk. They do put the tablecloths back for formal night though but the menu is OK despite the things like flat iron steak not being offered every night anymore like it was on the old menu. But they had some sort of sweet and sour chicken special the one night when we went out of Long Beach supposedly on the port of call lists they have some even better stuff depending on where you go. The old menu didn't do anything like that.

 

I will say this. If there are multiple choices that I cannot decide on because I like them all, that probably means that the menu was good quality. I can remember on one hand the amount of times I have sat down in a MDR on Carnival and not found at least one or more main courses that I wanted and not found something I like somewhere on the menu.

 

Now that you mention it also, I remember the food being brought out on different plates than what they had before. It is noteworthy and it does kind of make the asthetic look of the whole dining scene look kind of awkward. Not a deal breaker though.

[skittl1321]

We have had the new menus about 5 times during the roll out and the best thing I can say about them is we finally come home weighing less than when we boarded ship. We end up eating a lot of salad.

 

This has happened to me every cruise. I always lose weight. I've had multiple menu sets, and on multiple cruise lines.

[love my grandkids]

This has happened to me every cruise. I always lose weight. I've had multiple menu sets, and on multiple cruise lines.

 

Wow cant imagine losing weight on a cruise.

 

Used to count on gaining 5 and now with walking a victory if only 3.

[BeachLoverstoo]

We had the new menu last year on Liberty and back to the old on Sensation in May. DH tried most of the did ya ever items from the old menu and the rare finds on the new one. His favorites - braised rabbit and frog legs.

After trying the new and going back to the old, we could see the difference, but have very few complaints. I liked the new way of providing a basket of bread for the table each night rather than the waiter bringing it around to pick, but I think there was more waste the new way. That cranberry bread was amazing.

We didn't have the pitcher of water on the table, but the waiter kept our glasses filled. The bottle of wine seemed more of a decoration with the table number dangling from it, not a problem either way.

There was always something new to try and we really enjoyed that. The Port of Call selections gave us even more to choose from.

Looking forward to going back to the new menu on the Glory this fall. With 8 ports there should be even more to discover.:cool:

[cruznjan]

My favourite retort when people complain about food:

 

Food is only a problem when you don't have any.:D

 

True! I was taught to be thankful for what you get.

[cruznjan]

Where is it written that Americans don't use table cloths?

[skittl1321]

Where is it written that Americans don't use table cloths?

 

They apparently only do when they are trying to be fancy.

 

 

(I've actually noticed a lot of upscale restaurants are going without table cloths. Often with a note about an environmentally friendly policy.)

[Ariel0185]

Thanks to everyone for your feedback!

[sturderick]

The food was good :D Some people just have to complain about something.

[Ariel0185]

The food was good :D Some people just have to complain about something.

 

My favorite complaint was made by a woman about them leaving the whole bread basket at her table for two; she and her husband couldn't possibly eat all that bread. I'm like: ok, so don't! Lol

[MiffyLynx]

I've now had the opportunity to try the American table menu twice.

 

It is bad. There are not as many choices as the old menu. And the Feast menus are awful if you cannot eat seafood.

 

We did still have the tablecloths, which is important to me. If they want me to dress nicer than Applebee's does, then they should look like a nicer place.

 

I did enjoy the bread basket, as some nights I ate more bread than food. One night we looked at the menu & decided to try it anyway and wound up having room service after dinner. Another night the menu again was lacking so we booked the steakhouse.

[NHNEV2003]

We will have it on the Glory in November-- have seen the menus and the food-- everything looks fine.

[ladygal4.4]

We had the American table on our last cruise, and really enjoyed it. I am a very cautious eater due to my celiac disease (highly allergic to wheat), but my husband and I both stuffed ourselves every meal. It was amazing and delicious each night. My only regret is that they don't offer Cherries Jubilee at dessert anymore

[disneylover89]

Do all ships have these new menus?

[nybumpkin]

We've had American Table/Feast twice now and I really like it. I don't miss the tablecloths - now I don't get tangled up in them going to and from the restroom.:p I love the flatbread appetizers they offer now, and I've never been faced with finding an entire menu of entrees that I don't want. There's always something that works for me. Most telling to me: We have a 19 YO who is extremely picky. Been that way all of his life (I remember him spitting out most Gerber baby foods:rolleyes:). Up to our Breeze cruise earlier this month he survived on hamburgers, pizza and chicken in the MDR. This time, however, our server talked him into some new foods - and he liked them!

[!!SAM!!]

I have had the American Table menu and really enjoyed it. :)

[Retired_to_Cruise]

I have been on 8 Carnival Cruises and always liked there food. Most recently, I was on the Breeze in April and just got off the Liberty on July 26 2015. I do not care for the American Table food and thought Carnivals older menu was best.

Plus they place a wine bottle every night on the table to entice you to buy, which I feel is tacky!

 

Yes, food is subjective, and yes you will find something to suit you. But the American Table menu is a huge disappointment. Many on the cruise were complaining about the new menu at the pools.

 

my 2 cents :)

 

Sorry, but if you did not notice, the wine bottle on the table every night has the table number on it. And it is a very bad wine which would do little to entice a knowledgeable wine drinker to buy a bottle of wine.

[sweetsixteencruisers]

We enjoyed it on the Liberty in October! The food was the same, just not as many choices.

Edited July 31, 2015 by sweetsixteencruisers