Steakhouse - downgrading?

[tortuga1975]

I am just off the Carnival Magic after a wonderful cruise.  We always try to go to the steakhouse as a special treat and this cruise was no different.  Let me just start by saying that overall I had a wonderful dinner there and am happy we went.  This post is part question to see if things have changed, part complaint (a little one) and part heads up to future steakhouse diners so you’re not surprised like I was.

 

So, I couldn’t help but notice things were decidedly more casual at the steakhouse, and we were even there on second elegant night.  There were no table cloths, other guests were wearing jeans and we were in and out in an hour.  And just for reference, we ordered two starters with our meal, so there were that many plates to go through.

 

i guess I’ve always expected the steakhouse to be a experience on par with a Ruth’s Chris and this was more like a really nice Outback.  Is this the new normal for the steakhouses on Carnival? 

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

12 minutes ago, tortuga1975 said:

I am just off the Carnival Magic after a wonderful cruise.  We always try to go to the steakhouse as a special treat and this cruise was no different.  Let me just start by saying that overall I had a wonderful dinner there and am happy we went.  This post is part question to see if things have changed, part complaint (a little one) and part heads up to future steakhouse diners so you’re not surprised like I was.

 

So, I couldn’t help but notice things were decidedly more casual at the steakhouse, and we were even there on second elegant night.  There were no table cloths, other guests were wearing jeans and we were in and out in an hour.  And just for reference, we ordered two starters with our meal, so there were that many plates to go through.

 

i guess I’ve always expected the steakhouse to be a experience on par with a Ruth’s Chris and this was more like a really nice Outback.  Is this the new normal for the steakhouses on Carnival? 

It is the new norm for most of all the steak houses on all the regular cruise lines. We had exactly those results on the Celebrity, the Royal ship and Princess the same. MDR is ever worse.

[PhillyFan33579]

My wife and I have been to steakhouses on Sunshine, Horizon, Liberty and Breeze in the last 5 months. The steaks on these ships have been just as good as steaks at some of the best steakhouses in the Tampa area, where we live. 

 

I honestly can’t recall if our tables had tablecloths or not and I don’t pay too much attention to what other people wear. I think anyone who cruises on Carnival frequently would agree the atmosphere on their ships has become more relaxed overall over the past several years. I do know we have never been done within an hour. Our experience has been pretty consistent in the 90 - 120 minutes range.  

[havanadaydreaming]

we had enjoyed ncl steakhouses on multiple ships past couple years. MSC was meh. 

 

I've heard a lot of similar comments as yours recently.   I'm still tempted to try it on Sept cruise (magic) but I do have pause. 

[coevan]

42 minutes ago, tortuga1975 said:

I am just off the Carnival Magic after a wonderful cruise.  We always try to go to the steakhouse as a special treat and this cruise was no different.  Let me just start by saying that overall I had a wonderful dinner there and am happy we went.  This post is part question to see if things have changed, part complaint (a little one) and part heads up to future steakhouse diners so you’re not surprised like I was.

 

So, I couldn’t help but notice things were decidedly more casual at the steakhouse, and we were even there on second elegant night.  There were no table cloths, other guests were wearing jeans and we were in and out in an hour.  And just for reference, we ordered two starters with our meal, so there were that many plates to go through.

 

i guess I’ve always expected the steakhouse to be a experience on par with a Ruth’s Chris and this was more like a really nice Outback.  Is this the new normal for the steakhouses on Carnival? 

 

 

Because of attire, you compare Outback to the Steakhouse? Not one mention of food in your review.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

30 minutes ago, havanadaydreaming said:

we had enjoyed ncl steakhouses on multiple ships past couple years. MSC was meh. 

 

I've heard a lot of similar comments as yours recently.   I'm still tempted to try it on Sept cruise (magic) but I do have pause. 

Going on the magic for Halloween and we will give it a try. All Carnival cruises that we had steak were excellent. Cannot say that for other cruise lines.

[jdemps]

How was the food?  I don't care about what people wear or the table cloths, I care about the food.  I also like to get in and out at a quicker pace so if it can be done in an hour, that's awesome!  Last cruise in 2017 on the Miracle it took over 2 hours.  That's the worst part about the steakhouse and I always warn people about it to be sure they set aside enough time to be in the steakhouse and choose a good night for it.   I will be thrilled if we get out early in FEB.  

[Shaded Lady]

On our recent Vista cruise we treated our daughter & son in law to a night at the steakhouse while we kept our grandson occupied. I was so excited for them to enjoy a special night together... and let me say first that they loved their food, the service during the meal was exemplary and they really enjoyed it. The problem that could have derailed the entire experience was the hostess who greeted them at the very beginning!

 

They had reservations for 7 PM, I even confirmed the day before... they showed up right at 7. The hostess from the outset had an attitude and when they said they had a reservation, she looked put out. She offered them a spot on the outside terrace (hmmm... June in the Caribbean- I don't think so!). They politely declined and said they'd wait for their reservation. Now my son in law is a restaurant manager and they understand that a reservation is not a guarantee of 'to the moment' service so they were ok to wait a bit for their table to become available.

 

When they declined the outdoor seating, the hostess huffed (actually huffed!) and said 'well, I don't know when your table will be ready then. You'll have to wait at the bar'. No pleasant 'I'm sorry but it will still be a few minutes, would you like to have a seat at our bar and enjoy a drink while you wait?' She didn't even walk them to the bar, just pointed at it and said 'you'll have to wait there'. They were really worried that this was going to be their experience for the evening.

 

Fortunately after waiting about 15 minutes they were seated and the rest of their evening was really magical and they had a great time (they're still raving about the dessert experience!). I complained to the steakhouse manager the next day about the hostess' attitude- made it clear that we wanted nothing- no credit, no free meal, no extras- we just wanted her to know that the hostess could have ruined what was an otherwise wonderful night. She said she appreciated the feedback, and still sent the kids a plate of strawberries and goodies, with a nice note.

 

I get that people can have bad days, but this was unacceptable. And in all the time we've eaten at the steakhouse this is the first negative we've ever heard of.

[klfrodo]

I’m wondering how much of your experience is just familiarity. The more you do something special, the less special it becomes. Special becomes normal.

[bury me at sea]

1 hour ago, klfrodo said:

I’m wondering how much of your experience is just familiarity. The more you do something special, the less special it becomes. Special becomes normal.

 

I agree that can be the case.  But it isn't always.

 

Our last two visits to the Steakhouse included excellent, attentive service.  Food, on the other hand, not so great.  Tough fillet mignon?  Twice?  No more chocolate sampler or beef carpaccio or escargot?

 

New menu of course is a matter of opinion and taste.  My party of four agreed the beautifully presented oysters didn't taste good.  The items deleted from the menu were sorely missed.  On the other hand the steak tartare was magnificent, though on its own not enough to tempt us to return.

 

Whether or not a downgraded experience is in the eye of the diner, but for the additional price above MDR dinner included in the fare, we won't be returning.

[Joebucks]

That's because dressing up is becoming obsolete. People no longer dress up like they used to for church, work, events, etc. Personally, I don't need a suit and tie to enjoy myself. I'd much rather be casual. 

 

My first trip to the steakhouse didn't blow me away. The service wasn't any better than the MDR. The Lobster bisque was terrible. Steak was decent. At no point did I say "wow, that was worth every penny of $80" vs the free dinner I would have got. I'll give it another try for a special occasion.

[bury me at sea]

21 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

...

 

My first trip to the steakhouse didn't blow me away. The service wasn't any better than the MDR. The Lobster bisque was terrible. Steak was decent. At no point did I say "wow, that was worth every penny of $80" vs the free dinner I would have got. 

 

Exactly.  

[hotsauce126]

I was a little less impressed the last time I was at the steakhouse. We did feel rushed and I thought the dessert options were lacking compared to years prior

[sanmarcosman]

4 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

The steaks on these ships have been just as good as steaks at some of the best steakhouses in the Tampa area, where we live. 

Even the steaks at Bern's ?

[AHS123]

Food-wise we thought it had slipped from prior cruises. I noticed it mostly with the sides: the potato was cold and the sour cream was lukewarm like it had been sitting out for a while. As someone else mentioned the service is more akin to the MDR now. We passed on dessert and savored our memories of our earlier dinners in the steakhouses on Carnival instead. 

[coevan]

We have never had these negative experience in the Steakhouse. We find the service steps above the MDR and the food miles above. We go at least twice every 7 days, so 4 dinners on a B2B and have never been disappointed. 

[Saint Greg]

As long as the food isn’t the downgrade I’m good. I don’t care about table cloths or jeans. Actually I’ll be wearing jeans and a polo if it isn’t elegant night.

[tattoos]

We ate at the steakhouse on our May cruise on the Magic this year.  I can only compare it to our experience last year in the steakhouse on the Conquest.

 

The tables in the Magic steakhouse are very close together and you can hear everything that is said at the table next to yours and our waitress had to slide in sideways to get to our table...Conquest layout much better.  Service on the Magic was terrible...a million times better on the Conquest.  We were given one roll with some whipped faux butter and when we asked for another roll, our waitress gave out an audible sigh.  Waitress on the Conquest brought us a bowl full of hot rolls (and real butter which is no longer available).  I ordered surf and turf and the filet was 4 bites and tough and chewy, two bites for my son-in-law, lobster tail was smaller than the ones we had in the MDR that were free and we were able to order as many as we wanted.  The lobster tail on the Conquest was huge and so was the filet.  

 

There was a group of 25 people seated together who were all drunk, rowdy and noisy which ruined the whole dining experience for us and probably other diners next to them.

 

We ordered the chocolate sphere for dessert which was inedible, nice presentation but awful taste with a funny chalky undertone (wait a minute, I sound like Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby when she was eating the "mouse").  My son-in-law ordered the cheesecake and he had one bite and left the rest, he said it did not taste like the one served on the Conquest.

 

This was our experience and I hope your experience is better.  We will never book dinner in the steakhouse again on any Carnival ship.  Terrible atmosphere plus terrible service plus awful food = a waste of money.

 

 

[sanmarcosman]

26 minutes ago, tattoos said:

I sound like Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby when she was eating the "mouse" 

That Minnie Castevet! 😮

 

 

 

[Chervil]

We ate at the Steakhouse for the first time when we sailed on the Vista in January.
The food was good, although I agree with the earlier sentiment on the oysters.
Neat presentation but not very tasty.
The service was so-so. 
There weren't many people there (embarkation night at around 6pm, I believe) but there was a long table next to us with a group of about 10.

Our waiter was covering both tables and the three of us seemed to get forgotten like we were sitting at the children's table!

Finally another server happened to be passing and we were able to get her attention (we needed water refills but also wanted to order another bottle of wine).
She gladly helped and ended up helping us the rest of the evening (we gave her a cash tip since we barely saw him again except to get the bill). We also let the head waiter or maitre d or whoever was in charge know how helpful she had been.
I know he was very busy (the other table went through about 7 bottles of wine AND a ton of bar drinks) so we weren't too upset.

The bread was fresh and the butter cold.
We had the art desert where they break open the ball and smear stuff all over the table (it was fun, tasty and entertaining!).

We are treating our friends on our upcoming cruise, so I will be able to compare now that we have a baseline.

[jimbo5544]

Been to the Steakhouse over 40 times on cruises.  Never had a bad meal or service, but a couple that ok.....  I would not hesitate to go again, in fact, make it a point for every cruise to visit the SH (when they have it).  Found the CArnival SH to be better than ROyal, NCL, and Azamara’s version....

[evandbob]

Perhaps eaten in Steakhouse 25 - 30 times, most meals were a delight.

 

I did notice that on a recent Conquest cruise, there was a casual night steakhouse dress code advertised in the fun times for that evening.  Perhaps Carnival is testing this idea out on a few ships?

Edited July 8, 2019 by evandbob

[jimbo5544]

8 minutes ago, evandbob said:

Perhaps eaten in Steakhouse 25 - 30 times, most meals were a delight.

 

I did notice that on a recent Conquest cruise, there was a casual night steakhouse dress code advertised in the fun times for that evening.  Perhaps Carnival is testing this idea out on a few ships?

I hope you are wrong....but you may be on to something....

[hard_eight]

18 hours ago, bury me at sea said:

 

I agree that can be the case.  But it isn't always.

 

Our last two visits to the Steakhouse included excellent, attentive service.  Food, on the other hand, not so great.  Tough fillet mignon?  Twice?  No more chocolate sampler or beef carpaccio or escargot?

 

New menu of course is a matter of opinion and taste.  My party of four agreed the beautifully presented oysters didn't taste good.  The items deleted from the menu were sorely missed.  On the other hand the steak tartare was magnificent, though on its own not enough to tempt us to return.

 

Whether or not a downgraded experience is in the eye of the diner, but for the additional price above MDR dinner included in the fare, we won't be returning.

Yeah, those oysters looked great...🤮

 

Were in the Magic Steakhouse last month. Steak was great, not a big fan of the new menu. HATE the layout on the Magic, the Glory is much better laid out.

[Butterbean1000]

18 hours ago, Joebucks said:

That's because dressing up is becoming obsolete. People no longer dress up like they used to for church, work, events, etc. Personally, I don't need a suit and tie to enjoy myself. I'd much rather be casual. 

 

My first trip to the steakhouse didn't blow me away. The service wasn't any better than the MDR. The Lobster bisque was terrible. Steak was decent. At no point did I say "wow, that was worth every penny of $80" vs the free dinner I would have got. I'll give it another try for a special occasion.

Our one and only trip to the steak house started off good.  We were seated promptly and it went down from there.  We were a part of 6. The service was extremely slow.  A good 15 minutes after we were seated, a party if 4 was seated next to us.  They got their drinks and appetizers before us.  We politely complained to the server was told that smaller parties were always served before larger ones.  WHAT!?  we were not happy with that answer.  I guess the hostess got wind of this and sent us a bottle of champagne and the service picked up. The food was good.  Will we go back?  Probably not.  We were just not overwelmed. After paying $80.00+, we should have been.

Edited July 8, 2019 by Butterbean1000