Food news from the Quest

I have no reason to be way off the mark and have no axe to grind.

Our feeling is that we did not get the luxury cruise experience that we expected and paid a lot for.

I feel I can compare fairly with so many cruises behind me.

Why would 2 posters , who know nothing of each other, say the same thing? Because that's our opinion, like it or not.

Fleuve51, I was not trying to insult you, just to trying to get a balanced picture.

You sound very angry. Your experience is so different from ours that I would like more information from others who might have been on the Quest at the same time as you. Not everyone has the same opinion about a particular cruise, restaurant, movie, whatever. Also, people have very different expectations based on past experience. I would love to hear from you about a particular ship and cruise that lived up to or surpassed your expectations…..one that you thought was worth every penny.

Has anyone else sailed RECENTLY on the Quest? We are booked on the Quest for the 14 days Western Europe cruise next April-Mayand I am concerned about the last 2 extremely negative posts about the quality of the food right now. We sailed on the Quest nearly 2 years ago and the food in the MDR, while not Michelin level, was usually very good. And the service was excellent. Has something happened, is there a new chef who has not got things under control or is it possible are these 2 posters who are way off the mark? Or with an axe to grind?

Yes, we were on 4weeks ago and can say the meals offered in the MDR and the Colonnade were superb. Not only the quality but also the variation and number of choices.

I believe the chef was Chef John. We were on the Odyssey 2 years ago and thought the meals then were very good but this time (IMO) the meals were better, wonderful choices and better quality.

I do not know if there has been any crew changes since then.

One other comment, in retrospect, we would liked a few more greens with the mains at the evening meals. I am sure we could have had a side of greens had we requested it.

I am sure we could have had a side of greens had we requested it.

You most certainly can. Have always found in the USA (and hence on US orientated ships) a salad is generally offered ahead of the main course and then vegetables (especially green ones) tend to be treated more as a garnish than a constituent of the meal as we are used to in Europe.

Having checked with the Asst Maitre d' taking the order what is included on a particular dish we will often order a side of spinach, or green beans or mixed veg and they always appear.

Food is subjective. I am not angry- we still had a great time and met wonderful people.

I am saying that we didn't get the "luxury" experience that we expected.

When you pay Ritz prices, you expect more- right?

Many on board said that the smaller seabourn ships were much better.

We found there are not as many choices on the dinner menus, as other ships.

The colonnade always had great choices and high quality food .

For us, the MDR was the problem.

We were always a table got 6, always went before 7:30 and never got out before 9:45.

Very long waits between courses.

All this being said, the staff were very nice and tried to be helpful. The rooms great.the coffee machine on the square made excellent coffee.

As for the sewage smell--- no one likes that , and for 4 days !

Many said the crew were new and inexperienced.

As I said before, we loved: azamara, Oceania and celebrity is a great line .

Many said the crew were new and inexperienced.

There must have been crew changes between ours and your cruise. We did strike 1 grumpy crew member in the MDR one evening. The other 300 odd crew were fabulous and chatting to many of them they were a happy and experienced crew.

It is a shame you did not have the dining experience we had.

As for the sewage smell--- no one likes that , and for 4 days !

Out of interest, what area of the ship were you in? DW did say she smelt a stale smell near the end of the cruise but I didn't smell it.

We board the Quest soon, and we are looking forward to a great time. We have sailed on many cruise lines, most recently on Regent. We understand different people have different experiences and experience things differently. We have heard a lot of good reports on seaborne, as well as some not so good, same as Regent which we greatly enjoy. My only concern is the change to Per se and French Laundry guy is after our cruise. We hope we won't be just emptying the pantry and food staff morale is good.

I get the impression (and I may be totally wrong) that some people think Thomas Keller is coming aboard and going to be the chef on the Quest or any other ship. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most of the food will remain the same except for the restaurant he is creating and where his dishes will be served. So don't worry that they are cleaning out the larders in preparation for his restaurant's arrival.

My impression is that Keller, in addition to creating a new restaurant, will have an impact on the menus in all restaurants on all Seabourn ships. I hope it will be felt most in the MDR. I think the Colonnade has something very nice going for it at lunch, whether you choose the buffet or order from a table (or a bit of both), but I feel evening meals could be improved there as well. Let's hope.

Who was the Chef onboard your cruise?

That was also John Pugh. We learned from the wait staff that they recently replaced many of the line cooks and brought in inexperienced cooks from the Philippines, which seems to be part of the problem.

We board the Quest soon, and we are looking forward to a great time. We have sailed on many cruise lines, most recently on Regent. We understand different people have different experiences and experience things differently. We have heard a lot of good reports on seaborne, as well as some not so good, same as Regent which we greatly enjoy. My only concern is the change to Per se and French Laundry guy is after our cruise. We hope we won't be just emptying the pantry and food staff morale is good.

How soon is soon? I believe the transatlantic I'm on is the last cruise before the switchover (which should be made during the dry dock week that follows) and I'm certainly not expecting any reduced provisioning.

My friends were on the "Route of the Vikings" itinerary on the Quest until a month ago or so, and they loved the cruise and said it was up to the full standard they're used to (they're experienced cruisers and SB cruisers).

When did this alleged change of line cooks take place?

How soon is soon? I believe the transatlantic I'm on is the last cruise before the switchover (which should be made during the dry dock week that follows) and I'm certainly not expecting any reduced provisioning.

So long as they still have steak, fries and peppercorn sauce then I will be happy. :D

So long as they still have steak, fries and peppercorn sauce then I will be happy. :D

You and me both! And my soufflé for dessert. ;)

"We learned from the wait staff that they recently replaced many of the line cooks and brought in inexperienced cooks from the Philippines, which seems to be part of the problem."

Please tell me this is not so. Please. Because it's the reason I now don't/can't do Silversea. I love Filippinos; but these guys they bring on just don't know. Someone once said to me: They produce it by numbers. She's right.

Years ago, on Silversea, I asked the Assistant Head Chef, when he came to our table so he could get the requisite congrats for how wonderful it all was, and you just do, don't you, but it wasn't, if one night he would do me Chicken Adobo: their national dish. It is a dish I truly love and have done often and revelled at the chance to have it done by an Assistant Head Chef. (The other food up 'til then has been such that I asked for this because I also thought, ever so wrongly as it turned out, that at least this would be palatable.)

I was totally surprised when he demurred: every housewife takes pride in her own variation, so he or someone else back there of the 95% Filippino Kitchen Staff must have at least seen his mother do it…. Three days or so later, something is plunked on the table, at Lunch, and when the other food ordered had long arrived, and I was told by a waiter it was what I had wanted. Believe me, it wasn't. Obviously the recipe for Adobo wasn't onboard or available and so what I got was a Madras Curry, thrown together, badly, and the two have as much relationship the one to the other as a dog does to a Dingo: well, you know what I mean…

I think I've posted about this before. In truth, it is recurring. I think I'm now close to getting over it: and knowing I don't have to go back to Silversea helps.

But please, someone out there, tell me it isn't true about Seabourn: I have a 20+day one coming up soon on the Quest.

To my knowledge the line cooks have always been predominantly Filipino. Just observe as you walk through there at the Galley Market lunch.

Please tell me this is not so. Please. Because it's the reason I now don't/can't do Silversea. I love Filippinos; but these guys they bring on just don't know. Someone once said to me: They produce it by numbers. She's right.

 

Three days or so later, something is plunked on the table, at Lunch, and when the other food ordered had long arrived, and I was told by a waiter it was what I had wanted. Believe me, it wasn't. Obviously the recipe for Adobo wasn't onboard or available and so what I got was a Madras Curry, thrown together, badly, and the two have as much relationship the one to the other as a dog does to a Dingo: well, you know what I mean…

 

But please, someone out there, tell me it isn't true about Seabourn: I have a 20+day one coming up soon on the Quest.

Yes it is so... last week we were having a party for some Italian guests first time on Seabourn, in one of the larger suites and I asked for caponata and Italian wedding soup for some side dishes. They had no clue and I went over the recipe with the assistant chef and still after my step-by-step instructions, both side dishes were not even close. We too are spoiled by the chefs on the Silversea ships.

To my knowledge the line cooks have always been predominantly Filipino. Just observe as you walk through there at the Galley Market lunch.

Yes, to the extent that it can be difficult for non-Filipino chefs to integrate.

Interesting enough: In the just release Berlitz Cruise Guide 2016, none of the Seabourn Ships is in the top 5 anymore, Soujourn even downgraded to 4 Star. Coincidence? I don't think so...

We received our 2016 Berlitz Cruise Guide yesterday and found that Sojourn's rating was exactly the same as last year and remains at 5 stars and "Luxury".

Prior to the 2015 edition of the guide, the "Star Performers" were the top 10, in which for several years the three larger SB ships were ranked 6th, 7th, and 8th. In 2015, the guide changed to a top 5 system, thereby leaving the SB ships off of the list. Nothing changed in terms of the relative ratings of the SB ships compared to the competition.

Cheers, Fred