Steakhouse Price Increase

[lottiegreen56]

Do you think he would lie about it?

 

 

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In all seriousness Jimbo, I can never tell if you're being serious or joking:'):')

[jimbo5544]

In all seriousness Jimbo, I can never tell if you're being serious or joking:'):')

 

 

 

You sound like my wife. There is always a little of both, or at least most of the time.

 

 

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[sgttami]

Like the Steakhouse on all cruises.

 

$3.00 increase is nothing..

 

For me it's one pull on a slot machine...not a big deal...LOL:D:D:D

[JohnSpo]

I have no issues with it. I think it is totally worth it.

 

RCI steakhouse price is $42 so Carnival is in line with their competitors.

 

I also think the Carnival $38 price is worth it. I have had some excellent meals in the Carnival steakhouse. My last few Carnival cruises did not have a steakhouse and I did miss it. The steakhouse selections have been good in the MDR but I do prefer the steakhouse.

Edited September 12, 2018 by JohnSpo

[theboatahoy]

I will not go back to the steakhouse. Last May we went and it was not worth $20.00. We have always gone at least once or twice on every cruise (platinum) but after our last time we will not go back

Curious how you got a special deal, as the steakhouse certainly wasn't $20 in May

 

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[S.S.Oceanlover]

Curious how you got a special deal, as the steakhouse certainly wasn't $20 in May

 

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Not sure that poster was saying they paid $20. The way I read it I thought they meant it wasn't even worth $20 let alone $35.

 

I have been wrong many times so this could possibly be another one.:)

 

Bill

[scpirate]

Kind of funny but sad.i have a small farm and I sold some stock earlier in the year and I got practically nothing for beef and lamb.john Heald can blame it on rising meat prices .if it's rising it's going in the wrong pockets is all I got to day about that situation.like 35 dollars doesn't more than cover that little bit of meat they serve.

[Moviela]

For three bucks I am still in. The total tab is less than a cowboy rib eye purchased at Whole Foods. (Prime rib eye is $60/lb)

[sparks1093]

Not sure that poster was saying they paid $20. The way I read it I thought they meant it wasn't even worth $20 let alone $35.

 

I have been wrong many times so this could possibly be another one.:)

 

Bill

 

Then we're both wrong because that is how I read it also.

[sparks1093]

Kind of funny but sad.i have a small farm and I sold some stock earlier in the year and I got practically nothing for beef and lamb.john Heald can blame it on rising meat prices .if it's rising it's going in the wrong pockets is all I got to day about that situation.like 35 dollars doesn't more than cover that little bit of meat they serve.

 

That's usually how it works. I have many friends who are dairy farmers and when milk prices rise it's not going into their pockets.

[tallnthensome]

I can't believe how many people just accept price increases as "fine with me" and "no big deal" and such! Quit making it obvious that you don't mind higher prices on Carnival by being a cheerleader. Keep telling them it's ok to raise prices why don't you? We should be telling John to kiss off and improve the MDR instead of having to pay $38 for a decent meal on top of cruise prices. I'm not paying for specialty restaurants and never will. Paying thousands of dollars to get on a cruise then having to pay an extra $38 for a decent piece of meat is stupid but many just eat it up and have Carnival and John laughing all the way to the bank.

[sparks1093]

I can't believe how many people just accept price increases as "fine with me" and "no big deal" and such! Quit making it obvious that you don't mind higher prices on Carnival by being a cheerleader. Keep telling them it's ok to raise prices why don't you? We should be telling John to kiss off and improve the MDR instead of having to pay $38 for a decent meal on top of cruise prices. I'm not paying for specialty restaurants and never will. Paying thousands of dollars to get on a cruise then having to pay an extra $38 for a decent piece of meat is stupid but many just eat it up and have Carnival and John laughing all the way to the bank.

 

If this increase is in fact due to higher meat prices (and I've no reason to doubt that) then it matters little, actually nothing, what anyone thinks or says about it. Many (including myself) have no issue with the quality of things in the MDR so we won't be telling Carnival they need to improve in that regard (our only "beef" is a lack of selections on the new menus but it's definitely not a deal breaker and has nothing to do with the quality of the offerings). And since we don't use the steakhouse this change really doesn't affect us at all (which has nothing to do with being a cheerleader).

[Drazil65]

A $3 increase in 5 years, that is nothing in the big picture of how many things in our everyday lives (ie: have you all been to a grocery store lately???) have increased just in the last year!!! Then add these silly trade wars and tariffs, now things are about to get much more expensive in our world...$3 is barely noticeable these days and understandable after 5 years for sure!!!!

[WIFamily]

I'm on the "Don't care" bandwagon here. We went on the Dream at the end of 2010, and our food was meh. My steak was tough and over cooked. They brought out another, it was still tough with a lot of connective tissue but cooked properly. When on the Fascination this year my wife ordered the surf and turf (I think that's what it was) while in the MDR for the upcharge... and her lobster was way over cooked and her steak was tough. They refunded her that upcharge.

 

Maybe it's my mid-west upbringing, but what I've experienced (limited, I admit), it's wasn't any better than an Outback or Texas Road House.

[ProgRockCruiser]

I've ate a ton of lobster in my day, all types, many types of preparations and the stuff they served us was the 4 worst servings I've ever seen in my life. Hubby got the lamb and said it was pretty good but the rest of us had surf and turf and I've honestly had better stuff at Red Lobster. The steak wasn't bad per se, but don't understand why it had an upcharge because the stuff they have in the MDR is just fine and the brunch is pretty good.

 

I don't want to come off like a snob for saying this, but I used to eat at a lot of steakhouses for work and hubby still has to at least monthly for his job (we'd maybe go a few times per decade on our own dime) and I've got to put it bottom 2 or 3 I've ever had. The sides were not quality, in my opinion which is rare for a steakhouse. I do remember the Caesar Salad was really good but I imagine no one is going to a steakhouse for that. The desserts were fine as well but again, that's not why people go to a steakhouse.

 

Had a steakhouse selection once in the MDR, got the Ribeye. It was cooked really well but the seasoning ruined a good cut of meat.

 

 

There were only 2 or 3 groups there that night and we were having the most fun despite the fish bait in front of us ;)

Thank you for expanding on your comment!

 

Your observations are interesting - I guess I'll find out how much I enjoy it this December.

[ProgRockCruiser]

I can't believe how many people just accept price increases as "fine with me" and "no big deal" and such! Quit making it obvious that you don't mind higher prices on Carnival by being a cheerleader. Keep telling them it's ok to raise prices why don't you? We should be telling John to kiss off and improve the MDR instead of having to pay $38 for a decent meal on top of cruise prices. I'm not paying for specialty restaurants and never will. Paying thousands of dollars to get on a cruise then having to pay an extra $38 for a decent piece of meat is stupid but many just eat it up and have Carnival and John laughing all the way to the bank.

OK, so I assume you weren't going to pay $35 extra either?

 

So why are you in this thread?

[ZoeyVictoria]

This kind of thinking boggles the mind. So one time there is an annoying kid, you will NEVER eat there again. You are now assuming every time you go to the Steakhouse there will be a crying 2 year old seated next to you. What about land based restaurants, never seen an adult only restaurant.

 

I did not use the word "never", though I have been on twelve cruises since then and have not returned to the steakhouse. I do have Chops booked for lunch on embarkation day on Brillance of the Seas with my sister. We are certainly not looking for romantic ambiance; the opportunity to avoid the buffet chaos and start the cruise with a nice meal is our goal. We will be skipping dinner in the MDR because we are sailing out of Tampa and will be on deck while the ship sails under the Skyway Bridge, so a large lunch before a Lido dinner makes sense. The price of $17.60 pp is also an enticement. I wish that Carnival would have the steakhouse open for lunch, when I am looking for something very different than a special evening with my SO. Every time I book a cruise and again when I read threads such as this one on CC I think about booking the steakhouse, but I have decided that it is not worth the chance of another $80 disappointment for me. I understand the cruiselines' desire to increase revenue by making it very attractive to take children to specialty restaurants, but I miss the "old days" of an adult-only atmosphere, just as others miss some of the other things that have changed over time. It's just not for me anymore.

 

As far as land restaurants, I live in an area with a large population of older people. We go to steakhouses during the week and skip lunch so we can be there very early, and have never been there when children were present.

[evandbob]

Glad to read the cheesecake is back on the steakhouse menu. That is my favorite item on the steakhouse dessert menu.:cool:

 

 

No problem with the small increase, but we've had the "new" cheesecake twice since it's return, and to us, it doesn't taste as good as the original recipe. Still huge, but now bland. I'd hold off on the cheers for now.

[bigdog1958]

Posted from John Heald on FB today (Sept 11/18):

 

 

So then, let’s talk about our brilliant Steakhouses.

I know one thing people who read this page of ours don’t like is surprises, so I wanted to share that we are making a small adjustment to prices on our Steakhouse specialty dining menu to reflect higher food costs, most especially prime beef prices.

I should mention that this is the first increase in more than five years……….yep, 5 years

Dinner at the Steakhouse will be $38 per person.

That price includes an appetizer, salad, entrée with a choice of sauces, a selection of side dishes and dessert (or cheese plate) and coffee/tea.

 

And talking about desserts I am happy to say " yippeeeeee the cheesecake is back on the steakhouse menu! "

Yep, you read that correctly, the best cheesecake at sea is back! The beards listened to what you wrote to me about this epic dessert and so ………….it’s back.

There is a children’s menu available for children ages 11 and under at $12.

Family Harbor guest children 11 and under are free.

I have no qualms in saying that a sensational full prime steak dinner with all of the trimmings for $38 is still a brilliant deal and the $3 price increase is very modest.

And of course, specialty dining is an option some of our guests choose, but we serve amazing choices each night in the main dining rooms that are inclusive of the cruise fare. By the way, the Steakhouse selections we offer in the dining rooms remain unchanged at $20

I’m told by the beards that the new prices will go into effect for the Steakhouse around September 20 but bookings will be honored at the existing price.

So there you go.

 

I am okay with whatever they want to charge, but to say its 38.00 for the dinner is a little misleading. You already pay about 20 to 25 dollars a day in your cruise fare that carnival allocates toward your dinner, so it really is about 60 dollars toward the dinner. Again, its great to have options, but I look at the true cost not the additional out of pocket.

[A&Jfamily]

Go to sea day brunch and get filet Mignon

 

SOOOO not the same quality or serving size... That is like comparing a grape to a tomato...

[evandbob]

SOOOO not the same quality or serving size... That is like comparing a grape to a tomato...

 

 

I totally agree! That tiny piece of meat next to the eggs in the sea brunch meal cannot be compared to the 9oz thick filet mignon in the steakhouse, no way.

 

{Although I can compare a grape to a grape tomato; perhaps a grape to a grapefruit is a better fruit/size analogy?}

[evandbob]

It's too bad JH didn't say the $3 was going directly to the wait staff! Oh wait, that might give the cheapskates another reason not to pay gratuities!

[elcuchio24]

I'd wager your local steakhouse's prices have gone up more than that in the past 5 years...

[sc4125]

For those who had a less than great experience one time, I get where you're coming from because the first time I went to the steakhouse (Dream) it wasn't so great. The French onion soup was completely burnt and I too had a steak with quite a bit of grizzle. However, I've been several times since then on different ships & the food and experience was great. Even the best restaurants can have an off night. I'm glad it didn't stop me from trying again.

[elcuchio24]

For those who had a less than great experience one time, I get where you're coming from because the first time I went to the steakhouse (Dream) it wasn't so great. The French onion soup was completely burnt and I too had a steak with quite a bit of grizzle. However, I've been several times since then on different ships & the food and experience was great. Even the best restaurants can have an off night. I'm glad it didn't stop me from trying again.

 

I think its a nice night. We usually go once a cruise. But, being from the east coast: Lugers/Wollensky's it aint. But thats ok, those places run SLIGHTLY more than $38pp