Menu In MDR Reviews

[staceyglow]

1 hour ago, ledges1 said:

As I have said before (and people do not like), the MDR is hotel banquet food. I have been to many large hotel conferences and the similarities are tremendous.

What else could anyone reasonably expect? They are serving thousands of people at the same time. 

 

IMO it is very good banquet food. And unlike a hotel conference, you have your choice of over a dozen entrees instead of two or three. 

[Crusin Karen]

22 hours ago, dacsmom said:

The BBQ salmon is outstanding. One of the Emeril selections.

I know this is a dumb question but does the salmon have bbq sauce or is it just bbq’ed lol. The name needs clarification!!! I love bbq‘ed food, not so much SAUCE! 😐

[dacsmom]

On 2/22/2024 at 7:42 AM, Crusin Karen said:

I know this is a dumb question but does the salmon have bbq sauce or is it just bbq’ed lol. The name needs clarification!!! I love bbq‘ed food, not so much SAUCE! 😐

Not a dumb question at all. It has a light coating of BBQ sauce. The andouie sausage and potatoes are amazing.

[rlloyd3]

10 minutes ago, FredZiffle said:

People wouldn't have to pick through the bacon if they actually cooked it enough.  To try and find crispy bacon, you have to pick through the undercooked pieces.

 

That's a defect with the food.

It's not a defect with the food so much as it's people having preferences and Carnival having options. Some prefer crispy bacon, some prefer floppy, others prefer one of the options in between the two extremes.

While someone with your taste may refer to floppy bacon as undercooked, others would refer to crispy bacon as overcooked.

Edited February 23 by rlloyd3

[sparks1093]

15 minutes ago, FredZiffle said:

People wouldn't have to pick through the bacon if they actually cooked it enough.  To try and find crispy bacon, you have to pick through the undercooked pieces.

 

That's a defect with the food.

I guess it's a luck of the draw thing. Every time I see bacon on the buffet it is cooked to a crisp.

[aborgman]

On 2/21/2024 at 11:07 AM, staceyglow said:

What else could anyone reasonably expect? They are serving thousands of people at the same time. 

 

IMO it is very good banquet food. And unlike a hotel conference, you have your choice of over a dozen entrees instead of two or three. 

 

That is pretty much my take on it....

 

I paid $240 for a hotel the night before the cruise, and all it came with was a continental breakfast.

I paid $260 a night for a cruise - with all the food (from multiple restaurants) I and my wife could eat.

 

You really have to have reasonable expectations based on what you're paying.

 

 

 

[RoperDK]

1 hour ago, FredZiffle said:

People wouldn't have to pick through the bacon if they actually cooked it enough.  To try and find crispy bacon, you have to pick through the undercooked pieces.

 

That's a defect with the food.

Totally agree.  Crispy bacon is hard to find at the buffet.

[cacruisin]

9 minutes ago, aborgman said:

 

That is pretty much my take on it....

 

I paid $240 for a hotel the night before the cruise, and all it came with was a continental breakfast.

I paid $260 a night for a cruise - with all the food (from multiple restaurants) I and my wife could eat.

 

You really have to have reasonable expectations based on what you're paying.

 

 

 

My sentiments exactly!!!  If everyone managed their expectations of what is considered a "bottom of the rung" cruise line so many of these posts could be logically concluded.  Generally speaking, 5-star service comes with 5-star prices and no one paid 5-star prices to sail Carnival and shouldn't have 5-star expectations.  That doesn't mean with sailing Carnival you can't anticipate reasonable service but just to be realistic.

[RoperDK]

On 2/21/2024 at 10:07 AM, staceyglow said:

What else could anyone reasonably expect? They are serving thousands of people at the same time. 

 

IMO it is very good banquet food. And unlike a hotel conference, you have your choice of over a dozen entrees instead of two or three. 

I think that many people have accepted this as the standard for the MDR.  Newer cruisers especially have nothing to compare it to.  There was a time that the quality of food served and the service was at a much higher level than it is today.  They were serving the same amount of people at that time, so it can be done.  Carnival (and other cruise lines) chose to change the MDR experience and cruisers appear to be okay with that.  

[staceyglow]

1 hour ago, RoperDK said:

There was a time that the quality of food served and the service was at a much higher level than it is today.  They were serving the same amount of people at that time, so it can be done.  Carnival (and other cruise lines) chose to change the MDR experience and cruisers appear to be okay with that.  

And at that time, Carnival cruises were much more expensive in real dollars than they are today.

 

I don't know how far you were going back with "there was a time", but I know that I have been cruising on Carnival for over 15 years, and we are paying about the same amount for cruises as we did back then - and inflation has increased by almost 50% in that time.

 

I remember going to a presentation by a travel agent in the early 1990's about cruising. He said that base fares  ran $100 per day per person.  That's about what I pay now - 30 years later.

 

So yes, for a cruise that costs far less than it used to back in the day, I am not expecting the same service that I received back in the day.

[aborgman]

21 minutes ago, staceyglow said:

And at that time, Carnival cruises were much more expensive in real dollars than they are today.

 

I don't know how far you were going back with "there was a time", but I know that I have been cruising on Carnival for over 15 years, and we are paying about the same amount for cruises as we did back then - and inflation has increased by almost 50% in that time.

 

I remember going to a presentation by a travel agent in the early 1990's about cruising. He said that base fares  ran $100 per day per person.  That's about what I pay now - 30 years later.

 

So yes, for a cruise that costs far less than it used to back in the day, I am not expecting the same service that I received back in the day.

 

 

Alcohol prices might be a difference - 

 

Mixed drink prices seems to be about 30-40% higher than my 2019 cruise, which exceeds inflation by about 10%.

[RoperDK]

18 minutes ago, staceyglow said:

And at that time, Carnival cruises were much more expensive in real dollars than they are today.

 

I don't know how far you were going back with "there was a time", but I know that I have been cruising on Carnival for over 15 years, and we are paying about the same amount for cruises as we did back then - and inflation has increased by almost 50% in that time.

 

I remember going to a presentation by a travel agent in the early 1990's about cruising. He said that base fares  ran $100 per day per person.  That's about what I pay now - 30 years later.

 

So yes, for a cruise that costs far less than it used to back in the day, I am not expecting the same service that I received back in the day.

I'm not talking way back, although I've been sailing on Carnival for over 20 years.  If you go way back, then you could get filet mignon every night.  I'm talking perhaps 5 years.  Food and service was still acceptable to me then.  We sail in at least a balcony.  Other than a great casino rate, we pay more than $100 pp especially with current pricing. I understand your argument and agree to a certain degree.  At some point though, I personally feel like they are taking quality down as far as they can go to see where the cruisers finally reach a tipping point.  Before people tell me to sail on other cruise lines....I do.  I occasionally cruise on Carnival and wish the quality and service would get stepped up.      

[jimbo5544]

47 minutes ago, RoperDK said:

I agree, demand is high for now.  Don't know what the future will bring with higher prices and lower quality.  Carnival isn't the only line doing this.  I am not their target market, but I do enjoy the vibe for a getaway.  IMHO, if people believe that a product if perfect and has no room for improvement, then they are looking through rose colored glasses or for other reasons (that I will keep to myself).

I see absolutely no difference in quality (and I cruise other lines).  We all have to remember, they were hammered as an industry (none of it their own issue).  Just the facts.  

 

[RoperDK]

8 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

I see absolutely no difference in quality (and I cruise other lines).  We all have to remember, they were hammered as an industry (none of it their own issue).  Just the facts.  

 

So you felt that your Celebrity cruise had the same quality and choices that Carnival does?  I understand that the cost might have been higher, but for me, the value is there.  I consider what I paid in comparison to what I received. Of course, JMHO.   

[jimbo5544]

1 minute ago, RoperDK said:

So you felt that your Celebrity cruise had the same quality and choices that Carnival does?  I understand that the cost might have been higher, but for me, the value is there.  I consider what I paid in comparison to what I received. Of course, JMHO.   

I am telling you they ALL have the same financial issues.  I actually think Carnivals food is better than Celebrity.  Service is another topic.  

[RoperDK]

45 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

I am telling you they ALL have the same financial issues.  

This is something we can agree on.

[jimbo5544]

18 hours ago, RoperDK said:

This is something we can agree on.

I love it when common ground is found.

[EllieinNJ]

On 2/16/2024 at 10:14 AM, wardwhitty said:

I thought the new additions were really good.  I too enjoyed the Emeril's selections Chicken Roulade and Chicken Cordon Blue were very good.

That was the one meal I hated.  Chicken was hard as a rock and tasteless.  People at other tables didn't like it either 

[EllieinNJ]

On 2/22/2024 at 7:42 AM, Crusin Karen said:

I know this is a dumb question but does the salmon have bbq sauce or is it just bbq’ed lol. The name needs clarification!!! I love bbq‘ed food, not so much SAUCE! 😐

The bbq fish Branzino was just BBQ sauce.  I had to scrape it off.  Tasted like ketchup.

[EllieinNJ]

On 2/20/2024 at 10:45 PM, Warm Breezes said:

This all reminds me of my daughters wedding last summer.  My daughter wanted pasta for her wedding.  At the tasting they served us fettuccini with lots of chicken and baked ziti with a good amount of meat in the sauce.  My husband specifically asked if there would be that much meat at the buffet so everyone would get meat with their meal.  They assured us it would so we went through them.  Fast forward to the wedding.  We were the first table to go through the buffet after the head table and by the time we got to the fettuccini, I found one small sliver of chicken and the baked ziti's sauce had no meat.  So disappointed.  I haven't come across that on Carnival though.

My husband ordered the pasta and seafood the last night.  It came with two mussels, two small shrimp and maybe three calamari.  He was very disappointed.

[BlerkOne]

On 2/22/2024 at 6:42 AM, Crusin Karen said:

I know this is a dumb question but does the salmon have bbq sauce or is it just bbq’ed lol. The name needs clarification!!! I love bbq‘ed food, not so much SAUCE! 😐

It has sauce, but not too much. I liked it.

 

[staceyglow]

22 hours ago, aborgman said:

 

 

Alcohol prices might be a difference - 

 

Mixed drink prices seems to be about 30-40% higher than my 2019 cruise, which exceeds inflation by about 10%.

I was referring to base fares. If Carnival focuses their price increases on items that are completely optional, I am all for it. 

[bmarts]

I've cruised both Carnival and Royal since the menu change. Was super disappointed with Royal. I was very pleased with carnival (Feb 2024). The Emerils selection menu choices were all excellent when I ordered them. 

[jimbo5544]

1 minute ago, bmarts said:

I've cruised both Carnival and Royal since the menu change. Was super disappointed with Royal. I was very pleased with carnival (Feb 2024). The Emerils selection menu choices were all excellent when I ordered them. 

Agree

[DallasGuy75219]

On 2/24/2024 at 12:47 PM, EllieinNJ said:

My husband ordered the pasta and seafood the last night.  It came with two mussels, two small shrimp and maybe three calamari.  He was very disappointed.

I had the same experience on Valor, essentially a noodle dish designed to fill you up with cheap carbs.

 

Luckily my roommate and I had just ordered it to split as a second main dish so we could have pasta with our chicken parm.