Which cruise line has the worst food?

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, sullaRaffaello said:

The worst food I've ever experienced on a ship was Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas.

Just some deja vous for you :).  When we first cruised on RCCL (now RCI) in the early 80s, it was on the 18,455 ton Sun Viking which held over 800 passengers.  Food on that vessel was very good.  There were only two sittings (no open dining or alternative restaurants) and the waiters wore white gloves.  All the side dishes where served, by assistant waiters, out of large silver serving bowls and platters.  When we would order a baked potato, our waiter would open up the potato and spoon-in what ever toppings we desired.  I still recall, on lobster night, our waiter bringing an extra large platter full of lobster tails, which he put on the table for those who wanted more!  That waiter (Gary Branch) later became the dining room manager on the same vessel :).  In those days there was a huge midnight buffet every night of the cruise.

 

Times have changed.

 

And no, we no longer cruise on RCI.  Gave it up about 20 years ago when the cruise line "sold out" quality in favor of mega ships.   Nothing wrong with that for some folks, but just not our style.

 

Hank

[crystalspin]

On 11/16/2023 at 7:01 AM, Ride-The-Waves said:

Just off a TA on RCI's Odyssey of the seas.  And LOST ten pounds over 16 days.  Terrible food and overpriced specialty restaurants.  Never again in RCI.

Your post reminded me -- on our TA (Barcelona to Tampa that wound up being Barcelona to Orlando), my first lunch I tried the chicken fajitas -- the meat was not cooked through!!! After spitting it on my plate, our routine was to have late breakfast (breakfast was very good with Asian/British/American stations) and early MDR dinner, and a muffin or pastry at the coffee spot in between. 

 

Maybe that was over-reacting, but raw poultry can make one pretty sick! 

[BruceMuzz]

7 hours ago, crystalspin said:

Your post reminded me -- on our TA (Barcelona to Tampa that wound up being Barcelona to Orlando), my first lunch I tried the chicken fajitas -- the meat was not cooked through!!! After spitting it on my plate, our routine was to have late breakfast (breakfast was very good with Asian/British/American stations) and early MDR dinner, and a muffin or pastry at the coffee spot in between. 

 

Maybe that was over-reacting, but raw poultry can make one pretty sick! 

On a cruise ship, undercooked poultry is very risky.

In very clean places, like Japan, raw chicken (Chicken Sashimi) is a delicacy and a favorite of mine

[lisiamc]

10 hours ago, BruceMuzz said:

On a cruise ship, undercooked poultry is very risky.

In very clean places, like Japan, raw chicken (Chicken Sashimi) is a delicacy and a favorite of mine

I love food very much, and I’ve learned to go with rosy duck breast, seared tuna, medium rare salmon, pink pork, and fish sashimi, but raw chicken might defeat me! 

[Mary229]

On 11/16/2023 at 8:01 AM, Ride-The-Waves said:

Just off a TA on RCI's Odyssey of the seas.  And LOST ten pounds over 16 days.  Terrible food and overpriced specialty restaurants.  Never again in RCI.

I lost 5 pounds in 7 days on AMAWaterways.  I am a salad lover and the salads were literally just dumped out of a bag, you could even taste the wash the factory adds to those concoctions.  Yuk. 

[BruceMuzz]

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

I lost 5 pounds in 7 days on AMAWaterways.  I am a salad lover and the salads were literally just dumped out of a bag, you could even taste the wash the factory adds to those concoctions.  Yuk. 

Not quite correct.

You tasted the wash that was required by Shipsan, the European Health Agency that governs everything that cruise ships sailing in Europe do with food.

If you had been sailing on a cruise ship in North America, you would have tasted the wash that the US Public Health Service requires on all ships that call at US Ports. 

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, BruceMuzz said:

Not quite correct.

You tasted the wash that was required by Shipsan, the European Health Agency that governs everything that cruise ships sailing in Europe do with food.

If you had been sailing on a cruise ship in North America, you would have tasted the wash that the US Public Health Service requires on all ships that call at US Ports. 

I know what I tasted, it was awful. To be clear I stepped off another line two days prior and onto AMA.  I had been in Europe for three weeks on cruises prior.

[crystalspin]

45 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

I know what I tasted, it was awful. To be clear I stepped off another line two days prior and onto AMA.  I had been in Europe for three weeks on cruises prior.

Whoever requires it, that sounds AWFUL!

[MissP22]

On 11/19/2023 at 7:28 PM, BruceMuzz said:

Not quite correct.

You tasted the wash that was required by Shipsan, the European Health Agency that governs everything that cruise ships sailing in Europe do with food.

If you had been sailing on a cruise ship in North America, you would have tasted the wash that the US Public Health Service requires on all ships that call at US Ports. 

As an off topic question, what percentage would you say of the baked products on Princess are provided by outside suppliers?

I've been told over the years that everything baked is made on their ships and by others that certain desserts are purchased frozen. 

Which is correct? 

[donnatello]

We've found that the dining experience varies  between ships of the same line, not the line on the whole. Sometimes it depends on where the ship is being provisioned,

[navybankerteacher]

Of course you can have a bad day on almost any line - when nothing on the menu appeals to you.

But, back on topic:  I have found NCL to offer the least satisfying food generally.  This is totally logical: they want to hold down fares to entice the greatest numbers of cruisers, and providing the cheapest food, most easily prepared and efficiently distrbuted (read:poor service) is an essential part of their approach.  Then, knowing that some folks want to enjoy their meals, they have an abundance of alternative (extra cost) dining options.

[ldubs]

6 hours ago, donnatello said:

We've found that the dining experience varies  between ships of the same line, not the line on the whole. Sometimes it depends on where the ship is being provisioned,

 

I think this is very true and location seems to matter a lot.