Burgers...

[molsonschooner]

4 hours ago, Domino D said:

If it is.... It should be much better, but how they cook it and how long it takes to get delivered could be a factor as well.  Again, I don't think Guy's and/or Rockets are bad.  Just not great.

I have never had a room service burger but I remember someone(Merion_ Mom, I think) say that the room service burgers were quite good. This was a few years ago. I don't know if they use the same type of meat now as they did before.

[molsonschooner]

3 hours ago, Domino D said:

This is probably my fault.  I believe that I ordered them on formal night once.  Both my wife and the waitstaff were appropriately appalled at passing on Lobster and Prime Rib for sliders.  

I have done that too. I don't like either lobster or prime rib.

[ownedbypets]

The burger served in Chops at lunch is very good.

 

[ppmanusa]

4 hours ago, coaster said:

Holland America's Dive-In burgers are pretty darn good also. No upcharge on them either.

Agreed Double Cannonball cooked medium is my go to. 

 

1 hour ago, Bailey & Sophie said:

I KNOW. Is that stuff even beef?

Mostly sawdust.... As far as JR used a free coupon many years ago and didn't think it was anything special or worth what they were charging back then. Never tried Guys but hear good things. 

[Domino D]

1 hour ago, Bailey & Sophie said:

I KNOW. Is that stuff even beef?

My son played baseball growing up.  It is the same as recreation park concession stand burgers.

[PhoenixCruiser]

10 hours ago, coaster said:

Holland America's Dive-In burgers are pretty darn good also. No upcharge on them either.

 

Their fries are good as well

[Mikew0805]

8 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

 

 

Even without knowing who we are comparing to, they win, RCCL loses.  🙂  Royal just isn't focused on burgers.  The main dining room option is fine, the windjammer ones are not.  I can't comment on the Playmakers burger, but their wings are GREAT.  I do love royals fries though.

 

Guys burgers on Carnival consistently gets rave reviews across the cruise industry, so I would expect them to win in almost any competition.  My in-laws used to sail Carnival a lot until they started sailing with us on Royal and they LOVED guys burgers, but they also said that they are SUPER high in calories.

Dan

Agree about the calories. I would not have one everyday, but when you are in the mood for a good burger.. nothing else will do.  

[SRF]

14 hours ago, Domino D said:

What makes a better burger?

 

Quality of beef

Juiciness - for me, to be good it needs to drip when I bite in.  This is why God created Ellipticals and Treadmills

 

 

IMO, this is why burgers outside the US are not so good.  The meat doesn't have enough fat to be juicy. So you get a hard, dry burger.

[whyrlygig]

We find Johnny Rockets to be really inconsistent.  The Express on Navigator had fantastic burgers in April.  We went back a few times.  The location on Mariner on the other hand, was uninspired with blah burgers and our side dishes being cold.  We had ones on Majesty once that were so salty, it stung the tongue.  

[Tulsacoker]

11 minutes ago, whyrlygig said:

We find Johnny Rockets to be really inconsistent.  The Express on Navigator had fantastic burgers in April.  We went back a few times.  The location on Mariner on the other hand, was uninspired with blah burgers and our side dishes being cold.  We had ones on Majesty once that were so salty, it stung the tongue.  

unfortunately that can be applied to a lot of places. Chops (IMO) is very inconsistent on the quality of the steaks from even night to night  

[Iamcruzin]

20 hours ago, coaster said:

I don’t know if Johnny Rockets is a well known or popular brand anymore. They seem to be concentrated in malls that have declining relevance.  So many other burger chains have expanded over the years to standalone locations outside of malls.

 

 

I was at Johnny Rockets last month. It was by a mall that I don't go to often.  I guess I have been reading so much about them on CC that it caused me to go in for a burger.  I haven't been there in years. There burgers weren't bad but they certainly weren't good enough to go out of my way for one. The service and the quality has declined since the last time I was there. I thought it might be a one off day but when speaking about it to others they also had the same experience. We were on Anthem in June but there was not way that I was going to pay for a burger. The WJ burgers and the burgers on Labadee weren't even edible. No loss or disappointment I just ate something else.

[HBE4]

3 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

was at Johnny Rockets last month. It was by a mall that I don't go to often.  I guess I have been reading so much about them on CC that it caused me to go in for a burger.  I haven't been there in years.

 

Funny you should mention that. After dissing JR here on CC, I realized I probably haven't been to one on 6-7 years. I should give it a try next time I'm at a mall.

 

Do the wait staff still break out in song randomly? And serve ketchup happy-face style on a plate?

 

 

[st5310]

My experience is that burgers are notoriously sub-par on mass market cruise ships, especially in the buffet areas, i.e. Windjammer, where they are made in advance and sit out in the tray under a lamp.  They tend to be thin, over-cooked, and dried out.  I'm not a fan of Johnny Rockets and I have never sailed on Carnival, so I have not sampled a Guy's burger.  We seldom venture outside Royal and Celebrity, but we took our first (and only) Oceania cruise in 2018.  On their version of the buffet, each burger was cooked to order in front of you on a flat grill.  Best I've had on a ship in 30 years of cruising. 

[SRF]

RCI needs to work with Five Guys for burgers on board. 😄

 

[crewsweeper]

On ‎10‎/‎31‎/‎2019 at 11:00 AM, coaster said:

Holland America's Dive-In burgers are pretty darn good also. No upcharge on them either.

 

18 hours ago, PhoenixCruiser said:

 

Their fries are good as well

I think HAL uses the same supplier as Carnival.  Maybe just not calling it Guys.

[ONECRUISER]

On 10/31/2019 at 8:22 AM, LMaxwell said:

 

Chops wasnt around 20 years ago, and for many years on Voyager class ships JR's did not have a cover charge.  

Actually did, Voyager is 20 this month. I was on Voyagers sailing #006, numbering passenger Cruises as they did back then. Yes JR had a cover, was so busy they started it by my sailing. Was complaints on Cruise Critic back in 1999-2000 also. So the Cover included a "Shake". Within several months the Cover was removed. Keep everything from my Cruises. Have pictures, and have my Bill in couple tubs up in Michigan(On Serenade Repo at moment) Was only time I went in JR and Chops with my Ex... Was $10 a head in Chops then, The amount was considered A Tip for the service, not a Fee... Been member Cruise Critic for 22yrs, joined in 1997 day got our first Desk Top. Unfortunately the old threads dont go back to when Voyager first sailed

Edited November 1, 2019 by ONECRUISER

[tomservo]

Let me put on my tin foil hat here.

 

Maybe some of the food is bad and cheap on purpose, and they're counting on you to be a good citizen of planet earth and finish your terrible food, so that you eat less of the available food overall? Imagine how much waste there would be if people took one bite and threw away everything that they did not enjoy, they would go through so much food.

 

It's one of the reasons I like these threads. I hate wasting food and am one of these people (to an extent), so I want to know what to try ahead of time so I'm not wasting calories/time/food. It's also one of the reasons I often avoid the buffet.

 

If they cared about improving quality, they would have 2 garbage bins, a regular one, and one labeled "THIS WAS TERRIBLE STOP MAKING THIS" 😆

[BNBR]

I guess I'm in the minority, but I think JRs burgers are decent.  They are hot and cooked to order.  Their chili fries are good, and overall it's just a fun lunch with full service.  Guys on the other hand, is a bunch of pre cooked patties on a tray at essentially a buffet station.  They fling them on a pretty good bun.  They are ok, but certainly not that special.  And it's not remotely comparable to the overall service and experience at JRs.

[Iamcruzin]

2 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

Funny you should mention that. After dissing JR here on CC, I realized I probably haven't been to one on 6-7 years. I should give it a try next time I'm at a mall.

 

Do the wait staff still break out in song randomly? And serve ketchup happy-face style on a plate?

 

 

No they never did that here. You will be lucky if they come back with the check without having to ask. Service was kind of like Royal Caribbean my time dining. They throw the food at you and you don’t see them again until dessert. 

[Iamcruzin]

2 hours ago, st5310 said:

My experience is that burgers are notoriously sub-par on mass market cruise ships, especially in the buffet areas, i.e. Windjammer, where they are made in advance and sit out in the tray under a lamp.  They tend to be thin, over-cooked, and dried out.  I'm not a fan of Johnny Rockets and I have never sailed on Carnival, so I have not sampled a Guy's burger.  We seldom venture outside Royal and Celebrity, but we took our first (and only) Oceania cruise in 2018.  On their version of the buffet, each burger was cooked to order in front of you on a flat grill.  Best I've had on a ship in 30 years of cruising. 

I could eat a hockey puck without a complaint but those WJ and Labadee burgers where anything but dried out. They were actually wet and soggy. I have never experienced anything like that before in my life. I think they were made from Soylent Green.

[aring75]

19 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

I could eat a hockey puck without a complaint but those WJ and Labadee burgers where anything but dried out. They were actually wet and soggy. I have never experienced anything like that before in my life. I think they were made from Soylent Green.

Yes. This. The burger I just got at Coco Cay seemed like you described. Wet and soggy. Almost like it was boiled. 
 

Really wish I had walked a little further for a chicken sandwich. 😁

 

On a positive note, the fries were hot and crispy. Not at all greasy. 👍

[tomservo]

10 minutes ago, aring75 said:

Yes. This. The burger I just got at Coco Cay seemed like you described. Wet and soggy. Almost like it was boiled. 
 

Really wish I had walked a little further for a chicken sandwich. 😁

 

On a positive note, the fries were hot and crispy. Not at all greasy. 👍

 

Thanks, good to know about the burger. Sometimes burgers and other meats are held warm in a liquid, that might have been what happened there.

 

If you do get the chicken sandwich (or anything else from the snack shack) let us know! (in your live thread)

[aring75]

46 minutes ago, tomservo said:

 

Thanks, good to know about the burger. Sometimes burgers and other meats are held warm in a liquid, that might have been what happened there.

 

If you do get the chicken sandwich (or anything else from the snack shack) let us know! (in your live thread)

We will definitely do the chicken sandwich on the next Coco Cay stop! I will let you know. 😊

[cb at sea]

Both of those are land-based restaurants....they are typical burgers...nothing super-special, IMO.  Their menus are much more limited that at their land-based restaurants.

You can get burgers in the WJ or the dining room.

 

[time4u2go]

18 minutes ago, cb at sea said:

Both of those are land-based restaurants....they are typical burgers...nothing super-special, IMO.  Their menus are much more limited that at their land-based restaurants.

You can get burgers in the WJ or the dining room.

 

Very true. But they aren't nearly as good.