Royal changing main dining room menu

[nasa1974]

This is a quote from the article.

"The big change is not that there'd be an "Italian" or "American" night with the chef's featured choices listed at the top of the menu, but rather that the "classics" section of the menu would no longer be offered. "

 

Here is the link to the MSN article.

Royal Caribbean Confirms Huge Main Dining Room Menu Change (msn.com)

[Another_Critic]

This has been discussed on here, under multiple topics, for weeks.

[nasa1974]

My bad. Just saw the article.

 

[pittnh]

not happy about this but what can you do

[deliver42]

Royal is slowly becoming an expensive Carnival. What's next? No table cloths, once a day cabin refresh (they are doing this on the Quantum soon in Australia), paper plates in the dining room to save soap? The list can be endless. Just watch Carnival, and Royal will be next. They are copying Carnival without the Carnival prices or free places to eat. Right now, Celebrity is a better value, especially on their S Class ships. We just booked  an 8 day on Celebrity for next May  in an unobstructed balcony with drinks, grats and $350.00 OBC, and the classic drink package for $3100.00 total for 2.

[deliver42]

Sorry, I forgot. This is on the Reflection.

[DebJ14]

27 minutes ago, deliver42 said:

Royal is slowly becoming an expensive Carnival. What's next? No table cloths, once a day cabin refresh (they are doing this on the Quantum soon in Australia), paper plates in the dining room to save soap? The list can be endless. Just watch Carnival, and Royal will be next. They are copying Carnival without the Carnival prices or free places to eat. Right now, Celebrity is a better value, especially on their S Class ships. We just booked  an 8 day on Celebrity for next May  in an unobstructed balcony with drinks, grats and $350.00 OBC, and the classic drink package for $3100.00 total for 2.

Just be glad they are not Carnival prices.  We just booked a 5 night in a GS on the Adventure for Feb.  The price for a GS on the Carnival Breeze 5 night the same week was $900 more than Royal Carib.  Heck, a regular balcony on Carnival was $25.00 more than our GS on Royal. 

[gmerick]

Thinking this is more to streamline the menu rather than limit choice.  Most folks with more than a handful of cruises know that the MDR offers much more than what is printed on the menu.  There's the vegan choices, the Indian fare, the many different "rumbly tummy" options for no dairy/gluten/nuts/salt/shellfish.  To me, the menu is today's dining suggestions.  If I've already got my taste buds settled on something else, I'll discuss it with the waiter, and see what happens.

[DallasGuy75219]

46 minutes ago, gmerick said:

There's the vegan choices, the Indian fare, the many different "rumbly tummy" options for no dairy/gluten/nuts/salt/shellfish.  To me, the menu is today's dining suggestions.  If I've already got my taste buds settled on something else, I'll discuss it with the waiter, and see what happens.

One article pointed to this being part of the problem with slow service... too many special requests, special orders, and requests for customization.  While they'll undoubtedly still have dishes to meet these dietary needs, don't expect as many options in the future, just like they're reducing the number of dishes on the standard menu.

[chill6x6]

3 hours ago, nasa1974 said:

This is a quote from the article.

"The big change is not that there'd be an "Italian" or "American" night with the chef's featured choices listed at the top of the menu, but rather that the "classics" section of the menu would no longer be offered. "

 

Here is the link to the MSN article.

Royal Caribbean Confirms Huge Main Dining Room Menu Change (msn.com)

First I've seen of this so thanks! 

I don't like it! We haven't eaten in the MDR for quite a while but will have to aboard Adventure coming up.

[Tatka]

2 hours ago, deliver42 said:

Royal is slowly becoming an expensive Carnival. What's next? No table cloths, once a day cabin refresh (they are doing this on the Quantum soon in Australia), paper plates in the dining room to save soap? The list can be endless. Just watch Carnival, and Royal will be next. They are copying Carnival without the Carnival prices or free places to eat. Right now, Celebrity is a better value, especially on their S Class ships. We just booked  an 8 day on Celebrity for next May  in an unobstructed balcony with drinks, grats and $350.00 OBC, and the classic drink package for $3100.00 total for 2.

I’ll pay RCI prices not to sail with Carnival!!! Although I’ve heard that Carnival is not cheap anymore

 

When we started sailing with RCI in 2004 menus were much weaker than now.

Also I remember when Classic section was not a thing on RCI, but also on Celebrity or Holland.

 

And that was without huge inflation we are having now. Do you know how difficult is hiring abroad is now?

Edited December 13, 2022 by Tatka

[donaldsc]

6 hours ago, pittnh said:

not happy about this but what can you do

 

You can switch cruise lines.  Royal isn't the only cruise line out there.  Maybe Royal figures or maybe hopes that everyone will be so invested in their status level and they stay regardless of what the company does.

 

DON

[gumshoe958]

Don’t think for one moment that Royal is the only line looking to cut costs. They might do it in different ways, with varying impact on the guest experience, but rest assured they’ll all do it. So don’t assume the grass is greener on the other side.

 

Like it or not, Covid and Ukraine have been a turning point for the cruise industry.

[cublet]

Hello,

 

I can't wait to see the Coastal Kitchen menu changed. Not only changed but having a longer cycle - ie not repeating itself so frequently.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

[superduper123]

I order from the "classics" more often than not, as I prefer simple, basic foods. I don't cruise again until March so it will be interesting to see the options. I may end up in the Wj depending on menu selection.

[Mikew0805]

15 hours ago, deliver42 said:

Royal is slowly becoming an expensive Carnival. What's next? No table cloths, once a day cabin refresh (they are doing this on the Quantum soon in Australia), paper plates in the dining room to save soap? The list can be endless. Just watch Carnival, and Royal will be next. They are copying Carnival without the Carnival prices or free places to eat. Right now, Celebrity is a better value, especially on their S Class ships. We just booked  an 8 day on Celebrity for next May  in an unobstructed balcony with drinks, grats and $350.00 OBC, and the classic drink package for $3100.00 total for 2.

I wish they would go to no table cloths, and have nice table tops.

[Envelope21]

I totally agree.

[Mum2Mercury]

Thinking out loud: 

 

- The Classics are simple and require less effort.  Also, since the staff makes them every night, they know what they're doing.  Seems that they're cutting the easiest items for the staff.  Quote my husband:  "Why would they cut out chocolate ice cream?  What's easier?"  

- Having said that, my husband and I rarely order Classic entrees, but we both go for Classic appetizers pretty often (Shrimp Cocktail and Escargot).  Are they cutting Classics across the board or just entrees?  

- I agree with the article's comment that this will affect families with kids /teens, those who are "too old" to want to order chicken noodle soup and pepperoni pizza from the kids' menu, but whose tastes aren't yet fully adult.  And I know more than a few young adults who eat an awful lot of chicken nuggets and spaghetti.  

- They're saying the MDR will have a nightly theme -- Italian night or American Classics.  This is what they're already doing in the Windjammer.  I wonder if it'll be the same them in the two venues.  

- I assume they'll still offer a vegetarian entree, a seafood entree, a poultry entree and a beef entree each evening?

- Is this something I'd complain about?  Is it a hill upon which I'd die?  No, as long as something tasty is on the menu every night, no.  But I pretty much eat everything -- not everyone can say the same.  

[cello56]

So if you don't like Italian food and it is Italian night there will be nothing on the menu that you will like? Sounds like a bad idea to me. I have a number of food avoidances - foods that I 100% can never ever eat. Those classic dish entrees have been my dinner many nights. 

[nelblu]

19 hours ago, Tatka said:

I’ll pay RCI prices not to sail with Carnival!!! Although I’ve heard that Carnival is not cheap anymore

 

When we started sailing with RCI in 2004 menus were much weaker than now.

Also I remember when Classic section was not a thing on RCI, but also on Celebrity or Holland.

 

And that was without huge inflation we are having now. Do you know how difficult is hiring abroad is now?

I don\'t know what your definition of weaker menu is, but I remember more choices and selections.  It's amazing that some poster indicated that NCL is expanding it's MDR menu.

[Mum2Mercury]

24 minutes ago, cello56 said:

So if you don't like Italian food and it is Italian night there will be nothing on the menu that you will like? Sounds like a bad idea to me. I have a number of food avoidances - foods that I 100% can never ever eat. Those classic dish entrees have been my dinner many nights. 

Let's take it a step further:  You don't like Italian food, but the rest of your family does.  With the Classics /basics gone, now we have a fuss.  

[Nunagoras]

20 hours ago, Tatka said:

Do you know how difficult is hiring abroad is now?

This, exactly! If a bunch of waiters/waitresses becomes angry and exit ship, they'll to replace them by the day on India or the Philippines. So; now think on a sous-chef, a pastry-chef or something on those likes. Like it or not; the intermediate high qualified tourism individuals whom run those ships before the pandemic are now discovering they can have a better life at home on activities that don't require an 11 months embarkation contract doing such a "24/7" job journey! And they won't come in. There will be some 3-5 years of adaptation to train a new set of personnel to fill all those positions. Meanwhile; there'll to be some compromise solutions to be made. This is only the beginning, sadly...

[Nunagoras]

16 hours ago, gumshoe958 said:

Don’t think for one moment that Royal is the only line looking to cut costs. They might do it in different ways, with varying impact on the guest experience, but rest assured they’ll all do it. So don’t assume the grass is greener on the other side.

 

Like it or not, Covid and Ukraine have been a turning point for the cruise industry.

So obvious! Let me just to add: Is there anything else the Covid and Ukraine didn't change?...

[soccer2010]

23 hours ago, Tatka said:

I’ll pay RCI prices not to sail with Carnival!!! Although I’ve heard that Carnival is not cheap anymore

 

When we started sailing with RCI in 2004 menus were much weaker than now.

Also I remember when Classic section was not a thing on RCI, but also on Celebrity or Holland.

 

And that was without huge inflation we are having now. Do you know how difficult is hiring abroad is now?

It's probably been a while since you cruised Carnival as I think it has evolved quite a bit.  Their MDR food is on par with RCCL and their casual food is much better than the typical RCCL ship.  Their comedy club is excellent.  Carnival's main shows are not very good.

[Norwich Cruiser]

6 hours ago, soccer2010 said:

It's probably been a while since you cruised Carnival as I think it has evolved quite a bit.  Their MDR food is on par with RCCL and their casual food is much better than the typical RCCL ship.  Their comedy club is excellent.  Carnival's main shows are not very good.

Agree.

 

We recently sailed with Carnival and found both the dining room options and in particular their buffet food far superior to Royal.

 

The buffet also had longer evening opening hour’s.