What happened to Chops

[1992cruiser]

I was recently on Oasis for the first time (awesome cruise overall), and have been on Allure and Liberty a few times each, always eating at Chops at least once. I would say there has been about 18 months since my last visit to Chops so if this has been discussed---my bad.

 

I'm okay with the price increase, I get that, but the porterhouse was free in the past. Now it's a $20 add on? And it was one of the best steaks I had ever had, came with a real nice charred dry rub---now you have to add a sauce to give it any flavor. What happened? I used to tell my friends, Chops was a must. I doubt I will go back now. Also in the past, the waiter would bring out a bunch of sides for our table of 8, now we were only allowed to choose four.

 

And the worst part, they disappointed my wife... The red velvet cake is nothing more than what I can get at Publix. She was so excited about the huge piece she was expecting like in the past, saved her calories all day. And then comes a regular slice of dense cake that tastes nothing like what it was.

 

Our group spent $400 there, not including drinks, and we all walked away saying that was a complete waste of money. The other 6 nights in the mdr were great, the staff were great and the ship is amazing.

[Clarea]

Chops is no longer on our list of specialty restaurants we consider. Been mediocre too many times.

[ryano]

I concur. Chops = big waste of money now IMO. I agree with everything you said. It use to be an incredible experience. Now, Ive had better steaks at the Western Sizzler :rolleyes: They have increased the price, watered down the experience, serve "cheaper" cuts of beef and now charge you 18-20 dollars for a "better" steak and service is very hit or miss.

 

The Red Velvet cake is now made onboard and there are many complaints about it. The cheesecake offering is terrible too.

 

I will never spend another dime in there.

[1992cruiser]

I'm glad it wasn't just us, but also very disappointed as that was one of my favorite meals to look forward to when cruising. Change happens I guess and Chops will move on without my money in the future.

[Royal2464]

I'm glad to hear that I have not judged the changes in Chops too harshly. I used to go to Chops twice each cruise. After the menu changes I no longer have any desire to eat there. They discontinued my favorite sides and destroyed what was a good dessert selection. I suppose it was done to increase the bottom line, but they have lost me as a regular customer.

[garnetpalmetto]

I'm glad to hear that I have not judged the changes in Chops too harshly. I used to go to Chops twice each cruise. After the menu changes I no longer have any desire to eat there. They discontinued my favorite sides and destroyed what was a good dessert selection. I suppose it was done to increase the bottom line, but they have lost me as a regular customer.

 

Out of curiosity, what were your favorite sides that got discontinued?

[Royal2464]

The prosciutto potatoes and crimini mushrooms.

[Rala]

Chops is no longer on our list of specialty restaurants we consider. Been mediocre too many times.

 

I'll second that. Too bad because we really used to enjoy it alot. :(

[papaflamingo]

We, too, have quit going to Chops. We were on Rhapsody in the Greek Isles last month and they were offering all sorts of discounts to get people into the specialty restaurants. Now, I recognize that Greek Isle cruises are "port intensive," and that certainly plays a part. We spent 3 days in Murano, Italy, 5 in Rome, then the cruise. No desire for an Italian meal. Plus we pretty much ate a great local lunch in each port. But I also think that the menu has been pared down way too much. It'll be interesting to see how it goes.

[garnetpalmetto]

The prosciutto potatoes and crimini mushrooms.

 

Never had the potatoes. The mushrooms are still there, albeit now as a "roasted mushrooms" side that doesn't have the leeks the old one had. For me the one change I hate is the caesar. I used to love the tableside presentation of the old caesar. The present one is almost exactly the same as what you get in MDR. I do also miss the onion rings side. That said, I was thoroughly satisfied when I went to Chops on Oasis and left pretty happy with my meal. That bacon "appetizer" is ridiculously amazing.

[1992cruiser]

I should add, the appetizers were great. It started off really well.

[rucruisn2]

On our last cruise on Oasis we ate at Chops also. Service was only fair, and the steaks were average at best. We won't return either.

[MerriWthr]

Last Thanksgiving, my daughter and I took our first RCI cruise on the Independence. I had heard so many great things about Chops that I made reservations for us before we even left.

 

To say it was the worst dining experience we've ever had is an understatement.

 

We never received our appetizers; our meals arrived cold (like congealed fat on the steaks cold); they brought the wrong sides and never replaced them with the correct ones; we never received our second drink order and the waiter never came back to ask us about dessert.

 

The two tables on either side of us joined in the laughter over the whole, sad, affair. They even shared some of their sides/desserts with us!!

 

I asked to speak to someone - and was extremely polite about it as I know sometimes it's just a bad day - but no one ever came over to our table or acknowledged any of the issues. When leaving, I stopped and related our experience to the Host. The couple beside us also stopped with us to tell him what they observed. He was very dismissive of both of us.

 

I really wish I was making this up!

 

The next night in the MDR I mentioned to our head server what a disaster our meal was at Chops and how we were never leaving him!! He immediately got the Head guy who listened to what happened and apologized profusely. The next day, a credit for our meal was on our statement. He went above and beyond to correct our bad experience.

 

That said - when planning our next T'giving cruise on the Oasis this year, my daughter and I laughed about whether or not we should book a reservation at Chops this year. We've had bad service at restaurants before - and always gave them a second chance.... and are usually glad we did! However, the more complaints I'm hearing about the service at Chops, the more I'm thinking there are other restaurants that we can enjoy on the Oasis. And we can get a decent steak in the MDR....

 

So - now we'll decide whether or not to try Chops on the Oasis once we are on board.... and hope that if we do - we have a much better experience!

 

Michelle

[setsail]

And then comes a regular slice of dense cake that tastes nothing like what it was.

 

.

 

It is different. We had a talk with the head pastry chef on a cruise 2 years ago and that's when we found out that rci was in the process of dumping the shore side contractors that made all their cakes, etc.. and were in the process of going back to making the cakes onboard, while its ok its not as tasty as the shore side cakes were.

Edited October 19, 2015 by setsail

[Ektrax]

So on a more positive note. I'm new to RCI. I was looking forward to Chops, but now...what are your GOOD dinner recommendations on the Oasis? I'll still try Chops, time permitting, but I'd like to start with what you think is a better choice. Thanks!

[setsail]

So on a more positive note. I'm new to RCI. I was looking forward to Chops, but now...what are your GOOD dinner recommendations on the Oasis? I'll still try Chops, time permitting, but I'd like to start with what you think is a better choice. Thanks!

 

We like chops and eat there every cruise, enjoy your meal

[rt1092]

We don't eat in Chops anymore. We eat in Giovanni's the steak there is very good.

[cjdixon4]

And it was one of the best steaks I had ever had, came with a real nice charred dry rub---now you have to add a sauce to give it any flavor. What happened? .

 

 

It's been my experience that anytime a "sauce" has to be added to a steak to give it flavor...head for the hills. :(

A great steak that's cooked to perfection should be tasty with simply the seasoning that it's grilled with. I liked Chops when I dined there on Enchantment a couple of years ago, but I'm hearing more often how they've fallen by the wayside with their menu. Don't know whether I'd go again. Now Giovanni's? I loved their steak. But that's purely subjective.

[orville99]

Never had the potatoes. The mushrooms are still there, albeit now as a "roasted mushrooms" side that doesn't have the leeks the old one had. For me the one change I hate is the caesar. I used to love the tableside presentation of the old caesar. The present one is almost exactly the same as what you get in MDR. I do also miss the onion rings side. That said, I was thoroughly satisfied when I went to Chops on Oasis and left pretty happy with my meal. That bacon "appetizer" is ridiculously amazing.

 

 

The roasted mushrooms they served last week on EN were white button mushrooms, not crimini's :(

[George C]

Most cruise lines have better steak restaurants than Chops, nothing special at all, we did love Giovanni's and also Izumi's .

[christi1805]

We don't eat in Chops anymore. We eat in Giovanni's the steak there is very good.

 

You said it - we do the same since the inflation of Chops prices, discussed here in another thread.

[garnetpalmetto]

Last Thanksgiving, my daughter and I took our first RCI cruise on the Independence. I had heard so many great things about Chops that I made reservations for us before we even left.

 

To say it was the worst dining experience we've ever had is an understatement.

 

We never received our appetizers; our meals arrived cold (like congealed fat on the steaks cold); they brought the wrong sides and never replaced them with the correct ones; we never received our second drink order and the waiter never came back to ask us about dessert.

 

The two tables on either side of us joined in the laughter over the whole, sad, affair. They even shared some of their sides/desserts with us!!

 

I asked to speak to someone - and was extremely polite about it as I know sometimes it's just a bad day - but no one ever came over to our table or acknowledged any of the issues. When leaving, I stopped and related our experience to the Host. The couple beside us also stopped with us to tell him what they observed. He was very dismissive of both of us.

 

I really wish I was making this up!

 

The next night in the MDR I mentioned to our head server what a disaster our meal was at Chops and how we were never leaving him!! He immediately got the Head guy who listened to what happened and apologized profusely. The next day, a credit for our meal was on our statement. He went above and beyond to correct our bad experience.

 

That said - when planning our next T'giving cruise on the Oasis this year, my daughter and I laughed about whether or not we should book a reservation at Chops this year. We've had bad service at restaurants before - and always gave them a second chance.... and are usually glad we did! However, the more complaints I'm hearing about the service at Chops, the more I'm thinking there are other restaurants that we can enjoy on the Oasis. And we can get a decent steak in the MDR....

 

So - now we'll decide whether or not to try Chops on the Oasis once we are on board.... and hope that if we do - we have a much better experience!

 

Michelle

 

Service at Chops on Oasis was spot on, so I think you should be fine. Definitely try the bacon appetizer if you're a pork fan. It doesn't sound like much but it's amazing. Our server was eager to please and there definitely was none of this "you only get 4 sides" that somebody mentioned. He was a little shocked we only wanted 2-3 sides for our table of 4, in fact!

 

So on a more positive note. I'm new to RCI. I was looking forward to Chops, but now...what are your GOOD dinner recommendations on the Oasis? I'll still try Chops, time permitting, but I'd like to start with what you think is a better choice. Thanks!

 

Sabor was far and away our favorite dining spot on Oasis this last cruise. We also ate at MDR, Chops, and Giovanni's. I've heard great things about Solarium Bistro's dinner service but we didn't get a chance to eat there.

[BillOh]

Service at Chops on Oasis was spot on, so I think you should be fine. Definitely try the bacon appetizer if you're a pork fan. It doesn't sound like much but it's amazing. Our server was eager to please and there definitely was none of this "you only get 4 sides" that somebody mentioned. He was a little shocked we only wanted 2-3 sides for our table of 4, in fact!

 

 

 

Sabor was far and away our favorite dining spot on Oasis this last cruise. We also ate at MDR, Chops, and Giovanni's. I've heard great things about Solarium Bistro's dinner service but we didn't get a chance to eat there.

 

I've always had good service at Chops - Freedom x2, Navigator, and Allure x2) But I do see the menu changes as a slight downgrade but my wife and I just get the petit filet, so we are easy to please. I did say after Freedom, I would order that Peppered bacon appetizer in the MDR every night as a premium if I could :D The bake potato and onion soup has varied a bit from time to time, but usually very good.

[Dave85]

We also ate our last meal in Chops our last time on Oasis. The appetizers were enjoyable but the rest of the experience was mediocre and definitely not worth the price. I cancelled my Chops reservation for our upcoming Anthem cruise when we got home from Oasis.

 

To end on a positive note, we loved Sabor! Great new addition.

[BillOh]

 

To end on a positive note, we loved Sabor! Great new addition.

 

We tried that as a sea-day lunch on Freedom and loved it as well. Looking forward to doing it again, perhaps on one of the formal night dinners.