Restrictions on ordering with new menus

[ReneeFLL]

On 2/6/2023 at 5:18 PM, ReneeFLL said:

 

I think they are referring to ordering an Indian meal or something that isn’t on the menu at all.

 

On 2/6/2023 at 7:28 PM, fredmdcruisers said:

The new menus include India offers.

Yes I know. I have been on 2 cruisrs that has had the new menus. I was referring to someone asking about off menu items. I read about people asking for Indian food when it wasn't on the menu. I don't ask for off menu items  but am happy to see Indian food since I really like it.

[ecslady]

3 hours ago, Snoopycollector said:

 

Send an email to special_needs@rccl.com - tell them your dietary restrictions, and the information of your sailing - reservation #, et al.   I've noticed that the waiters now ask at the table before taking orders, if anyone has any food allergies...  (and I have several)

 

It does get tedious because they aren't all well-versed in the allergies and it usually brings over the HW to discuss, etc.  

 

These foods are prepared in a separate kitchen away from the potential problems.  As gluten can be quite "sticky" - I'm sure they have a gluten free prep area.

 

Sandy

 

Thank you!

[depplep]

On 2/6/2023 at 9:57 AM, TinkBellaMom said:

That’s the problem, a garden salad is no longer on the menu.  Only Caesar w/ Caesar dressing.  Grilled chicken and salmon are gone also from the daily menu.  Escargot and onion soup were no longer on daily, only offered a few times thru the week.  If you want to eat healthy (sometimes)  it’s tough.  We really enjoy the atmosphere in the dining room.  If we need to get to a show etc., we could eat in WJ for a speedier meal.  Now that’s out of our hands.

No escargot daily? Now I'm mad. That was my favorite. Every day, for starter and in place of dessert.😡

[munkegodes]

When we cruised last March our waiter delighted my kids by bringing them an extra Chicken Parmesan from the night before because he knew they liked it so much. We didn't ask for it nor expect something off menu but it created a WOW moment for my kids and I doubt was made fresh it was probably leftover lol. Will be interesting to see what they do next month when we cruise on Oasis again.

[jbrinkm]

6 minutes ago, munkegodes said:

When we cruised last March our waiter delighted my kids by bringing them an extra Chicken Parmesan from the night before because he knew they liked it so much. We didn't ask for it nor expect something off menu but it created a WOW moment for my kids and I doubt was made fresh it was probably leftover lol. Will be interesting to see what they do next month when we cruise on Oasis again.

 

Our first night at MDR dinner in April, I mentioned how much I used to love the cold fruit soups and asked if they might have a night when one was offered during our cruise. They responded by making a cold soup for just us, EVERY NIGHT, a different flavor each day (recycled peach, our favorite, the last night). I was blown away by this! They even seemed excited to "surprise" us each night with the flavor. It was so nice and we felt so pampered. 

[nelblu]

6 minutes ago, jbrinkm said:

 

Our first night at MDR dinner in April, I mentioned how much I used to love the cold fruit soups and asked if they might have a night when one was offered during our cruise. They responded by making a cold soup for just us, EVERY NIGHT, a different flavor each day (recycled peach, our favorite, the last night). I was blown away by this! They even seemed excited to "surprise" us each night with the flavor. It was so nice and we felt so pampered. 

Lucky for you. 
 

The carne assada on Mexican night was simply horrible. Dry and chewy. 
Rither the chefs are incompetent or a terrible beef selection

 

Tonight is Italian menu and the appetizer selections leave a lot to be desired. Wonder if I can bring an antipasto from the WJ to the MDR. 
 

Presently sailing on Anthem. 

Edited February 8, 2023 by nelblu

[Engineroom Snipe]

2 hours ago, nelblu said:

Lucky for you. 
 

The carne assada on Mexican night was simply horrible. Dry and chewy. 
Rither the chefs are incompetent or a terrible beef selection

 

Tonight is Italian menu and the appetizer selections leave a lot to be desired. Wonder if I can bring an antipasto from the WJ to the MDR. 
 

Presently sailing on Anthem. 

 

One word: Ouch! 😬

[loving2cruise]

I am glad to see this discussion about Gluten-Free foods.

 

Is the Gluten-Free choices only requested in the dining room, or is there a Gluten-Free section at the buffet also? Thank you.

[Engineroom Snipe]

3 hours ago, nelblu said:

Lucky for you. 
 

The carne assada on Mexican night was simply horrible. Dry and chewy. 
Rither the chefs are incompetent or a terrible beef selection

 

Tonight is Italian menu and the appetizer selections leave a lot to be desired. Wonder if I can bring an antipasto from the WJ to the MDR. 
 

Presently sailing on Anthem. 

 

I sailed on Anthem in March of 2020 the last week before shutdown. The food was a 9 out of 10 for me. I had no reason to complain or need of a paid for dining package.

 

I sailed on Anthem in April of 2022. The food was an 8 out of 10 for me. I acknowledged that to be getting back up to speed but absolutely no concerns.

 

Oasis in September of 2022, alarm and strobe lights went off concerning food. MDR was hit or miss and Windjammer was not what I had seen before. I thought it was a one-off. I am cruising three times this year starting in April.

 

You are not a nay-Sayer and you try to give RCI the benefit of a doubt through your historic posts.

 

I am concerned.........

[Merion_Mom]

3 hours ago, nelblu said:

Lucky for you. 
 

The carne assada on Mexican night was simply horrible. Dry and chewy. 
Rither the chefs are incompetent or a terrible beef selection

 

Tonight is Italian menu and the appetizer selections leave a lot to be desired. Wonder if I can bring an antipasto from the WJ to the MDR. 
 

Presently sailing on Anthem. 

 

Two of our tablemates tonight had the carne asada.  Both enjoyed it.

 

I had the shrimp cocktail as my appetizer, and it was fresh and a good texture.  Thumbs up.

 

And no one is going to stop you from bringing a plate of food from the WJ to the MDR.

[Engineroom Snipe]

11 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

Two of our tablemates tonight had the carne asada.  Both enjoyed it.

 

I had the shrimp cocktail as my appetizer, and it was fresh and a good texture.  Thumbs up.

 

And no one is going to stop you from bringing a plate of food from the WJ to the MDR.

 

In all of my cruises, I never even contemplated bringing food of any kind into the MDR. The MDR food was always the best available.

 

You are right, "no one is going to stop you from bringing a plate of food from the WJ to the MDR."

 

They might not stop you but everybody will be wondering why you even bothered to dine in the MDR if the food is so bad that you had to bring your own 'doggie bag' from the WJ to a superior dining experience in the MDR.

 

Even acknowledging someone might need to do this shows how sad the state of affairs is in the MDR.

[smarterman64]

1 hour ago, loving2cruise said:

I am glad to see this discussion about Gluten-Free foods.

 

Is the Gluten-Free choices only requested in the dining room, or is there a Gluten-Free section at the buffet also? Thank you.

first tiem on my last cruise on explorer, they had a gluten free section in teh windjammer on some nights. i haven't seen that before. and i don't recall if i consistently saw it every night at the windjammer. 

[DallasGuy75219]

1 hour ago, loving2cruise said:

I am glad to see this discussion about Gluten-Free foods.

 

Is the Gluten-Free choices only requested in the dining room, or is there a Gluten-Free section at the buffet also? Thank you.

 

39 minutes ago, smarterman64 said:

first tiem on my last cruise on explorer, they had a gluten free section in teh windjammer on some nights. i haven't seen that before. and i don't recall if i consistently saw it every night at the windjammer. 

They should consistently have a GF section in the WJ, unless that's changed with the recent cuts to food.  Some of the food is stuff that's already elsewhere on the buffet (like steamed vegetales ad white rice), just conveniently set up in the GF section.  Other items (e.g., bread maybe) is specifically made to be GF.

[parrotfeathers]

On 2/7/2023 at 5:28 AM, SNemeth said:

I listened to an interview with a gentleman in an upper management chef position with Royal recently.  The final point he made was that Royal never set out to be an all you can eat lobster cruise.  

 

So those photos of someone eating 6 lobster tails is history.

 

[The Fun Researcher]

6 minutes ago, parrotfeathers said:

 

So those photos of someone eating 6 lobster tails is history.

 

Yeah, unless they want to pay the $85 for the additional 5.  🙂

[Morecruisesplz]

3 hours ago, parrotfeathers said:

 

So those photos of someone eating 6 lobster tails is history.

 

And those were part of problem when they encouraged others to eat as many as they could.

[DallasGuy75219]

3 hours ago, fredmdcruisers said:

And those were part of problem when they encouraged others to eat as many as they could.

Yes, the waiters were part of the problem.

[Mum2Mercury]

On 2/7/2023 at 3:47 PM, HappyTexan44 said:

... that means that the entrees are already plated before you order.  Maybe hours before you order ... 

You're probably right about pre-plating, but hours before sounds unrealistic.  

On 2/7/2023 at 6:34 PM, Hawkstar33 said:

... The Premium Bev package never lets me down.  Salute

It's let us down with its vaulting prices.  

On 2/8/2023 at 12:59 AM, DallasGuy75219 said:

They want to dissuade people from ordering a second entree ... 

Do they want to dissuade people form ordering ALL second entrees, or is it just a lobster thing?  

On 2/8/2023 at 1:10 AM, DallasGuy75219 said:

In the long term this means fewer waiter positions on a ship.  It's much less labor intensive to bus tables in the WJ vs. providing full table service n MDR.  Yes more people eating in the WJ will mean more waiters needed to bus tables, but not nearly as many as would get displaced from the MDR if pax start defecting in masse.

I don't think people are defecting en masse, nor do I think the MDR food is the rubbish people seem to suggest.  

On 2/8/2023 at 6:58 AM, LouChamp said:

Aloha. Have been sailing with Royal since the early 1980s. Besides the financial issues affecting the cruise lines and staffing issues, it is my opinion the ships are so massive that keeping the kitchens flowing properly is an additional issue with quality control.  Thus the new restrictions. It is simply a degradation of the overall cruise experience and therefore each guest has to decide whether they want the massive ship experience or not. Ive been on the massive ships a sufficient amount of time to have decided they are no longer for us. Of course we are older so the smaller lines will suit us fine although they too have their share of complaints. Finally, people who don’t know of Cruise Critic and/or are newbies may not even be awre of the changes, degradation, etc.  That said, smooth sailing to my cc friends!

This all makes sense.  

On 2/8/2023 at 7:30 AM, hotsauce126 said:

I don’t even know how so many of you guys can even eat second entrees. Usually by Day 2 on a cruise I’m already only alternating between “full” and “not that hungry”

Agree, for the most part.  At home I don't eat bread, appetizers, an entree and dessert ... at lunch and then again at dinner.  

BUT I am a very small person; my son-in-law could absolutely eat two entrees every meal without "pigging".  

On 2/8/2023 at 9:04 AM, DallasGuy75219 said:

I've actually heard a Maitre D' say something to this effect on one of the Oasis class ships, that on "lobster night" it's sometimes difficult to cycle everyone who wants to eat in the MDR that night through the MTD dining room.

 

So if you read between the lines... Once early and late seatings are full (if late seating ever fills up, I don't know because I only do MTD now), MTD is essentially a dumping ground for everyone else.  MTD counts on a certain number of people eating in the specialty restaurants or WJ (or another free venue) on any given night.  On lobster night, especially on summer or holiday sailings where lots of 3rd and 4th berths are taken, the bigger ships are not designed and/or staffed for everyone to eat in the MDR ... 

I believe that.  

On 2/8/2023 at 9:10 AM, ecslady said:

If you have medical dietary restrictions, how do you let staff know pre-cruise of your needs?  I was just placed on a gluten-free diet, and between the new menus and now having to be gluten-free, how does one handle this?  My next RC cruise won't be till July on Oasis with family, so  I hope things improve by then.  Has anyone that has to be gluten-free cruised with the new menus yet?

Email special_needs@rccl.com and rcldining@rccl.com and let them know about your needs.  

On 2/8/2023 at 4:59 PM, nelblu said:

... Tonight is Italian menu and the appetizer selections leave a lot to be desired. Wonder if I can bring an antipasto from the WJ to the MDR ... 

Bringing a plate into the MDR, while certainly not against any rules, would be a bit of a dick move.  If you really want to do this, I'd have your party begin their dinner in the Windjammer, then move on to the MDR /skip the appetizer.  

20 hours ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

Even acknowledging someone might need to do this shows how sad the state of affairs is in the MDR.

In my experience, the MDR isn't a "sad state of affairs".  Certainly I had some things that were better than others, but much of the whining on this board is hyperbole. 

Edited February 9, 2023 by Mum2Mercury

[Morecruisesplz]

27 minutes ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

Yes, the waiters were part of the problem.

As in trying to make you happy?

[DallasGuy75219]

2 minutes ago, fredmdcruisers said:

As in trying to make you happy?

Yep. And in general bringing dishes people didn't order (or a full portion when you ask for a half portion) because some think the more they feed you the happier you'll be and/or perhaps the more you'll tip them.

[Engineroom Snipe]

34 minutes ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

Yep. And in general bringing dishes people didn't order (or a full portion when you ask for a half portion) because some think the more they feed you the happier you'll be and/or perhaps the more you'll tip them.

 

And "what a tangled web we weave." I get your observation. I have noticed if my wife and I vacillate upon an entree that we verbalized when ordering, it arrives on a "third dish for us to split."

 

Very hard to discern that the servers were trying to do this in order to make our experience better and as a result, get a higher tip.

 

A good server tries to make the experience unique and superior. They are doing what they are trained and expected to do sometimes in the hope and expectation of a "superior" tip.

 

This can go the wrong way too as I feel you are expressing. "Overwhelm them with food and a bigger tip will be forthcoming."

 

I feel you are saying, "Please bring me what I ordered and prepare it properly."

 

I am being charged $16 per person per day to be treated with food that is hot, properly prepared, and what I ordered.

 

No argument from me.

[depplep]

On 2/9/2023 at 5:25 PM, fredmdcruisers said:

As in trying to make you happy?

Yes, our first cruise experience was just that. "Oh, all the desserts look so good, but I think I will have the chocolate mousse. And out comes every dessert on the menu that I didn't want. I learned real quick to just order one item and make no further comments so as not to waste the food.

[Magicat]

On 2/8/2023 at 4:59 PM, nelblu said:

Lucky for you. 
 

The carne assada on Mexican night was simply horrible. Dry and chewy. 
Rither the chefs are incompetent or a terrible beef selection

 

Tonight is Italian menu and the appetizer selections leave a lot to be desired. Wonder if I can bring an antipasto from the WJ to the MDR. 
 

Presently sailing on Anthem. 

Carne asada is a meat bbq.  Here in Mexico we start a grill and grill meat.  Starting with sausage, then vegetables then to various cuts of meat until you explode.  Saw a picture of it and just looked like some steak.

Edited February 21, 2023 by Magicat

[DallasGuy75219]

21 hours ago, Magicat said:

Carne asada is a meat bbq.  Here in Mexico we start a grill and grill meat.  Starting with sausage, then vegetables then to various cuts of meat until you explode.  Saw a picture of it and just looked like some steak.

That's usually what is served as carne asada in the US... steak marinated and/or seasoned with Mexican spices and then grilled.

 

The Mexican version sounds delicious, with the variety of a churrascaria, but I don't see Royal Caribbean trying to be that authentic when most Americans are just expecting steak.

 

[Donsyb]

21 minutes ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

That's usually what is served as carne asada in the US... steak marinated and/or seasoned with Mexican spices and then grilled.

 

The Mexican version sounds delicious, with the variety of a churrascaria, but I don't see Royal Caribbean trying to be that authentic when most Americans are just expecting steak.

 

And some people are already complaining it isn’t Mexican enough because it’s not just tacos and burritos 😂