Mdr

[joekerstef]

My most "horrid" meal on HAL was my very first dinner in the MDR. I ordered the always-available salmon and it was very undercooked (near raw in the middle). I rather lost my appetite that evening, but I have had many good to excellent meals, and a few okay ones, in the MDR since then. But only that one unacceptable one.

 

also, to be fair, it was just that one item that was bad; the rest of that meal was fine.

[iancal]

Never had a horrid meal on any cruise ship, any cruise line.

 

Sure, lots of mediocre meals on all of the cruise lines that we have sailed on.

 

Don't forget...it is banquet food in the MDR albeit tarted up a little and plated well on good china with a nice place setting. To expect gourmet in the MDR is unreasonable.

 

It is generally good on most lines with equal numbers of mediocre and very good experiences according to personal taste.

[AncientWanderer]

We have had inedible meals on cruise ships -- not HAL, though, and we avoid "that other" cruise line now.

In recent cruises, we have preferred MDR to the Pinnacle. We've had some very tough steaks in PG and finally decided, "Why bother?" I think HAL is relatively weak compared to other lines in the optional restaurant department. That's just been our recent experience. YMMV. Things can and do change daily.

[iancal]

If we get a meal that we are unhappy with for whatever reason, on a ship or in a restaurant, we have absolutely no issue in sending it back. Undercooked, raw, overcooked, cold, not as per the description. Whatever.

 

We have sent meals back a few times on cruise ships. Never an issue. More than once on Celebrity when the waiter saw that one of us was not eating the entree we asked why and strongly encouraged to order something else. Same on other lines. The waiters and m'aitre d's really do want you to be a satisfied customer.

 

SO, if you truly get what you feel is a horrid meal or something that is not right do not just sit there and not eat it. Bring it to your server's attention and it will invariably be remedied. Not saying it will be replaced with a gourmet meal though it might. Chances are you will get another plate that is perfectly acceptable to your taste. It is only fair that you give the staff a chance to make it right for you.

[rkacruiser]

The worst meal I ever had on a cruise ship was on Queen Elizabeth 2, a trans-Atlantic sailing from Southampton to New York. Lunch was served in our Dining Room soon after sailing. Seeing Entrecote on the menu, I ordered it. What was served was not a thin boneless rib eye steak that I expected but Beef Liver. This was one of several disappointments on that crossing. There were labor problems on the ship and it showed in many aspects of our crossing.

[cbr663]

2 week cruise x three meals a day - 42 meals - chances are some will be a clinker. Happens. Send it back next time. But please don't malign the entire ship as "horrid". We have all had less than perfect experiences too. Unlikely you got a raw egg served, so a little less hyperbole is helpful when you are trashing a whole cruise line. Glad things improved for you on the Konigsdam. Hang in there.

 

I was not trashing the whole cruise line - I was simply stating that I have had some poor meals on HAL and provided examples of them.

 

And no, I did not get a raw egg served, nor did I write that I did. I had a poached egg served and it was chilled in the centre. I suspect that the egg had been cooked off and chilled and not poached properly before being served.

 

I suggest that you take the time to actually read what is written prior to commenting.

[OlsSalt]

I was not trashing the whole cruise line - I was simply stating that I have had some poor meals on HAL and provided examples of them.

 

And no, I did not get a raw egg served, nor did I write that I did. I had a poached egg served and it was chilled in the centre. I suspect that the egg had been cooked off and chilled and not poached properly before being served.

 

I suggest that you take the time to actually read what is written prior to commenting.

 

Good suggestion. Glad you offered more unvarnished specifics than just "horrid".