portions in the MDR

[Bell Ringer]

 

When large portions are put in front of us, how many of us tend to eat it just because it's there, even though we're full?

 

How True! Tonight we ate at Ruby Tuesday. I should never have eaten the whole portion of Chicken Bela, but for some reason, it was all gone by the end of the meal....and I didn't need it all, for sure.

I have often wished that the vegetable portions were more generous in the MDR, but we usually get salad as well. Ymmm for the Caesar Salad tossed right at the table.

Neither my DH or I have ever gotten up from the table, needing to go for a snack, even though a few opportunities exist.

[Driftwoodgal]

Bluecookies,

 

On shrimp night I asked for another entree and received in just a few minutes. I think that was the only entree that I thought was just a little to small. I lost weight before the cruise so was trying to not expand the waistline. I do hate wasting food so if there is alot on the plate I will try to fininsh it, so RCI was doing me a favor ;) I remember when they cut down on the size of the plate in the Windjammer. Wasn't worried about the number of calories then so I was upset. Again, glad the plates were smaller this go round.

[skandls]

The smaller portion don't bother me. I hate too see so much food getting thrown into the garbage. With the multiple courses I rarely finish my entree. I think its better to serve small and have seconds availble to anyone who asks.

 

Cruisers from the 'old' days need to realize that a lot has changed. Meals in the main dining rooms are much less in quality and quantity. But now there is food 24/7. I remember missing breakfast and being hungry waiting for the on deck buffet to open. Meal seatings were set - the only other option was a 20 min wait for room service.

[Happy ks]

somehow though I do not believe RC is making these changes is for our health benefit. I'm not saying they should have huge portions where the food goes to waste. But where does this stop? One piece of shrimp? One ravioli? "oh but you can ask for more." I know I am exaggerating being facetious but for those of you who think its the perfect size, what happens when they cut back further? Will you still have the same attitude? What happens if all the sudden you cannot ask for more?

 

 

Perhaps we'll stop seeing the threads where people state they gained 10 lbs. on a 7 night cruise ;) :)

 

I havent't noticed smaller portions, but I haven't been on a cruise since last October. I do know that in the past I've never been able to clean my plate (not that I have a need to do that) and that I never try to finish each course. If I finish the entire appetizer and salad or soup, I can barely eat any of the main entree.

[madforcruising]

With an average of two cruises a year over the last couple of years I guess my cruises are too far apart to realize if there´s a decrease in serving size or not. The thing that is more obvious to me is how hungry or filled up I´m at the end of the meal and I can´t see any difference here over the years. I´m not going hungry after a meal. If they really cut the meal size it was for sure a cost cutting as it not only cuts cost on food, but also cut the cost on garbage. As you still have the option to order and eat as much as you can I say this is a good move.

 

A chain restaurant over here sometimes has has all you can eat menus (not a buffet). You get a good serving size at first and can reorder as long as you can eat. However after the initial serving the size of reorders gets remarkable smaller. I think it´s a great concept, as many people won´t eat another full serving size and those that would can get a third/fourth.....serving.

 

 

 

Another thing to come back to RCI is the smaller plates they have in the Windjammer now. I think it´s a good thing as well, as I´ve seen many people filling those large plates just to leave most of it untouched and I know for myself with the larger plate I tended to load more on it than I should have. After all I can go and take a second plate full if I can not take on enough food on the smaller plate. Just wish they brought back the trays, but that´s another story;)

[jtwisconsin]

I thought the portions were a little smaller on our cruises this year, but it really didn't bother us. You can order more (and it was offered) but I didn't feel the need and certainly never left hungry.

[MrsPete]

I haven't weighed and measured - but I think the portions are a REAL serving size. We are so used to super-size that we no longer recognize a normal serving size.

I was going to say something similar. Restaurant meals have "convinced us" that we're supposed to have plates piled high, but in reality a typical restaurant meal is what we should be eating in 2-3 meals. I have no problem with the ships serving normal portions.

[marci22]

I don't mind smaller serving sizes because we nearly always get an additional entree for the table to share. I don't like feeling that I have ordered so much food that it will just be thrown away.

[d&a Delaware]

somehow though I do not believe RC is making these changes is for our health benefit. I'm not saying they should have huge portions where the food goes to waste. But where does this stop? One piece of shrimp? One ravioli? "oh but you can ask for more." I know I am exaggerating being facetious but for those of you who think its the perfect size, what happens when they cut back further? Will you still have the same attitude? What happens if all the sudden you cannot ask for more?

 

Actually, one of the things I like best about eating in the MDR is the portion control. If they put a huge amount of food in front of me, I am likely to eat it and leave the meal over stuffed:eek:. If you find that the portions are routinely too small for you, ask your waiter up front (when initially ordering) to bring you an extra portion. We always ask at the first evening for an extra plate of steamed vegetables to share with the table, and get that every night. The MDR staff will do everything they can to make you happy -- you just need to talk with them. But the trend to better portion control is a wonderful thing for me:).

 

David

[rushyescrim]

i have always thought that the portions in the MDR were too small. Fortunately for me the Windjammer is still open for Dinner number 2

[marci22]

i have always thought that the portions in the MDR were too small. Fortunately for me the Windjammer is still open for Dinner number 2

 

Just tell your waiter you are really hungry and order an extra entree. I can't see leaving the MDR hungry; usually I am sick of eating by Day 4.

[tahqa]

I'm 6'4" and 210 pounds and I always walked away from dinner satisfied with the portions. And only once did I have seconds on the entree (lobster night :-) ).

[Mim Lloyd]

I'm assuming that most of the comments about the portion sizes being small are from US posters. Most of us Brits are amazed at the huge food portion sizes when we travel to the US and they're certainly a talking point when we get home! We like our food but I wonder how people can actually pack it all away sometimes without feeling sick. The first time we cruised on a US based cruise ship we couldn't believe how much some people ate at the buffet breakfast. Seeing two plates piled high by one person wasn't uncommon.

 

I've noticed the portions getting smaller on RCCI ships and I've sometimes thought that I could eat more of a particular dish that I really liked, but to be honest it doesn't bother me as I know that I can make use of the other eateries and snack places if I really want to. It's not as if when you've finished dinner there's nowhere else to get something to eat until the next morning.

[cruznjan]

Smaller portions work for me. I hated to have to leave food on my plate because to was too much.

[DGNY]

For those that have ordered seconds....how long does that usually take? It would seem to me that it would bog down the pace of the meal for others at the table.

[yogimax]

i have always thought that the portions in the MDR were too small. Fortunately for me the Windjammer is still open for Dinner number 2

 

o.k., have to ask... are you kidding or do you really follow up dinner in the dining room with a trip to the windjammer?

[petesweet]

Better small servings with the option to order more than overly large portions that lead to waste.

 

Or to WAIST!:(

[dirtgirl]

Perhaps we'll stop seeing the threads where people state they gained 10 lbs. on a 7 night cruise ;) :)

 

I havent't noticed smaller portions, but I haven't been on a cruise since last October. I do know that in the past I've never been able to clean my plate (not that I have a need to do that) and that I never try to finish each course. If I finish the entire appetizer and salad or soup, I can barely eat any of the main entree.

 

Yep, I'm with you, Kathy. Once I've had my roll and appie, I can barely eat half my dinner and usually only a couple of bites of dessert, if I order dessert at all. Last cruise I kept saying no to dessert, but the waiter would bring me one anyway.:rolleyes: It sat there with maybe 2 bites taken out of it. I am not hungry on cruises, and often forget to eat.

[petesweet]

For those that have ordered seconds....how long does that usually take? It would seem to me that it would bog down the pace of the meal for others at the table.

 

If you think you are going to need a second entree, it is a kindness to the server to order both at the same time. Then it will not interrupt the flow of the service routine. (Same with any other course.)

To those who are complaining about the size of the entrees, have you seen some of those high-end cooking shows on TV? The fancy entree might fill a teacup.:D

[DGNY]

If you think you are going to need a second entree, it is a kindness to the server to order both at the same time. Then it will not interrupt the flow of the service routine. (Same with any other course.)

 

Sure that would be optimal. However, what if you don't know that you'll need seconds until during the eating of the entree?

[bplazo]

Just got off the Enchantment and WOW, were the portions in the MDR small! One night I got the shrimp ravioli. My six small pieces of ravioli barely covered the bottom of the bowl. The night i ordered the shrimp I received four medium sized.

 

I understand you can order more, but I was nearly insulted. I was traveling with some friends of ours for their first time cruise. I was embarrassed and I think they were rather surprised when their plate came. Maybe it has always been this way, I just don't remember.

 

Why were you embarrassed because of the portion size?

[d&a Delaware]

Sure that would be optimal. However, what if you don't know that you'll need seconds until during the eating of the entree?

 

It usually comes out very quickly. They seem to have some of the more popular entrees ready to bring out. Don't hesitate to ask if there is something you want.

 

David

[A2Mich]

Saw a TV program called "High Profits on the High Seas." IIRC, the show was made in conjunction with NCL, showing how much money the bars had to make per day to "break even," etc. They also showed a portion of the show, where crew members were tossing away plates FULL of food, wasted by passengers. One thing to remember is that many people do not routinely eat the same foods as prepared by the dining rooms on cruise ships, and therefore, many people may not like the way certan dishes are prepared....why pile up large plates only to be thrown away? I understand both sides of the picture here, but there are people who believe that since they paid $800 for their cruise, then they need to eat $800 worth of food in a week. I'd rather the cruise lines not waste so much food, myself. I do have a hearty appetite (OK...so I'm a pig), and I don't mind asking for a second entree, and actually, the smaller portions make for an excuse to order a second entree. Hmm, should I have lobster or prime rib? Small portions, I'll have both. Again, I see nothing wrong with ordering more than one entree, but certainly do my best to eat all of it. I don't like wasting food at home, and don't like doing that on someone else's checkbook.

[bluecookies]

Why were you embarrassed because of the portion size?

 

We were traveling with some friends of ours. They were first time cruisers. We really talked things up about the cruise experience and the MDR. So when our food arrived I thought to myself "what happened?" and felt kinda dumb!

[bplazo]

I am thinking that they are trying to control their food cost and people wasting food. Probably alot of cruisers do not realize that they can order more than one.