1980 Menus

[glgolfer]

There's been discussions about the decline in food quality. Here's some menu items from the Song of Norway in the late 80s.

 

Appetizers:Shrimp Cocktail, Escargot, Liver Pate, Crabmeat Cocktail

 

Entrees: Seatrout, Veal Cordon Bleu, Prime Sirloin Steak, Frog Legs, Mixed Grill (Lamb Chop, Veal Liver, Pork Mignon, Bacon), Turkey, Flying Fish, Lamb Ragout, Prime Rib, Chicken & Lobster Newburg au Gratin, Duck laOrange, Bay Scallops, Lobster Thermidor and Leg of Lamb.

 

Vegetables were served separately and there was always a choice of three along with a baked potato and some other kind of potato.

 

Cheese Tray.

 

Soups, salads and deserts were much the same.

 

You ate breakfast, lunch and dinner at the same table every day at either first or second seating. The breakfast menu was the same, but the lunch menu changed every day.

 

Hard to imagine how far they've come. 23,000 tons to 220,000 tons.

[lady_cruiser]

That was a time when stars and royalty cruised on the same liners as the common people. I wonder if the quality of the food was any better. It is all in how a chef prepares the meals.

[isujim]

Yes it is hard to believe how far they have come:rolleyes: I remember those days and the food was wonderful! at least on the Nordic Prince many years ago.

[glgolfer]

lady cruiser: The quality was much better. And, they only had to serve 400 to 500 per seating instead of 1800 or more.

 

It compared favorably with what is served in the Grill restaurants on the QM2 (reserved for only those PAX in either the Princess or Queens grill cabins. Max of 150 or so) and on Crystal today.

 

isujim: At least they deep 6ed the ranch steak.

[BEVGOO]

We were on the Song of Norway in December of 1996. I remember the food as being very good with a good selection. We sailed the JOS in March and had good mealsin the dining room first 2 nights and then ate at Chops and Portifinos which of course was great. The last few nights in the dining room, the meals were spotty at best. Of course, all of this is depending on individaul tastes.

[isujim]

lady cruiser:

 

isujim: At least they deep 6ed the ranch steak.

 

How true, how true.........:D

[Fairsailing]

While I agree about the decline in quality, a lot of people will say that the topic is subjective and everyone has different tastes. But what they can't argue and what sticks out most to me is the steep drop in the number of selections available now. All of the soups, salads, and appetizers are now lumped together as 5-6 "starters" and there are only 4-5 entrees. Compare that with 1980.

 

Those of you that have cruised a while now - do you remember how the food was one of the first things you told your friends about when you came back from a cruise? Or when you were trying to convince them to go with you? Now we talk about the ice skating and the rock wall...

[MEmomMA]

There's been discussions about the decline in food quality. Here's some menu items from the Song of Norway in the late 80s.

 

Entrees: Flying Fish

:eek: :D Gives me a mental picture of some crew members casting nets off the side of the boat to catch those buggers!

[glgolfer]

They just used these big butterfly nets with real long handles. It was amazing to watch. Sadly, all my pictures of them catching the fish got ruined in the move. You'll just have to take my word for it.:rolleyes:

[Mark_K]

It's fairly simple, if you want the 1980 dining experience you just have to pay the 1980 prices (adjusted for inflation) and sail on a better cruise line.

[referee]

Our first cruise was on the Norway in 1981. afterward we discussed that beautiful blue color, the wooden decks and the food

[Saga Ruby]

Those of you that have cruised a while now - do you remember how the food was one of the first things you told your friends about when you came back from a cruise? Or when you were trying to convince them to go with you? Now we talk about the ice skating and the rock wall...

 

Qualifications - I have been cruising since 1957 with my family then began actually paying for a cruise in 1979.

 

My take on the food issue is that, when any kitchen is feeding over 1,000 per seating, by definition the operations becomes a banquet seating. I tried one behemoth in 2003, went back to my small ships, and lived happily ever after.

 

I don't like crowds, I can't afford to cruise all the time, but when I do go on a voyage, it's "cherce."

 

Ruby

[glgolfer]

You got it and then you'll get all the things included that everyone complains about as nickle and diming.

We do not partake of most of the things that are extra charge except for a few alcoholic beverages. Maybe a soda or 2, no pictures, no specialty coffee or ice cream, no tattoos, etc.

We're very happy paying for just what we really want and not subsidizing the folks that want the other extra stuff. There's two ways to look at it. We don't want to pay for someone that drinks 10 cokes a day or that lives at the specialty coffee bar.

[isujim]

Those of you that have cruised a while now - do you remember how the food was one of the first things you told your friends about when you came back from a cruise? Or when you were trying to convince them to go with you? Now we talk about the ice skating and the rock wall...

 

 

And some call that progress:)

[Saga Ruby]

You got it and then you'll get all the things included that everyone complains about as nickle and diming.

We do not partake of most of the things that are extra charge except for a few alcoholic beverages. Maybe a soda or 2, no pictures, no specialty coffee or ice cream, no tattoos, etc.

 

I don't sail on the luxury lines because alcohol is included in the "free" price of the tariff. If I sailed on Seabourn or Regent, I would wind up buying rounds for all passengers for the entire 14-day voyage.

 

You're smart to understand the RCI policy of "get 'em on cheap, then financially nitpick them to death." Those onboard accounts do add up.

 

Ruby

[Cruising89143]

It's fairly simple, if you want the 1980 dining experience you just have to pay the 1980 prices (adjusted for inflation) and sail on a better cruise line.

 

 

I agree. I would not want to think what those prices would be today for a balcony cabin on one of the Voyager or Freedom class ships. My first cruise back in 1986 was about $1500.00 per person on NCL's Starward for an outside cabin no larger than a shoe box for a seven day cruise to the western Caribbean. To be honest, the biggest thing going for a cruise in those days was the food and service. You ate all meals in the dining room at your assigned tables at assigned times. No room service. The ships were MUCH MUCH smaller so the shows and entertainment was nothing like we see today and they were geared for a much more mature crowd. Casino's were small. Personally I will take mass market cruising and what it has to offer today. If I feel that I need something better than what the dining room or Windjammer has to offer then I can step up to Portofino or Chops.:)

[OGCFreddie]

I agree. I would not want to think what those prices would be today for a balcony cabin on one of the Voyager or Freedom class ships. My first cruise back in 1986 was about $1500.00 per person on NCL's Starward for an outside cabin no larger than a shoe box for a seven day cruise to the western Caribbean. To be honest, the biggest thing going for a cruise in those days was the food and service. You ate all meals in the dining room at your assigned tables at assigned times. No room service. The ships were MUCH MUCH smaller so the shows and entertainment was nothing like we see today and they were geared for a much more mature crowd. Casino's were small. Personally I will take mass market cruising and what it has to offer today. If I feel that I need something better than what the dining room or Windjammer has to offer then I can step up to Portofino or Chops.:)

I agree with you, cruisinggator2. My first cruise was so expensive (NCL's Sunward II) that there was no way that one could afford to cruise (at least not in my financial bracket) as often as one can today. They were so expensive!!! If someone wants to pay as much as you did back then, there are the luxury lines where you can do that and get the extra perks. IMO, I'd rather pay the extra fees at the end of the cruise where I can control what I spend rather than pay an arm and a leg at the beginning to pay for everyone else's expenses. Again, however, JMHO.

[isujim]

I agree. I would not want to think what those prices would be today for a balcony cabin on one of the Voyager or Freedom class ships. My first cruise back in 1986 was about $1500.00 per person on NCL's Starward for an outside cabin no larger than a shoe box for a seven day cruise to the western Caribbean. To be honest, the biggest thing going for a cruise in those days was the food and service. You ate all meals in the dining room at your assigned tables at assigned times. No room service. The ships were MUCH MUCH smaller so the shows and entertainment was nothing like we see today and they were geared for a much more mature crowd. Casino's were small. Personally I will take mass market cruising and what it has to offer today. If I feel that I need something better than what the dining room or Windjammer has to offer then I can step up to Portofino or Chops.:)

 

Gordon

 

I know where you are coming from here........we may just disagree on this one, then again we are really talking two different era's. I know my pricing in 1987 wasn't that much more than today.....it really wasn't. Yes the Nordic Prince was smaller, entertainment wasn't what it was today and the Casino was smaller because you didn't have 3800 passengers on a ship. To me the whole thing centers around "Mass Market Cruising" and the move to resort hotels floating at sea...... There are many positive improvements in today's cruising but I am really having second thoughts concerning the number of people and the size of the ships...and it's not about RC.......I still think of all the mass market lines they are pretty good........but in an effort to downsize and try and recapture just once the cruising experience of 20 years ago is why we have booked the Pacific Princess next year and only 674 passengers.

 

In short I think the two era's of cruising are so opposite they really can't be compared. As the ships get bigger and bigger, the masses become more and more.........you end up with a totally different product and Experience something different than what you had 20 or 25 years ago........neither are bad (IMO) just different with totally different marketing concepts (and profit outlooks I might add) ,there really IMO isn't any way to compare them........which is why no one is really wrong in their assesment.......

 

Too bad there just isn't a middle..........I thought the Radiance Class provided that, but soon they will be the smallest ships in the fleet after the Vision Class finally moves on or is sold off........

 

Sometimes as you get older........you just wish you could take the best of both worlds.......without 5,000 people:)

 

I guess I qualify for that mature crowd LOL!!! I know I'm certainly getting up there and it probably shows LOL!!

[Saga Ruby]

Following is the Consumer Price Index inflation calculator which allows you to see how inflation has peaked in the past decades. Buckle your seat belts, it'll be a bumpy ride:

 

http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl

 

Ruby

[English Teacher]

Thanks, Ruby--that's a great little tool.

 

Lou-Ann

[elhenry]

My first cruise was Song of America in 1987. I don't remember the quality of the food, but I do remember eating at the same table, same time, morning noon and night. And debarkation day the early breakfast was *way* early....

 

As I am a fan of personal choice dining, I think the "method" of dining is a change for the better.

 

el henry