Catasetumkid Posted June 24, 2017 #26 Share Posted June 24, 2017 Luxury line Regent has the best food, for mass market line it's Celebrity, worst food we ever had was on a 21day river cruise on the Viking Embla just horrible! Sent from my iPhone using Forums I've never heard of Regent and will see what they offer. But I am wondering how can you say Celebrity is good? Can you give me some examples of exemplary buffet offerings? I would have been satisfied with the crispy french fries they serve on RCCL. Did you see my photos? Have you ever experienced anything like those big pots on a cruise before? They had french toast stuffed into them, and this awful syrup that had no flavor, not maple, just sweet. Awful! Big hunks of meat looked okay for lunch if that was your thing, I just wanted a decent sandwich or some pizza that was actually browned on top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvetwater Posted June 25, 2017 #27 Share Posted June 25, 2017 Celebrity are the best but just by a hair. I would put CCL/Royal joint 2nd but thats just due to quality and range of proteins and desserts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjde Posted September 30, 2017 #28 Share Posted September 30, 2017 Food truly is subjective, because I'd say Princess was the best (Emerald Princess but this was 5 years ago). We've not been on Regent or Carnival, but RCCL, Azamara, Oceania, Celebrity , HAL and NCL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted October 8, 2017 #29 Share Posted October 8, 2017 WOW! Talking about comparing apples to kumquats :). The food on most of the ultra luxury lines such as Regent, Seabourn, Sea Dream, etc. is in a different class from the mass market lines such as Celebrity. And while we used to think that Celebrity had just about the best overall food of the mass market lines....constant cut-backs in the past 3 years (some of us think its related to the current CEO) has now dropped Celebrity (in our estimation) below other mass market lines such as HAL...and even Princess. But consider that we can cruise on Celebrity, in a balcony cabin....for less then $150 per passenger day (sometimes a lot less). But a line like Regent is going to cost $600 - $1000 per passenger day! We have cruised on 14 different cruise lines (including many of the mass market lines) and are no longer impressed by any of the Main Dining Room/Lido food on any of the mass market lines. If one is cruising on Celebrity and are on an S Class ship....they could certainly purchase a discounted deal for alternative restaurants and eat many of their dinners in Murano (which does have excellent food) or perhaps Qsine. Hank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty allen Posted December 6, 2017 #30 Share Posted December 6, 2017 We have cruised mostly Celebrity for about 7 years and the quality of food in both buffet and MDR has slid downhill steadily during that time. We'll be on Princess in a few weeks, so I am very curious to see how it compares. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trishnmike Posted December 6, 2017 #31 Share Posted December 6, 2017 Problem is even within a cruise line food can vary widely depending on the ship. I was on Royal's Jewel of the Seas & the food was amazing with lots of good choices in the buffet every meal & the MDR was always excellent. Then six months later I was on Royal's Navigator of the Seas & the food was mediocre at best with few repetitive choices in the buffet & lackluster nightly in the MDR. So I don't know that you could ever say one line consistently had the best food overall unless you had been on ALL of their ships to compare. I suspect it has a lot to do with whoever is executive chef for the ship but that's just speculation Sent from my iPhone using Forums I agree with you. I cruised on RC Navigator of the Seas and feel the same as you about the food. Now the salad was good. Cruised with Carnival and some ships were better than others. But like others said, it’s very subjective. I’m from New Orleans, so I like things with a lot of seasonings. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epicureangirl Posted December 29, 2017 #32 Share Posted December 29, 2017 WOW! Talking about comparing apples to kumquats :). The food on most of the ultra luxury lines such as Regent, Seabourn, Sea Dream, etc. is in a different class from the mass market lines such as Celebrity. And while we used to think that Celebrity had just about the best overall food of the mass market lines....constant cut-backs in the past 3 years (some of us think its related to the current CEO) has now dropped Celebrity (in our estimation) below other mass market lines such as HAL...and even Princess. But consider that we can cruise on Celebrity, in a balcony cabin....for less then $150 per passenger day (sometimes a lot less). But a line like Regent is going to cost $600 - $1000 per passenger day! We have cruised on 14 different cruise lines (including many of the mass market lines) and are no longer impressed by any of the Main Dining Room/Lido food on any of the mass market lines. If one is cruising on Celebrity and are on an S Class ship....they could certainly purchase a discounted deal for alternative restaurants and eat many of their dinners in Murano (which does have excellent food) or perhaps Qsine. Hank. Thanks for this post, Hank. This is exactly the conclusion I was coming to. Sadly though, I was thinking that trying Celebrity might be the next best cruiseline for me to try, because of their food reputation being better than HAL, but them still not being as expensive as the luxury lines. I mostly cruise HAL for less then $150 pp/day, but do know that the 'level' of food I really want is on the luxury lines. I am choosing HAL for the great itineraries and value, not specifically the food. We think we get the best out of it, by paying the upcharge to Pinnacle Grill (which even at $70 per night for two, puts us at a way lower overall cost than the luxury lines). Sounds like I could even use this strategy with Celebrity perhaps? I know I will cruise those luxury lines in the not too distant future, but need to get some of those longer itineraries under my belt at a better price point. And for the OP mentioning Disney, I agree the food was very good on the Disney cruises I have been on, but I did pay more per person for those cruises in comparison to HAL or Princess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flatbush Flyer Posted December 29, 2017 #33 Share Posted December 29, 2017 Thanks for this post, Hank. This is exactly the conclusion I was coming to. Sadly though, I was thinking that trying Celebrity might be the next best cruiseline for me to try, because of their food reputation being better than HAL, but them still not being as expensive as the luxury lines. I mostly cruise HAL for less then $150 pp/day, but do know that the 'level' of food I really want is on the luxury lines. I am choosing HAL for the great itineraries and value, not specifically the food. We think we get the best out of it, by paying the upcharge to Pinnacle Grill (which even at $70 per night for two, puts us at a way lower overall cost than the luxury lines). Sounds like I could even use this strategy with Celebrity perhaps? I know I will cruise those luxury lines in the not too distant future, but need to get some of those longer itineraries under my belt at a better price point. And for the OP mentioning Disney, I agree the food was very good on the Disney cruises I have been on, but I did pay more per person for those cruises in comparison to HAL or Princess. If you want truly excellent food without "breaking the bank," no other cruise line will come close to Oceania. I had an opportunity to ask the CEO of Azamara about the difference between O and A. His answer: "Oceania is food. We are overnights in port." Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUT2407 Posted December 29, 2017 #34 Share Posted December 29, 2017 The best answer is "whichever one you like best". Taste is so subjective that you can really only rely on your own experience. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Got it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epicureangirl Posted January 1, 2018 #35 Share Posted January 1, 2018 If you want truly excellent food without "breaking the bank," no other cruise line will come close to Oceania. I had an opportunity to ask the CEO of Azamara about the difference between O and A. His answer: "Oceania is food. We are overnights in port." That is a great quote, but one that will ultimately make me book Oceania before Azamara. I'm going to take a closer look at Oceania! Thanks for your post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbarianPaul Posted January 1, 2018 #36 Share Posted January 1, 2018 You can't pay for the food on Regent because they just don't have it on their ships. REGENT has the best quality of food! Sent from my iPhone using Forums Agreed. Regent is the best. It’s of course also the priciest, but the food is phenomenal. Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toryhere Posted February 4, 2018 #37 Share Posted February 4, 2018 I found Regent’s food to be good but not great. Surprisingly Ponant’s l’Austral was the same, even though it is a French ship. I have been very satisfied with the food on SeaDream, mainly because the chef is adventurous, but also takes care to put more traditional dishes on the menu. Also if you give him some notice he will cook you something not on the menu. So my wife ordered a special degustation dinner for my birthday when were sailing on SeaDream II in the Med. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NantahalaCruiser Posted February 11, 2018 #38 Share Posted February 11, 2018 Hi burm, I agree with your observations on Oceania. The best out there! My wife and I gave up on NCL when they first went to their FreeStyle thing, as the food was really very basic. A friend, who had just completed a few NCL cruises, thought I should give them another try. To hedge our bets we picked up the UDP (ultimate dining package), and after two NCL cruises in the past two years, I must say the food is wonderful. We have not eaten in the MDR for an evening meal --- all our meals are spread out over their alternatives. We do visit the MDR for breakfast and lunch, and avoid the buffet at all times. With five or six great alternative restaurants you can mix it up a bit and avoid getting menu fatigue. There are other speciality locations for snacks, lunches..., so loads of options. This is why I now rate NCL highly for food quality. Enjoy! Kel:) Our very first cruse in 2003 was on the NCL Sun and the service and quality of food in the MDR was terrible, although the free specialty restaurants were good and the for fee were excellent. They lost our business for the next 15 years and we still have no desire to go back to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenrod Posted February 14, 2018 #39 Share Posted February 14, 2018 We recently got off the Emerald Princess after a 31 day cruise we had the new Club Class dining which was great with immediate seating and great service but the food was a 6 out of 10 at best the best meal of the day was breakfast in the Crown grill for Suite passengers only. We were disappointed with the lunch and dinners. Just curious has anyone been on Viking ocean cruise ships and how is the food? Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epicureangirl Posted February 14, 2018 #40 Share Posted February 14, 2018 We recently got off the Emerald Princess after a 31 day cruise we had the new Club Class dining which was great with immediate seating and great service but the food was a 6 out of 10 at best the best meal of the day was breakfast in the Crown grill for Suite passengers only. We were disappointed with the lunch and dinners. Just curious has anyone been on Viking ocean cruise ships and how is the food? I have been 'researching' on the Viking Ocean part of the forum, and hear that the food has really top-end ingredients. But I still need to find a thread on HAL vs. Viking etc. I was reluctant to post there asking about food quality on Hal vs. Viking... I'm pretty sure they'd tell me Viking is in a different class so there really is no comparison at all! :o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusieStone Posted April 29, 2018 #41 Share Posted April 29, 2018 I cruised on Ruby Princess a year ago (4/17)..and booked the mini suite they're offering with special food service. Tho they stated in the advertising..that food was "prepared at the table" and "additional items were offered..not in the Main Dining Room"...we found the food and location to be exactly the same. No value in booking this class. The first night we had prime rib. It was tough as shoe leather...and FULL of fat! I complained to the Maitre 'D. After that we had excellent service (our own waiter!)..but the mediocre food continued. I've been on Princess 12 times. But what a disappointment the "special" food was! The "special" restaurant area was just a section of the Main Dining Room (nothing more private..elegant..or anything). Save your $$$$$$$$$$. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackdeb Posted May 21, 2018 #42 Share Posted May 21, 2018 The best answer is "whichever one you like best". Taste is so subjective that you can really only rely on your own experience. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Taste is subjective but quality and presentation are not , sit and savour and try something new 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lenquixote66 Posted May 22, 2018 #43 Share Posted May 22, 2018 When we cruised Disney the dinners felt like very gourmet meals. I would order things I would normally NEVER eat because I knew it would taste amazing! They even had Alaskan crab legs at the buffet. We just did Royal Caribbean and I found the food bland. Our Chops Grille steak was just about on par with Disney but it cost extra! Do any lines even touch Disney's food? Are they at least better that RCCL? Sent from my iPhone using Forums Cunard in my opinion has the best food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjwaz Posted June 3, 2018 #44 Share Posted June 3, 2018 We did a full transit Panama canal cruise on Island Princess last year. The food was quite good, with the fish being excellent, even in the buffet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncleboo Posted June 5, 2018 #45 Share Posted June 5, 2018 that is totally subjective like asking what is the best car overall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catsngoats Posted July 22, 2018 #46 Share Posted July 22, 2018 Oceania gets my vote, based on two cruises with them, as well as others with Carnival, RCCL, Celebrity and Princess. We are trying HAL/N Amsterdam to Alaska for the first time in a few weeks: DH had specific requirements for the land tour and they have it, We are booked on Oceania/Marina in Jan 2020, through the Panama Canal and I'm a bit concerned based on reports here since the NCL acquisition. When did that happen? NCL needs to leave Oceania 'untouched'!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lmm79 Posted June 9, 2019 #47 Share Posted June 9, 2019 On 12/31/2017 at 11:08 PM, BarbarianPaul said: Agreed. Regent is the best. It’s of course also the priciest, but the food is phenomenal. Sent from my iPad using Forums How does it compare to the food on crystal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbarianPaul Posted June 9, 2019 #48 Share Posted June 9, 2019 3 hours ago, Lmm79 said: How does it compare to the food on crystal? Regent’s food was definitely better than Crystal’s. But we’ve only sailed once on Crystal, about 4 years ago, and I think they might have reimagined all their dining after both ships were refurbed. And as good as Regent’s food was, we haven’t sailed on them since. As new cruisers to Regent, we felt as if the line catered mostly to returning cruisers, and just didn’t feel particularly welcomed. When we began cruising, I made the mistake of thinking that the more expensive the line, the better a cruise we’d have. Since then, we’ve sailed almost all the lines, and in many cases have enjoyed it more. We love both Celebrity and Holland America. The food in Aqua Class on Celebrity I’d say is about 80% as good as a Regent, which is pretty darn good, and the itineraries on HA are unique and different, with the dining almost as good as Celebrity. That said, we just booked a Dubai-Capetown cruise on Norwegian...a particularly rare itinerary. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toryhere Posted June 10, 2019 #49 Share Posted June 10, 2019 11 hours ago, BarbarianPaul said: Regent’s food was definitely better than Crystal’s. But we’ve only sailed once on Crystal, about 4 years ago, and I think they might have reimagined all their dining after both ships were refurbed. And as good as Regent’s food was, we haven’t sailed on them since. As new cruisers to Regent, we felt as if the line catered mostly to returning cruisers, and just didn’t feel particularly welcomed. When we began cruising, I made the mistake of thinking that the more expensive the line, the better a cruise we’d have. Since then, we’ve sailed almost all the lines, and in many cases have enjoyed it more. We love both Celebrity and Holland America. The food in Aqua Class on Celebrity I’d say is about 80% as good as a Regent, which is pretty darn good, and the itineraries on HA are unique and different, with the dining almost as good as Celebrity. That said, we just booked a Dubai-Capetown cruise on Norwegian...a particularly rare itinerary. My wife and I found the food on Regent to be good, but a bit bland and less than adventurous because the line was catering to the tastes of the predominantly American clientele. The best meal we had was on an excursion in Morocco where they served delicious tajines, much to the bewilderment of many of our fellow cruisers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clo Posted June 13, 2019 #50 Share Posted June 13, 2019 On 7/22/2018 at 1:26 PM, catsngoats said: Oceania gets my vote, based on two cruises with them, as well as others with Carnival, RCCL, Celebrity and Princess. We are trying HAL/N Amsterdam to Alaska for the first time in a few weeks: DH had specific requirements for the land tour and they have it, We are booked on Oceania/Marina in Jan 2020, through the Panama Canal and I'm a bit concerned based on reports here since the NCL acquisition. When did that happen? NCL needs to leave Oceania 'untouched'!!!! If you look upthread there's another one about food and one person in particular thinks Oceania is the best with "no close second." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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