Food Selection and Quality Hits an All Time Low

[George C]

17 hours ago, rinse82 said:

Have been hearing way too much on this across the board - 

 

We've typically been MDR people but for our Icon sailing in March, we're doing the Ultimate Dining Package...

 

Haven't sailed RCI since 2019 and are really looking forward to coming back to try the new class, shame the food has taken a nosedive.  We were on the Disney Fantasy back in March and would say the food was pretty good.

Love UDP had it on last rccl cruise on allure and have it on harmony cruise in 3 weeks, rccl is going to start allowing you to prebook restaurants before cruise soon .

[Mum2Mercury]

2 hours ago, nalatrixie74 said:

Yes! So good! Simple but we enjoyed. That's too bad they no longer make them, but I guess mdr being closed doesn't matter now. Thank you 😊 

While I really loved the Tutti salad, I made some good salads for myself in the Windjammer last week. 

1 hour ago, LobsterStalker said:

I'll never turn down a slice if lookin for a quick grab , and most are just soso but I Had a barbecue chicken pizza on Harmony last month  that was fantastic !

Yum, I do love BBQ chicken pizza.

[TheHawk1]

Just off Symphony a month ago and while I don't think the food overall was amazing, I don't agree either that it has hit an all time low. There were a few hits like the crab cake, pecan crusted salmon and lasagna and some misses like pan seared white fish that tasted fishy, chicken cordon bleu that was dry and no free lobster on any night... it was replaced by grilled shrimp.  None of the desserts were standouts, but there was always something ok.  There was no push back when ordering two appetizers or even two entrees, which we would sometimes share just to try. The service is definitely faster than it used to be and if you're not one to linger over wine and/or coffee (we're not), then service usually lasted 60-75 mins, which is more than enough time for dinner in my opinion.

 

I go on a cruise now accepting the fact that the MDR is not fine dining.  Maybe it was many years ago, but it's now more like above average cafeteria food provided in a nice atmosphere, with decent service (if you're fortunate to get a good waiter). I don't do the WJ, as there other better choices on Oasis class, like Solarium Bistro, Park Cafe, El Loco Fresh and even Sorrentos if I'm hungry and desperate. 

[Loracpin2]

On 11/3/2023 at 1:45 PM, Vibe said:

I am currently on the Wonder of the Seas. As always Royal Caribbean entertainment is awesome. The ship itself is nice but is overcrowded. This was the most we ever paid for a cruise.
 

The one thing I can’t believe is how horrible the food has become.  The food budget appears to have been cut so much that the main dining room food is awful and the Windjammer is disgusting. The poor ingredients is making basic food incredibly inedible. Mystery fish, poor quality meat and chicken.  Less selection.
 

The ships are now sailing full. I overheard other guests comment about how dissatisfied they are. With high prices, poor quality food, rising gratuities, will people book a future cruise?

 

It sure has!!!!! Based on our July sailing on the Oasis, both the quality and preparation of the food was below sub-par. As for the Windjammer, not only was the quality and prep sub-par, the clealiness of the eating areas was non-existant. 

 

It got worse when we spent over $50pp for Chops and three of the eight of us couldn't even get our steaks cooked "medium". Mine was still "blood red" when it was served. 

[rinse82]

23 hours ago, bretts173 said:

You haven't been on but are only believing the bad reviews and not the good ones?

 

 

Yes, that's exactly what I'm doing.

 

I hardly read anything about it being 'good', mainly that it 'isn't terrible'  Not very glowing.  

 

Not saying everyone should get the UDP either, that's our choice.  

[CntPAcruiser]

2 hours ago, Loracpin2 said:

It sure has!!!!! Based on our July sailing on the Oasis, both the quality and preparation of the food was below sub-par. As for the Windjammer, not only was the quality and prep sub-par, the clealiness of the eating areas was non-existant. 

 

It got worse when we spent over $50pp for Chops and three of the eight of us couldn't even get our steaks cooked "medium". Mine was still "blood red" when it was served. 

We just got off Vision, and the selection and quality of the food was poor. Breakfast was fairly good yet, but it never changed except for the addition of smoked salmon later in the cruise. Lunch in the MDR was by far not as good as it used to be, but was better than the Windjammer for lunch. There, it was hamburgers and hot dogs, bland stir-fry with tough meat, stews with more tough meat, and the biggest issue: hot food not hot and cold food not cold. 

The main dining for dinner was only saved by the service. We had late seating and for the first time got a bad piece of prime rib on the first night. Well, actually three bad pieces. One and two were mangled beyond recognition, and the third was raw in the center. Steaks later on were poor quality and unevenly cooked. Two of three pieces of fish I had for dinner were badly overcooked and dried out. There was a fish curry dish that tasted like warm ketchup, and even the Indian headwaiter said it didn't look right and must have been made incorrectly. The last night in the MDR saw a tough braised lamb shank (first time ever), and bland, unpleasantly textured turkey with some horrid corn blend, uncooked "stuffing," and what they called mashed sweet potatoes, but was apparently a mixture of mashed sweet and white potatoes that tasted like nothing. The only dish I enjoyed out of the final dinner was an asparagus appetizer. The Middle Eastern appetizer has been reduced to a teaspoon of good tzatziki, a teaspoon of awful, runny roasted pepper hummus, two tiny triangles of pita bread, and a scoop of Greek salad that had more onion and red peppers than anything, and cucumber with the bitter peel left on. 

We had lunch in Chops one day, and the taste was good, appetizers good, but our side dishes were not hot (how difficult is it to keep mashed potatoes hot?), and the steaks were not cooked to order. We asked for medium and medium rare, and instead got medium well and medium. They were still edible, and we didn't want the bother of waiting for another set to be cooked. Desserts were good.

[bretts173]

1 hour ago, rinse82 said:

Yes, that's exactly what I'm doing.

 

I hardly read anything about it being 'good', mainly that it 'isn't terrible'  Not very glowing.  

 

Not saying everyone should get the UDP either, that's our choice.  

Because people who are happy with things don't usually feel the need to start a thread. It doesn't get as much attention.

[PhillyFan33579]

I have been on Freedom, Independence and Adventure in the last two months. I realize food is very subjective, but we have found the food to be good to very good on every recent cruise. Since ships continue to sail at full capacity and future bookings are strong, my guess is the overwhelming majority of passengers are not having a negative experience like the OP. 

[bretts173]

Just now, PhillyFan33579 said:

I have been on Freedom, Independence and Adventure in the last two months. I realize food is very subjective, but we have found the food to be good to very good on every recent cruise. Since ships continue to sail at full capacity and future bookings are strong, my guess is the overwhelming majority of passengers are not having a negative experience like the OP. 

But that's a positive review so I won't believe that.

[travelberlin]

I have never seen so many negative comments on the quality of food on other cruise lines, i know food is subjective, but the issues being described here show poor quality in the ingredients and preparation of food.
 

Unfortunately companies like Royal Caribbean seem to not have a way of receiving feedback through this forums. Who ever is responsible for the food and beverage department at headquarters should receive the critics of real cruisers and find the way to improve what is being described. The same applies for other areas like the MTD. Are evaluations still being requested at the end of the cruise?

I would be able to experience by myself on my next cruise. I will still go open minded and not rush to book the UDP (incurring on more costs) to compensate for a poor included dining experience. We will see …At the end, fortunately if a cruise line does not meet the expectations (for me those are measured in terms of price-value relationship) there are plenty of options who might meet those expectations.

[nelblu]

1 hour ago, travelberlin said:

Unfortunately companies like Royal Caribbean seem to not have a way of receiving feedback through this forums. Who ever is responsible for the food and beverage department at headquarters should receive the critics of real cruisers and find the way to improve what is being described. 

Are you implying that only those individuals on this or some other forums are the real cruisers.  That's absolutely insane.  The CC population that sails on Royal or some other company is a minor pimple to the overall customer base.  Surveys covering all aspects of the cruising experience are sent out as soon as the cruise is completed.  I know that I get one and complete it as soon as I receive it.

[PhillyFan33579]

2 hours ago, travelberlin said:

I have never seen so many negative comments on the quality of food on other cruise lines, i know food is subjective, but the issues being described here show poor quality in the ingredients and preparation of food.
 

Unfortunately companies like Royal Caribbean seem to not have a way of receiving feedback through this forums. Who ever is responsible for the food and beverage department at headquarters should receive the critics of real cruisers and find the way to improve what is being described. The same applies for other areas like the MTD. Are evaluations still being requested at the end of the cruise?

I would be able to experience by myself on my next cruise. I will still go open minded and not rush to book the UDP (incurring on more costs) to compensate for a poor included dining experience. We will see …At the end, fortunately if a cruise line does not meet the expectations (for me those are measured in terms of price-value relationship) there are plenty of options who might meet those expectations.

Have you cruised on RCI lately? I go on 1-2 cruises per month, exclusively on RCI or Celebrity. Every time I cruise on RCI I receive a survey electronically before I get home (I always drive to ports in Florida). The quality of food at sll restaurants on a ship is a big section on every survey, so RCI is definitely getting feedback from passengers.

 

Like you stated I believe food is very subjective. I would never tell someone that didn’t like food on a ship that they should have liked it. But there is no doubt in my mind passengers not liking food on RCI ships is a very small minority. RCI ships are sailing at capacity and I have yet to meet anyone during a cruise who thought the food was terrible. I have experienced passengers including myself not liking a certain dish but I have never experienced passengers not liking everything on the menu(s). Common sense should tell you if the food on RCI ships was as bad as some people post online, there is no way RCI ships would continue to sail at 100% capacity or higher. 

[Vibe]

3 hours ago, travelberlin said:

I have never seen so many negative comments on the quality of food on other cruise lines, i know food is subjective, but the issues being described here show poor quality in the ingredients and preparation of food.
 

Unfortunately companies like Royal Caribbean seem to not have a way of receiving feedback through this forums. Who ever is responsible for the food and beverage department at headquarters should receive the critics of real cruisers and find the way to improve what is being described. The same applies for other areas like the MTD. Are evaluations still being requested at the end of the cruise?

I would be able to experience by myself on my next cruise. I will still go open minded and not rush to book the UDP (incurring on more costs) to compensate for a poor included dining experience. We will see …At the end, fortunately if a cruise line does not meet the expectations (for me those are measured in terms of price-value relationship) there are plenty of options who might meet those expectations.

The problem is that the wait staff practically beg you for a 10 rating in the survey. They tell you that if you don’t rate a 10 on everything including food taste and quality they get punished. Most people feel obligated to rate a 10 for food even if it doesn’t deserve a 10.

[PhillyFan33579]

1 minute ago, Vibe said:

The problem is that the wait staff practically beg you for a 10 rating in the survey. They tell you that if you don’t rate a 10 on everything including food taste and quality they get punished. Most people feel obligated to rate a 10 for food even if it doesn’t deserve a 10.

I could be wrong, but I don’t think most people feel obligated to rate food a 10, although I am sure it applies to a fair number of people. I always do my best to answer the survey accurately. More importantly, if someone told me to only provide 10s, I list that person(s) name in the survey since the survey specifically asks that question. I don’t consider the MDR fine dining, so my survey responses are likely more favorable than someone who expects the MDR to be fine dining. At one time a LONG time ago I had much higher expectations in the MDR, but those days are long gone. 

[OCSC Mike]

4 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I don’t consider the MDR fine dining, so my survey responses are likely more favorable than someone who expects the MDR to be fine dining. At one time a LONG time ago I had much higher expectations in the MDR, but those days are long gone.

 

Definitely agree with this. I even skew towards having a lower opinion of the MDR years ago, long before menu changes or covid. I was never a huge fan... just personal preference. That said, I did enjoy it more years ago... but my recent meals on Allure were perfectly fine as well. Some items were better than others but that's to be expected.

 

I'm also not overly concerned with dinner (unless we have specialty planned that night) b/c, when staying on the ship, I spend all morning and afternoon having meals and snacks from the CL, WJ, ELF, Park Cafe, etc. that I enjoy. Again, personal preference here, I realize not everyone likes to snack off and on all day, lol, but when there's always a taco, a kummelweck, something random in WJ, cookies, pizza, etc. to be had, I don't need a gourmet dinner.

[Loracpin2]

3 hours ago, nelblu said:

Are you implying that only those individuals on this or some other forums are the real cruisers.  That's absolutely insane.  The CC population that sails on Royal or some other company is a minor pimple to the overall customer base.  Surveys covering all aspects of the cruising experience are sent out as soon as the cruise is completed.  I know that I get one and complete it as soon as I receive it.

Wish I had the same opportunity. When I received the survey for this past July's Oasis sailing, I had a dentist  appointment in 30 minutes so I figured I would just reply later in the day. When I got back on line to access the Survey....it was gone. Needless to say, I was very disappointed since my entire feedback was going to be negative!!!!

 

P.S. We are Diamond with Royal but, of course, many will fell free to demean this reply.   

[nelblu]

6 minutes ago, Loracpin2 said:

Wish I had the same opportunity. When I received the survey for this past July's Oasis sailing, I had a dentist  appointment in 30 minutes so I figured I would just reply later in the day. When I got back on line to access the Survey....it was gone. Needless to say, I was very disappointed since my entire feedback was going to be negative!!!!

 

P.S. We are Diamond with Royal but, of course, many will fell free to demean this reply.   

Mine does not disappear unless there's an expiration date.  If you felt so strongly in your feedback, you could have done a review of your experience(s) on this board.  I've done a few myself.

[cruiselvr04]

A positive I can say about the MDR is that they are getting you out quicker.  The longest meal we had last month on 16 nights was 90 minutes and most were closer to 75 minutes.  They are trying to turn tables quickly but this also gives us more time in the evening to do the things we want to do. Im sure this is hard on the wait staff but we like the faster service.  
 

[Hogbay]

Wow made it through 6 pages 👏justa cupple of questions . What do you want me to do with your gripe / comments not cruise on Royal ? I know you were looking for a like , sorry . What do you say to the wait staff when they ask how is your food , or is everything alright , to  you ? would have more than a chance of getting a outcome from them  than CC . Anyway off to start a tipping thread .😎

[time4u2go]

5 minutes ago, Hogbay said:

Wow made it through 6 pages 👏justa cupple of questions . What do you want me to do with your gripe / comments not cruise on Royal ? I know you were looking for a like , sorry . What do you say to the wait staff when they ask how is your food , or is everything alright , to  you ? would have more than a chance of getting a outcome from them  than CC . Anyway off to start a tipping thread .😎

So do you believe nobody should ever make a negative post on Cruise Critic?

[Hogbay]

2 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

So do you believe nobody should ever make a negative post on Cruise Critic?

Be as negative as you like 👍

[PhillyFan33579]

1 hour ago, Loracpin2 said:

Wish I had the same opportunity. When I received the survey for this past July's Oasis sailing, I had a dentist  appointment in 30 minutes so I figured I would just reply later in the day. When I got back on line to access the Survey....it was gone. Needless to say, I was very disappointed since my entire feedback was going to be negative!!!!

 

P.S. We are Diamond with Royal but, of course, many will fell free to demean this reply.   

I wouldn’t demean your comment and I wouldn’t discount your cruise experience. But if it is true your entire feedback is negative, I would think you would be at the point you are moving on to another cruise line. I can directly relate to your experience. I used to be an avid Carnival cruiser, but after 30 plus cruises with Carnival, it seemed every time I filled out a survey after a cruise it was becoming more and more negative. It eventually got to the point where I decided I wasn’t happy with Carnival. I haven’t cruised on Carnival for many years and I can safely state I will never cruise on Carnival again. I don’t have any regrets cruising on Carnival other than if all my cruises on Carnival were on RCI, I would be close to reaching Pinnacle. 

[Vibe]

6 minutes ago, Hogbay said:

Wow made it through 6 pages 👏justa cupple of questions . What do you want me to do with your gripe / comments not cruise on Royal ? I know you were looking for a like , sorry . What do you say to the wait staff when they ask how is your food , or is everything alright , to  you ? would have more than a chance of getting a outcome from them  than CC . Anyway off to start a tipping thread .😎

This site is called Cruise Critic, there will be positive and negative comments and observations. I feel that the food on the Wonder (especially in the Windjammer) last week crossed the line of what I feel was acceptable. If you were not on this particular cruise, you would not of experienced what I did. Hopefully it was just a bad week and not what will become the new normal.

[nelblu]

3 hours ago, Vibe said:

The problem is that the wait staff practically beg you for a 10 rating in the survey. They tell you that if you don’t rate a 10 on everything including food taste and quality they get punished. Most people feel obligated to rate a 10 for food even if it doesn’t deserve a 10.

Was more pronounced years ago.  They basically came out and told us that any rating under a 9 was not acceptable.   Now what I get on the last night is a reminder of the importance of completing the survey because it is a reflection to those affected by the survey.  If you infer that as begging, then I don't know what to tell you.

 

If I recall and maybe someone can confirm didn't Royal came out and put out some instructions and also the wait staff were warned on how they go about in reminding Paxs on the importance of the survey.

[Vibe]

2 minutes ago, nelblu said:

Was more pronounced years ago.  They basically came out and told us that any rating under a 9 was not acceptable.   Now what I get on the last night is a reminder of the importance of completing the survey because it is a reflection to those affected by the survey.  If you infer that as begging, then I don't know what to tell you.

 

If I recall and maybe someone can confirm didn't Royal came out and put out some instructions and also the wait staff were warned on how they go about in reminding Paxs on the importance of the survey.

I was on the Wonder last week. The waiter, assistant waiter and the head waiter mentioned several times about giving a 10 for all dining categories.  The waiter at Giovanni’s also asked for a 10 rating twice, even after I gave him an additional cash tip.