Quality of food on Royal Caribbean

[Saman]

this evening my daughter said i could just eat one of those ceasar salads i had on the cruise (seranade may ) so i guess she was impressed with the food , i must say food was much better than i expected it to be .just wondering if anyone has any ideas of comparison of food on MSC versus Royal ?

 

[schlimazel_traveler]

2 hours ago, BecciBoo said:

Of course food is subjective, one man's trash is another man's treasure.  No accounting for taste...so anything goes.  I can say I am the best cook in my family if not one of the best of any of our acquaintances and I thought it was perfectly fine.  Having said that, I think Ruth Chris Steak House sucks for the prices they charge so there you go.  I never pay much attention to what someone else thinks is tasty, it only matters to me if I think it's tasty.  To each his own!

We never went to the MDR, so, to be fair, my review only applies to the WJ. We had expected the choices to mirror the MDR menu the way the WJ does on Grandeur, so we were dismayed to see the same hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, pork chops, plain pasta, etc., at dinner each night. I love trying new and interesting foods, so buffets are a treat for me. I am not picky about quality, I just want novelty. Grandeur WJ delivered that every meal. Vision didn't. 

 

I thought, though, that a prior poster was reporting improvement on Vision, which would be great news to me.

[Andy C]

5 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

We only had dinner up there three nights, and one was a special request. 😉

We are really disappointed with the day 5-7 lunch menu. Oasis did lunch much better than Harmony.

 

 

Hardly, but we'll be $uite passengers next week, so I'll see if its different. 

 

The lunches at CK on Harmony sucked.

[WeLuvVacation]

Food is better than the best of the chains up and about (Applebees, Chilis, etc.) The food is not as good as an upscale restaurant. Steaks certainly not up to the par of the best NYC/Long Island steakhouses (Peter Luger, Keens, Old Homestead, etc.) But you all need to rememeber that depending on the ship they are feeding upwards of 6,000 people over a 5 - 6 hour period as opposed to 500  - 1,000 in the "good old days." Now of course I'm referring to the MDR/WJ not the "specialties" which tend to be better.

[John&LaLa]

14 minutes ago, Andy C said:

 

The lunches at CK on Harmony sucked.

 

I look forward to the chicken sandwich,  but that's about it. Kiddie menu is not age appropriate at all. 

 

 

This is Oasis, plus the MDR on Harmony 

 

[Judyrem]

4 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Back on Harmony 😎

 

She's conveniently located 😉

Twelve years ago, we were in FLL.   We even lived in small townhouse complex on a  canal that had a Princess captain living there.

It would have been super easy to go to the port area too!😁  Now, there is Delta 🤪👀.

[Andy C]

15 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

I look forward to the chicken sandwich,  but that's about it. Kiddie menu is not age appropriate at all. 

 

 

 

This is Oasis, plus the MDR on Harmony 

 

 

 

Minus the chicken sandwich we agree on something!

[LorraineP]

1 hour ago, Saman said:

this evening my daughter said i could just eat one of those ceasar salads i had on the cruise (seranade may ) so i guess she was impressed with the food , i must say food was much better than i expected it to be .just wondering if anyone has any ideas of comparison of food on MSC versus Royal ?

 

We have been on MSC Seaside twice & the food in the yacht club was excellent. I personally think the food on RCL ships is below average. The specialty restaurants food is just a little better, it’s a hit & miss there. 

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, Andy C said:

 

Minus the chicken sandwich we agree on something!

 

I really think it's a good sandwich.  The baguette is very nice and chicken is moist. Good cheese also.

 

We used to agree on a couple of things until I pushed a little to hard.  I apologize for that. 

Edited August 12, 2019 by John&LaLa

[Oxo]

1 hour ago, LorraineP said:

We have been on MSC Seaside twice & the food in the yacht club was excellent. I personally think the food on RCL ships is below average. The specialty restaurants food is just a little better, it’s a hit & miss there. 

Have been on MSC Seaside, Divina, Lirica and Sinfonia and consider their food as the lowest in quality, selection and variety of all the cruise lines we have been on. Never did the Yacht Club. There is no comparison between MSC and the others when comparing food. We rate MSC lowest in food. MSC needs to do a lot to improve in the food area. Still cruise MSC as it is a great value, beautiful ships, very clean and excellent entertainment.  JMHO!

[LorraineP]

11 minutes ago, Oxo said:

Have been on MSC Seaside, Divina, Lirica and Sinfonia and consider their food as the lowest in quality, selection and variety of all the cruise lines we have been on. Never did the Yacht Club. There is no comparison between MSC and the others when comparing food. We rate MSC lowest in food. MSC needs to do a lot to improve in the food area. Still cruise MSC as it is a great value, beautiful ships, very clean and excellent entertainment.  JMHO!

Don’t know about food outside of the yacht club it was better then Coastal Kitchen & CK is quite good. Seaside entertainment was excellent. 

[BecciBoo]

15 hours ago, schlimazel_traveler said:

We never went to the MDR, so, to be fair, my review only applies to the WJ. We had expected the choices to mirror the MDR menu the way the WJ does on Grandeur, so we were dismayed to see the same hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, pork chops, plain pasta, etc., at dinner each night. I love trying new and interesting foods, so buffets are a treat for me. I am not picky about quality, I just want novelty. Grandeur WJ delivered that every meal. Vision didn't. 

 

I thought, though, that a prior poster was reporting improvement on Vision, which would be great news to me.

Course, Food is really not that important to me....I love cruising for the experiences and meeting people and I love the Big Blue!   I am probably willing to accept much less than what appeals to others about food.  I do love food and love preparing food.  You have to be inventive when you eat Keto so I experiment a lot and cook clean and fresh.  I can certainly handle the food onboard and be happy but I have certainly tasted better in the past too.  We just thought Vision food was pretty darn good.  I do think it's up to the chef and executive staff as to the quality and how it's presented...every ship seems to be different in some way or another.  We love the food on Celebrity and we thought the quality of meats were better.

Edited August 13, 2019 by BecciBoo

[BecciBoo]

15 hours ago, Saman said:

this evening my daughter said i could just eat one of those ceasar salads i had on the cruise (seranade may ) so i guess she was impressed with the food , i must say food was much better than i expected it to be .just wondering if anyone has any ideas of comparison of food on MSC versus Royal ?

 

That's funny, Caesar Salad is my favorite thing on RCCL ships...I have it every meal...but in the last couple years, even that has taken a turn for the worse.  They started using powdered like Kraft Parm instead of shaved parm...I don't know it just doesn't taste the same.  I know that sounds lame, salad is salad, but there can be big differences.  My cruise mate demanded! they bring a bowl of shaved parm instead of that powdered stuff and for a couple years they tried a non dairy spread instead of the wrapped butter pats...she complained bitterly about that and now I note they are gone and back to butter....mmmmm.

[BecciBoo]

16 hours ago, legaljen1969 said:

I think Ruth Chris is grossly overpriced for what you get.  I have never had a bad meal there, but I always leave with an anxiety attack after paying the bill.  LOL 
 

Here in Texas we have HEB Grocery, they are nationally known.  All their meat is top notch.  The best steaks we have ever put in our mouths, my hubs has done on our butane griddle/grill and they are tenderloin filets not unlike what Portofino's used to serve...melt in your mouth delish, way better than Ruth's Chris and about 1/4 of the price.  We regularly consume a pkg of two for around $12 to $14.  It doesn't get any better than that.  And it's not even Prime!

Edited August 13, 2019 by BecciBoo

[cravingthis]

20 hours ago, legaljen1969 said:

I always thought WJ just followed the theme of the MDR on whatever given night it was. I have always been told it's the same food but the difference is you get seated service in the MDR.

 

That's interesting to know.  I don't recall themed nights on Oasis, but then again, that was in 2011  

 

19 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

I think it depends on the ship. Harmony has hot stations in the back of WJ and they cook food to order. Oasis currently doesn't have that, but they can set up a temporary station, just not very efficient 

 

No wonder I couldn't remember seeing it on Oasis, they never had it 

I read here on CC that is the spot where you can get fried eggs and crepes.

 

1 hour ago, BecciBoo said:

That's funny, Caesar Salad is my favorite thing on RCCL ships...I have it every meal...but in the last couple years, even that has taken a turn for the worse.  They started using powdered like Kraft Parm instead of shaved parm...I don't know it just doesn't taste the same.  I know that sounds lame, salad is salad, but there can be big differences.  My cruise mate demanded! they bring a bowl of shaved parm instead of that powdered stuff and for a couple years they tried a non dairy spread instead of the wrapped butter pats...she complained bitterly about that and now I note they are gone and back to butter....mmmmm.

 

Yuck, I personally don't like powdered cheese either.  I don't think that's lame at all.  It does make a huge difference in taste! 

I'm glad to hear they were able to bring out the good stuff ...lol

 

I like (no need) real butter!  Here's a picture of the butter back in the day in case you're interested!  Is that what you meant by the wrapped butter pats?

 

I remember the bread was good, but not sure why it was always cold.  Perhaps it was pre-baked and then frozen.  It would be impossible to bake fresh bread for thousands of cruisers several times a day.

 

[BecciBoo]

2 hours ago, red-dragon said:

 

 

 

 

 

I remember the bread was good, but not sure why it was always cold.  Perhaps it was pre-baked and then frozen.  It would be impossible to bake fresh bread for thousands of cruisers several times a day.

 

 

Actually, all the bread and rolls are made fresh on board, you need to sign up for a galley tour.  I've watched them making the rolls, DAILY....in the proofing room...I am a bread fanatic!  They actually bake the dinner rolls in shifts first for early seating in the morning and then while early diners are eating they are baking the rolls for late seating...yes, they make it fresh, incredible isn't it?  But they follow the Euro tradition of room temp. rolls/breads and there is no possible way to keep it hot in the kitchens so it comes out cold.

[BecciBoo]

Here's a pic of the baking room with the baker standing next to the huge bowls of dough....I assure you, all fresh, not frozen!

[cravingthis]

8 minutes ago, BecciBoo said:

Actually, all the bread and rolls are made fresh on board, you need to sign up for a galley tour.  I've watched them making the rolls, DAILY....in the proofing room...I am a bread fanatic!  They actually bake the dinner rolls in shifts first for early seating in the morning and then while early diners are eating they are baking the rolls for late seating...yes, they make it fresh, incredible isn't it?  But they follow the Euro tradition of room temp. rolls/breads and there is no possible way to keep it hot in the kitchens so it comes out cold.

OMG, that's amazing.  I can never resist the bread basket!  My hubby always says, "Stop eating all the carbs," but I can't help myself.  Fresh hot bread 🍞 with real butter .... 😋

Thanks for explaining the process!

 

[cravingthis]

6 minutes ago, BecciBoo said:

Here's a pic of the baking room with the baker standing next to the huge bowls of dough....I assure you, all fresh, not frozen!

WOW!!  

Oh what I meant by frozen is that I thought since the Oasis class ships are ginormous, the breads are freshly made and baked, but then frozen and thawed out as needed.  Thanks again!

Edited August 13, 2019 by red-dragon

[BecciBoo]

Here's a pretty good galley tour and if you listen closely, he tells exactly how they do the bread/baking:

 

[Queen of Oakville]

Just off Symphony and I thought the MDR food (especially desserts) were much improved.  I mentioned this to the Head Waiter and he explained that Symphony is under scrutiny to get top reviews in this area.

 

I did not eat a lot of bread - still no savoury bites 😞 but they did have wrapped butter pats.  And the ceasar salad had real shaved parmesan cheese.  

 

It's been a few years since we last sailed Royal - but Symphony was a positive experience.  On our last Royal sailing, I rarely ate more than a  bite of any dessert (didn't want to consume calories if it wasn't enjoyable) - but on Symphony I think I enjoyed every dessert I tried.

 

The only disappointment was in chops.  The meal was excellent, however wasn't a fan of the red velvet cake.  I should have ordered the key lime pie, it looked amazing.  DH loved the apple pie in Chops and even the apple pie on the every day menu.  Kids loved the warm chocolate cookie, and I really liked the lemon tart (after I scraped off all the extra meringue calories 🙂 )

[BecciBoo]

Yahoo, we leave for Symphony Sept. 6th!

 

BTW, do not hesitate to ask for the Savory Bites...we did last Sept. on Liberty and though they were not served at all that night, they made them up special the second night in MDR....so you can make special requests.  They brought them to our table the second night, everybody around us were in an uproar wanting them!

[cravingthis]

51 minutes ago, Queen of Oakville said:

The only disappointment was in chops.  The meal was excellent, however wasn't a fan of the red velvet cake.  I should have ordered the key lime pie, it looked amazing.  DH loved the apple pie in Chops and even the apple pie on the every day menu.  Kids loved the warm chocolate cookie, and I really liked the lemon tart (after I scraped off all the extra meringue calories 🙂 )

Oh wow, I remember the red velvet cake in Chops (even though it was so long ago).  It was dry and very bitter, due to the red food coloring, and we replaced it with the creme brulee, which was excellent.  I just found the picture, but I am quite sure it has changed by now?

 

I heard good things about the apple pie (MDR) and saw a picture of the warm chocolate cookie.  Was it in a skillet?

[Queen of Oakville]

2 minutes ago, red-dragon said:

Oh wow, I remember the red velvet cake in Chops (even though it was so long ago).  It was dry and very bitter, due to the red food coloring, and we replaced it with the creme brulee, which was excellent.  I just found the picture, but I am quite sure it has changed by now?

 

I heard good things about the apple pie (MDR) and saw a picture of the warm chocolate cookie.  Was it in a skillet?

 

 

I don't believe there was any chocolate.  The cake was actually very moist, it just wasn't tasty.  And my cream cheese frosting is better 🙂

 

It was only a few days ago, but I can't recall if the cookie was in a skillet or not!  One thing I did not see on this cruise which used to always be on the sea day lunch menu was the raspberry chocolate tart.  Previously, it was one of the few desserts I enjoyed on Royal.  Celebrity has them at Café Bacio.

[Wanderista]

I have access to the menus for my sailing on the app and I had been thinking about getting apple pie. I'm not a big fan of chocolate cakes but I like pie and fruit. It sounds like it is a good choice provided that the ice cream is at the correct temperature.

 

I can't compare to the past but I generally have access to great food, so I'm hoping that it will be decent. Individual tastes are one thing but poor quality is an area of concern.