Royal Food Questions

[MsSoCalCruiser]

Hello.  I have some food related questions.  Thank you in advance for your helpful replies. 

 

I noticed on the MDR menus online that they have steak available every night and I also see that prime rib is available. Is the steak and prime rib   pretty good in the MDR?  
 

We will be trying Jamie’s Italian and unfortunately I have a dairy allergy. Do you know if I would be able to stop at the restaurant earlier in the day to talk with someone so I do not have to deal with that in front of everyone at the restaurant. It always takes so long and I hate to put everyone through that.

[karena1]

4 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

Hello.  I have some food related questions.  Thank you in advance for your helpful replies. 

 

I noticed on the MDR menus online that they have steak available every night and I also see that prime rib is available. Is the steak and prime rib   pretty good in the MDR?  
 

We will be trying Jamie’s Italian and unfortunately I have a dairy allergy. Do you know if I would be able to stop at the restaurant earlier in the day to talk with someone so I do not have to deal with that in front of everyone at the restaurant. It always takes so long and I hate to put everyone through that.

My husband thinks the prime rib is really good in the MDR as well as the beef tenderloin. He thinks that is super tender.

 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

Have you ever ordered the Chops Grille filet mignon from the premium selection in the MDR? Is that as good as it would be if you dined in the specialty restaurant?

Edited August 24, 2022 by MsSoCalCruiser

[HicksRA]

The prime rib and filet served in the MDR on specific nights is normally very good, but the sirloin strip that’s on the menu every night has always been terrible every time I or my wife have ordered it. 

[HicksRA]

12 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

Have you ever ordered the Chops Grille filet mignon from the premium selection in the MDR? Is that as good as it would be if you dined in the specialty restaurant?

I’ve had the Chops filet in the MDR and it’s the same as served in Chops.   Just without the atmosphere. 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

2 minutes ago, HicksRA said:

The prime rib and filet served in the MDR on specific nights is normally very good, but the sirloin strip that’s on the menu every night has always been terrible every time I or my wife have ordered it. 

Thank you. I will make sure to let everyone know your thoughts on the steak. I am looking forward to trying the prime rib.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

1 minute ago, HicksRA said:

I’ve had the Chops filet in the MDR and it’s the same as served in Chops.   Just without the atmosphere. 

I think my friend will probably order that. It’s too bad he can’t order the ribeye while we are in the MDR because he would be all over that.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

32 minutes ago, karena1 said:

My husband thinks the prime rib is really good in the MDR as well as the beef tenderloin. He thinks that is super tender.

 

Thank you. I’m sure we will try both of those!  

[MsSoCalCruiser]

I’m not sure if everyone will want to pack for formal night. Do you know what they serve in the Windjammer on formal night?  I did not see lobster on any of the menus online so I’m not sure what is served on formal night so I’m thinking they just may want to go to the buffet.

[baelor]

1 hour ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

I noticed on the MDR menus online that they have steak available every night and I also see that prime rib is available. Is the steak and prime rib   pretty good in the MDR?  

I enjoyed the prime rib when it was served.  I never got the strip steak because I believed it would be overcooked; reviews were pretty consistent on that point.

 

I did not eat at Chops because I am pretty particular about my steak grading.  The Chateaubriand at 150CP was excellent--tender cut and cooked to my preference (medium-rare).  The short ribs I had on board (Wonderland and I think MDR) were both very tender as well.

 

Both the prime rib and the short ribs had some fat, as expected.

[brillohead]

It's not necessary to "Dress Formal" in order to eat in the MDR on the formal nights.  

As others have said, the prime rib and beef tenderloin is usually very good, while the daily steak can be hit or miss.

 

[baelor]

17 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

I’m not sure if everyone will want to pack for formal night. Do you know what they serve in the Windjammer on formal night?  I did not see lobster on any of the menus online so I’m not sure what is served on formal night so I’m thinking they just may want to go to the buffet.

How many formal nights are there?  We had lobster only on our second.

I believe the formal night WJ was not anything special (it was just one of themes, e.g., Caribbean, Tex-Mex).

 

You do not need to pack for formal night and may still dine in the MDR.  I wore Lululemon athleisurewear (short-sleeve and shorts) and tennis shoes and no one batted an eyelid.  I was not even out of place.  Obviously, your group may have different sartorial preferences/standards, but dressing casually will not make you an ignominious pariah.

[Ret MP]

Everybody has their taste(s).  For me, the steak in the MDR is as good as a steak can be on a buffet.  Not bad but not noteworthy.  

[BND]

The "steak" is about 1/2 inch thick.  I've never had a really good one. It tends to be tough and dry.  I much prefer the tenderloin when it's offered.  I also usually order the grilled chicken breast when I can't find something on the menu that I like.  I find Prime Rib way too fatty.  Even the Chops filet is just so so.  

[silverspyder1996]

Guess I am in the minority here. My last 2 cruises (symphony in May, Harmony in July), I found the everyday steak to be fairly decent. Not phenomenal or anything, but better than I expected, lol.

 

I just made sure to order on the rare side of medium-rare and it was tender with a good flavor.

 

YMMV

[MsSoCalCruiser]

54 minutes ago, baelor said:

How many formal nights are there?  We had lobster only on our second.

I believe the formal night WJ was not anything special (it was just one of themes, e.g., Caribbean, Tex-Mex).

 

You do not need to pack for formal night and may still dine in the MDR.  I wore Lululemon athleisurewear (short-sleeve and shorts) and tennis shoes and no one batted an eyelid.  I was not even out of place.  Obviously, your group may have different sartorial preferences/standards, but dressing casually will not make you an ignominious pariah.

There is only one formal night it is a very short cruise. Do they serve anything special that night on the shorter cruises? I usually cruise with Princess and they do not have formal nights on short cruises.  

[footzz]

1 hour ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

Hello.  I have some food related questions.  Thank you in advance for your helpful replies. 

 

I noticed on the MDR menus online that they have steak available every night and I also see that prime rib is available. Is the steak and prime rib   pretty good in the MDR?  
 

We will be trying Ask the server and unfortunately I have a dairy allergy. Do you know if I would be able to stop at the restaurant earlier in the day to talk with someone so I do not have to deal with that in front of everyone at the restaurant. It always takes so long and I hate to put everyone through that.

There's no way to predict the quality of beef in the MDR on any particular sailing, and there's no guarantee your experience will be similar to others. I've had really good and really bad. The only way to be certain of the quality in the MDR is to order it. But before you do, ask the server, they know if the beef is good or not based on feedback from the diners. If you don't like it, just order something else. Even though RCL tries to achieve consistency across the line, they deal with different food vendors/suppliers and galley staff for each ship. 

 

Jamie's Italian has several dishes that don't have any cheese. 

[Bleueyes44]

Which ship are you going on ?

[MsSoCalCruiser]

10 minutes ago, Bleueyes44 said:

Which ship are you going on ?

Navigator of the Seas

[slyster]

We were just on enchantment and 2 of us ordered the every day NY strip steak on MDR menu.  I asked for medium and it came out raw.  They sent it back and they came back and when I cut the steak, it looked gray.  I took a bite and that was my last bite.  My brother had it the day before and when I asked how he liked it, he said it was grateful for the peppercorn gravy to mix it with.  So disappointing. 

[Sunshine3601]

1 hour ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

I’m not sure if everyone will want to pack for formal night. Do you know what they serve in the Windjammer on formal night?  I did not see lobster on any of the menus online so I’m not sure what is served on formal night so I’m thinking they just may want to go to the buffet.

No worries if not formal you can still go to MDR for lobster night.   You will see a lot of casually dressed people.  I feel like more people dress up for cruises in winter months than summertime.

[Sunshine3601]

2 minutes ago, slyster said:

We were just on enchantment and 2 of us ordered the every day NY strip steak on MDR menu.  I asked for medium and it came out raw.  They sent it back and they came back and when I cut the steak, it looked gray.  I took a bite and that was my last bite.  My brother had it the day before and when I asked how he liked it, he said it was grateful for the peppercorn gravy to mix it with.  So disappointing. 

The ny strip in MDR has never been good, IMO.

[Bleueyes44]

I thought that may be the case from your name.

I found the prime rib and beef tenderloin really good on Navigator.  Also try the Steak Diane  if they have it , so yummy. 

Don't worry about dressing up , hardly anyone does anymore.

[HicksRA]

Speaking of the strip steak, we were on Enchantment right before Covid sitting in the Diamond lounge one evening when the Hotel Director came to our table and asked how things were. My wife made a casual comment (not a real complaint) that she’d had the strip steak and it was so tough she couldn’t chew it. During the conversation, he asked our cabin number. 
The following night in the MDR, we were both brought Chops filets at no charge. 

[PolicromaSol]

2 hours ago, baelor said:

I enjoyed the prime rib when it was served.  I never got the strip steak because I believed it would be overcooked; reviews were pretty consistent on that point.

 

🤔

Sounds like my husband would like it....