Dining changes

[shof515]

58 minutes ago, Honolulu Blue said:

One interesting thing I noted about these changes is that the plan to move Lobster Night to the second elegant evening means that there's no immediate plan to eliminate the second elegant evening.  There had been chatter about that possibly doing that.

they can still eliminate the first elegant night and then just have one elegant night

[Island Dog]

24 minutes ago, shof515 said:

they can still eliminate the first elegant night and then just have one elegant night

And eliminate the revenue from the photo ops?

[mz-s]

2 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

One interesting thing I noted about these changes is that the plan to move Lobster Night to the second elegant evening means that there's no immediate plan to eliminate the second elegant evening.  There had been chatter about that possibly doing that.

They make a lot of money selling the photos from elegant evenings.

[mz-s]

38 minutes ago, Island Dog said:

And eliminate the revenue from the photo ops?

Disney doesn’t do elegant nights and they sell plenty of photos. There are ways to do it. 

[Schoifmom]

10 hours ago, Clarasgrandma said:

If I order a second entree such as another lobster tail, I just want the tail! I wish there was a way to do this without getting all the sides that normally come with it. Same with other entrees…..I’m trying not to eat a lot of rice or pasta, or I may just not like the side so that gets wasted. I know it would be too time consuming for them to tweak every order. I do like the smaller portions on most of the meals which helps me eat less lol. The grilled shrimp entree only comes with 4 shrimp. Like, I want 8 shrimp but no rice! I do hate wasting food and I try to avoid it when I can, but sometimes it happens. 

 

10 hours ago, Ellaleah said:

I think it is pretty common to ask the waiter to just bring extra tails.  I know I have done it more than once.

 

8 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I've never had a issue just asking for 2 lobsters and not 2 sides for both. 

 

Here is what I have observed on one cruise (and a variation of the same story on other cruises).  The table next to us on elegant night says, I want two lobsters and the sides that go with the prime rib, but just bring me that because I don't want to waste food.  So, the waiters bring from the kitchen three plates (2 full lobster meals and 1 prime rib meal), then then reconstruct the configuration that the customers requested and trashed the rest.  No avoidance of wasted food, just the appearance of it.

 

It may be possible on some nights to have the food come from the kitchen in a special configuration, but elegant night is the busiest night of the cruise (particularly the first elegant night).  They have already plated those dishes in the kitchen.  I agree that it would be wiser for Carnival to have some plates of just lobster tails available for that evening, though.

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

38 minutes ago, mz-s said:

Disney doesn’t do elegant nights and they sell plenty of photos. There are ways to do it. 

Disney has elegant nights. The characters get all decked out in their formal wear and there are long lines for pictures. 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

One way to decrease waste and make everyone happy: 

Make lobster an appetizer option as well, and limit to 1 lobster app per person. 

 

Or maybe 2 lobsters total per person total. 

 

This would probably have less waste than people ordering two full entrees in order to get a lobster and a full size protein

 

[mz-s]

14 minutes ago, PrincessArlena'sDad said:

Disney has elegant nights. The characters get all decked out in their formal wear and there are long lines for pictures. 

 

Optional dress up night is what Disney calls it. Granted that's pretty much what Carnival's is these days too. They have long lines for photos every night with or without optional dress up however.

 

8 minutes ago, PrincessArlena'sDad said:

One way to decrease waste and make everyone happy: 

Make lobster an appetizer option as well, and limit to 1 lobster app per person. 

 

Or maybe 2 lobsters total per person total. 

 

This would probably have less waste than people ordering two full entrees in order to get a lobster and a full size protein

 

 

An easy way to decrease waste without affecting the cruise experience at all for guests is to not print 10,000 pictures every cruise that are largely thrown away.

[2wheelin]

Maybe a better money maker and way to cut waste would be to charge in the buffet based on the amount of food left on the plate. I see people pile a plate high and take a few bites and go back for something else.

In the MDR, how many of you lamenting having to pay for the third entree actually clean your plates. I have observed that usually it is a few bites of each one to taste. Saying they serve all your favorites on the same night so you have to order all three and only ordering one on other nights just says you want a taste and will waste the rest.

[Island Dog]

I don't think "elegant nights" or whatever you want to call them are going away anytime soon. I think there were at least 4 extra photographer setups with the fake backgrounds (so cheesy) set up last time I sailed. There was no shortage of "posers". These nights don't really cost the line anything but are a steady source of revenue. 

 

In addition, we will see how much they care about food waste when you order your 2nd or more entrée and request main dish only.

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

23 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

Optional dress up night is what Disney calls it. Granted that's pretty much what Carnival's is these days too. They have long lines for photos every night with or without optional dress up however.

 

 

An easy way to decrease waste without affecting the cruise experience at all for guests is to not print 10,000 pictures every cruise that are largely thrown away.

On our Disney cruise, pirate night and dress up night had lines for pictures much longer than other nights.  And, I'm sure disney sold much more pictures from these special nights than the other. 

 

I agree pictures should be digital instead of printed. And decreasing food waste without affecting the cruise experience should be the goal. 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

13 minutes ago, Island Dog said:

I don't think "elegant nights" or whatever you want to call them are going away anytime soon. I think there were at least 4 extra photographer setups with the fake backgrounds (so cheesy) set up last time I sailed. There was no shortage of "posers". These nights don't really cost the line anything but are a steady source of revenue. 

 

In addition, we will see how much they care about food waste when you order your 2nd or more entrée and request main dish only.

I think the reason they don't like to serve main dish only is they want you to fill up on sides. Sides are generally cheaper. 

 

We went to an all you can eat Japanese restaurant where you order as much as you like from a menu, but they charge extra for unfinished dishes to avoid waste.  Towards the end we ordered a shrimp hibachi no rice, as we knew it wouldn't be eaten, and that is how they served it. We got the bill, and they charged us for the uneaten rice we didn't get. 

[talkorpi]

6 minutes ago, PrincessArlena'sDad said:

I think the reason they don't like to serve main dish only is they want you to fill up on sides. Sides are generally cheaper. 

 

We went to an all you can eat Japanese restaurant where you order as much as you like from a menu, but they charge extra for unfinished dishes to avoid waste.  Towards the end we ordered a shrimp hibachi no rice, as we knew it wouldn't be eaten, and that is how they served it. We got the bill, and they charged us for the uneaten rice we didn't get. 

 

Are you by any chance talking about Izumi Sushi in San Antonio... I know it's off topic but I was just there and it is a similar thing

[mz-s]

2 minutes ago, PrincessArlena'sDad said:

I think the reason they don't like to serve main dish only is they want you to fill up on sides. Sides are generally cheaper. 

 

We went to an all you can eat Japanese restaurant where you order as much as you like from a menu, but they charge extra for unfinished dishes to avoid waste.  Towards the end we ordered a shrimp hibachi no rice, as we knew it wouldn't be eaten, and that is how they served it. We got the bill, and they charged us for the uneaten rice we didn't get. 

 

What's most surprising to me is there are people who willingly go to restaurants that charge them extra for the food they didn't eat and in your case didn't even order.

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

13 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

What's most surprising to me is there are people who willingly go to restaurants that charge them extra for the food they didn't eat and in your case didn't even order.

I don't mind the all you can eat restaurants charging extra for uneaten food. The portion sizes were pretty small, and you can order 1 serving at a time, as many orders as you would like.  It works well, actually.

 

We tried fighting the charge for the rice we didn't order, and they pointed to the menu where it states "no modifications"

 

It was only a $2 charge.

[Island Dog]

31 minutes ago, PrincessArlena'sDad said:

I think the reason they don't like to serve main dish only is they want you to fill up on sides. Sides are generally cheaper. 

 

We went to an all you can eat Japanese restaurant where you order as much as you like from a menu, but they charge extra for unfinished dishes to avoid waste.  Towards the end we ordered a shrimp hibachi no rice, as we knew it wouldn't be eaten, and that is how they served it. We got the bill, and they charged us for the uneaten rice we didn't get. 

What a self-destructive business practice. Willing to lose a customer over $2. 

 

I get that they want you to fill up on sides. But if I'm ordering a 2nd entrée and don't want sides then serving them to me is Carnival blatantly choosing to waste food. Kind of goes against the spirit of the purpose of the "culinary changes".

[BarbieGee]

6 minutes ago, PrincessArlena'sDad said:

I don't mind the all you can eat restaurants charging extra for uneaten food. The portion sizes were pretty small, and you can order 1 serving at a time, as many orders as you would like.  It works well, actually.

 

We tried fighting the charge for the rice we didn't order, and they pointed to the menu where it states "no modifications"

 

It was only a $2 charge.

"Revenue enhancement"! 😆

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

35 minutes ago, talkorpi said:

 

Are you by any chance talking about Izumi Sushi in San Antonio... I know it's off topic but I was just there and it is a similar thing

It was in Massanutten, VA

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

10 minutes ago, Island Dog said:

What a self-destructive business practice. Willing to lose a customer over $2. 

 

I get that they want you to fill up on sides. But if I'm ordering a 2nd entrée and don't want sides then serving them to me is Carnival blatantly choosing to waste food. Kind of goes against the spirit of the purpose of the "culinary changes".

Most self-destructive business practice I had in a restaurant: at an Italian restaurant I asked for extra marinara for a $30 dish.  They brought a little cup of it that they usually use to serve butter.  We laughed at how stingy it was, but I didn't ask for more as it took so long for them to serve us that.

 

When I got the check, I discovered they charged me $1.50 for the extra sauce.

 

I agree: not serving mains only shows it's more about cutting cost than cutting waste.  They really should be honest about it, though. Given the economics of the world, most people would understand that prices have to go up.

[mz-s]

3 minutes ago, PrincessArlena'sDad said:

Most self-destructive business practice I had in a restaurant: at an Italian restaurant I asked for extra marinara for a $30 dish.  They brought a little cup of it that they usually use to serve butter.  We laughed at how stingy it was, but I didn't ask for more as it took so long for them to serve us that.

 

When I got the check, I discovered they charged me $1.50 for the extra sauce.

 

I agree: not serving mains only shows it's more about cutting cost than cutting waste.  They really should be honest about it, though. Given the economics of the world, most people would understand that prices have to go up.

 

I would say that Carnival has cut their product so much they can't raise prices because their product is not worth higher prices anymore.

[elcuchio24]

It would be pretty hard to complain if your on your THIRD entrée 🤪

[ctlyf]

19 hours ago, Badfinger said:

 

Here in south Texas, I have grilling down to a science.  I would compare my burgers, steaks, salmon, pork tenderloin and chicken breast to most any restaurant around San Antonio.  So...when we go out to eat, it is usually something I cannot make as well at home (pizza, thai).  And of course sometimes we just don't feel like cooking and will hit a fast food like Chi FiLa, Whataburger or numerous TexMex places purely for convenience.

 

We're the same here in Alberta... like Texas, we have some of the best beef around. After tasting the Wagu rib-eye, I'm honestly not sure what all the hype is about. There are a number of steak houses around where we live (Keg, Sawmill, Ruth's Chris) and while thet serve delicious food, we simply cannot justify the cost when my husband prepares it just as good... sometimes better. When we do go out, it is for food we can't or don't prepare at home, and if for convenience, it's not at the prices of a good steakhouse.

[audcc77]

I am kinda ticked about the ice cream reduction.  Opening the ice cream at 11 a.m. is ridiculous.  
 

I literally haul French vanilla Coffeemate cups from home and STILL have to use ice cream to “doctor up” the swill they call “coffee” in the buffet.  And I wake up at 5-6 a.m. so it’s not like I show up late and expect fresh coffee.   
 

If kids are going to mess with the machines, I doubt it would happen first thing in the morning.  

[csm5986142]

10 minutes ago, audcc77 said:

I literally haul French vanilla Coffeemate cups from home and STILL have to use ice cream to “doctor up” the swill they call “coffee” in the buffet.

 

I do this also!  I didn't mention it because people look at me like I'm crazy on the ship!  But I agree, that is one thing I will miss (unless I sleep in until 11 so I can get my coffee with a dab of ice cream in it.).  😄

[Island Dog]

I noticed on the Liberty in September that the ice cream machine that is usually back by the rear pool behind the Seafood Shack on that class of ships was gone completely.