Kevin's $0.02 on the Steakhouse

[jdemps]

I have no idea how all that stuff works, but considering you can get an inside cabin much cheaper (think in the $400pp, sometimes less, range for a 7 night cruise), I doubt they allocate that much to food. Suite people don't typically eat more than someone in an inside I wouldn't think.

 

insides were about $850 per person when we booked. so maybe it's more like $100 a day for food?

[firemanbobswife]

insides were about $850 per person when we booked. so maybe it's more like $100 a day for food?

 

Wow, really? Maybe because it's a popular time you're going. I don't think the food choices change dramatically from ship to ship or sailing to sailing when comparing the same length of cruises. You can get an inside for $399pp on Splendor Western Caribbean in October right now and Vista is $464pp.

 

I still don't know how they arrive at their breakdown, but I'm pretty sure the only real difference is that they make more profit during peak times. Food costs should remain relatively steady on a per person basis no matter which type of cabin or what time they sail.

[sparks1093]

They have plenty of options to choose if you don't want beef. They always have lamb and wonderful seafood. I seldom get a steak, but always enjoy what I order. As I said, the lobster ravioli is beyond good. It is a bargain for $35. Plus it's really nice to have a special night with your sweetheart. Hard to put a price on that.

 

DW is allergic to shellfish and won't eat lamb. Every night with her is special:).

[sparks1093]

Wow, really? Maybe because it's a popular time you're going. I don't think the food choices change dramatically from ship to ship or sailing to sailing when comparing the same length of cruises. You can get an inside for $399pp on Splendor Western Caribbean in October right now and Vista is $464pp.

 

I still don't know how they arrive at their breakdown, but I'm pretty sure the only real difference is that they make more profit during peak times. Food costs should remain relatively steady on a per person basis no matter which type of cabin or what time they sail.

 

I've read that CCL spends the least amount on food compared to the other cruise lines and the number I remember is in the neighborhood of $11 per person per day (but my memory could be off, of course). (I don't think that amount includes the food in the Steakhouse.)

[firemanbobswife]

I've read that CCL spends the least amount on food compared to the other cruise lines and the number I remember is in the neighborhood of $11 per person per day (but my memory could be off, of course). (I don't think that amount includes the food in the Steakhouse.)

 

Very interesting. Thanks for the info!

[sparks1093]

Very interesting. Thanks for the info!

 

You are welcome. Here's an article from 2013 that sheds some light on the subject.

 

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-magazine/feature-magazine-articles/8802-spring-2013-fab-food-spend-steady.html

[Cruisegirl6]

Wow, I am surprised to hear some of your answers here. When we cruise Carnival we dine every evening in the Steakhouse as we do not like the food in the MDR and the service too, unless the ship such as the Fascination doesn't have the Steakhouse then we get the uncharge items in the MDR but they are certainly not the same quality as we get at the steakhouse....no steakhouse means we do not eat healthy or good but its ok its a cruise we can make one exception. We take 2-3 cruises a year in addition going to Aruba for a couple of weeks each year plus two to three other smaller trips, we dine only at 4/5 star restaurants and to be honest, the Steakhouse is VERY VERY GOOD overall. We consider Ruth Chris to be a 3 1/2 star steakhouse and to be honest, the Steakhouse on Carnival is definitely above that. We have tried everything on the steakhouse menu except for the grilled filet of fish and the only thing I don't feel is good was the French onion soup, we always find that to be way too strong tasting.....as for the extra price, INEXPENSIVE/CHEAP! Going to 4/5 star restaurants, the price of this steak is the price of the dessert and appetizer, a steak averages $52-$75 alone so Carnivals Steakhouse is a bargain.

 

You don't have to eat beef, they have fish, lobster, wonderful lamb chops and on a handful of ships I do believe there was a poultry dish too.

[First and Ten]

I remember that thread and I hope I didn't flame you for an opinion - if I did I apologize. I do disagree with you in that I think the Steakhouse is better than Outback and Longhorn. I do like Longhorn on occasion but I consistently get tough or fatty steaks or incorrect temperature at Outback. But other family likes it so when I go I just get their frozen fried shrimp and the wedge salad which I love. I can eat most anything fried lol.

 

I agree that Steakhouse is no Bern's or even a Del Frisco but i think it's closer to them than outback if you get the filet - that's what we always get and haven't been disappointed yet in the Steakhouse. and 70 bucks for the two of us vs closer to 3 bills at Bern's is a great value (conveniently leaving out the 2~3k we paid for the cruise and included MDR food lol)

 

So I reckon with the apps and the free bottle of wine (or half off a good one) we think the steakhouse is a step above Outback and Longhorn but not all the way up to high end steakhouses.

 

We got reservations for the Chef's table next year on Miracle and that will be our first time so we are very excited about that.

 

Geek, my post in no means was singling you out as the flamer....off the top of my head I don't remember exactly who it was, but I was definitely in the minority as far as not considering the Carnival Steakhouses on par with high end land steakhouses. Again, the service in the steakhouses on the ships are typically very good to great. The ambiance (my opinion) is nicer than the MDR. Is it worth the $35 upcharge....absolutely. Speaking strictly about the taste of the steaks, they are GOOD (again, my opinion). Some people (not inferring you) take "good" as a slight or somehow that is an insult. If someone has never dined in high end steakhouse and only dined in an Outback or a Longhorns, I can understand how they would think the Carnival Steakhouses would be the best steak/experience they ever had. If you have dined in a Lugars, M&M, Berns, St Elmos, etc, a Carnival Steakhouse is not close to that level. Nor should it be. You go to a Berns, you can easily drop over $300 per couple with cocktails.

[originalgeek]

Geek, my post in no means was singling you out as the flamer....off the top of my head I don't remember exactly who it was, but I was definitely in the minority as far as not considering the Carnival Steakhouses on par with high end land steakhouses. Again, the service in the steakhouses on the ships are typically very good to great. The ambiance (my opinion) is nicer than the MDR. Is it worth the $35 upcharge....absolutely. Speaking strictly about the taste of the steaks, they are GOOD (again, my opinion). Some people (not inferring you) take "good" as a slight or somehow that is an insult. If someone has never dined in high end steakhouse and only dined in an Outback or a Longhorns, I can understand how they would think the Carnival Steakhouses would be the best steak/experience they ever had. If you have dined in a Lugars, M&M, Berns, St Elmos, etc, a Carnival Steakhouse is not close to that level. Nor should it be. You go to a Berns, you can easily drop over $300 per couple with cocktails.

 

 

I think we are almost identical in feelings for the steakhouse steaks but we just have slightly different scales. Bern's isn't something we can do very often but man is it an incredible experience. There's a good chance I over-romanticize the cruise ship steak houses just because I'm on a cruise and that's still all new and exciting. After we get a few more cruises under our flip-flops we'll probably still go but won't be thinking it's the bees knees.

 

Cheers and happy sailing!

[ksmcdonald]

Does anyone know when ordering the surf n turf if you can switch out the filet mignon for ribeye? I would really like to order lobster, but do not care for filet mignon.

[Cruisegirl6]

I never asked that question, but probably don't think so, but then again, why not, maybe somebody else has asked and gotten that, would like to know myself as I don't care for filet and avoid them.

[ryano]

And heres Ryan's .02 on the steakhouse. If you go to a Carnival steakhouse expecting a Flemings, Berns, Peter Luger etc steak and experience, your expectations are simply too high. Ruths Chris is overpriced and overrated and I happen to think my last meal overall at Prime on Magic was definitely better than my last meal at a Ruths Chris, especially being that Ruths Chris was over three times as much $$$. Maybe the R's C I went to was just having an off night but I wasnt really all that impressed.

 

I go to the steakhouse because its not the loud and chaotic mess the MDR is, the food is good and there is no blaring music with waiters on tables doing stripper moves. Also, the service is much better in the steakhouse than the MDR. If you order the 20.00 steak in the MDR, you still get the mediocre slow service and blaring music but by all means enjoy that 20.00 steak while they are poll dancing to My Pony, lol! Id rather pay 15.00 more for some peace and quiet myself. Each to their own :)

 

It is my understanding that when there were fewer steakhouses only known as "supper clubs" they actually served USDA Prime cuts and the experience was more in line with those high end places we know on land. They have cut back a little but its still worth it in my opinion.

Edited April 18, 2017 by ryano

[ryano]

I compared Carnivals Steakhouse steaks to Outback and/or Longhorns as far as steak quality

 

Im not sure why people would be upset at this? Outback is generally pretty good to me. Longhorn is hit or miss but I spend at least 35.00 in both of these places and sometimes even more for a meal. Im totally ok with Choice cuts of steak though. I like the steakhouse on Magic simply because its not the MDR. lol

[Florings]

We traditionally dine in the steakhouse on the first night of our cruise and enjoy the half off bottle of wine and the wonderful service and ambience.

 

We find the food very good to excellent, much above Outback or Longhorn. The steaks are quite like Ruths Chris in my opinion.

 

One's opinion is always subjective, right? What one enjoys, another finds mediocre, or unappealing.

 

But for my husband and myself, quite good!

[ryano]

.

 

One's opinion is always subjective, right? What one enjoys, another finds mediocre, or unappealing!

 

Exactly. Its ALL subjective. With that said, my reservation is already made for the first night on Magic in October :)

[sparks1093]

Exactly. Its ALL subjective. With that said, my reservation is already made for the first night on Magic in October :)

 

And if the experts can't agree what are the rest of us supposed to do?:D

[Florings]

Exactly. Its ALL subjective. With that said, my reservation is already made for the first night on Magic in October :)

 

And ours is made for the first night on Magic in September!

[originalgeek]

And ours is made for the first night on Magic in September!

 

and ours for night one, April 14th 2018! :) (We haven't heard yet what night our Chef's Table is but they did confirm we are in)

[bakersdozen12]

I would pay $35 just for the rosemary bread and the chocolate sampler. [emoji4] Both, in my opinion, are that good.

 

 

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[firemanbobswife]

I go to the steakhouse because its not the loud and chaotic mess the MDR is, the food is good and there is no blaring music with waiters on tables doing stripper moves. Also, the service is much better in the steakhouse than the MDR. If you order the 20.00 steak in the MDR, you still get the mediocre slow service and blaring music but by all means enjoy that 20.00 steak while they are poll dancing to My Pony, lol! Id rather pay 15.00 more for some peace and quiet myself. Each to their own :)

 

 

They don't have the platforms for the waiters to dance on on Vista so it does detract from the whole fun of it. They place the food on fold out tray supports like in restaurants, therefore, have to dance just on the floor. Haven't heard the "My Pony" song so I'm it sure what that is, but I have been known to bring a stack of $1s to the festivities so "Shake what your momma gave ya!" [emoji39] It's all in good fun!

[crusinpsychRN]

Never got the sauce for the steak I ordered.

[firemanbobswife]

Never got the sauce for the steak I ordered.

 

I didn't either. But every time I ordered the filet in the MDR for $20, it automatically came with the sauce.

[E&B]

Comparing the Steakhouse to the MDR or Outback is like apples and oranges. At Outback I get an 18 year old server who knows the menu, and that's it. At the MDR, my server is too busy now to interact with us. At the steakhouse I get amazing service from someone who can make suggestions and dotes on us. I'll take the steakhouse any day.

 

 

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[Kanyon71]

I like the steak house, I think the food is very good (not quite up to years ago when I went) but still good. Now for the comparo's I am NOT a fan of Ruth's Chris I think the food there is just ok and I think it is HIGHLY overpriced. Now Berns that's a whole different ballgame though I think Berns is as much the experience (nothing beats their dessert room) as it is the food (though their quality is excellent).

 

I don't mind the $35 for the extra charge, it's an excellent change of venue once per cruise and I love their French Onion Soup. :)

[KPfromCT]

The last time we went to the steakhouse on the Breeze, it was DELICIOUS!!!!

The steak was so tender and flavorful.

Probably like anything else, they have hits and misses.

We are booked on the first night of our Magic cruise in June.

Hoping for a repeat experience.:D