Main Dining that Bad?

[suzeyQ]

I also think that the quality of the food (at least on some lines) has gone down over the last number of years. When I cruised 10 or 15 years ago, I remember the food being spectacular, comparable to a 4 or 5 star restaurant. So that might also be why people have high expectations.

[cruisin granny]

On the Adventure, our table companion had the same steak 2 nights in a row but it was given a diferent name. He laughingly said something to the waiter who replied that we can thank the mega ships-it is difficult & expensive to feed this many people. I don't worry, because there is so much food who can be unhappy? How ofthen do you have 4-5 course meals at home? After all, Mc Donald's only serves one course.

[LindaandJeff]

...After all, Mc Donald's only serves one course.

 

Course 1 - Choice of Salad

Course 2 - Choice of Beef or Chicken with Chef's choice of Vegetable (i.e., fries!)

Course 3 - Choice of Dessert (Hot Apple Pie or Sundae)

 

Of course you could always go formal and add a fish course between the salad and the Entree! :D

[Merion_Mom]

Linda, doesn't the algae-based *milk*shake count as a course?!?!?!?!?

[cruisin granny]

You guys are too funny. I stand corrected. One hamburger at Mickey D's is enough to put me under and there are no tuxedo clad servers with sexy accents to serve it to me.

[Giorgi-one]

Woah, a little harsh, don't you think? Busboy? I think busgirl would be more appropriate, but not true either. I was a dishwasher as I worked my way up the kitchen ladder, though. I was a chef when I left the industry several years ago. I was being lighthearted in my reply. I cook and clean everyday for a husband and 4 children. Cruising is a wonderful break for me, and about the only time I get to eat a meal without jumping up 5 or 6 times to get something for someone else. Sorry I offended you with my good humor.

And no, those things would not be okay with me. And it is not in my experience in over 10 cruises. I'm sorry if that has been yours. However, that is no excuse to be insulting or abusive to me or anyone else.

 

Did not mean to be harsh. Good food (quality not quanity) is what keeps us cruising (16 cruises). Many people are just so happy to be on a ship, they will take anything the cruise lines give them. Some of the cruise lines bank on this. I will start a separate thread on this topic. We were on Celebrity in January and food was outstanding. There is no excuse for bad food on a cruise ship. Number of passenegers has nothing to do with it.

[shirleygr]

I think part of the reason first-time cruisers expect 4 or 5 star dining in the dining room is because the decor, atmosphere and level of service make it seem so fancy! From what I've heard (I haven't cruised RCCL yet) the food quality level is like a nice family restaurant, but at most of those restaurants, the decor is much more casual than a cruiseship dining room, and you can wear pretty much whatever you want, while most people dress for dinner on cruises. So I understand people unfamiliar with cruising expecting upscale food from an upscale environment, even if it is too much to ask on such massive ships. Just my two cents.

The ambience of the dining rooms certainly does add to one's expectations. Also, many people's only exposure before boarding a ship is from the old movies from cruising's golden era when only the wealthy could afford to go and everything was top notch. It is good we have these boards where newbies can read about what it's really like on ships and have reasonable expectations.

[1corona4u]

You're from New Jersey, it doesn't count. The food in New Jersey and New York is significantly better than the rest of the country. The rest of the country doesn't know pastrami or corned beef from bologna.

 

That's because there's nothing to do in NJ, but eat.:D ;)

[shirleygr]

Did not mean to be harsh.

Am I to infer you did mean to be insulting?

[Captain Crunch]

That's because there's nothing to do in NJ, but eat.:D ;)

 

The Jersey shore is a lot of fun, the Giants, Jets, Devils & Nets play in New Jersey. Atlantic City is a blast. Cape May is wonderful. It may not be Vegas, but it's fun. Besides, Jersey can be a great place to raise a family, be part of a small community and live a nice life. Besides, the deli and Italian food is perfect.

[anankae]

 

I, like many others, love to experience great dining and foods on cruises because its "part of it"...so when I pay $$$ for a cruise, I want that quality... not quality of an Olive Garden or a chain steakhouse. And, sorry to say, a lot of my food in the dining room just wasnt up to standards. But some was.

 

Let's put things into perspective here.

 

I am a food aficiando. I adore not only food prepared in a high quality manner, but also specialty foods - caviar, raw oysters, escargot, foie gras, sweetbreads, you name it. My favourite restaurant is Brennan's of Houston where we pay $150 to $200 for a meal for two, $100+ for me alone. For that hundred dollars, I'm paying for the food, the preparation, the presentation, the atmosphere, the service, the wine cellar, the knowledge of the chefs and wine stewards, etc, etc. For such an oustanding place, I think $100 is a real steal.

 

My next 2 cruises, I'm paying $850 for a 7 day and $1200 for an 8 day, that's $121/day and $150/day respectively. For my $121-150, I am not only getting food. I'm getting food, board, maid service and the run of the entire ship and every single amenity it has to offer, as well as fees you don't think of like what each port charges per passenger to be allowed to dock there. Now if I were paying $121-150 on the ship and just getting food and nothing else, I could reasonable expect it to be of Brennan's quality. As far as I know, Royal Caribbean has amenities that aren't standard features on other cruise lines, those are the sort of things you're paying for on Royal Caribbean. For my $121-150, yes, I think that's a pretty good deal.

 

And while no, the food isn't up to Brennan's standard, from my point of view, it's still pretty good food. And the thing is, if I get anything I dont' like, I just order something else. If I don't like any of the entrees, I order all appetizers. I think yes, I'm a bit of a food snob and harder to please than most but I think the food I've had on Royal Caribbean to be perfectly acceptable.

[shirleygr]

Let's put things into perspective here.

 

I am a food aficiando. I adore not only food prepared in a high quality manner, but also specialty foods - caviar, raw oysters, escargot, foie gras, sweetbreads, you name it. My favourite restaurant is Brennan's of Houston where we pay $150 to $200 for a meal for two, $100+ for me alone. For that hundred dollars, I'm paying for the food, the preparation, the presentation, the atmosphere, the service, the wine cellar, the knowledge of the chefs and wine stewards, etc, etc. For such an oustanding place, I think $100 is a real steal.

 

My next 2 cruises, I'm paying $850 for a 7 day and $1200 for an 8 day, that's $121/day and $150/day respectively. For my $121-150, I am not only getting food. I'm getting food, board, maid service and the run of the entire ship and every single amenity it has to offer, as well as fees you don't think of like what each port charges per passenger to be allowed to dock there. Now if I were paying $121-150 on the ship and just getting food and nothing else, I could reasonable expect it to be of Brennan's quality. As far as I know, Royal Caribbean has amenities that aren't standard features on other cruise lines, those are the sort of things you're paying for on Royal Caribbean. For my $121-150, yes, I think that's a pretty good deal.

 

And while no, the food isn't up to Brennan's standard, from my point of view, it's still pretty good food. And the thing is, if I get anything I dont' like, I just order something else. If I don't like any of the entrees, I order all appetizers. I think yes, I'm a bit of a food snob and harder to please than most but I think the food I've had on Royal Caribbean to be perfectly acceptable.

 

Good points and a nice post. Thanks.

[LindaandJeff]

Linda, doesn't the algae-based *milk*shake count as a course?!?!?!?!?

 

Only if you are a vegetarian that eat's dairy! :D Besides, the commercials seem to indicate that if you eat the new chicken sandwiches with your pinky up that it becomes 5 star cuisine!

 

I feel a need to keep these boards light. While we all talk about alot of different things on here, some of them have been getting down right mean...

[Merion_Mom]

Only if you are a vegetarian that eat's dairy! :D Besides, the commercials seem to indicate that if you eat the new chicken sandwiches with your pinky up that it becomes 5 star cuisine!

 

I feel a need to keep these boards light. While we all talk about alot of different things on here, some of them have been getting down right mean...

ummmmmmmm.....Linda.............there's NO dairy in a McDonald's "milkshake". Really. It's algae based. NO DAIRY.

 

Altogether now: EEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.

[LindaandJeff]

GROSS :eek:

[abridalmaven]

ummmmmmmm.....Linda.............there's NO dairy in a McDonald's "milkshake". Really. It's algae based. NO DAIRY.

 

Altogether now: EEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.

:eek:

Oh does that mean it has less carbs?

?

[Fairsailing]

As a Diamond, I think that the quality of the food has declined over the years. But we now have huge ships with so much more to do on them. Not to mention the prices haven't really gone up. Look at the commercials now; the dining aspect of cruising is no longer a main selling point, it's the fun and activities. Sometimes I get nostalgic for the times when the head waiter actually WORKED for his/her tip, rolling around a cart and serving prime rib, salad, pasta, baked alaska, etc. But there were no ice rinks or rock walls back then.

 

And thanks for the info re: McD's milkshakes. I haven't been back since I saw "Super Size Me" but now I REALLY won't go

[1corona4u]

ummmmmmmm.....Linda.............there's NO dairy in a McDonald's "milkshake". Really. It's algae based. NO DAIRY.

 

Altogether now: EEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.

 

I know you were joking, but here's the scoop;

 

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/food/mcdshake.htm

[Merion_Mom]

Actually, I WASN'T kidding.........maybe they are NOW, but I assure you, when the Shamrock Shake FIRST came out, there were NO "milk" or "milk solids" listed in the ingredients! First and foremost was this carrageenan stuff, which IS algae/seaweed.

[1corona4u]

Actually, I WASN'T kidding.........maybe they are NOW, but I assure you, when the Shamrock Shake FIRST came out, there were NO "milk" or "milk solids" listed in the ingredients! First and foremost was this carrageenan stuff, which IS algae/seaweed.

 

LOL, ok. I like seaweed though, but not shakes.

 

People eat a lot of strange things though if you think about it.....

[Merion_Mom]

Oh, sure, for instance, I love tofu. BUT I KNOW THAT I'M EATING A SOY PRODUCT WHEN I DO. No one is fooling me, hee, hee, eat this great meat, hee hee hee. :rolleyes:

[telesaps]

We were on the Serenade to Alaska last year and the food was delicious. I am a fairly picky eater, and don't like restaurants such as Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Fridays, etc. - too run of the mill.

 

I usually ordered a fish dish, and my husband would order beef. The fish was excellent and beautifully presented. One night only, I thought the salmon was not good and got something else instead.

 

Chops and Portofino were both delicious - we missed the Italian night and some other theme night to eat at these.

Enjoy -