What's going on with Royal Caribbean?

[nelblu]

5 minutes ago, BecciBoo said:

That's ridiculous, if they can deliver it to the room, just have them deliver it to table *** in the MDR!

 

Even I will have to complain if they refuse to honor personal requests.  I have never been turned down and I do it at least once on every cruise.  I do remember they could not bring me my favorite sugar free Coconut cake once.  I asked for it every day until the waiter just said, "The chef said he just cannot have it for you."  But all else has never been denied.  Guess more corporate letters will go out!

 

NelBlu have you tried making a request with Special Needs for Vegan on your cruises.

 

 

Sorry, I'm not a vegan, but I enjoy dishes made with vegetables, especially soups.  A little background, my mom's family were farmers and my dad's family were fishermen.  When I was a little guy and went with my grandpa and grandma to their farm (Southern Italy) they made delicious pasta e fagioli and other vegetable dishes.  To this day I love dishes, made fresh.  Also, loved dishes such as mezzi rigatoni with either broccoli, broccoli di rabe or cauliflower. 

 

From my Dad's side we always had plenty of fresh caught seafood as he owned a fishing boat.

My Father was an excellent cook, not so much my Mom.😊 However, she used to make killer sauce to go with macaroni made with meatballs (no meat) made simply with eggs, grated romano cheese and freshly grated breadcrumbs. My Dad got his training as a member of the Italian Merchant Marine.

 

On Sunday's we always had pasta with freshly made ragu with meatballs and lamb/pork necks.

 

Ps.  Refrigeration was rare, therefore everything had to be fresh.

 

 

 

 

[nelblu]

31 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

One of the main reasons for the MDR change was to eliminate personal preference off menu special requests that were slowing things down. So no surprise they won't honor non-medically required special requests.

C'mon, let's face it, it's pure economics.  How many diners are even aware (other than special needs) that they can make changes to entrees of special requests.  The only request that I make is when I see a seafood special that has a cream sauce.  As I love seafood and the cream sauce destroys my innards, therefore ask to substitute Marinara instead.  Never had a problem and will see on my February 4th Anthem cruise.

 

Ps.  Also, been successful in all of my 6 cruises since the re-opening in getting Savory Bites each night.

[Ret MP]

Disregard, I answered my own question.  

 

Edited January 22, 2023 by Ret MP

[Ocean Boy]

12 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

 

Leave it to a Ret MP to notice the details! 

[Daghis]

4 hours ago, pcur said:

Cold cuts are DEFINITELY a lower quality.  For instance, I went to get some sliced cheese and meat, and the "artistic" display they put out as a decorative touch, was the pressed ham block, cut in half, with garnishes.

That's what it was!

 

I was on Anthem of the Seas last month and one of my go-to breakfast items is a toasted plain bagel with ham, cheese, and some sort of greens. It tasted "wrong", for lack of a better word. Something about the ham didn't look right, but I couldn't place it.

 

Wow... the McNugget of deli ham. 

Edited January 22, 2023 by Daghis

[Ret MP]

Just now, Ocean Boy said:

Leave it to a Ret MP to notice to details! 

I deleted the post.  Well, the words not the post

[smokeybandit]

22 minutes ago, nelblu said:

C'mon, let's face it, it's pure economics.  How many diners are even aware (other than special needs) that they can make changes to entrees of special requests.  The only request that I make is when I see a seafood special that has a cream sauce.  As I love seafood and the cream sauce destroys my innards, therefore ask to substitute Marinara instead.  Never had a problem and will see on my February 4th Anthem cruise.

 

Ps.  Also, been successful in all of my 6 cruises since the re-opening in getting Savory Bites each night.

 

You're not ordering something off menu though. Just asking for a different sauce that already is hot and ready in the kitchen.

[nelblu]

6 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

 

You're not ordering something off menu though. Just asking for a different sauce that already is hot and ready in the kitchen.

Sadly, some posters are indicating strict no changes from menu.

[Ocean Boy]

8 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

I deleted the post.  Well, the words not the post

OK, I edited to coinside with you. But... I stick by what I said. 🙂

[Ret MP]

Just now, Ocean Boy said:

OK, I edited to coinside with you. But... I stick by what I said. 🙂

Thank you!

 

The picture shown was, in fact a RCCL site.  But, that goes to show that RCCL is showing two different menus, at least in appearance, for the same restaurant on the same official site.  Left hand, meet right hand!  Not!

[Daghis]

1 minute ago, Ret MP said:

Thank you!

 

The picture shown was, in fact a RCCL site.  But, that goes to show that RCCL is showing two different menus, at least in appearance, for the same restaurant on the same official site.  Left hand, meet right hand!  Not!

 

Looking at the menu names, one appeared intended for what you can get from Giovanni's Table while at Vintages as its filename was GIWB (Giovanni's Italian Wine Bar?).

 

Originally, Vintages offered their own tapas menu. Then, some time ago, they gave that up on restaurants with Jamie's Italian and changed the menu to be a selection of Jamie's items that you could get delivered to you at Vintages.

 

This appears to be a further continuation of that linking between Vintages and the Italian restaurant, which makes sense since I have noticed that the Giovanni's Table menu now seems to include items I think I recognize from Jamie's menu. That makes it seem like they're trying to make it more uniform.

[Ret MP]

1 minute ago, Daghis said:

 

Looking at the menu names, one appeared intended for what you can get from Giovanni's Table while at Vintages as its filename was GIWB (Giovanni's Italian Wine Bar?).

 

Originally, Vintages offered their own tapas menu. Then, some time ago, they gave that up on restaurants with Jamie's Italian and changed the menu to be a selection of Jamie's items that you could get delivered to you at Vintages.

 

This appears to be a further continuation of that linking between Vintages and the Italian restaurant, which makes sense since I have noticed that the Giovanni's Table menu now seems to include items I think I recognize from Jamie's menu. That makes it seem like they're trying to make it more uniform.

Originally, I tried a "Google" search for "GIWB", as I had no idea what it meant, which raised my suspicions, and came up empty handed.  But, I took a look at the address bar of the linked site and it was almost identical to the pictured menu, the pictured menu's address bar was only missing the royalcaribbean.com part.  Which answered my own question. Thanks for the info.  It was/is enlightening.  I have absolutely zero knowledge of the "Wind Bar", never been there.  But, will whenever I can.  

[SilkySal]

I'm not a big FAN of the WIND bar! LOL! Poke, poke!😉😂

[Ret MP]

14 hours ago, neverbeenhere said:

Nothing better than grabbing a piece of Royal pizza and heading into Naples for the day. 

I've had Pizza in Italy, and believe me, American style is much much better, at least compared to the region of Italy that I was in. Where I had it, it was flat bread with olive oil and a sprinkle of cheese.  I didn't/don't speak but a few words of Italian and couldn't get it across to the server (whom I'm sure was anti-American, she was in her 20s-30s at the time and refused to speak English) what I wanted.  

 

That was/is a very funny comment though.  I'd like to see that.  

[Ret MP]

9 minutes ago, SilkySal said:

I'm not a big FAN of the WIND bar! LOL! Poke, poke!😉😂

Meeeeeeee tooooo!

[keishashadow]

1 hour ago, nelblu said:

How many diners are even aware (other than special needs) that they can make changes to entrees of special requests.  The only request that I make is when I see a seafood special that has a cream sauce.  As I love seafood and the cream sauce destroys my innards, therefore ask to substitute Marinara instead.  Never had a problem and will see on my February 4th Anthem cruise.

Have a great cruise, report back please lol

 

Most grilled/baked sea food entrees should have option for the sauce on the side, especially if it’s related to medical reasons (as in diabetic or allergy)?

 

I’m not above carrying a small container of creole seasoning to surreptitiously give those sans sauce entrees (that without it, often taste blandly unseasoned, no fault of the chef), some life.

[Ret MP]

2 minutes ago, keishashadow said:

Have a great cruise, report back please lol

 

Most grilled/baked sea food entrees should have option for the sauce on the side, especially if it’s related to medical reasons (as in diabetic or allergy)?

 

I’m not above carrying a small container of creole seasoning to surreptitiously give those sans sauce entrees (that without it, often taste blandly unseasoned, no fault of the chef), some life.

Great idea.  I usually ask for "Hot Sauce" and wind up getting Tabasco, on RCCL ships.  I'm not a big fan of Tabasco as I think it is hot (but not real hot) just for the sake of be hot, very little pleasing flavor.  If I have to resort to the main stream hot sauces, I'd prefer Pete's, or Louisiana.  I think Sabor or El Loco Fresh probably have an eclectic assortment of hot sauces, though.  

[Ret MP]

1 hour ago, nelblu said:

Sorry, I'm not a vegan, but I enjoy dishes made with vegetables, especially soups.  A little background, my mom's family were farmers and my dad's family were fishermen.  When I was a little guy and went with my grandpa and grandma to their farm (Southern Italy) they made delicious pasta e fagioli and other vegetable dishes.  To this day I love dishes, made fresh.  Also, loved dishes such as mezzi rigatoni with either broccoli, broccoli di rabe or cauliflower. 

 

From my Dad's side we always had plenty of fresh caught seafood as he owned a fishing boat.

My Father was an excellent cook, not so much my Mom.😊 However, she used to make killer sauce to go with macaroni made with meatballs (no meat) made simply with eggs, grated romano cheese and freshly grated breadcrumbs. My Dad got his training as a member of the Italian Merchant Marine.

 

On Sunday's we always had pasta with freshly made ragu with meatballs and lamb/pork necks.

 

Ps.  Refrigeration was rare, therefore everything had to be fresh.

 

 

 

 

LOL, I'd order one Vegan meal and one meal off of the regular menu.  Best of both worlds.  I don't think you have to officially notify RCCL that you are Vegan true or not to get Vegan meals and I don't think you will be kicked off the ship for ordering a Vegan meal AND a meated meal <for lack of a better term.  The MDR is basically "All You Can Eat", correct?  Well, now except for Lobster Tail, I guess.  

[nelblu]

15 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

I've had Pizza in Italy, and believe me, American style is much much better, at least compared to the region of Italy that I was in. Where I had it, it was flat bread with olive oil and a sprinkle of cheese.  I didn't/don't speak but a few words of Italian and couldn't get it across to the server (whom I'm sure was anti-American, she was in her 20s-30s at the time and refused to speak English) what I wanted.  

 

That was/is a very funny comment though.  I'd like to see that.  

On one of our 12-night Mediterranean cruises one of the stops was Naples/Napoli.  We took a pizza making excursion in Sorrento.  The restaurant provided us with a mass of dough, sauce, oregano and mozzarella.  We stretched the dough and put a bit of olive oil on the dough and then placed mozzarella and sauce.  During the preparation we had to wear hair nets.  The outcome wasn't too bad.  The only problem was that we were concerned that the output might be dry and placed a bit too much sauce.

It was a wonderful experience especially as it was accompanied by a jug of Chianti.🤣

[cruiseboy89130]

1 minute ago, Ret MP said:

LOL, I'd order one Vegan meal and one meal off of the regular menu.  Best of both worlds.  I don't think you have to officially notify RCCL that you are Vegan true or not to get Vegan meals and I don't think you will be kicked off the ship for ordering a Vegan meal AND a meated meal <for lack of a better term.  The MDR is basically "All You Can Eat", correct?  Well, now except for Lobster Tail, I guess.  

There is no more vegan menu - so there is no point!

[Ret MP]

1 minute ago, cruiseboy89130 said:

There is no more vegan menu - so there is no point!

But, you can request a vegetarian or Vegan meal, correct.  I'm not either so I only know what I've read in the past.  

[Ret MP]

4 minutes ago, nelblu said:

On one of our 12-night Mediterranean cruises one of the stops was Naples/Napoli.  We took a pizza making excursion in Sorrento.  The restaurant provided us with a mass of dough, sauce, oregano and mozzarella.  We stretched the dough and put a bit of olive oil on the dough and then placed mozzarella and sauce.  During the preparation we had to wear hair nets.  The outcome wasn't too bad.  The only problem was that we were concerned that the output might be dry and placed a bit too much sauce.

It was a wonderful experience especially as it was accompanied by a jug of Chianti.🤣

The pizza that was delivered was not what I expected.  It didn't taste bad, just not what I expected.  I fully expected a huge circular mound of cheese dripping, sauce, spices, and meat (Peperoni and onions, for me).  That's not at all what I got.  But, I ate it and enjoyed it but not as much as an American style pizza. 

It's kinda like Chinese food here in the U.S. and Canada, some of it doesn't even exist in China or are serious variations of it.  But, I love it.

[nelblu]

5 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

LOL, I'd order one Vegan meal and one meal off of the regular menu.  Best of both worlds.  I don't think you have to officially notify RCCL that you are Vegan true or not to get Vegan meals and I don't think you will be kicked off the ship for ordering a Vegan meal AND a meated meal <for lack of a better term.  The MDR is basically "All You Can Eat", correct?  Well, now except for Lobster Tail, I guess.  

Unfortunately, some have posted that there will be no longer a Vegan menu which is disappointing to some.  On one of my posts, I mentioned that I usually order the French Onion Soup each night as it helps to fill me up since some entrees are skimpy.  On some nights when the soup is not available, I will order 2 entrees as I'm not planning on going further to the WJ, Sorrento or CP cafe.  My time on ship is valuable and after dining, want to concentrate on entertainment and the Casino.

 

Ps.  The olive salad in Sorrento's is excellent.

[nelblu]

4 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

The pizza that was delivered was not what I expected.  It didn't taste bad, just not what I expected.  I fully expected a huge circular mound of cheese dripping, sauce, spices, and meat (Peperoni and onions, for me).  That's not at all what I got.  But, I ate it and enjoyed it but not as much as an American style pizza. 

It's kinda like Chinese food here in the U.S. and Canada, some of it doesn't even exist in China or are serious variations of it.  But, I love it.

With pizza, there's no other way but to dine at a pizza restaurant.  It's mouthwatering when it comes out of the oven and onto your table.  You just have to be careful that you don't burn the upper portion of your mouth,😆

Edited January 22, 2023 by nelblu

[SilkySal]

19 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

Great idea.  I usually ask for "Hot Sauce" and wind up getting Tabasco, on RCCL ships.  I'm not a big fan of Tabasco as I think it is hot (but not real hot) just for the sake of be hot, very little pleasing flavor.  If I have to resort to the main stream hot sauces, I'd prefer Pete's, or Louisiana.  I think Sabor or El Loco Fresh probably have an eclectic assortment of hot sauces, though.  

When cruises re-started but the crew were still masked and not allowed off of the ship at any port, we asked several crew members what they would like from the U.S., as we were returning to the same ship a few weeks later. The number one request was hot sauce! Since they couldn't get any meals in ports and the ship meals were getting boring and bland, most of them wanted the hot sauce to spice things up a bit! We brought a case of hot sauce back with us and passed them all out to those that wanted some. Tom even had to go get his luggage from the naughty room to show them what that "liquid" was inside. LOL!